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Rediff.com  » Sports » Arsenal, Man United aim to extend perfect runs

Arsenal, Man United aim to extend perfect runs

November 05, 2007 12:21 IST
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Arsenal and Manchester United will be looking to make it four wins out of four in the Champions League this week after playing out an enthralling 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Saturday.

Arsenal will secure a berth in the last 16 with two games to spare if they beat Slavia Prague away and United can also progress to the knockout stages on Wednesday with a home win over Dynamo Kiev.

Unbeaten in all competitions this season, Arsenal are firm favourites to get the result they need after a breathtaking 7-0 demolition of Slavia at the Emirates last month.

Three points against Kiev will see United through if Sporting Lisbon fail to beat Roma at home and either way, Sir Alex Ferguson will hope to celebrate 21 years in charge at Old Trafford with a double over the Ukrainian champions.

Having welcomed Louis Saha's return from injury, Ferguson might consider fielding the Frenchman from the start alongside Wayne Rooney, who has scored nine goals in his last eight matches for club and country.

Chelsea have notched up seven consecutive wins under Avram Grant in all competitions to get their season firmly back on track and an eighth at Schalke 04 tomorrow would put them in a strong position to advance from Group B.

Chelsea are top three points ahead of Rosenborg, who are away to Valencia, with the Spanish side and Schalke a further point adrift in a tight battle to avoid an early exit.

In contrast to Chelsea, Liverpool are hanging on by a thread and anything but a win against Besiktas at Anfield tomorrow would almost certainly end their hopes of progressing into the last 16.

Liverpool are bottom of Group A with one point from three matches and desperately need a result to keep their hopes alive and to end a patchy run in which they have won only two of their last seven matches.

HOME FORM

Holders AC Milan have found rival turfs in the Italian first division to be happier hunting grounds recently but it is their home form that put them joint top of Group D in Europe's premier club competition.

Milan, who have not won a Serie A game at the San Siro since April, travel to Shakhtar Donetsk, who share top spot on six points, after beating them 4-1 a fortnight ago while Celtic and Benfica have three each ahead of their clash in Glasgow.

Milan's city foes Internazionale should be confident of following up on their 2-1 win at CSKA Moscow with another success over the outgoing Russian champions on Wednesday that would leave them in the Group G driving seat.

Inter have six points followed by Fenerbahce on five and PSV Eindhoven on four with the latter two meeting in Istanbul to provide a stern test for PSV's caretaker coach Jan Wouters after Ronald Koeman's departure to Valencia.

Wouters needs to avoid another setback to keep PSV on course for a berth in the last 16 after starting his reign with a 2-1 league defeat at Heerenveen over the weekend, the team's first loss of the season in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Real Madrid will also be looking to bounce back from a domestic setback, a 2-0 loss at Sevilla, when they visit Olympiacos Piraeus tomorrow after overpowering the Greek side 4-2 at the Bernabeu a fortnight ago.

Barcelona are at home to Rangers on Wednesday after their goalless draw at Ibrox left them level on seven points at the top of Group E while Lyon, who trail them by four points, will hope to gain some ground when they entertain Vfb Stuttgart.

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Source: REUTERS
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