Champions League Group E Preview

Chelsea can improve their already dominant position in Champions League Group E when they host lowly Genk in London on Wednesday.

The Blues have not lost a European group stage clash at Stamford Bridge in eight years, and the Belgian First Division champions would need a miracle to take all three points in their first fixture against English opposition in the tournament.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has a positive recent history with Genk, having led former team Porto to a 7-2 aggregate defeat of the Belgian outfit in the Europa League playoff round last season.

The Londoners are also fresh off a drought-breaking 3-1 win in the Premier League over Everton - a side they had not conquered since the FA Cup final in 2009.

Genk, meanwhile, have lost their past three in all competitions, including a 2-0 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen in the group.

They managed to hold Valencia to a scoreless draw at home on matchday one, and manager Mario Been will be hoping for more of the same defensive stubbornness out of his XI.

In the other game in Group E, Leverkusen will aim to add to their defeat of Genk with another three points when they host Valencia at Bay Arena.

Robin Dutt's men are second in the group, one point above their La Liga opponents.

The Bundesliga side are unbeaten in three matches in all competitions, including a defiant 2-2 draw with 10 men away to Borussia Monchengladbach in the league at their last start.

Brazilian midfielder Renato Augusto - who played the full 90 minutes in the win over Genk - will miss after having knee surgery earlier this month.

Third-choice keeper Bernd Leno will get another chance on the European stage for Leverkusen, with injury still ruling out first-choice stopper Rene Adler and number two Fabian Giefer.

Turkish midfielder Mehmet Topal could make a return to the starting line-up for Valencia, after spending several weeks out with a shoulder injury.

Valencia will be hoping summer signing Sergio Canales or goal machine Roberto Soldado can score their first open-play goal in their European campaign, after they were lucky to scrape a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea.

Soldado converted a fortunate spot-kick for an alleged foul on Salomon Kalou for handball, but replays suggested the Ivorian did not contact the ball at all as it came in from a corner.

Valencia, though, will take the point, but manager Unai Emery would be all too aware of the need to start scoring to set alight their fight for a top-two spot and a ticket to the knockout stages.

Champions League Group F Preview

Arsenal will be unfazed by a trip to Marseille for their Champions League Group F clash, having never lost away to a French club.

Didier Deschamps' Marseille sit top of the group with six points from two matches and are yet to concede a goal in the competition.

But they will be wary of an Arsenal team who reached the last 16 of the Champions League last season before falling to eventual winners Barcelona.

However, the Gunners' recent form is nothing to write home about, struggling in a 2-1 win over Sunderland in the Premier League at the weekend.

With Thomas Vermaelen out injured and Bacary Sagna's broken leg keeping him out until next year, manager Arsene Wenger then had to replace Kieran Gibbs with Andre Santos five minutes into the second half with stomach muscle inflammation.

Robin Van Persie's brace against Sunderland may have pulled Arsenal up to 10th in the league but it is their backline that may prove to be their undoing as they come up against the firepower of Ghanaian Andre Ayew and France international Loic Remy.

In the other Group F clash, Olympiakos and Borussia Dortmund meet for the first time in a competitive fixture.

The Greek champions are still without a point in last place, having lost narrowly to Arsenal on matchday two.

Coach Ernesto Valverde will be looking for a better performance on home soil but he will have to do it without talismanic Spanish midfielder David Fuster.

Borussia Dortmund snatched a 1-1 draw with the Gunners in their first match before crashing back to earth with a 3-0 loss to Marseille.

But Jurgen Klopp's team will fancy their chances against Olympiakos in what is shaping as an even match.

Champions League Group G Preview

Porto will enter their Champions League Group G clash with APOEL FC as warm favourites but will not be taking the surprise leaders lightly.

The two-time European champions meet the Cypriot team away as they look to bounce back from their defeat to Zenit St Petersburg.

Porto have not suffered back-to-back losses in Europe for three years.

After losing to 3-1 to Zenit following Jorge Fucil's sending off, Vitor Pereira's team will be looking for nothing less than a win against APOEL.

Brazilian striker Kleber who scored in Porto's 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, has recovered from his shoulder injury and will expected to lead the line alongside fellow Brazilian strike partner Hulk.

Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk are also aiming to get their campaign back on track when they meet Zenit St Petersburg.

Quarter-finalists in the Champions League last season, Shakhtar Donetsk sit bottom of the group with just one point after a home draw with APOEL.

Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu will be desperate to jump-start their campaign with a home win at Donbass Arena, with the likes of former Corinthians midfielder Willian and former Arsenal frontman Eduardo looking to put their stamp on the occasion.

The two clubs were rivals in the old Soviet league but have not met since 1989.

The Russian side, led by former Roma coach Luciano Spalletti, will be counting on Portuguese striker Danny and Aleksandr Kerzhakov to spearhead Zenit's qualification challenge.

With his brace in their 3-1 over Porto lifting Zenit level on three points with the two-time Champions League winners, Roman Shirokov will be key to their hopes for qualification to the knockout stage.

Champions League Group H Preview

Barcelona and AC Milan can move six points clear in the top two spots in Champions League Group H with victories on Wednesday.

The La Liga champions host Czech side Viktoria Plzen, while the Serie A outfit welcome BATE Borisov, the Belarusian champions.

The Catalans have had their fair share of injury worries early in the season and hampering them further will be the loss of centre-back Gerard Pique for two weeks to a hamstring injury.

Pique was substituted just nine minutes into their league clash with Racing Santander on Sunday, forcing Eric Abidal to play out the majority of the contest despite being under a fitness cloud himself.

It has been a while since Czech opposition have visited the Camp Nou - so much so, that current manager Pep Guardiola was on the scoresheet for Barcelona in a 5-0 victory over Sparta Prague in the 1999-2000 group stages.

Despite the result being a decade ago, Guardiola will be hoping for a similar scoreline as Barca look to go six points clear of the bottom two and move a step closer to the knockout stages.

Milan will have similar hopes as they prepare to welcome Borisov to the San Siro.

Borisov's domestic form has been steady as they have not lost in seven games, but the gulf in class between their home league and the Champions League was evidenced by Barcelona's 5-0 thrashing of them at their last start.

The Belarusians have experienced the pressure of playing Milan previously, going down 6-0 on aggregate in the UEFA Cup first round in 2001-02.

Featuring on the pitch that day were current coach Vikto Goncharenko and assistants Aleksandr Fedorovich and Aleksei Baga.

The only current-day player in the side that day was attacker Artem Kontsevoy.

Milan, however, will not be worried about history as they look to continue their form which has seen them win three of their past four.

Their home form in Champions League past seasons has been woeful, winning just one of eight in their two most recent campaigns before a 2-0 win over Plzen steadied the ship.

Brazilian striker Robinho returned to the Milan line-up in their 3-0 win over Palermo, adding a new dimension to their attack, and the former Santos and Manchester City star will be in contention to keep his spot under Massimiliano Allegri.

Arsenal To Make Shock Offer To Manchester United Starlet

Arsenal are thought to be closely monitoring the contract situation of Manchester United youngster Paul Pogba and are ready to offer him a deal if he fails to agree new terms.

Pogba is a highly-rated member of United's reserves and is tipped to soon break into the first-team, however, his current deal reportedly ends at the end of the current season.

That allows the 18-year-old midfielder to listen to other offers in the New Year and according to the Metro, Arsenal are ready to make an approach.

Pogba was reportedly being tracked by the Gunners before he left Le Havre for Old Trafford in 2009.

And it appears the chance to make the switch to north London could happen if he is not offered a route into United's first-team in the near future.

However, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is thought to be desperate to keep hold of the player being described as 'the new Patrick Vieira.'

"If we hold Pogba back, what’s going to happen? He’s going to leave," Ferguson said.

"You know, in a couple of years’ time when his contract is going to finish.

"So we have to give him the opportunity to see how he can do in the first-team and he’s got great ability."

Dalglish Could Launch Shock Move For Real Madrid Star Striker

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has emerged as a shock contender to sign Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain who has been consistently linked with a move away from the Bernabeu.

The Argentina international joined the Spanish giants for €13million in December 2006 and has since gone on to score 77 goals in just 134 La Liga games.

Despite this impressive goal scoring record, Higuain has never been a regular starter for the club and last season was only able to make 17 league appearances with injuries hampering his opportunities.

With the likes of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria all pushing for a start in the front three, Higuain has only managed to start three league games this season.

However, despite not starting the season as first choice the striker has already scored eight league goals this season, including a hat-trick in Madrid's last game against Real Betis.

According to Cadena SER, Liverpool and Manchester United have both been tracking the forward with Dalglish keen to bring another striker to the squad in January, despite already having Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy at his disposal.

Dalglish believes he needs four top quality strikers to help the Reds push for a Champions League place and while Dirk Kuyt has the ability to play up top he is often used on the right side of midfield.

Should Liverpool want to sign the prolific striker then Liverpool would need to make a substantial offer as Madrid would certainly want to make a profit on the 23-year-old.

Manchester United Set To Swoop For Croatian Playmaker

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is preparing to step up his pursuit of a new midfielder and has set his sights on Dinamo Zagreb's Mateo Kovacic, according to reports on Goal.com.

During the course of the summer transfer window Ferguson was looking at a number of options to replace the retired Paul Scholes.

Both Tottenham's Luka Modric and Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder were being lined up by Manchester United but nothing materialized.

A number of top clubs have been keeping tabs on Kovacic including Juventus, Bayern Munich and Premier League rivals Arsenal.

However it is believed that the Old Trafford outfit is leading the chase for the 17-year-old, and Ferguson has sent scouts out to watch him in action for Zagreb and the Croatian Under-21's.

It is felt the Croatian club has rated their prized asset at £10million and Kovacic's agent Marcel Kacinari has hinted his client could be on his way to the Premiership.

"It is most likely that he will go to England where the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United are leading the race," Kacinari said. "Dinamo Zagreb have done business in the past with several Premier League teams."

Tottenham Join Arsenal In Race For Brazilian Midfield Sensation

Tottenham have reportedly joined a number of top European clubs in the race to sign Brazilian wonderkid Casemiro.

It was reported by Gazzetta dello Sport at the beginning of the week that Arsenal, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid were all keeping tabs on the Sao Paulo midfielder, who is emerging as one of the most exciting talents in South America.

And according to tribalfootball.com, Spurs are ready to join their fierce rivals, as well as Europe's finest, in the chase for Casemiro.

It is thought Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is eager to recruit the 19-year-old starlet following the success of another recent Brazilian recruit in Sandro.

Redknapp is reportedly ready to move quickly and lodge an offer in the January transfer window to beat the competition, particularly as reports in Italy claim AC Milan have sent scout to Brazil to watch him in action.

Casemiro has caught the eye this season following a number of highly-impressive displays for both club and country.

He was an integral part of the Brazil team at the Under-20 FIFA World Championship and made his senior international debut earlier this season.

Chelsea Prepare To Make Move For South American Wing Wizard

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is preparing a move for Argentine starlet Lucas Ocampos who has been dubbed as the 'new Christiano Ronaldo' according to reports in the Daily Mail.

The 17-year-old River Plate winger as been touted has one of the hot young prospects to be coming out of South America.

A number of top clubs from around Europe have been notified about Ocampos including the likes of Inter Milan and Bayern Munich as well as Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.

However it is believed Chelsea are leading the chase for Ocampos, who likes to imitate the Real Madrid star.

"Everybody wants to be like Messi, but Ronaldo is the one I like. I try to imitate him." he said.

So far this season he has made 11 appearances for the Argentine side and has scored four goals.

It is believed that River Plate is looking for in the region of £15million for their prized asset and Chelsea are ready to match that when the transfer window opens in January.

Moyes Set To Make January Bid For Belgium Striker

Everton are reportedly interested in signing Genk striker Marvin Ogunjimi and will consider making an official bid when the January transfer window opens.

With limited options up-front, Toffees boss David Moyes is desperate to sign a striker and he has set his sights on 24-year-old Ogunjimi.

According to The People, Moyes watched the Belgium international in action for his country against Germany last week and was impressed with what he saw.

It is thought Everton chairman Bill Kenwright will make funds available to Moyes in January despite the club's limited finances.

The £10m the club received from the sale of Mikel Arteta to Arsenal will reportedly be made available and Moyes is keen to improve his squad in January.

Ogunjimi, who made his international debut in October 2010, has impressed for Belgium, scoring five goals in his first seven appearances for his country.

While Genk is reluctant to sell, it is thought an offer in excess of £3m would be enough to tempt them to part with their star striker.

Tottenham Prepare Shock Move For Barcelona Pair

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is set to strengthen is defense by making a sensational move for Barcelona pair Martin Montoya and Marc Bartra.

Full-back Montoya has been linked with a number of clubs including Italian giants AS Roma as well as Premier League rivals Bolton and Blackburn.

Both Montoya and Bartra had agreed terms to stay at the Nou Camp at the end of last term, but neither player signed a new deal with the Catalan giants and according to Sport their situation has changed.

Barcelona still have the same offers on the table for the young pair but it is felt that there are better offers coming from abroad.

It is believed that Tottenham are leading the chase for 20-year-old Montoya who has been a part of the Spanish senior squad - it is also thought that Spurs will make an offer for Bartra when the transfer window opens in January.

Juventus Plan To Test Arsenal's Resolve With Walcott Bid

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott is Juventus' main transfer target in a move that could trigger a transfer triangle involving Chelsea as well.

Juventus manager, Antonio Conte, is a confessed admirer of the qualities of the English international and has prepared a plan to bring him to Italy in the summer.

Conte has meet with Juventus' sporting director Beppe Marotta and is ready to discuss the possibility of selling Milos Krasic to Chelsea to generate the funds to buy Walcott.

According to reports in Corriere dello Sport, the Italians have already contacted Walcott's agent and have been told that it will all depend on how the Gunners season will develop and whether Juventus qualifies or not for next season's Champions League.

Krasic is not part of Conte's plans and has been linked with Chelsea in a move that could see out-of-favour Brazilian centre back Alex head to the Alps as part-exchange.

The Blues see the Serbian playmaker as a more economical alternative to Luka Modric and Andre Villas-Boas has already expressed his admiration for the 26-year-old.

Walcott's agent Colin Gordon has denied speculation and said there has been no contact with Juventus, saying: "Juventus have never called us. We have not received calls from Italy recently."

Asked if the winger will stay at the Emirates, he added: "We'll see. I don't know what will happen."

Arsenal Expected To Complete Deal For Real Madrid Wonderkid

Arsenal are close to completing a deal for Real Madrid youngster Jose Rodriguez with the Daily Mail even suggesting that the 16-year-old has already been to London to check on the clubs facilities.

Rodriguez was brought to the attention of Gunners boss Arsene Wenger by the clubs chief scout in Spain Francisco Cagigao who suggested the club attempt to lure the midfielder away from Real Madrid.

Wenger has already brought Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin to Arsenal from Barcelona over the summer while central defender Ignasi Miquel is a regular for the Spain Under 19's.

Now Arsenal plan to bring Rodriguez to the club and are hoping to convince the Spain Under-17 star to choose north London, despite interest from a number of Spanish clubs.

The player has reportedly been to the capital to check on Arsenal's training ground and has also spoken to Cesc Fabregas who has advised him to make the move to the Premier League.

During his time in England, Rodriguez was offered a deal with the Gunners and was also told that he would have the opportunity to play first team football within two seasons.

Madrid cannot offer the player a professional contract until he turns 17, but have already become destined to the fact that he looks likely to choose a move to Arsenal.

Tottenham Tempted By Aston Villa’s High Flyer

Tottenham Hotspur is keeping tabs on Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor and are tempted to make an offer in January.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is looking to sign a permanent hit-man but has been left frustrated as he is constantly being priced out of the market.

He has long been impressed by Agbonlahor, who has made an excellent start to the season scoring four goals in seven games.

The 25-year-old has struggled with injury last season but seems to have shaken off the niggles.

He has lost his place in the England squad, but wants it back, and knows a move to an elite club with European football on offer will help.

But Tottenham’s attempts to steal him away from Villa Park could be ended by the Midlands’ side valuation of £20million.

Agbonlahor has four years left on his contract and Villa would not want to lose another star so soon after losing Stewart Downing and Ashley Young.

Nevertheless Redknapp will test their resolve with a bid in January but will have more of a chance at the end of the season.

Chelsea Line Up Move For South American Defender

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is looking to step up his pursuit of a defender and is keeping tabs on Atletico Madrid's Diego Godwin.

According to reports in The Sun, Chelsea will raise the money for Godwin by selling Brazilian defender Alex.

Both Tottenham and Arsenal have shown an interest in signing Alex when the transfer window re-opens which would enable the west London club to make their move for the Uruguay international.

In the past former Stamford Bridge boss Carlo Ancelotti had a £15million bid for Godwin rejected last January.

However it is believed the new Chelsea manager is preparing to go back in for the 25-year-old when the transfer window opens in the New Year with a bid in the region of £20m.

United Keen On Krasic

Milos Krasic's agent has claimed Manchester United have been monitoring the Juventus winger for the past two years.

Krasic, 26, joined Juve in 2010 after impressing for his former club CSKA Moscow, and the midfielder caught the eye in his debut campaign in Italy, scoring six goals and laying on as many assists in Serie A.

The Serbia international's agent, Dejan Joksimovic, told tuttomercatoweb.com: "Manchester United have been interested in Krasic for two years.

"They like the player but no negotiations have taken place. Every day Krasic is rumoured to be departing Juventus but, currently, there are no signs of this happening."

Arsenal Boss Set For £50m Transfer Splurge

Arsene Wenger is reportedly contemplating how best to use his significant transfer kitty when the window opens again in January.

According to The Telegraph, Wenger will have £50 million at his disposal to spend on player recruitment and the renewal of existing contracts.

Majority Arsenal shareholder Stan Kroenke is reported to have told Wenger he can use the cash however best suits, and the Emirates Stadium is likely to be a hub of transfer activity come the New Year.

Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen and Theo Walcott will all be out of contract in 2013 so the Arsenal boss will use at least some of the £50 million to ensure they further their respective stays with the club.

Wenger, meanwhile, is also expected to further reinforce his Arsenal midfield following the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer.

Arsenal acquired Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun on deadline day in order to compensate for the loss, but are still in need of further numbers in that department.

Yann M'Vila, Eden Hazard and Mario Gotze have all been mentioned as potential targets for the Gunners.

Tottenham's Defender Wanted By London Rivals

Newly promoted London club QPR are hoping to convince Tottenham to part with out-of-favour defender Sebastien Bassong in the January transfer window.

QPR boss Neil Warnock is a known admirer of the former Newcastle defender and attempted to persuade Tottenham to sell them the centre-back in the summer but the deal fell through when the north London club where unable to sign Bolton's Gary Cahill.

Warnock is set to meet with QPR owner Tony Fernandes in the coming days to discuss potential targets and a defender seems the most urgent with QPR's last game ending in a 6-0 loss at Fulham.

“We have already begun talking about what we are going to do in January and have a number of ideas,” admitted Warnock.

“There are so many things that are possibilities and if I ask for a certain player, the board will support me. At the moment, a striker and a defender are my two priorities.

“We are looking abroad, as well as in this country. We would be silly not to, because Tony has all these contacts. We haven’t got a big enough squad, but we just have to keep going now until January and look to improve again.”

“Tony has given me great support. I couldn’t wish for more backing from him since he arrived," said Warnock. “People should know that we are still in the infancy of what we are trying to do.”

Bassong has fallen down the pecking order at Tottenham with Ledley King, Michael Dawson, William Gallas and Younes Kaboul all ahead of him and is keen to secure a move away from Spurs to gain regular first team football.

Allardyce Hopeful On Tevez Loan Deal

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce feels he still has an "outside chance'' of bringing Carlos Tevez back to Upton Park.

Tevez returned to training at Manchester City on Thursday following his suspension for apparently refusing to go on as a substitute against Bayern Munich a fortnight ago.

The controversial striker's future at Eastlands remains uncertain, while West Ham has already had an initial enquiry about a possible loan move knocked back.

But Allardyce is monitoring the situation and has not given up hope of Tevez returning to the club he originally joined in 2006 along with fellow Argentinian Javier Mascherano.

When asked if there was any possibility of landing Tevez, Allardyce said: "The answer is I don't know. I suppose the situation, from my point of view, is just if and when the decision is finally made regarding what's happening with Carlos at Manchester City, then perhaps my co-chairman David Sullivan might want to pursue it.

"That would be with my blessing, obviously. [Sullivan] was the man who talked about it with me first and if we could get him back here, based on what he did here last time and if he did love the club as much as he did, and if it was a possibility, then I think it's an outside chance. We'll wait and see.''

Tevez was a huge favourite during his one season at West Ham, scoring seven goals including the strike which kept them up at Manchester United on the final day of the campaign.

He was named the club's player of the year and the first time he returned to Upton Park as a United player, he saluted the crowd by crossing his arms in a 'Hammers' gesture.

Toon Plot January Swoop For Celtic Striker

Newcastle United is lining up a £5m January transfer offer for Celtic striker Gary Hooper according to the Sun.

The 23-year-old began his career in non-league football playing for Grays Athletic, before being snapped up by Southend United in 2006.

Hooper progressed through the divisions with loan spells at Leyton Orient and Hereford United, before joining Scunthorpe United in 2008 for an initial fee of £125,000.

Two years later, Hooper earned a big-money move to Celtic, heading to Parkhead in a £2.4million deal.

After scoring on his Hoops debut in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round against Braga, the Englishman endeared himself to Bhoys fans, and finished his first season under manager Neil Lennon as Celtic's top goalscorer.

His form at Celtic Park has drawn calls for Hooper to be handed an international call-up, and whilst the player retains an ambition to play for England, he has previously admitted that playing in Scotland may be a hindrance to his international aspirations.

If reported interest from Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is true, then Hooper will likely relish the prospect of a return to England, with the St James' Park platform on which to ply his trade in the Barclays Premier League, giving him a more realistic chance of achieving his England goal.

Newcastle and Celtic have a strong relationship having agreed to a number of player exchanges in the past - the most recent involving a season-long loan deal for Fraser Forster who returned to Parkhead for a second spell this summer.

The Magpies will be looking to tap into that relationship, with a view to securing Hooper's signature, as they look to conclude their search for a striker in January.