FOOTBALL: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 2ND LEG



If Pele is the best footballer ever on earth, then Pierluigi Collina is the best referee ever on earth! This 'superhuman' blessed with eagle eyes vision is going to referee the mighty clash of Chelsea Vs. Barcelona in Stamford Bridge. Mourinho's discontent with Anders Frisk's performance had pressured UEFA to provide their best referee for the second leg. However, UEFA claimed that they already decided they will select him regardless of Mourinho's claims.

Mourinho said: 'I heard this morning what the gentleman said and it is completely untrue. I didn't ask Collina to referee the game.

'It is a shame that an institution of the size and importance of UEFA have misrepresented what I said and literally put my words in the air.

'I did not ask for Collina but, while we are talking about him, I recognise that every manager would say he is the best referee in the world, every player would say he is the best and why is that? Because he doesn't have any influence on the game.'

But, amazingly, Mourinho then declared he would have preferred Frisk to have been in charge for the second game - not Collina.

He added: 'You ask me who I would have wanted tomorrow night, I would tell you - Anders Frisk. Because maybe he would help us in the same way he helped them.

'But because I cannot have him, let the best person come.'

Those of us who take for granted with watching Collina refereeing matches will have to prepare for his retirement because of the age limit. He will quit in the summer for a desk job as 'designatore', the man who appoints referees for individual Serie A fixtures.

Now, Barcelona are in great confident mood to win the feature tomorrow. We even have Ronaldinho to be so daring to say that all English teams will not go through while Eto'o wants Chelsea to pay for not signing him. What arrogance, Barca! Somehow I want them to lose tomorrow. Eventhough I hate Mourinho with his stupid attitude for the past week, but the dareness to proclaim victory is really a very confident gesture that seems to have no respect for Chelsea.

Juventus will look into the match against Real with confidence from the past record in their encounter in Turin. I remember two years ago when Real were defeated there 3-1 by a super performance by Nedved. Then, we have all the best players playing with injury so you still have excuses for the lost but this time around, I think only Salgado is not fit. Real have no excuse if they lose this one.

Arsenal will be praying for Henry to continue his outrageous form in the previous league match against Bayern Munich. The absence of Makaay must be a blessing for Wenger! While Liverpool will have to continue their feat to come out from two successive defeats to get their confidence back. Captain marvel Gerrard is back and it is the best time for him to prove them all how good he is!

Manchester United will be visiting San Siro and that is not a great venue to be in for visiting teams! They will really need to fight hard to come away victorious and not to concede any goals in the process to safeguard a disadvantage goal from the 1st leg. The only drawback will be the absence of Gary Neville and Louis Saha. Neville will make the trip but has not recovered sufficiently from the ankle injury he picked up against Portsmouth while Saha has been struck down by yet another knee injury. Lyon should be able to kill the game at home while Monaco must fight hard if they will be thinking of going into the final yet again!