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Well if there was one game I couldn’t wait for the return leg this season so far, then Manchester City vs Arsenal was the one. Now thanks to the magic of the League Cup draw, we get an extra episode in this intriguing match up. There is no doubt that the first league clash saw some pretty unsavory scenes both on and off the field and the repercussions are still rippling through both clubs. It will be interesting to see if Wenger scraps his usual policy of youth and fields the strongest team available to him on Wednesday night.
Manchester City on the other hand will no doubt look to play their strongest side, which of course means Adebayor and Toure will once again face up against their former team mates. City are determined to put a marker down this season and the unwanted record of 7 consecutive draws in the Premiership, with only the solitary <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/8323120.stm" target="_blank">win against Scunthorpe United</a> coming in the last two months to give the Blue side of Manchester some cheer. Winning the League Cup is certainly on Mark Hughes’ list of priorities, a trophy would be a major step in the right direction for both himself and Manchester City.

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The question for me is though can Arsenal rise above gaining revenge at Eastlands? Coupled with the defeat on Sunday against Arsenal which saw some unusual <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/nov/30/premier-league-arsenal-chelsea-richard-williams" target="_blank">post match comments from Arsene Wenger</a>, keeping a calm head will be crucial for the Gunners. It is unusual for a League Cup game to have so much riding on it but this game now becomes a needle game for both sides. The league clash was a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8246825.stm" target="_blank">thrilling roller coaster ride</a> for the neutral fans out there and with it being live on TV, I’m really looking forward to it for the right reasons. I don’t want it to descend in to a free for all, I want a damn fine game.
With Van Persie and Bendtner out of Wednesday’s clash, the Adebayor fan club won’t be in evidence on the pitch, but it’s important for both teams to try and put the events of September 12th behind them. After all the accusations and fall out, the last thing either side needs is a repeat of the animosity that broke out that day. Both sides need a result for varying reasons and it’s odd that this game could offer both some much needed respite.
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Hughes is once again coming under pressure from certain parts of the media, but it was never going to be easy to get such an amount of signings to gel so quickly. Manchester City were never going to hit the ground in the way some people thought, it doesn’t work like that.&nbsp; Arsenal, once again hit a ropey patch and the knives come out for Wenger who has seen his side lose two in a row in the Premiership but made sure they were through to the knock out stages of the Champions League.
For both sides, the League Cup could offer some much needed silverware to go in the trophy cabinet and give the fans something to cheer about. The League Cup, for all it’s maligned reputation has had something of a renaissance in recent seasons and the last 8 sides are all Premiership clubs who fancy their chances of reaching the semi finals.Both clubs at Eastlands will be trying to make sure they are one of them and I think it may be a cracker of a game.

Manchester City Vs Arsenal: Round Two

Manchester City Vs Arsenal: Round Two - World Soccer Talk

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Arsenal 2- Birmingham 2 Eduardo’s injury – a horrific broken leg – stole the headlines.&nbsp;&nbsp; But, it did not decisively affect the outcome.&nbsp; Luck controlled much of it.&nbsp; Birmingham capitalized upon one free kick – a questionable call – and one penalty – a blatantly wrong call.&nbsp; Fabregas had two goal-worthy efforts, one stopped by Taylor and the other by the post.
Adebayor’s performance was as shocking as&nbsp; his short hair.&nbsp; He fluffed an open breakaway.&nbsp; He also failed to square a ball to testy teammate Nicklas Bendtner.&nbsp; Both would likely have clinched victory for Arsenal.
Walcott’s effort encourages, however.&nbsp; His talent is elite without question, but his confidence and decision-making ability has been sub-par.&nbsp; However, he put in a fine effort for a brace, his first two goals in the Premier League.&nbsp; He adeptly slotted in the first goal, and his second, a few minutes later, was magnificent.
The draw drops Arsenal to three points above Manchester United.&nbsp; The Gunners will hope their bad weak was a blip, not a sign of weakness.
Newcastle 1 – Manchester United 5&nbsp; In case anyone was unaware, Rooney and Ronaldo are pretty good.&nbsp; It was an exhaustingly easy effort from the Red Devils.&nbsp; Newcastle played in a cloud, with neither coherence nor discipline in tactics.&nbsp; The back four could not fall apart, because it never came together initially.&nbsp; Even the one Titus Bramble’s part-time competence would have been preferred.
Newcastle’s question is not how long before Keegan gets canned, but how long before he suffers a nervous breakdown and quits.&nbsp; They reside only six points clear of relegation, with eleven matches remaining.
Liverpool 3 – Middlesbrough 2 Individual brilliance once again saved Liverpool, as Torres took control with a marvelous hat-trick.&nbsp; Carragher’s cards cost the team at the back, but exonerates none for the poor performance.&nbsp; Southgate’s side showed themselves excellently.&nbsp; With some luck and a consistent striker, that club could be challenging for a European place.

Premier League Odds and Sods 25 Feb 2008

Premier League Odds and Sods 25 Feb 2008 - World Soccer Talk

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After this weekend a Google search for “Sven” and “Up the Arse” won’t lead you astray as Arsenal defeated Manchester City 3-1 away from home to move to the top of the table. Adebayor dropped a deuce, scoring in his eighth straight match. Eduardo also controlled a ball magnificently with his chest to set up an overhead bicycle kick for a goal. If he ever comes back from injury, Robin Van Persie may struggle to get back into the side.
Arsenal should have scored more, the scoreline hardly flattering their control of the match. The only blight was Clichy’s mistake that led to the City goal, but it is easy to forgive the Frenchman who has been fabulous all season.
Man City have managed just two points from their last four Premier League matches. Barry Glendenning winning his bottom half bet still looks unlikely, but a fall from the European places is well within the realm of possibility. 
Arsenal took the lead at the top thanks to Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham. It was a gutsy performance by Spurs, fueled by superb signings Jonathan Woodgate and Alan Hutton. Dimitar Berbatov finally decided to show up against a Top Four club, with an efficient finish. They played well enough to deserve a win, but were once again foiled by poor set piece marking, leaving Tevez unmarked in front of goal in stoppage time.
Once again, Manchester United struggled on an away trip to London. Hargreaves was taken off in favor of Michael Carrick. Hargreaves plays with a lot of enthusiasm, but his penchant for going forward left them caught out on Tottenham’s goal. One wonders if the more conservative Carrick might be the better choice to pair with Scholes.
The Gunners also picked up two points on third place Chelsea who drew 1-1 with Portsmouth. Last minute signing Jermaine Defoe capped his Pompey debut with a goal, with an assist from Belletti’s poor positioning. However, he missed two chances that could have given them the win.
The impetus behind Chelsea’s Day-Glo away kits was finally explained, with the ref missing two blatant handballs due to the glare. With Fat Frank and Capt. John in dry dock and the African Nations Cup losses, their squad is thinner than Lindsey Lohan after a coke binge. You know that it is dire when you rely upon Pizarro as your late impact sub. Will someone please slip Avram a couple caffeine pills?
Moving on to squads out of the title race, Liverpool strode their way back into the European places with their 3-0 defeat of Sunderland. Crouchie wasn’t having his nachos, as Rafa finally gave him a run out. Not surprisingly, he scored a goal, nearly had another with a bicycle kick and set up Torres in space with a fabulous flick with the back of his head. Whether it is a handball, a judo-tackle or a swift kick in the shins, the rules do not apply to Jamie Carragher. The Pool are now in 5th place, one point behind Everton with a game in hand. 
Kevin Keegan’s soccer circus has brought exciting football to St. James, though unfortunately for Newcastle it has been by the other team. He finally got his first result, however, as Newcastle drew 1-1 with Middlesbrough. Little Mickey got his first league goal in 4 months, though it was from a set piece rather than exciting football. Newcastle were lucky that the Boro couldn’t capitalize more on the counterattack, and they were saved a scare when the one adept strike of Aliadiere’s career was ruled offside. Gareth Southgate stole his grandfather’s cardigan before the match.
Finally, Fulham beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Craven Cottage to get their first win in the League since Nov. 3. The recently returning Jimmy Bullard was man of the match, creating one goal and scoring another. Hodgson will be happy if he doesn’t attempt anymore somersaults, however. They also should get a boost from getting Brian McBride back in the side. They’ve been extraordinarily unfortunate this season, and sit at 19th in the table, though only 3 pts from safety.

Premier League Odds and Sods 4 Feb 2008

Premier League Odds and Sods 4 Feb 2008 - World Soccer Talk

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