By Mauro Ruini and Luca Speranzioso

It was only five years ago that Inter Milan, with José Mourinho managing the likes of Javier Zanetti, Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o, Dejan Stanković, and Maicon, won the UEFA Champions League. Since then, they’ve gone from Serie A powerhouses and continental competitors to mid-table and Europa League afterthoughts. Financial pressure forced the club to sell off its stars, leaving them in their current mess. Last year’s fifth place finish looks great for a club now languishing with 26 points, tied for eighth in Serie A with rivals AC Milan and seven points adrift from a Champions League spot.

Which is why Inter’s fans are furious with this past Saturday’s result. beIN SPORTS must like Inter Milan, for their commentators were generous in merely calling their 0-0 draw against Empoli on Saturday a “lackluster performance.” It was more like a scandalous performance as Inter showed no bite against Empoli, a team fighting to avoid relegation back to Serie B in their first season in the top flight since 2007-08.

Manager Roberto Mancini should have made dramatic adjustments after a shocking first half in which Empoli could have scored a couple of goals if it weren’t for keeper Samir Handanović’s heroics. But nothing changed. Inter emerged from the locker room with the same lackluster attitude. The team didn’t run hard, make incisive movements, think, or show any will to win. They were supremely fortunate to escape Empoli’s Stadio Carlo Castellani with a point.

Mancini’s first reign at Inter was relatively successful as the club captured consecutive Serie A titles. Failure to achieve much in the Champions League freed him up to manage Manchester City, where he also couldn’t conquer the continent. Loyal nerazzurri fans hailed his return two months ago and the club’s play has improved under his watch. But the club still suffers from a lack of quality, lack of effort, and even lack of pride.

Mancini took some heat after the match for leaving Mateo Kovačić and newly arrived Xherdan Shaqiri on the bench, but there was still enough talent on the pitch for Inter to dominate Empoli. Mancini must be careful to not commit the same mistake as his predecessor Walter Mazzarri in insisting on tactics that don’t work. Mazzarri stubbornly stuck with a three-player defense despite consistently poor results and now Mancini risks following Mazzarri off the plank by sticking with a 4-2-3-1. The formation looked fine against Genoa but it looked absurd against Empoli. The 4-2-3-1 could work, but it needs players of a certain caliber. With this group of unexceptional players it’s surprising that neither Mazzarri nor Mancini tried the classic 4-4-2. Sometimes you have to keep it simple!

But no formation can mask a lack of effort. Inter clearly took Empoli’s challenge lightly. Empoli’s players kept fighting and running as if their lives were at stake while Inter’s players walked around the pitch, shied away from tackles, and generally showed little interest in the match. Mazzarri’s failings shielded the players from blame, but with Mancini only recently on the job, the spotlight is now on the squad’s lack of the traditional “in-your-face” Inter spirit.

Club president Erick Thohir clearly lacks a plan, unlike iconic former club president Massimo Moratti. Under Thohir’s tenure, Inter have usually up bought the “available” player toward the end of the transfer market window rather than the “needed” player. But this January has been promising with the acquisitions of Lukas Podolski and Shaqiri. Podolski really impressed on his debut game, an emboldening 1-1 draw against league leaders Juventus. As soon as he came off the bench you could see how Inter just started to play better. Inter now has a world-class option and World Cup champion on the left side of the pitch and a much better option for Mancini than Japanese international Yuto Nagatomo, who may be headed to West Brom.

Shaqiri starred for Switzerland last summer and is simply too fantastic of a player to have been wasting away on Bayern Munich’s bench. But where will he play? Shaqiri’s repeatedly said that his best position is as a central attacking midfielder behind two strikers. But Inter doesn’t even use two strikers right now and Shaqiri’s ideal position is exactly where Mancini said he wants Kovačić to play. He could end up on the right flank if he’s not part of the central midfield mix. This might up as another “Mazzarrian” situation, where players are used out of their natural positions just because “you have to play them.”

Is this the kind of squad that can earn a top three Serie A finish? Despite the club’s form, there are some hidden gems that are starting to shine. Up front the 21-year-old Mauro Icardi, a Chelsea target, is making a big impact by netting 10 goals in 19 Serie A appearances and four in six Europa League matches. In the midfield, the aforementioned underused 20-year-old Kovačić has struck four goals and provided two assists domestically while nabbing three goals in four Europa League appearances.

The Podolski and Shaqiri signings reveal Inter’s intent to spend heavily to bring back glory days. The results, due to management, depth, and complacent spirit, aren’t there yet. Despite the club’s limits, abilities, and lack of planning, all the fans are asking for is that the men wearing the nerazzurri shirt play with determination, effort, and passion. But their recent form suggests a shoulder shrug. The club stands at a crossroads; Italian and European dominance are possible but so is mid-table anonymity. If the results aren’t there by the spring then the squad may be dismantled yet again.

Four of the top teams in Europe are preparing to lock horns to fight for the most coveted trophy on the continent – and perhaps even the world – the UEFA Champions League.

In the first semfinal, new champions of Germany, Bayern Munich will face the champions-to-be of Spain, Barcelona. The second semifinal of the 2012/13 Champions League may turn out to be a more sparkling debacle as Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid are both known for their extravagance in attack.

Lets take a look into what is to unfold in the next few days:

Bayern Munich v Barcelona

Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Tuesday, 23rd April, 2013
20:45 CEST
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

Bayern Munich host a Barcelona team that only made it into the semis by winning on goal difference against Ligue 1 side PSG. Confidence is high in both camps, however. If Bayern have had a splendid season at home, Barca has only lost twice in their trips away from home.

Barcelona will be missing three key defenders – Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Adriano. Not buying central defenders over the last few seasons is now hurting the Catalans as they can’t stop conceding goals. Puyol and Masch are out until May with Arthroscopie and knee injury respectively while Adriano will miss out through suspension.

Jupp Heynckes’ squad is not injury-free either as three of his emerging players are out with injury. Holger Badstuber has been out since early December last year with a cruciate ligament rupture and he will stay out until June. Mario Mandzukic and Toni Kroos are also reportedly injured.

Recent Form:

Bayern’s recent form overall has been tremendous this year. In 2013 so far, Bayern have played 24 matches and their record is W23 L1 – the loss came against Arsenal in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. Another interesting stat is that 11 of those 23 wins were with a margin of three goals or more.

Barcelona’s form has been no where near the standards set by Pep Guardiola. They weren’t helped by the recurring health problems for their current coach, Tito Vilanova. 2013 has been a year of mixed emotions for the Cules. From back to back defeats at the hands of their Clasico rivals to the comeback against AC Milan.

Head-to-Head:

The two teams have met only four times in recent memory. Bayern have two wins to their name, while one for Barca and one ended in a draw.

The first meeting between the two was in the 1998/99 Champions League and it ended in a 1-0 win for the Bavarians. In the return leg in the Camp Nou, Bayern emerged victorious again with a scoreline of 2-1. Their third and fourth meeting came in Barcelona sextuple-winning season with Guardiola. Over two legs, Catalans registered a winning scoreline of 5-1.

Prediction:

The Nou Camp side seem to be an unpredictable bunch at the moment, but it must be noted that Bayern’s only defeat in the last 25 matches came at home in this competition. However, Bayern is still favourites to win the home leg at 6/5 with Ladbrokes. A draw is also on the cards with 12/5 and with Tito’s men playing two stalemates against French opposition, the following scoreline can be backed at 6/1.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 1-1 Barcelona

Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid

Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany
Wednesday, 24th April, 2013
20:45 CEST
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Netherlands)

Although Borrussia Dortmund come into this game on a fine run of being undefeated in their last seven games (W6 D1), they are no match for the might of Real Madrid in the eyes of the bookies.

Real manager Jose Mourinho may be leaving the capital club at the end of this season – with a return to England on the cards – and he is definitely looking to leave on a high as he did with Inter Milan and Porto. It will also make him the first-ever manager to win the Champions League from three different clubs.

Dortmund are at a slight advantage that they are playing the first leg at home. Being the underdogs, they have the chance to take a lead in the tie if not kill it off completely. They will have the home support behind them and if anyone can create a winning atmosphere, it’s the fans in Germany.

Recent Form:

Dortmund’s last defeat came away at Schalke 04 in early March. Since then, they have won six matches and drew just the one game away at Malaga. These six wins include a win over VfB Stuttgart and 6-1 thrashing of Gruether Furth away from home.

Real Madrid are on a fine run of form themselves. Since their 1-0 loss against Granada in February, they have played 15 matches and won most of them (W12 D2 L1). Their sole loss came against Turkish side Galatasaray.

Head-to-Head:

Dortmund fans will be hoping for a repeat of their meetings earlier this season in the group stage of this competition. The German side managed to take three points off Madrid in two matches. However, that’s the only time Dortmund have managed to beat the latter.

In total, the two clubs have faced each other in the Champions League on six occasions and Madrid emerged victories twice, while three ended in draws.

Prediction:

Although the most recent Madrid loss came away in the Champions League, they are still favourites to win the first leg of this semifinal. You can back Real Madrid at 7/5 with Ladbrokes to win the match. Moreover, you can back the following scoreline at 8/1 with Ladbrokes:

Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Real Madrid

A photo of Celtic’s new home shirt for the 2013-14 season has been leaked on the Internet.

Celtic’s new jersey from Nike will feature the famous green and white hoops, albeit looking more modern than traditional.

What’s your opinion about Celtic’s new shirt for next season? Let us know in the comments section below.

The stage is set. Barcelona need to win by a two goal margin to qualify for the Champions League final, Chelsea will do with a draw or scoring one less than Barcelona in a defeat.

Chelsea have had a perfect week, winning 1-0 at Stamford Bridge and then nullifying Arsenal at the Emirates despite playing their second-team. The star players are well-rested, they know the art of frustrating their opponent as well as they know themselves. Mourinho taught them well, and managers who have ‘continued’ with those principles have seen relative success at Stamford Bridge.

Barcelona on the other hand have had a horrible game. It’s the first time under Guardiola that they’ve lost two big games of such importance back to back, and against Madrid they seemed toothless for most of the game despite the odd foray forward or the insanely high (and completely useless) passing and possession stats.

And yet, for all the bullish talk from Chelsea and navel-gazing by Barcelona, nothing has changed. Barcelona always knew that they had to win at home to progress – they knew that they would need to win by a goal, probably two, with anything gained at Stamford Bridge a nice bonus. Chelsea on the other hand always knew that avoiding defeat at Camp Nou was central to their chances, and for them the job is far from done.

Guardiola will adapt his strategy to counter Chelsea’s approach to the game – not so much in personnel or formation but in how they go about attacking Chelsea. With a packed midfield / defence that is adept at dealing with crosses, Guardiola’s team need more creativity and focus in the middle, not width, to push through.

It means attacking Chelsea at their strongest point and finding a way through. Xavi is not likely to miss another sitter like he did against Madrid, Messi is a more potent threat at home and if Sanchez starts, there’s more opportunity for Barcelona to create and finish chances against Chelsea.

Some people have suggested that Barcelona need an early goal – perhaps, but it’s more important for Chelsea to start fast and try to nick a goal in the first 15 minutes, giving them an away goal and leaving Barcelona with three to score. While Chelsea will still be defensive, the threat of that goal will mean that Barcelona will be more measured in their approach, and

Chelsea are built to negate the exact qualities that Barcelona value – and this is a by product of Mourinho’s era. Even now, without the fast wingers and with the star players older and slower, Chelsea are well-equipped to hold Barcelona off for another 90 minutes.

For that to be true though, Barcelona will have to fluff their lines for a third game in a row. The higher they rise, the harder the fall, and a Barcelona defeat will have the critics out in full force – even if on balance, Barcelona have had a better season than Chelsea.

This season’s version of Europe’s most prestigious club competition has thrown up surprises and shocks along the way, with a number of sides in the last eight exceeding expectations and defying Champions League odds (read: what is sports betting?).. However, the usual suspects and biggest teams in Europe remain, with four mouth-watering ties having their first legs played this week.

APOEL vs. Real Madrid

This tie arguable epitomises what the Champions League is all about; David vs. Goliath, minnow vs. superpower. The Cypriot champions have delighted their fans with a fantastic showing this term, becoming the first side from their country to make the knockout rounds and beating some strong sides, including Lyon and Porto, along the way.

However, their opponents in the last eight are quite the step up. Real Madrid have been in scintillating form this campaign, lead the Primera Division and are unbeaten in this year’s tournament. Jose Mourinho has the experience of winning this competition with two other clubs, and with a masterfully in-form Cristiano Ronaldo in Los Blancos’ line-up, Madrid have every chance of glory this year.

Benfica vs. Chelsea

A tie between two very-evenly matched sides, Chelsea will go in as favourites but not by much. The Portuguese side have been markedly better this term, and eliminated Manchester United in the group stages. With the likes of Javi Garcia, Axel Witsel and Nicolas Gaitan in a youthful and exciting midfield, Jorge Jesus’ men will look to get ahead in the first leg at the Estadio da Luz.

Chelsea staged a remarkable comeback to overturn a 3-1 first leg defeat to Napoli in the last 16, and now must be considered as challengers. Roberto Di Matteo has sparked a bit of life in his seasoned squad, and if the English side can deal with a hostile reception in the first leg, will be confident of progression.

Marseille vs. Bayern Munich

Both Marseille and Bayern Munich have been inconsistent this term, with lacklustre domestic campaigns being redeemed by the progress on the continent. Didier Deschamps’ men played well to eliminate Inter in the last round, but have lost seven out of their last eight games in a terrible run of form; to stand a chance in this tie they must recapture some form and resolve.

Bayern started out of the blocks at a lightning pace this term and dominated the ‘group of death’, knocking out Manchester City in the process, but have stalled in 2012. With Dortmund looking odds-on to retain their Bundesliga crown, the Bavarians are desperate for glory in Europe. Much is expected of Jupp Heynckes men this term, especially given that the final is at the Allianz Arena.

AC Milan vs. Barcelona

Arguably the tie of the round, Italy and Spain’s champions go head-to-head. These teams met in the group stages, with a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou leading to a 3-2 Catalan victory at the San Siro. Milan are one of only a few sides that may be able to stop Pep Guardiola’s men from winning this year’s trophy. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in form and will be motivated to beat his former employers, but Massimiliano Allegri’s side will need to win the first leg at home to give themselves a fighting chance.

Barcelona are lagging behind El Clasico rivals Real Madrid in La Liga, but the Blaugrana have kicked into form recently, and have won their last nine games in a row in all competitions. Ballon d’Or holder Lionel Messi is in ominous form, becoming the club’s top all-time goalscorer in past weeks; the Argentine seems to deliver in all the biggest games, and no team has managed to figure out a way of nullifying him as yet.

The race for Champions League qualification is set for a number of twists and turns before third, fourth and fifth places are decided in the Premier League, with the fixture between Chelsea and Tottenham this weekend at Stamford Bridge massively important for both clubs. Despite losing in midweek, the Blues seem rejuvenated under Roberto Di Matteo and are favourites for the fixture with most sportsbooks, whilst Harry Redknapp’s men are low in confidence and need to stop the rot.

Chelsea have turned a corner since the dismissal of Andre Villas Boas, and under the stewardship of former midfielder Di Matteo they look a more dangerous outfit. The Italian coach has re-instilled confidence into the senior players at the club, as the likes of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard look to be revelling in their roles of main men once more.

Despite giving up a 1-0 lead against Manchester City to lose 2-1 on Wednesday night, most Blues fans will feel that their side have improved of late and will expect three points on Saturday. Traditionally Chelsea have something of a hex over Tottenham, but results recently have been more even, with the sides drawing 1-1 at White Hart Lane in the reverse fixture this term. However, with a five-point gap between the clubs currently, a draw is no good to the hosts this weekend, as tricky away fixtures against Arsenal and Liverpool are set to test the west London side also. With Champions League and FA Cup participation still in the offing, the hosts must focus on this game first to keep their aspirations intact.

Tottenham have thrown away a ten-point advantage over their London rivals, and dropped to fourth in midweek after Arsenal’s continued winning streak. Defeats to the Gunners, Manchester United and Everton were almost compounded by a loss to Stoke on Wednesday, but a last-ditch Rafael van der Vaart strike salvaged a point.

Spurs have looked low in confidence since their second-half capitulation in the north London derby, and speculation over Harry Redknapp’s future has not helped a talented but sometimes naive team. The Tottenham of old would have crumbled at Stamford Bridge; it is now a real test to the new-look side to see if they have put their past failings behind them. With top players like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric in high demand, a top four finish is an absolute must for the team’s star players to stay, and the club to progress.

A number of key factors may well decide the outcome of the game. Tottenham have looked sheepish at times in their latest fixtures, especially away from White Hart Lane, and to avoid another defeat the visitors must believe in their abilities and attack from the start of the game. A draw would be a good result for Spurs but they must play for a win. Chelsea have a number of distractions, namely the uncertainty over whether John Terry will be fit to play and an upcoming trip to the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday in the Champions League quarter-finals; the Blues must focus on this game first, otherwise they may well miss out on this season’s top four.

This season’s Bundesliga campaign has already been as exciting and enthralling as any in the recent memory, especially given the tightly contested title race. At the time of writing champions Borussia Dortmund sit top of the pile, after a great run of form has made up for a sluggish start. Bavarian giants Bayern Munich have an unbelievable amount of talent at their disposal and want their top flight crown back at the Allianz Arena. Meanwhile, last season’s relegation escapees Borussia Monchengladbach have defied the Champions League betting odds by challenging for top spot with a rock solid defence. But where is the Bundesliga title going in 2011/12?

Borussia Dortmund

After an impressive campaign last year where Jurgen Klopp’s young superstars won the German top flight at a canter, a very slow start to this campaign had many questioning the longevity of the relatively inexperienced group. However, after Champions League expulsion, the Signal Iduna Pak outfit have been able to solely focus on domestic matters, and are now top of the Bundesliga by four points.

Die Borussen have won 12 games in a row in all competitions, and their attacking stars such as Shinji Kagawi and Robert Lewandowski are impressing suitors in Germany and further afield. A blow for the holders has been the injury to key playmaker Mario Gotze, but the side have not missed the Germany international too much as others have stepped up to the plate. Most certainly the team to beat, it is Dortmund’s title to lose with 11 games remaining.

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich are Germany biggest and most successful team, but when things don’t go to plan the Bavarian team and fans gets rather restless. After losing their first game of the season, Jupp Heynckes’ side hit their straps and bulldozed their way to the top of the standings in impressive fashion. With Jerome Boateng and Manuel Neuer adding defensive steel to the attacking prowess of Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez, Franck Ribery et al, Bayern looked like a shoe-in for the title.

However, inconsistency and defeats against the other two challengers for the league have seen the Allianz Arena team drop to second. Add to this the fact that they are still in the Champions League, and Die Roten need to up their game, starting with a tricky away fixture against Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena this weekend. The fixture against Dortmund on April 9th could well decide the destination of the crown.

Borussia Monchengladbach

Currently in third place, Borussia Monchengladbach have had a fantastic season to date, and even if they do slip away from title contention must been applauded for going toe-to-toe with the big boys and more than holding their own. Lucien Favre’s side’s success has been largely based around their stellar defensive abilities; the underdogs have only conceded a miserly 14 goals in 23 fixtures this season. Whether or not they can on to finish in the Champions League qualification places or even win the division is in the balance; they are currently in third, five points off the pace.

A downfall to a smaller club’s success is that the inevitable purging of players starts to take effect, and this has been the case at Monchengladbach. Undoubted star Marco Reus is on his way to Dortmund in the summer, Roman Neustadter is heading off to Schalke, whilst Bayern court Brazilian defender Dante. One thing is guaranteed; if Monchengladbach finish first or tenth they should be saluted for their captivating form this season.

Despite the importance of club football, Euro 2012 dominates the majority of the continent’s players’ thoughts going into the second half of the season. Italian football has had it’s share of ups and downs over the last decade, with the elation of winning the World Cup in 2006 counteracted by scandal in the domestic game; Italy need a strong performance in the tournament.

Cesare Prandelli has a wealth of talent at his disposal, and with Serie A more competitive than ever, Euro 2012 betting odds state that Italy stand a real chance of success in Ukraine and Poland. Despite the Azzurri’s qualities, a tough Group C awaits, with Croatia, Republic of Ireland and current world champions Spain standing between them and the knockout stages. Vicente del Bosque’s men will provide the toughest test, and it is important that Prandelli gets team selection correct; but who will be in the squad for the competition?

Goalkeepers

Although Prandelli has some tough choices to make throughout his squad, the decision of which goalkeeper to play is an easy one. Gianluigi Buffon is still one of the best keepers in European football, and his form for Juventus this season has been a key reason for the Turin club’s unbeaten start to the campaign. Morgan de Sanctis, Salvatore Sirigu and new Palermo signing Emiliano Viviano will battle it out for the backup position.

Defence

Italian football is famed for its dependable and disciplined rearguard, and former greats such as Nesta, Cannavaro and Baresi have typified the type of solid players that have been nurtured in the country. Giorgio Chiellini has matured as a player over the last number of years and will be one of the first names on the Italian teamsheet if fit. Mattia Cassani, Andrea Barzagli and Andrea Ranocchia will be in contention to partner Chiellini; don’t write off Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro to make the grade if his current form continues either.

At left back Federico Balzaretti will be in direct competition with Domenico Criscito, with the Palermo man likely to get the nod. On the other flank AC Milan youngster Ignazio Abate has forced his way into the national set-up, but Prandelli also has the option of playing Christian Maggio at the back.

Midfield

Italy have a blend of young, promising talents and experienced stalwarts to choose from in the centre of the park. Old heads Daniele de Rossi and Andrea Pirlo will be key figures in the national set up, with Simone Pepe and Antonio Nocerino also in the international mix. Claudio Marchisio is in great form and has turned into an important player for Juventus and Italy, whilst Alberto Aquilani will go if fit.

Ricardo Montolivo has lost some of the form that made him a target for AC Milan and now is at risk of missing out, whilst Sebastian Giovinco is on the borderline of inclusion or expulsion.

Attack

Italy have a multitude of attacking players that could make the difference in a close game, but inevitably a number of players will miss out. Manchester City’s temperamental forward Mario Balotelli has emerged as first choice striker, and could either be the saviour or villain of the piece. Alessandro Matri has shown excellent form for Juventus over the last 12 months, but competition for places in Turin could threaten his starting place.

Giampaolo Pazzini is starting to step up to he plate at Inter, and with Antonio Cassano and Giuseppe Rossi both likely to miss the tournament through health concerns and injury, should make the squad. Marco Borriello, Alberto Gilardino and Pablo Osvaldo are also in the mix, but at least one or two of these will miss out. An outside choice is veteran Antonio di Natale, who continues to hit the net for Udinese.

Likely line-up: Buffon, Balzeretti, Chiellini, Barzagli, Abate, Pirlo, De Rossi, Aquilani, Marchisio, Balotelli, Matri
Subs: De Sanctis, Maggio, Ranocchia, Pepe, Montolivo, Nocerino, Pazzini

Italy stand a real chance of making the latter stages of the European Championships, but Prandelli must get the mix of his side right amid a plethora of top drawer players. Spain will provide tough opposition in the pool stage, but with an exciting squad at his disposal Prandelli may follow in the footsteps of Marcello Lippi, and lead the nation to international glory.

Cardiff City and Crystal Palace will go head-to-head over two legs in the Carling Cup semi finals in early 2012, and both sides will know that a Wembley outing is only 180 successful minutes away. With Manchester City or Liverpool lying in wait for the victors, both sides will put everything on the line to progress.

To attend what should be a tightly contested semi final you can buy buy football tickets online, with TicketBis a safe and affordable way of experiencing the game close up. You can also get tickets to the Carling Cup final there, which is great considering that a Championship team is guaranteed to be playing in the final at Wembley.

Cardiff vs Crystal Palace

Both Cardiff and Crystal Palace have been good value for their place in the semi finals of the competition, and have claimed the scalps of a number of Premier League sides on route to this stage. The first leg will take place at Selhurst Park on January 9th, with the decider at Cardiff City Stadium on January 24th.

Cardiff have beaten Oxford, Huddersfield, Leicester, Burnley and Blackburn to make the semis, and will go into the tie as favourites. Malky Mackay’s men thoroughly outplayed their Premier League opposition in the last round, beating Blackburn comfortably 2-0 through goals from Kenny Miller and Anthony Gerrard.

In the Championship the Welsh side currently sit in third place, five points behind leaders Southampton. The powers that be at the club are determined to get to the English top flight this campaign, after suffering the agonising heartache of missing out due to playoff elimination last term. The key man for the Bluebirds is attacking midfielder Peter Whittingham, who has been in excellent form this season, scoring and creating goals.

Crystal Palace have been victorious against Crawley Town, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Southampton and Manchester United to set up the game against Cardiff, and have arguably had a more difficult passage to this stage. Dougie Freedman’s man showed incredible grit and determination to beat the Premier League champions at Old Trafford in the last round, with a Darren Ambrose wondergoal and an extra time Glenn Murray strike giving them a hard-fought win.

The London side currently sit in mid-table in The Championship, but despite holding 11th place are only eight points behind Cardiff in third. Palace have been much more consistent this season after a disappointing campaign fighting relegation last term, and have the ability to make the playoffs this year. Attacker Wilfred Zaha has be given rave reviews for excellent performances this term, and is attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs.

Manchester City vs Liverpool

The winners of Cardiff and Crystal Palace will face one of the Premier League’s top teams in the form of Manchester City or Liverpool in the League Cup final. The tickets for this game are available on TicketBis, and it’s a great opportunity to watch the two teams live in action. Both teams are likely to prioritise the league, but even the fringe players at each club are of high standard.

Over two legs either side could win, with the first leg at the Etihad Stadium; City are motivated to win all honours possible this season after their investment on the playing staff. Liverpool however have had a revival under Kenny Dalglish, and beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the last round.

Going into the Champions League group stages, there were likely a great deal of football bets placed on Premier League powerhouses Manchester United and Manchester City reaching the round of 16. But after flubbing a group that appeared to be a relative stroll, United are now looking ahead to the Europa League, and their archrivals are doing the same.

While United on Thursday nights is an unfamiliar sight, there will also be some new faces when the Champions League resumes in February, as APOEL Nicosia, FC Basel, Napoli, and Zenit St. Petersburg are all in the last 16. Will any of those upstarts advance to the quarters, or will the big boys all take care of business?

APOEL Nicosia v. Lyon

The little Cypriots that could not only shocked their way into the round of 16, they did it as group winners, as they finished top of a Group H that included three quality sides in FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Zenit St. Petersburg.

But after becoming the first Cypriot side to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League, can they go one step further and reach the quarterfinals? Unfortunately, this is where the story is likely to end.

Lyon only qualified thanks to two perfect results on the final matchday, but their six-goal second half in their crucial 7-1 win at Dinamo Zagreb shows just what they’re capable of when they’re at their best, and it’s easy to understand why they’d be favored to win this tie, even with the potential disadvantage of a second leg away from home.

However, picking against APOEL is a risky endeavor. They defied the odds throughout the group stage on the way to doing what no one expected, so there’s no doubt that they’ll be confident about their chances to shock the football world once again.

Arsenal v. AC Milan

This is the most difficult draw that Arsenal could have been given, but the Gunners will fancy their chances to take down the Italian champions.

AC Milan started the group stage with an impressive 2-2 draw at Barcelona, but they weren’t particularly impressive the rest of the way and ultimately finished seven points back of Barca. But they’re an extremely talented team and are capable of sending Arsenal packing, especially if Zlatan Ibrahimovic can come up big.

But the Gunners have had a lot of success against Italian opposition recently, knocking out Juventus in the quarterfinals in 2006, Milan in the round of 16 in 2008, and Roma in the round of 16 in 2009. It will likely be a tight encounter, but Arsenal should go through, especially with the second leg at home.

Barcelona v. Bayer Leverkusen

Will the reigning European champions be seriously threatened in the round of 16? It’s entirely possible, but it’s hard to see anything other than a Barcelona win.

The first leg could be troublesome, however, given that Leverkusen did defeat Chelsea and Valencia at home in the group stage. But even if the Bundesliga side take an advantage into the second leg, it’d take a Herculean performance to withstand the onslaught that’d come at the Nou Camp.

Bayern Munich v. FC Basel

FC Basel bested Manchester United in the group stage; can they pull another momentous upset in the first knockout round appearance?

Experienced Basel strikers Alexander Frei and Marco Streller both played in the Bundesliga and will be relishing this showdown, and both could cause some real problems, along with rising star Xherdan Shaqiri.

But Bayern will have a fit Bastian Schweinsteiger by the time this tie rolls around, and his presence will be key to their progression. Bayern would still be favored to advance even if Schweini wasn’t available, but given the form he was in prior to fracturing his clavicle against Napoli in November, his return will make Bayern even harder to beat.

Benfica v. Zenit St. Petersburg

Benfica finished top of the group that included Manchester United, and they’ll be glad to have avoided AC Milan, Napoli, or even perhaps Lyon in the round of 16 draw.

However, they haven’t been spared a tough draw in the least, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Zenit triumph in this tie. Zenit may be new to this stage, but they have all the ingredients to get it done. The Russian side won’t be easy to dispatch at home, and they aren’t short on quality, led by the Portuguese duo of Danny and Bruno Alves and star forwards Alexander Kerzhakov and Danko Lazovic.

But Zenit’s league campaign doesn’t resume until days before the second leg of this tie, and that could mean that they may not be at peak sharpness, and for that reason, the edge in this matchup lies with Benfica.

Chelsea v. Napoli

Chelsea managed to miss AC Milan, but they landed perhaps the second toughest draw in Napoli, who beat out Manchester City for second place in a tough Group A.

With the likes of Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik, and Ezequiel Lavezzi, who could all be in the Premier League at some point in the near future, Napoli will really test Chelsea’s defense, and their own back line, while prone to some bad spells, did hold prolific City to only two goals in 180 minutes.

But Chelsea’s vast experience at this stage is a valuable asset to have, and it’s hard to bet against them. The Blues have had some uncharacteristic struggles at Stamford Bridge this season, but there are still few places in Europe that are as tough or tougher, and if Chelsea are on top of their game, they‘ll take full advantage of Napoli’s European inexperience.

Inter Milan v. Marseille

There’s no telling what kind of shape Inter will be in come February, but they appear to be surging at the moment. That means they could be in top gear when they face Marseille, and if they are, the French side could be in for a world of hurt.

For all the talent that Marseille have, with the Ayew brothers, Lucho Gonzalez, Loic Remy, and Mathieu Valbuena, it’s tough to see them springing a surprise. But their dramatic comeback against Dortmund, which sealed their qualification ahead of Olympiakos, could spur them on, and remember what unheralded Schalke did to Inter in the quarterfinals last season?

But it might be safe to say that Inter won’t have forgotten last year’s embarrassment against Schalke and thusly won’t be overconfident heading into this tie, and if they are indeed in top gear, Marseille could be dispatched with relative ease.

Real Madrid v. CSKA Moscow

Real should join rivals Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals, but it might take a lot more work than many might expect.

CSKA, who finished second in Group B behind Inter Milan, are not to be taken lightly. Real’s attacking prowess is anything but a secret, but CSKA have the firepower to make things very interesting. Striker Seydou Doumbia has been scoring for fun, and while he still appears to be a little under the radar, good performances against Real could be a springboard for a big move. And along with a few well-known names in Brazilian striker Vagner Love and midfielders Keisuke Honda and Zoran Tosic, CSKA have a highly, highly promising playmaker in midfielder Alan Dzagoev. But for all of the attacking talent they possess, they also possess one of the world’s top shot-stoppers in Igor Akinfeev, and he’ll have to contend with a flurry of shots in both legs.

But CSKA could suffer from the same lack of sharpness that Zenit could, so even if they’re able to push Real for a while, Ronaldo and co. will prove much too strong in the end.

Southampton and West Ham United brought their solid early season form into the first month of winter as fans got to grips with the battle that lies ahead for each of their clubs.

While the race for the play-off places will take countless twists and turns this season, the stragglers can immediately be identified as fans of Millwall, Burnley, Bristol City, Coventry City and Doncaster Rovers brace themselves for a year of anxiety and worry. The Championship statistics tell the story as each club realise how their expectations are being matched after 11 games so far.

Nigel Adkins is delighted with how his team

Nigel Adkins table-topping Saints sit prettily clear of the rest of the league after wins over Peterborough, Coventry and Brighton saw them move onto 39 points with a vastly superior goal difference to the rest of the division. Sam Allardyce’s Hammers remain behind them in second place.

After a disappointing draw with Bristol City, they strung together back-to-back wins against Hull City and Coventry to leave themselves on 34 points. Although they have a tight grip on the automatic promotions places for the Premier League, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City occupy third and fourth places respectively in hot pursuit of the top two duo.

Further down the table are where things get more complicated as the chase for play-off berths is congested and highly competitive. Leeds City and Hull City accompany Boro and Cardiff in the play-off region, four other clubs are within a victory of catapulting themselves into at least sixth place. These teams are Blackpool, Leicester, Crystal Palace and Derby County as a majority of other clubs are still finding their feet in the dog-eat-dog division.

As previously mentioned Bristol City, Coventry and Doncaster are stuck in an almighty battle for survival in England’s second tier, with the latter two rooted firmly at the bottom with 12 points each. However many other teams also hover dangerously above the drop-zone in what will prove to be a fascinatingly tense season-long battle to retain Champions status. Portsmouth, Watford, Millwall and Burnley are all within a single loss of falling into the bottom three of the table as their form has totally deserted them so far in the season.

A long season is in store for Doncaster Rovers

Although the league table begins to take shape and seem to make sense with familiar teams doing well, November has proved to be an unpredictable and bizarre month at times. Blackpool walloped Leeds 5-0 at Elland Road as the Whites capitulated in what could be a pivotal game if the race for a play-off place goes down to the wire come May.

Despite the position each team is in now, everything is still to play for as the season is just 11 games old. With another 35 games to go, anything is possible as a highly-intriguing season awaits us to be unfolded fully yet.

Check out WhoScored.com for more detail monthly reviews and football statistics!

Only two more rounds of the group stage of the Champions League remain, and for quite a few teams, that means the margin for error is slim to none.

Over the final two match days, there are a number of important games that will determine how things shake out. Several of Europe’s elite, like Barcelona and Bayern Munich, who boast the tournament’s leading scorers in Lionel Messi and Mario Gomez, are in favorable positions heading into their last two matches, but there are also a couple of notable few who still have some work to do to keep alive their quest to be the best. Champions League betting odds will favor the big names, without a doubt, but don’t discount the possibility of an upset or two… or more.

Group A

Bayern Munich are in the driver’s seat in Group A, and if things go according to form (and theirs has been very, very good this season), they’ll clinch at least a place in the round of 16 with a home win over disappointing Villarreal in their next match.

While Napoli are still mathematically in the hunt to win the group, Manchester City are the only real challenger to Bayern’s place at the top. However, City’s place in the final 16 is far from assured, because while they hold the edge over Napoli, that could change next week when the Premier League leaders visit the San Paolo.

Napoli notched an impressive 1-1 draw in Manchester, and not only would they end City’s hopes of winning the group if they go one better at home, but they would be favored to finish second. Napoli finish away to Villarreal, who won’t be playing for anything more than a spoiler role, while City host Bayern, who won’t be in the business of doing any favors even if they’ve got top spot all wrapped up already.

Group B

Inter may still barely have their heads above water in Serie A after digging themselves an early hole, but they’ve rounded into form in Europe and are set to go through to the round of 16 as group winners.

It’s only fitting that they could and should wrap up the group in their penultimate match away to Trabzonspor to show just how removed they are from September’s shock home defeat to the Turkish side, even if their domestic form is still lagging.

Trabzonspor may have picked up only two points since their stunning success at the San Siro, but they still have a chance to qualify for the round of 16. However, CSKA Moscow have a definite edge as of now, and a home win over bottom side Lille, combined with an Inter win in Turkey, will render the Russian’s side final match in Milan meaningless.

However, even if those results occur, Lille’s home tie against Trabzonspor on the final matchday would still be of great importance, as Lille, as surprisingly underwhelming as they’ve been in the group stage, would claim the Europa League consolation prize with a win. And if the reigning French champions can manage a positive result in Moscow, which won’t be easy, a win over Trabzonspor could put them in line for something more, if the result in Milan is in their favor.

Group C

Despite not looking particularly convincing thus far in the group stage, Manchester United find themselves in a familiar position as group favourites going into crunch time, which is usually when we see them at their best.

A win and a draw will do the trick, and you’d have to fancy them to do at least that, if not win both matches, but the road could be tricky. Next Tuesday, they host Benfica, who have yet to lose in any competition this season (19 matches, to date). Then United finish up with a trip to Basel, who stunningly overturned a 2-0 halftime deficit in a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford in September.

If Basel can win in Romania against Otelul Galati next week, they’ll go into their rematch with United still with a chance to win the group, so United won’t be able to sleepwalk through that one.

While Basel could go into that match with a chance to reach the round of 16 and reach it as group winners, Benfica are well-placed to advance even if they lose at Old Trafford. Their last match is in Lisbon against Otelul, who could well end up without a point to show for all of the toughness they’ve displayed to this point.

Considering how difficult they have been to put away, Basel will be making a monumental mistake if they go into next week’s tie with the resilient Romanians already looking ahead to their showdown with United.

Group D

Real Madrid, with four wins in four matches, have already secured a place in the round of 16, and Jose Mourinho’s side will seal top spot in Group D with a win next week at the Santiago Bernabeu against Dinamo Zagreb, who haven’t scored a goal yet, much less picked up a point.

But it looks likely that second spot will come down to the final match-day, and even though Ajax have the edge right now, it might not be a stretch to say that Lyon should be considered favourites to join Real in the knock-outs.

Lyon host Ajax next week, and with their impressive run of eight straight knock-out round appearances on the line, you’d have to favor the likelihood of them taking care of business in this crucial clash, especially when you also consider how formidable they are at home in Europe. In fact, since making their Champions League debut in the 2000/01 season, Lyon are 22-8-8 in group stage play, with five of those defeats coming in their first three appearances.

In the final round of matches, Ajax host Real, who will be eyeing the rare feat of a perfect group stage record, while Lyon will be away to Dinamo Zagreb, which won’t be an easy tie but is a markedly more favorable one than the one Ajax have to deal with.

Group E

Like Real Madrid and Lyon, Chelsea haven’t failed to make the Champions League round of 16 since the format changed in 2003. That looks almost certain to continue, but will the Blues go through as group winners as they’re accustomed to?

That’s not a certainty, as they face a testy trip to Bayer Leverkusen before finishing up at Stamford Bridge against Valencia, who, provided they take care of business at home against Genk next week, will head to London still with a chance to reach the last 16.

As of now, Leverkusen are the favorites to join Chelsea in moving on, but could they be made to rue being unable to close out positive results in away matches against Chelsea (0-0 until the 67th minute) and Valencia (1-0 Leverkusen until the 65th)?

Leverkusen have been pretty up and down this season, but if the right Leverkusen side shows up against Chelsea next week, they’ll head into a very winnable finale away to Genk poised to take top spot. To nab it wouldn’t be a small feat, even if Chelsea are still trying to find their feet under Andre Villas-Boas.

Group F

Unless both sides absolutely fall flat in their last two matches, Arsenal and Marseille will be on their way to the round of 16, likely with the Gunners as group winners and the French side in second.

Arsene Wenger was made to rue starting Robin van Persie from the bench in their goalless home draw with Marseille last time out, with RVP not coming on until the 62nd in that match. But it’s highly unlikely Wenger will leave his best player – and one of the hottest scorers in the game right now – in either of Arsenal’s last two matches, a visit from Dortmund and an away tie against Olympiakos.

The Dortmund tie will be a real tests, since the reigning German champions are playing very well as of late and will be doing everything they can to maintain their slim round of 16 hopes, with Marseille coming to Signal Iduna Park in their group finale. A Dortmund win in that one is a good bet, with how strong – and I mean strong – Dortmund are at home.

But Dortmund will need to win at the Emirates next week for something more than a Europa League place to be on the line when Marseille come to town next month.

As for Olympiakos, they still technically have a chance to win the group, but the best they’re going to do, barring a miracle, is third. If it happens to come down to a head-to-head tiebreaker, the Greek champions would have the edge, though Dortmund certainly aren’t resigning themselves to a place in the Europa League just yet.

Group G

Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, APOEL Nicosia, Barcelona. Which one of these is not like the rest?

The favorites are sitting atop every group except for Group G, where an unfancied side from Cyprus has well and truly upset the applecart thus far with a surprising and unexpected unbeaten run.

But can they seal the deal and join the best of the best in the last 16? Zenit might be poised to take top spot from them, as they host the group leaders next week, but even with a defeat in Russia, APOEL will have reason to feel confident about their chances to win the group, as they host Shakhtar in the final round of matches, whereas Zenit are away to Porto.

For what it’s worth, don’t sleep on Porto, as disappointing as they’ve been to this point. They’re still a very talented bunch, and an away win against Shakhtar could turn the tide in their favor. It looks like two wins are a must for Porto, which won’t be easy, but if they can produce two quality performances, those two wins – and perhaps a group win – could be on the cards.

Amazingly enough though, Shakhtar can’t be dismissed as a threat either. If they beat Porto, they’ll be in a position where they could wind up second with a win over APOEL… who could end up dropping into the Europa League if they lose both remaining matches.

But unlike most of the other groups, it’s absolutely impossible to predict what will happen in Group G, due to the several surprising results we’ve seen to this point.

Group H

It’s already been confirmed that Barcelona and AC Milan will be the top two from this group, but what will the final order be?

Milan allowed a second-half equalizer in a 1-1 draw against BATE Borisov in their last group match, which means that they’ll need to beat Barcelona at the San Siro next week in order to have a chance to win the group.

That’s certainly possible, since they did draw 2-2 in Nou Camp after all, but if the best they can manage is a draw, they’ll not only need to defeat Viktoria Plzen in their final match, they’ll need to hope that BATE miraculously pulls off a win at Barca. So, in other words, AC Milan need to win next week.

Wouldn’t it be fitting if Zlatan Ibrahimovic, lover of all things Barcelona, scored the winning goal for AC Milan?

As for third and the Europa League spot that comes with it, BATE will definitely claim it if they beat Viktoria Plzen next week in Minsk, but avoiding defeat will all but wrap it up, unless the Czech side somehow pulled the upset and defeated AC Milan in their group finale in Prague. Anything can happen, but…

With the commercial nature of the English Premier League and the inflated prices of, well, everything, in a suffering economy you cannot blame the average football fan for trading in the indulgence of watching his team play for catching the highlights after the game on TV.

With Christmas just round the corner and all the expense that it brings, justifying the expenditure of attending Anfield, Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge can be difficult. However with the increase in the trend of buying football tickets online, prices are becoming more competitive; look no further this festive period than TicketBis.

Most people get a break over the Christmas period but not our poor Premier League footballers. Whilst we tuck into our turkey dinners and watch the Queen’s speech, the professional footballer has a frantic fixture list to negotiate as the league standings start to shape up.

The old vantage of whoever is bottom at Christmas gets relegated generally stands true, and the likes of Blackburn, Wigan and Bolton will look to avoid this moniker come December 25th. Likewise, as the Manchester clubs and Chelsea do battle for the title, taking the lead into the new year can be a morale booster and a mental edge.

Fixtures like Manchester City vs Arsenal on December 18th and Tottenham vs Chelsea on December 22nd catch the eye over the festive period, and what better Christmas present could you get than a trip to the Etihad Stadium or White Hart Lane? Ditch the boring presents and look to treat a family member or friend by attending a Premier League fixture during the Christmas holidays.

Traditional methods of buying football tickets can be expensive and frustrating, however with the increase in the use of the internet for purchasing access to events, gigs and sporting fixtures, it is worthwhile exploring if you have not tried it before. By typing ‘buying football tickets online’ into an online search engine you will be rewarded by millions of results and for the novice it can be difficult to know where to start.

The online market place is similar to its traditional alternative, as honourable and not so dependable vendors look for your business. In buying Premier League tickets online it is wise to look for a reputable seller, usually with a money-back guarantee and pre-defined method of ticket delivery – TicketBis has all the pre-requisites to make your weekend.

TicketBis was founded as an innovative solution for selling and purchasing tickets online. You will find a great selection of events, clearly showcased in a safe and secure environment and on a user-friendly website. The reviews of the site have been extremely positive, as a team of highly qualified professionals run the site and can be trusted to deliver your stand-out Christmas present.

Forget about socks, jumpers or aftershave this Christmas; treat your loved one to a present that can be fully enjoyed – a Premier League ticket from TicketBis.

In the beginning of 2011, Liverpool Football Club began to make a statement of intent that was designed to kick start the revival of the sleeping giant.

John Henry made a pledge when he won command of the club. That promise was to strengthen the current Liverpool squad and to continue a building process that would bring back the good times at Anfield.

The purchases of Suarez, Carroll, Bellamy, Coates, Henderson, Adam, Downing and Enrique have given Liverpool added strength but more is needed if Liverpool are to return to the Champions League and a possible challenge for the title within two to three years.

Early indications show that Mr Henry has been true to his word but ambition comes at a price and Mr Henry must spend now or risk the squad becoming stale and losing some prize assets.

Luis Suarez has been a revelation since his arrival but how long can you keep such a talent without the attraction of Champions League football? To even consider a move to Liverpool, it’s the requirements demanded by the best players.

John Henry has major decisions to make over the club’s transfer policy. Does he spend big now or wait until the summer transfer window opens? Also what players would be prepared to join Liverpool if they fail to gain Champions League football? The gap between the Manchester clubs and Chelsea would grow and the emergence of a splendid Spurs team makes Henry’s decisions even more important.

It may be the case that Liverpool will have to pay more for the quality players required to add to the current squad but its a gamble worth taking. To be in a position to compete, Henry needs to fund the transfer budget without hesitation or fear of failure.

That does not imply that Liverpool should vastly overpay or make ridiculous wage promises, but to see long term success it will take courage and a degree of risk which am sure John Henry knows all about when he took control of the Boston Rex Sox.

Liverpool have underachieved for 20 years in the Premiership and the cycle must now be addressed and broken. Kenny Dalglish has a good eye for quality players and he must be strong and assertive when requesting funds for highlighted players.

Dalglish has managed to offload many non-performing players such as Cole, Aquilani, Jovanovic, Poulsen, Ngog and, possibly the worst ever full back in Liverpool’s history, Paul Konchesky.

Liverpool as a club will always be an attractive club to play for but it needs to provide the player with some sort of reason to come. Europa League football will not attract the type of player Dalglish wants or needs for Liverpool if they are to become a real force in the Premier League.

Liverpool’s problems don’t stop with transfer deals it also has the problem of realisation. No longer can Liverpool expect the right to be a top four club or have a divine right to expect trophies. As a Liverpool supporter, I have witnessed the change in fan expectation with regards to status within England’s top flight league.

Liverpool’s fans are without doubt the most knowledgeable, loyal and passionate group of people in world football and understand what is happening at the club under John Henry is a work in progress and will take time to reach its peak.

But how long must the fans wait? Two seasons. Three seasons? Liverpool fans just want to see their club move forward and progress, but what the fans don’t want is years of more underachieving and more missed opportunities on player transfers.

This is why its vital John Henry keeps his word and spends the funds to make Liverpool a great power again, buying the players over the next two transfer windows will make a impact on the other teams in the Premiership and drive the club into contention for honours, also making the club attractive to players who want to play for us.

Every Liverpool fan knows that instant success is a long shot. Even fourth place my not be achievable this season, but what the fans do expect is to see is Liverpool at least come close or be challenging for it come the end of the season.

We all know ambition comes at a price. I just hope so does John Henry.

The UEFA Champions League resumes tomorrow night as the fourth matchday of the group stage gets underway, and there are several teams that could clinch a place in the round of 16 if results go their way this week. It should be no surprise that the top three teams in Champions League statistics in regards to goals scored are all in that bunch, in Barcelona (9), Real Madrid (8), and Chelsea (8).

At the same time, there are some teams in potentially perilous positions at the halfway point of the group stage, and they go into this week needing a win and nothing less to improve their hopes of reaching the first knockout round.

Tuesday

Groups E-H take the stage tonight, and Chelsea, Arsenal, AC Milan, and Barcelona could all qualify for the last 16 with victories.

In Group E, Chelsea lead the group with seven points, with Bayer Leverkusen not far behind on six, Valencia struggling on two, and Genk, as expected, bringing up the rear, with only a single point to their name after three matches.

Valencia host Bayer Leverkusen knowing that nothing less than a win will fully maintain their hopes of reaching the round of 16 for the second straight year. If they can only manage a draw, Chelsea will secure qualification with a win at Genk, and after their 5-0 pasting of the Belgian champions a fortnight ago and how fired up they likely will be after letting in five at home against Arsenal on Saturday, you have to expect them to do their part. And if Leverkusen can go into the Mestalla and notch their third consecutive group win, they’ll assure themselves of a place in the round of 16, and will do the same for the Blues if they do as expected and win in Belgium.

In Group F, Arsenal, who lead the group with seven points following their dramatic 1-0 win at Marseille, will qualify if they top Marseille at home and Borussia Dortmund pick up a necessary three points at home against Olympiakos. Arsenal striker Robin van Persie is in unbelievable form at the moment, with five goals in his last two matches and seven in his last four, and he’ll be key to Arsenal getting the three points they need to move on.

If results in Group F go as they should, that will still leave Marseille, who are second with six points, in a favorable position to advance, considering that they host Olympiakos in the next round before finishing up with a trip to Dortmund. Dortmund have one of the best defensive records in the attack-friendly Bundesliga, but they have one of the worst in the Champions League, with seven goals shipped in three matches. Still, even though they’re four points back of Marseille, they’re still not out of the qualification equation, with two home games in their final three matches and a team that’s fully capable of turning it on at any moment.

In Group G, everyone still has a chance to qualify for the round of 16, but it’s APOEL Nicosia who surprisingly top the group at the halfway point, by a point over Zenit St. Petersburg and Porto, with Shakhtar Donetsk sitting bottom but only three points back of the leaders.

Things could take quite a turn tomorrow night, with Porto going to Cyprus and Shakhtar. Porto might be the best team in the group, but APOEL are the only unbeaten team, which certainly can’t be dismissed. They’ve impressively ground out results thus far, coming back late to beat Zenit at home and impressively drawing at Shakhtar and Porto, so if they wind up qualifying or even winning this group, it shouldn’t be considered a surprise as it would’ve been initially.

Last but not least, in Group H, Barcelona and AC Milan, who both have seven points, will both qualify for the round of 16 with away wins over Viktoria Plzen and BATE Borisov respectively.

Wednesday

The two Manchester rivals are going to be in action on Wednesday, and both face must-win matches of differing difficulty.

While City are off to a real flyer in the Premier League, the same can’t be said for their first experience in the Champions League. At the halfway point, they sit third in Group A, three points behind leaders Bayern Munich and one behind second-placed Napoli. For all of their prolific scoring in the Premier League, they haven’t been able to replicate it in Europe, with only three goals in three matches.

The top two in the group face off in Munich on Wednesday, while Manchester City visit a severely injury-hit Villarreal side. Villarreal gave it all they had in Manchester two weeks ago, with City escaping with a 2-1 win thanks to Sergio Aguero’s last-gasp winner, so City can’t go in expecting an easy ride, even if Villarreal are as hobbled as they are.

If they fail to win in Spain, City will be up against it to qualify, even if Bayern extend their group lead by beating Napoli at home. City finish up with a visit to Napoli and a visit from Bayern, and getting even four points from those two matches will be a tough task.

In Group B, leaders Inter Milan will be after a third straight group win as they host Lille, while Trabzonspor and CSKA Moscow, who are both two points behind Inter, face off in Turkey. Inter are still barely treading water in Serie A, but they’ve gotten it right in Europe after being shocked at home by Trabzonspor in their opener, and they should move within touching distance of the last 16.

Despite being two points behind Benfica, Manchester United are still well-positioned to win Group C. United host Otelul Galati on Wednesday before finishing up with Benfica at home and Basel away, and if United play up to their capability and not down to the level of their competition as they sometimes appear to.

However, Benfica have to fancy their chances as well, as they have home ties against Basel and Otelul Galati sandwiched around their trip to Old Trafford. Will United’s home draw against Basel come back to bite them?

In Group D, it’s looking like a runaway win for Real Madrid, who are on nine points, with Ajax and Lyon, the two candidates for second, both on four. Real will book a place in the last 16 with a win at Lyon on Wednesday, and considering their 4-0 pasting of the French side at the Bernabeu and their current scintillating form, you’d have to favor that outcome.

However, if Lyon could top Real, they‘d be positioned to at least leave top spot up for grabs going into the final round of matches, since they finish up with Ajax at home and Dinamo Zagreb away. But even if Lyon lose and Ajax win this week, Lyon still can’t be counted out. Ajax finish up with a home tie against Real after their visit to the Stade Gerland, and their road to three points is a lot more difficult than Lyon’s road to the six points that would see them grab second.

All in all, it stands to be a very exciting round of matches in the biggest and best club competition in football.

For match previews, analysis, and statistics from all of this week’s Champions League matches, check out WhoScored.com.

With almost a fourth of the La Liga season gone, Barcelona and Real Madrid are both off to solid starts, but heading into this week’s round of midweek fixtures, neither title favorite was at the top of the table.

Of course, that likely won’t be the case for long, and you’d have to expect those two to once again occupy the top two spots come the end of the season, but to see unheralded Levante top the table has to be the story of the first two months of the season. But when you look at La Liga statistics and see that they have the best defensive mark in the league, is it as much of a surprise as it looks on the surface? After all, defense wins championships, right?

Streaking Levante Surprisingly Sit Top

Which one of these is not like the other? Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla, and Levante?

We’re accustomed to seeing the first three in the top four, but through eight rounds, it’s Levante who are holding steady at the top of the table. Going into tonight’s action, they are on 20 points, one ahead of Real, two ahead of Barcelona, and four ahead of Sevilla.

A shock 1-0 win over Real a little over a month ago looks to have inspired a jolt of confidence of the highest order, as they haven’t stopped winning since. They’ve followed that win with five more in a row, with three of those impressively coming away from home.

Strength at the back has been key to their hot start, as they’ve allowed only three goals thus far, but they’ve also started firing in attack, with back-to-back 3-0 wins against Malaga and Villarreal and 12 goals overall in their last five matches. With struggling Real Sociedad visiting earlier this week, you would have fancied their chances to make it seven wins in a row heading into a weekend visit to Osasuna.

Their start is made all the more impressive by the fact that they’re being led by a first-year manager in Juan Ignacio Martinez, who is having a much better time of it than former manager Luis Garcia Plaza is currently having at Getafe, who are only a point above the drop zone. It’ll be interesting to see how long they can stay hot, but they appear to have an excellent chance at a best-ever top-flight finish, eclipsing their 10th-place finish in the 1963/64 season.

Title Favorites Deal With Early Bumps

As expected, the best attacking statistics in the league belong to Barcelona and Real Madrid, with both sides are on pace to top the 100-goal mark this season and already possess goal differentials above +20.

However, they’ve both had a couple of early stumbles. Barcelona drew only six times over the course of last season, but theyíve already been held three times this season. They let a two-goal lead slip in the second half in a 2-2 draw at Real Sociedad, needed a late equalizer to draw 2-2 at Valencia, and then on Saturday, were surprisingly held to a goalless draw at home against Sevilla, with Lionel Messi showing his mortality by missing a penalty deep into stoppage time.

However, they do remain unbeaten, whereas Real Madrid already have a loss to their name, the 1-0 defeat at Levante. That was part of a brief blip by Real, in which they followed their setback at Levante with a goalless stalemate at Racing Santander, who currently sit bottom.

But Real have well and truly put that blip behind them, as they’ve notched four league wins in a row and six wins on the trot in all competitions. They’ve scored at least four goals in each of those four league wins, and each win has come by at least three goals, including Saturday’s 4-0 away thumping of Malaga, who didn’t quite rise to the occasion in what could have been a statement game for the big spenders.

They’ll be occupying their expected spots soon though, especially with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo already tearing it up again. Ronaldo, who had an incredible 40 league goals last season, has 10 already, level at the top of the La Liga scoring charts with Messi, who’s on pace to easily top last seasonís 31 league goals and exceed his career best of 34, which he notched two seasons ago.

Battle At The Bottom

Getafe, Racing Santander, and Sporting de Gijon all managed to survive last season’s tense, tight relegation battle, but will they be able to do so this season? It’s not looking good thus far.

Winless Racing Santander currently sit bottom, with only four points from their first eight matches. They have the worst goal difference in the league at -9, and they’ve also scored the second-fewest goals in the league with only four.

Sporting de Gijon were occupying that bottom slot going into last weekendís fixtures, but they took down Granada 2-0 to finally record their first win of the season after six defeats and a draw.

While promoted Granada lie 18th (whereas fellow promoted sides Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano are seventh and 11th respectively), Getafe surprisingly sit 17th. Getafe made a number of additions this past summer, including bringing in former star Pedro Leon on loan from Real Madrid. But they’ve only picked up six points thus far, with their only win to date being a 1-0 home win over Real Betis a month ago. For a side that, on paper, looked to have the potential to challenge for a top-seven spot, it’s far from the desired start. However, thereís enough time and enough talent in the side to get things turned around.

For match previews and analysis, detailed statistics, and more from La Liga and other top leagues in Europe, visit WhoScored.com.

As the race for spots in the knock-out round intensifies, we take a look at the crucial fixtures which are likely to decide who will be advancing and who will be exiting Europe’s premier club competition.

Highly-flying Manchester City will be looking to book their advancement to the next stage when they travel to Italy on 22nd November. They will take on Napoli as the winner of that match looks set to be the team who will be joining Bayern Munich out of Group A. Manchester United will be hoping to put their recent troubles behind them as their home fixture on the same night as the City match against Benfica will probably decides who tops Group C.

Ryan Giggs will be hoping he can re-capture his heroic actions

Lyon host Ajax on 22nd November as the fallen giants will be fighting it out to join favourites to emerge from the group, Real Madrid, in the knockout stages of the tournament. Valencia welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Mestalla on 1st November as the Spaniards will try to come back into contention for a top two spot with a win against the Bundesliga club.

Arsenal and Marseille seem to be slugging it out for top spot in Group F. They will square up to each other on 1st November at the Emirates Stadium as Borussia Dortmund’s hopes of qualifying look to be all but gone at this stage.

Before you go watch the giants of European football take each other on in the Champions League, watch Clarence Seedorf, Gianluigi Buffon, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Patrick Viera recreate some of the historic moments of the competition:

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If the first few months of the season is any indication, the Serie A title race is going to be very wide open and very tight throughout.

After this week’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina, unbeaten Juventus are top of the table, one point ahead of fellow unbeaten side Udinese heading into the mid-week’s eight fixtures. Serie A statistics give a good indication as to why Juve are off to a good start this season, as they lead the league in goals and are near the top of the charts in least goals allowed.

However, no one has gotten off to a blazing start, and there have been ups and downs for top title favorites AC Milan, Inter, and Napoli, so there currently isnít a great deal of separation at the top. So for Inter, that means an opportunity to play their way back into the thick of the title race if they can get on a hot streak, while it also represents a potential opportunity for a new title contender or two to emerge.

Inter Recovering After Early Trouble

After dominating Serie A for several seasons, Inter took a step back last season after the departure of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid, finishing six points behind arch-rivals AC Milan in second place.

So, they turned to former Genoa manager Gian Piero Gasperini to lead a quick return to the top. Unfortunately, what the Inter brass must not have accounted for, or decided to overlook, was that his 3-4-3 system and his desire to stick to it did not match up in the least with the personnel he inherited at Inter.

The end result of this very short and very disastrous experiment was a 4-3 defeat at Palermo after having been up 1-0 at halftime, a 1-0 Champions League defeat at home against Trabzonspor, a 0-0 home draw with Roma, and a 3-1 defeat at Novara, who are winless since. The defeat to Novara spelled the end for Gasperini, who was quickly replaced by the well-traveled Claudio Ranieri.

Things have been up and down under Ranieri thus far, but the Nerazzurri are a respectable 2-1-1 in Serie A matches under Ranieri, and they’ve also put that early European stumble behind them, registering back-to-back away wins against CSKA Moscow and Lille to move into top spot in Group B.

Inter are still closer to the bottom than they are to the top, as theyíre in 16th, nine points behind Juve and only three clear of the bottom three. But with the talent that they have and the right man now in place in Ranieri, there’s still plenty of time to fully dig themselves out of their early hole and mount a serious title challenge.

Title Favorites Deal With Inconsistency

While Inter have stuttered to start the season, reigning champions AC Milan havenít come flying out of the gate either. The Rossoneri were winless in their first three matches, with home draws against Lazio and Udinese sandwiched around a 3-1 defeat at Napoli. Their form has picked up recently, as theyíve won three of their last four matches, but the ups and downs continue.

Against current bottom side Cesena at home, Milan could only muster a 1-0 win. That was followed by a 2-0 defeat at Juventus in which they came unhinged at the end, allowing two late goals and having Kevin-Prince Boateng sent off. Against Palermo, they produced perhaps their best all-round performance of the season in a 3-0 win, but on Sunday at Lecce, they found themselves down by that deficit inside the first 40 minutes. However, they produced a stunning second-half rally, with Boateng’s hat trick and Mario Yepes’ 83rd-minute winner giving them an amazing 4-3 win.

Big things were expected of Napoli coming into the season, and they’ve shown what they’re capable of in their win over AC Milan and a 3-0 win against Inter at the San Siro. However, they’ve not shown up against beatable opposition, as was the case in a 2-1 home defeat against Parma. Perhaps the added load of Champions League football and the pressure of increased expectations have taken a toll, but they could be made to rue these early lost points if they fall a few points short of the title.

Ultimately, you’d have to back AC Milan to rediscover their best sooner rather than later, given the collection of top-class talent and experience in that side. Can Napoli do the same? The talent is certainly there to achieve greatness, and they’ve shown that they can produce big performances and results against the best of the best, but they need to be able to perform at that same high level against the likes of Parma if they’re to truly join the ranks of the best of the best.

Resurgence In Rome

There hasn’t been a title winner from Rome since the 2000/01 season, Roma edged out Juventus by two points to win their third title. That run may not end this season, but now appears to be as good a time as any for it to.

Lazio haven’t seriously contended for the title since that 2000/01 season, when they faltered at the end to finish third, six points behind Roma. But after three straight mid-table finishes, Lazio made a surge last season, missing out on fourth and a Champions League playoff round place to Udinese only on goal difference.

Lazio have started this season with a 4-2-1 mark, and if they beat Catania today at the Stadio Olimpico, Edy Rejaís side could move top. They’

ve on a roll at the moment, as they are unbeaten in their last five and have three wins on the trot, including a come-from-behind 2-1 win over archrivals Roma. Summer signing Miroslav Klose, who arrived on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, has been key to Lazio’s start. The experienced German striker has found the target four times already, including a late, late winner in the Rome derby.

Speaking of Roma, they’ve righted the ship after a rough start under Luis Enrique. Roma were winless in their first three matches, and they were shockingly dumped out of the Europa League in the playoff round by Slovan Bratislava. However, it looks like things are starting to come together, as they have three wins in their last four matches, and were it not for Simon Kjaer conceding a penalty and subsequently getting sent off early in the second half against Lazio, it could be four wins in four.

Just like Klose has had an instant impact for Lazio, a new striker has led the way for Roma, with Pablo Osvaldo repaying at least part of his Ä17.5m transfer fee with four goals in his last five games.

Whether or not either side can make a real challenge for the title this season remains to be seen, but they both possess the talent to push for a top-three finish and a place in the Champions League, and that is not only a good thing for the state of football in the capital city, but also for Serie A.

For in-depth player and team statistics, match previews and reports, and more from Serie A and many other top leagues and competitions around the world, check out WhoScored.com.

The race for the Bundesliga title is hotting up, with a number of teams in close proximity and fighting for superiority. Last season’s winners Borussia Dortmund have put an inconsistent start behind them, and Stuttgart have rekindled some of the form that saw them win the league five years ago. However, Germany’s biggest team Bayern Munich look like the side to beat, and have raced to the top of the standings.

Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund

This clash of the heavyweights on Saturday 19th November will be an early season test for both clubs, as they assess there own qualities and that of their main title rival. The Allianz Arena fans will be baying for blood, as Jupp Heynckes’ side have been in excellent form both domestically and in Europe. It’s also an ideal opportunity to catch a game at the wonderful Allianz Arena, so if you are planning a trip to Germany do yourself a favour and pick up a pair of football tickets for this game.

Dortmund’s young side are starting to show why they won the league at a canter last term, with Mario Gotze the playmaker and catalyst for the impressive performances from the Signal Iduna Park side. Dortmund have the players to go to Bavaria and get a result, but Mats Hummels and the rest of the visiting defence must be disciplined and ready for a red onslaught.

The current holders against the favourites means this is a massively important game and a great day out for football – if you haven’t already, get your Bundesliga tickets online at TicketBis to watch the action from the stands.

But this isn’t the only big game in November – make sure that you try the following matches as well:

Bayer Leverkusen v Hamburg

Leverkusen exceeded all expectations last year to finish second, qualifying for the Champions League and delighting the BayArena fans in the process. The loss of coach Jupp Heynckes to Bayern and star player Arturo Vidal to Juventus over the summer means Die Werkserf have lost some of their potency, but still have a strong side that can beat anyone on their day.

Hamburg finished 8th last season, but have started this campaign slowly and sit in the lower echelons of the table. Despite a huge fanbase at the Imtech Arena, the players have looked low on confidence and will need to improve against Leverkusen on Saturday 5th November. Rodolfo Cardoso’s men need to sort out their defence, as they have lacked leadership and organisation at the back.

VfB Stuttgart v Borussia Dortmund

Stuttgart have gave the Mercedes-Benz Arena fans something to shout about this term, as excellent performances from Bruno Labaddia’s men have lifted the team into the top three for the bulk of the campaign thus-far. The side is based around dominant defenders Khalid Boulahrouz and Matthieu Delpierre, whilst the 2006-07 champions have shown more cutting edge in attack than last season.

This fixture on Saturday 29th October, plus the away game against Bayern, will seriously test Dortmund’s title credentials and Jurgen Klopp’s men will have to show some of the form from last season to withstand the advances of their main title rivals.

The El Clasico teams of Barcelona and Real Madrid have continued their battle for superiority at the top of the Spanish Primera Division this season, with both facing tricky fixtures over the next three weeks.

Valencia v Real Madrid

Valencia finished third last season and on their day have the ability to take on the big two; they host Madrid on Saturday 19th November at the Mestalla. Unai Emery’s team will want to put the 6-3 drubbing they received in the corresponding fixture last season to the back of their minds, and despite the loss of Juan Mata to Chelsea over the summer still have a strong side. Roberto Soldado has something to prove against his former club, but the Los Che rearguard must stand up to the attacking prowess of the visitors.

Real Madrid moved to the top of La Liga with a convincing 4-0 win over Malaga on Saturday 22nd October, and will look to keep picking up three points to stay there. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a quick-fire hat-trick in that win, and seems virtually unstoppable when he is in the mood. Jose Mourinho has not enjoyed playing second fiddle to Pep Guardiola over the last couple of years, and will urge his side to achieve glory this term.

La Liga tickets can be hard to come by, but you can still attend this game by purchasing tickets online at TicketBis.

Real Madrid v Villarreal

Spain’s fourth Champions League representative Villarreal have not shown the same form that took them into Europe’s top club competition last year, and have started this campaign inconsistently. Despite this, the side from El Madrigal have a lethal strike partnership in the form of Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar, who will look to take advantage of Madrid’s over confidence. The loss of Santi Cazorla to Malaga over the summer was a blow, but Villarreal still can get something from the team if they play to their potential.

Madrid’s attacking players are well documented and well known, but if Jose Mourinho’s men are to truly challenge the Catalan champions, they must be more regimented at the back. Sergio Ramos and Ricardo Carvalho are integral to Los Blancos rearguard, and must marshall the opposition attackers to win this one.

Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona

Barcelona have lost none of their potency from the last few seasons, but face a difficult trip to Basque country on Saturday 5th November. Pep Guardiola’s team have looked just as ominous as ever this season, but have dropped points unexpectedly with three draws from their first eight games. Gerard Pique is unavailable through injury, and the Catalan side have missed the Spain international in their defence, conceding more goals than the Camp Nou fans would like.

Bilbao are looking to follow on from a competitive 2010-11 season, but have started slowly and sit in mid-table currently. Marcelo Bielsa’s men have the ability to qualify for Europe again, but their over-reliance on star striker Fernando Llorente has the ability to cripple them if he is unavailable. Despite this, the San Moix crowd will be sure to make it a difficult day for the visitors, and would love to see an unlikely victory.

La Liga Tickets with TicketBis

If youíre looking to buy La Liga tickets online, you can get them from TicketBis, an online tickets exchange that specialises in helping football fans buy and sell tickets online for just about any game in Europe.

This season’s Serie A campaign has saw a number of different teams fighting for dominance, as perennial challengers Inter and Milan have started slowly. Juventus sit on top of the pile after seven games, but their newfound confidence will be tested with tricky away fixtures in Milan and Naples. This is also a great team (weather-wise as well as for the football) to be visiting Italy so why not plan a football-themed holiday and pick up your tickets for the big games below from TicketBis?

Inter v Juventus

Two of the biggest clubs in Italian football, one on the way up and one seemingly on the way down meet at the San Siro on Saturday 29th October. Antonio Conte has instilled more organisation and discipline in the visiting side from Turin, whilst summer spending has seen a raft of new players join the Old Lady. Juventus are still not the finished article, but at the time of writing are unbeaten and have the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio playing well in their midfield.

Inter have fallen from grace, and replaced Gian Piero Gasperini with Claudio Ranieri five games into the season. The fixture will be one Ranieri is keen to win, especially given the fact that he used to be in charge of Juventus. Wesley Sneijder is back from injury and playing in his preferred playmaker role, but Inter must sort out their dilapidating back-line if they are to challenge for honours this season.

You can not only experience the legendary atmosphere of the San Siro but also see world class players go head to head – and if you’re planning a trip to Italy, make sure you reserve your Serie A tickets while they’re still available.

Napoli v Juventus

Antonio Conte’s men will not be given much time to rest after the Inter match, as they travel to take on highly-fancied Napoli on Sunday 6th November. Walter Mazzarri’s side finished third last term, and many are tipping the San Paolo outfit as a potential Scudetto winner this season. The home side have the dangerous attacking trio of Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Martin Hamsik in their ranks, who have the ability to make it a dark day for Juventus.

Due to the offensive nature of Napoli’s play, Juventus will have to defend well if they are to get anything from the game. Despite being unbeaten, Conte’s men have let sloppy goals in at times this campaign, and rely heavily on Italy international defender Giorgio Chiellini.

Roma v Milan

Title holders Milan have started the season in inconsistent fashion, and will face a difficult Serie A fixture as they travel to to the Stadio Olimpico to take on Roma on Saturday 29th October. Massimiliano Allegri’s men are in danger of losing touch with the early pacesetters, and will look to put a marker down in the nation’s capital. Alexandre Pato is still suffering from injury, but Robinho is back to playing somewhere near his best.

Roma have also started slowly, with new coach Luis Enrique still finding his feet in Italy. The side been unavailable for a number of games through injury. The side’s promising youngsters such as Bojan Krkic and Erik Lamela are yet to start firing, but will look forward to taking on the champions.

European action takes center stage next week, as next week will mark the halfway point of the group stage of the Champions League.

While there is much to be decided between now and the last round of group stage fixtures in early December, several teams, including a couple of Europeís elite, are already facing matches that they can ill afford to lose or even draw if their ambitions are to stay intact.

Group A: Manchester City v. Villarreal

Manchester City havenít had the start to life among the best of the best in Europe as many expected they would. City have opened Champions League play with a home draw against Napoli and a defeat at Bayern Munich, and coming into Tuesday nightís meeting with Villarreal, they sit third in the Group A table, five points behind Bayern, three behind Napoli, and level on points with next weekës opposition.

Itís fair to say that this is a must-win match for both sides with respect to their round of 16 hopes, especially if Napoli happen to beat Bayern. Of course, the pressureís much more on City than on Villarreal, given that theyíre at home and considering the sky-high expectations facing them this season. Failing to make the round of 16 would be considered a serious disappointment for Roberto Manciniís side, even with Group A being the toughest group in the competition, but a win against Villarreal will throw them right back into the thick of things.

If you support City or Villarreal, you wonít want to miss this match, and Manchester City v. Villarreal tickets are available at TicketBis from £130.81.

Group B: Lille v. Inter Milan

Inter also havenít had the start that they were expected to domestically and continentally, but thereís plenty of time left to right the ship domestically, and they still look a good bet to make the Champions League round of 16 yet again.

However, if they want to win the group, a win at Lille next Tuesday night would be ideal, as it would likely move Claudio Ranieriís side into top spot in Group B, as current group leaders Trabzonspor, who scored a shock win at the San Siro last month, are away to CSKA Moscow.

But if Lille can hold serve at home, it would be a big boost to their hopes of making the round of 16 in the Champions League, as they currently sit in third on two points, two behind Trabzonspor and one behind Inter. To do that though, theyíll have to do a far better job of holding a lead than they did in their first two matches, as they surrendered a two-goal lead in the final 20 minutes in a home draw against CSKA Moscow and allowed a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw at Trabzonspor.

Group F: Marseille v. Arsenal

Finishing second in their group last season landed Arsenal a tie against eventual champions Barcelona in the round of 16, and the Gunners will be keen to avoid putting themselves in position to face such a tough matchup this season if they reach the knockout stage.

If they can put their away demons behind them and pick up a win at Marseille next Wednesday, theyíll move ahead of Marseille into top spot in Group F. Currently, Marseille top the group with maximum points from two matches, while Arsenal are second on four.

It looks like those two will nab the top two spots in the group, though Borussia Dortmund will move back into the mix if they make the most of two winnable matches against Olympiakos. With that potential threat in mind, along with the desire to avoid say, Barcelona or Real Madrid in the round of 16, a win at Marseille would be an ideal result for Arsenal. At the same time, if Marseille can make it three wins from three, theyíll head into next monthís rematch at the Emirates knowing that a positive result could all but seal top spot.

UEFA Champions League Tickets at TicketBis

Looking for UEFA Champions League tickets online? You can find them at TicketBis, an online tickets exchange that helps football fans buy and sell tickets online for almost any match in Europe.

Wembley Stadium is a great venue. Step out of Wembley Park Underground station and there it is. Looming large over the long walk down to the bowels of the stadium. It is something special when the final is at Wembley. So if you get the chance to stroll down the walk, why not take a look at the new Champions League exhibition?

Items belonging to Europe’s most iconic names in football from David Beckham to Di Stefano have been on display at Wembley Stadium from Monday August 29 as part of a new ‘Exhibition of Champions’.

Supported by UEFA, the exhibition celebrates 56 years of glorious European Football history and forms part of the Wembley Stadium Tour. It features prize exhibits including inspirational Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard’s 2005 captain’s armband, David Beckham’s jersey from Manchester United’s nail biting victory in 1999 and Graeme Souness’ three winners’ medals from ’78, ’81 and ’84.

The UEFA Champions League Final is the most prestigious event in European club football and since 1963 Wembley Stadium has hosted a total of six finals including the most recent final in May. A record breaking audience of over 300 million people tuned in worldwide to see Barcelona take on Manchester United at Wembley and TV ratings in the UK reached a high of 11.1 million. History was made in the US when the final drew in an audience of 4.2 million, a 91% increase on figures from 2010.

Following the success of this final, widely recognised as one of the very best in Champions League history, Wembley was again chosen by UEFA to be hosts of the final in 2013 – the 150th anniversary year of The Football Association.

Chairman of Wembley Stadium, Melvin Benn, said: “Wembley is a stage for the big football finals and they don’t come much bigger than the Champions League final.

“Never before has a stadium been awarded this prestigious final twice in three years and so when Wembley was chosen to host the final again in 2013 we were thrilled. It is acknowledgment of Wembley’s status as one of the very best football stadiums in the world. With such an impressive Champions League history, it feels very appropriate to bring the Exhibition of Champions to Wembley for football fans to enjoy.”

The ‘Exhibition of Champions’ supported by UEFA through content and memorabilia will kick off on August Bank Holiday Monday just before the group stages of the UEFA Champions League get underway and features over 700 artefacts including:

• The match balls from the last seven finals
• Denis Law’s jersey from 1968
• The original Intercontinental Cup – valued at approximately £225,000
• Johan Cruyff’s jersey from 1972
• David Villa’s signed shirt from 2011
• Celtic signed frame from their 1967 victory
• Di Stefano’s 1959 jersey
• Van Basten’s jersey from 1990
• McGovern’s shirt from 1979
• Eusebio‘s shirt from 1963
• Zidane’s boots from 2002

The Wembley Stadium Tour has welcomed millions of sports fans since it first opened in 1978 and now from Monday visitors will be able to enjoy the ‘Exhibition of Champions’ as well as the England changing rooms, players tunnel, trophy winner’s steps, press conference rooms and Wembley’s famous Royal Box.

To book a place on the Wembley Tour and see the ‘Exhibition of Champions’ visit www.wembleystadium.com/tours or call UK 0844 800 2755.

Part 1 – Birmingham

Part 2 – Blackpool

I believe next season will be a challenging and exciting for West Ham fans; like Birmingham they have a new manager and they have brought in players with the experience and quality needed to make a real impact on the Championship.

Sam Allardyce’s appointment should fill fans with a renewed sense of hope, excitement and optimism, with him in charge they should be thinking that they can beat anyone and achieve anything.

Allardyce’s football may not be the most attractive or the most popular, yet he makes it work and he makes it successful and at the end of the day that is what matters.

He has also brought in two players who have played for him at two different clubs, the beastly Abdoulaye Faye and the inspiring Kevin Nolan, two players with the necessary qualities and a wealth of experience to help West Ham get back up.

Kevin Nolan in particular is a huge coup for West Ham seeing as he was Newcastle’s captain and top scorer last term, bagging an impressive 12 goals from the centre of midfield.

However, speculation has surrounded the entire West Ham squad all summer and they’ve lost one of their key players in Demba Ba. As well as this FWA Footballer of the Year and West Ham Player of the year Scott Parker is also likely to leave which will be a huge loss.

Hammers fans were bitterly disappointed last season at a number of players who should have performed ten times better than they did and these players will need to put last season behind them and step up or ship out.

With the ambitions of their owners Allardyce will have pressure heaped on him and promotion is likely the only satisfactory outcome.

I believe that West Ham should never have gone down last season with the squad they had, if they had shown bottle and sacked Grant in January they could have stayed up. However the future looks bright with with Allardyce in charge and I believe this season they will be serious title contenders.

Part 1 – Birmingham

This week I ChampionshipTalk is looking at how each of the new Championship teams will fare starting with those relegated from the Premiership.

This piece by Conor Diggin looks at the possible fortunes of the Tangerines next season

How will Blackpool fare by Conor Diggin

Blackpool played beyond all expectations last season and even though they were relegated they earnt the respect of the nation.

Last season the nation was enticed by their all-out attacking football and ‘never say die’ attitude and there is little doubt that this will continue this season. Unfortunately I just don’t see them going up this season without some fortune in the transfer.

Ian Holloway has seen quite a few players leave this summer who will be extremely hard to replace.

Charlie Adam and David Vaughan have already left and with DJ Campbell likely to follow them to the exit, Blackpool need to make a few shrewd signings if they are to compete this season.

With Gary Taylor-Fletcher also in demand new signings are vital, Blackpool have signed Gerard Bruna and Kevin Phillips and are rumoured to be on the verge of signing Paul Ince’s son Tom from Liverpool and Barry Ferguson from Birmingham.

Ferguson could be a real capture and a perfect replacement for Vaughan however Blackpool are likely to miss Charlie Adam the most as he has been their talisman for the last two seasons. 

If Blackpool are to go up next season as I and most of the country seem to then this season’s rebuilding will need to be some of Ian Holloway’s best, but as he has shown before anything is possible.

Sadly, I can’t see Blackpool getting promoted again straight away as Blackpool need to build a new squad and get them to gel in a short period of time. However the following season could be the one and I hope it will be as I will miss watching Blackpool’s creative football and Holloway’s unique interviews in the Premier League.

By Conor Diggin

With the new season fast approaching there are fears that it will be a one horse race for the title, with Leicester City the name on everyone’s lips.

Matthew Mills, Paul Konchesky, even Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester have beaten a host of clubs, the majority from the Premier League, to the signings of these stars.

These signings emphasise the ambitions of the club managed by Sven Goran Eriksson and that only promotion is acceptable next season.

This is a sign of yet another club trying to buy success, sculpted in the image of Manchester City who are hated and also envied due to their seemingly endless funds.

All summer an endless stream of players have been linked with Leicester and 9 times out of 10 they have got their man.

Whether they have signed because they believe this club are better than the Premier League clubs interested or because they are being paid more we do not know, although we can certainly take a guess.

I look forward to the season with genuine excitement, although with Leicester’s big-spending attitude as they will probably win this title with ease.

Even at this moment, Owen Hargreaves is being linked with a move. A player who, on his day, could easily break into the England set-up playing in the Championship? The idea of this is absurd.

Yet the worst thing is that he is actually considering it and that Leicester can pay the bumper wages he wants, wages which would make him the highest earner at a mid-table Premier League club.

Everyone else may not be pushed about this but I for one find it unsettling  and wish clubs such as Leicester could suceed by trying to earn success rather than buy it and make this sport pure again.

This was a guest post by Conor Diggin please let us know what you think of the article and/or follow him on Twitter

With a 1-1 draw against Levante, Barcelona clinched their third consecutive La Liga title with two games remaining and confirmed themselves as the best team in Spain, and possibly Europe. The Catalan side have looked imperious under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage, and will want to continue their dominance over Spanish football in the 2011/12 season and Europe, where they play their third Champions League final in six years (their second in three years against Manchester United).

To bet on the next La Liga champions or the Champions League final, try sports betting at BetUS.

The side from the Camp Nou have amassed 91 points this season, winning 29 of their 37 league games to date. Their tally of 92 goals is only outmatched by Madrid’s 94, whilst their defensive record is the best in the league with only 20 goals being conceded by Victor Valdes this campaign. The figures speak for themselves. However more impressive has been the manner of their play and the way in which they have won their title. The Barcelona passing and attacking style of football has been a revelation to watch over the last three seasons, and many a side have found themselves chasing shadows as Blaugrana spells of possession have shattered opponents morale and ultimately ended up with the ball in the back of the net.

The chief instigator of this possession football is Xavi, who accompanied by Andres Iniesta have shown outstanding creativity to create chances for the side’s attackers over the last three campaigns. Guardiola has stamped out the defensive incompetence that crippled Frank Rijkaard’s last two seasons in charge, and in captain Carles Puyol Barcelona have one of the finest defenders in the world and a figurehead around which the team forms.† Add to this the game’s number one player in the form of Lionel Messi, who with 52 goals this season has continued to exceed expectations, and you have a team that on its day is virtually unplayable.

Can Barcelona Win 4 League Titles In A Row? Obviously the answer is yes, but there are a number of factors that will dictate whether they will. Guardiola’s influence over the side has been undeniably, and with rumblings of a new challenge for the ex-Spain international midfielder, the Blaugrana would be a different side without him at the helm. Since Guardiola has signed a one-year contract extension he’s set to stay till 2012, but his desire to stay on a rolling one-year contract means that the speculation about his future will remain. If the coach was to leave the Camp Nou, the momentum and confidence of the Barcelona side may be impacted, with the players having to adapt to a new coach.

If Barca are to be replaced at the pinnacle it will surely be Real Madrid who would claim their throne, and Jose Mourinho’s side have improved this season, and will continue to progress. The El Clasico sides have created a mini-league at the top of La Liga, with nearest rivals Valencia, Villarreal et al put to the sword by the top two. ‘The Special One’ is not accustomed to second place, and will not want the silver medal; Los Blancos will come back even more motivated next term.

The current Barcelona side are the best team to grace European football over the last decade, and will be favourites to retain their title in 2011/12; if, as expected, Guardiola stays on as the coach of the club it is difficult to look past another successful season for Spain’s top team.

The author Gareth McKnight is a columnist for the football blog Soccerlens.com.

Photo by zawtowers

It has been an incredible 18 months for Manchester City winger Adam Johnson. Plucked from the mediocrity that is the Championship, he has turned into a Premier League star. His wonderful skills and outrageous pace, combined with great finishing, has conspired to make him a menace to Premier League defenders.

Though there is one issue for Johnson. His consistency over 90 minutes is very questionable, and many times this season his status as a starter or substitute has come into question. He has the tendency to drift in and out of matches, and this has harmed City on occasion. So, what suits Johnson and Manchester City better — starting from the outset or coming on late to try and change the game?

Johnson’s electrifying pace makes him a thrill to watch. It means he can make fast starts to matches, and give City an early lead. He catches defenders off guard, and he is oh-so-dangerous when cutting in on his left foot. The problem is he drifts out of matches. In the FA Cup semifinal vs. United, and more recently against Tottenham in the Premier League, he started brightly then did nothing of note for the rest of the match. This frustrates Roberto Mancini and the fans quite a bit.

So, until Johnson starts producing on a 90 minute basis every match, it is perhaps better for him to come off the bench. When he does come off the bench, he more often than not changes the game (see City vs. Newcastle in November, where he came off the bench and scored the winner). This earns valuable points for Manchester City, gives Johnson a confidence boost, and gives Mancini some faith in the Englishman.

With said boost to his confidence, Johnson can then make a case for starting. He has done this throughout the season and, every time, he has had one good 90 minute performance and God knows how many 20 minute performances. If Johnson is put on the bench, he gets frustrated, annoyed and wonders why he is not starting. It is not good to have that attitude at the club, as it can only be detrimental.

The Adam Johnson situation is a difficult one and hard to answer. Whether or not he starts at Wembley in the FA Cup may go some way to answering the question of whether he should start or not. In my opinion, he should not. Right now, he is of far more use to City if he is coming off the bench and winning matches later on.

Only one team were ever going to win this season’s Bundesliga, as Jurgen Klopp’s surprise package Borussia Dortmund have impressed from day one with their attacking and free-flowing style of football, reminiscent of the 1997 side that were crowned European Champions. With the league title all but in the bag and BVB set to compete in Europe’s top club compeition next season for the first time since 2002, can the German side turn the clock back 15 years and emulate Ottmar Hitzfeld’s star-studded side?

Die Borussen’s transformation has been quite amazing under Klopp, as the ex-Mainz coach has led the club from 6th and 5th placed finishes in 2008-09 and 2009-10 to Germany’s top team this campaign (see Bundesliga soccer betting odds). Signal Iduna Park has witnessed some exciting and enthralling displays from a team largely under 25 and without the big name international players like 97’s Sammer, Moller, Riedle and co that beat Juventus 3-1 in the final all those years ago.

However their illustrious forefathers may be outdone by Dortmund’s current crop, and Klopp’s first objective in the search for success is to keep his star players at the club, many of which have been linked with moves to some of Europe’s elite. The side have quality across the park, with match winners and savers combined in a 4-5-1 formation that can change to 4-3-3 when the side attack.

Centre back pairing Mats Hummels and Serbian Neven Subotic, both 22 years old, have looked like Sammer and Kohler reincarnated and been the reason the club have only conceded 19 goals in this year’s Bundesliga, 16 less than the second stingiest defensive in the league. Holding midfielder Sven Bender came into the side after injury to Sebastien Kehl, and hasn’t looked back, playing more than 90% of the club’s games this season and forcing his way into the Joachim Loew’s German national set-up.

Bender’s closing of opposition and work rate have been a perfect foil for Dortmund other central midfielder and arguably brightest star, Nuri Sahin. The German born Turkey international has been in mercurial form this season, scoring six goals from midfield and showing guile and creativity to create nine more. Sahin represents new Dortmund and the club must keep him amidst interest from Real Madrid and Inter if they are to progress as a team.

Added to this are 18 year old attacking midfielder Mario Goetze, who has been one of the season’s revelations with his ball control and skill reportedly catching the eye of Manchester United and Barcelona. Sole attacker Lucas Barrios is the club’s top scorer, with the Argentine striker hitting the back of the net 18 times this season.

With so much quality and youthful exuberance Dortmund will be a tough test for the teams they face in next year’s Champions League, and Klopp will look to strengthen further in the summer. Despite this however, the class of 2011 do not have the experience of the 97 team, and will face a much tougher European field from strong English and Spanish clubs. Schalke have shown this season that progression to the latter stages of the tournament is possible, but the youngsters donning the black and yellow in today’s Dortmund team must stick together and grow as a unit if they are to equal the success of the club’s past masters.

Photo by Kol Tregaskes

A few weeks ago it was reported that Bernie Ecclestone was selling his shares of QPR. Lakshmi Mittal was quoted through Amit Bhatia, the QPR Vice Chairman and his son in law that he was committed to the club and would not be selling his shares. Now we’ve heard that Ecclestone was concerned about the Premier League potentially deeming the current configuration of Loftus Road as below a necessary standard to maintain a Premier League club, should the Rs be promoted after this season. QPR currently sit atop the Championship, and look a sure bet for promotion.

Additionally, the Italian was concerned about the lack of the revenue the club generates. QPR, despite a cosmopolitan squad and international ownership, has not grown in stature or scope since the club was bought in 2007. The smallish Loftus Road ground makes it impossible to rely on match-day revenues to survive.

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham has ruled out any new ground for QPR and Mittal’s group has been forced to seek other options for the team. Mittal and his group, is committed to West London and will not consider moving the team out of the area. A ground share with Fulham or Chelsea was also deemed unacceptable to the club.

After investing millions in QPR, the Indian owners have been forced to negotiate with The FA about the availability of Wembley Stadium should QPR be promoted after this season. Given the recent controversy involving four teams from Northwest playing in Wembley FA Cup semifinal weekend and the continued anger in the North that the England National Team never plays a home match outside London anymore, the potential QPR-FA deal could generate much needed revenue for the Rs without forcing them to leave West London, while giving the FA enough football dates to move the FA Cup and select England friendlies around the country. Our source also indicates that Wembley will no longer be available for NFL games or concerts, except in the summer if QPR and the FA are able to complete the deal. QPR along with the England National Team would be the primary tenants of the facility.

Loftus Road sits on valuable real estate but word is that QPR plans to maintain the ground for League Cup and early FA Cup matches. Should QPR return to the Championship, the deal with the FA becomes null and void and they will return to Loftus Road.

Photo by giveawayboy

It is a well-known fact that Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid are on the hunt for a hard-working central midfielder, to play alongside Xabi Alonso in the heart of the park. Despite possessing the likes of Sami Khedira, Fernando Gago and Lassana Diarra, Mourinho is reportedly unconvinced by the trioís recent performances, resulting in the search for yet another world-class addition to the squad.

Real have been linked closely to Arsenalís Cesc Fabregas and Bayern Munichís Bastian Schweinsteiger more recently, however it has been their long-term admiration for AS Roma star Daniele De Rossi, which continues to attract the most attention.

De Rossi, who has been with Roma since the age of 17, has forever been touted as ëIl Capitano Futuroí (the future captain), and for this reason and more, he is not the man to solve Mourinhoís problems in midfield. Despite being valued at Ä25m, meaning he is the cheapest of the clubís three options at present, here are the reasons why Real Madrid should look elsewhere in the summer transfer window:

1. De Rossi is not the man they require for the big stage

Whilst Roma may be regarded as one of Italyís best, De Rossi is yet to win a major piece of silverware in his time at club level. Two Coppa Italia titles and a couple of quarter finals appearances in the Champions League is all he has to show for his time thus far, facts that will not work in his favour. Ultimately, winning the Champions League is Mourinhoís goal at Madrid, and so he will want a new recruit to have some experience in the latter stages of that competition (you can buy Champions League tickets at TixDaq).

2. Real shouldnít waste their time, as De Rossi is tied to Roma for life

Similar to their pursuits for the current Roma skipper Francesco Totti over the past five or six years, luring ëIl Capitano Futuroí away from the Olimpico will be a near impossible task. Despite his poor recent form, De Rossi is one of the clubís most prized assets, and they will therefore do everything within their power to keep hold of him. Additionally his father Alberto, who is coach of the Giallorossiís youth team, recently confirmed that his son will never leave the Italian capital.

3. De Rossiís inconsistency and temper this season

No one can question the fact that the 27-year-old plays with his heart on his sleeve every time he takes to the pitch. He is evidently very passionate about playing for Roma, however unfortunately this sometimes is his downfall. In just 23 league appearances this season, De Rossi has picked up seven yellow cards and been sent off once. Also, he has been often outplayed and outsmarted by a number of opposing midfields in Serie A this season, causing his reputation as one of the worldís best to diminish in 2010-11.

Photo by giveawayboy

Bayern Munich superstar Arjen Robben has been tipped by some to leave the Bundesliga in the summer with AC Milan hot on the winger’s trail. Whilst Robben has been a key figure for the Bavarians in his two seasons at the club, the time may be right to part ways with him.

So here are the five reasons why Bayern should sell Robben:

5. Understand the fact that Robben is a journeyman

Arjen Robben has played and excelled at five different clubs over his illustrious career thus far, commencing at Groningen and then PSV in the Eredivisie, where he spent a combined total of four years at. From there, he earned a move to English giants Chelsea, followed by Real Madrid and now of course Bayern Munich. Spending three years in England with the Blues, making 103 appearances in that time, was the longest he spent at any club, and perhaps itís just proof that his time is up in Munich.

4. His negativity towards playing in the Europa League

Whilst a player of his calibre certainly deserves to be playing in Europeís elite competition the Champions League, Robben has made it clear that he has no interest with taking part in the Europa League, should Bayern qualify for it. The Dutchman recently declared that playing in the Europa League would be ìthe worst thing that could happen. Itíd be better not to play at all.î And with just seven rounds remaining in the Bundesliga, the Bavarians trail third placed Hannover by two points, meaning that CL football is no certainty for 2011-12.

3. Constant injury problems that continue to plague his career

Robben has had to deal with serious injuries throughout the entirety of his career, particularly this season, having missed the first three months with a serious thigh problem. Having only managed 13 appearances in all competitions this season, the Bayern hierarchy would be desperate to avoid a repeat of this in the future.

2. The time is right to cash in for Bayern

Robben has recently been strongly linked with a move to AC Milan, to join up with former team-mate Mark van Bommel in the Italian Serie A. And carrying on from the previous point, should the 2011-12 season be a similar one on the injury front for the winger, his price tag will be sure to dip, as many will start to question how long he has left at the top. Robben is undoubtedly at the peak of his powers at present, and failure to qualify for next seasonís Champions League will do little to help boost his credentials and price tag for the future (For Bayern Munich tickets, check out TixDaq).

1. Looking to the future

Bayern would be able to use the hefty transfer fee to invest in an up and coming winger looking to prosper in the fast improving Bundesliga, as well as a left and right back, which they definitely need to help support Phillipp Lahm. Whilst Robben has been a key to the success of the Bavarians over the past two seasons, the 2010 Champions League runner-ups have had to deal without him more often than not, meaning the time is right to look to the future in Munich.

Photo by ~Ans~

Germany have made the perfect start to qualifying for the 2012 European Championships, winning all four matches to this point, to sit comfortably atop of Group A. Whilst they already possess a five point buffer over second placed Austria, the Germans are a proud nation who will be confident of attaining a maximum 30 points from their 10 allotted qualifiers (and many sports betting sites will give you good odds on Germany’s clean sweep).

In a group consisting the likes of Turkey, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the Austrians, the 2006 World Cup hosts have been pitted in a relatively weak group. Trips away from home are always difficult in such significant qualifiers however, as proven by the Germans hard fought 1-0 victory in Brussels over the Belgians in the opening round of qualifiers.

Sending a message to the rest of Europe

Whilst the Germans have yet to meet Austria, they managed to comfortably account for a fairly strong Turkish side 3-0 at home, whilst they again edged out Belgium in that tricky trip on the road. Unsurprisingly they convincingly saw off minnows Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, and to this point they have conceded just once in 360 minutes of football.

This weekend they are set to square off against Kazakhstan once again, meaning their advantage atop of the group is certain to remain, and possibly extend, should Austria drop points at home to Belgium who they drew 4-4 with in October 2010.

With the perfect mix of youth and experience, the Germans are already being touted as one of the favourites for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. With Miroslav Klose scoring six of the sideís 13 goals in qualifying so far, and with Thomas Mueller, Mezut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Manuel Neuer continuing to shine in German colours, Die Mannschaft can certainly pose a massive threat in 2014, and especially in next yearís European Championships in Poland and the Ukraine.

In their quest for their first piece of silverware since Euro 1996, the Germans are well placed and poised at the present time to go one better than 2008, when they were defeated in the final against Spain. They possess one of the most exciting squad lists in world football, and with so much promise for the future, it will be no surprise when they record 30 points from 10 matches in their qualification campaign.

Even if their progression is assured with a few qualifiers remaining, the Germans are not known to ease off on their opponents, so expect the impressive results to carry on, and the dominance to continue all the way to next yearís finals.

Photo by Ronnie Macdonald

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has announced that his next job will be in England. And he is hoping to form a dynasty at whichever club he takes over rather than the shorter stints he has been known for throughout his career. Mourinho also went on to say that Real Madrid is the “most difficult club in the world.” Whether Mourinho will negotiate an early exit from Madrid is unknown as of yet.

The Special One spoke in length about a possible return to the Premier League stating, “I miss England and my next job will be in England. There is unfinished business. And I think England wants me back, no? It was the most enjoyable time of my career. My Chelsea time was amazing as a football manager and family man. My family and I enjoyed it so much. We made so many friends here. We still keep in touch. We still come back. In football there are a few victories here I would like to repeat. I will talk to my agent and get a project for my career.

“I still have three years at Real Madrid. It is the biggest club in the world but it is also the most difficult club in the world. They came to me for the third time and I could not say no to them for the third time – I had to go. And I had to go to Italy, that was important for me because I wanted to try there. Everyone said it was the home of tactics so I said let me try there.

“But it is not England, England is special. People in Italy, Spain and Portugal ask me why I love England so much and I can’t explain – I just do. I want to be happy in my work. I want to be happy with my football.”

Where Jose will go and when he will return is not known right now, but I for one cannot wait to see where he ends up.

Which club do you think Jose Mourinho will end up managing in England? And will he be as successful as his time at Chelsea? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

Last Thursday, I was invited by Armando and Elisa from Forza Fútbol to be on the site’s podcast, and the discussion centered around several topics: the state of La Liga in terms of overseas marketing, the flourishing cantera youth academies throughout Spain, the controversies with the upcoming La Liga TV contract agreement, the matches from Jornada 22 (Feb. 5 – Feb. 7), and other issues surrounding the Spanish game.

Note: Part of the dialogue focused on which manager would be sacked next after Miguel Ángel Portugal’s dismissal last week, and this podcast was broadcasted before José Antonio Camacho was fired on Monday.

Download here (Duration 1:21:17 – 78.0 MB), or listen below.

UEFA Champions League

The tie of the round begins at the Emirates Stadium (Arsenal Stadium according to UEFA) as Arsenal and FC Barcelona meet in the knockout phase of the Champions League for the second consecutive year.  When Arsenal failed to win their group, the Gunners always knew that there would be a chance that they would get Barcelona in the Round of 16 draw, and the fates heeded such a matchup between two of the best footballing sides in Europe.

Compared to last season’s tussle in the quarterfinals, the most significant changes between then and now come up front for both teams.  For Arsenal, Robin van Persie did not play in either leg against Barça and now is actually healthy and on fire in front of goal.  Since the beginning of the new year, when he firmly established himself in Arsène Wenger’s starting eleven after easing himself into match fitness in the previous month and a half, he has scored ten goals in nine matches in all competitions.  Marouane Chamakh, who has lost his place in the lineup to van Persie, has had nothing but praise for his teammate, believing van Persie is currently “walking on water” and stating that Arsenal is much better with van Persie than with himself at this moment.

Remember Zlatan Ibrahimovic?  He used to play for Barcelona, and he scored twice in the first leg in London against Arsenal to give the blaugrana a 0-2 lead before Arsenal stormed back late in the second half for a 2-2 draw.  Ibra is now leading the line for AC Milan, and David Villa steps in as the center forward flanked by Pedro Rodríguez and Lionel Messi.  Messi torched Arsenal in the second leg of their quarterfinal with a four-goal romp through their leaky defense, and with Arsenal likely to focus much more manpower on Messi this time around, it will be up to Villa and Pedro to create chances on their own to afford Messi that extra foot of space to work his magic.

Before Arsenal and Barcelona meet on Wednesday night, Valencia and Schalke 04 will perform as the opening act at the Mestalla on Tuesday evening.  Los che return to the knockout phase of the Champions League for the first time in four years, and only five players still belong to the club since Chelsea knocked them out in quarterfinal stage in 2007: Joaquín Sánchez, Miguel Monteiro, David Navarro, Vicente Rodríguez, and David Albelda.  The current striking pair of Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz might not be as fearsome as David Villa and Fernando Morientes were four years ago, but Valencia’s two new additions provide a physicality and an aerial presence that suit Unai Emery’s more pragmatic system.

Schalke’s mediocre form in the Bundesliga has been juxtaposed by their impressive cup play.  Similar to Atlético Madrid last season, where los colchoneros could not find their feet in La Liga yet won the UEFA Europa League and lost in the Copa del Rey final to Sevilla, Schalke sits a middling tenth in the league yet has reached the semifinal of the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) and won their group in the Champions League.

Die Knappen has more than a tad of Spanish flavor in their squad with Spanish natives José Jurado and leading goalscorer and Real Madrid legend Raúl and former Real Madrid players Christoph Metzelder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.  Schalke will keep it tight in the midfield, especially away from home, and with their last five Bundesliga matches ending with only one goal in each of those games, expect a tactical affair, especially with Felix Magath and Unai Emery at the helm of these two teams.

Feb. 15

Valencia vs. Schalke 04 – 2:30 PM on FSN HD (5:00 PM delayed on Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Deportes)

Feb. 16

Arsenal vs. FC Barcelona – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Deportes

UEFA Europa League

The defending champions Atlético Madrid fell meekly out of the competition in the group stage, and Getafe simply was not good or deep enough to make it out of their group, but the two strongest Spanish representatives in the Europa League, Villarreal and Sevilla, made it through to the knockout phase.  Villarreal travels to the Stadio San Paolo to face Napoli in the tie of the round in a matchup of devastating front lines: Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar for Villarreal against Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Marek Hamšik for Napoli.

Napoli’s stellar surprise season has been headed by Italy’s top scorer Edinson Cavani, but the knock on the Neapolitans has been that they could not win against the top clubs in Serie A.  They went into the Stadio Olimpico against AS Roma on Saturday in the Derby del Sole, where they had not won since 1993 and thoroughly deserved their 0-2 win against a Champions League-caliber team.  With Walter Mazzarri successfully staying with his attacking 3-4-2-1 formation, Napoli has reemerged as a team worth reckoning in European competitions.

Villarreal has taken a downward trend in the past couple of weeks, inexplicably losing consecutive league matches to Levante and Deportivo La Coruña, and trainer Juan Carlos Garrido has had to motivate a suddenly disinterested team on the pitch.  A European night against the number two team from Serie A should instantly pique the players’ interest, and especially the atmosphere that will be created by the Napoli faithful at the San Paolo will only help to help Villarreal focus as their minds have meandered from the task at hand in recent times.

Feb. 17

Napoli vs. Villarreal – 12:50 PM on DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD)

Sevilla vs. FC Porto – 3:00 PM on DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD) (delayed at 5:00 PM on Gol TV HD)

Manolo Preciado: The Most Interesting Man in the World

There was a time on Saturday night when Lionel Messi actually became frustrated with himself and his teammates.  There was a time on Saturday night when Xavi Hernández could not find the killer pass through the hard-working, organized defense.  There was a time on Saturday night when Gerard Piqué was absolutely skinned alive by an opposing forward, costing FC Barcelona only its twelfth conceded goal all season in La Liga.

When these previous statements are applicable against Barcelona, one would assume the club on the other side of the pitch that forced the Catalans to toil for a draw was one of the European powers.  It certainly was not Real Madrid, nor Villarreal, nor Valencia.  It was the humble club from an industrial town that plays it football at a stadium named for the old watermill that once stood on that piece of land.

Sporting de Gijón, led by the most interesting man in the world, Manolo Preciado.

Similar to Blackpool’s Ian Holloway, Preciado filters very little what comes out of his mouth, and in almost beautiful synchronicity, both managers spit in the face of accusations that they purposefully set out weakened teams in a “lose the battle, win the war” type of creed.  In Holloway’s case, he made ten changes to his starting lineup against Aston Villa in November, in which that Villa match was the third of four matches Blackpool played in a short span of thirteen days.

Holloway threatened to resign from his post if the Premier League found the club guilty, and when the league handed down the guilty verdict, Holloway was true to his word, handing his resignation papers to Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston.  Oyston duly rejected Holloway’s resignation, but despite all of the strange and bold statements that come out of Holloway’s mouth, he genuinely believes in all of them and stands by everything he says.

Manolo Preciado is no different, and when José Mourinho charged Preciado of fielding a weakened team against Barcelona in September because “they [Sporting] felt they could not win,” in Mourinho’s words, Preciado went on a priceless diatribe that hearkens to the Rafael Benítez “Fact” rant or Diego Maradona’s “suck” castigation:

“I do not like Mourinho and I am going to tell him that to his face.  Who the hell is this guy?  He claimed that we gave away the points at Camp Nou and has since repeated this.  Even if he says this as a joke, it is very bad.  But if he means it, I think he is despicable and a poor professional.  I don’t like it at all.  If Madrid don’t teach him respect, I will.  We deserve the same respect he does.  To say that Sporting, who have killed ourselves to get into the top flight, would give up on a match?  Who the hell does he think he is?”

To say that the Sporting players backed their manager would be one of the understatements of the year.  They had already defeated Sevilla, drawn with Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao and frustrated Barcelona in a 1-0 loss with that “weakened” team, but when Sporting hosted Real Madrid in November and faced Mourinho for the first time since Mourinho made his disparaging comments against Sporting and Preciado, El Molinón developed into a fiery cauldron and a white-hot crucible that has not been matched in Spain this season.

Unfortunately, Mourinho sat in a private box for that match because he was in the middle of a two-match touchline ban for his own firebrand statements about referees.  He would have reveled in the hate raining down on him from the Sporting faithful as the clever and not-so-clever chants created an extra element of flavor and flair in an already combustible atmosphere.  The Sporting players channeled the positive energy from the El Molinón crowd and hassled and harried Cristiano Ronaldo and co. for the whole of the match.  Real expected the initial surge from Sporting, but the pressing and the closing down did not waver as the clock hit the 30th, 60th and even the 90th minute.  Gonzalo Higuaín eventually scored the decider in the 82nd minute to give Real the 0-1 victory, but their win was overshadowed by the effort of the Sporting players and their tangible love for their manager Manolo Preciado.

All that heart and emotion spent against Real Madrid took a toll on los rojiblancos, as they would not win in their next seven league matches, and with each successive game without a victory, Preciado’s leash shortened bit by bit until he was within one loss short of a sacking as was widely reported.  Sitting in the relegation zone and tied on points with the bottom of the table, Preciado’s players rallied behind their coach and reeled off three consecutive victories in January, including a 1-0 over Atlético Madrid and a 0-4 thrashing over Mallorca.

Heading into their home match against Barcelona on Saturday night, Sporting sat in a nominally safe 13th in the table, but with only one point separating them with those in the relegation zone, they were supposed to rely on other results of the round to keep them above the drop line because no one had taken a point off Barcelona away from the Camp Nou this season.

Sporting should have been comforted by the fact that under Pep Guardiola, Barcelona’s record coming of FIFA-sanctioned international matched was a relatively mediocre 5-6-1, and that one loss came at the hands of Hércules in September.  Added to the player fatigue from the internationals was the impending UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Arsenal this upcoming Wednesday, so if there were a time when Barcelona would not be at their best, Sporting would get them at the perfect time.

Preciado and the El Molinón crowd did not have any qualms against Barcelona, but subconsciously, Preciado wanted to prove Mourinho wrong and show that Sporting believed they could beat Barcelona, even though he firmly denied Mourinho’s indictments about his team in their first meeting against the blaugrana earlier in the season.

The same intensity that Sporting showed against Real Madrid resurfaced against Barcelona in the first twenty minutes of the match, but whereas the impetus against Real arose from hatred and disgust, the vigor displayed against Barcelona came more from fear as the threat of relegation looms for the bottom eight La Liga clubs.

Sporting employed a high defensive line and a suffocating on and off-ball pressure that defines Barça’s defense, and this strategy forced Barcelona into some uncharacteristic turnovers and lack of composure on the ball.  After Sporting foiled another Barça offensive move, the subsequent counter-attack ended with Gijón taking the shock 1-0 lead.

Diego Castro sent a ball down the left wing for David Barral, and Barral did the rest.  Gerard Piqué is one of the most complete defenders in the world, but he is not blessed with blistering pace, so when he went against Barral in a one-on-one battle down the left wing, Piqué was always going to finish second best.  Barral cut in from the left wing, leaving Piqué in his wake, and when Gabriel Milito tried to help out Piqué in the box, Barral ran laterally past Milito with Milito stumbling to the floor in the process, and Barral struck a shot to the right far post that Víctor Valdés had no chance of saving.

1-0 to Sporting, but what were they going to do for the final seventy-four minutes plus stoppage time?

While they stood by their high pressure for a few minutes after the goal, they predictably began to sit back more and more in their own half of the pitch as the game wore on because they could not keep up the high intensity for the whole of the match.

When Sporting converted into a 4-6-0 formation later in the match, they plugged every hole and covered every hint of open space in which Barcelona wanted to exploit.  Preciado was almost serenely calm (feisty for normal folk), and the faint possibility of three points slowly became more and more of a reality.

Then the local boy done good, David Villa, broke his people’s hearts with a deft twenty-yard chip over goalkeeper Iván Cuéllar with ten minutes remaining, and Barcelona somehow came out of El Molinón with a point.

Ever since Pep Guardiola took over FC Barcelona in the summer of 2008, every team has tried to find the magic formula or blueprint to contain and ultimately defeat Barça on a somewhat consistent basis.  Has Sporting Gijón, of all clubs, provided the plan for others to follow when they encounter Barcelona?

High pressure and the early goal for the opposition has been the common theme when Barcelona has struggled, and Sporting completed these two tasks.  Unless the team has players that can fight with this intensity for the entire match, eventually they will have to sit back and withstand the inevitable Barcelona onslaught.  Without the early goal, Sporting would likely have tired at a much higher rate, and Barcelona would have found their goal sooner or later, but with the thought that they could actually defeat Barcelona dancing in their heads, they transcended their own physical and mental limits for the cause.

While Sporting did not finish the way they wanted, Preciado had nothing but effusive praise for his whole team, and the individual players reciprocated that love back to their trainer.

Sporting Gijón fell three spots to 16th despite the point earned and perilously stand one point above Osasuna for the final relegation place.  As the Asturian club claws their way toward safety in La Liga for another year, the luscious mustache from across the border in Cantabria soldiers on, running his team in his way, regardless of others from the outside have to say about he and his team.  La Liga would sorely miss his graveled, stern voice and his larger-than-life character if Sporting were to go down, and if Mourinho stays with Real Madrid for the foreseeable future, who else will keep him in check?

Fueras de Juego

– If Quique Sánchez Flores has not been sacked, he should just resign if he wants to keep his sanity.  Valencia came up with another late-goal winner to rise to third in the table, and Atlético Madrid’s schizophrenia has morphed into a chronic depression that has little chance of curing at this point.  Diego Forlán missed a penalty that would have given Atlético a 2-1 lead, and he falls further into the doghouse with both the Atlético fans and the coaching staff.  It might be time to blow up this team and start over, and Quique will not want part of any of that.

– Sevilla found another way to blow a match, and all of the blame for Manuel Arana’s first-time forty-yard loop with the outside of his right boot game-winner should fall on Andrés Palop, who went on an absent-minded walkabout outside of his area and left the goal wide open.  The goal nearly left Arana in tears, and back to the future new boss Marcelino García Toral shrewdly decided to run in ecstasy on the grass after he nearly broke his butt celebrating Racing’s second goal on the slippery technical area.  Sevilla now is fourteen points behind Villarreal for the final Champions League spot, and Gregorio Manzano looks like he is on the hot seat and the next manager to go after Quique Sánchez Flores with the bookmakers.

– Villarreal’s inexplicable poor play for a second week as they fell to a deserved Deportivo La Coruña team that needed three points with relegation a real possibility for the Galicians.  The Depor ball kids must have watched Osasuna defeat Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago because with a few minutes remaining on the clock and Villarreal in a dangerous attacking position on Daniel Aranzubia’s goal, the Depor ball kid threw a second ball on the pitch, and referee Rafael Ramírez Domínguez had no choice but to stop play.  On the drop ball, Depor kicked into the Villarreal half, and all of the attacking momentum disappeared.  Anything for a win apparently.

– Real Madrid had one of its best performances of the season, even with Iker Casillas receiving his marching orders from referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz in the second minute.  Emmanuel Adebayor gelled with Cristiano Ronaldo and the other Real attackers and fit in seamlessly in José Mourinho’s team.  Karim Benzema might have to be comfortable sitting on the bench for the rest of the season save for some substitute appearances.  Pepe deserved man of the match honors because he made a multitude of stellar defensive plays, and he had to pick up the slack of Ricardo Carvalho, who had a rare off day in the center of defense.  Seven points down to five, and La Liga seems realistic for Real.  For now.

Expo 2008 was held in the city of Zaragoza, and one of the striking structures built for the expo was the Torre del Agua, shaped to represent a droplet of water. Photo courtesy of Salvador Bru.

Round 23 of 38 might be a little too early to mention relegation six-pointers, but with teams twelfth to twentieth a within a slender five points of each other and the gap widening between these teams and the first eleven of La Liga, a three-point win should not be underestimated as time snowballs downward to the end of the campaign.

Two of these meetings occur this weekend as Hércules hosts Real Zaragoza at the Estadio José Rico Pérez, and Almería travels to Valencia to face Levante.

After Hércules became the darling of Spain in the first half of the season with wins over Barcelona, Sevilla, and Atlético Madrid and a draw against Villarreal that prevented the Yellow Submarine from topping the table for the first time in their history, the Alicante-based team has lost four consecutive matches by multi-goal margins without scoring a single goal in the process.  In their defense, three of those four losses came against clubs that currently sit on the top five, but the perennial second and third-tier team has more problems than their poor play on the pitch.

The whole Royston Drenthe pay-for-play saga has splintered the team into two different factions, some supporting him while others despise his stance, David Trézéguet has more than hinted that he wants out to return to his native France, and Nelson Haedo Valdez’s form has fallen precipitously as Hércules continues to struggle.

For Real Zaragoza, their trend is going completely opposite of Hércules.  Before the winter break, Zaragoza did well to snatch a point at the Estadion Reyno de Navarra against Osasuna, but the bore 0-0 draw kept los maños as the cellar-dweller in La Liga with a paltry ten point through sixteen matches.  The new year, however, brought a new revitalization to the Aragonese club, winning four of their six games in the league with their only loss understandably coming at the hands of Espanyol at the Cornellà – El Prat.

Zaragoza has risen to a lofty twelfth place on the back of this exceptional run, but they are only two points above the relegation zone, and the meat of their second-half schedule starts in a couple of weeks when they encounter Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona, Valencia, Mallorca, Sevilla, Getafe, and Villarreal in consecutive weeks.  Of all the clubs fighting the drop, Zaragoza has done the best in terms of earning points against the other relegation rivals, so they will feel confident heading to Alicante on Sunday, even though they have recorded only one away victory this season.

After looking dead in the water for most of the campaign, Levante has suddenly won two straight matches against in-form sides Getafe and Villarreal and climbed within a point of rising out of the bottom three.  Earlier in the season, Levante attempted to play an attractive style of football, but with the Segunda División looming with the losses piling up, they have opted to become much more physical, relying on more long-ball tactics and counter-attack opportunities to provide the goals, and Luis García Plaza’s team is finally starting to achieve the positivity in the negativity, per se.

Levante welcomes an Almería team that has won two of their last three games in the league, including a 3-2 stunner over Espanyol that saw the Andalucians build a three-goal lead within the first nineteen minutes of that match.  The difference in Almería uptick in form has been the incorporation of José Leonardo Ulloa into the starting eleven.  Used mostly as a super-sub throughout the majority of the season, José Luis Oltra has recently put him up front with Kalu Uche, and with Pablo Piatti and Albert Crusat flying down the wings, Almería’s attack has grown into a fearsome foursome.  They will face a stiff, obstinate Levante resistance in Valencia on Sunday, and whoever wins the flank battle between Piatti and Crusat against the wily fullback veterans Javi Venta and Asier del Horno will be the overriding factor in the determination of this match.

The times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Feb. 12

Atlético Madrid vs. Valencia – 11:55 AM on Gol TV HD

Sporting Gijón vs. FC Barcelona – 1:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Racing de Santander vs. Sevilla – 3:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Feb. 13

Real Sociedad vs. Osasuna – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 477 (477-1 for HD)

Málaga vs. Getafe – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 478 (478-1 for HD)

Hércules vs. Real Zaragoza – 10:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Deportivo La Coruña vs. Villarreal – 12:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Espanyol vs. Real Madrid – 2:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Feb. 14

Mallorca vs. Athletic Bilbao – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 477 (477-1 for HD)

Unfortunately, the Levante – Almería match at the Estadi Ciutat de València will not be shown on US TV.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani could have done anything with his time, and with all of his responsibilities on his docket, president of a football club would seem to be near the bottom of his list.  Born from Qatari royalty, the Sheikh billionaire currently sits on the Board of Directors of Doha Bank and the Qatar Equestrian Federation as well as running a business empire including but not exclusive to hotel chains, shopping malls, and cellular phone companies.

Sheikh Al Thani, however, worked and negotiated to buy Málaga Club de Fútbol for a price of €36 million in June with then-owner Lorenzo Sanz and president Fernando Sanz, while devoting and extended four to five months to this acquisition.  Foreign ownership has become the rage throughout Europe, but La Liga, and Spain in general, has historically kept ownership and president roles to Spanish citizens only.  When the Sheikh took over Málaga in June, he opened the old boys’ club and became the only non-Spanish owner in the top flight of Spain.

Whereas most of the new crop of foreign owners in Europe keep to the matter of their own clubs and merely worry about big-money signings, Sheikh Al Thani put his nose into the internal issues of Spanish football.  Aside from the historical teams in Spain, the rest of the clubs usually have little say when it comes to the RFEF (the governing body of football in Spain), but Al Thani cared little for the normal protocol when the issue of revenue sharing came to light.

The new TV deal will come into effect starting in the 2014-15 season, and according to the contract, Real Madrid and Barcelona will take 34% of the pot, Atlético Madrid and Valencia will garner 11% of the money, 1% will be held for those who get relegated to the Segunda División, and the rest will be split among the remaining La Liga teams.  Several of the clubs symbolically spit on this contract, Sevilla president José María del Nido leading the charge.  While Málaga agreed to the terms of the deal, Sheikh Al Thani still voiced a dissenting opinion concerning the future TV contract:

“The situation now honestly is not good, regarding the TV rights,” he said, according to Reuters.  It’s not good for the clubs, because only the two big teams are leading the whole issue.  We wish to have the same system as they have in England because it’s much more fair.  There are some clubs at the bottom, they have some financial problems.  It doesn’t make for fair competition.”

While these statements might come off as a tad (or completely) hypocritical since he has the billions to pay for any player in the world, his sentiments are no less correct or meaningful.  Usually, any new owner, whether domestic or foreign, wants to assimilate himself into the league and the other owners before speaking out on important football issues, but Sheikh Al Thani has been a trend-breaker in his business career, and his association with Málaga has not changed the way he operates.

One of the trends, however, that he has followed has been the tendency for new owners to make an immediate impact with a multitude of new signings.  Sheikh Al Thani was not shy in splashing the cash during the summer transfer window, but knowing Málaga’s modest standing in Europe and Spain’s pecking order, Al Thani did not immediately start with huge, mega-million Euro bids like what Sheikh Mansour executed when his Abu Dhabi United Group purchased Manchester City in 2008.  The club spent a relatively middling €16.15 million on eight different players, the two most expensive being €4 million striker from Banfield, club-record signing Sebastián “Seba” Fernández, and €3.5 million striker from Las Palmas, Salomón Rondón.

With this infusion of new players, Jesualdo Ferreira replaced incumbent Juan Ramón López Muñiz as manager of Málaga, and the new dawn was supposed to rise on the Costa del Sol.

Nine matches into this season, with losses in their first five home matches and a grand total of seven points earned, Sheikh Al Thani fired Ferreira, who José Mourinho described as “a story of a donkey who worked for thirty years but never became a horse.”  Seba found it hard to adjust to life and football in Spain, a goalkeeping crisis hit the club with three different goalkeepers having to start within those nine matches, and the defense leaked an astonishing twenty-one goals in that short nine-game span.

Sheikh Al Thani’s experiment was blowing up in his face, but he made a big and surprising splash with the hiring of former Villarreal and Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini to replace Ferreira.  Unfortunately, for Pellegrini and Málaga, the situation did not improve significantly as los boquerones only gained six points in seven matches to end 2010, and if there were one owner in Spain to mark as the wheeler and dealer of the January transfer window, Sheikh Al Thani was the odds makers’ favorite.

Six new players joined Málaga in January, and while new club-record signing and Pablo Piatti clone Diego Buonanotte will arrive in the summer, the other five players can be sorted into two different groups: the has-beens and the could-bes.

If this were 2005, Martín Demichelis, Enzo Maresca, and Júlio Baptista would have been quite a triumvirate of transfers.  Baptista signed from Sevilla for €20 million to Real Madrid, Maresca joined Sevilla from Fiorentina for €2.5 million and became a staple in the attacking midfield for los nervionenses, and Demichelis established himself as an ever-present in the Bayern Munich central defense, with whom he was a part of three Bundesliga titles, three DFB-Pokal (German Cup) crowns and a finals appearance in the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League.  Now, these three are in the twilight of their careers, hoping to recapture the magic they wielded in the past.

Ignacio Camacho and Sergio Asenjo were supposed to be the future of both Atlético Madrid and the Spanish national team.  Camacho rose through the ranks of the Atleti cantera to the first team while captaining the Spanish under-17 team to a European Championship in 2007.  He could not supplant the likes of Paulo Assunção, Tiago, Raúl García, Cléber Santana, etc., so Atlético let go their once promising midfielder to Málaga for a bargain-basement price of €1.5 million.

Asenjo was presumed as the heir to Iker Casillas in the Spanish national team.  He was the first-choice goalkeeper for the Spanish under-21 team at the 2009 European Championships and the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and when he supplanted both Ludovic Butelle and Alberto López as the undisputed number one goalkeeper for Real Valladolid at the end of 2007, he became the youngest starting keeper in La Liga at the tender age of eighteen.

Atlético thought so highly of Asenjo that they let go of Grégory Coupet and long-time starter Leo Franco and brought Asenjo from Valladolid for €5 million in the summer of 2009.  A nervous start and some unforgivable gaffes saw his grip on as first-choice Atlético keeper loosened completely with Roberto Jiménez taking over, and eventually David de Gea rose above both Roberto and Asenjo with Asenjo relegated to third choice, a stunning and immediate fall from grace.

Manuel Pellegrini drafted all five of these players directly into the starting eleven, but circumstances had not improved.  Four points out of five matches in January, including conceding a late goal that lost a match 1-2 to relegation rivals Real Zaragoza, had the Andalucian club at the foot of the table, four points below the safety line.  So when Málaga traveled west to their provincial rivals Sevilla on Sunday afternoon, the gloaming looked to continue los boquerones.

Málaga had conceded forty-seven goals in La Liga prior to Jornada 22, eleven more than any other team in the Primera División, and with a rojiblanco team loaded with talented attacking players like Frédéric Kanouté, Luís Fabiano, Jesús Navas, etc., it was not a question of if but how many would they allow.

Sevilla trainer Gregorio Manzano, however, strayed from the normal 4-4-2 and employed a 4-2-3-1 with Fabiano as the lone striker up front in order to shore up a midfield that had given up a plethora of scoring chances in the past few weeks.

Manuel Pellegrini changed his tactics for this match by closing his open, attacking style and employing Eliseu Pereira, the attacking left winger, at left back ahead of the incumbent Patrick Mtiliga.  Pellegrini’s strategy worked to perfection, as his team allowed only one scoring chance and gave up three shots, only one of which was on target, in the first half.  Eliseu bottled up Jesús Navas on the right wing for the most part, and while Eliseu could not bomb forward because of the Navas threat, he unearthed defensive acumen that apparently Pellegrini only saw.

The match did not perk up that much in the second half, and Málaga nearly stole the three points in the fifth minute of stoppage time.  In the last action of the match, Eliseu whipped in a free kick into a host of bodies in the box, and Weligton got a surprisingly unmarked header on target.  Andrés Palop, who had little to do for the whole match, came up with a flying parry that saved the draw for Sevilla, and Seba Fernández fluffed a potential reply from Palop’s save as it screwed miles wide of the right near post.

0-0 fulltime, and Málaga could not be more pleased with a boring, tedious draw.

Málaga fully deserved to come out of the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán with at least a point, and while the match was a snoozer for the neutral and a frustration for the Sevilla fans, this match was a very positive sign for Málaga, not only because they got a point in the middle of a relegation battle against a European-caliber team but also because they kept a clean sheet for only the third time all season.  While Pellegrini will likely not apply this type of defensive strategy too often, he made a point of making Sevilla have to penetrate a Fort Knox-like team to signal to his players that they are capable of playing well defensively while limiting the egregious turnover and mistakes to a minimum.

If Pellegrini can keep his team this organized while opening up a little more to allow Baptista, Rondón, and the other attacking personnel to express themselves in the final third, they should rise above the bottom three by the end of the season.  Pellegrini’s main objective is to keep Málaga in La Liga, and if he accomplishes this task, Sheikh Al Thani has shown that he is fully invested in all facets of this club besides player transfers but will also provide all the funds necessary for Pellegrini to craft this team in the way Pellegrini wants.  Bright days are ahead of this club that has been known as the classic yo-yo team, bouncing up and down from the first division, and if Málaga becomes a mainstay in La Liga, what player would not want to play in a beautiful city on the Costa del Sol that is bankrolled by a billionaire?

Fueras de Juego

– Villarreal must have assumed that playing at El Madrigal against a modest Levante team would require little effort, but their sleepwalking performance inspired Levante to channel this disrespect into a positive outcome, and Levante shocked their Comunitat Valenciana neighbors 0-1, handing Villarreal only its first loss at home all season.  With Valencia comfortably handling Hércules 2-0 at the Mestalla in the other Comunitat Valenciana derby on Sunday, Valencia is only one point behind Villarreal for third in the table, and the Yellow Submarine will regret their arrogant attitude against Levante if Valencia and they remain close together at the end of the season.

– Many assumed Osasuna would experience a massive letdown after the physical and emotional nirvana of defeating Real Madrid 1-0 at the Estadio Reyno de Navarra last weekend in front of their ravenous home faithful, but while they only managed a 1-1 draw at home to Mallorca to remain one point above the relegation zone, Osasuna performed with a surprising vim and vigor throughout the ninety minutes, scoring within the first ten minutes from a Miguel Flaño goal.  Six of Osasuna’s next seven fixtures feature teams tenth or below in the standings, so the gorritxoak could sew up top-flight football for another year in this stretch.

– FC Barcelona won their sixteenth consecutive La Liga match on Saturday, breaking the 1960-61 Real Madrid record of fifteen, and Lionel Messi scored another hat-trick to raise his total to a mere twenty-four goals in nineteen starts in the league and thirty-seven goals in thirty-one appearances in all competitions.  What is new?  Not much, and that is the brilliance of this streak.  They have had more 5+ goal victories (Sevilla, Almería, Real Madrid, and Real Sociedad) than one-goal victories (Valencia and Levante) during this run, and besides the occasional knocks and niggles, the squad has been healthy for the most part.

Real Madrid kept pace to stay seven points behind Barcelona after they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad, but to expect Barcelona to drop points in three or four matches in order for Real Madrid to catch up seems improbable at this point.  With the Champions League returning next week, that might provide the only plausible avenue for Barcelona to drop points, balancing La Liga and the Champions League with possible squad rotation and general fatigue.

The Fundación Picasso, an organization whose purpose is to promote the works of Pablo Picasso, headquarted at Picasso's birth home on the Plaza de la Merced in Málaga.

Two of the most active clubs in the January transfer window meet together this weekend in an Andalucian derby at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán between Sevilla and Málaga.  Málaga and new owner Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani scoured the world in January for bright, young talents and seasoned veterans (or washed-up former stars depending on personal opinion) to augment a team fighting relegation, and the early returns have not provided the results they expected.

Martín Demichelis, Júlio Baptista, and Enzo Maresca would have been near the top of many European clubs’ lists four or five years ago, but as they reach their thirties, Málaga is trying to resurrect their fading light as the three want to prove that they are still capable of consistently playing at a high level.

While €4.5 million Boca Juniors winger Diego Buonanotte will join in the summer, Ignacio Camacho and Sergio Asenjo were immediately drafted into the starting eleven for trainer Manuel Pellegrini, and Camacho and Asenjo both want to show that Atlético Madrid made a mistake in showing little faith for them.

Despite the obvious motivation for all of these players to perform well not just for themselves but for the team, it has not fully translated on the pitch, as they have lost four of their five January matches in La Liga, including a heartbreaking 4-3 loss at the Mestalla against Valencia and a crucial late loser against fellow relegation fighters Real Zaragoza.

Málaga has lost seven of their last eight away matches in the league, and with those around Málaga at the bottom of the table helping themselves with surprising wins and important draw points, los boquerones cannot afford to stay on this losing slide if they want to stay in La Liga.  Sheikh Al Thani has extensive plans for Málaga in the summer in the transfer market, but all of those designs and ambitions will be thrown out of the window if they fall to the Segunda División.

Whereas Málaga has suffered a downward trend, Sevilla is on their way back up, as they have only lost one of their last five league matches after losing five straight matches prior.  Now only five points out of a Europa league spot and eleven points out of an improbable Champions League berth, los nervionenses are riding the hot wave at the perfect time.

They bolstered their midfield with two shrewd signings in January, €3 million defensive midfielder Gary Medel and €1.5 million playmaker Ivan Rakitic, and as Frédéric Kanouté and Luís Fabiano look for their next lucrative contract with Sevilla or with someone else, Sevilla has extra motivation to put their full effort into claiming a top-four finish, a feat that seemed impossible a month ago.

Sevilla bowed out meekly to Real Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday, but with key league matches and the knockout phase of the UEFA Europa League on the horizon, they can put their disappointing loss behind them and look forward to a hectic final four months.  Renato will miss out against Málaga with an ankle injury, but trainer Gregorio Manzano will the vast majority of his squad available, and with the rumor looming that Joaquín Caparrós might return to Sevilla if Manzano does not deliver, the Sevilla manager also has extra motivation to get the results as quickly as possible.

In some other matches this weekend, FC Barcelona will attempt to break the legendary Real Madrid 1960-61 team’s record of consecutive La Liga wins at 16 against Atlético Madrid, the team that has frustrated the blaugrana more than any other Spanish team in the past few years, Real Madrid continues to pick up the pieces of their shattered confidence at home against Real Sociedad, and Giovani dos Santos, the former Barcelona B starlet, will make his debut for Racing de Santander as they face Real Zaragoza in a relegation six-pointer.

The times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Feb. 5

Almería vs Espanyol – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 477 (477-1 for HD)

Osasuna vs. Mallorca – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 478 (478-1 for HD)

Athletic Club vs. Sporting Gijón – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 479 (479-1 for HD)

Getafe vs. Deportivo La Coruña – 11:45 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Villarreal vs. Levante – 1:55 PM on Gol TV HD

FC Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid – 3:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Feb. 6

Sevilla vs. Málaga – 10:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad – 12:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Valencia vs. Hércules – 2:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Unfortunately, the Real Zaragoza – Racing de Santander match at La Romareda will not be shown on US TV.

Real leads the semifinal tie 1-0 after nicking a crucial away goal at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in the first leg.  The win for los blancos was significant, but the actual result took a backseat because of two incidents in that game dominated the talk afterward: Luís Fabiano’s disallowed goal and Iker Casillas’ bottle incident.

Concerning Fabiano’s shot on the line just before halftime, several different angles and thousands of super slow-motion replays still have not conclusively rendered a definitive answer as to whether or not the whole ball crossed the whole of the goal line.  Fermín Martínez Ibáñez, the linesman who made the pivotal and fateful call (or non-call as it were), should receive credit for the situation because referees and linesman are always taught to make a decision only if they are 100%, and it was not clear if Fabiano scored.  In addition, it would have been easy for Martínez Ibáñez to cave into the ravenous and vociferous Sevillista crowd, but he stuck to his convictions and made the call he felt was correct (although now some have now considered him another covert agent for the Real Madrid cause).

Despite the disputed goal/no goal from Fabiano and the general hot-blooded, robust tension throughout the match, there is no excuse for supporters to throw missiles onto the pitch, and after the final whistle blew, someone in the crowd through a bottle and hit Iker Casillas flush on the back of his head.  Luckily, the missile was merely a plastic bottle and not an object with more mass, but regardless of what was thrown, the RFEF (the Spanish football governing body), was disgusted with what happened and handed Sevilla a €6,000 fine and stern threats about stadium closure if similar incidents occur in the future.

Hopefully, the second leg will be about only the football and not about ancillary incidents or refereeing decisions.  Emmanuel Adebayor is expected to make his home debut at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu for Real, and after Real unexpectedly lost at Pamplona to Osasuna in the league on Sunday, José Mourinho and his players would want nothing more than to make their first Copa del Rey final since 2004 and possibly win it for the first time since 1993.

For Sevilla, new January signings Gary Medel and Ivan Rakitic could make their debuts in the match, and apart from the suspended Andrés Palop and the long-term injured Tiberio Guarente and Ivica Dragutinovic, Sevilla trainer Gregorio Manzano will have a full squad from which to choose his starting eleven.  Should Sevilla overturn the tie and reach the final, it would be the first time in their long history that they would have advanced to the Copa del Rey final in consecutive years.

Preceding the Real Madrid – Sevilla match is the other second leg semifinal between Almería and FC Barcelona, almost forgotten by everyone because Barcelona holds a 5-0 advantage from their home leg, and Barça scored eight without reply the last time they visited the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos in November.

With the hectic schedule Barcelona has had and what they will have in the next month or two, Pep Guardiola will likely rest most of his normal starting eleven.  Guardiola has not implemented a rotation-type system like most top European clubs, so the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Villa, etc. have played nearly all of Barcelona’s matches in all competitions.  Guardiola has said all the right things, stating that this tie is still alive and that he will not take this match lightly, but if his top guns make more than short substitute stints late in the match, it would be very surprising.

Almería trainer José Luis Oltra jokingly proclaimed to the media in Tuesday’s press conference how he had his team practice penalties just in case they overturn their five-goal deficit, but his focus has turned more toward this weekend against Espanyol:

“We must take it as a challenge, and we want to win.  We, by the way, have been practicing penalties, but, hey, that is not our goal.  Our big game and our final is on Saturday, [against Espanyol] but the match against Barcelona has many attractions.  Our challenge [on Wednesday] simply is to win.”

It will be interesting if Oltra does send out his best players, including Pablo Piatti, Kalu Uche, Albert Crusat, etc., but whatever decision he makes concerning his starting eleven, it will make no difference as Barcelona should be in the Copa del Rey final on April 20.  As Oltra said, this match for Almería is about pride.

Feb. 2

Almería vs. FC Barcelona – 1:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Real Madrid vs. Sevilla – 3:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Photo courtesy of Jon Gonzalo Torróntegui

The headlines emanating from Bilbao have had little to do with Athletic’s white-hot form, as the rumors swirling around Fernando Llorente’s future destination have blanketed this historic club.  Tottenham Hotspur has been the main culprit of the Llorente saga, originally offering €30 million, but after Athletic rejected the bid, they upped the ante to an astronomical €38.5 million, which Athletic president Fernando García Macua dismissed yet again.

While Tottenham continues to press on for the striker they desire elsewhere (€29 million for Giuseppe Rossi rejected, €27 million for Andy Carroll rejected, a supposed €45 million for Sergio Kun Agüero supposedly rejected, and a last-ditch €20 million bid for Diego Forlán on the table), Llorente has not let the hearsay affect his performances on the pitch as Athletic has risen to sixth place in La Liga with a chance to fortify this position on Sunday against Atlético Madrid.

With Sevilla only able to muster a draw against Deportivo La Coruña on Saturday night, Athletic had an opportunity to move five points clear of both Sevilla and Atlético Madrid for sixth with a win against the Atleti.

Joaquín Caparrós has been the steadying influence for Athletic in these more successful yet turbulent times, and with the constant barrage of stories concerning Llorente’s theoretical transfer, he has remained steadfast about his star striker staying in Bilbao.  Speaking about this subject to AS, his frustrations have nearly bubbled up to the surface:

“How would they like it if we were constantly saying that Xabi Alonso or Cristiano Ronaldo were going to sign for Milan?  The president has said plenty of times that Llorente is an Athletic player, and we have a project here with him.”

Caparrós has always been underrated as a manager, and the players he has managed over the years would say the same thing.  The most unpretentious and unassuming man that one will ever come across in the managing ranks was the manager when Villarreal rose to La Liga for only the second time in their history, and when he left, Villarreal became a mainstay in the Primera División, eventually morphing into a perennial European tournament club.

After lifting Villarreal to the first division, he left to join Sevilla, who was then in the Segunda División.  He could not resist managing the club that he grew up watching from his hometown of Utrera, a mere thirty kilometers away from Sevilla.  Following the lineage of legendary Sevilla managers, such as Miguel Muñoz, Carlos Bilardo, Luís Aragonés, and José Antonio Camacho, he immediately pushed Sevilla back into La Liga in 2001.  With his partnership with new owner José María del Nido, they transformed a mid-table team into a perpetual European club.  Shrewd signings, shrewd sellings, and a simple team philosophy of a high-pressure defense and an organized attack symbolized Sevilla, and Caparrós brought these same characteristics when he accepted the manager’s job at Athletic Club in 2007.

All Caparrós has done since anchoring in Bilbao includes their first Copa del Rey final since 1985, their first European competition since 2004, and an eighth-place finish last season, Athletic’s best since the 2003-04 season.

With all the sexier European football clubs wrangling and yearning for Fernando Llorente, Llorente remains committed to the Athletic cause, and the main reason is the leadership and man-managing skills of one Joaquín Caparrós.

If Athletic Bilbao evokes the notion of stability in the past few years, Atlético Madrid masochistically remains in a constant condition of turmoil.  Atlético can aptly be described as bipolar, and this latest stretch since the beginning of the new year would fall in the more depressive state of mind.  Only two points behind Valencia for the final Champions League spot prior to the winter intermission, one win in seven in all competitions has seen los colchoneros meekly knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Real Madrid and has dropped them a chasmic ten points behind Valencia for fourth.

Whereas Athletic have only had to deal with the Llorente transfer gossip, Atlético have had to handle a myriad of internal problems, not only with the potential departures of Agüero and Forlán but the tenuous nature of Quique Sánchez Flores stay as manager and the purported disharmony inside the dressing room.  What cures most ills for a football club is winning, and despite the troubles abounding for los rojiblancos, a win at home over Bilbao would regain sixth place while somewhat keeping pace with Valencia and Espanyol for Champions League football.

Atlético received an extra and necessary boost prior to their match with Athletic when Quique Sánchez Flores was able to pen Sergio Agüero into his starting eleven after Agüero suffered a muscle tear in his left leg against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal two and a half weeks ago.  Atlético’s paltry returns have existed since the end of December, where they have scored more than one goal in only one of their last nine matches in all competitions, but without Agüero for the past two to three weeks, scoring has become a painful chore.  The chances they have created have dwindled to a new low when Atlético did not record a shot on goal against Sporting Gijón last weekend until the final minute of injury time, when Iván Cuéllar brilliantly tipped over Juan Valera’s header to preserve the 1-0 win for struggling Sporting.

With Agüero available against Athletic, Atlético’s attack instantly became more fluid, and with Athletic opening up their play from the first whistle, it was amazing that only one goal was scored in the first half between the two teams.  Forlán had a couple of strikes coolly saved by Athletic goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz, Agüero split the Athletic central defense several times and missed an unmolested header at the left back post from Tomáš Ujfaluši’s right-wing cross, and José Antonio Reyes, the Atleti’s best player this season, provided killer through balls and threatened Athletic with runs cutting in from both flanks.

Despite all that attacking intent, Atlético could not break through, and they shot themselves in the foot when referee Fernando Teixeira Vitienes sent off Luís Perea for, in his judgment, denying Fernando Llorente an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.  The red card was debatable, but the penalty was not.  David López and Llorente underwent a strong discussion about who would take the penalty, and after Llorente won the argument, he dragged his penalty nearly a yard wide of the left post.

Llorente and Athletic Club did not let the missed penalty affect them negatively, and they took advantage of their man advantage to score the crucial opening goal in the only minute of stoppage time in the first half.  Andoni Iraola’s cross from the right wing was perfectly weighted for Gaizka Toquero in the box, and Toquero volleyed it first-time toward the right far post and past de Gea for the 0-1 lead.  The Atlético marking was criminal as Toquero had yards of space after the Iraola cross to take it down and control it if he wanted, but Toquero wasted no time and slotted it home for his first goal in La Liga this season.

Until Gaizka Toquero scored his second of the match in the 64th minute, Atlético engendered more scoring chances, pinning Athletic in their own half of the pitch even with ten men, but the scoring drought continued, and when Toquero tallied the second goal for Athletic, the spirit in which they played throughout the match slowly dissipated from the Atleti players.

0-2 fulltime, and while the red card changed the complexion of the match, Atlético still had several golden chances to score with a man down and could not capitalize.  For Athletic, Llorente’s missed penalty could have set Athletic behind even though they were a man up at that point, but they kept plugging away, and no player on Athletic personified that heart and desire like Gaizka Toquero, who deservedly scored twice in this match to open his account for the season.

Toquero received the match ball and man of the match honors, and those plaudits were duly warranted, but with Athletic Club playing an expansive style against Atlético, the 18-year-old future of Bilbao, Iker Muniain, thrived under those conditions.  His slight frame is not built for the direct, physical nature of Athletic’s general play, but he has seamlessly adapted into the Athletic approach by toughening up and by willing to engage in physical encounters without being knocked off the ball.  With the match stretched for the majority of the time, Muniain found the scything passes and the pockets of space to lead his teammates into, and he challenged the Atlético defender numerous times with direct runs with the ball.

Athletic Bilbao showed the diversification of their portfolio against Atlético with their adaptation to playing a more indirect, passing football when the situation allows such a system to exist, and Joaquín Caparrós again demonstrated his flexibility to change his tactics rather than bullishly sticking to one mode of play.

Athletic hovered around the Europa League spots last season but finished a mere four points behind Getafe for the final Europa League berth (the Villarreal ascension into the Europa League due to Mallorca entering into administration notwithstanding).  The inconsistency that plagued this team a year ago has lessened this campaign because the stability provided by Caparrós and President Fernando García Macua has given this team time to build a chemistry that is comparable to the instinctive and telepathic communication displayed at FC Barcelona.  Fran Yeste was the only significant departure this past summer, Iker Muniain has matured exponentially both physically and mentally, and the two representatives at the World Cup for Bilbao, Javi Martínez and Fernando Llorente, have grown as leaders of this relatively young Athletic squad both on and off the pitch.

Espanyol, in a similar track to Athletic, recently lost two of their young, talented defenders, Víctor Ruiz and Dídac Vilà, to those European suitors, so keeping their top talents is the only way that Athletic can maintain these top half finishes consistently.  The glory days of the 1930s and the 1980s might not have arrived at Athletic just yet, but if they can somehow fend off the European suitors that desperately want both Muniain and Llorente, they could become a mainstay in the top-six of La Liga for years to come.

Fueras de Juego

– Can the title race really be called off with seventeen rounds remaining?  Another lackluster performance by Real Madrid finally resulted in a loss, as Javier Camuñas’ chip over Iker Casillas ended up as the lone goal in a match that was more about desire and desperation than it was about the football.  Osasuna had only lost once at the Estadio Reyno Navarra all season in La Liga, and the thick and heavy atmosphere of the stadium troubles any team that visits Pamplona.  Los merengues now trail Barcelona by seven points, an enormous gulf considering that the blaugrana have dropped only five points in twenty-one matches this season.  Emmanuel Adebayor, the No. 9 that José Mourinho desired for so long, came in with about half an hour left and provided little as Real might have to look to the Copa del Rey or the UEFA Champions League if they want any silverware before the end of the campaign.

The moral of this story: if your team is leading late in the match, and the opposition is pelting your team’s half of the pitch with every ounce they have, tactical and professional fouls can work to slow them down, but the best remedy to break the game up is to have the ball boys and girls throw extra balls on the field during the run of play.  Osasuna’s minors did that twice and unsurprisingly at important times.  Like Jeffrey Maier, whose fan interference was key in the New York Yankees run to the World Series championship in 1996, these kids will be lauded by the Osasuna fans as much as Javier Camuñas for scoring the only goal.

– FC Barcelona looked underwhelming for once but still achieved a 0-3 road victory at the Estadio José Rico Pérez against Hércules.  The side from Alicante tends to bring about Barcelona’s worst play, and if Hércules could have somehow pulled off another shocker, they would have notched their fourth straight victory over Barça, which had not been achieved since 1965 when Atlético Madrid pulled off that feat.

– Deportivo La Coruña has only scored more than two goals three times in all competitions this season, so when Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop was sent off for an intentional handball, and Lassad Nouioui scored a brace to lead the Andalucians 2-0 with twenty-seven minutes remaining, the odds of Sevilla storming back with three unanswered goals was highly unlikely.  Welcome to the world of Miguel Ángel Lotina.  Sevilla scored their three in a short sixteen minutes with a man down to take the 2-3 lead, but as time neared the ninety-minute mark, Laure equalized for Depor in one of the most controversial moments of the season.

The linesman clearly raised his flag because he felt Laure was offside when he knocked his half-volley past Javi Varas, but referee Miguel Ángel Ayza Gámez waved play on, and the replay backed up Ayza Gámez’s overrule of his assistant.  The Sevilla players were incensed, to put it mildly, and the whole team promptly surrounded both the linesman and the referee in one of the uglier scenes in Spanish football this season.  Luckily, for both Depor and the refereeing crew, the match was at El Riazor in A Coruña.  If this had happened at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, with the images of Iker Casillas being pelted by a bottle still fresh in the mind, all hell might have broken loose.

– The best display of football happened at the Estadi Cornellà El-Prat, where Villarreal escaped with a narrow 0-1 victory because of the blistering power and accuracy of Giuseppe Rossi’s shot, which beat Carlos Kameni at his left near post with nearly no angle in which to shoot, surely a top-five candidate for goal of the season.  The big question for Espanyol coming into the match was how they would replace the losses of Víctor Ruíz and Dídac Vilà to Napoli and AC Milan respectively.

Jordi Amat, the 18-year-old central defender from the Espanyol cantera, played and emitted an aura of a veteran, assuredly commencing build-up play from the back even with pressure on him and getting physical with his man when necessary.  While Espanyol lost, a draw would have been the fairer result, as Espanyol controlled possession and the flow of play throughout the match, and los periquitos look well equipped to stay in the auspices of the European places for the rest of the season.

What the match also showed is that Villarreal can win when they have to play on the counter-attack and rely on their defense and organization.  A 0-1 lead away from home was not usually a lead that the Yellow Submarine could hold too often, but against a quality club who had won every match but one at home in La Liga all season, Villarreal passed another difficult test in their quest for a top-three finish.

The Palau Reíal Major in Barcelona was the home for counts of Barcelona and later the Kings of Aragon.

Espanyol’s surprising start has not only stretched to this juncture of the season but has also improved from a club that only garnered points at home to a team that can win the tough matches away from home.  Impressively winning at Sevilla and Getafe in their last two games have shown that a top-six finish and a subsequent European berth is not only a possibility but a likely probability.

As a smaller team in La Liga and a club still fighting financial problems when it went into administration a few years ago, this January transfer window forced Espanyol to become a selling team rather than a buying team.  Two of their young and talented defenders, Víctor Ruiz and Didac Vilà, were sold within the past week to the Serie A, as Napoli payed los periquitos €6 million for Ruiz’s services and AC Milan valued Vilà at €4 million to become Milan’s future left back.

Espanyol will have to scramble this weekend to reshape their back four as they host third-place Villarreal at the Cornellà El-Prat, where the Catalans have won eight of their nine home matches this season, the only blemish being the 1-5 humbling by their city rivals FC Barcelona.  Another future defensive starlet, 18-year-old Jordi Amat, will likely play in central defense to pair up with Juan Forlín, but cover at left back could be dicey because Ernesto Galán and David García are doubtful.

Even though the Cornellà – El Prat has become a fortress for Espanyol, their defensive instability at this moment could not come at the worst time with the highly creative and innovative Villarreal coming to Barcelona on Sunday.  The seamless transition from Nilmar to Marco Rubén as Giuseppe Rossi’s strike partner has not slowed down Villarreal’s attack as Nilmar still recovers from his knee problems, and Villarreal cannot relax for a second with Valencia biting at their heels, only two points behind Villarreal for third place.

In this weekend’s other top matchup, Atlético Madrid hosts Athletic Bilbao as they have the traditional Sunday 5:00 PM kickoff time all to themselves.  The Atlético has reared its ugly head again, but this latest spell can directly fall on the absence of Sergio “Kun” Agüero because Diego Forlán has underwhelmed since his Golden Ball-winning performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and Diego Costa has been mediocre to decent.

For Athletic Bilbao, their self-destruction against Real Sociedad in the Basque derby in December led to a mini-renaissance for los leones.  Joaquin Caparrós, known for his tough love with his players, must have dressed the Athletic team down to its core after that loss, and they have responded with a 4-1-1 in La Liga since that loss and an inspiring two-legged cup tie with FC Barcelona in the Round of 16 in the Copa del Rey, where a late Éric Abidal goal gave the Culés just enough to advance 1-1 on aggregate because of the away goals rule.  Fernando Llorente continues to be the talisman for Athletic, and even through the swirling rumors of his departure, he has not let those distractions affect his performances on the pitch.

The times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Jan. 29

Mallorca vs. Sporting Gijón – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 477 (477-1 for HD)

Levante vs. Getafe – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 478 (478-1 for HD)

Real Sociedad vs. Almería – 11:55 AM on Gol TV HD

Hércules vs. FC Barcelona – 1:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Deportivo La Coruña vs. Sevilla – 3:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Jan. 30

Atlético Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao – 10:55 AM on Gol TV HD

Osasuna vs. Real Madrid – 12:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Espanyol vs. Villarreal – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Jan. 31

Racing de Santander vs. Valencia – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 477 (477-1 for HD)

Unfortunately, the Málaga – Real Zaragoza match at La Rosaleda will not be shown on US TV.

Real Madrid is making their first appearance in the semifinal of the Copa del Rey since 2006, and they face the defending champions Sevilla, who are in a mini-revival since hitting rock bottom in the middle of December.  They have only lost one of their last eight matches in all competitions, and this club has had a legitimate reputation for saving their best performances for cup competitions.  Sevilla’s three strikers, Luís Fabiano, Frédéric Kanouté, and Álvaro Negredo, are finally starting to play well at the same time, and that is a departure from much of this campaign, whenonly  one, and on occasion two of them, would string together a few games together of decent play.

Sergio Sánchez can only prove to be an inspiration to the team after coming back into the fold after over a year, when many feared that he would not be able to play football again due to his heart problems.  Predictably, Sánchez has looked a little off the pace in the center of defense, but as he regains trust with his teammates and more importantly in himself that he can exert 100% of his energy without fear of a potential episode, he should return to the player that Sevilla paid Espanyol €4 million for in 2009.

In the other semifinal, most have already given FC Barcelona a berth in the Copa del Rey final because their opponent, Almería, sits 18th in the table and in the relegation zone, and when these two clubs opposed each other in La Liga, Barça equaled their most lopsided away victory in their illustrious history, an 0-8 embarrassment that was the final straw for Juan Manuel Lillo’s tenure as Almería manager.

José Luís Oltra has somewhat steadied the ship since taking over for Lillo, and he has been helped by the reemergence of Kalu Uche, who has provided Almería the center forward necessary for Pablo Piatti, Albert Crusat, and co. to roam from the wings, provide the crosses, and cut in to take shots on their own.  José Ulloa has flourished as the super-sub striker when Almería needs a goal, scoring seven in just five starts and fourteen substitute appearances.

Without the stellar play of Diego Alves in goal, however, whatever goals Almería scored would be rendered moot.  The Brazilian goalkeeper has saved 103 shots on goal, by far the most in La Liga, and somehow has only conceded thirty-four.  Almería only has two clean sheets, tied with Málaga for the fewest in the league, but that has everything to do with Almería and hardly anything to do with Diego Alves.  He continues to be linked with a move away from Almería, but until that happens, he is the only chance for Almería to advance to the final past Barcelona.

Jan. 26

Sevilla vs. Real Madrid – 1:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Barcelona vs. Almería – 3:55 PM on Gol TV HD

The man that Pérez wanted to offload since he returned for his second stint as Real president sits in the stands because he is recovering from surgery that repaired a herniated lumbar disc in his back, and José Mourinho has not developed a successful system to cope with this loss.  The natural deputy for Higuaín is Karim Benzema, the talented and young French international who came with his own expectations when Real splashed a cool €35 million in the summer of 2009, but he has failed to impress since arriving at the Bernabéu.

This injury was so severe for Higuaín that he was an unused substitute in Real’s most important match of the season to this point against FC Barcelona, and Barça drubbed los blancos 5-0.  Benzema, thrown unexpectedly into the Camp Nou cauldron because of Higuaín’s absence, predictably let the moment get to him and became largely ineffective against the Catalans.  To be fair, the whole squad had run out of any plausible ideas against Barça, but setting aside El Clásico, Benzema, in essence, was on trial for his future in Madrid from that match forward because Higuaín’s layoff from action extended from a week to a couple weeks to four months when the doctors recommended surgery.

Without looking deeply into the statistics, since Benzema became the starting striker against Barcelona prior to the Mallorca match on Sunday, he had scored six goals in eleven matches in all competitions.  Any top-notch striker strives for a goal ratio of one every two games, and Benzema surpassed that, but those six goals came in two matches: a hat-trick against Auxerre in the final match of the UEFA Champions League group stage, when Real already secured the top spot in the group; and a hat-trick against lowly Levante in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Round of 16, when Real ran rampant on the Valencians with an 8-0 thrashing.

Seven appearances in La Liga accrued zero goals, and in five of those matches, Mourinho substituted him.  The real indication, however, that Mourinho did not trust in Benzema came last round against Almería, when he was not named in the starting eleven, and Cristiano Ronaldo, an attacking midfielder, played as the lone striker up front with Ángel di María, Mesut Özil, and Kaká supporting Ronaldo.  In their next match in midweek against Atlético Madrid, with the tie still alive in the Copa del Rey, Mourinho opted again to place Ronaldo up front and leave Benzema on the bench.

Since Mourinho settled on his optimal starting eleven after the first few weeks of the season to gauge the situation himself with his new club, he hardly made any changes from week to week, so for Mourinho to experiment wildly with his lineup this far into the campaign showed signs of confusion and desperation within the technical staff about the current state of affairs.

Regardless of whatever happens with Real Madrid, calm or stormy, the rumors always fly around them during any January transfer window about whom they are going to sign, and with the Higuaín injury and the Benzema ineffectiveness, the names floated around.  Hugo Almeida, Emmanuel Adebayor, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Miroslav Klose, Didier Drogba, and now Roman Pavlyuchenko.  The players would never admit to this, but the dissent apparent among Mourinho, Pérez, and technical director Jorge Valdano concerning the striker question is indirectly affecting their play on the pitch, and with Barcelona routinely cruising to three, four, and five goal victories, any slip-up is magnified hundred-fold.

Despite the drama enveloping events at the Santiago Bernabéu, they have won every single match at home in all competitions this season, and after their 1-1 debacle at the Estadio Juegos Mediterráneos against Almería, Real needed the comfort of the Bernabéu to assuage their growing concerns.

Unfortunately, they hosted a Mallorca team that earned a share of the points at the Iberostar Stadium against Real in the opening round of the season, and Michael Laudrup’s team had no intention of bowing for their illustrious opponents.  In three matches as manager against the club with whom he used to play, two with Getafe and one with Mallorca, Real had only scored one goal in those three games, and in a famous 0-1 win for Getafe in February 2008, Ikechukwu Uche fired the lone goal immediately after the Real players were celebrating an Arjen Robben goal that was nullified by referee Arturo Daudén Ibáñez because he correctly ruled Raúl offside.  The win for Getafe spoiled Real Madrid perfect home record that season, and Laudrup’s Mallorca wanted to repeat the same feat on Sunday.

Laudrup has a different type of squad with Mallorca than he had with Getafe, and he cannot play the free-flowing, open type of football for long stretches like he did with Getafe.  Pablo Hernández, Ikechukwu Uche, and Manu worked and created seamlessly at Getafe to play as Laudrup wanted, and while Pierre Webó, Gonzalo Castro, Emilio Nsue, etc. are decent attacking players, they are not the type of players that will scare opposing defenses for more than a few occasions in a match.  What he does have at Mallorca is a pair of central defenders that will rival any duo in Spain, Iván Ramis and José Nunes, and a goalkeeper that continues to be underrated and under-appreciated among the Spanish scribes, Dudu Aouate.

Mallorca limited Real to a few scoring chances in their 0-0 draw in August, and when Real bossed the match in the second half and pinned all ten Mallorca players in their own half, Aouate made a multitude of outstanding saves, and Ramis and Nunes closed down and blocked several shots that would have menaced Aouate’s goal.

With Webó’s strike partner Víctor Casadesús out for eight to ten weeks with a thigh injury, both Jonathan de Guzman and Pep Lluís Martí on the sidelines with minor knee injuries, and right back Pau Cendrós suspended, Laudrup could have expected to defend for most of Sunday’s match, similar to the second half of the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

Mourinho tinkered with his lineup again, benching Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, and Mesut Özil in favor of Fernando Gago, Esteban Granero, and Karim Benzema respectively.  With a Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday against Sevilla, Mourinho might have looked to rest a few players against Mallorca, but with Real blundering and bumbling through their last few matches, Mourinho could have easily been sending a message to his squad that no spot is guaranteed.  Without Benzema in the starting eleven for the past two matches, Real struggled to score, so with little choice, Mourinho stuck Benzema back up front.

While los merengues huffed and puffed in the first half, Mallorca’s Emilio Nsue had the best scoring chance of the half in the 13th minute when he shot from the right side of the penalty area across the face of goal toward the left far post and past Iker Casillas, but the post was unkind for Mallorca, pinging the ball away from goal.  Nsue entered into acres of space down the right wing because Marcelo was out of position inside Mallorca’s final third, and Casillas made sure that Marcelo knew that when he confronted Marcelo immediately after Nsue banged the post, displaying the increasingly frayed nerves and tensions among the Real players.

Mourinho admitted to his mistakes when he made two halftime changes, sending in Xabi Alonso and Mesut Özil and taking out Fernando Gago and Kaká.  In his press conference after the match, he stated how the Copa del Rey was a priority and because of that, he made a few changes because, in his words, “We [the coaching staff] have noted the physical and emotional wear and tear of the team at the moment.”

When Webó’s left-footed, pirouette first-time volley forced a stellar save by Casillas early in the second half, and referee Eduardo Iturralde González correctly did not call a handball in the box on Nunes in the 58th minute, it would not have been a stretch to imagine that Michael Laudrup would have done it again to his old team.  In all of this uncertainty, the opening goal went to Real just after the hour mark, and Karim Benzema, of all people, gave Madrid the 1-0 lead.

The build-up play set up Benzema in the box, with Ronaldo setting up Granero, who then played a through ball for Benzema.  Benzema still had plenty of work to do, and after a stepover and a dribble to create a crucial yard of room and to get the ball on his left foot, he rifled it to the left far post and past Aouate for a vital goal not only for this match but for Real’s hope of stealing the La Liga title away from Barcelona.

For the final half-hour, Real pounded Aouate’s box.  Ronaldo had a header that struck the crossbar, he also had a free kick that whizzed by the right far post by the width of a ball, and Benzema had three different chances to seal the victory, none of which he capitalized, reverting back to the Benzema that the Real fans knew.  Mallorca almost had the last laugh in the third minute of stoppage time when Nsue and Webó perfected a two-man game down the right side of the penalty area, leading to a Webó shot that needed the outstretched legs of Casillas to prevent from Mallorca equalizing at the death.

1-0 fulltime, and Real somehow pulled three points out of the Bermellón fire.

Real Madrid cannot stay in this form for too much longer if they want to reclaim La Liga from Barcelona, and while their next eight matches in the league would not worry them too much, save for Espanyol at the Cornellà – El Prat and maybe their match at home against Real Sociedad, it only takes one really poor performance as they had against Almería to squander their chance in La Liga.  They cannot ride the suggestion that Barcelona will drop points even though their world-beating ways must end at some point, and despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s Pichichi-leading twenty-two goals, he is not the answer as the lone striker up top.

There is one full week left in the transfer window, and Real Madrid may well provide the extra striker that Mourinho always wanted since he arrived in Madrid in the summer, but if Jorge Valdano wins Florentino Pérez’s influence over Mourinho, Benzema will be the man to shoulder the responsibility up front.  Speaking about Benzema after the match on the club website, Valdano continued to reiterate his support for Benzema:

“Goals are essential to strikers.  A striker needs confidence and it comes with goals.  He [Benzema] had a good game and scored a goal that allowed us to take three points.  In the past, it was players like Higuaín who had to resolve similar situations as they were heavily scrutinized, and Higuaín has turned out to be a great striker for Real Madrid. We hope the same happens to Benzema.”

While Valdano would definitely back Benzema since he was instrumental in bringing him to the Bernabéu in the summer of 2009, Benzema’s situation is strikingly similar to Higuaín when the Argentinean made his €13 million move from River Plate to Real Madrid in January 2007.  After a hit-and-miss year and a half at the Bernabéu, he banged in the goals at the end of the 2007-08 season to give Real their 31st league title, and Higuaín has never looked back.

Benzema’s goal against Mallorca on Sunday, his first in La Liga since September against Espanyol, could be the watershed moment that he needs to raise his confidence and become the striker that Valdano and Pérez saw with Lyon and the French national team.  Unfortunately, this was also said about his hat-trick against Auxerre and his hat-trick against Levante.

Fueras de Juego

– Valencia and nine-man Málaga’s 4-3 thriller at the Mestalla further ingrained the opinions about each team.  For Valencia, their attack is much more effective when both Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz pair up together, and Valencia’s shaky second-half defense will cost them important points that could determine if they earn a Champions League berth at the end of the season.  For Málaga, their numerous signings this January should keep them from the relegation fight because their attacking talent should carry them through, but their defense continues to leak goals, conceding forty-five, eleven more than the next worst defenses, Almería and Levante.

– Cani did not score another goal from the halfway line, but Villarreal worked hard for their 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad to regain third place from Valencia and maintain a two-point lead over their provincial rivals.  Marco Rubén has been more than a capable deputy for Nilmar, and the jack-of-all-trades midfield work of Borja Valero and Bruno Soriano have returned the Yellow Submarine back to its lofty perch of a top-three Spanish side.

– If Atlético Madrid’s limp performance in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Real Madrid signaled trouble at the Vicente Calderón, their 1-0 defeat at El Molinón against relegation-fighting Sporting Gijón was outright impotent.  The absence of Sergio “Kun” Agüero and Atlético’s corresponding poor showings without him proves the point that he is more valuable to the Atleti at this moment than Diego Forlán, and whereas Marco Rubén has filled in admirably for Nilmar, Diego Costa has not provided that same spark deputizing for Agüero.  Atlético is starting to fall away from the top-five, seven points behind fifth-place Espanyol and ten points away from Valencia for the final Champions League spot, and Quique Sánchez Flores’ may face a sacking sooner than later.  Is that not the situation with every Atlético manager however?

The Passeig des Born, a picturesque promenade in the heart of Palma de Mallorca, is lined with high-end shops coupled with quaint pavement cafés while hosting numerous festivals and fiestas throughout the year.

La Liga officially begins the second half of its season this weekend, and FC Barcelona has continued its stellar form with a staggering fifty-two points out of a possible fifty-seven points, a Spanish record for the opening half of any campaign.  Despite this extended run of breathtaking football, Barça only has a four point lead over their eternal rivals Real Madrid.  At the halfway point of last season, the Catalans held a five point edge on Real.  Two blips on the radar have blemished Barcelona’s record: a home loss to Hércules and a draw against Mallorca.

As impressive as it were for Hércules and Mallorca to take points away from Barcelona, Mallorca should receive an extra star because they also shared the points at home against Real Madrid in the opening round of the campaign, the only team in La Liga to achieve such a feat.  Similar to the Bundesliga and the Serie A, the second half of La Liga’s schedule is identical to the first half except that those who were home in the first half would now be away in the second half, and Real Madrid will want their revenge on los barralets in one of the highlight matches of this weekend.

Despite cruising to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday night with a surprisingly easy 0-1 victory over an impotent Atlético Madrid to win by four goals to one on aggregate, the doom and gloom still hovers over the Santiago Bernabéu after their 1-1 draw last weekend against 19th place Almería dropped them four points behind Barcelona in the league.  The leaked and alleged stories of dressing room bust-ups between Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Ronaldo, Jorge Valdano and José Mourinho, etc. only help to increase the pessimistic fervor among the Madridistas that are already losing hope that the championship is slipping away in the middle of January.

Mourinho has lost trust in Karim Benzema in recent matches, placing Ronaldo as a lone striker while easing Kaká into the rotation after months out due to knee troubles.  The results of this tweak have not convinced, only scoring a single goal against both Almería and Atlético Madrid, and while the Real Madrid board wade in the water about acquiring another striker during the January transfer window, Mourinho has to keep the ship on track before Barcelona sails out of sight.

Mallorca will be below full strength because Pau Cendros is suspended, Jonathan De Guzman and Pep Lluís Martí are still recovering from knee injuries, and Víctor Casadesús has just learned that he will miss up to ten weeks with a thigh injury.  Despite these significant absences for Michael Laudrup’s team, Mallorca’s defense has been solid throughout the season, and if they can frustrate Real Madrid and hope for an uninspiring performance from Real as what happened in Jornada 1, a merengue victory might not be such an easy bet.

Other intriguing matches this round include Valencia hosting the burgeoning squad of Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani’s Málaga club, whose latest edition is a Pablo Piatti clone, 5′ 3″ winger/striker Diego Buonanotte from River Plate, precocious Real Sociedad traveling to El Madrigal to face Villarreal, the best of the rest, and Getafe welcoming Espanyol to the southern edges of Madrid in a match of two top-eight outfits that most pundits predicted would be much lower in the table than where they currently stand.

The times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Jan. 22

Sevilla vs. Levante – 11:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

FC Barcelona vs. Racing de Santander – 1:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Valencia vs. Málaga – 3:55 PM on Gol TV HD

Jan. 23

Real Zaragoza vs. Deportivo La Coruña – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 477

Getafe vs. Espanyol – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 478

Sporting Gijón vs. Atlético Madrid – 10:55 AM on Gol TV HD

Real Madrid vs. Mallorca – 12:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Villarreal vs. Real Sociedad – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Jan. 24

Athletic Bilbao vs. Hércules – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 477

Unfortunately, the Almería – Osasuna match at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos will not be shown on US TV.

Gameweek 23 provides us with a really super Sunday. We have the Second City, Tyne-Wear and Merseyside derbies to look forward to and if that’s not enough there is Man Utd’s visit to Tottenham to cap it all off. A day of goals, drama, high emotion and controversy is on the cards.

Aston Villa’s short trip to St Andrews looks to be a close encounter, and it could be at the back where the points are to be had. Ben Foster(5.2) is having an impressive season which has seen him notch 89 points so far. Birmingham’s uncompromising Liam Ridgewell(5.8) could be worth a run out. It’s a game that could be decided by a set play and Ridgewell will be right in the mix. Villa find themselves well and truly in the relegation battle and will be willing skipper Stylian Petrov(5.1) to recapture his inspirational form. Gerrard Houllier’s men need a boost fast, and their fit again Captain could be the man to provide it.

The only thing on Steve Bruce’s mind will be revenge come Sunday. Sunderland’s mauling at the hands of their rivals is still fresh in the memory. Phil Bardsley(4.7) will be hoping that goals are like buses after scoring his first goal for the club last gameweek and Mackem’s Goal-machine Darren Bent(8.6) must fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet. In the absence of Andy Carroll the Magpies main threat will come from the engine room, in the form of Kevin Nolan(6.1) and Football’s Mr Popular Joey Barton(4.7), love him or hate him at 4.7 million with 76 points Barton is value for money.

King Kenny is back on the throne at Anfield. He is two matches into his reign and it is clear he has a job on his hands. Confidence is the main issue, if Fernando Torres(11.9) start’s banging the goals in on a regular basis, confidence will begin to spread throughout the side. Rivals Everton just can’t seem to decide what sort of season they are going to have and they must now cope without Asian Cup bound Tim Cahill. Extra pressure in Cahill’s absence falls upon string-puller Mikel Arteta(8.0). If you’re feeling brave then why not throw Luis Saha(7.6) into the mix, he may have porcelain hamstrings but he’s scored two goals in his last two games and who knows he might be on the start of a goal-scoring run.

If Tottenham are to be considered genuine title challengers then Sunday’s game is must win for them. Stand up Rafael Van Der Vaart(8.8), Gareth Bale(7.4) and Luka Modric(7.2), whoever can control the midfield in this one should come out with all three points. Dimitar Berbatov(9.4) will be desperate to spoil the party for the club he sulked his way out of and Nani(9.5) will also pose a threat to a side which tend to try and outscore their opponents. The clash at White Hart Lane has all the ingredients of a classic in the making.

And finally, if you feel the need to freshen up your attack, Robbie Keane is on the brink of signing for Birmingham City. Keane’s lack of action has seen his price drop to a very tempting 4.8 million.

That’s your lot this week. If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ the code you need to join is 13413-5300

Starting between the sticks we have Manchester City’s Joe Hart, the Blue half of Manchester are serious title contenders and much of this is due to the brilliance of their young stopper. Points wise Hart is head and shoulders above all other Goalkeepers with an impressive total of 95. If his 6.8 million price tag puts you off, there are cheaper alternatives. Birmingham’s Ben Foster(5.1) 81 points and Blackburn’s Paul Robinson(4.6) 72 points provide excellent value for money.

There is a reason Nemanja Vidic(8.0) is at the heart of 32% of Fantasy League defences, well actually there are 87 reasons. Man United’s rock at the back is top of the defensive pile going into the New Year. Following closely behind are Chelsea’s Ashley Cole(8.3) with 86 points and Everton’s Leighton Baines(7.5) 85 points. Sneaking into the top ten defenders is Sunderland’s Ahmed Elmohamady(4.8) with a 68 point return. Just one point behind Elmohamady is Baines’ team mate Seamus Coleman(4.9). Directly below Coleman you will find Patrice Evra(7.3) and John Terry(7.0), even further down the list is Man City’s Kolo Toure(6.4). It just goes to show that you don’t always get what you pay for.

Moving into midfield we start to find members of the 100 club. Rather surprisingly Everton’s Tim Cahill(9.3) leads the way with 106 points. Not only does the Australian run the midfield he often finds himself thrust upfront and has tucked away nine league goals in the process. Man United’s Nani(9.6) is just 2 points behind Cahill. The winger has been showing real quality throughout the campaign. Like Ronaldo before him Nani looks to have learnt that the tricks, however pretty they may be, do not win you Football matches and has vastly improved his all round game.

Special mention goes to Stoke City wide-man Matthew Etherington(5.9). Normally any left footed Englishman with an ounce of talent is treated like the second coming, however Etherington has quietly gone about his impressive business, three league goals and numerous assists place him ninth overall in the midfield rankings with 85 points.

Leading the way upfront is Newcastle’s Andy Carroll(6.5). They love a number 9 at St James Park and Carroll is no disappointment, the lanky striker has bagged 11 league goals this season and has 113 points to show for his efforts. It’s no surprise that the young Magpie is in 55% of Fantasy league teams.

Hot on Carroll’s heels is Carlos Tevez(11.3). The Argentine has 12 goals to his name and now that his Wayne Rooney style transfer tantrum is done and dusted he can get back to doing what he does best. A note of caution on wee Carlos this week as he is a slight doubt with a thigh injury.

And finally, I can’t go without singing the praises of Bolton’s front two. Johan Elmander(6.5) and Kevin Davies(6.5) have 191 points between them. Owen Coyle’s team are enjoying a cracking season so far and are the only team to have two strikers in the top ten.

That’s all for 2010 folks, I sincerely hope you all have a very Happy New Year.

If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleaguem.com/ the code you need to join is 13413-5300

Merry Christmas one and all and welcome to Gameweek 19. Blackpool Vs Liverpool faces a late pitch inspection, otherwise it looks set to be a full line up over the festivities. There will be plenty of action to enjoy as you tuck into your Turkey sandwiches and polish of the last of the sherry.

Tottenham travel to Villa Park in Sunday’s late game, playmaker Rafael Van Der Vaart(8.2) may not be relishing the holiday fixtures but he is back to full fitness and sure to feature. The Dutchman has been hugely influential all season and Harry Redknapp will be delighted to have him back as Spurs look to keep up with the pack. Robbie Keane is destined for the exit door at White Hart Lane in January. The frontman is currently available for a cut-price 4.8 million. Provided he switches to another Premier League side that could be one hell of a deal.

It’s all gone a bit wrong for the Villa since their draw with Man Utd. If Emile Heskey(5.5) can regain his early season promise it could turn the tide for Gerrard Houllier’s men. Winger Stuart Downing(7.1) has also been a bright spot in a so far lacklustre season, the wingers influence could be even more crucial with fellow winger Ashley Young likely to sit this one out with a knee injury.

Chelsea have an excellent record against Arsenal so their trip to the Emirates could be a perfect opportunity to get their season back on track. Didier Drogba(12.5) probably can’t wait for Monday night, the obscenely gifted cry-baby has put 13 goals past the gunners in 13 matches.  The Blues also welcome back the very sorely missed Frank Lampard(12.6) to their starting line up. It is sure to be a keenly contested game that could provide a few goals. Arsenals twinkled toed Samir Nasri(8.4) could well be staking a claim for player of the season and it’s no surprise that he is currently in 32.5% of Fantasy League Teams. If you want to add a bit of Arsenal flair to your squad but are on a tight budget then you can always treat yourself to star of the future Jack Wilshere. The midfielder has picked up some serious game time this season, he will undoubtedly add to his current points total of 35 as his confidence grows and is yours for a cool 4.9 million.

Gameweek 20 will be upon us in a blink of an eye so that’s your lot for this week. If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleaguem.com/ the code you need to join is 13413-5300

Andrés Iniesta became one of the few Barcelona players to be truly loved by Espanyol fans with this gesture.

Before the biggest match in Andrés Iniesta’s career and in the history of Spanish football, Iniesta had a trillion thoughts running through his head.  One of those thoughts that came to fruition was writing a message to his close friend, Daniel Jarque, on his undershirt.  That message said, “Dani Jarque, siempre con nosotros,” (Dani Jarque, always with us).

Jarque, who was born and bred through the Espanyol system, had succeeded club legend Raúl Tamudo as club captain in the summer of 2009, a lifelong dream for the hometown boy from Barcelona.  During a preseason trip with Espanyol to Italy that summer, Jarque suffered a heart attack and lost his life at the tender age of 26.  The only comfort that anyone could take from Jarque’s death was that he achieved the pinnacle of club captain while still alive.

Even if Spain lost that World Cup final to the Netherlands, Iniesta would have displayed his undershirt to the 84,490 people in Soccer City and to the cameras beaming the match throughout the world, but it would have not had the same impact.  Sergio Ramos and Jesús Navas had a similar sentiment and message for their fallen teammate, Antonio Puerta, but it did not have the same impact.  Whether you believe in fate and destiny or not, who scored the 116th minute goal, the only goal in the match, to earn Spain its first World Cup?  Andrés Iniesta.  Instead of the relative anonymity that Iniesta usually enjoys, that strike put him front and center, and he had no hesitation to rip off his jersey and reveal his communiqué to the hundreds of millions of people watching Spain’s triumph in South Africa.

Fast forward five months later to the 152nd edition of El Derbi Barceloní, and both Catalan clubs are flying high in the table, one expectedly and the other unexpectedly.  Barcelona’s recent form had been nothing short of stellar, completing a combined 26-0 thrashing of their last six opponents in all competitions, including the signature performance of the season with their “La Manita” 5-0 dismissal of Real Madrid in the Camp Nou.  Espanyol, through the strength of their 100% home record, has consistently stayed in the European zone and had camped out in fourth position for the past four weeks.

Usually, Espanyol plays the role of spoiler in this derby, trying with all their might to derail FC Barcelona from winning championships because los periquitos normally have nothing for which to play in the derby except for pride; however, Saturday’s match meant more for Espanyol in terms of a potential Champions League berth for the blanc i blaus, and they came in with expectations for the first time in a while, the first time in a while that both teams are playing on a somewhat level playing field when it comes to league placement.

The Espanyol supporters released all of their pent-up venom for their more glamorous neighbors before the match, displaying “Anti-Culé” scarves, carrying props, including tombstones with the Barça badge on them and a strange and disturbing yet hilarious blonde blowup doll with Gerard Piqué’s cut-out face glued on in reference to the Piqué – Shakira rumored affair, and jeering every Barça player as the public address announcer read each name, save for one person: Andrés Iniesta.  Signs throughout the Cornellà – El Prat gave thanks to Iniesta for thinking about their former captain during the World Cup, and some even had Espanyol jerseys with Iniesta’s name emblazoned on the back with the number 21, Dani Jarque’s number.

When Pep Guardiola made the decision to substitute Iniesta in the 86th minute for Seydou Keita, Iniesta received a standing ovation from the Espanyol crowd that few, if any, Barcelona players ever received.  Even both sets of players, who still had jobs to do on the pitch even though Barça was routing Espanyol 1-5 at that point, also joined in the love fest for Iniesta, clapping him off the field in respect for his dignity and his human spirit.  True to a rivalry, however, once Iniesta came off and Keita entered, the cheers turned to whistles, and order was restored after a moment of solidarity between the two Catalan clubs.

Iniesta felt the emotion of the crowd and the transcendent nature of that moment in time:

“I felt something when I was on the pitch, and that is the greatest thing.  More important than the rivalry are the people involved.  They have sent me many messages, and that is much more important to me.”

With most of the attention on the unassuming and humble Andrés Iniesta, there actually was a game played at 20:00 CET on Saturday night, and Espanyol, with their unbounded confidence at home, tried to play football with Barcelona.  In the past few derbies, Espanyol’s tactics involved an overt physicality to knock the Barça players off the ball and away from their concerto rhythm.  Sometimes, Espanyol would partake in more than questionable challenges to prove their athletic prowess.  Not this time.

Pablo Osvaldo announced his team’s intentions with the first minute with a decent shot to the right near post, where Víctor Valdés made a comfortable save.  Espanyol would try to play out of the back and keep possession, but the still-underrated Barcelona defense pressured every Espanyol player on the ball and pinned them in their own half as Barça created chance after chance, including an inexplicable miss from Lionel Messi with an open goal in front of him.

Messi would not score in the match, a rare event these days, but that did not mean that Espanyol shut down his game because Messi provided two assists to raise his total to an astonishing ten, four ahead of Juan Mata, Mesut Özil, Xabi Prieto, and teammate Pedro Rodríguez at the top of the assists table, as well as creating the second goal for Pedro when he pinged his shot off the post.  Pedro and David Villa each had a brace, and Xavi Hernández scored from an acute angle to contribute to Barcelona’s five goals.

Only when Espanyol fell two goals behind within the opening half-hour did they revert to their old tactics, and in a span of five minutes, referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco showed three yellow cards to three different Espanyol players.  It slowed Barcelona’s attack to an extent, but it did not put a blockade on Carlos Kameni’s goal.

When Pablo Osvaldo scored in the 63rd minute, it gave Espanyol a tiny flicker of hope at 1-3.  José Callejón sent in a cutting ball through the always-high Barcelona defensive line for Osvaldo, and Carles Puyol was never going to catch the Argentinean.  Víctor Valdés, however, backed up and decided to stay on his line rather than come off his line and close the angle down on Osvaldo’s shot.  Osvaldo blasted it past Valdés to the left far post for the goal, and Puyol dressed down Valdés for being passive rather than being assertive on Osvaldo.

The next two scoring chances after Osvaldo’s goal went to Espanyol, and with a little luck, it could have easily been 2-3.  Callejón’s cross to Osvaldo was a few inches too high, as Osvaldo could not snap the header down and looped it over the crossbar.  Xavi then gave away a cheap turnover that on which Osvaldo pounced with a potential one-on-one with Valdés in sight, but Piqué and Puyol came in on either side of Osvaldo, and that forced Osvaldo to rush his shot to the right far post, and Valdés smothered it with relative ease.

Barcelona always gives their opposition a couple of moments to capitalize because they play a suicidally high defensive line, but Espanyol did not convert, and Barça scored twice in the final fifteen minutes to add a gloss that was not indicative of the match played at the Cornellà – El Prat.

1-5 fulltime, but Barcelona was not four goals better than Espanyol.

Just three.

Espanyol had given up only two goals in seven matches at home prior to the derby, and while they conceded five, they did not play poorly at all.  Such is the current brilliance of Barcelona.  With Valencia’s win at Real Sociedad later that night, Espanyol fell to fifth even though Valencia tied them on points because of goal difference.  Valencia and Espanyol will meet at the beginning of the new year to break the deadlock, and even if Espanyol does not win against Valencia at the Mestalla, the blanc i blau should maintain their place in the European places throughout the season because of their tremendous home form and the ebullient attacking trio of Luís García, José Callejón, and Pablo Osvaldo with Joan Verdú acting as the orchestrator of the bunch.

For Barcelona, their level of play has been so high that the pundits and the scribes have almost described a 1-5 romp against their derby rivals as “routine”, and they should not make that mistake.  The blaugrana cannot possibly keep up this form for the rest of the season (or can they?), so these types of performances should not be dismissed so easily as a typical Barça blowout.

Despite the destruction caused by this historic Barcelona team, they have not won any trophies yet this campaign, and the players would be the first ones to point out this fact.  A La Liga/Champions League double has become the minimum expectation for this season’s Barcelona squad, and while the bookies have them as heavy favorites to win both competitions, silverware is not won in December.

Inter Milan might have won the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday to lay claim to the official title of the world’s best club team, but hardly anyone can argue who is currently the best club team based on the eye test.

FC Barcelona.

Fueras de Juego

– Referee Carlos Clos Gómez made himself the center of attention as he handed out eleven yellow cards and two red cards in Real Madrid’s scrappy 1-0 over Sevilla on Sunday night.  Holding up the match report in the post-match press conference, José Mourinho claimed that Clos Gómez made thirteen “very serious mistakes” but would not go into detail in fear of another suspension.  Despite the horrendous refereeing performance, many of the bad calls going against Real Madrid, los blancos squeaked out a tight victory over a desperate Sevilla side that needed three points in the worst way possible.  In any championship-winning season, a team plays a few matches in which they were outplayed or did not deserve to win, yet somehow sneak away with the full three points.  This match against Sevilla was exactly that type of match, and Real Madrid kept themselves from falling five points behind Barcelona, which at this point could be impossible to overcome.  Karim Benzema provided another tepid performance, and the need for another striker in January could not be more blatantly seen than in Madrid’s match against Sevilla.

– The most entertaining match of the weekend took place at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, where Almería went up two goals on Getafe within the first half-hour, but Getafe scored three unanswered goals to nick the victory 2-3.  This match was one of the fastest-paced in La Liga this season, and there were few occasions where either team could take a breath, as the other would immediately break toward the opposition goal.  Almería’s loss to Getafe was a backbreaker because, even at this early stage, they could look at those three dropped points as one of the reasons why they could eventually suffer relegation.  José Luís Oltra has given Almería an extra boost, and if he keeps Kalu Uche ahead of Henok Goitom as the center forward, Almería should avoid relegation by the slimmest of margins.

– At the opposite side of the spectrum, Osasuna and Real Zaragoza played one of the dourest matches of the season, as Osasuna created virtually all of the scoring chances in the match against an absent Real Zaragoza team yet could not score.  Both teams have already been eliminated from the Copa del Rey, so they will not play in the midweek, and both teams looked as though they started their winter break when Antonio Mateu Lahoz blew his whistle for the opening kickoff.  Unless Zaragoza can reloan Humberto “Chupete” Suazo from Monterrey, Zaragoza will go down for the second time in four years.