The UEFA European Champions League is not only the most prestigious club soccer competition on the face of the earth, it is also one of the most lucrative. Staying in this competition for as long as it takes is therefore every team's dream.

The Galatasaray Lions are in Romania, where they will be locking horns with Steaua Bucharest in the do-or-die third qualifying round, second-leg of the competition today. The first leg in İstanbul's Ali Sami Yen Stadium two weeks ago ended in a two-all draw. But because away goals count double, the Romanians seemingly have a slight advantage. That means Galatasaray must win today or at least draw 3-3 or 4-4 to earn a ticket in the group stage of the European continent's elite competition.

The Fener Yellow Canaries, in contrast to the Lions, have the advantage at home today over Partizan Belgrade, having drawn the first leg 2-2 in Serbia Wednesday before last. A victory even by the slightest margin, a 0-0 or 1-1 draw, will be enough for the Canaries to go through. However, the Canaries cannot afford to lie on their laurels, knowing quite well that the desperate Serbs will be playing the game of their lives.

Fener's performance was horrendous in its 1-0 away defeat at Antep in their domestic Turkcell Super League opener on Saturday. This means Euro 2008 championship-winning coach Luis Aragones has plenty of homework to do. The absence of Turkish-Brazilian midfielder Mehmet Aurelio, who left in the early summer for Spain's Real Betis, was badly felt by the team.

There was a huge gulf between the Fener defense and midfield, leaving the team very vulnerable to Antep's fast counterattacks. Furthermore, lone striker Daniel Guiza, the reigning Spanish goal king, was isolated upfront throughout the game and wingers Kazım Kazım and Uğur Boral lacked the quality to make the required crosses. Even captain-playmaker Alex De Souza, the team's master passer, ran out of options and ideas as he was closely marked by two Antep defenders. In a nutshell, Fener lacked any real sense of teamwork.

Spanish coach Aragones therefore has plenty of fixing to do today. Hopefully, he and his assistants must have noted down the main flaws in the Fener game plan -- the lack of a link between defense and midfield which left too many gaps for counterattacks and the final passes were not coming with any consistency -- and they have to do what they get paid big bucks to do.

The Spaniard will be missing the services of injured midfielder David De Souza, Selçuk Şahin and Gökçek Wederson today. But despite all odds, Fenerbahçe, the wealthiest soccer club in Turkey, still has enough ammo to subdue the Serbs and send them packing from the Champions League. But to accomplish this, the Canaries need to rein in the Serbian danger men -- most especially Veljko Paunovic and Milos Bogunovic -- who scored against them in the first leg.

Lions need a Houdini touch

But the same cannot be said about the Lions, who need more than a miracle against Steaua today to stay alive. That Galatasaray had to come from two goals down to grab a draw from the jaws of defeat in the first leg means new German coach Michael Skibbe should shore up that leaky defense.

"The first 90 minutes ended in a draw," the German said over the weekend. "Now we are looking forward to the other 90. There is no victor nor vanquished yet," he added.

The Lions, the defending Turkish champions, started the domestic season with a resounding 4-1 home victory over the Denizlispor Roosters. The fact of the matter, though, is that Steaua is not Denizlispor. Also, the Romanians will be playing on home turf and today's contest is the tough UEFA Champions League, not the Turkish league.

But with newly signed ex-Liverpool midfielder Harry Kewell showing old form, Shabani Christophe Nonda and playmaker Cassio Lincoln improving with every game and temperamental captain Hasan Şaş delivering perfect crosses from the flanks, the Lions still have a glimmer of hope.

Winger Sabri Sarıoğlu, taken off the pitch on a stretcher in the match against Denizli on Saturday, will be missing today; so will injured Tobias Linderoth (pelvis) and influential striker Ümit Karan (thigh strain), who are still at the club's infirmary.

Marius Lacatus' Steaua is a very experienced side and we may be watching a tactical battle this evening. The Romanians may be playing more defensively to protect their first-leg advantage, while Galatasaray definitely will have to push more men forward in search of the needed goal or goals.

Whatever the outcome, let friendship and common sense prevail.

Live on D-spor

20:45 Steaua Bucharest - Galatasaray

Live on D-Smart

(7th Channel Futbol Smart)

21:00 Fenerbahçe – FK Partizan

Todays Zaman