Valencia Vs Schalke 04
 | Valencia lost both David Villa and David Silva over the summer, a fact that makes their success in this seasons' Champions League impressive. Equally impressive is their domestic form which has taken them to third place in La Liga. Valencia are strong going forward, evidenced by the 15 goals they managed during the group stage. Juan Mata will be influential, as will Aritz Aduriz and Soldado. Defensively, Valencia can be vulnerable, although they do not concede too many goals. Schalke are not faring so well. They sit tenth in the Bundesliga and are unlikely to qualify for the Champions League next season. In Raúl, however, Schalke have a striker who will always be a threat while Klaas-Jan Huntelaar can be equally brilliant. Schalke have problems at the back. Benedikt Hoewedes and Christoph Metzelder are not the fastest of centre-backs and could be exposed by pace. Domestically they have not been a brilliant pairing either. |
Valencia should be able to see off Schalke, but in Raúl and Huntelaar the Germans have an attacking duo who can never be counted out. Schalke will need to remain solid if they are to cope with the attacking style of a Valencia side that has shrugged off major losses. Neither side is in with a major chance of winning the tournament, but both, especially Valencia, could provide an upset or two.
Tottenham Hotspur Vs AC Milan
| Tottenham Hotspur made it through the qualifying rounds before fending off defending champions Inter Milan to secure first place in their group, an impressive achievement for a side in their first ever Champions League appearance. Gareth Bale has been an inspiration for Spurs in Europe, but will not play the first leg away in Milan. Rafael van der Vaart has been equally good since arriving from Real Madrid over the summer break and will have to be the main creative outlet in the absence of Bale. AC Milan top Serie A and should prove to be a tougher prospect for Spurs than Inter Milan were. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been impressive, netting 13 times in the league and contributing 10 assists as well. He has also chipped in four goals in the Champions League. The full-back positions are problematic for AC and they could be vulnerable from the wings, much as they will be looking to exploit Spurs' defensive frailties. |  |
AC Milan should prove too much for a Tottenham side competing in the Champions League for the first time, but Spurs have shown this season that ruling them out is a risky move.
Aris FC v Manchester City – Preview, Prediction, TV Listings, and Betting Odds – Europa League – 15 February 2011
 | The UEFA Europa League knockout stage begins with a first leg round of 32 match between Greek side Aris FC and English side Manchester City. The match will take place at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium (aka Harilaou Ground) in Thessaloniki, Greece on Tuesday, February 15, 2011. Kickoff is scheduled for 17:00 GMT (UK time), 18:00 CET (Central Europe), and 12:00 EST (USA Eastern). |
Aris FC v Manchester City TV Listings
It will be televised on ITV 4 (UK), Setanta (Ireland), Sky Sport (Germany), Sport TV1 (Portugal), C+ Futbol (Spain), ANT 1 (Greece), and on Al Jazeera Sport (Middle East).
Online coverage exclusively by http://uefa.trueonlinetv.com
Aris FC v Manchester City Preview
Aris manager Yiannis Mihalitsios
“Tomorrow we face the strongest team of the institution this year.She and Saint Etienne are the best teams have come in Thessaloniki.It is one of the richest teams with terrible roster and should give 120% now our ability to get a positive result, which we owe to our world.Moreover, we must maintain our history and not lose unbeaten in our ground.And the undefeated Kleanthis Vikelidis a big incentive, but challenge players to face the type of cake that took him to Barcelona or a team’s fourth striker and plays a key went to Real Madrid.It is a challenge for our players to make their best and I think they will.When afraid, you can not face anyone.The value of Manchester City is great, but fear not win any.Need to exaggerate, to meet the requirements of this struggle.I know all the players of the City, but the team may change and the 11 players and to get the same level of performance.
Man City player Joleon Lescott
“We’ve got to be positive, believe in our own ability and not give them any encouragement early on,” he declared, “If we do that we can get some momentum and take it from there, but we’ll need to keep it quite tight.
“We have to limit their chances, make few mistakes early on because that always encourages the crowd to be more vocal and get on your back. As a player, you tend to get more nervous that way. If we can limit them, it should make the game easier as it goes on.
“I tend to relish these occasions though, it’s why you become a footballer, to play in European competition and big games, and Tuesday is a massive game for us.”
“It’s a good thing that we are playing so soon. You don’t tend to dwell on defeats too long and it does help when you have a game so close. For me it’s just the same as when you win, you just want to play and keep your confidence. This game is a great opportunity for us to put Saturday behind us.
“But we will show Aris respect. We’re not sure of what they are capable of, so we have to expect anything. You have to be more aware of your surroundings when you play teams you don’t know as much about. It’s sure to be an intense atmosphere so we have to stick together.”
Man City manager Roberto Mancini
“Do I think we are still mentally strong? I do not think that will be a problem,” said the Italian.
“We played very well against United and the defeat was hard to take. But now we have another important game to focus on.
“We have three days to prepare for this game and we know it will be very difficult. Aris are a good team with good players and have already beaten Atletico Madrid.
“But this is an important time for us and we need to start a winning run. If we play like we did against United we can win a lot of games.”
“City and St Etienne are the best teams to have come to Thessaloniki.
“It is one of the richest teams with a fantastic squad and we must give 120% to get a positive result, which we owe to our fans.
“Moreover, we must maintain our history and not lose our unbeaten record on our ground.
“It is a challenge for our players to produce their best and I think they will. If you are afraid, you cannot face anyone. The value of Manchester City is great, but we will not win if we play in fear.”
Competition Stats
| Aris Salonika | Manchester City | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Sergio Koke 2 | Emmanuel Adebayor 4 |
| Assists | Sergio Koke 1 | David Silva 2 |
| Yellows | Kristi Vangeli 2 | Pablo Zabaleta 1 |
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