Champions League next Season!
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EVERTON manager David Moyes believes both his side and tonight’s opponents Fiorentina represent the future of the Champions League. The pair meet in the last 16 of the Uefa Cup, but Moyes is convinced the competition could prove a stepping stone for both clubs. They occupy similar positions in their domestic leagues and are in the hunt to join Europe’s elite next season. “I would see it [tonight’s tie] more of two sides who in the future are going to be in the Champions League,†said Moyes. “Fiorentina are a very good team and I think there are a lot of similarities to Everton.†Both have yet to lose a match in Europe this season, while Fiorentina’s home record is even more impressive. They have won their last three Uefa Cup games at the Artemio Franchi Stadium, and have yet to concede a goal at home to English opponents. But Everton have won seven successive Uefa Cup fixtures and will not want that run to end. “We are not worried,†said Blues’ defender Joleon Lescott. “We have respect for them as a team, but have done our homework and, if we show the same spirit and confidence in our ability as we have done recently, then hopefully we will get a good result.†That homework may have been centred around the threat former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu would have posed, but the Romanian is ruled out of the first leg with a knee injury. However, Mutu is not the only player Moyes has been focusing on as Christian Vieri has also made a big impression on the Everton manager. “I remember I came here to watch the Italy national team in training at Coverciano prior to the last European Championships and I wasvery aware of Vieri then,†he said. “He is a fantastic Italian player.†But Moyes does not feel one individual will decide the game. “They are very strong as a team, maybe more so than any star,†he added. “They play with a good tempo and obviously had a fantastic result at the weekend [a 3-2 win at Juventus] and will have confidence from that.†That was the case for Arsenal, who made European champions, AC Milan, look ordinary at the San Siro on Tuesday as they secured a 2-0 victory to knock out the Italians. “If we can play better than Arsenal did in the Champions League or if we can emulate some of the moves Arsenal played, then we will do well,†said Lescott. Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli also saw Arsenal despatch Milan and is not expecting an easy game tonight against the Merseysiders. “I am worried. This is a real team who will make us suffer a lot,†he said. |
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