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04/27/2009 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It is no secret that Barcelona possesses one of the deadliest offensive attacks in the world.
And as Chelsea prepares to meet this offensive juggernaut at the Nou Camp on Tuesday in the first leg of its Champions League semifinal, manager Guus Hiddink has acknowledged that not many teams have had success in slowing Barca down.
"I think a lot of teams have shown it is very difficult to stop them, they are able to score," Hiddink said. "The front line is world class, Thierry Henry has class, experience, [Samuel] Eto'o I had as a young player at Real Madrid when he was 17, and at that time he was already impressive and of course he has won titles and has experience."
The Dutchman is not even mentioning the dangerous midfield duo of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, but along with defender Dani Alves, who has a propensity for getting forward, this is a team that is loaded with quality offensive players.
However, much of Chelsea's success defensively will be tied to how well they deal with Lionel Messi.
The dynamic young Argentine has scored eight goals in Champions League play this season, and he has spearheaded a Barca attack that has piled up 94 goals in 33 La Liga matches this season.
Hiddink would appear to be in good shape with the experienced Ashley Cole at left back, but the problem is that the England international will miss the first leg through suspension, leaving a hole opposite Messi.
"I could start crying about not having Cole in that position and also look for excuses," the boss said.
"I am not like that, I like to put the full energy and the confidence to (the player) who is substituting him in that position."
The player who appears set to replace Cole is Jose Bosingwa, the team's regular starter at right back.
The Portuguese international was moved to the left side for Chelsea's 1-0 win over West Ham on Saturday, and Hiddink seems content to hand the job to him.
"We have some more options, but if Bosingwa is doing well he can do the job," Hiddink said.
"If you go to a double man [marking system], then we fail somewhere, another player with the quality to cause the damage. If you focus too much on that you forget there are other big players that can do the damage."
Plenty of players did damage in Barca's 4-0 pounding of Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarterfinal win, and even though Chelsea's defense has looked shaky at times, they promise to put up a stiffer resistance than the German champions.
Chelsea booked its place in the semifinals by beating old rivals Liverpool, and even though they looked impressive in scoring seven goals over the two legs, Barca midfielder Seidou Keita believes that his manager, Pep Guardiola, will have the team well prepared.
"The coach is very thorough when it comes to preparing for games," Keita said. "We watch a lot of their games and analyze their weak spots and threats.
"Chelsea is an opponent we know well, as they're a great side and we always look out for their scores. We have seen their games in the Premier League and in the Champions League. They are a tough side with some physically strong players who can make a difference."
The Catalan side does enter the match on the heels of a 2-2 draw with Valencia over the weekend that cut their lead over second-placed Real Madrid to just four points.
And with the two Spanish giants set to meet up at the Bernabeu on Saturday, there is a chance that Chelsea is catching Barca at a good time.
However, Keita has said that his team is in a good frame of mind, and that they are only worried about themselves.
"The team is calm because we're working well," the midfielder said. "We're just thinking of ourselves. We don t need to worry about what Real Madrid are doing. If things go right, we won't need to worry."
The other semifinal features a pair of familiar foes as English sides Manchester United and Arsenal square off at Old Trafford in the first leg on Wednesday.
The teams have only met once this season, a 2-1 Arsenal win at the Emirates Stadium, but they will meet up three times in less than three weeks, and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes that his team must attack United on Wednesday despite playing on the road.
"At this level you have to be audacious away," Wenger said. "The weight of the away goal in European football could be discussed I feel. It may be a little bit too heavy.
"We have spoken about it, maybe making it a Carling Cup rule where it only comes in at extra time. At the moment you are encouraged to be very cautious at home but very audacious away from home."
Both sides are very good in attack, but Arsenal defender Kolo Toure believes that defense will decide who advances to the final in Rome.
"They are a really good team going forward but at the back they have conceded a few goals, like us," Toure said. "We have the same type of team - we both like to play but sometimes you can be caught out at the back. I think the team that will win will be the one that defends the best."
<< Kirilenko drops Fes opener
Fes, Morocco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko was one
of two first-round losers Monday at the $220,000 Moroccan Grand Prix.
Poland's Marta Domachowska upended Kirilenko in 6-4, 6-4 fashion on the red
clay at Fes R
<< Kelly moves to No. 78 in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jerry Kelly ended his seven-year winless
drought with a victory Sunday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, earning
the 42-year-old a 63-place bump to No. 78 in this week's world rankings.
Ahead of K
<< Flames D Phaneuf out for Game 6
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf will
miss Game 6 of his club's Western Conference quarterfinal series with the
Chicago Blackhawks Monday with an upper-body injury.
Phaneuf left in the third peri
<< Brown, Esche lead Americans in rout of Austria at Worlds
Bern, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Brown posted a goal and two
assists, while Robert Esche stopped 25-of-26 shots as Team USA throttled
Austria, 6-1, in Group C play at the 2009 World Championships.
Patrick O'Sullivan,
Ochoa solidifies No. 1 ranking >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lorena Ochoa claimed her second win of the
season Sunday at the Corona Championship and strengthened her hold on the No.
1 ranking in women's golf.
Ochoa went from 13.72 average points to 14.47 in this w
Bulls G Gordon has injured hamstring, may miss Game 5 >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls announced Monday that guard
Ben Gordon suffered a strained left hamstring in Sunday's double-overtime win
against Boston and is day-to-day.
Gordon left Sunday's 121-118 triumph in Game 4 of
Boise State RB Johnson among 14 signed by Vikings >>
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Vikings agreed to
terms with 14 rookie free agents on Monday with former Boise State running
back Ian Johnson among them.
Johnson rushed for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns as
Wawrinka rolls; Blake falls in rainy Rome >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tenth-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka was a
first-round winner, while 14th-seeded American James Blake came up a loser
Monday at the $3.645 million Italian Masters tennis event.
The 2008 Rome runner-up
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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