It is ITN Cup Matchday again! Here are the fixtures that will be played, any opinions on how it will go? Bayern Munchen v Racing Club de Santander Hansa Rostock v St. Pauli Hajduk Split v Argentinos Juniors Adelaide United v Ankara SAS Borussia M`gladbach v Roma Real Oviedo v Nurnberg Real Sociedad v Rennes Strasbourg v Sydney FC Team Profiles: BAYERN MUNCHEN Manager: Jack Westmancott League: A2 Position: 3rd Road to the Last 16-ast 32 Round 1: Home v Dinamo Buchurest (4-0 Win) Round 2: Away v Besiktas (2-3 Win) Round 3: Away v Greuther Furth (1-2 Win) Last 32: Home v Salamanca (4-0 Win) Under new manager Jack Westmancott, Bayern Munich hasnt exactly had the best of runs, winning only 1 in 3 games. However, this team is still high up in the A Leagues and is sure to pose a threat to the other teams in the ITN Cup. Bayern has yet to face off a top league opponent in the cup though, having faced only B and C level teams in the last 4 rounds, so it will be interesting to see how they fare against top A Level Club Racing Club de Santander. RACING CLUB DE SANTANDER Manager: Neil Roberts League: A1 Position: 6th Road to the Last 16- Round 1: Away v Barcelona (2-3 Win) Round 2: Home v Central Coast Mariners (9-0 Win) Round 3: Away v Wimbledon (1-3 Win) Last 32: Home v West Bromwich Albion (2-1 Win) Neil has one of the best win-loss records in ITN, and a long serving manager as well. Their side has also been consistently one of the best sides in ITN. Racing Club de Santander in the ITN Cup has also avoided the big guns in their games, though they did win over Barcelona way back in the 1st Round. They do hold the record of the highest scoring ITN Cup game this season, and all eyes will turn to how they will play against Bayern Munchen. HANSA ROSTOCK Manager: Ellis Glass League: A1 Position: 4th Road to the Last 16- Round 1: Home v Wellington Phoenix (3-3 Draw, 4-3 Win aet) Round 2: Away v Club Atletico Osasuna (1-2 Win) Round 3: Home v Koln (2-0 Win) Last 32: Home v Sunderland (3-0 Win) Ellis has been well known for taking many low league teams with high debt to the top levels, and just last season, this manager signed for Hansa Rostock in a bid to bring them back to the top level of football. They have done well and is a force to be reckoned with. Having faced 4 B Level teams so far in the ITN Cup, Hansa Rostock hasnt had the hardest of teams to win, but some of their teams hasnt been the easiest as well! ST. PAULI Manager: Paul Adler League: A2 Position: 5th Road to the Last 16- Round 1: Away v Westerlo (1-5 Win) Round 2: Home v Parma (5-0 Win) Round 3: Home v Real Betis Balompie (6-0 Win) Last 32: Home v Dynamo Moscow (3-0 Win) St. Pauli no doubt has probably one of the easiest set of games to the Last 32, with only 1 side being a team in the B Levels and above. Still, St. Pauli is a class team with experienced manager and one club man Paul Adler at the helm, and having brought St Pauli from a mid-table B level side to a A Level side vying for promotion to the Prem, he cannot be underestimated at all. HAJDUK SPLIT Manager: Bruno Serdoce League: B2 Position: 5th Road to the Last 16- Round 1: Home v Milan (5-2 Win) Round 2: Away v Olympique Lyonnais (0-2 Win) Round 3: Home v Club Atletico de Madrid (2-2 Draw aet, won 4-1 on penalties) Last 32: Home v Inverness Caledonian Thistle (7-2 Win) Hajduk Split is another of the clubs that has seen a change in managers since the last ITN Cup round, with experienced manager Bruno Serdoce taking over the club from Devin Wog. Bruno has managed to bring the club to a brilliant start, losing only once in 5 games. In the ITN Cup, Hadjuk Split has managed some good results against top level clubs like Milan and Lyon, and it would be seen if they can continue their fantastic form in this cup tournament. ARGENTINOS JUNIORS Manager: Swen Jonas Adler League: B1 Position: 9th Road to the Last 16- Round 1: Away v Dunfermline Athletic (1-2 Win) Round 2: Home v Auxerre (3-1 Win) Round 3: Away v Motherwell (1-4 Win) Last 32: Away v Livorno (0-2 Win) Argentinos hasnt done to expectations this season but they still have an experienced manager by the name of Swen Jonas Adler. Their ITN Cup run has been relatively easy with B and non-league teams but they have opened eyes with their 2-0 shock victory away to Livorno. It remains to be seen whether they can manage something similar against their B Level opponents Hadjuk Split. ADELAIDE UNITED Manager: Oscar Burton League: C8 Position: 1st Road to the Last 16- Round 1: Away v Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-6 Win) Round 2: Away v St. Mirren (1-1 Draw, 1-2 Win aet) Round 3: Home v Athletic Club de Bilbao (2-1 Win) Last 32: Away v CSKA Moscow (0-2 Win) Not many teams can claim to have an undefeated season (not even me!) but Oscar has done that and even more: They have won every 21 of their league matches this season. Being the last C Level side this season still in the ITN Cup, Oscar has done well bringing his team to notable victories over Athletic Club de Bilbao and CSKA Moscow and will be looking to claim yet another scalp on Friday against Ankara SAS ANKARA SAS Manager: Alex Baker League: B1 Position: 3rd Road to the Last 16- Round 1: Away v Cruzeiro (0-1 Win) Round 2: Home v Shelbourne (4-1 Win) Round 3: Home v Levante (2-1 Win) Last 32: Away v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (1-1 Draw, 1-2 Win aet) Last seasons B Level Cup winners Ankara SAS is looking for a even bigger prize this season, the ITN Cup. They have done well in both the league and the level cup, and all eyes will be on whether they can continue their brilliant run of form. Dont rule them out too quick, because the last time we did against Liverpool, they stunned us all by winning them on penalties!
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 07:07:03 +0000
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