TOW
02-20-2007, 05:27 AM
PSV Eindhoven, Dutch champions in four out of the last six years, have considerable Champions League experience. The Farmers came agonisingly close to a final appearance in 2005, when a young side pushed AC Milan all the way. However, as is often the case with promising Dutch sides, the team’ most promising stars left for Europe’s better paid leagues.
PSV were champions of Europe in 1988, the same year that the national side lifted the European Championship. However, the last time a Dutch side made the final was in 1996, and Eindhoven were the only Dutch side to make it to this season’s group phase. PSV were convincingly beaten by Lyon at the same stage last year and Liverpool eased passed them over two group games this time around. Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger will feel confident of doing a similar job over Ronald Koeman’s side this time.
Arsenal probably even surprised themselves by making it all the way to last year’s final eventually losing 2-1 to Barcelona which ended a record-breaking sequence of ten consecutive clean sheets in this competition. Normally known for their fluid, attacking football, which is spearheaded by Thierry Henry, the Gunners were impenetrable in last season’s Champions League campaign. However, this has not been replicated in this season’s domestic away form, where they’ve struggled against the Premiership’s less glamorous sides.
Wenger will be hoping that his young-Gunners can build on the experience of the last campaign and maintain their relish for the big stage. As Arsenal topped their group, they earned the right to play the second leg at the Emirates Stadium where, after a shaky start to their first season at the venue, they now seem to be fully acclimatised.
To qualify: PSV 3.290; Arsenal 1.402 with PinnacleSports.com (http://tracking.pinnaclesports.com/cgi-bin/rr.cgi/R2_EMBED_PARAMS/onlinewire/20061026a/200610261057001/http://www.pinnaclesports.com/default.asp?language=English&LExt=egl&refer=xtower1)
PSV were champions of Europe in 1988, the same year that the national side lifted the European Championship. However, the last time a Dutch side made the final was in 1996, and Eindhoven were the only Dutch side to make it to this season’s group phase. PSV were convincingly beaten by Lyon at the same stage last year and Liverpool eased passed them over two group games this time around. Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger will feel confident of doing a similar job over Ronald Koeman’s side this time.
Arsenal probably even surprised themselves by making it all the way to last year’s final eventually losing 2-1 to Barcelona which ended a record-breaking sequence of ten consecutive clean sheets in this competition. Normally known for their fluid, attacking football, which is spearheaded by Thierry Henry, the Gunners were impenetrable in last season’s Champions League campaign. However, this has not been replicated in this season’s domestic away form, where they’ve struggled against the Premiership’s less glamorous sides.
Wenger will be hoping that his young-Gunners can build on the experience of the last campaign and maintain their relish for the big stage. As Arsenal topped their group, they earned the right to play the second leg at the Emirates Stadium where, after a shaky start to their first season at the venue, they now seem to be fully acclimatised.
To qualify: PSV 3.290; Arsenal 1.402 with PinnacleSports.com (http://tracking.pinnaclesports.com/cgi-bin/rr.cgi/R2_EMBED_PARAMS/onlinewire/20061026a/200610261057001/http://www.pinnaclesports.com/default.asp?language=English&LExt=egl&refer=xtower1)