Week 6 Panionios V Bordeaux 19th December 2007 WINNER!!!

Balance
Profit €13.25

Result Rangers 0 Lyon 3(Govou16,Benzema85,88)

Claude Darcheville blamed himself for Rangers exiting the Champions League and falling into the UEFA Cup.They will join Darcheville's ex club Bordeaux in this competition as Laurent Blanc and his team have qualified for the next round already with one game left. This game is away to Greek team Panionios who need the win as Turkish giants Galatasaray are breathing down their necks one point behind.Bordeaux have won three out of three in Group H and are massive odds to win this game at 5/1.Even though they are through and have won the group i've already got stung once this season backing a sure thing this season,Milan and Celtic to draw??I've also landed Getafe and Hapoel Tel Aviv at great odds already this season in this competition so going to put €50 on a Bordeaux win.
Like its wine Bordeaux had a very good year in 1996 in this competition.They qualified by beating Karlsruhe in the Intertoto Cup final,one of their opponents on the way to that final were Dublin giants Bohemian FC.In the UEFA Cup they then disposed of FK Vardar,SC Rotor Volgrograd,Real Betis,AC Milan with an amazing 3 goal second leg comeback and finally Slavia Prague in the semi final to set up a meeting with Franz Beckenbauer's Bayern Munich.

Some of the greatest names probably ever to grace an UEFA Cup final .Bordeaux had Lizarazu,Zidane,Dugarry.Bayern Munich had Kahn,Matthaus,Babbel,Scholl,Hamann,Ziege,Klinsmann,Papin and Kostadinov.The Germans over the two legs showed their quality and experience winning 5-1 on aggregate .It wouldn't be the last we heard of Zidane and company though.The two legs-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS1HuK11dkk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukDJVqB01kY

Panionios have a bit of European pedigree also,making the Quarter-Finals of the European Cup Winners Cup in 1999 managed by our own Ronnie Whelan.Ronnie didn't last much longer there when results started to go wrong and things began to get nasty.If they make the next round of the UEFA Cup and stop Galatasaray it will be their best achievement in Europe since 1999,i'm with the Turks this week though!

STATS
Panionios in Europe
P30 W13 D1 L16 F34 A50

TRIVIA
Ronnie Whelan brought an English striker and ex Manchester United player with him to Panionios.Who?
Last weeks answer Marc Vivien Foé