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Leonardo Jardim promised Monaco will adhere to their footballing philosophy when they face Zenit in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
The Portuguese took over at the club following the departure of Claudio Ranieri at the end of 2013-14, but last season's Ligue 1 runners-up have struggled under his leadership.
Monaco have lost four of their opening eight league matches in the French top flight, including a 1-0 reverse at home to Nice on Saturday.
Jardim, who substituted influential midfielder Jeremy Toulalan with 20 minutes remaining of that encounter, defended that decision with Wednesday's trip to Russia in mind.
"Toulalan has played a series of intense matches," he said. "We will need him against Zenit.
"Our objective is to win. We didn't expect to suffer so many defeats in so few games. But there is only one road - hard work and making the group progress.
"Our way of playing football is ambitious. Monaco are an ambitious team. We stuck to our ideas.
"We like playing football; we don't boot the ball into touch, or throw ourselves to the ground. I respect the game of football."
Monaco began their Champions League Group C campaign in positive fashion, as Joao Moutinho's goal sealed a 1-0 home win over Bayer Leverkusen, while Zenit returned from Portugal with an impressive 2-0 win at Benfica under their belt.
Andre Villas-Boas' side sit top of the Russian Premier League table, with Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to Spartak Moscow representing their first dropped points of the campaign, in their ninth match.
The club's record goalscorer Aleksandr Kerzhakov was left out of the matchday squad against Spartak, but Villas-Boas insists there is no rift between the pair.
"We don't have any conflict, no," he said. "We had a talk before the match and I explained to him my reasons for not putting him in the lineup, but I don't want to make that public.
"Right now we are waiting to see what happens. Kerzhakov is a very strong player, a part of Zenit and we expect that he will be training with us in the future, proving his right to be on the field."
Villas-Boas stated that experienced midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk should be available for the game, while Monaco look set to be without Lacina Traore, Borja Lopez (both knee) and Aymen Abdennour (thigh).
Malmo v Olympiacos: Roberto insists no hangover for visitors
30 September 2014
Roberto is confident Olympiacos will have no hangover from their weekend loss to Atromitos as they visit Malmo in the UEFA Champions League.
The Greek champions started their Group A campaign with a fantastic 3-2 home victory against La Liga holders Atletico Madrid.
Michel's men followed up with a 3-0 win against Veria in the Superleague before defeating Panachaiki 1-0 in the Greek Cup.
However, Olympiacos travel to the Swedbank Stadion on Wednesday on the back of a disappointing 1-0 setback at Atromitos.
Goalkeeper Roberto is sure the loss was just a blip, though, and is confident Olympiacos can make it two wins from two when they meet the Swedish champions.
"[Atromitos] was an important game for us," he told reporters. "We saw it as an important game, we wanted to win.
"We have an obligation to win all games and now we play [another] important game, but [the loss] makes no difference.
"I am very optimistic [we can beat Malmo]. I believe that this is a unique opportunity that we have to start the Champions League with two consecutive wins. We are ready and we will try our best to do so."
Dimitris Siovas made an eagerly awaited comeback from a broken ankle sustained in January when he played in the Greek Cup, but a thigh injury rules him out against Malmo.
David Fuster (groin) and Leandro Salino (thigh) are also doubtful ahead of the match.
For Malmo, the match represents an opportunity to put their first points on the board after a suffering a 2-0 defeat at Juventus in matchday one.
Age Hareide's men are playing a home match in the competition proper for the first time since November 1990 and, having not conceded at home during three qualifying rounds, Malmo will be confident of causing an upset.
Hareide's side are in good form domestically, Emil Forsberg bagged a hat-trick as Malmo came from behind to defeat Mjallby 4-1 at the weekend.
He now has 13 league goals to this name this term - his best return in a season.
Malmo are proving to be solid in defence, too, goalkeeper Robin Olsen has kept 10 league clean sheets this season, more than any other team in the league.
Defender Ricardinho returned from a month-long lay-off with a knee injury to face Mjallby at the weekend and should be in contention, but the match is likely to come too soon for Simon Thern who has recently resumed full training after breaking his fibula in July.
Ludogorets v Real Madrid: Holders out to avoid slip-up in Sofia
30 September 2014
Real Madrid visit Ludogorets on Wednesday hoping to avoid a slip-up at a traditionally tricky venue for reigning European champions.
The UEFA Champions League holders travel to Bulgaria as heavy favourites to take all three points against a Ludogorets side making their debut on European football's biggest stage this season, but will be wary that history is against them at the Stadion Vasil Levski.
With Ludogorets' home stadium in Razgrad deemed unfit to host Champions League games, this week's clash has been moved to a ground in the Bulgarian capital that has played host to some of the biggest shocks in the competition's history.
Between 1973 and 1982 three tournament winners - Ajax, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool - tasted defeat at the Vasil Levski the season after capturing the crown, with the trio all eliminated by Bulgaria's most successful club CSKA Sofia.
An expected sell-out crowd of almost 42,000 will be hoping that Ludogorets can restore the ground's reputation as a graveyard of champions, however, the hosts' task could not be more daunting versus a Real side in sparkling goalscoring form.
The 10-time winners head into the game on the back of four consecutive victories in all competitions - wins that have seen them score 20 goals in the process.
And, with Real boss Carlo Ancelotti not encountering any new injury problems, the odds are heavily stacked against Georgi Dermendzhiev's men pulling off what would go down as the greatest result in their history.
Sami Khedira (thigh) and Jese Rodriguez (knee) are still on the sidelines along with Fabio Coentrao, but centre-back Pepe is close to a comeback from a muscle problem.
Defenders Alexandre Barthe and Georgi Terziev are injury doubts for Ludogorets yet, despite the clear gulf in quality, Spanish winger Dani Abalo - goalscorer in their 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on matchday one - is in positive mood ahead of the Group B encounter.
"I hope I can keep scoring many more," Abalo said. "It was great to score Ludogorets' first Champions League goal and everyone congratulated me after.
"I always hoped I'd play in Europe when I came here, but to score a goal in Europe was amazing. It would be a dream to do it again against Real Madrid.
"It will be a game to enjoy, for sure. It will be very difficult, we're very aware of that, but I think it's important that we enjoy it.
"If we can play like we did against Liverpool, I think we can give them a real challenge."
Atletico Madrid 1 Juventus 0: Turan winner ends Juve streak
2 October 2014
Juventus suffered a first defeat under Massimiliano Allegri as a goal from Arda Turan earned Atletico Madrid a 1-0 home win on Wednesday.
The Turkey international converted from close range 15 minutes from time to ensure last term's beaten UEFA Champions League finalists claimed their opening points in this season's competition.
Juve had not conceded a competitive goal under Allegri, who was appointed in July, prior to the Group A clash and that record looked set to remain intact as a result of a scrappy affair.
Atleti boast a fearsome recent home record in Europe - avoiding defeat at the Vicente Calderon in last season's competition - and the two sides cancelled each other out for much of a fixture that saw plenty of disruptions and stoppages due to fouls.
Mario Mandzukic's tame strike 25 minutes in was the only effort on target during the first half, while the in-form Carlos Tevez was kept quiet by the hosts, who were without injured captain Gabi.
However, when the sides seemed on course for a draw, Turan got on the end of a Juanfran cross to nudge home the winner and leave Allegri cutting a frustrated figure on the sideline.
Amid a fast-paced opening that saw possession change hands regularly, Leonardo Bonucci picked up a yellow card for tangling with Mandzukic after a reckless jump.
Atletico then had half-hearted penalty appeals turned down when Mandzukic and Turan felt Arturo Vidal handled in the area.
The Croatia international stung the palms of Gianluigi Buffon from distance after 24 minutes, in an opening half-hour devoid of clear-cut chances.
Paul Pogba's curled effort from outside the area veered wide of Miguel Angel Moya's left-hand post as the latter stages of the first half became even more scrappy.
With fouls aplenty from both sides, the game remained fractured and there was no sign of a goal prior to the interval.
Juventus dominated the opening exchanges after the break but, as in the first half, failed to cause Atletico too many problems.
Another Turan delivery led to shouts for a penalty as it deflected off Stephan Lichtsteiner and struck Martin Caceres on the arm - although referee Felix Brych remained unmoved.
However, Turan was to come up with the goods for Diego Simeone as he timed his run into the area to get on the end of Juanfran's cross after Mandzukic had failed to connect.
The winger - involved in much of the limited attacking play from the hosts - turned home the winner to hand the hosts maximum points on Simeone's return to the dugout following his UEFA ban.
Basel 1 Liverpool 0: Streller strike gives Swiss side victory
2 October 2014
Basel enjoyed another UEFA Champions League win over English opposition after defeating Liverpool 1-0 at St Jakob Park on Wednesday.
The Swiss side beat Chelsea at home and away at this stage last season and sent Manchester United crashing out of the competition following a 2-1 win in December 2011.
This time around Basel had 33-year-old forward Marco Streller to thank for another famous triumph as he bagged a poacher's goal early on in the second half.
Having taken a 5-1 hammering at Real Madrid in their opening fixture, victory puts Basel back on track ahead of two games with Ludogorets.
Liverpool began the Group B campaign by only just beating Ludogorets 2-1 with a Steven Gerrard penalty deep into stoppage time.
And this was another nervous display that puts Brendan Rodgers' men under pressure prior to facing holders Real at Anfield and in Spain.
Liverpool made two changes to their starting line-up from Saturday's Premier League derby draw against Everton, with Jose Enrique replacing Alberto Moreno and Philippe Coutinho coming back in for Adam Lallana.
Basel went into the match with problems at the back, with Marcelo Diaz suspended and fellow defenders Philipp Degen, Ivan Ivanov and Walter Samuel all sidelined through injury.
Paulo Sousa also preferred Breel Embolo to Derlis Gonzalez up front, even though the Paraguay international was on target in that Bernabeu defeat.
Raheem Sterling had the ball in the net in the opening stages, but the flag was correctly up for offside, while Basel had to make an early change when Behrang Safari limped off to be replaced by Gonzalez.
Liverpool survived a scare when Gerrard was dispossessed in front of his own box, while Gonzalez was twice guilty of a poor touch when getting the wrong side of Enrique.
Basel continued to show plenty of pace on the break, with Simon Mignolet saving well with his legs from a Serey Die shot, and Enrique caused problems when getting forward for Liverpool, but it remained goalless at the break.
The home fans were appealing for a penalty when Sterling appeared to bundle over Gonzalez in the area at the start of the second half and then Mignolet had to get down well to save from Ahmed Hamoudi on the break.
However, Mignolet could only palm out a deflected header from the resulting corner and veteran striker Streller pounced on the loose ball to score from close range after 52 minutes.
Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik only just dealt with a Mario Balotelli free-kick from fully 30 yards out and Sterling was later put clean through following a neat build-up, but could not control the pass.
Rickie Lambert replaced Lazar Markovic as Liverpool went in search of an equaliser, but Gerrard's late free-kick failed to really test Vaclik and Balotelli was offside when netting as the hosts held on.
Basel, who had to play their last European home match behind closed doors because of crowd trouble, could face more disciplinary action, though, after referee Jonas Eriksson reported an object thrown onto the pitch.
Bayer Leverkusen 3 Benfica 1: Son inspires dominant Leverkusen
2 October 2014
Son Heung-min's star performance inspired Bayer Leverkusen to a comfortable 3-1 win over Benfica in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
A confident first-half performance saw the hosts hit a post through Lars Bender before taking the lead after 34 minutes when the Korean's shot was spilled into the path of Stefan Kiessling, who finished from close range.
An accomplished performance from Son was rewarded just before half-time when he was picked out by Karim Bellarabi to lash home.
Hakan Calhanoglu was next to be denied by the woodwork after the interval, but quickly made amends from the penalty spot just a minute after Eduardo Salvio had pulled one back for the visitors.
The result leaves Leverkusen one point behind Zenit and Monaco in Group G, while Benfica's chances of progressing to the last 16 now hang in the balance, without a point from two games.
After a blistering start to their campaign, a recent goal drought had seen Leverkusen find the net just twice in their last four games coming into this contest, but boss Roger Schmidt will have been pleased by the way his team performed at the BayArena.
Benfica goalkeeper Julio Cesar, playing his first Champions League game since March 2012, saw his goal under siege early on as Bellarabi fired a 25-yard drive wide and Son brought a save out of the Brazilian in the first five minutes.
The veteran keeper was beaten just before the 15-minute mark, but Bender's effort came back of the post.
However, the hosts did break the deadlock with 25 minutes on the clock when a sweeping attacking move saw Julio Cesar parry Son's initial shot straight to Kiessling, who gladly tucked away the rebound with a simple finish.
Son managed to get on the scoresheet himself nine minutes later after some terrific work from Bender allowed Bellarabi to find space down the right-hand side, before picking out the Korean, who smashed a curling effort into the net
The near-total dominance of the home side was briefly disrupted on 40 minutes, when Enzo Perez fired over, but they were lucky not to fall further behind on the stroke of half-time as the impressive Son curled his shot wide.
Calhanoglu missed a golden opportunity to add a third shortly after the break, but inexplicably poked his effort against the post from two yards out.
And the hosts were soon punished for their wastefulness inside 62 minutes when Salvio was allowed to turn and fire home inside the area to reduce the arrears against the run of play.
However, Leverkusen restored their two-goal cushion just 60 seconds later, when Jardel brought Kiessling down in the box, allowing Calhanoglu to make up for his earlier miss by stroking home the resulting penalty and cap off Leverkusen's first win over the Portuguese outfit.
Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray: Welbeck bags hat-trick before Szczesny sees red
By Dom Farrell
Oct 1, 2014 21:36:00
The £16 million man sped past a shoddy Turkish defence to prod home three clever goals as the Gunners got their group-stage campaign off and running despite losing their keeper
Danny Welbeck struck his first-ever hat-trick but Wojciech Szczesny was sent off as Arsenal crushed a disorganised Galatasaray 4-1 in the Champions League.
The England international struck twice in the first half and once more in the second, frequently darting past a hapless back line with clever poked finishes each time.
Alexis Sanchez hit Arsenal's third just before the break, slotting home with precision into the far corner while under pressure in the penalty area, as Arsene Wenger's side registered their first points of the group stage.
It was not a night without problems for the Gunners, though, as midway through the second half Szczesny darted off his line in a vain attempt to snatch the ball from the feet of Burak Yilmaz, succeeding only in fouling the striker, who then put the resulting penalty past substitute David Ospina.
The visitors perked up a little as they tested Ospina but Arsenal could have had more, Santi Cazorla being denied as his prodded finish was narrowly cleared off the line in the dying moments.
Mathieu Flamini, Cazorla and Alexis came into the Arsenal XI as a result of midfield trio Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere sustaining injuries during Saturday's 1-1 draw against Tottenham. The latter was able to take a place on the bench despite his ankle complaint.
Galatasaray captain Selcuk Inan was a late withdrawal due to illness, meaning that Yekta Kurtulus came into midfield as Cesare Prandelli plumped for a 3-5-2 formation to which his side struggled to adapt during a challenging opening period.
Visiting defender Felipe Melo made a vital interception to stop Welbeck getting on the end of Alexis's low 20th-minute cross but the same combination put Arsenal ahead two minutes later.
The Chilean cut in from the left flank and slid a pass through to Welbeck, who peeled off the back of Melo to slot home.
Galatasaray made matters worse in the 30th minute as an ill-judged back header from Aurelien Chedjou sold Melo short and Welbeck left the Brazilian in his wake to finish clinically.
A torrid evening for Melo might have ended early when he was only booked for a two-footed lunge on Alexis but, after a section of the Galatasaray support interrupted proceedings by throwing flares onto the pitch, it was the Chilean winger who ran riot - collecting Mesut Ozil's pass and scorching through the visitors' beleaguered defence to find the bottom corner.
Kurtulus made way for Hamit Altintop at half-time as Prandelli reverted to 4-4-2 but it did little to stem the tide.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain became the latest Arsenal player to torment Melo, forcing Dzemaili to clear from the goalmouth, and the England midfielder was the architect when Welbeck completed his treble. A beautifully judged pass through Alex Telles's legs was collected by Oxlade-Chamberlain's England team-mate, who dinked nonchalantly beyond Muslera.
Pandev's slide-rule pass caught the Arsenal back four flat-footed after an hour and Szczesny darted out to be sent off as he was in last season's second-round loss to Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium.
Burak made no mistake from the spot, sending David Ospina the wrong way, although the replacement goalkeeper saved impressively from the goalscorer and Altintop in the final 10 minutes before Cazorla saw an effort chacked off the line by Semih Kaya at the other end.
Galatasaray now have it all to do in Group D - this thrashing following their opening 1-1 draw at home to Anderlecht.
Anderlecht 0-3 Borussia Dortmund: Immobile and Ramos keep Klopp's men on top
Getty Images
Oct 1, 2014 21:37:00
The Signal Iduna Park forwards' goals ensured that the 2012-13 finalists maintain their 100 per cent record in Europe this season
Borussia Dortmund forward pair Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos fired the club to a 3-0 victory over Anderlecht in Wednesday's Champions League clash.
Jurgen Klopp's side have seized just one point from their last three outings in the Bundesliga and went into Wednesday's fixture on the back of a painful defeat to arch-rivals Schalke.
However, Immoblie fired them into a third-minute lead following a handsome throughball from Shinji Kagawa.
A double from substitute Ramos then put the victory beyond doubt, a predator's goal preceding a fine individual effort.
Immobile's strike represented his second in as many Champions League appearances for Dortmund and the club's second-fastest goal in the competition after Andreas Moller's effort against Juventus in 1995.
Dortmund have a maximum haul of six points in Group D, with Arsenal second on three points ahead of Anderlecht and Galatasaray on one apiece.
Belgian champions Anderlecht, who are now winless in 10 Champions League games, welcomed back goalkeeper Silvio Proto from suspension and influential playmaker Dennis Praet following a calf strain, while Sebastian Kehl's return eased Dortmund's injury problems.
Klopp nevertheless elected to drop Mats Hummels, who is short of match fitness, and start Immobile instead of Ramos at his spearhead.
It took the Italy international little time to vindicate that decision. Kagawa's masterful clipped pass sent Immobile through on goal, and the latter stabbed the ball into the bottom corner with customary composure.
Anderlecht's Aleksandar Mitrovic then had a goal ruled out for offside, before Aubameyang immediately spurned a gilt-edged chance to double Dortmund's lead. Kagawa employed exquisite footwork to free Kevin Grosskreutz down the left and, with goalkeeper Proto drawn to him, the Germany international cut the ball across the box for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who somehow fired wide despite half of the net being unguarded.
Steven Defour's piledriver forced Roman Weidenfeller into a smart save as Anderlecht began to get into the game.
Grosskreutz bravely poked the ball into the net after 26 minutes, under the challenge of Proto, but his supplier Aubameyang had drifted offside and the goal was disallowed.
Proto kept out a Marcel Schmelzer effort thereafter, and Anderlecht will have been relieved to reach half-time with only a one-goal deficit.
The second half continued as the first had ended, with Dortmund taking the game to their hosts and Proto being called upon to save a fierce Immobile drive and an Aubameyang attempt.
From a rare Anderlecht attack, Chancel Mbemba did produce a fine shot that flew inches over the bar, but that merely offered brief respite from relentless Dortmund pressure.
Ramos came off the bench in the 65th minute and soon put the result beyond doubt. Lukasz Piszczek curled a magnificent, low cross around the back of the Anderlecht defence in the 69th minute and the Colombian got ahead of his man to poke it home.
Ramos completed the win by spinning his marker and producing another fine finish with 11 minutes to go.
Ancelotti: Madrid must fix dodgy set piece defending
By Miles Chambers
Oct 2, 2014 00:11:00
The coach was critical of his team's defensive woes from corners, which reared its head again at Ludogorets on Wednesday, and explained his rotation reasoning
Real Madrid's dodgy defending from set pieces must be addressed, Carlo Ancelotti has admitted, after it nearly cost them an embarrassing result against Ludogorets on Wednesday.
Marcelinho put the hosts into a shock lead in Bulgaria from a corner and, although a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and Karim Benzema late goal gave the visitors all three points in the end, their corner marking went close to being the Blancos' downfall, and not for the first time this season.
Although he claimed to be pleased with the Champions League group stage performances, Ancelotti conceded that there is work which needs to be done to better their defence from set pieces especially.
"We had many chances to score," the Santiago Bernabeu coach told Canal+. "I am satisfied, the start for us was not good, to concede a goal from a corner again, that might have complicated things.
"But the reaction from us was good. The team played with good attacking nous and are physically very fit in this period. We had many chances and we could have scored again at the end. We won with merit.
"We must continue to work to fix our corner problem. It's the same type of goal we conceded against Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad. There should be better coverage at the near post, for instance. We are paying attention to this, though."
Ancelotti opted to rest a few regular starters against Ludogorets, including James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema, the latter of whom came off the bench to save Madrid's blushes.
The coach explained his decision to start with Javier Hernandez, Isco and Asier Illarramendi was to keep motivation high and prevent fatigue for regular starters, while insisting Cristiano Ronaldo's knock is not a major issue.
"I wanted to rest Karim, who has played a lot so far," Ancelotti added. "Chicharito had a good game, he did not score but his performance was good.
"The first reason for the changes was to give rest to some who have played a lot like Kroos, James and Karim. The other reason is to motivate Isco, Illarra, James and all the staff.
"Cristiano has only a bruised ankle, I don't think it's anything serious. He's a bit sore, but nothing serious."
Ancelotti also expressed his surprise that Basel had defeated Liverpool 1-0 on Wednesday, opening up the race for the top two spots in Group B though Madrid are three points adrift of both clubs still.
"It is rather surprising, the Liverpool result, but this is the Champions League, all games are tough and you have to fight for your place in the competition," the former Chelsea boss added. "But the group is looking good for us."
Prandelli: My tactics not to blame for Arsenal thrashing
Oct 2, 2014 00:49:00
The former Italy boss watched his Galatasaray side torn to shreds by the Gunners before half-time on Wednesday, but he thinks a lack of aggression was the problem
Galatasaray coach Cesare Prandelli rejected suggestions his tactical approach was to blame for the 4-1 Champions League loss to Arsenal.
Prandelli, who had captain Selcuk Inan withdraw late, sent his side out in a 3-5-2 formation that was torn to shreds by Arsenal's rampant attack before half-time.
Danny Welbeck netted a double inside the first half-hour before Alexis Sanchez effectively ended the game as a contest in the 41st minute.
Welbeck completed his hat-trick and Galatasaray's misery seven minutes after half-time, meaning Wojciech Szczesny's red card for a professional foul on Burak Yilmaz - who converted the resultant 63rd-minute penalty - was never likely to have an impact on the result.
"We made some errors in one-on-one situations," said Prandelli, who saw Burak snatch a last-gasp 1-1 draw at home to Anderlecht in Galatasaray's competition opener.
"There was nothing wrong with the tactics. We should have been more active. We always have to be ready to play more aggressively.
"Our first-half performance was negative. In the second half, there was a little tactical change and we started to play with more width. Thus, they felt comfortable. We'll gradually decide on our ideal formation."
Felipe Melo struggled at the heart of Galatasaray's back three and Prandelli - who inherited the squad from countryman Roberto Mancini in the close season - accepted his share of the blame for the Brazil international's torrid evening.
"We wanted to put quality and aggression in that position, therefore I opted to field Felipe Melo as a centre-back," he said.
"I take all the responsibility for this. We're trying to settle into a new system."
Juventus as good as Real Madrid and Barcelona - Simeone
Dominic Raynor
Oct 2, 2014 09:20:38
The Argentine says the Italians are one of the best teams around after witnessing them at first hand on Wednesday evening
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone believes Juventus are on a par with Barcelona and Real Madrid after guiding his side to a 1-0 win over the Serie A champions in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Turkish midfielder Arda Turan scored the only goal of the game in the 74th minute at the Vicente Calderon stadium to hand Massimiliano Allegri's side their first defeat of the season.
But Simeone, whose Atletico side won the Spanish title last season to end Barca’s and Real's 10-year duopoly, was impressed by Juventus.
"For me they are at the level of Madrid or Barcelona," said the Argentine.
"Watching the videos over and over, they are one of the hardest teams I have seen to attack or cause damage against.
"They have two magnificent strikers, full-backs or wingers that attack and defend, brilliant players in midfield and an enormous goalkeeper that everyone knows."
Wednesday's result leaves every team in Group A tied on three points after Malmo shocked Olympiakos 2-0 in Sweden.
Gerrard slams 'soft' Liverpool: It's not good enough
By Jamie Dunn
Oct 1, 2014 23:17:00
The Reds followed up an unconvincing victory over Ludogorets with a 1-0 defeat in Basel and the club captain admits that his side deserved nothing from the Group B game
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says that his side were "soft" in their Champions League defeat by Basel and admits that their start to the season is simply not good enough.
The Reds were undone in Switzerland by a Marco Streller goal after they failed to clear a set-piece and could not find an equaliser.
Gerrard described Basel as only an "okay team" and was again left to rue his side's fragility from the dead ball.
"We created a good few openings where you would expect us to go and score but we didn't deserve anything out of this match," the midfielder told Sky Sports.
"We were too soft all over the pitch and they wanted it more than us, which is very disappointing. Conceding again from set pieces isn't good enough and we need to get it right.
"We were second best at times. Against an okay team, I wouldn't say we were played off the park or they were fantastic but we made it easy for them. We wanted something out of this game, at least a draw. We came for the win and I expected us to win and so it's very disappointing.
"We'll discuss it and analyse. There were signs against Everton that we were getting back to where we want to be - we were aggressive without the ball - but we went back to the way we've been all season and it's not good enough."
Liverpool now face Real Madrid in back-to-back games in the Champions League, on October 22 at Anfield and November 4 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Welbeck shows sorry Balotelli the way and five things we learned from the Champions League this week
Oct 2, 2014 10:24:00
Welbeck has hit the ground running for the Gunners as they recover their Champions League composure but Balotelli's struggles for Liverpool continue
COMMENT
By Peter Staunton
Group A is on a knife-edge as the two teams who lost on matchday one came out on top on matchday two, with Atletico Madrid defeating Juventus and Malmo overcoming Olympiakos.
In Group B, Basel recovered from their opening day trouncing at Real Madrid to earn three points at the expense of Liverpool while the champions made it two wins from two in Ludogorets.
Zenit and Monaco shared the spoils in Group C to maintain a point gap on Bayer Leverkusen but the Germans hinted at their potential with a convincing win over Benfica.
Danny Welbeck helped Arsenal to their first win in Group D with a hat-trick against Galatasaray while Borussia Dortmund kept up their 100 per cent start with a win in Anderlecht.
On Tuesday, Bayern Munich laboured to a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow to move to six points but Manchester City could not overcome Roma, who earned a draw to take control of second place in Group E.
Paris St-Germain coach Laurent Blanc earned a reprieve when his side surprisingly defeated Barcelona, 3-2, in Group F while Ajax could only draw with APOEL in Cyprus.
Goals were at a premium in Group G with Schalke drawing 1-1 with Maribor and Chelsea edging out Sporting Lisbon by a single Nemanja Matic strike.
Jackson Martinez struck a dramatic late double in Lviv against Shakhtar Donetsk to earn a point for Porto in Group H while Athletic Bilbao slumped to defeat at BATE.
Here is the story of matchday two.
Welbeck points the way for sorry Balotelli
They are both sons of Ghanaian immigrants to Europe. They were rivals at Manchester City and Manchester United. They have both moved on for fees of around €20 million and are playing for clubs of a similar stature. That is where comparisons end these days for Mario Balotelli and Danny Welbeck.
While Balotelli toils in the Liverpool attack, Welbeck has shone brilliantly for Arsenal. Balotelli was poor yet again on Wednesday as Liverpool slumped to another defeat - this time to Swiss champions Basel while Welbeck, meanwhile, was tucking away a hat-trick against Galatasaray.
"Danny is a great player and he has shown it for many years at Manchester United," team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain told reporters. "I knew when he came to this club, the way we like to play football and try and find through balls, with his pace and his intelligent runs we'll find a lot of him."
There is no question that as teenagers Balotelli looked the better prospect. He is no better now, however, than he was when he was 17. He has been shunted around Inter, Manchester City and AC Milan with little or no regular productivity to show for it.
Welbeck has been diligent but before his move to Arsenal he divided opinion - a hard worker, but not a good enough finisher. Sir Alex Ferguson and Louis van Gaal never truly gave Welbeck the chance to excel in the central position that his instincts suggested he could.
Arsene Wenger has picked up an established international performer with Champions League and Premier League experience and could make another goalscoring supremo like Thierry Henry out of him. "What is good for me is that his work rate is good, his link play is also very good and his attitude is always very positive," Wenger said. "He is not only a finisher, he is a team player."
Brendan Rodgers meanwhile is left with a player who has not integrated into the Liverpool team and whose presence has served only to underline the importance of Daniel Sturridge to the Reds. AC Milan cut their losses on him for a reason. There may not be a question about which of them earned the bigger reputation but while Balotelli's goes through the floor, Welbeck's goes through the roof.
It is testament to his patience, work-rate and ability.
Bilbao and Valverde feeling the strain
Ernesto Valverde's reward for taking Athletic Bilbao to the Champions League this season is misery. The Basque side, who finished fourth in la Liga last term, are languishing in 16th place in the league with four points from 18 and were soundly defeated by BATE Borisov in Belarus on Tuesday night.
“We were a team that was unrecognisable. BATE had much more intensity and were superior,” Valverde told reporters. “Today we had nothing. It’s a long time since I’ve seen us play so badly."
It was all a very different story only a few weeks ago. Athletic were riding high and eliminating Napoli from the Champions League play-offs and Valverde looked set for a positive season.
They have won only one game since knocking Napoli out, however, and that was a 3-0 home win against Levante. Since then it's been three defeats and a goalless draw for Athletic in la Liga while their Champions League form has also been ordinary. They drew with Shakhtar Donetsk on the opening matchday before suffering defeat to BATE, who lost 6-0 to Porto on the first matchday.
It is not difficult to grasp what Athletic's chief problems are and for observers of the English game they might be described as similar to Liverpool's. Last season they surpassed their league rivals and qualified for the Champions League during a campaign when they did not have to balance a domestic programme with European football. Then they sold their best player - in Athletic's case it was Ander Herrera to Manchester United.
Now they are attempting to prepare for midweek matches in Europe and weekend games in the league. It is too much and decreased tempo is the result. “Our team is only able to play at 100 per cent and it has cost us for so many games in a row," the coach said. And, unlike Liverpool, Athletic are not entitled to splash their transfer kitty in the market. By relying only on Basque players, their options are strictly limited.
It means that the group is lacking any sort of meaningful experience of Champions League football as well as depth. Valverde's team are struggling in Group H with two matches against Porto to come. Up next in the league? Real Madrid.
It never rains but it pours.
Immobile settling as Dortmund lead German charge
Borussia Dortmund cannot seem to maintain a fight on both fronts this season. Their Bundesliga campaign has been ordinary to say the least and they sit seven points behind chief title rivals Bayern Munich with only six games played. In Europe, however, it is a different story, and it appears that Jurgen Klopp is giving priority to continental competition this time round.
There are mitigating circumstances of course to that with plenty of players yet to recover from injury or only feeling their way back into the lineup. It has been the job of the fringe men and the new arrivals to inject that familiar intensity into the Dortmund game plan as the regular proponents appear a little burned out.
"We had a situation that was not so good before this game because in the last three games in the Bundesliga we had only taken one point," Sebastian Kehl said to Uefa afterwards. "We were really focused on this match today and absolutely wanted to win it. I think we did some things better than in our last few games and that was the goal today."
Adrian Ramos was the second Colombian in two nights to come on as a second-half substitute in the Champions League and score twice following Jackson Martinez's point-rescuing exploits for Porto on Tuesday against Shakhtar Donetsk and the former Hertha Berlin man is helping to fill the gap left by Robert Lewandowski's exit and the absences of Jakub Blaszczykowski and Marco Reus up front.
Also playing his part is Ciro Immobile. The Italian, top scorer in Serie A last season, had faced criticism early in his Dortmund career but is now finding himself among the goals with regularity. He scored for the second matchday running against Anderlecht in the 3-0 away win on Wednesday to send Jurgen Klopp's side on their way to six points out of six in Group D.
There were sceptics who believed that sustaining four teams in the group stages would be beyond teams from the Bundesliga but Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen are all well-poised to qualify.
While Leverkusen attempt to integrate new players and a new coach and Schalke deal with issues of consistency and under-performance, it will be left to Bayern and Dortmund to fly the flag in the latter stages.
Pep Guardiola seems to have moved beyond conventional tactics and his new way of playing has caused problems within his ranks. It is not a sure thing that Bayern are any better this season than last. Once Klopp has his big-hitters back fully fit, it will be Dortmund who are best placed for a Bundesliga challenge in the Champions League. Going out of the title race early might solidify that effort too.
Too much change too quickly for Benfica
The opposite to Borussia Dortmund is Benfica. Jorge Jesus's side have started the Portuguese Primeira Liga campaign with aplomb, winning five of their first six games and drawing the other to sit comfortably atop the table. However, their Champions League campaign, after an historic treble, appears at this early stage to be a write-off.
Defeat on matchday one to a Zenit side containing former stars Ezequiel Garay, Javi Garcia and Axel Witsel was difficult to take and they followed that up with another inept display in Germany against Bayer Leverkusen.
Benfica's main trouble is the huge turnover of first-team stars over the course of the summer - always a danger when a club comes to rely heavily on third-party funding to secure contracts - and has put qualification in jeopardy at this early stage.
There were five new faces in the Benfica team which lost 3-1 to Leverkusen, including veteran goalkeeper Julio Cesar who set the tone for a bad night when he spilled Son Heung Min's shot into the path of Stefan Kiessling.
They are shorn of several of their top performers from last season the priority would appear to be keeping ahead of the pack domestically. Jan Oblak, Guilherme Siqueira, Ezequiel Garay, Andre Gomes, Lazar Markovic, Rodrigo and Oscar Cardozo were among the players to depart Lisbon over the summer and now the cracks are beginning to show. Jesus is asking a lot of of his new players to bed in quickly and the task is beyond them at this level.
"Our problem was the game development, not the wrong lineup," Jesus reasoned after to Uefa. "But there are still 12 points at stake and we will try to make it."
That is easier said than done with a double header up next against Monaco - who have started better than expected with four points from six.
Rosenberg strikes to make history for Malmo
Malmo won their very first game in the Champions League proper on Wednesday night at home against Olympiakos courtesy of two goals from hometown boy Markus Rosenberg.
Age Hareide's side, top of the Allsvenskan with only four matches remaining, had to see off some significant pressure from the Greek champions.
Olympiakos had a goal ruled out for offside and were also unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Giannis Maniatis was booked for simulation instead.
Nonetheless, Malmo, runners-up in the European Cup in 1979, absorbed the pressure and earned their victory with a well-planned counter-attacking victory.
"Our ambition has always been to get through even if nobody believed that," Rosenberg told Uefa. "Nobody believed in us when we said we wanted to get into the Champions League but now we're here, we know we can do big things here. We're going for nine points at home and hopefully some bonus points away."
Following Atletico Madrid's 1-0 victory over Juventus at the Vicente Calderon, it all means that Group A is delicately poised with all four teams on three points each. Malmo now face consecutive matches against Atletico, last year's runners up, but with one win in the bag they will be optimistic of taking something from Diego Simeone's men on home soil at least.
"Teams that come here are very surprised by the crowd," Hareide told Uefa after. "It is not just the hardcore fans, but all the stadium. It is unbelievable. Everybody is behind the team. It is fantastic, and the players feel this."
Galatasaray and Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs facing UEFA sanctions over the behaviour of their fans this week.
Play had to be stopped momentarily during Galatasaray's 4-1 UEFA Champions League defeat at Arsenal on Wednesday, when fans hurled flares onto the Emirates Stadium turf.
Wesley Sneijder - captain in place of the unwell Selcuk Inan - made his way over to the Turkish fans in a bid to halt the unrest, with action resuming soon after.
Proceedings have also been opened against Dortmund for similar offences during their 3-0 win at Anderlecht, with UEFA citing the "setting-off and throwing of fireworks".
Basel - 1-0 winners over Liverpool - are facing punishment after missiles were thrown onto the pitch.
All three cases will be dealt with by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on October 16.
UEFA has ruled that CSKA Moscow must play their next three European matches behind closed doors due to issues of racism and crowd trouble.
The Russian champions are also forbidden to sell away tickets for their trip to face Manchester City in UEFA Champions League Group E later this month.
The punishments relate to incidents during CSKA's opening 5-1 defeat at Roma in this season's competition, when play was halted due to crowd disturbances, for which the club has also been fined €200,000.
In a statement, UEFA confirmed CSKA had fallen foul of Article 14 of its disciplinary regulations: "racist behaviour of supporters"; and two sections of Article 16: "crowd disturbance and setting/off throwing of fireworks and missiles".
The statement added: "The fight against racism is a high priority for UEFA.
"The European governing body has a zero-tolerance policy towards racism and discrimination on the field and in the stands. All forms of racist behaviour are considered serious offences against the disciplinary regulations and are punished with the most severe sanctions."
It is the third time in the past year that CSKA have been punished due to racist behaviour by the club's supporters.
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was subjected to monkey noises as the Premier League champions secured a 2-1 win in Russia last October. A section of CSKA's ground was closed for the next home game against Bayern Munich
In December, UEFA charged CSKA for supporters displaying far-right symbols during the 2-1 away loss at Viktoria Plzen.
For the latter offence, CSKA was forced to play this week's 1-0 defeat to Bayern in a closed stadium.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian club Dnipro must play its forthcoming Europa League home game against Azerbaijani champions Qarabag with a section of its stadium closed as part of a UEFA punishment for displaying a racist banner, setting off fireworks and the use of a laser pointer in the crowd.
Dnipro has also been fined €24,000 and ordered to display a banner with the wording "No to Racism" following incidents at their 1-0 loss to Inter last month.
Disciplinary proceedings have also been opened following Thursday night's Europa League game between Feyenoord and Standard Liege.
The Dutch hosts, who won 2-1, are being investigated for breaches relating to the setting off of fireworks and insufficient crowd organisation. The visiting Standard supporters could bring punishments on their club duel to crowd disturbances and the setting off of fireworks.
Uefa confirms plans revamp to Champions League seedings
By Joe Wright
Oct 9, 2014 16:41:01
The top eight seeds as of the 2015-16 season could be made up of the defending tournament winners and the champions of the seven highest-ranked European leagues
Uefa has confirmed they have put forward a revamp of the seedings system for the Champions League group stage that will see only defending league winners and the tournament holders in the top pool.
The current system sees clubs drawn in specific pots based on their co-efficient ratings, which are derived from past performances in the tournament by specific clubs themselves and other teams from their own country.
Uefa confirmed to Goal last month that a proposed new seeding set-up was being considered, as the old format began to draw increasing criticism due to its failure to recognise the achievements of certain clubs in their domestic leagues.
European football's governing body has now confirmed the new seedings system, which could come into effect for next season, is to be put forward to the Uefa Executive Committee to be ratified.
"The club competitions committee will recommend to the Uefa Executive Committee a change to the seeding structure for the group stage of the Uefa Champions League, with the Uefa Champions League title-holder to be top seeded and the domestic champions of the seven top-ranked countries in the Uefa country co-efficient to be the other seven Pot 1 seeds," Uefa said in a statement to Goal.
"This proposal will be put forward to the Uefa Executive Committee at one of its upcoming meetings."
According to Uefa's current co-efficient tables, such a format would see the champions of Spain, England, Germany, Italy, Portugal, France and Russia join the winners of the 2014-15 Champions League in Pot 1 for the group-stage draw.
Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino believes the plan is a clear eagerness from clubs to see a change to a system which has often seen national champions ranked lower than clubs from the same country in the draw.
"It will be ratified later on by the executive committee but it's a clear recommendation of the club competition's committee that the seeding system changes in this respect as from next season," Infantino was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“This will give another dynamic with the draw and in the way the groups are composed. It will be approved with the regulations at the start of next year.
"The club committee felt that there should be somehow an additional award given to the winners of the different national competitions.
"It was maybe a bit difficult to understand especially in the last few years where the winner of the national league was not necessarily the best-ranked club.
“It happened in France and it happened in England, people had difficulties in understanding how the champion of a country is in a lower pot than the third ranked in that country.
“Football is about winning, it’s about competition it's about sporting merit. I think it's kind of a natural thing to give to those who have won a competition a special treatment like this.”
Real Madrid will retain the Champions League, says Schmeichel
Oct 10, 2014 18:12:45
The legendary Dane believes that Carlo Ancelotti has bought well over the summer and are in a strong position to claim the trophy once more
By Marko Sorli
Real Madrid will become the first team to retain the Champions League in its current format, according to Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel.
Carlo Ancelotti's side delivered the club's 10th European Cup last term, beating city rivals Atletico 4-1 in the final after extra-time.
No team has won the competition in consecutive seasons since Uefa rebranded it in 1992-93 but the Danish goalkeeper believes the current holders have as good a chance as anyone.
"Real Madrid will be the first team to claim two Champions League trophies in a row," he told Goal.
"They look great. [Cristiano] Ronaldo is in great form, James [Rodriguez] and [Toni] Kroos are great signings."
Schmeichel went on to say that football has become less centred around individual stars than in his era but highlighted Ronaldo and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as two standout game-changers.
"Football has changed. There are no more Zvonimir Bobans or individuals who win games by themselves. Messi and Ronaldo are two exceptions but they are also part of strong teams with good cover in other positions as well.
"Look at Italy, for example. People say that Andrea Pirlo is the main player and that everything goes through him, but that's an illusion.
"Pirlo is a brilliant player, but doesn't dominate Italy's play as much as people say."
Schmeichel also picked out Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer as the world's leading goalkeeper in the current era.
"Neuer is the world's number one keeper and can be used as a role model for all young keepers. He has everything a goalkeeper needs to have."
'The biggest mistake of my life’ - How Guardiola got it all wrong in 4-0 Madrid mauling
Oct 18, 2014 09:00:00
This extract from Marti Perarnau's new book on Pep Guardiola reveals the background to Bayern's crushing home loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League semis last season
'Pep Confidential: The Inside Story of Pep Guardiola's First Season at Bayern Munich' is out now in paperback and ebook, published by BackPage Press / Arena Sport
BOOK EXTRACT
By Marti Perarnau
Munich, April 29, 2014
"I got it wrong man. I got it totally wrong. It’s a monumental f***-up. A total mess. The biggest f***-up of my life as a coach.”
Pep comes into his office in the Allianz Arena having just done the press conference during which he has publicly assumed total responsibility for the catastrophe. Real Madrid have wiped the floor with Bayern in the Champions League semi-final, a game which will stay with Guardiola for the rest of his career. The 4-0 home defeat is the worst of his professional life and the biggest trouncing Bayern have ever received in a European competition. His team has been pummelled into submission and totally humiliated in their own stadium.
Getting bogged down in an analysis of the goals fails to give a full picture of the reasons for a defeat primarily caused by serious errors of judgement on Guardiola’s part. And we need to go back one week, to the previous Thursday morning, to get to the root of the problem. The scene is a private room in Madrid’s Hotel Intercontinental, where Bayern have enjoyed their traditional post-match dinner. The meal has finished and all but three tables lie empty. The remaining diners include members of the club’s press department, a group of Bayern’s sponsors and, at the third table, Pep and his assistants.
The group has already diagnosed the problems at the root of their 1-0 defeat at the Bernabeu and are proud of the way the players have imposed themselves in this arena by sticking to the game plan. At 3am on Thursday, April 24, Pep is considering the obvious fact that Madrid will shut up shop when they visit the Allianz for the second leg and that he will be counting on all the same weapons as in the first game. It is during this early-hours reflection that Pep decides to play the return leg with a 3-4-3 formation.
The beginning | Sergio Ramos puts Madrid ahead on a fateful Champions League night
With three central defenders, two full-backs pushed up into the midfield next to the creative midfielders and Mario Gotze as one of the two strikers, so that he can add superiority in midfield by dropping back to help in the middle of the pitch. It’s a 3-4-3 which can be changed to a basic 3-5-2 with minimal alteration. Theoretically good for defending against the counterattacks which, Pep is convinced, will feature heavily in Madrid’s game. But it should also allow Bayern to dominate the middle of the pitch, to keep the ball and not to get log-jammed in and around the Madrid penalty area.
It’s then that I overhear Guardiola telling [Bayern assistant coach Domenec] Torrent: “Dome, don’t let me change my mind. This is the only way to go.”
Then, on the flight back to Munich, Pep changed his mind. Reflecting on the fact that the team had last practised a three-man defence in December, the coach realised that there was very little time to prepare his players. The coach decided to leave the 3-4-3 for next season and by the time the plane touched down in Munich Pep had switched to a 4-2-3-1.
On Friday, April 25, Pep addressed his squad briefly. “I’ll be eternally grateful for all you did in the Bernabeu. You showed enormous courage and played the kind of football I want to see. I’m proud of you all.”
This was also the day Tito Vilanova passed away, a desperately sad day for his family, FC Barcelona, their supporters and all his friends. The world of football shared their grief and for Pep, Torrent, Planchart, Estiarte and Buenaventura, who had been part of Tito’s life over so many years, it was a devastating blow.
That night the coach dined out with friends but his mind was elsewhere. From time to time he pulled out photos showing himself and Tito together, his favourite having been taken in Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon dressing room. In the picture the two men are discussing their plans for the game. All in all it was a strange evening, during which they toasted Tito and discussed almost every subject under the sun except football. Pep had other things on his mind.
By Monday the players are fired up and eagerly anticipating their chance to take revenge on Madrid. There is a sense that this will be an encounter of epic proportions, but there is little evidence of cool, tactical analysis. Pep allows himself to be carried away and even his performance at the press conference seems out of character.
It’s then he makes a big mistake. He asks his men how they are feeling and they talk to him about the German talent for glorious comebacks, as well as the passion they have all felt on similarly epic nights in the Allianz Arena. All they want is to be allowed to play with their hearts and souls. They need to go out and attack hard from the first second of the game.
Pep changes his mind again. The 3-4-3 had become a 4-2-3-1, but now he opts for a 4-2-4 formation. Just as he did in Dortmund in July 2013, in his debut match, he swithers between patience and passion and ends up going for passion. But it didn’t work in Dortmund, and it won’t work now.
Monday’s training consists of rondos, a short session looking for explosive strength and two 11 v 11 matches of 10 minutes each. It all draws to an end with 20 minutes of crosses and finishes, with a view to what’s likely to happen the following night in the match. Alaba and Ribery have slightly raised temperatures and sore throats, and Javi’s knees are bothering him. The line-up is finally agreed and Pep pulls Ribery to one side and tells him he’ll be starting.
The pre-match team talk, in the Presidential Suite of the Charles Hotel, reflects the optimism everyone in Munich is feeling: “Lads, this is not about going out and having a good time. You are going out there to do some damage. Go for the jugular. You are German, so be German and attack.”
In the end, their epic story ends in disaster.
Pep assumes all the blame. He makes no reference to his players’ requests and goes out of his way to protect them, making sure that they are left out of the post-match debate. He had abandoned the centre of the field on the very day his men were up against a pack of lions. Today, Pep betrayed his own principles.
After the game Pep is still shut up in his office with Domenec Torrent, Carles Planchart and Manel Estiarte well past midnight. Ostensibly, they are there to review the match together, but in reality his assistants are trying to boost the boss’ morale. They can see that tonight Pep is a broken man.
“I spend the whole season refusing to use a 4-2-4. The whole season. And I decide to do it tonight, the most important night of the year. A complete fuck-up."
CSKA Moscow v Manchester City: Pellegrini welcomes pressure
19 October 2014
Manuel Pellegrini is embracing the weight of expectation on Manchester City as they head to CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League.
City have claimed just one point from their first two Group E fixtures, following up a 1-0 loss at Bayern Munich with a 1-1 home draw against Roma last time out.
The Premier League champions have struggled in Europe's premier club competition in recent years, failing to get past the round of 16 in the last three seasons.
They have also been overshadowed so far this term on the domestic scene by Chelsea, who are five points clear of their rivals at the top of the Premier League table.
Failure to win the league and another short-lived Champions League campaign could spell trouble for Pellegrini, but the Chilean is far from flustered.
Back-to-back fixtures against the Russian outfit represent an ideal chance for City to return to continental form and ahead of Tuesday's clash, Pellegrini acknowledged: "They are two very important games.
"We need to win both of them, starting in Russia."
Tuesday's match will be played behind closed doors after CSKA were hit with a sanction by UEFA following issues of racism and crowd trouble.
Pellegrini, though - while acknowledging the reasons for the punishment - feels that could make things even harder for his team.
"It will be different [in an empty stadium]. I understand that UEFA has reason but an empty stadium is not the best for both teams," the City manager added.
"I always think in a positive way [though]. I am sure it's a very important game but the pressure I feel is not an external pressure from the owners or the fans or the media.
"The best way to work is to feel you have pressure in every game. I trust a lot that we are going to qualify.
"If we win our next four games, maybe we can be first [in Group E] but the most important thing is to qualify."
City have hit their stride in recent weeks domestically, with a 7-0 League Cup thrashing of Sheffield Wednesday setting the tone for a busy month in front of goal.
A 4-2 win at Hull City followed, while they triumphed 2-0 at Aston Villa after their Roma draw.
Argentina striker Sergio Aguero was the star of the show on Saturday as he netted four times in an excellent 4-1 home win over Tottenham.
He missed a penalty but scored two others from the spot in an encouraging display for Pellegrini, while goalkeeper Joe Hart saved a spot-kick and looked close to his best.
Frank Lampard (leg) will not travel to Russia after being taken off on a stretcher in the weekend win, while Samir Nasri (groin) and Eliaquim Mangala (muscle problem) are also set to miss.
City and CSKA met in last year's group stage of the Champions League, with the English side winning 2-1 on the road.
They then won 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium - Aguero scoring twice in both.
CSKA, who have lost both of their fixtures to sit bottom in Group E, are second in the Russian Premier League and thrashed fourth-placed Kuban Krasnodar 6-0 on Saturday.
Ahmed Musa and Seydou Doumbia both netted doubles in that win and will be expected to once again lead their challenge.
