Schmidt: Leverkusen must beat Barcelona now

Roger Schmidt stressed Bayer Leverkusen tend to be not giving up hope connected with reaching your Champions League knockout stages despite the agonising 3-2 defeat to help Roma on Stadio Olimpico.

Bundesliga side Bayer fought back through  a great 2-0 half-time deficit on the Group E clash thanks to be able to goals from Admir Mehmedi and Javier Hernandez, but Omer Toprak’s red, regarding shoving Mohamed Salah on the  location led to be able to Miralem Pjanic scoring your own winner because of the penalty spot.

Leverkusen and then drop to be able to third with four points  coming from  As  numerous matches, individual adrift of second-placed Roma whilst  the gap in order to Barcelona is usually six.

Head coach Schmidt is adamant The item Leverkusen may reach your own round connected with 16, but says they will  to be able to beat shock defending champions Barca to get  almost any hope.

“Congratulations to help Roma, but when i  usually are not giving up,” Schmidt said in  a good news conference.

“It are annoying The item  my spouse and i conceded your own 3-2 soon after  my spouse and i had managed to help fight ourselves back into  ones game after going 3 goals down.

“We currently  have to win both of  remaining a couple of games, my partner and i would of course have chosen  in order to  always be  in  a good  greater position.

“We granted them too much day to be able to play This very first ball from the back  build counterattacks. This really is  challenging  in order to contain them then.”

Goalkeeper Bernd Leno, meanwhile, feel pleased throughout his side’s mentality, but concedes Leverkusen were lucky for you to always be  just  two goals down  at the break.

“Of course it’s annoying, but ones fact The item  i came back shows that the  division  possesses  a great mentality,” Leno added.

“We had to be able to attack, but when i left them too much room they this season took advantage of any  quickly players It\'s  within attack. when i waited too long  were too afraid. with the end when i were lucky That  am  lone 2-0 in half-time.”

Verratti to help miss PSG´s match against Toulouse

 Italian midfielder Marco Verratti will certainly miss Paris Saint-Germain’s hosting connected with Toulouse right after picking up a good ankle injury, the French champions confirmed.

Verratti am substituted 17 minutes in PSG’s 1-0 Champions League defeat at  Real Madrid in Tuesday.

Further evaluation after  ones clash with the Spanish capital provides revealed PSG is actually  devoid of  ones Italy international with regard to Saturday’s Ligue 1 match throughout Paris.

“Verratti underwent his 1st medical examination in the end of the Champions League meeting, before undergoing added [tests] the Wednesday,” the  document  with PSG’s standard  web page read.

“Hit in the left leg, your own Italian midfielder is suffering coming from a great sprained ankle that will  The strain him for you to forfeit your own match against Toulouse FC after that Saturday with Ligue 1.”

Depending to the severity of a injury, Verratti in case miss Italy’s international friendlies in Belgium AND Romania at November 13 AND 17 respectively.

Hareide unhappy with Malmo display

Malmo coach Age Hareide lamented his side’s lack of pressure in their 4-0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

The Ukrainian side scored three second-half goals at the L’viv Arena on Tuesday in a comprehensive and much-needed Group A win.

Olexandr Gladkiy opened the scoring in the first half before a Darijo Srna penalty and efforts from Eduardo and Alex Teixeira saw the hosts to their victory, as Kari Arnason was sent off in stoppage time.

Having beaten Shakhtar on matchday three, Hareide said his team simply failed to execute away from home.

Di Maria dramatically better – Blanc

Laurent Blanc singled out Angel Di Maria for praise after Paris Saint-Germain pushed Real Madrid all the way in Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League defeat.

PSG were the better side prior to Nacho’s 35th-minute goal and continued to threaten thereafter, but failed to force a deserved equaliser in the Group A clash.

Di Maria had the best two chances of the second half for PSG, forcing a one-on-one save from Keylor Navas just after half-time before hitting the crossbar with a free-kick late on.

Blanc lauded the Argentina midfielder – who signed from Manchester United for an estimated €63million at the start of the season – for upping his game against his former club.

“Just like the rest of the team, Angel dramatically raised his performance level compared to recent matches,” the coach told reporters at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Benitez promises Madrid improvement

Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez is certain his team are improving despite being outplayed by Paris Saint-Germain as they fought to a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.

Laurent Blanc’s men were dominant for much of the Champions League Group A clash, but were made to pay for a moment of complacency in which Nacho scored what proved to be the winner 35 minutes in at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Benitez has faced accusations of Madrid playing unattractive football since he took the helm in June, however, he’s adamant that better performances are around the corner for his squad.

“We’re qualified so we are happy,” Benitez said after Madrid’s slender win, which secured a place in the competition’s knockout phase with two group games to go.

Schubert proud of Gladbach efforts

Borussia Monchengladbach coach Andre Schubert praised the work rate of his side following their 1-1 Champions League draw with Juventus, highlighting his team’s impressive run of form.

Gladbach have lost just one of their previous 10 matches and opened the scoring at Borussia Park on 18 minutes through Fabian Johnson before being pegged back on the stroke of half-time by Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Hernanes was dismissed for a dangerous tackle following the interval and Schubert was proud after his team picked up only their second point in a Group D high on quality.

“At the very beginning, before I miss the chance, I want to make a giant compliment to my team,” he said.

“When we remember what a stretch of games they had bearing in mind the intensity and quality of those games, it is a sign of pure effort and will and a lot quality.

Doumbia miss pivotal – Slutsky

Leonid Slutsky was left to lament Seydou Doumbia’s crucial miss after CSKA Moscow lost 1-0 to Manchester United in the Champions League at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

The Ivory Coast striker saw his initial shot kept out by David de Gea before being thwarted at the second attempt by in-form defender Chris Smalling after 77 minutes.

Two minutes later, Wayne Rooney headed in United’s first goal in 404 minutes to secure maximum points for the hosts, and disappoint the CSKA coach.

“We tried to counter-attack. I think the [chance] with Seydou Doumbia contributed to the final result,” he said.

“It’s difficult to create chances in a game against Manchester United.”

Van Gaal ´proud´ as Manchester United leave it late

Louis van Gaal felt a sense of pride after seeing Manchester United battle their way to a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow that sent them top of Champions League Group B.

A late goal from Wayne Rooney – his 237th for the club, drawing him level with Denis Law – proved enough for United, though they found it tough going against a resolute Russian defence at Old Trafford.

United could have even fallen behind had Seydou Doumbia not been denied by the combination of goalkeeper David de Gea and defender Chris Smalling in the second half.

Van Gaal’s decision to bring on Marouane Fellaini in place of Anthony Martial just after the hour was loudly booed by United’s supporters, though Rooney turned the jeers to cheers when he headed in the winner 11 minutes from time.

Krychowiak: Sevilla not worthy of fans in City loss

Midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak felt Sevilla let their fans down in the 3-1 home Champions League loss to Manchester City.

The Europa League holders were unfortunate as they suffered 2-1 injury-time loss at the Etihad Stadium in their previous outing in the competition, but City turned in a dominant display to leave them stunned at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan – so often their fortress on European nights.

Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho were on target to give the Premier League leaders a 2-0 advantage within 11 minutes.

Benoit Tremoulinas pulled a goal back for Sevilla, but they could find not further response after Wilfried Bony netted City’s third before half-time.

A return to the Europa League – where they would chase an unprecedented third successive title and fifth overall – now appears to be on the cards for Sevilla, who must win at Borussia Monchengladbach and hope City do likewise at Juventus for their qualification hopes to carry into the final round of fixtures.

“City were very strong,” Krychowiak told UEFA.com. “Our team has quality, but we haven’t proved it and that’s why we lost the game.

Lucescu: Malmo should be relieved to only concede four

Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu hailed his team’s performance after the Ukrainians thrashed Malmo 4-0 in their Champions League Group A encounter on Tuesday.

Olexandr Gladkiy scored Shakhtar’s first European goal of the campaign on 29 minutes before captain Darijo Srna doubled their advantage after the break.

Eduardo netted a third soon after and Alex Teixeira rounded off the rout, but there was still time for Malmo’s Kari Arnason to receive a late red card.

Romanian boss Lucescu was delighted with the emphatic win as his side picked up their first group points.

'I'm not hard of hearing' – Van Gaal recognizes United booing

Manchester United director Louis van Gaal feels he was vindicated regardless of recognizing the boos of the Old Trafford dependable amid his group's win over CSKA Moscow.

A Wayne Rooney header gave United a 1-0 win in the Champions Group on Tuesday, however not before the home fans voiced their dismay.

Boos rang out around Old Trafford as Anthony Military was supplanted by Marouane Fellaini in the second half, 13 minutes before Rooney's victor.

Van Gaal trusts he was legitimized as Rooney, pushed into the focal striking part, finished United's 404-moment keep running without an objective.

"Obviously I heard that, I'm not hard of hearing," he said.

"That is the feeling of the fans yet thereafter they should not be disillusioned by the choice of the director."

Schmeichel gestures of recognition United's "best" execution

Subside Schmeichel trusts Manchester United's 1-0 Champions League win over CSKA Moscow was the club's best execution of the season.

Wayne Rooney lined up behind high school sensation Anthony Martial at the leader of the assault on Tuesday, a strategic adjustment broadly energized by numerous supporters.

The previous United goalkeeper – who showed up for the Old Trafford club – trusts chief Louis van Gaal recognized the requests of United fans with the development switch.

"It is the best I have seen United play this season," Schmeichel told Sky Sports. "It would appear that Van Gaal may have listened to us – a little change of staff, with Rooney playing off Martial, who was playing through the center.