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Houllier makes Anfield return

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Gerard Houllier and Roy Hodgson are two managers that have not found life easy at their new clubs and on Monday Aston Villa travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool as the Frenchman returns to his old stomping ground (Liverpool 3/5, draw 11/4, Villa 5/1).

Villa are really struggling for wins in the Premier League in recent weeks and have only picked up one victory in their last nine games in the top flight.

Houllier’s job has not been made easy by an injury list as long as the former Lyon manager’s arm with nine first-team players all sidelined at one point. At the moment Marc Albrighton, Fabian Delph, Emile Heskey, Stiliyan Petrov and Nigel Reo-Coker are all out of action.

Houllier will not want to be looking at Villa’s stats against Liverpool as they have only managed one win in the last 17 meetings between the two sides but that was a 3-1 win last season. Villa have the worst record in the Premier League this season against sides in the top half of the table as they have only managed to pick up three points from a possible 24.

As for Liverpool they have started to slowly turn their season around after a poor start to the campaign under Hodgson. The Reds have won their last three games at Anfield including an impressive 2-0 win over Chelsea which has started a run of poor form for the Blues.

Pepe Reina made some crucial saves for the Merseyside club in that clash and he will pick up his 100th clean sheet for Liverpool if he can keep a clean sheet on Monday night.

Unfortunately for Liverpool fans they will be without skipper Steven Gerrard who is still out of action with a hamstring injury which he picked up whilst playing for England in a friendly against France.

The Reds will also be without key defender Jamie Carragher as he is expected to have an extended period on the sidelines after suffering a shoulder injury.

With injuries to key players on both sides this is going to be a close game between two inconsistent sides that have played some good football this season, in spells.

It gets said often but it could be that man Fernando Torres (4/1 to get the first goal of the game) that could be the difference between the two sides as he looks to get back to his best form which he has started to show but again, in spells.

Liverpool should edge this one at home in front of their home fans so it looks unlikely that Houllier will have a happy return to Merseyside.

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Holloway makes cash claim

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Ian Holloway says he has told his Blackpool players to forget the financial differences between his side and Manchester City (4/7 to beat the Seasiders) ahead of their visit to Bloomfield Road.

Arguably the richest side in the world will travel to Blackpool on Sunday to take on a side who broke their transfer record in the summer with the signing of DJ Campbell for £1.25million.

Campbell’s transfer fee pales into insignificance when compared to the amounts City have spent over the past two years, breaking the British transfer record when they signed Robinho for £32million.

The likes of Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and James Milner have all cost over £20million, loose change to the Abu Dhabi United Group which currently owns City.

The financial gap between City and Blackpool might be massive but in the Premier League the sides are separated by just four points.

Holloway’s men have been the surprise package this season, beating Liverpool at Anfield last time out as they moved up to ninth in the division.

Sunday’s game against City will represent another chance for Blackpool to claim the scalp of one of England’s biggest teams.

City (15/2 Premier League Outright) made a sluggish start to the season but have recently found some form, moving up to second in the league with a 2-1 win over Newcastle.

Despite Blackpool’s recent performances victory for Roberto Mancini’s side will be seen as a formality as they look to keep up the pressure on current leaders Chelsea.

However, Holloway has other plans and believes money won’t necessarily buy City victory against his plucky outfit.

“To outsiders, this will be the biggest mismatch in the history of football because of our financial situations,” said Holloway.

“But let’s see what we can do. If it was all about how much you’re on, we’d be bottom of the league by a zillion miles.

“Before Liverpool, I was reminding my lads we were a point above them, and this is a league game – we’re in the same division as them on merit.

“And I’ll be doing the same thing with Manchester City.”

Holloway will have to hope he can work his magic from the stands as he serves a one-match touchline ban for his abuse of the officials during Blackburn’s win at Bloomfield Road.

Blackpool (5/4 to stay up) fans will be hoping Holloway is the only regular face missing on Sunday as they wait to hear whether Craig Cathcart and Neal Eardley have recovered from the problems which forced them off against Liverpool.

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Mancini makes shock title claim

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Manchester City boss Roberto ManciniManchester City boss Roberto Mancini has tipped Saturday’s opponents Chelsea, the 3/4 favourites, to “win the Premier League title easily” this season (City 21/10, draw 9/4, Chelsea 6/5).

Carlo Ancelotti’s men make the trip to Eastlands for Saturday’s early kick-off in fantastic form although they did blot their copybook with a Carling Cup defeat to Newcastle in midweek.

Ancelotti elected to give some of his stars the night off but the XI still featured the likes of John Terry, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou alongside some youngsters and fringe players.

The Italian saw his side reduced to 10 men but only through injury when all three substitutions had been made so he was happy with the performance as Chelsea came back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3, before eventually losing 4-3.

Injuries are a problem for City as well – with Saturday’s hosts able to call on just three defenders who are described as fully fit.

Mancini is definitely without Micah Richards (hamstring) while there will be late decisions taken on Joleon Lescott (groin) and Jerome Boateng (knee).

But it is Mancini’s apparent concession of the title to Chelsea that is sure to raise a few eyebrows at Old Trafford and the Emirates.

“Chelsea are the best team in the Premier League at the moment,” said Mancini. “They are probably going to win the Premier League title easily.

“They are a strong team, who have been playing together for many years.

“They have a fantastic manager and they have worked to reach this situation.”

Chelsea have won all of their Premier League games this season, scoring 21 goals and conceding just one in the process (Chelsea 17/10 – To Keep A Clean Sheet).

But they travel north mindful of the fact City did the double over them last season when they backed up a 2-1 win at Eastlands with a 4-2 victory at Stamford Bridge at the end of February.

Chelsea will again be without England midfielder Frank Lampard following hernia surgery  and he is joined on the sidelines by striker Salomon Kalou (thigh) and midfielders Yossi Benayoun (calf) and Gael Kakuta (back).

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Big Sam makes Wenger comparison

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Blackburn manager Sam AllardyceBlackburn boss Sam Allardyce believes that Arsenal (9/2 to win the 2010-11 Premier League) boss Arsene Wenger is no more ‘advanced’ a coach than he is.

The Rovers manager’s comments come just days after he claimed that he could comfortably manage Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Allardyce and Wenger have had a history of tension with the Frenchman accusing players at the Ewood Park club of being over physical.

Wenger’s disapproval of Allardyce’s style of play has continued since the Rovers boss was at Bolton Wanderers who were somewhat of a bogie team for the Gunners.

The English manager has continued to spat between the two experienced coaches, stating that he has not been represented well in the media.

Allardyce said: “There is a problem with perception. Arsene is seen as a sophisticated Frenchman while I’m just a rugged English centre-half from the Midlands with an accent to match, but is Arsene more advanced than me in terms of coaching? Not a chance.

“Does he use live fitness data on his players during games? Does he study sports psychology every day? Does he use sports science to the extent that I do? I doubt it,” he added.

Arsenal and Blackburn (8/1 to be relegated from the Premier League) have already met in the Premier League this season at Ewood Park where the Gunners proved to be too strong for the home side, running out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Theo Walcott and Andrey Arshavin.

This was a fixture that in the past Arsenal have failed to pick up maximum points from thanks to direct style of play from Rovers, which the North London club have found difficult to cope with.

Allardyce has declared though that he does have respect for Wenger for the way he has managed Arsenal since he took over in 1996.

He said: “None of all this affects my view of Wenger. I have total respect for the way he changed his philosophy in recent years when the £400million move to the Emirates Stadium reduced his spending power in the transfer market.

“He hasn’t won trophies yet with his current crop but he has stuck to his guns by insisting that nothing will prevent the development of his young players.”

“Arsenal play some wonderful football but what makes the Premier League interesting is the difference in styles between teams,” he added.

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Rooney makes Swiss trip

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England striker Wayne Rooney will be available for selection against Switzerland in Tuesday night’s Euro 2012 qualifier in Basle (Switzerland 10/3, draw 5/2, England 5/6 – 90 minutes).

The Manchester United forward has travelled with the rest of the squad despite strong allegations over his private life being made in the Sunday tabloids.

Speculation suggesting Rooney might pull out has proven to be unfounded and he is set to partner hat-trick Jermain Defoe up front against the notoriously stingy Swiss defence.

Coach Fabio Capello will be delighted to call on Rooney’s services as he looks to take another step towards restoring the feel-good factor around the national side (Rooney 4/1 – First Goalscorer).

The Italian is already without Peter Crouch and Bobby Zamora while Emile Heskey retired from international football after the World Cup.

Capello also has Carlton Cole and Darren Bent at his disposal in Switzerland although both are still feeling their way on to the big stage and their lack of experience would have been a worry without Rooney.

But one player whose lack of experience will not count against him is Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Capello admits he was forced to bring the 23-year-old back down to earth after his debut in a friendly two summers ago which explains his lack of action in South Africa a couple of months ago.

“He probably started to play in the first XI too early,” said Capello. “He started to think ‘I am the best’.

“You have to understand what happens in the mind of the young player. Sometimes it is this. But in two years he has come back.”

Capello added: “He improved a lot last year when he played at Birmingham. That was a really important period for him.

“With any young player, the most important thing is his quality. Now it is really up to him.”

Swizterland drew 0-0 with Australia in a friendly on Friday so Tuesday’s game marks the start of the qualifying campaign and coach Ottmar Hitzfeld insists Rooney remains the danger man (Switzerland 16/5 – To Keep A Clean Sheet against England).

He claimed: “Fabio Capello is not able to leave a player of his class out.

“I am no psychologist but Wayne Rooney is looking sharp and I am sure he will perform well.

“The only reason he didn’t do well in the World Cup was that he was injured beforehand and didn’t have time to make his fitness up in time for the tournament.”

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Campbell makes England pitch

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Newcastle defender Sol Campbell admits he still feels he is capable of featuring for England during the qualification campaign for Euro 2012 which starts on Friday night against Bulgaria (England 3/10, draw 4/1, Bulgaria 10/1 – 90 Minutes).

The former Tottenham and Arsenal star has won 73 caps for the Three Lions but the last of them came under former coach Steve McClaren with his form overlooked by Fabio Capello ever since the Italian took charge.

Thirty-six later in September, Campbell thinks he can cut it on the big stage although the likes of John Terry, Matthew Upson, Matthew Dawson, Joleon Lescott and Gary Cahill are ahead of him in the pecking order.

“You go to Italy and defenders and goalkeepers can go on and on and on really,” argued Campbell.

“You can roll the names off of the guys who have played well into their late 30s at international level so I think it sometimes goes down to mentality.

“It doesn’t matter where you are at with your age, if you are fit and you are strong and you are physically there and you want it, then you have got the experience so I think there should be no problem really.”

Campbell’s cause has not been helped by the fact he is yet to pull on a Newcastle shirt in anger so far this season.

He did not join up with the Magpies until late in the summer after leaving Arsenal on a free transfer at the end of last season.

But Campbell had a run out for the Magpies’ second string in midweek as he looks to put himself in contention for the home clash with Ian Holloway’s Blackpool on Saturday September 11.

Chris Hughton’s men have made a solid start to the season since the opening defeat at Manchester United while they are also through to the second round of the Carling Cup (Newcastle 50/1 – Carling Cup Outright).

But the Seasiders have also taken the step up from the Championship in their stride and currently sit in mid-table after three games of the campaign (Blackpool 2/7 – To Be Relegated).

Holloway has signed over 10 players since winning promotion via the play-offs with the likes of Luke Varney, DJ Campbell and David Carney late additions to his squad.

Aussie midfielder Carney and former loan striker Campbell were only confirmed by the club on deadline day and both have made Blackpool?s 23-man Premier League squad which leaves room for two free agents.

Under-21 players can also be selected as they do not need to be declared by a club.

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Wenger makes future admission

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Arsene Wenger has been offered a new deal to extend his stay at Arsenal and the Frenchman expects the formalities to be sorted out in the near future (Gunners 6/1 – 2010/11 Premier League Outright).

The 60-year-old has been with the Gunners since 1996 although he has won nothing in the last five seasons since beating Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup final (Arsenal 7/1 – 2010/11 FA Cup Outright).

But Wenger has kept Arsenal competitive, both domestically and in Europe, while he has also been forced to live within his means as the club moved from, Highbury to the Emirates for the start of the 2006/07 season.

However, there had been suggestions that Wenger was facing a make-or-break year following the half-decade barren run prior to his announcement that the Gunners want to tie him down to a new deal.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to face Liverpool at Anfield, Wenger said: “I have to show as well how much I believe in this team by showing my commitment.

“My situation will be sorted out very soon.

“I believe my commitment to the club has nothing do with the speculation of how the season would go, because that would be unfair.

“If I do not do well, and one day the club is not happy with me I can completely understand that I do not stay here any more.

“But I believe we will do well.”

Wenger has spent the summer fighting to keep hold of captain Cesc Fabregas who has been the subject of least one big-money bid from Catalan giants Barcelona.

It is a battle the Frenchman appears to have won although no Gunners fan is likely to sleep too well until the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

However, Fabregas is struggling for fitness ahead of the new season after being given extra time off because Spain got to the World Cup final.

Striker Robin van Persie is also in the same boat after Holland’s run in South Africa while Alex Song and Denilson face late checks on calf and abdominal problems.

Johan Djourou (hamstring), Nicklas Bendtner (groin) and Aaron Ramsey (broken leg) are all definitely sidelined but summer signings Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny are in the squad and ready to make their Gunners debuts.

Arsenal are 9/5 to get their season off to a winning start at Anfield this weekend.

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Mancini makes double swoop claim

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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is confident that Mario Balotelli and James Milner will have signed for the club on Thursday ahead of their Premier League opener at Tottenham (City 7/4, Spurs 5/4, draw 23/10 – 90 Minutes Betting) next Saturday.

Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill revealed on Friday evening that Milner had virtually sealed a big-money switch to Eastlands.

However, as the versatile midfielder is part of Fabio Capello’s England squad for the friendly against Hungary at Wembley on Wednesday, Mancini expects to tie up the loose ends on his move the following day.

Balotelli is also due to feature for Italy in midweek, so City will wait until the back end of the week to get him officially on board in what could be the final pieces of the jigsaw in their bid to muscle their way into the title race (City 5/1 Premier League Outright).

“We are close with both players but now they are going with their national teams,” said Mancini. “We hope that we can have these players by next Thursday.”

“For now we have two days off and we are not going to talk about the market. Next week we will see. These deals could happen but we need to wait.”

City continued their preparations for the new campaign with a 2-0 friendly win against Valencia on Saturday, with Gareth Barry and Jo scoring the goals.

Craig Bellamy (7/1 Top Man City Goalscorer) did not even feature in the game sparking more speculation that he could be on his way out of the club, while there were no clues who would start in goal as Shay Given and Joe Hart were both handed 45 minutes.

Mancini added: “I am fortunate that I have two strong goalkeepers. This is important when you have a long season with three matches every week.

“I have an idea who I will play but I still have a week to decide. I know whoever I pick, the other one will help that person. It is not a problem for us.”

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Sagna makes title claim

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Bacary Sagna believes Arsenal can challenge for the Premier League title this season, but only if they can maintain a level of consistency which has deserted the Gunners (6/1 Outright Premier League Winners) in recent seasons.

The north London club have yet to win any silverware since their FA Cup success over Manchester United in 2005, failing to capitalise on a number of golden opportunities since that time.

Last year Arsenal finished 11 points off eventually winners Chelsea but at times looked as though they would challenge for the title, even topping the league in February.

However, once again the Gunners form dipped coming into the run-in and back-to-back defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea eventually cost them.

While Arsenal fans having been calling on manager Arsene Wenger to improve his side’s strength in depth in a bid to compete on the domestic and European fronts, so far the Frenchman has only brought in two new players.

With the Gunners (4/7 to finish in the top four) having lost three centre-halfs during the summer, with just one coming in, there might a number of Arsenal fans worried that problems at the back could cost them dear again.

Those doubters wouldn’t have been impressed in the club’s 6-5 friendly win over Legia Warsaw, a game which saw a near full strength side concede a number of goals from set pieces.

However, despite signs that Arsenal’s defensive frailties have yet to be dealt with Sagna is confident he and his team mates will be serious title contenders this season.

“Yes we can win it. I’m 100 per cent confident,” declared the Frenchman.

“It will be down to us now. We have a good team and some new players. We have an amazing team and play good football. We just need to be more consistent and to be a bit more focused on the pitch.”

The full-back went on to say that while he expected Manchester City (5/1 Outright Winners) to join the likes of Chelsea (13/8), Manchester United (12/5) and Liverpool (12/1) in challenging for the title, he feels that they cannot count on their spending power equalling success.

“They have bought a lot of good players and they will be hard to beat but we are still Arsenal, we play good football and just want to continue to play as we are now,” he added.

“Real Madrid [also spent money on] lots of good players but they couldn?t win anything last year so it’s down to the game we play on the pitch.”

Arsenal will be hopeful their youthful looking squad can finally do the business this season, especially after Cesc Fabregas’ decision to stay on for at least another season.

However, the Gunners could be without their captain, along with striker Robin van Persie, for the first game of the season as they head to Anfield looking to record a fourth straight victory over Liverpool (5/4 to beat the Gunners) in all competitions.

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Maradona makes suprise inclusion

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Colon defender Ariel Garce was the biggest surprise in Argentina’s (6/4 to be the top South American team) 23-man World Cup squad, which coach Diego Maradona released on Wednesday.

Garce, 30, has won just one cap for the national team and had been regarded as a surprise choice in the 30-man provisional squad named last week.

That appearance came in a 4-0 friendly win over Haiti two weeks ago, when Argentina fielded a side made up entirely of home-based players.

Garce was suspended for six months for doping in 2006 and plays for the Argentine club Colon. He was preferred to Inter Milan defender and captain Javier Zanetti.

The seven men cut from the provisional squad are Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini, Newell’s Old Boys defender Juan Manuel Insaurralde, Jose Sosa of Estudiantes, Olympiacos midfielder Jesus Datolo, Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, Lanus’ Sebastian Blanco and Juan Mercier of Argentinos Juniors.

The squad includes Lionel Messi (10/1 top goalscorer) and the country’s other big stars, which seems set to give the squad an abundance of talent up front, led by Messi, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain.

Maradona, who presented a provisional 30-man squad last week, selected a group that includes three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven at midfield and six forwards.

Maradona is likely to start Messi with Tevez or Higuain up front with a midfield anchored by Javier Mascherano, Juan Sebastian Veron, Jonas Gutierrez and Angel Di Maria. The four starters at the back are expected to be Nicolas Otamendi, Martin Demichelis, Walter Samuel and Gabriel Heinze.

The starting goalkeeper is almost sure to be Sergio Romero of Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

Argentina struggled to reach the World Cup, qualifying fourth – the last automatic spot from South America.

Maradona has been in charge for 19 months but has failed to show the same great flair as a coach that he had as a player.

Argentina face Canada on Monday at River Plate’s stadium in Buenos Aires, in what is expected to be its last warm-up before the World Cup.

The 1978 and ‘86 champions open on June 12 in South Africa against Nigeria and also faces Greece and South Korea in Group B.

Argentine officials confirmed for the first time that the team will depart for South Africa on May 28.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar), Mariano Andujar (Catania), Diego Pozo (Colon).

Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi (Velez Sarsfield), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan), Gabriel Heinze (Marseille), Nicolas Burdisso (AS Roma), Ariel Garce (Colon), Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes).

Midfielders: Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle), Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes), Javier Mascherano (Liverpool), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Javier Pastore (Palermo), Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool), Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina).

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors).

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