ATP Kuala Lumpur – Malaysian Open Wednesday Preview
Published September 28, 2010 | 
The first round wraps up and the second round begins at the Malaysian Open on Wednesday, with one Top 10 player and two Top 20 players in action on the hard courts of Kuala Lumpur.
First up on Centre Court is an all-unseeded duel between the top players from their respective countries, Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan and Marsel Ilhan of Turkey. They have met once before, with Istomin winning handily in the final of a Challenger in Uzbekistan three years ago. The winner will play No. 3 seed Tomas Berdych in the second round on Thursday.
Second up on Centre Court is No. 5 seed David Ferrer against 17-year-old Aussie wild card Bernard Tomic, a first-time meeting. The last time Tomic played a Top 20 opponent, he pushed No. 14 Marin Cilic to five sets in the second round at the Australian Open. World No. 11 Ferrer has had a phenomenal season, reaching the quarter-finals or better eight times on the ATP World Tour. Ferrer did fall in the first round of this event last year, however; Tomic is making his tournament debut.
No. 6 seed Marcos Baghdatis, who has also reached the quarter-finals or better eight times this year, plays Santiago Giraldo of Colombia for the
first time in one of the day’s second round matches. Giraldo has proven himself against the Top 20 this year, posting wins over Tommy Robredo and Juan Carlos Ferrero, both who where ranked No. 16 at the time.
Last up is No. 2 seed and defending champion Nikolay Davydenko against qualifier Igor Andreev in an all-Russian encounter. Davydenko earned his 20th career ATP World Tour title in the first week of the season in Doha.
Andreev won their first meeting but Davydenko has won three in a row, including twice on hard courts.
On Court 1, Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France plays Czech Republic qualifier Frantisek Cermak in a first round match while No. 7 seed and two-time ATP World Tour winner this year Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine faces Canadian
qualifier Milos Raonic in a second round contest. Raonic posted his first career ATP World Tour win on Tuesday over Igor Kunitsyn.
ATP Bangkok – PTT Thailand Open Wednesday Preview
Published September 28, 2010 | No. 3 seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria, No. 4 Ernests Gulbis of Latvia and No. 6 Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands headline Wednesday’s second round action at the PTT Thailand Open.
In the first match, Frenchman Florent Serra looks for his second win this year against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Serra won in straight sets in the quarter-finals in Casablanca in April en route to the semi-finals. Garcia-Lopez is trying to reach his fourth ATP World Tour quarter-final or better this season.
In the second match, Melzer takes a 2-0 advantage against top Israeli Dudi Sela. The Austrian, who reached the semi-finals here last year, won both of
his meetings this year against Sela, in the first round at Roland Garros, and in a recent Davis Cup tie in Israel. Melzer is compiling the best season of his career, ranked No. 13 with a 41-21 match record. He’s looking to
advance to his 10th quarter-final or better this year. Sela reached the semi-finals in Chennai in January and the quarter-finals at Queen’s Club in June.
In the third match, Germans Benjamin Becker and Mischa Zverev square off in the final first round match of the tournament. Both players are looking to reach their fourth ATP World Tour quarter-final (or better) this year. Becker, who was a finalist here in 2007 (l. to Tursunov), beat Zverev in the quarter-finals of Halle in June. Zverev was a special exempt into the tournament after getting to his first ATP World Tour final in Metz on Sunday (l. to Simon). He jumped from No. 155 to No. 115 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings.
In the first match of the evening session, Gulbis and veteran German Rainer Schuettler meet for the first time. Gulbis is one of the most improved players on the ATP World Tour this year, jumping from No. 90 at the end of last year to No. 25 coming into this week. He captured his first ATP World Tour title in Delray Beach in February and he’s been to the quarter-finals or better in five other tournaments. Schuettler was a semi-finalist at Queen’s and quarter-finalist in Los Angeles.
In the final match, 22-year-old de Bakker, another rising star who has climbed from No. 96 last year to No. 47, takes on Daniel Brands of Germany. De Bakker is looking to reach his fourth ATP World Tour quarter-final or better this year while Brands is trying to advance to his first quarter-final in 2010.
UEFA Champions League Preview – Panathinaikos v FC Copenhagen
Published September 28, 2010 | 
Panathinaikos FC have a recent victory against FC København to boost their confidence as they prepare to receive the Danish champions in their first home game in Group D.
• The Greek titleholders are in need of a lift having gone down 5-1 at FC Barcelona on Matchday 1 – despite taking the lead – while København are aiming to build on a 1-0 opening win against FC Rubin Kazan.
Previous meetings
• The teams met three years ago in Copenhagen in the home team’s only previous European fixture against Greek opposition. The 2007/08 UEFA Cup group match ended 1-0 to the visitors thanks to an early goal from Dame N’Doye, who now plays for the Danish side. FCK substitute Hjalte Nørregaard missed a penalty.
• Panathinaikos met Aalborg BK in the group stage of the 1995/96 UEFA Champions League, winning 2-0 at home and losing 2-1 in Denmark.
Match background
• Panathinaikos, who are back in the group stage after missing out in 2009/10, began with two defeats in their last campaign and then drew 2-2 at home to SV Werder Bremen. However they then recorded three successive victories, finishing with a 1-0 home win against Anorthosis Famagusta FC, to come top of the group ahead of FC Internazionale Milano and qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time in seven years.
• Their run came to an end in the round of 16 when they could not capitalise on a 1-1 draw at Villarreal CF, losing 2-1 at home.
• In last season’s UEFA Europa League, the Greens’ group record at home showed two wins and a defeat. In the round of 32 they beat AS Roma 3-2 home and away while in the last 16 they lost 3-1 at home to R. Standard de Liège and went down 1-0 in the return.
• The Danish champions were previously involved in the UEFA Champions League in 2006/07, when they finished bottom of Group F with seven points. They lost all three away games: 1-0 at Celtic FC, 3-0 at Manchester United FC and 3-1 at SL Benfica.
• FCK reached this stage with an away-goals triumph in the play-offs against Rosenborg BK, following a 2-1 away defeat with a 1-0 win at the Parken Stadion. In the third qualifying round FC BATE Borisov were defeated 3-2 in the Danish capital after the first leg had ended goalless.
• In last season’s UEFA Europa League, they lost their first two away games but finished with a 3-0 win at AC Sparta Praha which ensured a second-place finish in the group. In the round of 32 they lost 3-1 at home and away to Olympique de Marseille.
Team ties
• Mikael Antonsson signed for Panathinaikos in January 2006, moving to FCK in summer 2007 after making only seven league appearances.
• N’Doye joined the Greek side in the summer of 2007 and stayed in Athens until 2008, when he went on loan to OFI Crete FC. In January 2009 he signed for FCK.
• When København met Benfica in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round in August 2007, Kostas Katsouranis scored the only goal of the second leg to seal the Portuguese side’s 3-1 aggregate triumph.
• Hans Backe guided FCK to three Superligaen titles between 2001 and 2005 before a short spell in charge of Panathinaikos. Disappointing UEFA Cup results led to his dismissal after just three months.
Panathinaikos
Latest domestic information
• Saturday 25 September: Panathinaikos FC 2-1 Panionios GSS (Ninis 44, Katsouranis 63; Kumordzi 90) Tzorvas; Vyntra, Sarriegi, Boumsong, Kanté (Simão 74); Katsouranis (Karagounis 85), Gilberto Silva; Ninis, Luis García (Marinos 67), Leto; Cissé
• Nikos Nioplias made three changes to the team that drew 2-2 with FC Kavala a week earlier: Luis García, Kostas Katsouranis and Josu Sarriegi coming in for Sidney Govou, Giorgos Karagounis and Stergos Marinos.
• Sotiris Ninis and Katsouranis scored their first goals of the season though Ninis’s night ended on a sour note when he was dismissed in added time.
• The match was Panathinaikos’s first game of the season at the Olympic Stadium, which had been closed for a concert before having a new pitch laid.
• Karagounis made his 200th Super League appearance for Panathinaikos on 18 September as two goals from Djibril Cissé earned a point at Kavala.
• Alexandros Tzorvas and Sebastian Leto have played every minute of Panathinaikos’s league campaign.
Injury news
• Cédric Kanté fractured the ring finger of his right hand against Panionios and will be out for three weeks. Govou strained his right thigh muscle in training on Sunday, ruling him out of the København match
• Nikos Spyropoulos (knee) and Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (right foot) have resumed training but Antonis Petropoulos (groin) is not expected to return for another two weeks. Giourkas Seitaridis has suffered a setback in his recovery from a quadriceps problem and will also miss København’s visit.
FC Copenhagen
Latest domestic information
• Saturday 25 September: FC Midtjylland 0-3 FC København (Pospěch 11, Claudemir 39, N’Doye 70) Wiland; Pospěch, Jørgensen, Antonsson, Wendt; Bolaños (Kristensen 78) Claudemir (Nørregaard 77) Kvist, Vingaard; Grønkjær (Santin 77), N’Doye
• FCK extended their unbeaten start to the Super League season to ten games against second-placed Midtjylland. Their haul of 26 points is a record for this stage of a Danish top-flight campaign.
• Claudemir scored his first goal for FCK, while Dame N’Doye struck for the third time in four games.
• København have won ten of their last 12 games in all competitions.
• København advanced to the last 16 of the Danish Cup on 22 September, coming from behind to beat fourth division Viby IF 4-1. Søren Frederiksen marked his first start for the club with two goals.
• AC Horsens will be København’s opposition in the last 16 at the end of October.
• It was a completely different XI to the one that started the 2-0 win at Brøndby IF three days earlier. Kim Christensen made his debut in the FCK goal while Tobias Skovgaard, Lasse Lindbjerg and Morten Thomsen made their bows in the second half.
Injury news
• Christián Bolaños returned to action against Midtjylland having suffered an ankle injury against Brøndby.
• Sölvi Ottesen is likely to be out until the end of October after breaking his arm against Brøndby.
• Martin Bergvold is expected to be sidelined until November after suffering a knee injury in København’s 3-0 win against Lyngby BK on 21 August.
• Morten Nordstrand has not played since March after picking up thigh and groin injuries while on loan at FC Groningen.
UEFA Champions League Preview – Rubin Kazan v Barcelona
Published September 28, 2010 | 
FC Barcelona will be anxious to avoid another shock defeat at the hands of FC Rubin Kazan as they prepare to face the same opponents in their first away game in Group D.
• The Spanish champions made a strong start this time round, coming from behind to beat Panathinaikos FC 5-1 at home on Matchday 1, when Rubin went down 1-0 at FC København.
Previous meetings
• When the then debutants played at Camp Nou on Matchday 3 last season, a stunning 2-1 victory ensued with Aleksandr Ryazantsev and Gökdeniz Karadeniz on the scoresheet for the Russian titleholders. The return finished scoreless.
• That was Rubin’s first home match against a Spanish club while Barcelona had travelled to Russia four times before, recording one victory and three draws.
• Barça’s previous game in Russia was a UEFA Champions League first group stage meeting with FC Lokomotiv Moskva on 1 October 2002. Xavi Hernández, Carles Puyol and Víctor Valdés all featured for a Barcelona side who won 3-1 through goals from Patrick Kluivert and Javier Saviola (2).
Match background
• Rubin did not compete in Europe before 2004. Outside of qualifying rounds and UEFA Intertoto Cup ties, this is only their seventh home game in UEFA competition and they have only once finished the winning side. Last season all three home games in the UEFA Champions League ended in draws. Switching to the UEFA Europa League they beat Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC 3-0 at home, going through by the same aggregate score. In the round of 16 they drew 1-1 with VfL Wolfsburg at home and went down 3-2 on aggregate.
• Josep Guardiola’s side lost their last away game in the competition, 3-1 in last season’s semi-final first leg against FC Internazionale Milano. Before that they had been unbeaten for 11 games on the road. The Spanish side have won their group in each of the last three seasons and qualified for the knockout rounds eight times in the last nine campaigns, the sole exception being 2003/04 when they were not involved in the competition.
• Guardiola was in the Barcelona side defeated by PFC CSKA Moskva in the UEFA Champions League second round in 1992/93. Barça’s 3-2 home loss ended their trophy defence, the 4-3 aggregate reverse denying them a place in the group stage.
• In the following season’s group stage, the Catalan club faced FC Spartak Moskva and Guardiola helped his team to a 5-1 home victory.
Team ties
• David Villa scored a hat-trick for Spain against Russia in the opening group game of UEFA EURO 2008. Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and Puyol also played in the Innsbruck fixture and in the subsequent meeting in the semi-final in Vienna which Spain won 3-0 with Xavi scoring the first goal.
• South African international MacBeth Sibaya twice finished on the losing side against Spain at last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup. He lined up against Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué and Puyol as South Africa lost to the Spanish 2-0 in the group stage and 3-2 in the play-off for third place.
• César Navas began his career in Real Madrid CF’s B team. He later played for Málaga CF, Catalonia’s Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Real Racing Club prior to joining Rubin last year.
• Cristian Ansaldi made his Argentina debut in a friendly international against Spain in Madrid in November 2009 which ended 2-1 to the home side. Appearing for Spain were Piqué, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets and Villa.
Rubin
Latest domestic information
• Saturday 25 September: FC Rubin Kazan 1-0 FC Alania Vladikavkaz (Bocchetti 38) Ryzhikov; Kuzmin, Bocchetti, Navas, Kaleshin; Gökdeniz, Ryazantsev (Bystrov 73), Murawski, Carlos Eduardo; Medvedev (Kornilenko 61), Martins (Kasaev 59)
• Kurban Berdyev’s team recorded a sixth successive home win to extend their unbeaten league run to seven matches.
• It was Salvatore Bocchetti’s first goal for Rubin following his arrival from Genoa CFC in August, and only his second strike in all competitions since April 2008.
• Gökdeniz Karadeniz scored his first goal since 30 October 2009 as Rubin won 1-0 at FC Anzhi Makhachkala on 19 September.
• With eight matches remaining, Rubin are four points adrift of leaders FC Zenit St. Petersburg and have played two games more. They were seven and nine points clear at the same stage in 2009 and 2008 respectively.
Injury news
• Bebars Natcho, who has not played since the 3-0 defeat of FC Amkar Perm on 11 September because of a knee problem, was an unused substitute against Alania.
• Vitali Kaleshin, Carlos Eduardo (both colds) and Bocchetti (muscle injury) all returned to the starting XI against Alania having sat out the Anzhi win, Bocchetti as an unused substitute.
• Roman Sharonov is likely to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Barcelona
UEFA Champions League statistics: Lionel Messi took his UEFA Champions League tally to 27 with two goals on Matchday 1, overtaking Rivaldo (25) as Barça’s all-time leading scorer in the competition. Both players reached those figures in 45 matches.
Latest domestic information
• Saturday 25 September: Athletic Club 1-3 FC Barcelona (Gabilondo 90; Keita 55, Xavi 74, Busquets 90+2) Valdés; Alves, Puyol, Piqué, Adriano (Maxwell 46); Xavi (Bojan 82), Iniesta (Alcántara 82), Keita, Busquets; Pedro, Villa
• David Villa was sent off three minutes from time, just three days after scoring the only goal in Barcelona’s win against his former team Real Sporting de Gijón.
• Josep Guardiola made three changes to the team that beat Sporting Gijón, Gerard Piqué, Adriano and Pedro Rodríguez coming into the starting lineup.
• Goals from Messi and Piqué earned the Azulgrana a 2-1 victory against Club Atlético de Madrid on 19 September.
• That match was Barça’s 2,500th league game. Athletic and Real Madrid CF – the only other clubs ever-present in the Spanish top flight since its inception in 1928/29 – also reached the mark in the fourth round of matches.
• The Spanish titleholders will travel to the north African coast to play third-tier AD Ceuta in the Copa del Rey round of 32 on 27 October, with the return at the Camp Nou on 10 November.
• Barça lifted the Spanish Super Cup for the ninth time courtesy of a 5-3 aggregate victory against Sevilla last month. Messi scored a hat-trick in the second leg at the Camp Nou, helping overturn a 3-1 defeat from the first instalment.
Injury news
• Adriano came off at half-time against Athletic Club with a torn adductor muscle.
• Messi was ruled out for around ten days after spraining right ankle ligaments in the closing stages at Atlético.
• Éric Abidal missed the Atlético, Sporting Gijón and Athletic matches as he travelled to Martinique to be with his ill grandfather.
• Jeffrén resumed full training on 21 September having recovered from a left thigh tear sustained on international duty with Spain Under-21s at the beginning of September.
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