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Drogba ready to blow away Gunners

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Chelsea striker Didier Drogba says he can’t wait to get out on the pitch to face Arsenal on Sunday as the Ivorian international looks to keep up his incredible scoring record against the Gunners (19/5 to beat Chelsea).

The 32-year-old is expected to return to the Blues starting line-up when Arsenal arrive at Stamford Bridge having sat out the 2-0 victory over Marseille in mid week.

Drogba has been at his imperious best this season as he helped Carlo Ancelotti’s men get off to a flying start, winning their first five Premier League matches before they came unstuck against Manchester City last weekend.

Chelsea looked off colour at Eastlands last Saturday but were somewhere near their best in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Drogba and his team mates will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing Arsenal having won the last four meetings against their London rivals.

Drogba has been the scourge of Arsenal since he joined Chelsea in 2004, scoring 12 goals in 10 starts and two substitute appearances against Arsene Wenger’s men.

Drogba (5/1 to score two or more against Arsenal) got both goals in last season’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge, while also getting a brace at the Emirates Stadium in the 3-0 win.

Last season’s golden boot winner says he is expecting a tough encounter on Sunday given Arsenal’s start to the season, with the Gunners having won four of their first six.

“I can say that I am a bit lucky because I scored a few goals against them,’ he acknowledged.

“Every game is different. I remember some games when we played well against Arsenal, but this one will be a different one, I don’t know how.

“It is a strange start to the season for me, I scored goals and made some assists but I am not really 100 percent yet with the surgery I had in pre-season so it is a bit difficult for me to catch up but I am doing my best and I hope that maybe in one or two weeks I will be better.”

The Gunners (7/1 Premier League outright) are expected to be missing a number of star names for the clash with Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Nicklas Bendtner, Thomas Vermaelen and Manuel Almunia all unavailable.

Chelsea have their own injury problems, although not as bad as Arsenal, with Jose Bosingwa, Yossi Benayoun and Salomon Kalou all out.

Despite the two club’s injury problems fans can still expect Ancelotti and Wenger to name to starting elevens packed with internationals as they look to maintain their push for the Premier League title.

The game is likely to prove to be a good acid test of the pair’s title credentials this season, although Drogba refuses to say a defeat to either side will badly dent their hopes.

“I won’t say [it is] critical because the season is long. Last year Arsenal were 10 points behind us and they came back and they were fighting for the league with three games to go, so it’s going to be a big game, an important game, but not one that will say Chelsea or Arsenal will be champions,” Drogba added.

“I think we can beat anybody but we can also lose against anybody, that’s football and you want to win when you come to the pitch but you never know if you’re going to win or not.”

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Fletcher ready for tough encounter

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Midfielder Darren Fletcher has revealed that Manchester United are expecting a tough clash with Valencia in Wednesday’s Champions League encounter (Valencia 13/8 – 90 minutes).

The Red Devils have travelled to Spain without the injured Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia and Ryan Giggs, while Paul Scholes has been left at home to rest for United’s next Premier League clash with Sunderland (United 8/13 – 90 minutes).

They Old Trafford outfit have yet to hit top gear this season and could only manage a 0-0 draw with Rangers in their opening match of Europe’s elite club competition.

Domestic form at home has been good with three wins from three matches, but they have yet to win away from Manchester, with three draws on their travels to date.

Contrastingly, Valencia are riding high at the top of La Liga, with 13 points from their first five games, and Fletcher believes that United will have their work cut out to compete with a side who have comfortably dealt with the loss of high-profile players David Villa and David Silva.

“It is going to be a difficult match,” he said. “People might say it is not the same Valencia because they have lost Villa and Silva.

“But as we have seen at Manchester United, when you lose good players others step up to the mark and take on more responsibility. They have had a fantastic start.”

Michael Carrick could well be set for his first start since August’s Community Shield, as he was on the flight to Spain on Tuesday morning.

His passing ability may give the former Tottenham schemer the edge in selection with ball retention, according to Fletcher, key to success against the best in Europe.

“We have picked up experience of playing in Europe and we have confidence,” he added. “We know how to cope with the travel and the different styles of play.

“Against Spanish sides, keeping the ball is key. If you give the ball away cheaply, you might not see it for a few minutes and they will punish you.”

Michael Owen could be set for another run-out, after netting the equaliser that gave United a point against Bolton on Sunday, with in-form Dimitar Berbatov certain to start at the Mestalla Stadium.

Rooney’s ankle problem is not thought to be too serious but another week out of the spotlight could also help him come to terms with the tabloid allegations about his private life which, according to Sir Ales Ferguson, have been affecting the England star’s performances this term.

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Davies ready for promotion push

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Nottingham Forest are amongst the favourites to secure promotion to the Premier League ahead of the new season and boss Billy Davies insists he is up for the challenge (Forest 13/5 to secure promotion to the Premier League).

Forest were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by Blackpool last season, with the Seasiders eventually getting the better of Cardiff in the final to secure a place in England’s top flight, and Davies is eager to ensure Forest go one better this season.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and I know the players and my staff feel exactly the same way,” Davies told the club’s official website.

“I always relish the start of a new season. There’s great optimism but as ever there’s also great passion and commitment as well.

“It’s a fantastic challenge again for us – there are exciting times to look forward to, so bring it on.”

Davies has plenty of Championship experience to draw on as he bids to bring success to the City Ground.  The Scottish manager led Preston to the play-off final in 2005, only to see North End miss out to Watford, before leading Derby County to promotion in the 2006/2007 season with a play-off final victory over West Brom.

Davies was axed early the following season by the Rams after a dreadful start to their Premier League campaign but he has since rebuilt his reputation at Forest and many are tipping Davies to lead the Reds to promotion.

However, the Forest boss has largely struggled to secure his transfer targets during the close season and he has basically the same squad at his disposal as he did during the previous campaign.  The considerable talents of goalkeeper Lee Camp, midfielder trio Paul McKenna (captain), Chris Cohen and Polish star Radosaw Majewski will surely help Forest push for promotion, while forwards Nathan Tyson and Rob Earnshaw are always capable of finding the back of the net given the chance and there is still plenty of time left ahead of the close of the transfer window on September 1 for Davies to add to his side.

Middlesbrough, under the guidance of Gordon Strachan, are the current 19/10 favourites to secure promotion to the Premier League with Totesport.  Neil Warnock is also being tipped to take QPR (7/2) back into the top flight after doing his deals early in the summer, while Burnley, who have managed to keep the majority of their squad together, are priced at 18/5 to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

The likes of Leciester City (9/2), last season’s beaten play-off finalists Cardiff City (5/1) and Bristol City (11/2), who signed England goalkeeper David James earlier this month, will also be gunning for promotion and the Championship promises very competitive ahead of the big kick off.

Forest travel to Burnley for their season opener tomorrow, with Davies eager to lead the City Ground side into the Premier League (Match Betting – Burnley 6/5, draw 9/4, Forest 21/10).

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Robinho ready for ‘world football classic’

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Manchester City star RobinhoBrazilian superstar Robinho believes his country’s quarter-final showdown with the Netherlands will be a great spectacle, while his team remain confident of progressing (Holland 16/5, draw 11/5, Brazil 20/21).

Robinho endured a difficult domestic season in England with Manchester City before being loaned out to Santos in his homeland in January but has enjoyed a successful World Cup, with Brazil breezing into the last eight.

Boss Dunga has been criticised in his homeland for the style of play, with a greater emphasis on defence than has perhaps been seen in previous Brazil sides, but Robinho is sure the quarter-final showdown with the Netherlands will be a mouth-watering contest (Brazil 4/9 to qualify, Holland 13/8).

“It’s a world football classic. It’s going to be like a final,” he explained.

It could be argued that neither Brazil nor the Netherlands have produced an exceptional performance as yet in South Africa. The European giants comfortably made it through their group, beating the likes of Denmark, Japan and Cameroon, but did not produce the kind of ‘total football’ for which the nation is so famous for.

The Oranje saw off a spirited Slovakia side in the last 16 but while Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder may have impressed the likes of Robin van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart have arguably failed to deliver at this stage in the competition.

Brazil have surpassed Spain as favourites for the tournament after easing through a group that included North Korea, Portugal and the Ivory Coast and comfortably seeing off Chile 3-0 in the last 16.  However, while Brazilian teams in the past have been characterised by the flair and guile of players such as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romario and Pele, amongst numerous others, the current side relies as heavily on other aspects of their game.

The superb goalkeeping ability of Julio Cesar, the experience of defender and captain Lucio and the workmanlike attitude of holding midfielder Gilberto Silva are as crucial to this crop of Brazilian stars as the skills of players such as Robinho and Benfica playmaker Ramires.

Dunga has brushed aside any criticism of his team by Brazil?s press in the past, and like Robinho he expects their quarter-final showdown to be one for the football purists.

He said: “We know the Netherlands are a very difficult team to play against.

“Their football is actually very similar to South American football. They don’t try to stay defending and rely on long balls.

“They have technical quality and we will need to be ready for that. It’s a solid team.”

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Robben ready to take a gamble

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Netherlands winger Arjen RobbenArjen Robben is ready to take a gamble by playing against Cameroon on Thursday for the Netherlands (Holland 1/33 to win Group E).

The winger suffered a hamstring injury during the Dutch side’s final warm-up game against Hungary, and had to have five days of treatment.

He said he could play against Cameroon, just 19 days since he suffered the injury.

“Playing against Cameroon is possible,” Robben told reporters. “Risk is a big word as we already have taken a risk by choosing an aggressive treatment, where we could have written off the World Cup and said just go on holiday.”

The Dutch are already through to the last 16, so the pressure is off them to play their first-choice team against the already-eliminated Cameroon side.

The questions about a “missing link” in the Dutch side have made Robben a hot media topic but the nature of the injury has left him on the sidelines.

“You have to be 100 percent to play,” he said. “So far we have been considering the situation day-by-day as it happened only two weeks ago and normally it would take four to six weeks to recover from such an injury,” he added.

“Yesterday I had a tough training session, with some good five-a-side matches, and I came through well. I don’t think there’s a big risk that anything will happen to the hamstring.”

If Robben features at these finals it will be his fourth straight appearance at a major tournament.

“It has been hard so far,” said Robben. “I noticed during the first two matches that it is painful if you can’t play and just have to stay on the sidelines.”

“The recuperation was no fun at all and sometimes I felt like a martyr but I knew why I did it,” he added.

Holland boss Bert van Marwijk will let Robben make his own judgment over his fitness.

The winger has missed Holland’s two Group E victories with a hamstring problem so far as his team-mates breezed into the last 16 by beating Denmark and Japan.

“I am going to leave him to make the decision,” said Van Marwijk.

“He knows his own body best and he will let me know when he is ready.

“It can be in the next game or it can be in the knockout phase. He must take the decision.

“I’d prefer that he is used only when he is fit.”

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Rivals ready Gerrard raid

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Manchester City are reportedly preparing an audacious summer raid on Liverpool for Steven Gerrard to boost their Premier League title ambitions for next season (City 6/1 Premier League Outright 2010/2011).

City boss Roberto Mancini has been linked to a myriad of players already this summer and looks set to be handed a blank cheque book to ensure the Eastlands outfit do not miss out on at least a top-four Champions League place next term. And reports suggest that Gerrard could be his top target with a big-money offer and fellow midfielder Steven Ireland set to be included as part of a deal to take the England skipper the short journey across the North-West.

The main problem for City is that new Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is also thought to be plotting a move to take Gerrard to the Spanish Primera Liga having just missed out on his signature when in charge at Chelsea.

Mourinho, who won an historic treble with Italian giants Inter Milan last season, appears to see Gerrard as the missing link at the Bernabeu as he looks to lead them to domestic and European success in his first campaign at the helm.

Therefore a scramble looks like ensuing as soon as Gerrard’s involvement in England’s bid for World Cup glory (England 8/1 Outright Winner) in South Africa comes to an end.

It is not known if Liverpool would cash in on Gerrard or if the player will express a desire to quit Anfield following a disappointing season in which they missed out on Champions League football and then Rafael Benitez’s subsequent departure.

The Reds are still searching for a replacement for Benitez and Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was one of the favourites to take the job. However Cottagers owner Mohamed Al Fayed remains confident he will stay put following a successful past season at Craven Cottage.

He said: “I don’t think he’ll leave me.

“I’m sure he’ll have lots of approaches from other clubs, but I give him anything he wants to reach results and we have a very good relationship.”

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Wenger ready for “intense” campaign

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has predicted a tight contest in next season’s Premier League title race (Arsenal 6/1 to win the Premier League title).

The French tactician believes the likes of Aston Villa (200/1), Spurs (50/1) and Manchester City (6/1) will join the usual suspects in the battle for the league next season and believes the campaign will be more “intense” than last season.

“It will without a doubt be more intense,” said Wenger. “You have Aston Villa, you have Man City, you have Tottenham and you have Liverpool (10/1) plus the top three from last season, so it will always be more difficult.”

Wenger’s men managed to keep up with the pace set by Manchester United (2/1) and Chelsea (13/8f) until around April last season, when an injury to Cesc Fabregas in their Champions League defeat to Barcelona proved costly for the Gunners.

Fabregas is expected to move back to Camp Nou, having spent his youth career with Barcelona, during the summer, although Wenger has still not given up hope of retaining the Spaniard’s services.  The loss of Fabregas will surely dent Arsenal’s hopes ahead of next season, although they can expect to receive a hefty-fee for the midfielder as he still has a number of years left on his current deal.

The Arsenal chief has hinted he is ready to spend big this summer in a bid to bring the title back to the Emirates, with the Gunners last Premier League title success coming in the 2003/2004 season. Wenger has already added striker Marouane Chamakh to his ranks, the Moroccan hitman operates as a target man and many suggested that was an aspect the Arsenal side had been lacking over the course of last season.

The Frenchman has also stated he is keen to bolster his defence, with Bolton?s Gary Cahill and Fulham?s Brede Hangeland linked, while Barca?s Yaya Toure has also been tipped to head to north London during the summer.

Wenger will be keen to add some silverware to the Arsenal trophy cabinet next season, with their last title the 2004 FA Cup, but he is well aware it will be tough in the 2010/2011 campaign.

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has already proved a shrewd operator in the transfer market with the acquisition of promising youngster Adam Johnson, who narrowly missed out on a place in the England World Cup squad.  Mancini is sure to be busy this summer as he looks to mould a side of his own at Eastlands and a number of top stars have been linked with a move to City.

Chelsea and Manchester United will again be strong, despite the latter?s reported financial worries, while Liverpool remain an unknown quantity until they appoint a new boss (Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is the 10/11f to take charge at Anfield) and the futures of stars such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are resolved.

Spurs showed their quality throughout last season but with wins against Arsenal and Chelsea in the final stages of the season they perhaps suggested they could push on again next season, although Villa boss Martin O?Neill may be more concerned about keeping hold of his stars, with James Milner attracting interest, than securing new additions at this stage.

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Parreira ready for the fight

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South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira says he is on a high as he enters the week when his team kicks off the World Cup (South Africa 4/11 to exit at the group stage).

A 1-0 win for Bafana Bafana over Denmark was the perfect tonic for the side as they approach the first Group A fixture against Mexico at Soccer City.

Parreira said:  “Everybody has to respect us. We are ready to fight. We respect everybody, but they must also respect us. We will take every game as a final. We will fight in every game.”

He added: “I think the team showed that we are ready for the competition – we are ready for the World Cup. The team is ready and they proved it against Denmark.

“With our preparations, it shows that the path we took was the right one. What will happen at the World Cup we don’t know but the team is ready for the World Cup.”

Parreira was also buoyed by the overwhelming support Bafana received from the packed Lucas Moripe stadium in Atteridgeville.

He said: “I read in one newspaper and they said ’spectators fall in love again with Bafana’, this is good. We have the support… they have been supporting us in the games we have been playing, the one against Thailand and Colombia they were there in big numbers blowing the vuvuzelas. They give the team confidence,” he said.

The win against Denmark was the perfect way to end the warm-up sequence for the World Cup, said Parreira.

“A win is a win, but this one was a special one for us, because it was a win against a very, very good team.

“Denmark is a very strong team and five of their players have around 80 caps for their national team and that’s why I was very happy to see the boys win.

“They won against very tough opponents and I’m happy about that,” said the 67-year-old.

The coach also said the visit to former president Nelson Mandela on Thursday worked and brought with it the ‘Madiba Magic’ to the team.

“He didn’t make any speech, but his presence is so inspiring for the team and the country. It was so emotional to see him there and everyone was so happy. I’m sure it helps the team a lot when we play,” said Parreira.

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Chelsea ready to fight for star

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Chelsea midfielder Joe ColeChelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins says the Blues (13/8 2010/2011 Premier League champions) are desperate to try and keep Joe Cole at Stamford Bridge.

The 28-year-old is set to see his contract expire with the west London outfit at the end of June and there are plenty of clubs interested in securing his services should he fail to negotiate a new deal with Chelsea.

The likes of Manchester United, West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal have all been linked with a move for the England (13/2 to win the World Cup) international, who is stalling over signing a new contract due to money issues.

Cole allegedly wants to see his weekly pay rise from £80,000 to £100,000, a sum Chelsea are unwilling to match.

It seems unlikely that any of the other clubs believed to be interested in Cole would be prepared to match his wage demands and as such he may have to settle for what the Blues are offering.

However, having been used sparingly by manager Carlo Ancelotti last season, Cole might see his future lying elsewhere.

Manchester United (2/1 2010/11 Premier League champions) have long been credited with an interest in the former West Ham (1500/1) youngster, although it could cost them a bit to persuade him to move out of London.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has said he thought the club couldn’t afford Cole’s wage demands, and West Ham would appear to be in a similar boat with their financial troubles.

Arsenal looks the most likely destination for Cole and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has previously admitted the proposition of signing Cole was “interesting”.

The north London club are desperate to strengthen their side ahead of the new season having failed to claim any silverware since their 2005 FA Cup success.

With captain Cesc Fabregas reportedly on the verge of leaving, Wenger could be handed a big transfer budget to try and replace the Spaniard, with Cole a possible candidate to try and fill the void left by Fabergas.

However, any ideas Arsenal have about signing the playmaker could be stopped in their tracks following Wilkins’ comments.

He says the Blues are still fighting to keep Cole and would be very happy to see him stay at Stamford Bridge.

“We’ve obviously been in dialogue with Joe for months now and it’s pretty evident that Carlo and myself would love Joe to stay but it’s down now to the club to see what we can do,” said Wilkins.

“We sincerely hope Joe stays with us – he’s a smashing guy and he’s a wonderful footballer so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.”

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Robben ready to rock for Holland

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Arjen RobbenBert van Marwijk has played down fears Arjen Robben is an injury concern ahead of Holland’s World Cup opener against Denmark in Johannesburg on June 14.

The Bayern Munich flyer missed the 4-1 international friendly rout over Ghana in Rotterdam on Tuesday because of a slight hip problem and van Marwijk said there was little point in risking him.

He said: “Arjen has a little bit of a problem with his hip. It is not serious, but in the run-up to the World Cup we want as little risk as possible.”

Robben’s replacement, Dirk Kuyt of Liverpool, opened the scoring in a one-sided international friendly win which extended Holland’s unbeaten run to 18 matches.

Second-half efforts from Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie saw the hosts ease to a comfortable win and the Dutch are now overwhelming 1/7 ante-post favourites with totesport.com to qualify from Group E.

Holland, on paper at least, boast a formidable-looking attack including the likes of van der Vaart, Sneijder, van Persie and Robben.

Arsenal talisman van Persie has come in for praise from his team-mates off the back of his goals against Mexico last week and is excited at the prospect of being his country’s figurehead.

“I heard their opinions and it pleases me that we appreciate each other’s qualities,” said van Persie.

The Emirates Stadium favourite could attract some interest at 16/1 with totesport.com to finish the international extravaganza as World Cup 2010 Top Goalscorer given that van Marwijk’s men appear to have been handed a favourable group including Denmark, Cameroon and Japan.

However, the 26-year-old says the team is more important than personal plaudits and is convinced Holland can go far in South Africa.

He added: “It is a party to play with them. They all are good players who are creative and think offensive.”

The former Feyenoord star was a doubt for the World Cup because of a serious ankle injury he sustained playing for Holland in a friendly against Italy last November.

However, he bounced back towards the end of the domestic season and will arrive in fresh to spearhead the Dutch.

Holland can be backed at 13/2 to end the tournament as the Top European Team and their price to win the World Cup outright has firmed up at 10/1.

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