Zubi puts success down to hard work, humility and respect‬

Club Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta stressed the importance of hard work , respect and humility as key to the team’s latest success and their fantastic title winning run.‪

Before flying back to Barcelona, Zubizarreta spoke to the media at Nice Airport and made it clear that there would be no resting on laurels after the team’s win on Friday night: “we always work with the aim of improving and we know that titles are won through hard work, humility and respect for our opponents”. Zubi also stressed the key role of: “the character of the players, the technical staff and the manager and their ability to continue setting themselves objectives”.

Praise for Guardiola
Zubizarreta made it clear that : “we are lucky to have a great squad and back room staff. Pep and his team are unique”, whilst not forgetting the team’s great ability to set themselves objectives and look to the future.

Messi goal typical of team’s attitude
Leo Messi has now scored for the team in every competition he’s taken part in and Zubi made it clear that his opener against Porto was a clear example of the values the team try and live up to: “that goal came from a very important value the team hold-that the whole team defend and pressure so that the ball gets to the feet of the guys who can make it count”.

Zubi puts success down to hard work, humility and respect‬

Club Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta stressed the importance of hard work , respect and humility as key to the team’s latest success and their fantastic title winning run.‪

Before flying back to Barcelona, Zubizarreta spoke to the media at Nice Airport and made it clear that there would be no resting on laurels after the team’s win on Friday night: “we always work with the aim of improving and we know that titles are won through hard work, humility and respect for our opponents”. Zubi also stressed the key role of: “the character of the players, the technical staff and the manager and their ability to continue setting themselves objectives”.

Praise for Guardiola
Zubizarreta made it clear that : “we are lucky to have a great squad and back room staff. Pep and his team are unique”, whilst not forgetting the team’s great ability to set themselves objectives and look to the future.

Messi goal typical of team’s attitude
Leo Messi has now scored for the team in every competition he’s taken part in and Zubi made it clear that his opener against Porto was a clear example of the values the team try and live up to: “that goal came from a very important value the team hold-that the whole team defend and pressure so that the ball gets to the feet of the guys who can make it count”.

Spanish League Preview Week 1

The 2011-12 La Liga season finally gets underway this weekend, with games spread over three days and there’s a clash of newly promoted teams in Granada and a chance to see how the summer’s big spenders kick off as Malaga travel to Seville.

There are nine different kick off times for the ten games on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with Sporting kicking off against Real Sociedad at 18.00 on Saturday and Barça closing the weekend’s games on Monday night - in between times, there will be a Sunday game at noon, when Atletico Madrid take on Osasuna.

Andalucía newcomers’ derby
The cancellation of last weekend’s games meant that Betis were denied the chance to mark their return to the top flight with a derby game at home to Seville and instead travel to fellow newcomers Granada on Saturday. Before that game, Sporting take on Real Sociedad and Valencia are at home to Racing Santander. Unai Emery starts his fourth season in charge of Valencia, after losing Joaquim to Malaga and Juan Mata to Chelsea, with the signing of Piatti from Almeria, Dani Pareja from Getafe and the loaning of Canales from Madrid the most eye catching additions to his squad.

High noon at the Vicente Calderon
Sunday sees the introduction of noon kick offs – something that has raised eyebrows given the 40º temperatures in parts of Spain this week – as Atletico Madrid take on Osasuna. New boss Gregorio Manzano achieved his first aim of the season by getting Atletico through the qualifying round of the Europa Cup and with the summer departures of De Gea and Kun Aguero, much will depend on the two new strikers Adrian and Falcao.

Bielsa debuts at San Mames
Athletic Bilbao’s bold appointment of Marcelo Bielsa has raised expectations at San Mames, as has the Club’s ability to hold on to Llorente and Javi Martinez and the Basques get the first chance to show their credentials on Sunday when they take on newly promoted Rayo Vallecano, a club immersed in financial problems, but who have signed both Raul Tamudo from Real Sociedad and Liverpool’s on loan youngster Dani Pacheco.

Luis Garcia up against old club
Luis Garcia Plaza begins his new job as Getafe manager following Michel’s departure earlier this summer against his old team Llevant and will be boosted by the signing of Dani Guiza, La Liga pichichi in 2008, who played at Getafe between 2005 and 2007. Llevant have replaced Garcia with Juan Ignacio Martinez and brought in Nabil El Zahr from Liverpool, as well as Aranda from Osasuna and much travelled veteran Farinos from Hercules. Espanyol begin life without their chief goal scorer Osvaldo –who has signed for Luis Enrique’s Roma – with a trip to Mallorca on Sunday.

Malaga out to topple Seville
Seville have ruled the roost in Andalucia over the last few years, but Malaga’s big spending this summer, which has included the signings of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Cazorla, Joaquim and Monreal, has signaled their intent to become the South’s top team. Pellegrino’s side get the chance to show if they have begun to gel when they visit Seville on Sunday night, with the hosts still reeling from their Europa Cup exit in midweek. Seville themselves have been quiet on the transfer front, with new boss Marcelino the main change at the club.

Juan Mata takes just 23 minutes to prove he's exactly what Chelsea has been crying out for

Getty Images

It took Juan Mata just half an hour to equal the goal-scoring record of compatriot Fernando Torres at Chelsea.

It’s a statistic that is loaded with implications yet the most important one for Blues’ fans is that the club has finally found the man that can ignite its hopes of reclaiming the Premier League title.

Jose Mourinho sees improvement as Real Madrid looks to catch Barcelona

Coach warns his side that it cannot afford to drop any points if it is to win the title and believes the opening game will be tough against a team that is "very hard to beat".

Getty Images

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho claims his side is playing better soccer than last season and says he is looking forward to Sunday's La Liga opener against Zaragoza at La Romareda.

The Portuguese coach saw his team win all seven of its pre-season friendlies, only to lose narrowly to fierce rival Barcelona in the two-legged Spanish Supercopa 5-4 on aggregate following epic encounters at the Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou.

"In the Spanish championship you can't afford to drop points," Mourinho said.

Madrid, second to Barca in each of the last three campaigns, will now look to go one better this season and Mourinho knows his side cannot afford to slip up against Zaragoza as it did at home late last term with a surprising 3-2 loss to Javier Aguirre's relegation-threatened outfit.

"On the first day of the season there can be surprises and I have warned my players that," Mourinho said. They need to change the chip following this period when they didn't know whether they would be playing or not."

Due to the players' strike, the first round of matches were postponed last weekend. With an agreement reached for this weekend's games to go ahead, Mourinho hopes his side can pick up where it left off in the preseason.

"I prefer to look at the positives from preseason [rather than at the Spanish Supercopa defeat to Barcelona] and I have been very pleased with my team - we are playing better than we did last season," he said.

Real Madrid faces Zaragoza at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday while Barcelona is not in action until Monday when it takes on Villarreal.

 

Nasri praise for Wenger

New Manchester City signing Samir Nasri says Arsene Wenger was like a "second dad" to him at Arsenal.

French playmaker Nasri quit the Gunners to join Manchester City for a fee believed to be around £24m.
Wenger was reluctant to part with the 24-year-old but the former Marseille player had made clear his desire to leave and, with just one year left on his contract, the London club admitted defeat.

Yet despite his departure being a blow to the club, Nasri insists his three years with Arsenal, and particularly Wenger, made a big impression on him.

cannot forget

"I will never forget what he did for me," Nasri told City TV. "He was like a second dad.
"He came to pick me when I was at Marseille. I was an international but I have become the player I am now because of him.
"He always trusted me even when I was injured. When I came back he always gave me my chance.
"He was always there for me, always talked to me."
Wenger has been criticised this summer for his failure to invest significantly in his squad and the ultimately futile battles to keep Nasri and Cesc Fabregas.
Nasri added: "I have seen the newspapers and people have been harsh with him but you cannot forget what he has done for Arsenal and English football.
"I respect him a lot and I will always be grateful for everything he has done for me."
Nasri could make his City debut in Sunday's Barclays Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur.

Victorious Guardiola salutes 'amazing' Barcelona

He may have just won the 12th honour of his hugely successful tenure, but FC Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola was quick to shift the focus on to his "amazing" players − and in particular Lionel Messi − after a 2-0 defeat of FC Porto in the UEFA Super Cup. Guardiola said Messi, scorer of the first goal, is a player "who can drag everyone along",  while defeated coach Vítor Pereira could find little fault with his team's display despite their failure to prevent the Azulgrana from triumphing in the competition for the fourth time.
Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach
We're very, very happy. Not just with those 12 titles, which is absolutely great, but because it was very difficult to win this. Twelve out of 15 would have been unimaginable but it just shows how great these players are − I never tire of praising them. After the Spanish Super Cup I thought 'will they be competitive'? Will they have the will to play? Considering the time of the season they did extremely well and all the players were there for each other.
We all know who Leo is; even with very little training this summer he showed he can be decisive. To win all the titles these guys have in the last three years you need plenty of things, but one of them is a player who can drag everyone along. We have Leo and when you add the others then they are amazing.
We played an excellent match considering the conditions. A lot of factors can affect finals; finals like Wembley don't happen very often. My players are very reliable, they've experienced this situation many times before, and their serene confidence comes over time [after time].
We have a generation of young players but they're still very eager to win and they keep impressing me with the way they move forward. To win 12 out of 15 titles is an average of four a year − it's too much, unthinkable! It's only possible because FC Barcelona have a generation of players who have made things possible, and a lot of people contributed to that.
Vítor Pereira, Porto coach
I hope you enjoyed a good game, I hope you enjoyed the performance of our team and our attitude. I witnessed a great game between two teams who respected each other and who both wanted to win. Naturally in such an intense game, in such a demanding game in terms of concentration, sometimes one moment will lead to a goal. It was a shame we weren't able to capitalise on the mistakes we made Barcelona commit and take advantage of them.
I'm a big fan of Barcelona, they're a team of great quality who play in an exciting way. That's the football I enjoy watching, which means I am glued to the television. Today we have a Porto team that likes to hold on to the ball, apply pressure upfield and is not afraid of any opponent. We never give up and we told everybody that we weren't here to watch Barcelona play but to play our own game.
We created many problems for Barcelona and were up to the task in terms of defending from the front and making them make mistakes. It's hard enough with 11 against 11 against Barcelona but when you are two players down it is very, very difficult.
I was happy with our performance, the only thing I didn't like was the result. At the end of the game emotions were high but [Guardiola] congratulated me for the great performance we had given and wished me good luck for the season, telling me to win all the games Porto has ahead of us.

Barcelona breeze to fourth UEFA Super Cup

FC Barcelona 2-0 FC PortoThe Spanish champions claimed the trophy for the fourth time thanks to goals from Lionel Messi and Cesc Fàbregas against nine-man Porto.

Xavi Hernández lifts the UEFA Super Cup aloft ©Getty Images

 

Match statistics

BarcelonaPorto

Goals scored	2		0
Attempts on target	5		2
Attempts off target	2		3
Corners	5		7
Fouls committed	9		18
Yellow cards	1		4
Red cards	0		2

More

Lionel Messi and Cesc Fàbregas scored late in either half as FC Barcelona defeated nine-man FC Porto at Stade Louis II to win the UEFA Super Cup for the second time in three editions and a fourth overall.
Fresh from becoming the first recipient of the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, Messi was the epitome of coolness on a sweltering night in Monaco as he seized upon Fredy Guarín's back pass, jinked his way past Helton and rolled in the 39th-minute opener.
The Portuguese champions were still in the contest until the 86th minute, when Rolando collected a second yellow card and Porto's first red. Barça wasted little time capitalising, substitute Fàbregas finishing delightfully before Guarín was dismissed in the final minute for a sliding challenge on Javier Mascherano.
Both coaches had talked up the fixture and chances came and went during a lively opening spell. Hulk had already curled a free-kick over from a promising position when Víctor Valdés dived to his left to tip behind an angled shot from João Moutinho.
The first true opportunity fell to Pedro Rodríguez in the tenth minute. So clinical when scoring a delightful goal in the UEFA Champions League final, the Spanish international could only loft an effort on to the roof of the Porto net when free in the area after an Andrés Iniesta pass had been deflected into his path via the heel of Jorge Fucile.
Hulk was the next to flash a shot across goal − earning due applause for a series of speedy step-overs in the build-up − and Helton then took no chances with a rising Xavi Hernández shot from outside the box.
As the half wore on, so did Barcelona's influence, the pressure telling when Guarín, boxed in in his own half, prodded a hopeful ball backwards that was gratefully collected by the unmarked Messi. The rest was inevitable.
Porto had little choice but to come out and attack after the break, yet save for a fierce shot from distance from Guarín, rarely troubled a Barça defence shorn of regular centre-backs Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué. Instead, there was more space for Josep Guardiola's side to counter and from one end-to-end foray David Villa could have made the game safe but his low shot lacked punch and Helton smothered at his near post.
Two minutes later, as the hour approached, the goalkeeper charged off his line to deny Pedro as the striker attempted to bring a Messi pass, which had dissected the Dragons' defence, under control. The real drama was saved for the closing stages, Fàbregas − eight minutes after replacing Pedro − keeping his cool as Porto lost theirs to control a Messi chip on his chest and fire emphatically into the net with a first-time volley.
It would have been 3-0 had Helton not denied man of the match Iniesta in added time, leaving Porto to ponder a third UEFA Super Cup defeat since 2003.

Barcelona 2-0 Porto: Lionel Messi does it again and Cesc Fabregas hits debut goal as Catalans claim UEFA Super Cup

The Argentine gave Pep Guardiola's side the lead late in the first half and the club's most recent signing opened his account to secure victory close to the end.

Getty Images

Lionel Messi's goal late in the first half and Cesc Fabregas' first for his new side gave Barcelona a 12th title under Pep Guardiola and a second already in 2011-12 with a 2-0 victory over Porto in the UEFA Super Cup in Monaco on Friday evening.

Messi, named European Player of the Year at UEFA's Champions League draw on Thursday, scored in the only competition in which he had failed to net after he was left all alone by Fredy Guarin's shocking pass-back six minutes before the interval.

Europa League holders Porto started brightly against the Champions League winners, with Hulk a lively presence up front for the Portuguese outfit. Aided by the busy Guarin, Porto rattled their illustrious opponents in the opening exchanges.

Porto was playing the Catalans at their own game, and every time Pep Guardiola's men ventured forward, they were caught out by their rivals' offside trap.

But it doesn't take long for Barca to figure out Porto.

Barca took the lead as Guarin inexplicably played a back-pass into his area where Messi, who would have been offside had the ball been sent through by a teammate, was waiting all alone to pounce, leaving Helton grounded with a glorious feint and slotting into the empty net.

Flashback to 2003, Messi had missed a similar opportunity in his Barcelona debut, but this time he left the Portuguese team with an uphill task.

Barca was the better side and continued to attack in the second half and that pressure brought a rash challenge from Rolando, already booked, who then saw red after a cynical foul on Messi.

And the Catalans took quick advantage as Mess turned provider for Fabregas, who chested down Messi's pinpoint cross and volleyed past Helton to register his first goal in some style.

It could have been three after that, but Barca was comfortable in the end as they lifted a 12th title under Guardiola - and two in two games for Fabregas.

Cesc: “They have a similar style to our own”

Pedro and Fàbregas agreed that Barça’s opponents on Friday have a great team, and the Catalan thinks they share a similar style of football.

One was the hero of the last European Supercup to be won by Barcelona, Pedro Rodríguez, who scored the winner in 2009 against Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0). The other is about to appear in his first ever continental Supercup match, in just his second outing in an official match for his new club, Cesc Fàbregas, which could bring his second Barça title in as many games! But both players know that Porto will provide stern opposition and that it will be anything but easy to get their hands on the coveted trophy.

Cesc explained that “this is my first trip away with the team and I’m happy to form part of this great squad. Until now, they have treated me very well. I don’t know if we’ll win or lose, but with this team we can go all the way”.

Speaking about Porto, Cesc said “I think they have a similar style to our own. They like to hold onto the ball and don’t to play long balls. They play well and it’ll be hard. We know they won everything last year and they scored five goals against Villarreal in 45 minutes”.

Fàbregas was also pleased that Arsenal won away to Udinese last night to secure a place in this evening’s Champions League draw in Monaco.

The press conferences also produced a series of questions relating to the sad incidents at the end of the Spanish Supercup match. Both Pedro and Cesc said they would rather forget all that and concentrate instead on Friday’s game with Porto. “Enough has already been said about the Spanish Supercup”, said Cesc.

It was announced today that Montoya has been picked for the full international Spain squad. Pedro, unlike Guardiola, did not think it was a surprise. “He has been playing very well in the youth teams. He’s very good at defending, can cover a lot of ground and plays the ball well. It’s great, I know him very well, and I’m really happy.”

Guardiola: “It’s an excellent final”

Pep Guardiola has nothing but praise for Porto, Barça’s opponent in the European Supercup, and doesn’t want the shortage of defenders or the poor state of the pitch to serve as excuses.“It is an excellent final between two teams that deserve it” said Guardiola in his pre-match press conference. “We won the right to be here by winning the Champions League, and that’s what counts. We have had just enough time to prepare. At first we were worried about getting ready for the Spanish Supercup and having this game so soon after”.

Guardiola didn’t want to rue on the absence of his centre backs Puyol and Piqué, nor the state of the pitch in the Louis II. “We are lucky to be here and we have to think of the difficulties as a challenge. We always get through and we have to make sure this time is no exception”.

Porto, a very strong team
The Barça manager has also had a good look at Friday’s opponent. “They are a team that comes at you with intensity, they play well up front and all know how to play good football. There is a lot of sense to what they do. We’d love to do the things they do … They change players and managers and keep on winning. Last year they won the league without losing a match. It’s a very strong team, in all senses, they are well put together. We’ll have to perform very well to beat them”.

Enjoyment and suffering
As for his own team’s approach, he said “we always go out one hundred per cent. When you play in finals you wonder if you’ll ever get the chance again. In part we have to enjoy it and in part we have to suffer.” As for fitness, he said “we are better than we were ten days ago but poorer than we will be ten days from now. You can’t expect to be at your peak at this stage because there’s a lot of competition ahead. If we were able to overcome such a tough test as Madrid then we have to go into tomorrow’s match believing we can win it”.

Surprised about Montoya
It was announced today that Martín Montoya has been picked to play for Spain. Said the FCB manager, “I was surprised. For a B team player to be picked for the national team is a very nice surprise. I know they’ll treat him well and he won’t feel alone”.

Leo Messi, player of the year in Europe

The Argentinian, who topped the goalscoring charts in the last edition of the Champions League has beaten Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi to win the award.53 reporters from different media and countries have decided that Leo Messi was the best player in UEFA club competitions last year, and he thus becomes the first ever winner of the award. The announcement was made shortly after the Champions League draw, with the winner pipping team mate Xavi Hernández and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid to the honour. Iniesta and Piqué came fourth and ninth respectively.

Speaking after collecting the award, Messi said “I want to share this with my colleagues as it is thanks to them that I win these trophies … I am very lucky to have such good players at my side and it is them who give me the opportunity to score so many goals. The merit is everyone’s.” He added that the hunger to win among the Barça squad is one of the reasons for their ongoing success.

Before the winner was announced, Xavi showed his usual generosity when saying that “Messi is the best footballer in the world at the moment”, something he has been saying for years. He also felt that FC Barcelona is experiencing “one of the best moments in its history”.

This is just the latest of many awards to have been won by Leo Messi. He has already won a FIFA World Player (2009) and two Ballons d’Or (2009 and 2010), the last of which was after the two awards were unified. He also been top goalscorer both in Spain and Europe in 2009/10. “I have all my trophies at home, both the individual and team ones” he said.

Champions League draw: AC Milan meets Barcelona, Manchester City takes on Bayern Munich & Real Madrid faces Ajax

The Seven-time winners take on the Spanish and European champions in the pick of the games for the curtain-raiser of this season's competition, while Group A also stands out

Figo

AC Milan meets Barcelona in the Champions League in one of the top European clashes of the group stages.

Group A meanwhile promises to be 2011's 'Group of Death'. Roberto Mancini's Manchester City will surely be in for a tough test as it faces Bayern Munich, Villarreal and Napoli.

Manchester United faces Portuguese side Benfica in its Group C, while Real Madrid renew old European rivalries with Ajax.

Elsewhere Chelsea meets Valencia, Arsenal plays Borussia Dortmund and Porto meets Shakhtar Donetsk, while Inter faces French champions Lille.

GROUP A   Bayern Munich   Villarreal   Manchester City   Napoli	GROUP B   Inter   CSKA Moscow   Lille   Trabzonspor
GROUP C   Manchester United   Benfica   Basel   Otelul Galati	GROUP D   Real Madrid   Olympique Lyonnais   Ajax   Dinamo Zagreb
GROUP E   Chelsea   Valencia   Bayer Leverkusen   Genk	GROUP F   Arsenal   Olympique Marseille   Olympiakos   Borussia Dortmund
GROUP G   Porto   Shakhtar Donetsk   Zenit St Petersburg   APOEL Nicosia	GROUP H   Barcelona   AC Milan   Bate Borisov   Viktoria Plzen

La Liga strikes are off as LFP & AFE reach agreement

In a seventh round of talks between the two parties, an accord has finally been struck which will see Spanish football finally raise its curtains for the season

Spain's professional football league (LFP) and players' union (AFE) have reached an agreement to end the strike which saw the first round of Primera and Segunda Division matches called off at the weekend.

Following the seventh meeting between the two parties on Thursday, an accord has finally been reached and this weekend's games will go ahead as normal, with last week's matches to be rescheduled for a later date, thought to be in May or June.

The AFE, which represents the top-two tiers of football in Spain, called the strike on Aug. 11, after its demand that clubs pay players any outstanding monies, later revealed to be around 50 million euros and affecting almost 200 players, proved futile.

However, a sixth meeting on Wednesday was arguably the most significant en route to an agreement being found, as crucial progress was made during a 12-hour exchange, which ended at 5:30 a.m. local time. The following meeting at 10:30 on Thursday subsequently clinched the deal.

Both parties will give a joint press conference in due course to explain details of the agreement, which sees Spanish football restarting on Friday, as Segunda Division oufits Girona and Elche will play out the curtain-raiser.

Barcelona draws AC Milan, BATE Borisov and Viktoria Plzen in Champions League Group H

The reigning European champions will face the Serie A title holders once again in the continent's top competition, while the two group minnows will have their work cut outEuropean champions Barcelona will face AC Milan, BATE Borisov and Viktoria Plzen in Champions League Group H following Thursday's draw in Monaco.

Here is the lowdown on each of the teams competing in Group H:

BARCELONA

SEASON 2010-11 League: Champions Europe: Champions League winners

Manager: Pep Guardiola Appointed: 2008 Stadium: Camp Nou Capacity: 99,354 Best Champions League performance: Winners four times (1992, 2006, 2009, 2011)

THE DANGER MAN Lionel Messi The brilliant Argentine scored 12 goals in last season’s Champions League. A wonderful strike against Arsenal helped Barca overcome a 2-1 first-leg deficit against the Gunners in the last 16, while his brilliant brace sealed victory over Real Madrid in the last four before scoring the crucial second in the final against Manchester United.

AC MILAN

SEASON 2010-11 League: Champions Europe: Champions League last 16

Manager: Massimiliano Allegri Appointed: 2010 Stadium: San Siro Capacity: 80,074 Best Champions League performance: Winners seven times (1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007)

THE DANGER MAN Zlatan Ibrahimovic There are still doubts over his top European pedigree, but there's no questioning his affect on the seven-time winners. If he can final crack the big-night nerves then there's every chance Milan can challenge, making him the first area of concern for opposing defenders in their attempts to keep out a dangerous Rossoneri attack.

BATE BORISOV

SEASON 2010-11 League: Champions Europe: Champions League third qualifying round; Europa League last 32

Coach: Viktor Goncharenko Appointed: 2007 Stadium: Dinamo Minsk (home stadium unsuitable for European matches) Capacity: 41,040 Best Champions League performance: Group stage (2009)

THE DANGER MAN Pavel Nekhaychik A very versatile and fast midfielder with good vision and a sharp eye for goal. Nekhaychik is just 23, but he was already an integral part of BATE squad that took on Real Madrid, Juventus and Zenit in 2008 group stages, scoring a great goal against the Russians. Decent campaign this time could earn him a lucrative contract in a bigger league.

VIKTORIA PLZEN

SEASON 2010-11 League: Champions Europe: Europa League third qualifying round

Coach: Pavel Vrba Appointed: 2008 Stadium: Struncovy Sady Stadion Capacity: 7,425 Best Champions League performance: Debutants

THE DANGER MAN Vaclav Pilar Only 22 years old, Pilar looks set to explode as the youngster is hitting top form at the perfect time. The two-footed forward's new-found ability to score for fun has earned himself his first senior cap and a switch to the Czech champions all in the space of this summer. Able to play anywhere along the frontline, the young attacker is definitely one to watch.