The world's most important annual club soccer game is set to kick off in Munich on Saturday. Here are five thoughts on the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea (FOX, 2:45 pm ET).
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien will be out of action until 2012 after undergoing surgery on his right knee.
In moments of crisis, return to basics. Carlo Ancelotti wrote his dissertation for his coaching diploma on the 4-3-2-1, and it was to the Christmas tree he returned against Manchester United at Old Trafford. It might have been an inspired reversion -- and indeed it did address some of the problems Chelsea had suffered in the first leg -- but in the harsh light of a 2-1 defeat it may seem like a doomed manager scrabbling desperately for the comforts of the familiar.
So Carlo Ancelotti is staying at Chelsea, for now at least, and with the club sitting top of the Premier League talk of crisis at Stamford Bridge feels slightly hysterical. Even if there was no substance to the reports -- strongly denied -- that Ancelotti was ready to quit on Sunday evening, though, something is going on behind the scenes, a lead that stood at five points three weeks ago has disappeared and the weakness of the squad's structure has been exposed.
English Premier League champions Chelsea suffered a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland to see their lead at the top cut to two points as Arsenal won 2-1 at Everton on Sunday.
Defending champions Chelsea marched five points clear at the top of the English Premier League on Saturday with a 2-0 victory that left Wolverhampton in the relegation zone.
English Premier League team Liverpool have been rocked by the news that striker Fernando Torres has suffered a "grade one" groin injury that may force him to miss the start of the new season.
Attending training sessions at the World Cup tends to be an exercise in observing paranoia, as the media is shuffled away after 15 minutes of watching suspicious players engage in desultory stretching exercises.
Ghana captain Stephen Appiah says the west African side will be ready for "war" when they face Australia at the World Cup in Rustenburg on Saturday.
updated: Fri Jun 18 2010 11:11:00
Ghana footballers Stephen Appiah and John Mensah reflect on the first game and how they won it.
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has selected captain Michael Essien and defender John Mensah in his preliminary 29-man World Cup squad despite the duo still recovering from injuries.
Every team at this summer's World Cup has key players on which it depends. But some squads have players who influence the game so much that their team simply isn't the same without them. These are the "untouchables" -- the guys for whom coaches, fans and even teammates at times say little prayers in hopes they'll stay healthy. Here are some of those players whose teams need them to be at their very best.
English Premier League leaders Chelsea expect to be without the services of key midfielder Michael Essien for up to six weeks.
Ghana qualified for the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations after beating 10-man Burkina Faso 1-0 in a disappointing final Group B tie in Cidadela on Tuesday.
Chelsea have confirmed that Michael Essien is out of the African Nations Cup with a knee injury.
Pre-tournament favorites the Ivory Coast qualified for the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-1 victory against Ghana in Angola on Friday night, despite having Emmanuel Eboue sent off.
Football coaches are fuming, club owners are counting the financial implications and some fans are incredulous: just as Europe's top clubs reach a crucial part of their seasons, dozens of the their best players will be missing for up to a month as they head for Africa's biggest football tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations.
Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o will be seeking to win a record fourth African Player of the Year award after being named in the final shortlist of five for the 2009 title.
A cascade of trumpets, rolling of drums and a raucous chorus from a small army of young men and women painted in Ghana's green and yellow colors.
Ghanaians clad in the national colors of red, gold and green celebrated long into the night on Friday as excitement over the national team's penalty shootout victory over Brazil in the final of the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt brought the West African nation to a standstill.
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien scored one of the goals as Ghana defeated Sudan 2-0 in Accra on Sunday to become the first African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
Chelsea are up to second in the Premier League table, above Liverpool on goal difference, after an early goal from Michael Essien proved enough to give them a 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday.
Chelsea reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League with a fighting 2-2 draw against 10-man Juventus in Turin for a 3-2 aggregate victory on Tuesday.
Chelsea will give late fitness tests to top scorer Nicolas Anelka and midfielder Deco ahead of Tuesday's Champions League last-16 second-leg clash with Juventus in Turin.
Emmanuel Adebayor was Tuesday crowned African football player of the year.
It is one of the most prestigious awards in world football, one that recognizes some of the finest footballers in the game, whilst alerting the best teams in Europe to a huge pool of untapped talent.
Chelsea and Liverpool go into Sunday's top of the table clash at Stamford Bridge with both missing key players as they protect the only unbeaten records in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea's Premier League title bid suffered another injury blow on Friday as Germany captain Michael Ballack was forced to have foot surgery.
Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has bolstered his squad by signing Brazilian midfielder Mineiro until the end of the season.
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien will be sidelined for at least five months after suffering a bad knee injury during Ghana's World Cup qualifier against Libya.
Ghana international Michael Essien has followed goalkeeper Petr Cech in agreeing a new five-year contract with English Premier League side Chelsea.
MOSCOW -- "Football is the true winner tonight!"
Manchester United have won the Champions League 6-5 on penalties after the first all-English final finished 1-1 after a dramatic 120 minutes of action on a rainy night in Moscow.
Two goals from Michael Ballack, one a controversial late penalty, kept alive Chelsea's Premier League title hopes as they beat Manchester United 2-1 in a pulsating clash at Stamford Bridge.
Michael Essien kept Chelsea's title dreams alive as Everton's hopes of finishing in the top four -- and grabbing a Champions League slot -- all but disappeared with a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park.
Emile Heskey's shock injury-time equalizer blew a massive hole in Chelsea's hunt for the English Premier League title as visitors Wigan held the Blues to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard were on target as Chelsea reached the semifinals of the Champions League for the fourth time in five years with a 2-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea strengthened their bid to regain the Premier League title by winning 2-0 at Manchester City, while Arsenal squandered two more home points when they were held 1-1 by Liverpool.
Colin Kazim-Richards led the fightback for Fenerbahce as they recovered from a 1-0 half-time deficit to stun Chelsea 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal at a hostile Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
The French league may lack the quality in depth of the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A or the Spanish Liga, but in recent years the Championnat has acquired a reputation as a useful finishing academy for young players, French and otherwise.
Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson hit out at the the Football Association's "amateurs and silly little men" after the governing body increased Jeremie Aliadiere's ban to four games at a hearing on Tuesday.
Arsenal have an injury crisis ahead of their FA Cup fifth round showdown with Premier League title rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The African Cup of Nations may have featured some of the biggest stars in world football but it was a player virtually unknown outside of Egypt who walked away with the tournament's top individual honor.
Ultimately home advantage and the expectations of an excitable nation were not quite enough to propel Ghana into the final of the African Nations Cup, but the hosts certainly gave it their best shot.
ACCRA, Ghana -- Alain Nkong is something of an accidental villain this weekend in Ghana.
Germany's 3-0 win over Austria in Vienna on Wednesday probably told us more about the Euro 2008 co-hosts' weaknesses than the visitors' strengths, but the biggest positive of the night for German coach Joachim Loew was the return of national captain Michael Ballack after an 11-month injury-stricken absence.
Thursday's Africa Cup of Nations semifinals pair four of the continent's footballing heavyweights in search of glory in the 26th staging of the tournament.
Hosts Ghana overcame the sending-off of captain John Mensah to come from behind and beat Nigeria 2-1 to reach the semifinals of the African Nations Cup in Accra on Sunday.
ACCRA, Ghana -- Within minutes of hearing news that Nigeria had beaten Benin 2-0 and would be Ghana's opponent, my friend Alex uttered what every Ghanaian was probably thinking:
Premier League pair Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari scored as Ghana progressed to the quarterfinals of the African Nations Cup as group winners following a 2-0 victory over Morocco.
I can't deal. All I want to do is watch some African Cup of Nations action, but I can't find it on TV anywhere. And I'll bet you can't, either -- from what I've found out, the only way to get the tournament in America is to be a Dish Network customer and drop $22 a month for the French-language package. (Merci, I'll be sure to run right out and do that.)
ACCRA, Ghana -- "Oh!" That's what I found myself uttering again and again as the African Cup of Nations kicked off on Sunday.
Chelsea have been fined $80,000 by the English Football Association over the behaviour of their players in the Premier League match at Derby on November 24.
We all like to make predictions and many of us like to believe that we are good at them. But let's face it, if we could really tell the future, then we wouldn't need a day job, would we?
Chelsea have been charged with failure to control their players by the English Football Association following their reaction to Michael Essien's red card at Derby on Saturday.
Arsenal moved three points clear at the top of the English Premier League after closest rivals Manchester United suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Bolton on Saturday.
Manchester United scored four goals for the fourth successive game in a 4-1 victory over Middlesbrough at Old Trafford, while fellow title challengers Chelsea routed Manchester City 6-0 as the Premier League went goal crazy on Saturday.
Fernando Torres scored a debut goal for Liverpool on his first appearance at Anfield but Chelsea salvaged a point with a Frank Lampard penalty after a controversial decision by referee Rob Styles.
Chelsea opened their Premier League title bid by coming from behind to beat promoted Birmingham City 3-2 while London rivals Arsenal snatched a late 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday.
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien could be fit for Monday's FA Cup quarterfinal replay at Tottenham Hotspur, a game manager Jose Mourinho is confident of winning.
Chelsea stormed back from two goals down to snatch a 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in an electrifying FA Cup quarterfinal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
English champions Chelsea overcame a spirited challenge from Championship opponents Norwich and a slightly flattering 4-0 victory put them in the last eight of the FA Cup.
Jon Dahl Tomasson struck twice as Denmark comfortably beat Australia 3-1 at Queens Park Rangers' Loftus Road in an international friendly on Tuesday.
Michael Essien's explosive swerving shot from well outside the penalty area enabled Chelsea to preserve their long unbeaten home league run by drawing 1-1 at home to London rivals Arsenal.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has increased speculation about the future of 30 million pound ($58.77 millon) striker Andriy Shevchenko by claiming that the Ukrainian star is not among his core first-choice players.
Chelsea returned to winning ways on Wednesday when Frank Lampard, Andriy Shevchenko, Michael Essien and Didier Drogba gave them a 4-0 home win over Aston Villa in the fourth round of the League Cup.
Barcelona got the defense of their Champions League crown off to a dream start when they blew away debutants Levski Sofia 5-0.
Ghana midfielder Michael Essien faces a battle to be fit for Chelsea's FA Cup semifinal against Liverpool on Saturday after picking up a knee injury in training.
France defender William Gallas smashed a superb stoppage-time winner to give English champions Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Tottenham in the London derby at Stamford Bridge.
Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o has been named African Footballer of the Year for the third year running, edging out Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba by just two points.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has renewed his partnership with Portuguese international Maniche after signing the 28-year-old midfielder on loan from Dynamo Moscow.
Arsenal will ask the Ivory Coast to delay the departure of defenders Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue by nine days for next month's African Nations Cup.
English Premiership champions Chelsea will be without Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho for Wednesday's trip to Manchester City.
Michael Essien has been banned from Chelsea's next two Champions League matches for his tackle on Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann in the Group G game at Stamford Bridge on December 6.
Dietmar Hamann has been ruled out of Liverpool's Premier League match against Middlesbrough on Saturday as he struggles to recover from a horrific tackle by Chelsea's Michael Essien in midweek.
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has been charged with "gross unsporting conduct" by UEFA after his tackle on Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann in Tuesday's Champions League game.
Defending champions Liverpool won Champions League Group G on Tuesday after holding English champions Chelsea to a goalless draw.
Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o and Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Michael Essien are among five players nominated for the African Footballer of the Year award.
FIFA have published their shortlist for this year's World Player of the Year award - with Brazilian players featuring heavily.
Chelsea extended their 100 percent start to the season by beating London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at White Hart lane, with goals from Asier Del Horno and Damien Duff.
Champions Chelsea hit top gear with a 4-0 thrashing of West Bromwich Albion to maintain their 100 percent start to the Premier League season.
Chelsea midfielder Tiago is poised to join Olympique Lyon for 6.5 million pounds ($11.69m), the Premier League champions' manager Jose Mourinho said on Tuesday.
This summer's longest transfer saga is finally over after Michael Essien passed a medical and agreed personal terms with English champions Chelsea.
Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien expressed his relief on Tuesday that his transfer to Premier League champions Chelsea had finally gone ahead.
French champions Olympique Lyon are ready to join the race to sign English striker Michael Owen from Real Madrid after landing an expected $47 million windfall from the sale of Michael Essien to Chelsea.
Auxerre have signed Marseille and France forward Peguy Luyindula on a one-year loan deal.
Chelsea are on the brink of signing Lyon midfielder Michael Essien despite the French club's insistence he is staying put - the British news agency Press Association is reporting.
Chelsea appear to be closer to signing Ghana midfielder Michael Essien after Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas revealed he had agreed to meet their owner Roman Abramovich next week.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas says Chelsea will have to pay 45 million euros if the English champions want to sign their Ghana midfielder Michael Essien.
Olympique Lyon midfielder Michael Essien has been talking up his prospective move to English champions Chelsea.
Defender Sylvain Monsoreau has joined Olympique Lyon from Ligue 1 rivals Sochaux, the French champions said on Tuesday.
Lyon's Ghana midfielder Michael Essien will not be joining English champions Chelsea, says the French club's president Jean-Michel Aulas.
PSV Eindhoven sneaked through to the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over French champions Lyon.
Philip Cocu equalized 11 minutes from time to earn PSV Eindhoven a 1-1 draw at Olympique Lyon in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Lyon moved four points clear at the top of the French league as they crushed 10-man Rennes 3-0, while Monaco slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Nantes.
Champions Olympique Lyon reclaimed second place from Paris SG with a comfortable 3-0 win over Bordeaux in a rearranged Ligue 1 match on Wednesday.
Loading weather data ...
© 2011 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|