Dein erstes Forum » hawks will be considered better

LONDON - Struggling at home but excelling in the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund is headed to Arsenal on Wednesday.Dortmund, which has already qualified for the second round, will travel to London without forward Marco Reus, who is out with an ankle injury. Reus was hurt in the 2-2 draw with Paderborn over the weekend, a result that left Dortmund in 16th place in the Bundesliga standings.Arsenal, which blew a three-goal lead against Anderlecht in the last match, can join Dortmund in the last 16 with a draw.In the other group match, Galatasaray plays Anderlecht.Here are some things to know about Wednesdays matches:___DORTMUNDS WOESDortmund has fallen back into the relegation zone in the Bundesliga after wasting a 2-0 lead to settle for a 2-2 draw at promoted Paderborn.But even worse, it lost Reus, who was the victim of a vicious tackle and will be sidelined into 2015 with an ankle injury, his third major injury this year.Reus latest misfortune has sparked a debate, with some calling for the player who commits such a foul to be suspended until the injured player recovers. Although few believe such a move is practical, everyone agrees top players need better protection.Hans-Joachim Watzke, Dortmunds CEO, has asked for blood, sweat and tears from the team and that injuries should be no excuse for setbacks. Dortmund should produce top performances not only in the Champions League but against lower-ranked opposition as well.Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp will also be missing defenders Mats Hummels and Sokratis Papastathopoulos through injuries, while striker Ciro Immobile may get a rare start.___ARSENAL EXPECTANTArsenal needs only a point from its last two Champions League matches to secure its place in the second round.The team heads into the match against Dortmund after it lost to Manchester United 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday. Memories of the Anderlecht match are also fresh.We all know that our last match in the Champions League at home to Anderlecht was disappointing, Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny said. But we must put that behind us and were all ready to bounce back against Dortmund and hopefully get a place in the last 16.Arsenal is second in Group D with seven points, five behind Dortmund.___ANDERLECHT STRUGGLINGDespite its three-goal comeback to force a 3-3 draw at Arsenal three weeks ago, Anderlecht is struggling again.The Belgian team lost to Charleroi 3-1 over the weekend and as a result is now trailing FC Brugge in the league. Now it is up to coach Besnik Hasi to motivate his players again.There is no reason to doubt. I know my players will be ready on Wednesday, Hasi said. The only positive thing to come out of the loss is that my players will have both feet on the ground again.Anderlecht will be able to recover Belgium international Steven Defour to beef up its defensive midfield.A victory at the Vanden Stock Stadium would guarantee Anderlecht at least a place in the Europa League after the winter break and maintain a theoretical chance to advance in the Champions League.___PRESSURE ON PRANDELLIGalatasaray coach Cesare Prandelli is under intense pressure for a victory over Anderlecht.The Istanbul side, which lost to Trabzonspor 3-0 at home on Saturday, is last in Group D with only one point in the competition.Many are blaming Prandelli for the loss, criticizing his decision to keep Wesley Sneijder out of the starting 11. Despite rumours of that he may be fired, Galatasaray has so far stood behind Prandelli.Such a score before the Anderlecht game was unfortunate but we will look ahead, said Hamdi Yasaman, the clubs deputy president.Prandelli, the former Italy coach, took charge of Galatasaray in July. Edmonton Oilers Jerseys . The first baseman hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to lead the Mets to a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Bill Ranford Jersey .Mateo Kovacic and Andrea Ranocchia scored for Inter, which had goalkeeper Samir Handanovic to thank for several crucial saves.Its an important victory against a Chievo side which plays well, Mancini said. http://www.officialoilersfanstore.com/au...-oilers-jersey/. Lost to Los Angeles in first round of playoffs. Custom Edmonton Oilers Jerseys .com) - Guard Greivis Vasquez and forward Patrick Patterson, two key pieces to the Toronto Raptors run to an Atlantic Division title in 2013-14, were both given qualifying offers by the team on Saturday. Wayne Gretzky Jersey . Head of clinic Josef Obrist tells the Austria Press Agency on Thursday that Morgenstern "is doing surprisingly well. ... He still has a memory gap but thats nothing unusual." Morgenstern has moved to a rehabilitation clinic in Klagenfurt for further recovery.RENTON, Wash. - In the locker room after stifling Arizona, Michael Bennett was holding court, more than happy to proclaim this Seattle Seahawks defence as the best all-time.Certainly it was bombastic and the opinion of just one player. Yet Bennett might have been on to something. Maybe not the point of Seattles defence being mentioned in the same breath of the best all-time, but certainly one of the best defences of this era.Its cool for (Bennett) to say it. Obviously wed love to be in that discussion, but I wouldnt say it, Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said. Theres been some great defences to play out there. I think wed be in the discussion to be one of the best defences, especially this year and last year, and what weve done on a consistent bases year in and year out.Depending on what happens in the season finale Sunday against St. Louis, the Seahawks have a chance to place themselves into the conversation among the best in this era. Even if the numbers dont translate directly between generations — with differences in player skills and rules — what Seattle has accomplished is noteworthy in a historical context.You have to rate defences in their own time periods, because the rules today, I dont know if the defences back then would be as good, and they were killing quarterbacks and theyd probably get ejected out of games for half of the stuff they were doing back then, Sherman said. But those were the rules back then that they played by, and they played the game at a high level, but like you said, the game has changed.Seattle enters Week 17 leading the NFL in total yards allowed, points allowed, yards passing allowed and ranks third in yards rushing allowed. Last season, the Seahawks led the NFL in total defence (273.6 yards per game) and scoring defence (14.4 points).Its almost a certainty the Seahawks will finish this season as the leaders in total defence. Seattle and Detroit are the only two teams in the league giving up less than 300 yards per game and the Seahawks have a nearly 30-yard advantage over the Lions. Seattle also has a slight edge over the Lions in points allowed.And if SSeattle can finish the season as leaders of those two categories it will join rare company.ddddddddddddere definitely playing really good ball right now and its definitely going to be something to talk about later on in the years, Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said.According to STATS, only three teams in league history have led the league in yards allowed and points allowed in consecutive seasons: the 1954-55 Cleveland Browns, the 1969-70 Minnesota Vikings and the 1985-86 Chicago Bears.But what could separate Seattle as the best of this era is its scoring defence. Only two teams in league history have led the NFL in scoring defence in three straight seasons. Cleveland did it for five straight seasons from 1953-57, and Minnesota was the best scoring defence in the league between 1969-71.Seattle led the league in 2012 (15.3 points per game), 2013 (14.4) and could add a third defensive scoring title by shutting down the Rams on Sunday.On Wednesday, Bennett said total yards and points allowed are the statistics that matter most.Those are two things you take into account. You dont want to allow points and you dont want to give up a lot of yards, Bennett said. When we give up 30 rushing yards were thinking, Could we have given up 20? Its one of those things where were really ambitious about it when we go out there.Whether this years version of the Seahawks will be considered better than last seasons squad that won the first Super Bowl in franchise history wont be known for another month. The 2013 version had better pass defence and scoring defence numbers. The 2014 version is far better at stopping the run. The ultimate tiebreaker — winning a title — goes in favour of the 2013 squad. For now.I think were different. Its going to be hard to say youre better than the defence that won the Super Bowl — No. 1 in just about every category that you can be No. 1 in, Sherman said. So, just different, I think at the end of the day. You can ask me that question after the season and Ill probably have a better answer for you.___Online:AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '