| |
Looking good Chelsea, Lazio, Lokomotiv all but in Cup Winners' Cup semis
Posted: Wednesday March 17, 1999 01:48 PM
LONDON (AP) -- Chelsea has a 3-0 edge on Norway's Valerenga and Lokomotiv Moscow is up 3-0 on Israel's Maccabi Haifa, commanding leads as they play away Thursday in second-leg quarterfinals of the Cup Winners Cup. And then there's Lazio. The Roman side takes a lopsided 4-0 advantage into its home leg with Panionios Athens, prompting coach Sven Goran Eriksson to rest as many as eight starters including strikers Marcelo Salas, Christian Vieri, playmaker Roberto Mancini and starting 'keeper Luca Marchegiani. Lazio is undefeated in 15 games, winning 12, and has moved out to a five-point lead atop the Serie A standings in search of its first title in a quarter century. Panionios coach Ronald Whelan, a former Liverpool player and Irish international, said his club was going to Italy to have a good time. "The 4-0 first-leg result cannot be overturned," he said. "We are going to Italy to enjoy the game and to make it a joyful break for us from the Greek league." With holders Chelsea, Lokomotiv and Lazio overwhelming favorites to reach the semifinals, the only spot that looks up for grabs is between Spain's Mallorca and Varteks, which tied 0-0 two weeks ago in Croatia. "We have a real chance of making the semifinal," said Varteks captain Miljenko Mumlek, whose side is injury free. "The key will be holding Mallorca back in the first 20 minutes of the match and keeping our net empty." "We've done more than was expected from us until now and we have nothing to lose," he added. Mallorca, fourth in Spain's top league, is confident after the away draw but will be without suspended midfielder Goran Stankovic and injured defender Fernando Nino. Chelsea goes to Norway without French defenders Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf. Desailly has a hamstring injury and Leboeuf is nursing a sore thigh. "We have a big match on Sunday at Aston Villa and want to make sure we can get our best possible team out for that," said Chelsea player-coach Gianluca Vialli, whose club has slipped to third in England behind Manchester United and Arsenal. Valerenga's top forward John Carew is nursing a knee injury but should play. Chelsea's Norwegian forward Tore Andre Flo said his English side would be looking to regroup after a disappointing home loss last weekend at West Ham. "We still have much to gain this season, and we need to find our winning shape again against Valerenga," he said. "A victory would give us a massive lift." "The last two games [West Ham and Man United] we've had problems in both ends of the field. We have to get better defensively and stronger in our attacking game," Flo added. Lokomotiv will be without defender Andrei Solomatin, who picked up a knee injury if a friendly Sunday in Cyprus, where the club was training, and could be out for six weeks. "What can one say, the season is starting with a lot of luck for me," Solomatin said tongue-in-cheek. Maccabi Haifa has its own problems. Coach Dusan Uhrin hasn't had any action in more than a week with several players away on international duty and a match last weekend canceled against Israeli side Ironi Ashdod.
| |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
