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Europa League Final: Fulham – Atletico Madrid: (Wednesday, May 12th 19.45pm – Hamburg, Germany)

I don’t think even Fulham know how they have managed to get to their first final of any description let alone a European final since 1975 when they lost the FA Cup Final as a second Division side to West Ham. Fulham started of their European run in July when they knocked out Lithuanian side FK Vetra. Since then they have knocked out Italian giants Juventus, UEFA Cup Holders Shakhtar Donetsk, German Champions of last season Wolfsburg, & of course Hamburg who would have been playing the final on their own ground if they had beat Fulham in the Semi Finals. Fulham also had to get through a difficult group stage where they had to play Italian side AS Roma who are neck & neck with Inter Milan in the battle for The Italian Title. Fulham have never won a major trophy in their history & if they win this game it will be a remarkable achievement. They face Spanish side Atletico Madrid who after a poor start in the first half of the season have managed to improve & now sit in 9th place in the table. They drew 1-1 at the weekend after resting several players for the final. Atletico have had a far better history than Fulham in terms of trophies. They have won the Spanish title on 9 occasions, the most recent in 1996, when they also won the Spanish cup to achieve a Spanish double. They have also won the UEFA Cup (1962) as well as being runners up twice in 1963 (when they were holders) & 1986. They were also runners up in the European Cup final of 1974 when they lost to Bayern Munich after a replay. In fact in this final they came very close to winning because in the first game they went ahead with only 7 minutes of Extra time to play but were pegged back by the Germans who won the replay 4-0.

It seems to me unfair that Atletico are even in the final as they were knocked out of the Champions League this season which included a 4-0 defeat at Chelsea. Fulham have reached the final by playing more games in the completion than the Spanish side but hey that’s modern football for you. I hope Fulham win as it would be great for the fans & the club but I can’t see it. I think that Atletico have more European experience than Fulham & that will tell. A shame & lets hope that Fulham don’t go the same way as Middlesbrough who reached the UEFA final 2006, i.e., relegation to the Championship within a few years.

Result Prediction: Fulham to lose

Score Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2 Fulham 1

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Best Correct Predictions of the week: 

“Everton beating Liverpool by the correct score of 2-0 & Bolton also winning by the correct score against Stoke 2-1” 

Hello everyone. Last weeks results gave me 4 out of 10 for correct results which was disappointing but I made up for that by getting 2 correct scores. They were Everton beating Liverpool 2-0 & Bolton beating Stoke 2-1. They were my 5th & 6th correct scores of the season so far. My other correct results were Arsenal beating Birmingham & Manchester City beating Blackpool away. If Blackpool hadn’t have scored their late second consolation goal then I would have been on three correct scores but that is the nature of football predicting. 

In midweek I had much better joy with the champions League when I correctly predicted 4 out of 5 correct results which means I have now predicted 10 out of 14 Champions league games correct in terms of results. Like the International predictions this is much better than my Premiership predictions. You figure it out especially as last season I achieved a success rate of 57% for Premiership predictions. 

Let’s hope for an improvement. 

Good luck for this weeks fixtures. 

Match 1: Tottenham – Everton: (Saturday October 23rd: 12.45pm): 

Spurs as I predicted lost away to Inter Milan on Wednesday night. The 4-3 scoreline sounds looks like they ran Inter close but that wasn’t the case as they were 4-0 down at half time & only Inter taking their foot of the peddle allowed Spurs into the game late on when they scored 2 very late goals. The result was never in question. This is not to take anything away from Spurs who battled back well & with ten men for most of the game. I suspect the home game at White Hart lane will be a much closer game. 

Spurs league record has improved of late & that was proved by their 2-1 at Fulham last Saturday after they had come from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 in their home game. They now face an Everton side who have won two games on the bounce after a crap start. 

Everton beat their nearest & not so dearest rivals Liverpool 2-0 last Sunday which was after they had won their first game of the season 2-0 away at Birmingham. So both sides are in form & that is why I think this game will end in a draw. 

Should be a good game & if you can afford the price of a ticket & manage to get one I suggest you attend. 

Match prediction: A score draw 
Score Prediction: Spurs 1 Everton 1 
Attendance Prediction: 36,000 

Match 2: Birmingham – Blackpool: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

Birmingham lost again last weekend, this time (as Predicted) at Arsenal but they were unlucky. Arsenal’s first goal when Birmingham were leading 1-0 was a very dubious penalty which should have not been awarded. This turned the game around & Arsenal scored a second to win the game. Birmingham are now 17th in the table just above the bottom three by the 1 point. They have failed to win in four games with just the one point (a 0-0 draw with Wigan). They have also lost their proud unbeaten home record which stretched back to last September when they lost 2-0 at home to Everton in their last home game. 

Blackpool were very unlucky last Sunday when they lost to Manchester City 3-2. They had a goal disallowed incorrectly when the score was 0-0 & Manchester City’s first goal looked offside as well. To be fair to the ref City’s goal looked ok when first viewed live. This made Andy Gray’s arrogant attitude upon seeing the replay that the ref got it incorrect rather unpleasant. The ref did not have the pleasure of a second viewing Mr Gray. Let’s see you referee a game. 

Blackpool won their last away game against Liverpool 2-1 & they have also managed to win at Wigan & Newcastle as apposed to just the one point at home in three attempts. I think that Blackpool will win this game to leave Birmingham in the bottom three as Birmingham are on a bad run & Blackpool seem to have that never say die spirit which seems to be serving them well so far away from home. 

Match prediction: Blackpool to win 
Score Prediction: Birmingham 1 Blackpool 2 
Attendance Prediction: 22,000 

Match 3: Chelsea – Wolves: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

Well if I get the prediction incorrect for this game then I might as well take up predicting Conkers. Chelsea should win this game like they have all their other home games so far. They are top of the table despite dropping two points at Aston Villa last Saturday. Chelsea are also doing well in the Champions League as well after winning away in Moscow on Tuesday night to keep them top of their group. They have won all three of their games in Europe. 

The only game Chelsea have lost all season was the 1-0 defeat at Manchester City who are of course second in the table behind them. Wolves are third from bottom in the table above Liverpool & West Ham only on goal difference. They drew at home with West Ham last Saturday 1-1 & that result means that they have not won since the opening day of the season when they beat Stoke 2-1. 

A home win then & let’s hope I am not conker predicting next week. 

Match prediction: Chelsea to win 
Score Prediction: Chelsea 4 Wolves 0 
Attendance Prediction: 41,000 

Match 4: Sunderland – Aston Villa: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

Sunderland bored me & everyone else to death in their 0-0 draw at Blackburn on Monday. Aside from that it was a good point for Sunderland who are beginning to improve their away form. The Blackburn draw was their forth away point of the season after drawing at Liverpool, WBA & Wigan. At home Sunderland are playing well with victory against Manchester City & draws against Arsenal & Manchester United. However, the 1-0 win against Manchester City is their only win so far in the premiership this season but they have only lost once this season & that was a 1-0 defeat at WBA so their record is good so far but they do need a win to pull them up the table. 

Aston Villa can’t boast as good a record as Sunderland as they have already lost at Newcastle, Stoke & Spurs. At home however they are undefeated. Their only away points so far was the 2-1 win at Wolves. 

Villa got a good point against Chelsea last Saturday but it is away they are dropping points & so for that reason I think they will lose this game but one thing I am sure about is that they won’t get beat 6-0 like they did at Newcastle on their last visit to the North East. 

Match prediction: Sunderland to win 
Score Prediction: Sunderland 2 Aston Villa 1 
Attendance Prediction: 41,000 

Match 5: West Brom – Fulham: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

West Brom are defying me & everyone else who said that they would go down this season. Their latest result was a great 2-2 draw at Manchester United & that when they were 2-0 down. This result followed hard on the heels of their great 3-2 win at Arsenal.. In between they drew 1-1 at home with if form Bolton. Albion are now upto 6th in the table which by my reckoning is the highest place they have occupied since the early 1980’s. Good luck to them & I am glad they are proving me incorrect. 

Albion have beaten Sunderland & Birmingham at home so far this season & drawn with Bolton. They now face Fulham who lost their unbeaten record at home to Spurs last Saturday. Fulham are still unbeaten away from home with draws at Bolton, Blackpool, Blackburn & West Ham. A good record that is better than last season so far. 

Can’t see Fulham winning this game as they are due to lose away from home & a lot of sides who lose one game tend to lose the next (don’t ask me why). 

A home win then & at this rate Albion will be knocking on the door of European qualification. 

Match prediction: WBA to win 
Score Prediction: WBA 2 Fulham 1 
Attendance Prediction: 22,000 

Match 6: Wigan – Bolton: (Saturday October 23rd: 3pm): 

Wigan will be annoyed that they failed to win on Saturday at Newcastle when they threw away at 2-0 lead to draw 2-2. However, they are improving after a bad start. They are now 15th in the table after wins against Wolves at home & the shock 1-0 at Spurs which kick started their season. They have only lost once in their six games & that was a home defeat to Manchester City. They have managed draws against Sunderland at home & a draw at Birmingham in this run. Will they continue this run against Bolton? 

Bolton beat Stoke at home last Saturday as I predicted for their first home win of the season. They have already won away earlier in the season when they won 3-1 at West ham. They have also managed draws at Aston Villa & WBA. 

Bolton have only lost one game this season & that was at Arsenal 4-1. Can’t see them losing this game & in fact I think they will end Wigan’s little run & beat them for their second away win this season. 

Match prediction: Bolton to win 
Score Prediction: Wigan 1 Bolton 2 
Attendance Prediction: 15,000 

Match 7: West Ham – Newcastle: (Saturday October 23rd: 5.30pm):

West Ham grabbed another point last Saturday when they drew 1-1 at Wolves. They are now still in the bottom three but at least they are not cut adrift as they are just the one point away from safety. 

West Ham drew their last home game with Fulham 1-1. They have won just the one game so far this season & that was a 1-0 win against Spurs. West Ham had a dreadful start to the season & didn’t pick up a point until their 1-1 draw at Stoke in their 5th game. They are now unbeaten in their last four games. They appear to be slowly turning the corner. 

They now face a Newcastle side who they must be targeting as one of the sides they can catch in the table as they are two points above them. Newcastle have won twice this season, at home to Aston Villa & away at Everton. They lost their last away game at Manchester City 2-1 & to be honest I think they will lose this game as they are not playing that well so far. 

A home win then & the question has to be as to which of these sides will go down? 

Match prediction: West Ham to win 
Score Prediction: West ham 2 Newcastle 1 
Attendance Prediction: 36,000 

Match 8: Stoke – Manchester United: (Sunday October 24th: 1.30pm): 

Wayne Rooney’s announcement that he wants to leave the club is good for United’s rivals but obviously not so good for the club. I personally believe that Rooney wants to leave because of the shit written about him in the Press & the TV & Radio’s constant confirmation of their lies as if they are facts. Rooney has already sued papers for two other false claims in the past year & won. He won damages for allegations that he had hit his wife in an argument in a nightclub which was false & also for the papers saying that he had booked his holiday’s for the day after the England Germany game in the World cup before that game. Again this was not True. Add to that the lies about John Terry having an affair with Vanessa Perroncel (she is suing all the papers) & the case of David Beckham where Rebecca loos lied about her affair with him (she kept his ph which her PR agency had lent him & then got the nanny to text her ph as if it was from him) & you have a media that constantly lies about football players in order to make money. 

You won’t have read that all of the above cases have gone to court. The opposite is the case in that they are referenced as if they are fact, yet what is really serious is that the Editors & Staff of these papers not to mention the TV/Radio know that these stories are not true yet they still carry on lying. We have the worst media in the world & it is the main reason I think why he & his wife wants out of the country. His wife was constantly followed by photographers & reporters when her sister was ill. Is this really in the Public interest? No, of course it isn’t but the media judge themselves as there is know body to check them. 

Of course the media will not acknowledge that they are the problem & it will be every other reason (Money, lack of loyalty etc) as to why he wants to leave. The end result is that United who have not won an away game this season in the league will probably not win anything this season as their best player will not be playing for them. The financial restrictions forced upon them by their American owners means that they can’t compete with the top clubs anymore. 

I think that Stoke will win this game because United are in a mini slump which could end up with them following Liverpool. 

A good season for Stoke so far which looks set to continue despite their 2-1 defeat at Bolton last Saturday but United are set for a winter of discontent I fear. 

Match prediction: Stoke to win 
Score Prediction: Stoke City 2 Manchester United 1 
Attendance Prediction: 27,000

Match 9: Liverpool – Blackburn: (Sunday October 24th: 3pm): 

Liverpool are in a relegation fight & they don’t appear to really realise that fact or have the players to get them out of the mess they find themselves in. however, I think they will stay up simply for the reason that I simply can’t believe that they will go down. 

They lost again on Sunday at Arch local Rivals Everton 2-0 as I predicted. That result means that they have only won one game so far this season in the League. They have also been knocked out of the League cup by lowly 4th Division side Northampton Town who lost at home 4-3 to Hereford on Saturday after being 3-0 up. Hmm. I said that Liverpool would beat Blackpool in their last home game but they lost. This time against Blackburn I am again going to predict a Liverpool win because they have to win sooner or later & what better side than Blackburn who are normally travel shy on the road. 

Blackburn like just about everybody else are above Liverpool in the table despite only drawing with Sunderland on Saturday & losing their previous away game at Stoke. They have nine points only three more than Liverpool. 

A home win then for the new owners but it looks like being a crap season for the red side of Merseyside. 

Match Prediction: Liverpool to win 
Score Prediction: Liverpool 2 Blackburn 1 
Attendance prediction: 43,000 

Match 10: Manchester City – Arsenal: (Sunday October 24th: 4pm): 

City are going well & their fans must be laughing at what is going on at Old Trafford. I really can see City finishing above United this season. City won their third game on the trot by winning 3-2 at Blackpool last Sunday. They are now second in the table behind Chelsea by only two points. It’s looking interesting at the top. 

City now face an Arsenal side that got back to winning ways last Saturday by beating Birmingham 2-1. They also won again in Europe on Tuesday. Arsenal seem to be playing better in Europe at present which will be poising questions for their manager. 

Arsenal lost this fixture last season 4-2 & I think they will lose again as they have a recent record of not doing well against the top sides as proved very recently when they lost their last away game at Chelsea 2-0. 

The big question I suspect in Manchester is if City will finish with a trophy this season to end their run of not winning anything of note since the League cup win of 1976. 

Match Prediction: Manchester City to win 
Score Prediction: Manchester City 3 Arsenal 1 
Attendance Prediction: 46,000 

That’s all for this week everybody. 

See you next week for more Premiership action.. 

Douglas Martin

Free sports betting

Best Correct Prediction(s) of the week:

“Fulham beating Wigan by the correct score of 2-0 for only their second win of the season & Everton carrying on their unbeaten run by beating Stoke”

Hello everyone. Last weekend I managed another correct scoreline out of the 5 correct results I managed. The correct scoreline was as above, i.e., Fulham beating Wigan 2-0. The other correct results were Arsenal beating West Ham, Manchester United beating Spurs, Chelsea beating Blackburn & Everton beating Stoke.

For the last 4 weeks I have managed 5 out of 10 for correct results which is of course an average of 50%. I am not happy with this as it is below my average of last seasons 57%. Let’s hope the average improves.

On the other side of the coin my correct scoreline for the Fulham Wigan game was my 10th of the season which means I am averaging one correct scoreline per week which is better than last season.

I will see you all next Monday as there is a full programme of Premiership fixtures on Tuesday & Wednesday.

Good luck for this weekends fixtures.

Match 1: Bolton – Spurs: (Saturday November 6th: 12.45pm):

Spurs had a great 3-1 win against Inter Milan on Tuesday night. This was a result that I thought was beyond them but happily they proved me wrong. This result means that Spurs look like qualifying from their Champions League group.

Spurs now face Bolton away after losing at Manchester United last weekend 2-0. Enough has been said about United’s second goal so all I will say is that I am not surprised regarding the venue for the ridiculous decision of United’s goal but I don’t think it made any difference to the result as I don’t believe that Spurs were going to score to draw or win the game.

Spurs need to win this game to get back into contention for 4th place again as they have only gained 1 point in their last two games. Bolton lost to a late Liverpool goal last Sunday to lose their unbeaten home record, rather unluckily by some accounts. Both sides will therefore be hoping to bounce back after last weekends league defeats but as Spurs have the added bonus of confidence from their great win in midweek I think they will edge this game.

Match prediction: Spurs to win
Score prediction: Bolton 1 Spurs 2
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 2: Birmingham – West Ham: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Birmingham have recovered after a mini bad period. They followed up their win against Blackpool by drawing 0-0 at Aston Villa in the Birmingham derby game. The game was reported as being very boring but I wouldn’t know because I feel a sleep watching it on TV…

Blues are also through to the League Cup quarter finals after beating Brentford on penalties where they play Aston Villa. Should be a fun game. Onto the League & I think that as Birmingham have go back to winning ways & they are playing bottom side West Ham they will win. Not really rocket science methinks.

West Ham lost again last Saturday but to a very late Arsenal goal. The defeat sees them adrift at the bottom by 3 points & to be honest I don’t think they are going to stay up unless they change their manager or sign some new players in the January transfer window ho are able to make a substantial difference. A shame as West Ham are a proper club with a good fan base.

West Ham are however in the League cup quarter finals after beating Stoke after Extra time last week so there is some slight joy in that for them. Don’t expect that to last long though.

Match prediction: Birmingham to win
Score prediction: Birmingham 2 West Ham 1
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 3: Blackburn – Wigan: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Blackburn have slipped into the relegation zone after losing at home to Chelsea last Saturday. They did however play well & their first half performance would suggest that they won’t be in the relegation places for long. I agree & I think that they will bounce back with a win in this game to end their four game winless run. Their last win was a 2-1 victory at Blackpool in September so they need a win in this game against a Wigan side who lost last Saturday as well, 2-0 at Fulham.

Wigan are in fact only 1 point & 1 place ahead of Blackburn so you don’t have to be a genius to see that this is a big game at the bottom of the table.

Wigan have won one away game so far but that was a amazing 1-0 victory at Spurs. They have also drawn at Newcastle (2-2) & Birmingham (0-0). In fact the Fulham defeat last Saturday was their first away defeat of the season. I think they are going to make it two away defeats on the trot in this game.

Wigan like West Ham are also in the League cup quarter finals after beating Swansea 2-0 but I suspect that they will take staying up this season in the Premiership ahead of League cup glory. I have a feeling that they might just fail in their bid to stay up.

Match prediction: Blackburn to win
Score prediction: Blackburn 2 Wigan 1
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 4: Blackpool – Everton: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Blackpool beat WBA 2-1 on Monday night which without being unfair to Blackpool would not have happened (I think) without the two sending offs of WBA players. I won’t bother arguing about the decisions but to my mind there was no way West Brom were going to win with nine men on the field. Sour grapes because I predicted West Brom to win? Never.

Good luck to Blackpool though as they are proving me & others wrong with their results. I do however, think that they will go down despite a good start so far. That would be a shame for them.

Onto their next game & they play an Everton side who are unbeaten in their last 5 games, two draws & three wins. Their latest win was against Stoke at home last Saturday. Everton after a bad start have moved up the table to 8th place above Blackpool in 9th place on goal difference.

This should be a good game but I think that Everton’s good run will continue with a close victory.

Match prediction: Everton to win
Score prediction: Blackpool 1 Everton 2
Attendance prediction: 15,000

Match 5: Fulham – Aston Villa: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Fulham won only their second game of the season last Saturday when they beat Wigan 2-0. Because of the amount of drawn games that Fulham have recorded this season it means that their league position is healthy. It was also the second week on the trot that I had correctly predicted Fulham’s scoreline.

Fulham now face a Villa side that have slipped to 14th in the table after drawing with Birmingham last Sunday & losing to Sunderland the week before. Because the table is so tight Fulham are above Villa on goal difference but in 10th place!

Villa won this fixture last season but I can’t see them repeating that result on this visit to London. Villa have only won 1 away game this season which was a 2-1 victory at Wolves. They have lost all their other away games. Not good. Fulham’s home record is good in that they have beaten Wolves & Wigan & drawn with Manchester United & Everton. Their only defeat was a controversial defeat to Spurs.

Villa will have to improve their away record if they want to climb the table but then again if they hadn’t have forced Martin O’Neil to leave then they wouldn’t be midtable.

Match prediction: Fulham to win
Score prediction: Fulham 2 Aston Villa 1
Attendance prediction: 26,000

Match 6: Manchester United – Wolves: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Manchester united won last weekend against Spurs to keep up their title challenge. They are still third however, five points behind leaders Chelsea who also won again.

United followed up the Spurs victory with a great 3-0 away win in the Champions League against Bursaspor of Turkey. This was a better result than most people gave United credit for as they had struggled to beat the same Turkish side 1-0 at Old Trafford two weeks before hand. The result also proves to me that United are back on form as they were not playing a 100% a few weeks ago. The resolution of the Wayne Rooney transfer saga seems to have re focused United.

Wolves played really well to beat Manchester City last Saturday 2-1. The victory wasn’t enough to take them out of the relegation places but it gave them some bloody hope that they will climb to safety. They might have trouble in this game though.

Wolves lost 3-2 in the League cup at Old Trafford only last week but played well. I think they will play well again in this game & give a good account of themselves but that they will still lose as I think United will have that bit extra to beat them.

Match prediction: Manchester United to win
Score prediction: Manchester United 2 Wolves 0
Attendance prediction: 72,000

Match 7: Sunderland – Stoke: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Sunderland let their fans down very badly last Sunday when they managed to get beat at fierce rivals Newcastle 5 bloody 1. They should refund their fans who paid good money to attend that shambles.

That defeat I fear will leave a hangover at the club & that is why I think they will lose to Stoke in this game despite the fact that Sunderland have a good home record this season in that they are unbeaten. They have beaten Manchester City & Aston Villa as well as drawing with Manchester United, Arsenal & Birmingham. Stoke lost again last weekend at Everton & need a win as they have slipped back down the table & now lie just above the relegation places in 16th place. Stoke’s only away win this season was at Newcastle which bodes well as well.

Stoke to win then but I think that both sides will stay up this season & more or less finish in mid table come the end of the season.

Match prediction: Stoke to win
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Stoke 2
Attendance prediction: 35,000

Match 8: Arsenal – Newcastle: (Sunday November 7th: 1.30pm):

Arsenal got a very late goal to beat West Ham at home last Saturday & remain second as a consequence. That late goal could prove to be vital come the end of the season. In midweek however, they lost away in the Champions league despite taking an early lead. They now face Newcastle who had a great 5-1 over Sunderland last Sunday in the big north east derby game.

Newcastle have picked up in recent weeks & now lie in 7th place. They won their last away game 2-1 at West Ham & so will be hoping to improve on their away record which has included wins at Everton in the League & Chelsea in the League cup. The league cup win proved to be pointless as they fielded a reserve side against Arsenal & consequently lost 4-0.

I think that Arsenal might have a fight on their hands in this game but will eventually come through. Still think that Arsenal won’t win the League though.

Match prediction: Arsenal to win
Score Prediction: Arsenal 3 Newcastle 1
Attendance Prediction: 60,000

Match 9: WBA – Manchester City: (Sunday November 7th: 3pm):

West Brom rather surprisingly lost at Blackpool on Monday night but the two sending off’s were pivotal in their defeat. Despite this defeat West Brom are having a great season & are 6th in the table. They are unbeaten at home with wins against Sunderland, Birmingham & Fulham as well as draws against Bolton & Spurs. They also beat Manchester City at home in the league cup & after beating Leicester away last week are now through to the quarter finals.

Manchester City have lost three games on the bounce after losing away in the UEFA cup on Thursday night. This defeat followed premiership defeats to Arsenal & last Saturday to Wolves.

I really can’t see City losing for a 4th time on the trot so I am going to go for City to break Albions’ home record. City have a reasonable away record so far this season with wins at Blackpool & Wigan & a draw at Spurs. On the negative side they have lost at Sunderland & last Saturday of course at Wolves which was a bad defeat for them especially as they took the lead & Wolves were in the bottom three (they still are) before kick off.

A city win then.

Match Prediction: City to win
Score Prediction: WBA 1 Manchester City 2
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 10: Liverpool – Chelsea: (Sunday November 7th: 4pm):

Liverpool won last Sunday with a late goal to secure three points at Bolton. After their win against Blackburn the week before they have now moved out of the relegation zone to the dizzy heights of 13th. They made it three wins on the trot in all competitions when they beat Italian side Napoli 3-1.

Chelsea have only lost one game this season & won again last Saturday when they came from behind to beat Blackburn 2-1. So far this season they have won away at Wigan, West Ham & of course Blackburn last Saturday. They also drew 0-0 at Aston Villa. On Wednesday in the Champions league they made it 4 wins out of 4 when they 4-1 at home against Spartak Moscow to qualify for the knockout stage.

Last season Chelsea won this fixture 2-0 which was the result that confirmed them as Champions. I think that Liverpool were better last season than this so therefore I really don’t give Liverpool much hope in this game unless they catch Chelsea on a massive off day, which I don’t think they will.

Match Prediction: Chelsea to win
Score Prediction: Liverpool 0 Chelsea 2
Attendance Prediction: 44,000

That’s all for this week everybody.

See you all on Monday for more Premiership action…

Douglas Martin

November 5th 2010

Champions League Predictions: Tuesday/Wednesday February 15th/16th 2011: 

Match 1: AC Milan – Tottenham: (Last 16 First Leg: Tuesday 15th February: 7.45pm): 

Spurs revisit the San Siro for the second time this season after losing 4-3 to Inter Milan in the group stages earlier in the season. Spurs have done well to qualify for the knockout stages but I suspect that this as far as they are going to go this season but we will see as I would love to be proved incorrect on that prediction. 

AC Milan are doing well in Italy this season and at present are top of Serie “A” by three points from Napoli after winning 4-0 against Parma at the weekend. AC have only lost three times in the league this season & look set to end the recent dominance of their city rivals Inter who have won Serie A for the last 5 seasons. AC qualified from their group with a record of played 6, won two, drawn 2 & lost 2 which was not particularly impressive so there is hope for Spurs. In fact I do feel that the Premiership is a stronger league than it’s Italian counterpart at present so Spurs need to get that idea in their heads. 

Spurs are doing well in the league again this season & at present are 4th in the league three points above Chelsea who of course play on Monday night against Fulham. Spurs beat Sunderland 2-1 away on Saturday to record their 2nd away win on the bounce. 

Spurs came top of their group to qualify to play AC which included a great 3-1 win over Inter at white hart Lane. The second leg could be decisive & I think that Spurs will be hoping to overturn a 1st leg defeat in that game but for now I think they will lose in Italy but we await the second leg with bated breath.

Result Prediction: Spurs to lose 
Score Prediction: AC Milan 2 Tottenham 1 

Match 2: Arsenal – Barcelona: (Last 16: Wednesday 16th February: 7.45pm): 

Arsenal qualified from their group but they made life difficult for themselves with two defeats at the end (both away) to make their fans sweat a bit. Thankfully the 3-1 win against Partizan Belgrade saw them qualify but only as runners up & hence why they play Barcelona in the knockout stages. 

Barcelona of course knocked out Arsenal last season in the Champions league 6-3 over two legs & to be honest with Arsenal’s defence I can see a similar result over two legs this time around as well. Barca won again at the weekend to leave them top of the Spanish League & looking like retaining their Spanish title they won with such style last season. Barca are 7 points ahead of their nearest rivals Real Madrid so it looks like they are going to win the title again. 

Arsenal won on Saturday 2-0 against bottom club Wolves to stay on Manchester United’s coattails by four points still. Arsenal’s home form is not as good as their away form as they have lost 3 times at home in the league compared to just two away. Arsenal have a weak defence as far as I am concerned & don’t keep too many clean sheets which is normally not a problem against most sides in the Premiership but when you are playing Barcelona it could be a massive problem as was shown in the two legs against Barca last season. 

Sorry but the best I can predict for Arsenal is a draw & a second leg defeat like last season in the Nou Camp. 

Result Prediction: A score draw 
Score Prediction: Arsenal 2 Barcelona 2 

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Everyone loves soccer. It gathers for the World Cup, the Champions League, Euro Championship and the Olympics. If you’re a soccer fan, then you are definitely familiar with the crazy storm of sheer euphoria out there in the stands when your favorite soccer player makes a crucial save or scores a game-winning goal. But, anyone who would doubt the status of soccer as a premiere sport probably doesn’t understand the game and would ask, “Why Soccer?”

Everyone Can Play Soccer!

From the streets of Rio to the rich suburbs of New York City, soccer is a simple game with a ball, an open space, two goals and two teams. Since almost all schools have a open field, it can be played by students during their free time – turning them onto soccer early. Moreover, it doesn’t cost much to get a game going; in some Thrid World countries, they’ll even bundle together socks to create a ball. And, soccer is simple to learn. With only a handful of laws, anyone can start playing right away without having to cram like a final exam.

Soccer Has the Best Jerseys

Soccer Jerseys are unlike the staid, simple uniforms of baseball, basketball or football. There is a unique style that goes along with soccer jerseys. From the time-honored stripes of Inter Milan to the crazy combinations that come out of Mexico, soccer definitely has the best soccer uniforms. And all soccer fans don their team’s jersey come match day. Just look around and see all the craziness.

Players are the Focus of Soccer, Not Coaches

Something unique about soccer is that the players dictate the game, not the coach. The major sports in America, basketball, baseball and football all center around the coach “making the right lineup.” Coaches may teach you how to play soccer , but in the end, the players must execute the game and the coach has little impact on the match.

Soccer Stands the Test of Time

There are sports that you can compare to certain fads: fun and flashy, they are the “it” game for a certain period. But without real foundation to back them up, these sports eventually disappear into the background. Hey, where is my jumping rope anyway? Sports that are classic – they only get better with time. Soccer is such a sport. Every aspect of the game brings out wannabe athletes to step in the game and give soccer a shot.

Soccer Brings Countries Together

What sport inspires its fans to walk off assembly lines or rise at 2am just to view a soccer match? Nations love their national teams sometimes more than they love their family. The World Cup has more watchers than any other sport. It is undoubted that soccer brings about national pride and unity.

For these reasons, people all over the world don’t call soccer “the beautiful game” for nothing.