Monthly Archives: April 2010

Hart hopeful of Eagles’ survival

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paul hartCrystal Palace boss Paul Hart has backed his side to avoid relegation to League One on Sunday following the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Monday evening.

The Eagles take on Sheffield Wednesday this weekend in a survival shoot-out, with Hart convinced his side can get at least the point they need from the game to ensure their Championship status for another year and therefore relegate the Owls instead.

An early own goal by Steven Reid gave Palace the perfect start against already-promoted Albion at Selhurst Park but Gabriel Tamas’ equaliser made for a nervy night in south London on Monday.

Hart, however, is upbeat ahead of the huge clash this weekend and has called on his players to put in a similar performance against Wednesday to make sure of their place in the Championship.

“We just need another performance of that calibre,” he said afterwards.

“We don’t have to win – our away form is excellent so it’s a game to look forward to.”

The draw means they are just two points better off than the 22nd-placed Owls before the crunch clash at Hillsborough.

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Chelsea Retain Top Spot And Burnley Are Relegated

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Chelsea Odds on - Burnley RelegatedManchester United did what they had to do on Saturday and beat Tottenham to put pressure on Chelsea in their home game with Stoke City on Sunday. However, the Blues easily brushed aside the Potters to maintain a one point lead at the top of the Premier League.

United were able to see off Spurs without the services of Wayne Rooney. When Harry Redknapp saw the teamsheet he must have had high hopes that his team could beat all the top three sides within a week but the Londoners never really threatened at Old Trafford.

Chelsea were facing a Stoke side that were unbeaten away from home since January but Carlo Ancelotti selected an aggressive line up with all three of his main strikers in the side. His boldness paid off as Salomon Kalou came up with a hat-trick to make the victory something of a stroll.

The title race seems likely to be decided by Chelsea’s trip to Anfield. Ancelotti has to assume Manchester United will take six points from their final pair of fixtures though a visit to Sunderland is no walkover.

Tottenham’s defeat and Manchester City’s inability to find a goal against Arsenal proved to be great news for Aston Villa. Martin O’Neill’s side now have a realistic chance of grabbing fourth place again after looking out of it just a couple of weeks ago.

Villa were lucky to get past their city rivals Birmingham. A James Milner penalty separated the two clubs and the decision against centre half Roger Johnson was certainly marginal, to say the least. At the time, Birmingham appeared the side more likely to force a win.

At the bottom, the relegation issues were just about settled. West Ham forced a 3-2 win over Wigan Athletic which sent Burnley down when the Clarets crashed 4-0 at home to Liverpool. Happily for the Londoners, Wigan had just about secured their future by beating Arsenal at the DW Stadium.

West Ham’s victory all but confirmed Hull City’s relegation too. The Tigers would need to win both their remaining games and turn around a massive deficit on goal difference to catch the London club- even assuming West Ham lose both their matches.

Liverpool’s win is significant because they could still finish fourth- though it is unlikely- and so Chelsea will have a tough encounter when they visit Anfield next week.

Related posts:

  1. Chelsea Take Advantage Of Manchester United Defeat at Everton
  2. Burnley and Hull City Hot Favourites To Go Down
  3. Chelsea v Manchester City: Tough Times For Roberto Mancini


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How Ribery-less Munich Can Reach Champions League Final

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champions league trophy1 How Ribery less Munich Can Reach Champions League FinalTuesday night sees Lyon and Bayern Munich clash in the Champions League semi-final second leg. Despite between them having eliminated Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United along the way to the last four whoever reaches the final at the Bernabeu will do so as the underdogs.

Bayern Munich were involved in a taxing league game on Saturday as they scraped to a 1-1 draw away to Borussia Monchengladbach to keep them top of the league but level on points with Schalke.

Martin Demichelis and Daniel van Buyten were both taken off during the game due to injury and this may leave the German’s extremely short defensively come Tuesday night.

To add to Bayern’s woes, Franck Ribery is suspended after getting a red card in the first leg and Croatian international Danijel Pranjic will also miss out after receiving three yellow cards throughout the competition.

With no Ribery to call upon, Arjen Robben, more than ever, will have to step up and be counted. The Dutch winger claimed the only goal in the first leg and he has a good record at scoring winning goals in second leg knockout ties already this season having dumped Fiorentina and Manchester United out the competition with screamer goals.

Overall, Lyon will start slight favourites to win on the night, and will hope to benefit from not having played at the weekend with top marksman Lisandro Lopez (6.50 to score first) nice and fresh for this contest.

The Argentinean striker has been quoted saying: “It’s clear. The team must change their attitude and their mentality for the next match on Tuesday. We didn’t play enough when we had the ball. We were waiting in our own half too much. At 11 against 11 we had chances to attack more but we didn’t hurt our opponent enough and definitely not at 10 against 11. You saw a team that played too defensively. We have to correct the tactics and show a more positive spirit to go for victory.”

Claude Puel’s side have claimed some great victories at Stade Garland this season, seeing off teams such as Real Madrid and Bordeaux. Attack has to be the obvious way to go with a supportive home crowd willing them on to a place in the final at the Bernabeu.

Expect Lyon to be the better side on the night, but just like at Old Trafford, Bayern Munich will do enough to eliminate their French opponents.

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Related posts:

  1. Bayern Munich v Lyon: Will Momentum Overcome the French?
  2. Inter Milan v Barcelona Champions League Semi Final
  3. Contrasting Champions League Fortunes Await the Italians


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Benitez focused on fourth

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Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists his team are still in with a shout of finishing fourth after the Reds (14/1 for a top four finish) 4-0 victory over Burnley on Sunday.

The Merseyside outfit are now two points behind fourth placed Tottenham with two games to go, although Spurs have a game in hand over Benitez’s men.

Just two points separate Liverpool in seventh and Tottenham (10/11 top four finish) in fourth after last weekend’s results which saw Spurs lose at Manchester United, Aston Villa (15/2) beat Birmingham and Manchester City (11/8) secure a point at Arsenal.

City and Spurs look to have the advantage in the race for fourth with a game in hand over their rivals, although that match is between the two sides at Eastlands on May 5.

With the gap between the four sides paper thin who get the last Champions League spot could well come down to goal difference, an aspect the Reds have a slight edge in following their four goal thumping of Burnley.

Liverpool took full advantage of a Clarets side out of sorts and condemned the Lancashire outfit to relegation after just one season in the Premier League.

Following Sunday’s win Benitez, who guaranteed a top four finish for Liverpool earlier in the season, was once again talking up his sides chances of playing Champions League football again next season.

“We know they (Tottenham and Manchester City) still have one game in hand but we are close and we will try our best,” said the Spaniard.

“If we finish on 68 points we will have a chance because we will have better goal difference.”

Liverpool face Chelsea (1/2 to win the Premier League) next Sunday in a game that could have massive implications for both sides as the Blues continue to battle it out with Manchester United for the title.

Chelsea opened up a one point gap over United on Sunday with a stunning 7-0 victory over Stoke meaning should they beat Liverpool next week and Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lose to Sunderland they will be crowned champions.

However, before welcoming the Londoners to Anfield the Reds face Athletico Madrid (10/11 to qualify for the final) in the return leg of their Europa League semi-final.

The Spaniards, who beat Tenerife 3-1 at the weekend, have a slender one goal advantage heading into the game and will have been lifted by the news that Dirk Kuyt might not be fit to play against them on Thursday night.

The Holland international was forced off during the game against Burnley with a calf injury and is now doubtful for Thursday night.

Liverpool are already without Fernando Torres, Maxi Rodriguez, Fabio Aurelio and Martin Skrtel and Benitez will be hopeful Kuyt doesn’t join the growing injury list at Anfield.

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Pep puts the squeeze on Barca

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Pep Guardiola will tell his Barcelona players they must not hold back when they look to overturn a 3-1 deficit in the Champions League semi-finals against Internazionale on Wednesday (2/5 Barcelona 18/5 draw 13/2 Internazionale – match betting).

The holders require at least a repeat of the 2-0 victory they inflicted on the Nerazzurri in the group stages in November if they are to reach the home of bitter rivals Real Madrid, the Santiago Bernabeu, for the final of Europe’s premier club competition on May 22 (11/10 Barcelona – To Qualify).

There, they will meet the winners of the other semi-final second-leg clash between Lyon and Bayern Munich.

The decider comes in the middle of a potentially-pivotal week for Barca, culminating in an awkward away trip to Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday.

The Spanish champions got the result they needed on Saturday when they defeated nine-man Xerez 3-1 and remain one point clear of nearest-challengers Real.

Guardiola was able to name a makeshift side, with Lionel Messi and Pedro both starting on the bench, and goals from Jeffren Suarez, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic did the damage.

He must now focus his efforts on recovering from his heaviest defeat in Europe since taking charge at the Nou Camp to deny Jose Mourinho his second final appearance having guided FC Porto to victory in 2004.

Goals from Wesley Sneijder, Maicon and Diego Milito secured the Serie A title-chasers a deserved win in Milan last week and Mourinho is convinced Inter have finally arrived on the big stage.

A five-game winning streak in the knockout stage would back up that theory and the Portuguese coach has spoken of his “dream” of securing Inter a place in the final of Europe’s marquee club competition for the first time in 38 years.

Guardiola recognises that Barca must get on the front foot if they are to end the journey for Inter and has demanded his players go for the jugular.

“We need to settle it as quickly as possible,” said Guardiola.

He added: “The game needs that. We can’t sit back and see what happens while the minutes are ticking by. We have lots of goals to cancel out.”

Barca will once again be without midfielder Andres Iniesta, who has a torn right thigh muscle, as well as the banned Carles Puyol.

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Elliott backs survival instincts

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Burnley midfielder Wade Elliott is confident the Clarets can become the latest side to pull off the great escape and avoid relegation this season ahead of their must win game against Liverpool (4/7 to win in the 90 minutes betting).

Burnley are currently seven points from safety with just three games left to play and they will be down on Sunday if they lose against the Reds.

A draw would also see the Clarets effectively relegated as they would be six points behind seventeenth-placed West Ham with two games left and with the Hammers enjoying a much better goal difference.

Burnley, who were promoted last season through the play-offs, had enjoyed a strong start to the season but under new manager Brian Laws have won just two of their last 16 matches in the league, leaving them on the brink on a swift return to the Championship.

The Lancashire outfit will be hoping they can recapture some of that early season form which saw them beat Manchester United at home back in August.

Burnley have lost just six games at home so far this season with only Fulham the only side in the bottom half of the Premier League boasting a better record on their own turf.

Heading to Turf Moor on Sunday will be fourth place chasing Liverpool, looking to cut the gap on Tottenham to just two points after Spurs were beaten 3-1 by Manchester United.

The Reds (16/1 top four finish) also have just three games left to try and secure a spot in next seasons Champions League and are the current outsiders having played a game more than the other sides chasing fourth.

Reds manager Rafael Benitez will bring his side to Turf Moor having not seen them win away from Anfield since December and off the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Atleticho Madrid (8/11 to beat Tenerife on the weekend Euro coupon) in the Europa League on Thursday.

Liverpool got to Spain via road and rail and it will be interesting to see how much the arduous journey has taken out of Benitez’s men.

They will once again be without star striker Fernando Torres while Reds fans will certainly be hoping Steven Gerrard ups his game having faltered to deceive in recent weeks.

Despite the wealth of talent up against his side on Sunday Elliott remains confident Burnley can win this game, and their next two against Birmingham and Tottenham, to secure another season in the Premier League.

“We know we are relying on people to do us favours now. We have to do the best we can in the final three games, see how far it takes us and hope someone helps us. Unfortunately, even the volcano eased up so Liverpool could fly back home,” said Elliott.

“I don’t know if we need a miracle but we need some big performances and a few favours. But there are precedents for it.”

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Nani out to impress

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Portuguese midfielder Nani is on a mission to dazzle and do everything he can to help Manchester United (11/10 – FA Premier League Outright) win the Premier League title this season.

The Red Devils are in a two-horse battle with Chelsea (4/6 – FA Premier League Outright) to win the trophy this season and United leapfrogged their rivals to the top with a 3-1 win over Spurs – a game in which Nani scored with a lovely finish.

Chelsea have the opportunity to get themselves back in pole position with a game against Stoke City on Sunday afternoon, where a win would put them one point clear with two Premier League games to go (Chelsea 1/7 to win, Stoke 18/1, draw 13/2 at match bets).

United’s final fixtures are away at Sunderland and then welcoming Stoke to Old Trafford and Nani told the News of the World he wants to play regularly in the first team after finally adjusting to English top-flight football after three years at the club.

“I think I am prepared for it and ready to play in this league. I am stronger and have more confidence. I want to play – I want to be the first option in my position in the team,” said the attacker.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has said that the club may have to cope without star striker Wayne Rooney (11/1 – World Cup 2010 Top Goalscorer) for the rest of the season.

The England forward recently returned to the first team after a ankle problem but is now struggling after injuring his groin during training, and his manager claims the 34-goal forward is likely to be out for two to three weeks.

Nani admitted that Rooney is vital to United, but he thinks the side are strong enough to win the Premier League title without the striker.

“We know Rooney is very important for the team – he is doing so well for us. But we know that this team does not just depend on one player, it depends on all eleven on the pitch,” he stated.

Following United’s 3-1 win over Spurs at Old Trafford, the Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp told the BBC that he thought Chelsea face a tougher battle out of the two teams to win the Premier League title.

Chelsea face Liverpool and Wigan after Sunday’s clash with Stoke and Redknapp said it “would not be easy” for the Blues as he can see United winning their final two games.

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Pulis confident of upset

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Stoke manager Tony Pulis has backed his side to upset the title race by beating Chelsea (4/6 to win the Premier League) at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Blues must beat the Potters if they are to reclaim top spot in the Premier League after Manchester United overhauled them at the top of the tree by beating Tottenham 3-1 on Saturday.

Victory for United opened up a two point between themselves and Chelsea heading into the Bluies final three matches of the season.

The lead at the top of the Premier League has now changed hands on twenty separate occasions and Chelsea will be hopeful of making it twenty one by beating Stoke.

The Potters head to west London with very little to play for having secured their status as a top flight club for another season some time ago.

Pulis has called on his side to have a strong end to the season in order to finish in the top ten and with four games left Stoke are just a point away from climbing back into the top half of the table.

However, they will be massive underdogs to get anything out of Sunday’s match, with totesport.com pricing them at 18/1 in the 90 minutes betting section to come away with a win from Stamford Bridge.

Stoke also come into the game having already lost at Chelsea in the FA Cup this season and with just two wins in the last eight league outings.

Despite the opposition and their recent run of form Pulis remains confident his side can do Manchester United a huge favour and beat the Blues.

“We have got very close to taking something from Chelsea in the past couple of seasons, but still not managed to beat them. But we have a game plan, we always do against one of the big clubs, and we always believe we can achieve something in these sort of games,” said Pulis.

Stoke could have a big say in the title outcome with Pulis’ men heading to Old Trafford on the last day of the season to face United.

Chelsea (1/8 to win the FA Cup) will be hoping the title race doesn’t go that far and will be desperate to take all three points to put the pressure back on Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

However, the Blues have injury and suspension concerns with John Terry out following his red card last week, while Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel will miss the rest of the season through injury.

Jose Bosingwa and Ricardo Carvalho are also sidelined, although manager Carlo Ancelotti is able to welcome back Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic to his squad.

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Gerrard relishing Atletico mission

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Steven Gerrard has said Liverpool will have to play like “heroes” if they are to overturn a 1-0 semi-final first-leg defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Europa League at Anfield next week (4/7 Liverpool 12/5 draw 9/2 Atletico Madrid – match betting).

The Reds appeared heavy-legged off the back of a gruelling 24-hour, 1,200-mile trip to the Spanish capital by road, rail and air because of the flight restrictions imposed by the cloud of volcanic ash when they fell to an early goal by former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan on Thursday.

The setback at the Vicente Calderon means Rafael Benitez’s men must roll their sleeves up if they are to reach their third European final in six years.

England midfielder Gerrard is refusing to believe Liverpool have blown their last chance of silverware this season and is expecting another special European atmosphere at Anfield.

“It is still half-time. We are still confident we can progress and we know we can turn any result around with our fans behind us, especially a 1-0,” said Gerrard.

He added: “If you don’t want to play in that game there is something wrong.

“These are the stages you want to play on, these are the nights when heroes are made.”

The Reds staged one of the most remarkable comebacks in European history when they came from 3-0 at half-time to beat AC Milan on penalties in the 2005 Champions League final.

Gerrard was at his inspirational best in the group stages when he rescued his team-mates in the final game against Olympiacos.

This season they have also trailed against Lille and Benfica before securing second-leg wins.

The 29-year-old expects Thursday will not be the faint-hearted but is confident Liverpool can reach the final in Hamburg on May 12 (3/4 Liverpool – To Qualify).

He said: “We haven’t played well at all on the road in the league or in Europe but we’ve got the experience, the know-how, of turning these results around.”

He added: “Atletico have got fantastic players who can hurt you so we know we need to perform perfectly if we want to get to Hamburg.”

Liverpool must first collect maximum points off Burnley to keep alive their remote hopes of a top-four finish and Gerrard says he expects Benitez to make changes for the trip to Turf Moor.

He said: “I’m sure the manager will make a few changes to freshen things up and we’ll try to get a win against Burnley and then prepare for a massive game, the biggest of the season, next Thursday.”

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O’Neill calls for calm Villans

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Martin O'NeillAston Villa boss Martin O’Neill does not feel Birmingham’s poor run of form will count for anything in Sunday’s high-noon showdown at Villa Park (Villa 4/7, draw 3/1, Blues 9/2).

The Villans have no margin for error as they chase fourth place in the Premier League and with it a chance to secure Champions League football for next season via the qualifying rounds of the competition.

And on the face of it Villa are entertaining Blues at a good time, with Alex McLeish’s men failing to register a win in their last seven games, but O’Neill reckons the form book goes out of the window in derby matches (5/4 Villa HT/FT).

He said: “That will not affect them going into a derby. They have done excellently all year and they have been a surprise to most people.

“They have eked out some amazing results this season and have done it through a lot of hard work, a lot of discipline and a lot of controlled play.

“I think that is the sort of side we are going to face and not a team which has not won in the last seven matches.”

O’Neill is a veteran of the Old Firm game north of the border from his five-year spell as Celtic boss – most of which coincided with McLeish’s spell in charge of Rangers – and he has drawn on all of his experience to warn his players they need to have the coolest heads in the ground.

He added: “To win a derby game you need discipline. I think discipline is important in these games as referees want to lay down the law pretty quickly.

“Incidents in a derby game seem to magnify themselves and if you pick up a yellow card early on it is a long way to go to keep out of further trouble.

“Villa have won the last five games between the sides and we are certainly capable of beating Birmingham.

“Are they capable of coming here and stifling us and making it exceptionally hard? Absolutely.

“We will have to be very strong mentally and force ourselves on the game. The highly charged atmosphere of a local derby should go on and inspire the players and I think it should be a very decent atmosphere.”

Blues’ season has taken a dip but McLeish will be desperate to finish in the top half of the Premier League which would be a magnificent achievement following promotion from the Championship 12 months ago.

The Scot then spent around £10m on squad strengthening and he does not expect to be handed mega-money during the close season.

He revealed: “Will there be more than £10million to spend this summer? It won’t be much more than that.

“I heard Walter Smith talking about having a fantastic season at Rangers and then, because he’s done well on a limited budget, they think they can take a bit more away and he can do it again.

“I worked like that at Rangers as well and you can’t keep doing that. You can’t keep pulling rabbits out of the hat. There has to be investment and I am sure the board will back me.”

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