Chelsea FC
vs
FC Porto

Champions League Football - Chelsea FC - FC Porto 2009-09-15

In this year´s Premier League, the Chelsea puts its skills to the test to get a hold on the cup once again, and show the rest of the big four who is the real leader in the group along with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
After raising doubts regarding its performance on the last season -when they barely position 3er in the Premier League with 83 points- where Manchester got 90 points and Liverpool 86. This time, Chelsea wants to lead the league with its new coach Carlo Ancelotti who hopes to get the team into a winning spree once again and get back to the old-good times.
During this season, European football had a large amount of signings, but Chelsea still keeps it most valuable players like Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack. Furthermore, and despite financial issues, the Russian Yuri Zhirkov was added to the team´s roster. Among the new faces, we have the 21-year-old midfielder Nemanja Matic, the English goalkeeper Ross Turnbull and the 19-year-old forward Daniel Sturridge.
To face such a challenging season, Chelsea has on of the best goalkeepers across Europe: Peter Cech. With the strength of John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Alex in defense, a strong midfield line with players like Deco, Ballack, Essien, Lampard and Malouda, and finally a fearsome forward line composed by Drogba, Shevchenko, Anelka and Joe Cole, the Blues will give European teams a lot to talk about.
With the new wave of reinforcements, Portuguese Deco and Michael Ballack will have to give their best if they want the Chelsea to get back on its feet.
Will the team be able to claim every tournament they qualify for? It´s just a matter of time.

Portuguese Liga has an undisputed favorite for the upcoming 2009/10 season: Porto FC, who has won 24 championships, four of them obtained consecutively from 2006 up to the current season.
Furthermore, the team coached by Jesualdo Ferreira wrapped the 2009 season up with a treble by winning the Cup of Portugal and the Portuguese SuperCup -though stats for the Portuguese Club go beyond the limits to shoulder two intercontinental cups, two UEFA Champions League, one UEFA SuperCup and UEFA Cup.
The last season´s success was due mostly to Argentinean celebrities like Lucho González and Licha López, who were sold to Marseille and Lyon respectively. Nevertheless, to make up for the absences of these two players, Coach Ferreira keeps on acquiring South American players. This time from Argentinean team River Plate, the Colombian Radamel Falcao and Argentinean Fernando Belluschi. Likewise, other two Argentinean midfielders: Sebastián Prediger and Diego Valeri. Among other signing, and also from South America, PORTO FC acquired Uruguayan Pereira and Brazilian Maicón.
In view of so many changes in its line-up to play Liga Sagres, Ferreira will certainly feel the absence of players like Licha López, Lucho González, Adriano, Benítez and Machado, among other players who left Porto and with which Coach Ferreira was counting on.
Nevertheless, FC Porto Dragons will need to live up to their name and their performance on the field, though many tend to believe that the team will not be the same without López and González who were the ones who led the team to victory on most matches. Despite their absence, but without losing hope, Jesualdo Ferreira faces a new challenge and seeks to take at least the Liga Sagres cup to the trophy room and the UEFA Champions League title as his greatest achievement.

Chelsea faces Jesualdo Ferreira´s Portuguese tri-champion FC Porto at Stamford Brigde for the first leg of the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League.
Carlos Angeloti, former AC Milan´s coach, took over Chelsea and in now in charge of one of the most promising candidates for this championship. Ivorian forward Drogba, considered one of the most skillful forwards, is ready to play along with Deco, Lampard, Essien, Anelka and other outstanding players.
On the other hand Jesualdo Ferreira knows that, despite his team´s background, even in Liga Sagres, they will have to face a team which reached the 2008/09 Champions League semifinals with little effort. Therefore, Ferreira sets up a reinforced roster with players like the newly acquired Colombian Falcao for this season, along with the skill and power of Fernando Beluschi and Maicon Pereira.
Stamford Bridge, filled with 40 thousands fans, set the perfect stage for one of the most anticipated matches for the first leg of the 2009/2010UEFA Champions League. With Drogba, Deco, Lampard and Anelka on one side of the field, and Falcao, Beluschi and Maicon Pereira on the other, this will be, without a doubt, one of the most anticipated matches in this stage of the championship.