We are now two-thirds of the way through the group stage of the Champions League this season, and we were spoiled with yet more excitement over the past two days. Malaga and Porto defied the odds to become the first two clubs to qualify for the knock-out phase of the competition on Tuesday, but it appeared to be another week to forget for English sides as both Arsenal and Manchester City were found out.
Yet Wednesday posed contrasting fortunes for the British Isles, with Celtic, Manchester United and Chelsea all restoring pride on the continent. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich’s 6-1 demolition of Lille was a particular standout, while Juventus crushed Nordsjaelland to record their first win of the campaign. And, Goal.com is here to present you with the players who lit up the European stage in our Team of the Week.
Between the sticks, Fraser Forster deservedly keeps his place in our line-up following another world-class performance against Barcelona to inspire Celtic to an historic 2-1 triumph. In defence, Philipp Lahm‘s charges down the wing against Lille, which resulted in three assists, see him selected at right-back. On the opposing flank is Lorenzo Melgarejo, who added another dimension to Benfica’s attacks with his overlaps, and Portugal’s efforts were further recognised by Nicolas Otamendi, who led from the back to send Porto through. Partnering the Argentine is PSG star Alex following his goal and no-nonsense showing at Dinamo Zagreb’s expense.
Moving further afield, our three-man midfield includes Bastian Schweinsteiger, whose stunning free kick and aray of passing helped the Bavarians to their rout. Shakhtar Donetsk may have lost to Chelsea in the dying seconds, but that did not stop Fernandinho from orchestrating his side’s play, assisting countryman Willian before using his vision to find Darijo Srna for the second goal. The last piece of the jigsaw is Claudio Marchisio, who produced an all-action display for Juventus, finding the target in the process.
Week four saw strikers all over Europe press their claims for a spot in our dream team. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was experimented in a deeper role for Paris Saint-Germain’s visit of Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, with coach Carlo Ancelotti concerned about his club’s lack of creativity in the final third, and it proved a masterstroke as the 30-year-old set up all four of PSG’s goals. However, it was a little more straightforward for his strike partners Burak Yilmaz, who scored the perfect hat-trick in Galatasaray’s 3-1 win over Cluj, and Bayern’s own three-goal hero, Claudio Pizarro.