CL Live PBP: Arsenal v. Roma, March 11th [R]

[dwinkler]

Let's get it on! No lineups yet, but here are some tidbits:

-The ref is Urs Meier from Switzerland. You might recall Mr. Meier from such games as Arsenal 2 Moenchengladbach 3 (1996 UEFA Cup), USA 1 Iran 2 (1998 World Cup), and Germany 1 Korea 0 (2002 World Cup). He's obviously a very experienced ref.

-His linesmen are Francesco Buragina and Matthias Arnet. The fourth ref is Martin Salm. All are from Switzerland.

-Arsenal have never lost to an Italian team at Highbury. Their loss to Fiorentina three seasons ago came at Wembley.

-Five players are within one yellow card of being suspended for the next game: Patrick Vieira is the only Arsenal player; Vincent Candela, Walter Samuel, Damiano Tommasi, and Jonathan Zebina are the Roma players.

[dwinkler]

Arsenal
1 Seaman
4 Vieira
5 Keown
7 Pires
10 Bergkamp
11 Wiltord
12 Lauren
14 Henry
16 van Bronckhorst
18 Cygan
19 Gilberto

Bench
13 Taylor
8 Ljungberg
9 Jeffers
15 Parlour
25 Kanu
26 Igors N Stepanov
28 Touré

Sol doesn't even make the subs bench. Henry's OK, so besides Sol and GVB it's pretty much our first-choice squad this season.

Roma
22 Pelizzoli
2 Cafu
6 Aldair
8 Lima
10 Totti
11 Emerson
17 Tommasi
18 Cassano
19 Samuel
23 Panucci
32 Candela

Bench
1 Antonioli
4 Sartor
7 Fuser
9 Montella
13 Cufre
25 Guigou
27 De Rossi

[chicago_fan]

A big sigh of relief. The thought of Steps in the line-up made me nervous. Cygan showed the stuff in Roma, let's hope he can do the same on home turf. Happy to see Keown holding down the back.

Roma play pretty tight, so there could be plenty of free kicks in this one. GvB might be our secret weapon (uhh, actually, didn't Wenger say Jeffers was the secret weapon? How many secret weapons are we allowed to have?).

[dwinkler]

The current table looks like this:

Ajax 6
Arsenal 6
Valencia 5
Roma 3

If both Arsenal and Ajax win today then they advance to the next round. If Ajax wins but Roma doesn't then Roma are out.

Two separate sources (uefa.com and Soccernet) are saying that an Arsenal win guarantees us a spot in the next round. I don't think that's true - what if we win (9) and Ajax and Valencia tie (7 and 6). Then Valencia beats us and Ajax wins against Roma - Ajax would have 10 points, Valencia and Arsenal 9, but Valencia would win the first tie-breaker (higher number of points in matches between the teams in question). The moral? Don't believe everything you read, even from the "official" site.

-As always, there will be results from other games in this thread. Read at your own risk.

-Lunch today is the sesame chicken/garden linguini leftover combo. Not Veal Parm, I know, but maybe it's got a magic of its own.

[Coach_McGuirk]

Veal Parm and Cherry Pepsi, those were the days...

I'm very comfortable with that line-up. No real holes there.

During the match the guy from DISH will be on the roof, so if I mention anything about strange noises, that's what it is.

[ljunberg19]

Lets see another Henry Hat Trick!

[asfoolasiam]

The way I figure it, the worst possible outcome for us in the Ajax-Valencia match is a draw. If we win, and Ajax wins, we're through. That's obviously the best scenario. If we win and Valencia wins, however, the table looks like this:

Arsenal - 9
Valencia - 8
Ajax - 6
Roma - 3

Then we would go to Valencia with the situation that a draw puts BOTH us AND Valencia through (Valencia would win any tie-breaker with Ajax.) It would make for a pretty boring gane, of course; but if both sides were happy with a draw, a 0-0 scoreline is exceedingly likely.

If we win and the other sides draw, however, then we go into Valencia with us needing a draw and Valencia needed a win. Not as secure a scenario, by my reckoning.

[mogador]

Originally posted by dwinkler


-Lunch today is the sesame chicken/garden linguini leftover combo. Not Veal Parm, I know, but maybe it's got a magic of its own. \

-Lunch today: fingernails and pencils, I'm really nervous let's hope we take this match by the scruff of the neck from the coup d'envoi

[ljunberg19]

Originally posted by mogador
\

-Lunch today: fingernails and pencils, I'm really nervous let's hope we take this match by the scruff of the neck from the coup d'envoi


I've already gotten a talking to from my boss about screaming obscenities in the office while listening to arsenal at work...hopefully things will go better today than the last three ties.

[dwinkler]

Roma in all black, Arsenal in the Red and White.

(Speaking of Roma's unis, look, I love the color orange - I really do - but when it's paired with red that's when my eyes start hurting.

It's overcast in London, and Roma kick off to get the game underway.

[McGinty]

Maier was also the referee in the USA/Korea match at the World Cup. A bad call against Donovan lead to Ahn's equalizer.

[Senor Askew]

Lets have a Bergkamp special in the opening ten.

[dwinkler]

Cygan fouls Totti. Just a little reminder that the bald one is out there...

Cafu crosses from the right, Keown knocks it out for a corner. Cafu takes it, flicked on by two Roma players, then cleared out by a defender.

[hangthadj]

nothing to report yet from the ajax game. good luck fellas.

[mogador]

Originally posted by Senor Askew
Lets have a Bergkamp special in the opening ten.

now thats what i'm sayin' yo... how sweet would that be

[dwinkler]

Arsenal break, Wiltord's shot is pushed over the bar by Pelizzoli. Soccernet says "he should have done better."

Henry's corner is headed onto the roof of the net by Gilberto.

[Coach_McGuirk]

Soccernet is so much more up to date than uefa.com, what with their bending of the space/time continuum on occassion.

[dwinkler]

6 - Totti is through but offsides.

6 - Bergkamp sets Pires through, his pass to Wiltord is intercepted.

7 - Henry breaks but his pass to Bergkamp is intercepted.

7 - Henry slips it through to Wiltord but the offside flag goes up - "a very close call," says Soccernet.

[ljunberg19]

seems like a fast paced game so far wtih both sides needing a win

[Senor Askew]

Is it just me or did Gilberto leave his shooting boots back in Brazil the last time he was there?