UEFA Champions League Final: Real Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen

An interseting match!!


Post your comments.

i will support Bayer

yeah me to... i think Real are getting a bit TOO big and TOO greedy...
they need to get a cold shower !

Go Leverkusen !

I think that Real will win, but I gotta hope Bayer takes it. I like Ze Roberto a lot and Ballack and Nueville have been great all season. I hope they can keep it together and go on to win.

I will cheer for Bayer. Too bad Ze Roberto is suspended. I don't want to see Real win their 9th title. And I want them to screw everything up on their centenary. They've managed to fail to win the cup and the league, hopefully they'll also lose the CL final.

I think that Real will win, but like most people, i'll be supporting Bayer.

I hope Bayer Leverkusen will win

Here's my prediction:

Bayer 2-1 Real Madrid

1x Berbatov
1x Kisrten
1x Raul

I have doubts whether Berbatov will start or not. I think Bayer will win 2-1, goals by Ballack and Neuville. Raul for the Spaniards.

am i the only one here who hate bayer!?
listen, they do not deserve it! they are there because of luck and nothing else! they have been lucky even in CL qualifications against red star and not to menitone the games after that! a team that lose 4:0 and 4:1 from their biggest group rivals does not deserve to go through! have you seen bayer-manchester!? have you seen it? and after that you say 'oh, i'll suppport bayer!' they played 8-2-0 tactic! everybody in defense and kill the game! they had two goal line clearences! luck! nothing else but LUCK!!! and after the game they were singing "who to fu(k is man united". like they beat them 5:0 after a stunning performance! morons!
to hell with bayer! i can't describe how happy i am that borussia won the title and not these idiots! actually, i am happy that they LOST the title! and i hope they will lose CL finals at least 5:0! so they regret the fu(king luck they had throughout all the previous games!!!

scharatz

but if they win

you can say that Red Star loose from champion

ps:To nam je jedini nacin da se vadimo

Serbian Rossoneri said:

but if they win

you can say that Red Star loose from champion

ps:To nam je jedini nacin da se vadimo

Click to expand...

Nice words

I really hope that Bayer will win because i really like them.Just like Ozmosis said Real are getting too greedy.
I also like Ballack and i hope that he will score.I don't think that Kirsten will play because as i can see he is all the time on the bench.
But honestlly i think that Real will win and that's the thing that makes me sad

Anything can happen over 90 minutes ahead. Real will be favourite for the match I believe and most football public would say agree with me. But Leverkusen isn't a weak opponent like what you imagined. Luck, what things named LUCK couldn't go away from soccer. You could imagined what happened to ManU against Bayern in 99' CL Final. So Leverkusen at this time have a opportunity to make it. Combined their amazing team with good players they have.

About Real, trully I have had enough to see their authority in Europe. Not because I'm jealous with them (though I have on stand on my beloved team and second team) but I would like to see the unseeded team like Leverkusen will lift highly the cup for their best performances to clinch the final. I think Leverkusen wouldn't considered as a second team again, they will become one of seeded team in next round of CL instead Real, Bayern, ManU etc...

hey, don't get me wrong here. i don't like real either but i can't stand these bayer fekas to be first! i hate when somebody is playing such football. i am sorry but that's my opinion.
when is the game? 15.5.? i am going to a pub to see the game and i'll be hoping that bayer lose AT LEAST 5:0!

scharatz

do you always going to pub to watching some games?


ps:Ajde povedi i mene plz

yes
because we don't have many games on TV here. you need to subrscribe for digital channels but i prefer to go to a pub, have a beer...

schaearz

I have to wake up at 4:00am on thursday morning to watch it.

Bayer can become one of the few teams to come 2nd in their league, cup and the CL. :devil2:

Untitled said:

Bayer can become one of the few teams to come 2nd in their league, cup and the CL. :devil2:

Click to expand...

well, they lost the title, they lost the cup to schalke and they lost the cl final to real. well, not yet but they will!

this is the match preview from soccerage.com. it's a bit long but you don't have to read it if you don't want to
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Behold Spanish Champions Real Madrid! The Merengues are touted as red-hot favourites to land the Champions League title, but will it be that easy to beat Bayer Leverkusen? Shortly before the Madridista team departed to Glasgow, exstatic fans were present at the airport to bid the team goodbye with "campeones, campeones" chants, in a clear sign they are confident Real were going to defeat their German opponents easily.

How quickly they forget: wasn't the Liga an easy target, too? And how about the Copa del Rey? Every socio thought Real had their name on the Cup with the final being played at home on the club's 100th birthday to date. Unfortunately Deportivo had other plans and swiftly punished a stunned Real side.

Interestingly enough, Real and Bayer are exactly in the same position: they missed out on domestic targets (i.e. league & cup) and must make up for their mistakes in Europe with a prestige trophy like the Champions League. However the focus will be on Real, who are in a bad need to win something on their Centenary year. It is slowly turning into an "anno horribilis" for Real, by the way.

Should Real miss out on this last-ditch success, Real team, coach, directors and president will be under fierce scrutiny by the media.

First things first: the team. Poor away form cost Madrid the title, as coach Del Bosque pointed out. However, Zidane and friends have a large responsibilty in this and they looked too often clamped down by inferior opposition. Real lacked "cojones" to go and get good results away from the Bernabeu and conceded their only home defeat of the season to "macho men" Depor, who literally snatched the Copa from them.

Vicente Del Bosque has had the merit to lead Real to an easy group campaign in Europe, but was often found to opt for the wrong tactics in la Liga, especially away from home early in the season. Once Zidane had reached full steam, it gave Real a boost but this was later undermined by a conspicuous physical slump in the squad. Del Bosque also made the mistake not to rely more on starlet Javier Portillo, who could have been used to boost an ailing front-line. The over-use of injured Luis Figo is another sad mistake.

Directors should have influenced president Florentino Perez to invest more on defenders in last year's close season. This has put Real in shaky conditions that were compensated around mid-season by homegrown players. However this was not enough for Real to save their Liga bid.

As for "El Presidente", he should have kept his lips sealed all season when it came to transfer speculations: it only destabilize the teams, in every sector. Call it inexperience? Call it excess of grandeur?

Bayer 04 have never once managed to conquer the Bundesliga in their 98-year history, despite having come desperately close on many occasions – not least of which this season, when Leverkusen were yet again undone by their frustrating propensity to choke during the final stretch. It is for this reason that the once unfashionable club, who were named after a pharmaceutical company, have involuntarily earned themselves the dubious distinction that of Germany's eternal bridesmaids.

The "Neverkusen" tag is already getting a little cliched but Ballack and the boys will be desperate to make it officially passe by registering an almighty upset against Real in the Scottish capital. If they do so, they will become the first team in the history of the continent's most prestigious club competition to be crowned kings of Europe without ever having finished top-of-the-table in their own country.

It goes without saying that an improbable victory for the 'Werkself' on Wednesday would render the tears born of near-misses a distant memory, but one could hardly blame Leverkusen's hardened fans for not getting their hopes up. Not only do their beloved side have to contend with the inferiority complex that afflicts most every team paired against Real Madrid's awesome galaxy of superstars, but they must also simultaneously overcome the psychological demons that inevitably come with always finishing second best.

Anybody who has been privileged to watch Leverkusen in full flight this year would have a difficult time writing them off, however, as Toppmoeller's troop have produced some of the best and most scintillating football of any team this season. Bayer have in large part come undone by the stamina-sapping demands of a treble-chase, but rotund club supremo Reiner Calmund is confident that his side will derive energy from the sheer magnitude of both the occasion and the opportunity.

"We expect our players to fight for the European Cup with teeth and nails," said Calmund. "More than one billion will be watching the game on television, 800'000 of which will be crossing their fingers for us, seeing that this is a case of David against Goliath."


------------

TEAM NEWS

It looks as if Fernando Morientes will be given the nod up front after fighting off Guti's opposition. Guti is in precarious physical conditions and will therefore left aside before an ankle operation that should take place Friday or next Monday. Luis Figo has been injured for too long but should yet again be fielded in midfield. Del Bosque is set to opt for a formation "à la française" with Zidane behind the unique striker Morientes and Figo & Raul playing in wider positions. Makelele and Solari will provide the muscle in midfield, while Ivan Helguera should be confirmed in central defence alongside Fernando Hierro. Cesar is, alas, preferred to Iker Casillas who will not start the Final despite his international call-up for the World Cup.

PL (4-4-1-1): César, Salgado, Hierro, Helguera, Roberto Carlos, Figo, Makelele, Solari, Zidane, Raúl & Morientes

The loss of Jens Nowotny (long-term injury) and Ze Roberto (yellow-card suspension) for the final arrived as a double-hammer blow, which Bayer will find it very hard – some say impossible – to recover from. Nowotny was the Bundesliga side's captain and star defender, while Ze Roberto will be sorely missed for his capability to unbalance any team with his mesmeric wing-play. Croatian international Boris Zivkovic will deputize for Nowotny, alongside Lucio in the heart of Bayer's defense, while Thomas Brdaric – a striker by nature – has been pencilled in to fill in on the left wing to preserve the 4-5-1 formation that Toppmoeller prefers against the stronger teams. Diminutive speed demon Oliver Neuville will operate as the lone striker, but expect to see Ulf Kirsten to get a late run-out, as Wednesday represents his final match as a professional.

PL (4-5-1): Butt – Placente, Zivkovic, Lucio, Sebescen – Schneider, Ramelow, Ballack, Bastürk, Brdaric – Neuville.


------------

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Raul - A disappointing end of the season for the gifted Spanish forward must absolutely be reversed into a great CL Final and an equally great World Cup. Raul had a so-so season by his standards mainly because of poor support by the central striker in charge, be it Guti or Fernando Morientes. Raul suffered the team's selfish habits more than anyone else but managed to shine in Europe.

Luis Figo - One big question mark surrounds the Portuguese genius. Has he healed from his niggling knee injury or will his performance be undermined again? It will be a question of some importance for Portugal as well, only two weeks before the World Cup kicks off. Del Bosque should have rested him more in seemingly unimportant games earlier in the season.

Michael Ballack – The golden boy of German football is desperate to end his Bayer Leverkusen career with an exclamation mark. The hugely talented all-action midfielder – who has become one of world football's most talked about young stars - turned down an offer by Real Madrid in favour of a summer-switch to Bayern Munich and he will be further motivated by his eagerness to show the Spanish capital club what they missed out on.

Lucio – Similarly to Ballack, the free-scoring Brazilian has become an international star on the strength of his outstanding performances this season, and he too was – and continues to be – targeted by Real. Lucio is quite simply one of the most exciting players in the world to watch, due to his audacious willingness and ability to join the attack from the back – either with or without the ball. His dribbling skills have to be seen to be believed, yet the young man can defend with the best of them. What a talent!


------------

FORMGUIDE

Real Madrid last 6 (all competitions): WWLDDL

As Del Bosque said, Real paid a hefty price for their bad away form. They even relinquished the Liga's runner-up spot to Deportivo after a 3-0 defeat on Friday. A similar scoreline two weeks earlier in San Sebastian versus Real Sociedad meant Madrid could forget about the Liga title. The 4-1 drubbing of now-relegated Tenerife and the Nou Camp success were Real's last feat of strength before entering a sequence of disappointing results.

Leverkusen last 6 (all competitions): LDLDWL

The formguide does not paint a pretty picture for Bayer, who have really fallen off the tracks of late. Two fatal slipups occurred during their past six matches, one being a devastating surprise defeat at Nurnberg, which ultimately presented Borussia Dortmund with the title, and the other arrived just four days ago, when Leverkusen crumbled to a 4-2 defeat against Schalke in the German Cup final.


------------

ROAD TO THE FINAL

The first and second group phases were a mere joke for Real, who lost just one point in each stage. Roma, Anderlecht and Lokomotiv Moscow were no real threat for the Merengues, who incidently took advantage from the September 11 tragedy as they won in Rome on that sad day in a troubled world. Sparta Prague, Panathinaikos and Porto were small game for Real in the second phase. It took just three games for Real to qualify which gave room for the reserves to shine (remember Portillo's smash goal in Athens?). Real faced a more demanding task in the Quarter Finals as "black beasts" Bayern Munich where finally defeated over two legs (2-1, 2-0). This paved the way for another "Superclasico" match with Barça, who were dwarfed in the Camp Nou's first leg (0-2). Real then conceded a draw against the Catalans, but it would not stop them from the Hampden Final.

Nobody can accuse Bayer of having made it to the final by side-stepping the big teams. Leverkusen, in fact, made it to Glasgow the hard way. First they had to surpass Red Star Belgrade in the third qualifying round, after which they had to contend with the likes of Barcelona, Lyon and Fenerbahce to qualify for the second group phase. Nobody gave the Leverkuseners a chance to survive a draw, which pitted them against Juventus, Arsenal and Deportivo La Coruna, yet they defied all odds by topping the ultra-competitive group. Next, Liverpool met the wrath of Leverkusen in the quarterfinals, before mighty Manchester United were ousted on the road goal rule at the end of a highly-memorable semifinal confrontation.


------------

PAST CONFRONTATIONS

Real Madrid met Leverkusen four times before this match, all of them in the Champions League. The Madridistas won three times in emphatic style and conceded one draw.

1997-98, CL Quarter Finals: Leverkusen-Real 1-1, 0-3
2000-01, CL First Phase: Leverkusen-Real 2-3, 3-5

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

there is no need to explain that bold text.
i strongly desagree with soccerage on that part of text and from now on you won't see soccerage articles on acmilan-online anymore!
kidding... i said what i had to say about bayer already and all we need to do now is to see the game.

scharatz prediction: bayer 0:5 real

Bayer will win this! The hell with Real Madrid! Lucio said that every player in the world dreams of playing in Real. Now who the hell is he? Not all players are like him! And I for one will NEVER play in Real if I were a professional football player.

Forza MILAN! For the sake of Milan, Bayer should WIN!

ok. they are 2nd in the bundesliga, they are 2nd in the deutsche cup and they are 2nd in the champions league. is there ANYBODY who can say that's bad!?

they just don't have lucky

Serbian Rossoneri said:

they just don't have lucky

Click to expand...

bayer leverkusen "just don't have lucky"!?
nah, i don't even want to talk about this.

have you see last 10 minutes?

Well Real won the title. I'd prefer Leverkusen who win it but they are lack of experience in European competition. Surely my hat off to Ballack cs for their best performance they done in this season.

Serbian Rossoneri said:

have you see last 10 minutes?

Click to expand...

have you seen previous 1880 minutes!?

Oh, Bayer lost. I don't think Bayer we're lucky, scharatz. Beating Man Utd, beating Lverpool in a categorical manner, I don't think that was luck. Luck is when a team like Slovenia beats both Yugoslavia and Romania by doing nothing.

Back to the game, Zidane goal was fantastic, and so were Casillas' saves. I was hoping for some extra time, and Real losing, but it wasn't like this. Too bad.

Next year's final:
AC Milan vs. ?

Forza MILAN!

Hmmm... if next's year final will be AC Milan's spot, I am expecting next season we will doing well in all matches both either in domestic and European. Then I will have expected more than it.

i don't say that bayern have luck

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Real have luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

in last 10 minutes bayern was able to win!!!