Julio Cesar - Cañizares - (seeing him get lit up by Getafe a couple of times and the way I saw Vigo and Santandar pressing him I think our strike force can break him. Plus Cesar has not allowed a goal in a long time and has become really good at catching crosses.)
Maicon - Miguel - (Both are fast strong and know how to get forward, I will give the edge to Miguel though cause he is better defensively and I like my back four to defend.)
Burdisso - Ayala - (that match up is even both are not very fast, Ayala has the age and the fact that he is playing against Barca today going against him in this one.)
Materazzi - Albiol - (Materazzi is currently the best defender in the Serie A dont make me laugh with thinking that goon Albiol can even come close to his form right now.)
Maxwell - Moretti - (I will take a fit in form Maxwell over a just returning Moretti any day)
Viera - Albelda - (Albelda is too good but Vieira is no hump either, I would have matched up Zanetti with Albelda since they will be playing similar roles. Zanetti is better defensively and can hold the ball well but is not nearly as good at distributing the ball as Albelda and he does not tackle as firmly as the Spaniard)
Cambiasso - Vicente - (Well this would be a no contest but since the latter is not playing then I will have to give it to Esteban. But even if Vicente was playing they would not be in the same area on the pitch so they would not match up. Esteban covers passing lanes with ease Vicente would have to go for high balls to get any luck.)
Zanetti - Baraja - (As is it stands this is no contest we are comparing a Ferarri to a Corolla here. Baraja has nothing on Zanetti. But Vieira is prolly closer to his role on the pitch or even Esteban more so. Vieira is more technical than Rueben and makes better tackles in the midfield plus he is better at going foward. This is as close as it gets to being even but Vieira wins out for me cause he knows how to get forward and help out in attack but is not as good at coming back and helping out as Baraja.)
Stanckovic - Joaquin - (Normally I would go with Joauin hands down on this one. But Juaquin has not been the same player for a couple of years now and has only shown glimpses of his old self at Valencia. Plus being a Valencia fan you should know the Flores plays Joaquin and Vicente hardly ever at the same time cause this would destabilize the team with too much attack and too little defending. Anyways on current form Stan is a better choice, the guy is a monster and if he has his passing boots on he can be quite the handful.)
Adriano - Morientes/Silva (Nah man Adriano is getting back to some form Moro is good but needs service. Adriano can come back and pick up the ball for himself and pass it around. Silva is small he will get eaten up by Inter's big boys. IMO he will prolly play on the left wing where Vicente usually does. I will concede the fact that he has a mean cross and some solid passing but he is not that Same as Adriano in terms of being able to physically take on players and get into scoring positions. Vieira will have to keep his eye on him)
Ibrahimovic - Villa - The two maestros. Villa is more clinical while Zlatan when he wants to be can be a world beater. He knows this game is huge and will be pulling out the party tricks for this one I am sure. They both have their weakness and strengths. These two player's impact on the game will prolly be the deciding factor for their respective teams. Hopefully Materazzi breaks Villa off in two
.)
Dude I really think you have nothing to be cocky about Valencia are an excellent team but Inter are far from being a team that will not be able to take them on. I mean if Getafe can hand you a beating then I am sure Inter has a chance eh?
I think this will all come down to how well prepared the coaches have their teams prepared for this game. In this respect Mancini has the edge, he is smarter than Flores and has more European exp both as a player and coach than his counterpart. Plus the fact that we have a day extra rest after playing a mediocre team than you, who have to play Barca this evening, is an advantage to us. The home crowd will be with us, though not in full as it should have been. Anyways the approach is going to be key if Inter decide to beat up Valencia and use their strength we will get into trouble cause Valencia know how to play that to their advantage with their technical players. BUT if Mancini plays a smart game and plays the ball quickly around the park and is firm in the defense, especially with well drilled fullbacks Inter can come out with the win.
See you on Wedesday Valencia and I hope Barca romp on you this afternoon.
