Tag Archives: Wembley

Blades look bound for Wembley

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The League One play-offs continue on Monday and Sheffield United are strong 10/11 favourites to beat Stevenage and book a place at Wembley, as Danny Wilson’s men look to follow city rivals Wednesday into the Championship.

After a goalless draw in the first leg at Broadhall Way, the Blades – backed by a big home crowd at Bramall Lane – will be confident of beating a team that finished 17 points behind them in the table.

Sheffield United collected 90 points in the regular season, which would in any other year would have seen them gain automatic promotion, but the form of the top two condemed them to the lottery of the play-offs.

The loss of leading scorer Ched Evans has been a major blow to their hopes of clinching the third promotion place, but they have been boosted by the return to fitness of Richard Cresswell (5/1 – First Goalscorer), who made a late appearance off the bench in the first match.

Cresswell, who has 10 goals this term, has the experience as well as the quality at League One level to cause plenty of problems for the Stevenage backline, with the former Wednesday striker expected to partner Chris Porter up front.

The Blades have lost just three times at home this season – the last of those a 3-2 reverse to Oldham at the start of March – but there are some reasons for the visitors to be optimistic of pulling off a shock.

Gary Smith’s side drew 2-2 at Bramall Lane and were a matter of moments away from three points before a late equaliser from United (4/6 – To Score The First Goal).

Wilson’s men have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last seven home games and although Stevenage drew a blank in the first leg, there will be more gaps on Monday as the Blades go for goals.

The Boro (16/1 – To Win From Behind) have have lost just one of their last five away games, and their last two results away from Broadhall Way have seen them draw at Bramall Lane and win 6-0 at Yeovil.

Sheffield United, though, have both the physical presence and overall ability to see off their opponents and, if so, take their place at Wembley as favourites to secure a place in the Championship next season.

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Hammers to book Wembley place

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Rovers manager Sam AllardyceAfter an exciting first leg in Wales on Thursday, West Ham and  Cardiff City resume their rivalry on Monday night to see who will make it through to the play-off final at Wembley (West Ham 8/13, draw 13/5, Cardiff 7/2).

The Hammers take a 2-0 lead into the game thanks to a Jack Collison brace but know they cannot afford to take anything for granted having already lost to the Bluebirds at home this season.

After the disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the campaign, Sam Allardyce’s side bounced back in style at the Cardiff City Stadium as they dominated their Welsh opponents.

However, due to their defensive tactics, they sometimes struggle at home and have dropped an incredible 28 points at Upton Park this season and this is something that will surely play on their minds going into the game.

Much of their fine play in the first leg was down to the ability of striker Carlton Cole (11/10 to score at anytime) to retain possession and allow his team-mates to find space in and around him. The former England man has come in for some serious criticism this season but enjoys the big stage and will once again be looking to play a big part on Monday.

Cardiff have admitted themselves that they were woeful in the first leg and were lucky to escape with just a two-goal deficit.

Malky Mackay’s side were tipped to cause an upset against the Hammers thanks to their recent strong form but they simply failed to produce when it mattered, something that has plagued them in recent years after a number of play-off heartbreaks.

One of the players who disappointed in the first game was playmaker Peter Whittingham (10/3 to score at anytime) whose performances appear to mirror the fortunes of his team. The 27-year-old has long been hailed as the Championship’s most skilful player and was even tipped for a move to Monday’s opponents when they were still in the Premier League.

However, nothing went right for him on Thursday and he was comfortably outplayed by his Hammers counterpart Mark Noble who had one of his best games of the season.

Whittingham will be desperate to rediscover his composure and knows he can get the better of Noble, having dominated him in the sides’ previous meeting at Upton Park on the opening weekend of the season.

As most semi-finals are, this will surely be a cagey affair with both teams desperate not to give anything away. However, West Ham will probably go through and, although they’re likely to concede, Cole’s form and their two-goal first-leg advantage should be enough for them to book their place at Wembley (West Ham 18/1 to win 2-1).

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Wembley redemption for Reds

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Liverpool and Chelsea go head-to-head on Saturday in the FA Cup final and while the Blues (4/6 – FA Cup Outright) still have the Champions League showpiece to come, they will be keen to deny the Reds (6/5 – Outright) their second trophy of the season in what looks like being a tight Wembley clash.

It used to be the biggest game of the season but the Champions League and Premier League have cast a shadow over the FA Cup final in recent years and this year’s 5.15pm kick off – for whatever reason – has done little to improve that perception.

Chelsea, who have generally been flying under Roberto Di Matteo, are slight favourites to triumph at 6/5 over 90 minutes, but could be distracted by that upcoming date in Munich with Bayern while inconsistent Liverpool (15/8 – 90 Minutes) know securing a Cup double will salvage their season after a disappointing league campaign.

With much at stake it’s a difficult call to suggest who will be celebrating at the come 7.15pm or so and there are many interesting side-stories bubbling under in the big clash.

Most Chelsea fans will probably accept losing on Saturday if they can then go on to lift their first-ever European Cup but such has been their recent impressive form – Wednesday’s 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle apart – they will be confident approaching the final.

Di Matteo has revitalised and re-focused what was an under-performing squad and has been described by senior players Frank Lampard and John Terry as a “breath of fresh air” at the Bridge in recent months.

He appears to have given players back a belief clearly lacking under former boss Andre Villas-Boas and one man in particular – Fernando Torres – looks close to his brilliant best once again.

Liverpool, of course, know all about the Spaniard, who hit a hat-trick last weekend in the win over QPR and, following on his dramatic late goal against Barcelona last month, Torres’ redemption could be complete with another strike at Wembley against his former team. At 13/8 he is worth backing to score anytime, with Di Matteo likely to go with Torres ahead of Didier Drogba up front.

These two sides have met an incredible 31 times in the past eight seasons – a run which has included plenty of big games. Three Champions League semi-finals, an FA Cup semi and League Cup final are among them and, apart from the latter, Liverpool have generally had the upper hand in those crunch encounters to suggest the Reds have the edge over their opponents when it matters most.

Chelsea have also lost their last four games against Kenny Dalglish’s side, including Carling Cup and league defeats at home this season, so the stats could lead you to predict it’s time for the Londoners to triumph once again.

Liverpool have been frustratingly inconsistent in general this season with their fine Cup form contrasting with a woeful home league record, which hit a new low when they lost 1-0 against Fulham on Tuesday.

That, however, was largely a second-string side and they will welcome back key men Steven Gerrard (9/4 to score anytime), Luis Suarez, Glen Johnson and Pepe Reina amongst others at Wembley.

If Liverpool are to come out on top, much is sure to depend on how Suarez, a hat-trick hero in his last game at Norwich, and Gerrard perform, while the unpredictable Andy Carroll may also have a big say if he is at the top of his game.

Chelsea have injury concerns over central defenders David Luiz and Gary Cahill after the pair both missed training on Friday, while Dalglish has virtually a full-strength squad to choose from aside from long-term absentees Charlie Adam and Lucas Leiva.

The game could hinge on a piece of brilliance from the likes of Torres, Drogba, Juan Mata, Gerrard or Suarez, or even a sending off in what’s likely to be a fiery meeting, while extra-time and/or penalties could well be on the menu (Draw at 90 minutes – 11/5).

It’s a very difficult one to predict but, with Chelsea possibly having bigger fish to fry later this month, Liverpool, who know a win will save their season, could just about edge it.

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Eagles set for Wembley swoop

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Crystal Palace head to Cardiff on Tuesday looking to finish the job in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg after winning the first match between the two sides 1-0 at Selhurst Park.

The Bluebirds have a phenomenal home record and will fancy their chances of over turning Palace’s slender advantage. However, on the big occasions in the past they have choked.

Can Cardiff cope with the jitters or will Palace be making the short trip to Wembley?

Cardiff had earnt the reputation as chokers under former boss Dave Jones after a string of play-off failures, the most recent of which saw them beaten 3-0 at home by Reading in the second leg last season.

The season before that they had been beaten in the play-off final by Blackpool having looked odds on for automatic promotion before a late slump.

Despite a change in manager since those debacles the Bluebirds did seem to freeze in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final in south London. Anthony Gardener’s goal was enough to give Palace the win on that occasion, and while Cardiff wrongly had a goal chalked off they never looked like getting back into the game once they had fallen behind.

Ahead of the return match in Wales, Palace manager Dougie Freedman has seemingly taken great delight in pointing out Cardiff’s recent failures, predicting they will be “scared stiff” for Tuesday night’s game.

No doubt the game will come down to who copes with the pressure best, with thoughts of being 90 minutes away from Wembley likely to make a few stomachs churn before kick-off.

Malky Mackay has rubbished talk of his team getting stage fright and says Saturday’s last-gasp win over Portsmouth has filled his players with confidence ahead of the arrival of Palace.

Cardiff are a different animal at home, winning 13 out of 17 matches on their own patch this year. The Bluebirds’  home record means they are the 8/11 favourites to win the match inside 90 minutes, with Palace 4/1 and the draw 5/2.

Obviously only a win will do for Cardiff  and as such you can expect Mackay’s team to be a lot more open than they were at Selhurst Park, with the Scot likely to play two up front. The Bluebirds boss named a fairly strong team for the win over Portsmouth so expect the majority of the same eleven to start again on Tuesday.

As for Palace, it is clear that for Freedman this is potentially the biggest game they will play this season after he decided to rest ten first-team players for the trip to Blackpool. Having made a flying start to the season Palace have dropped down the Championship table a little and clearly see the Carling Cup as their main chance of success this season, rather than promotion.

Palace’s form on the road has varied from one end of the scale to the other, Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Blackpool making six losses in the last nine away from home. However, they did win the other three matches and one of those was at Manchester United in the quarter-finals.

Palace’s main strength this season has been their defence, allowing just two sides to score more than two goals in 16 games away from Selhurst Park. The Eagles’ backline is likely to be tested by Cardiff on Tuesday and while the Bluebirds can get the win they need it will probably only be good enough to force extra time.

The draw HT/Cardiff FT bet at 10/3 looks to be inviting given how the first game went, with Palace to go through to next month’s showdown at Wembley being the eventual outcome.

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Dream Wembley final looming

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With both away sides securing 2-0 first-leg victories in the Champions League semi-finals this week it looks likely that Manchester United will face Barcelona in the final on May 28. Real Madrid and Schalke might have other ideas but the prospect of a United vs Barca clash is something to whet the appetite – so will the ‘dream’ final happen? (Barcelona 8/15 to win Champions League).

United stuttered their way through the first half of the season and it left a lot of people scratching their heads that they were still at the top of the Premier League table without really hitting their straps.

But their form has picked up in recent months and the first-leg victory over the Germans was one of the best performances by the Red Devils for a long time and they could have scored four or five but for the brilliance of keeper Manuel Neuer.

Led by a resurgent Wayne Rooney, United’s passing and movement off the ball was first class and it looked like men against boys at times.

Can Schalke come back and spoil United’s dream of a third final in four years? Not if they repeat Tuesday’s display, but it is unlikely that they will play that badly again (Schalke 14/1 to qualify for final).

The Bundesliga side defended poorly and the same display at Old Trafford could lead to an embarrassing scoreline.

However, the Schalke players only have to cast their memories back a few weeks to the quarter-finals when they went to the San Siro and beat a decent Inter Milan side 5-2 before completing the job back at the Veltins-Arena.

That result will give them hope that they can turn things around at the Theatre of Dreams on May 4 but they will face a United side who appear to be peaking at just the right time.

Sir Alex Ferguson is a master at getting his tactics spot on and he will know exactly what to do when the men from Gelsenkirchen come calling.

If Schalke’s job seems difficult then Real’s task looks like Mission Impossible and they do not possess Tom Cruise in their side (Madrid 11/1 to qualify for final).

Wednesday’s disjointed, feisty encounter at the Bernabeu was only really ignited by the brilliance of Lionel Messi, who is now being mentioned in the same breath as Pele and Diego Maradona.

The 23-year-old’s two goals highlighted how important he is to the Catalans and, while they might possess world-class players throughout the side, the Argentinian is a cut above anyone else at present.

Real boss Jose Mourinho could well be in hot water for his post-match comments and he is clearly never going to get over his obsession with Barcelona and the perceived injustices of playing against them.

But if anyone can pull off the impossible then the Portuguese tactician is the man. The trouble is he will probably be sitting in the stands after being red-carded during the first-leg encounter.

Mourinho builds his side around a solid defence and his tactics would have been to get to the Nou Camp on level terms at worst, but Pepe’s sending off changed everything and Real will now have to go into the second leg with an attacking mindset.

However, it seems inconceivable that Barca will not score in their own backyard and Madrid are not the sort of side that will be able to score three times away from home.

Therefore it may need the moon to be a shade of blue for United and Barcelona not to progress to Wembley at the end of May and that would be a fitting finale to the season as, on current form, they are clearly the best two sides in Europe.

Barca may possess the best player on the planet but in Ferguson, United have their own trump card.

The veteran Scot will be out to set the record straight after losing out to the Spanish giants in the 2009 final and what better place to do it than at Wembley?

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Treble tilt reaches Wembley

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Bet on the Champions LeagueManchester United fans are getting the feeling of deja vu as Sir Alex Ferguson’s treble-chasing squad (6/1 to win Premier League, FA Cup & Champions League) prepare to face rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.

The Red Devils, who scooped all three major trophies in 1999, will have to play at the remodelled ‘home of football’ three times in the next six weeks if they are to repeat their historic feat while neighbours City would be happy to earn one more trip back as they bid to end a trophyless drought of 35 years (11/5 Manchester City in FA Cup Outright).

Ferguson has got the unshakeable belief that his class of 2011 can do it, while the presence of ‘99 veterans Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs can only enhance the confidence within the dressing room that has been recently buoyed by the return to fitness of Rio Ferdinand.

The England centre back has never won the FA Cup and is desperate to keep his place in the United line-up, despite picking up a knock in Tuesday night’s Champions League win over Chelsea.

Ferguson has declared an almost fully-fit squad for the Wembley clash with only Darren Fletcher (virus) and Wayne Rooney (suspended) absent from those regulars who would have certainly played.

Dimitar Berbatov (11/2 First Goalscorer), who missed the decisive penalty as United crashed out to Everton at this stage two years ago, will probably be given a chance to earn his redemption by Ferguson, although the Bulgarian’s 20 Premier League goals so far this term have already done that for most fans.

Antonio Valencia (10/1) is another anticipated change to the midweek line-up while ferguson hinted that midfielder Anderson is back in his plans after coming through an hour of reserve team action on Wednesday night.

City are without 19-goal leading scorer Carlos Tevez after he sustained an untimely hamstring injury against Liverpool on Monday night, leaving boss Roberto Mancini with a dilemma over who he entrusts with the task of leading the forward line.

Out of form January signing Edin Dzeko (15/2 First Goalscorer) was jeered by City fans at Anfield as he struggled to get into the game while unpredictable summer recruit Mario Balotelli (7/1) still flatters to deceive more often than not.

Mancini can recall defender Micah Richards and you can bet Nigel de Jong starts after inexplicably being left out on Monday.

The Dutchman’s presence in midfield will ensure City have some bite and presence in an area where they were steamrollered by Liverpool in the first half.

History shows that there tend to be few goals when these two sides meet – the scorelines have been 2-1, 3-1, 0-1, 0-0 and 2-1 since Mancini took charge with City winning his first derby at the helm.

And with no Rooney or Tevez to provide a flash of brilliance to break the deadlock a half-time draw (8/5 0-0 in HT Score) and a low scoring affair (4/6 Under 2.5 Goals) look highly likely.

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