Premier League and FA Cup predictions - Arsenal v Manchester United final

Arsenal are looking really good at the moment and had a fine win over Villarreal in the week. They have Fabregas, Adebayor, Walcott and Van Persie firing on all cylinders and going forward there are few who can match them.

At the back, however, with Almunia and Gallas missing, amongst others, things don’t look so good.

Chelsea had a much harder game in Europe in midweek but the relief of the outcome will have minimised the tiredness. They are six points ahead of Arsenal in the league and have identical home records.

There is so little between the teams but I just have a sneaking suspicion that this could be a tournament win at last for Arsene Wenger.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-1

Premier League
# Aston Villa v West Ham

Villa’s dreams of the champion’s league appear to be over but their alarming drop in form seems to have been overcome. They were desperately unlucky to lose 3-2 at Old Trafford and then produced a great comeback to get a draw with Everton last time out.

West Ham are nine points behind Villa but are well placed to take the last qualifying place for the Europa League. They have developed into a fine side under Gianfranco Zola and would give any side a decent game.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-1
# Middlesbrough v Fulham

Middlesbrough are still deep in trouble even though they did the unthinkable last week and actually won a game.

Fulham have only picked up two away wins all season but one of them was an impressive 3-1 win at Manchester City last time out. They are still looking to qualify for Europe and that is remarkable after they were many people’s favourites for the drop.

Roy Hodgson for manager of the season, anyone?

SoccerNews prediction: 0-2
# Portsmouth v Bolton

There is no doubt that Bolton are a little safer than Portsmouth but both sides are still looking for those last few precious points just to ensure Premier League football next season.

Portsmouth are only four points clear of the drop zone but if they win this one they will catch Bolton who are three points better off. In the end, there are probably three worse teams than both of these and they will both be safe.

I expect Pompey to be the happier later today.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-0
# Stoke v Blackburn

Stoke six points above the relegation places and Blackburn four points above the relegation places. Two more teams looking nervously over their shoulders but who should just about be OK.

Blackburn have horrendous problems up front but the fighting qualities of their boss Sam Allardyce have rubbed off on their players.

Stoke are true battlers as well. This game won’t be for the feint hearted!

SoccerNews prediction: 1-1
# Sunderland v Hull

Yet another game between two nervous teams. The only difference with this one is that I am far from being convinced that these two teams will be safe.

Both teams are on a very poor run of form and I can’t help but feel that the loser of this game will be in serious trouble. On the basis that it is difficult to see where Hull can win a game, I expect Sunderland to just about nick this one.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-0

Sunday 19th April

FA Cup semi-final
# Everton v Manchester United

The news that Mike “penalty for Manchester United” Riley has been appointed as the referee for this game will have sent all sorts of alarm bells through the ranks of players, staff and fans at Everton. As if playing against eleven men from Manchester United isn’t difficult enough!

Everton are in fine form and Manchester United aren’t. Having said that, there were signs of the old United returning in the win at Porto and the defence which has looked so fragile recently, looked so much better with Ferdinand back alongside Vidic.

I think this one will be close, but I expect United to still be chasing five trophies at the end of the game.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-2

Premier League
# Manchester City v West Brom

Ten wins at home, mid-table Manchester City against one win away, rock bottom West Brom. Tough one to predict!

City will be reeling from their UEFA Cup exit, but they should still have way too much for the Baggies who are looking more demoralised as the weeks pass.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-0
# Tottenham v Newcastle

Who would have predicted that Tottenham would have been fighting for a place in Europe at this stage of the season? Like him or loathe him (Southampton fans) you have to agree that he has done a quite remarkable job in his few months at White Hart Lane.

Newcastle are still searching for the “Alan Shearer effect” which will save them from relegation. So far it has seen a defeat at home to Chelsea and a slightly fortuitous draw at Stoke. If it doesn’t appear in this game tomorrow, it could be goodbye to Newcastle.

Having said that, West Brom, Middlesbrough and Hull are still my favourites for the drop.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-0

Ferguson no fan of Wembley semis

Sir Alex Ferguson is not a fan of using Wembley as an FA Cup semi-final venue.

The Manchester United manager has never lost at this stage of the competition and is hoping to maintain his 100% record on Sunday when his team tackle Everton, but his memories of 1994 - when the Red Devils drew with Oldham at Wembley thanks to Mark Hughes' memorable last-gasp equaliser - are not particularly fond.

"The FA have obviously got to pay off Wembley, which is the reason the game is down there," said Ferguson. "With so many games there already you can understand why they utilise it for semi-finals as well. But it is hard when the final is there as well."

He added: "Getting to the final should be the reward and the incentive for every footballer in the game. At one stage you could only play at Wembley by reaching the FA Cup final.

"We didn't have play-offs or anything. It lost that real feeling of getting to the top of the tree by reaching Wembley."

Unquestionably, Villa Park stands out as Ferguson's favourite semi-final venue. It is where United have won five of their eight semi-finals under Ferguson's command, including the epic 1999 replay against Arsenal, settled by Ryan Giggs' wonder goal.

In addition, two replay wins against Oldham came at Manchester City's old ground Maine Road, with Newcastle beaten in an embarrassingly one-sided effort at the Millennium Stadium in 2005.

"I have always thought semi-final day at Villa Park was a fantastic occasion. The atmosphere is brilliant," said Ferguson.

"This will be the second time we have been to Wembley and I do remember that Oldham match was not a particularly good game. They don't have Manchester United's support and could not bring the numbers."

O'Neill quiet on Laursen future

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill will hold talks on Monday with crocked skipper Martin Laursen but will not make any any predictions about the centre-back's future.

The 30-year-old is back home in Denmark with his family after being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with the latest in a long line of knee setbacks.

O'Neill said: "Martin is still struggling. There are lots of things (speculation) flying around. I have given Martin some time to go back home and see the family. I will see him on Monday and will sit down and see where we go. I want to see what he is feeling."

He added: "He might need some corrective work done to the knee. We will see but don't let me go all doom and gloom at this minute.

"I will find out, see what he is feeling, see what he is thinking about, run it all through with the doctor obviously at the same time.

"He has got a lot to think about at the moment. He is obviously disappointed."

O'Neill added: "Don't ask me to make any long-term predictions or anything like that.

"I am not capable of doing that at this minute. When he comes back, we will see what Martin is thinking. It may necessitate work in similar vogue to what he did before but that takes time.

"But let me just say 'I'll see how he is, see what he is feeling' - and then by Wednesday or Thursday I'll give you a better idea."

Liverpool suspend Itandje

Liverpool reserve goalkeeper Charles Itandje has been suspended by the Barclays Premier League club for 14 days while his conduct during Wednesday's Hillsborough service is investigated.

Television cameras appeared to show the 26-year-old Frenchman laughing at the memorial service to remember the 96 people who died at the FA Cup semi-final clash between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989.

A Liverpool spokesman said in a statement on the club's official website: "Charles Itandje has now been officially suspended for 14 days by the club while we investigate his conduct during the Hillsborough Memorial Service."

His actions sparked local outrage, with hundreds of Liverpool supporters reportedly complaining about his behaviour on internet message boards.

Itandje was instructed by Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez not to attend training on Friday.

Gerrard out for another week

Liverpool have confirmed Steven Gerrard will miss the Barclays Premier League match with Arsenal on Tuesday after being ruled out for at least one more week with an adductor injury.

The Liverpool skipper aggravated the problem ahead of the the Champions League encounter with Chelsea on Tuesday, forcing him to sit out the second-leg clash at Stamford Bridge which saw the Blues progress with a 7-5 aggregate win.

"In the training session before the Champions League game at Chelsea, Steven Gerrard unfortunately aggravated a small strain he had previously suffered in his adductor muscle," a Liverpool spokesman confirmed on Saturday. "A scan has since confirmed our medical team's initial diagnosis and the player is expected to be out for between seven and 10 days."

Brown back to boost United glory bid

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wes Brown’s return from injury could not be better timed as the club look to clean up when the trophies are handed out at the end of the season.

Brown has missed the last 15 matches because of a foot injury and will sit out Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final with Everton.

But the England defender is back in training and could have a run out with United’s reserves next week with a view to making himself available for the crucial run-in.

Having already secured the FIFA Club World Championship and the League Cup, United are chasing success in the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

And Ferguson believes 29-year-old Brown can play a key role in helping the club sweep up.

“Wes Brown has started training with the first team again and that’s great news,” said the United manager. “I’m contemplating playing him in a reserve game soon.

“It’s maybe a bit early, but given the time of the season and the important games we have got coming up, we may rush him back. It’s a thought.

“It will be good to have him available because he is such a fantastic defender. His availability would give us options.”

Meanwhile, Ferguson has restated his criticism of the decision to play this season’s FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium.

United take on Everton in the last four on Sunday after the venue has staged the tie between London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal on Saturday.

Ferguson believes the Football Association should have left Wembley for the final and staged his team’s clash closer to home.

“It used to be that the only way to get to Wembley was to get to the final,” said Ferguson.

“There are some great players who never got the chance to play there. It’s hard to take that the semi final is at Wembley when the final is there as well.”

Bayern target leaders Wolfsburg

Bayern Munich welcome back Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger for Saturday’s Bundesliga clash at Bielefeld as they look to put their Champions League heartbreak behind them and chase league leaders Wolfsburg.

Schweinsteiger scored in last Saturday’s 4-0 league win over Frankfurt, but a knee injury kept him out of Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Barcelona which knocked Bayern out of the Champions League.

“We hope that the problem will be healed by the weekend,” said Bayern boss Jurgen Klinsmann with his side second in the table.

Schweinsteiger’s Germany team-mate Lukas Podolski is still out with a calf problem and the striker has not trained with the team this week.

As Bayern focus their thoughts on retaining their Bundesliga title, Klinsmann says it is all about points now and the ex-Germany boss was booed by his own fans at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.

“We have to concentrate purely on the Bundesliga and win points, points, points,” said Klinsmann, with Italians Carlo Ancelotti and Robert Mancini both being linked to his job by the Italian media.

Bayern are three points behind leaders Wolfsburg, who are at home to Bayer Leverkusen.

Wolfsburg have few injury worries as they prepare to host Leverkusen. Strikers Edin Dzeko and Brazilian Grafite have scored 36 league goals between them, but coach Felix Magath is keeping his feet on the ground.

“Look at Hertha Berlin: three rounds ago, they were four points ahead of us. Now, they are five points behind. It can happen so fast,” said Magath, with Hertha now fourth in the league.

Hamburg, who qualified for the UEFA Cup semi-finals on Thursday, are at home to strugglers Hanover, who shocked Hertha Berlin 2-0 last weekend.

Hamburg are level on points with Bayern and can still win the treble of the Bundesliga, German Cup and UEFA Cup this season.

Hertha Berlin are in danger of dropping out of the title race and another defeat at home to Werder Bremen on Sunday will seriously damage their hopes.

Hot-shot striker Andrei Voronin has been banned for three games after being sent off last weekend, while fellow forward Marko Pantelic is out with a groin strain.

Having climbed up to fifth in the league thanks to Germany striker Mario Gomez scoring an injury-time goal last week, Stuttgart have a good chance to take three more goals at strugglers Cologne.

Gomez has now hit 15 goals in 26 league games this season.

In the weekend’s other games, Schalke 04 are at home to strugglers Energie Cottbus on Friday while bottom club Karlsruhe are home to Hoffenheim who are now 10 points off Wolfsburg and effectively out of the title race.

Mid-table sides Bochum and Dortmund will slug it out Saturday and Eintracht Frankfurt, who were humbled 4-0 at Bayern on Saturday, are up against Borussia Moenchengladbach who are third from bottom and in the relegation zone.

Friday

Schalke 04 v Energie Cottbus

Saturday

Arminia Bielefeld v Bayern Munich, Cologne v VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Bochum v Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia M’gladbach, Karlsruhe v Hoffenheim

Sunday

Hertha Berlin v Werder Bremen, Hamburg v Hanover 96

Gerets rejects Belgium job

Marseille’s Belgian coach Eric Gerets has turned down the chance to become the coach of his country’s national team, the Belgian Football Federation (URBSFA) revealed on Friday.

The president of the federation’s technical committee “contacted Mr Eric Gerets with regard to the appointment of a new national team coach”, according to a statement from the URBSFA.

“Mr Gerets declared himself honoured to have been considered for a role which he cannot take up in the immediate future, but remains opens to proposals in the medium to long term,” the statement added.

Gerets, 54, “thanked the federation for the interest in him they had shown”, the brief statement concluded.

Belgium are looking for a successor to 55-year-old Rene Vandereycken, who was sacked at the beginning of the month after a string of poor results in Belgium’s World Cup 2010 qualifying camapign.

“I’ve always said that to be coach of your own country is an honour,” said Gerets last week. “I haven’t changed my opinion. It would be ideal when it is possible for everyone at the right time.”

Gerets has guided Marseille to the top of the French first division and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup although they were knocked out by Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday.

Juve playing for pride not title

Serie A’s top two come face to face in an epic battle at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico on Saturday with only seven matches left until the end of the season.

The scene should have been set for a massive title decider but instead the whole event risks turning into a damp squib.

Not because the two sides aren’t worthy of their position at the top of the table or because there won’t be top class players on display but because Juventus have as good as given up the ghost.

They trail Inter by 10 points with just seven matches left to play and even a victory, or a convincing one, would hardly result in a situation that appears any more favourable to them.

Their best case scenario after Saturday’s game would be trailing by seven points with six matches to go, including a trip to AC Milan.

Instead of playing for the title, Juve are merely playing for pride, according to their president.

“As well as the points on offer, we’re playing for pride and for our honour,” said Giovanni Cobolli Gigli.

“It will be a very difficult match especially as we have some important players suspended and others have yet to recover from injuries.

“The title is still possible but only mathematically. Second place is extremely important and we have to do everything to defend it. We want it more than Milan.”

Juventus lead Milan by only two points and the rossonero have a distinctly easier looking task in the visit of Torino to the San Siro.

The title may not be at stake but this match is still called the ‘derby of Italy’ and like clashes between Real Madrid and Barcelona or between Manchester United and Liverpool, there is always much to play for.

“There is a rivalry between us and Milan,” said Marco Tronchetti, president of Inter’s shirt sponsors Pirelli.

“But with Juventus, for the success they have had, for the history between the two teams and for the dramas, they have always been the A+ rivalry.”

It’s not just the historic rivarly that will fire up the visitors, though. Coach Jose Mourinho is a proud man and won’t want to concede anything in his quest to demonstrate how superior Inter are to the rest of Serie A.

He may have claimed a week ago that a draw would suffice to ensure the title stays with Inter for the fourth year in a row, but his president Massimo Moratti insists the team will still go out with the intention of winning.

“On Saturday we have to go to Turin to win because it’s the right thing to do in such a prestigious match and because when you play for a draw things don’t go well,” said Moratti.

“Of course we can’t be hypocrites, right now we can feel the possibility of winning the scudetto.

“We need to be fired up otherwise we won’t have the right attitude for the game.”

The clash between the top two may be dominating the build up to the weekend but there is more than just that to play for.

Milan can go second if they win and Juve lose while Genoa, who host Lazio on Saturday, could close right in on both Milan and Juve.

Genoa are in a fight with Fiorentina for fourth place and the final Champions League qualifying place but they are only four points behind Milan and six off Juve.

A strong finish to their campaign could even see them sneak into the top three and gain automatic entry into the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition.

Meanwhile, the bottom five all play away this weekend so any points gained could boost their survival hopes.

Fixtures:

Saturday

Genoa v Lazio, Juventus v Inter Milan

Sunday

AC Milan v Torino, Atalanta v Reggina, Cagliari v Napoli, Catania v Sampdoria, Palermo v Bologna, Roma v Lecce, Siena v Chievo, Udinese v Fiorentina

Great teams, but have they got great keepers

It is said that great teams are built on great defences. Without a solid base, it is impossible to go on to dominate and win games at the very top.

A look at the four UEFA Champions League semi-finalists goes a long way to prove that point.

Headlines

Whilst the likes of Messi, Henry and Eto’o, Drogba, Lampard and Ballack, Ronaldo, Rooney and Berbatov, Adebayor, Van Persie and Walcott might pick up a vast majority of the headlines, there are other players who are equally crucial and some would say, even more so.

Where would Barcelona be without the brilliance of Danny Alves, Puyol and Marquez? Would Chelsea be such a force without Terry, Carvalho and Cole? Would United be looking for five trophies without Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra and would Arsenal have turned their season around without Sagna, Toure and Clichy?

Of course the answer to all those questions is no. We all need a strong a defence. Surely, behind every strong defence sits a strong goalkeeper, doesn’t there?

Strong

A look at these four teams, the best in Europe, and I don’t think the goalkeeping position is all that strong.

At Barcelona we have Victor Valdes. Approximately 90% of the comments on this site concerning Barcelona plead with Pep Guardiola to get in a new keeper.

The twenty-seven year old Spaniard played a few games for his country at under twenty-one level but has never been given a full cap. Valdes has played over two hundred and fifty games for Barcelona and has the record for the longest clean sheet in European competition at 466 minutes.

Successive Barcelona managers appear to have faith in him but the fans and the national team managers don’t.

Best

At Chelsea we have Petr Cech. Without doubt, up until a couple of years ago, Cech was one of the best keepers in the world. Is he now? I don’t think so.

The 6’5” Czech Republic international is still only twenty-six years old and has represented his country sixty-eight times. Prior to 14th October 2006 he was a truly great keeper. After that date he has not really looked like a shadow of his former self.

The collision with Reading’s Stephen Hunt that he suffered on that day was horrific. He suffered a depressed fracture of the skull and Doctors later reported that the injury could have been fatal.

Cech bravely returned after just a few months wearing his protective skull cap. He hasn’t been the same since and who can blame him?

Legend

At Manchester United we have Edwin van der Sar. Don’t get me wrong, the Dutch keeper is a legend of the game. He has won just about everything a keeper can win and earlier this season he broke the record for consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League.

There is no doubt that he is still a good keeper, but at thirty-eight, is he still great? There are one or two worrying signs that Edwin might be beginning to lose some of his powers. He doesn’t look too comfortable with crosses and the amount of times that Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic give him a piece of their mind seems to be increasing.

If Ben Foster hadn’t had such terrible luck with injuries, would Van der Sar still be Fergie’s first choice?

Injured

Last of the four we come to Arsenal. Their first choice keeper, Manuel Almunia is currently injured and his place has been taken by Lukasz Fabianski.

Straight away one has to ask if either of these keepers is truly world class. I suspect the answer is a resounding no. Fabianski is only twenty-three and he has fourteen caps for Poland already. He has potential and he will probably get better. Is he good enough to be in goal for the Champions League winners though?

Almunia is thirty-one years old and has done a decent job for his club. No better and no worse, just decent. He has never been capped by Spain and I expect he is even further down the pecking order than Victor Valdes!

Great

So there we have it. Four great teams with great attackers, great midfield players and great defenders. I would suggest that none of them have great goalkeepers.

There are great keepers out there but these top four teams seem to be managing OK without them.

Champions League round-up - Arsenal and Manchester United make it three of the four semi-finalists from England again

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Astonishing goal

So, who would join Barcelona and Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Champions League? Porto and Arsenal went into last night’s games with a slight advantage as they had drawn their away games and scored away goals. The current champions Manchester United and Spanish side Villarreal were certainly not going to give up without a fight.

Problems

Arsenal went into the game with serious problems at the back. Defenders Johan Djourou with a knee and Gael Clichy with a bad back, joined William Gallas and goalkeeper Manuel Almunia on the injured list.

The good news for Arsenal was that versatile midfielder Abou Diaby and experienced defender Michel Silvestre were both available after injury.

Absent

Villarreal had serious problems of their own with the excellent Spanish international Marcos Senna missing the game after getting injured at the weekend and fellow midfielder Santi Cazorla also absent.

Despite the problems they had at the back, Arsenal would have backed the fire power they possess going forward to see them through to the semi-final.

Manager Arsene Wenger said,

“I believe the team has shown great mental strength through the whole season. We have another good opportunity to show those mental strengths against Villarreal on Wednesday. What makes me confident is that recently, in every single game, when the odds were against us we found the resources within the team with a strong response every single time. That happened at Villarreal, that happened again at Wigan on Saturday and every time we came out strong. I believe we have turned the season in a very positive way and put ourselves in a great position to qualify and we want to take advantage of that. These boys are winners. The hunger they have shown every single day in training and the focus they have shown is great, so that’s why we have improved a lot. So there is still a lot more to come.”

So, was Wenger right to have so much belief in his men?

The answer was a most definite yes. Arsenal produced a vibrant display of attacking football that will have worried the other teams left in the competition. It soon became not a matter of whether they would win, but a matter of by how many they would.

Opened

The excellent Theo Walcott opened the scoring after just ten minutes, running through onto a Fabregas flick and finishing expertly.

Villarreal were never in the game and the tie was made almost safe on the hour when Adebayor finished neatly.

Arsenal got the third goal their play deserved nine minutes later when Robin Van Persie fired home from the penalty spot. Villarreal’s night was summed up by the dismissal of Sebastian Eguren for disputing the award of the spot kick.

Relieved

Champions Manchester United were mightily relieved to name Rio Ferdinand in their starting eleven. His partnership with Nemanja Vidic has been crucial to their success this season and he had been sorely missed during his spell on the sidelines.

Porto were at full strength accept for defender Jorge Fucile.

The two teams went into the game at the top of their respective leagues but in vastly contrasting form. United lost two games in a row and then stumbled to victories over Aston Villa and Sunderland, whilst Porto were unbeaten in twenty games.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson called on his players to show the same sort of spirit his side did in 1999 when they won 3-2 in Juventus,

“We have had a lot of good European nights but Juventus is probably the one that stands out. After a draw at home, we won away, which we hope is the same again. It was a night when a lot of the big players played well. There are plenty of performances we would like to replicate and I trust these players to do it. They deserve that because of their performances over the last two or three years in big away games in Europe.”

So, was Fergie right to trust his players?

He most definitely was. United became the first English team to ever win in Porton and brought an end to the Portuguese champions long unbeaten run.

The man who stepped up to the mark was the player officially called the best in the world. Many have questioned whether Cristiano Ronaldo can produce the goods in the big games but after just six minutes of this one he produced something of astonishing quality.

Unstoppable

The ball broke to Ronaldo and from forty yards he struck an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the Porto net. It was a breathtaking goal and one worthy of being scored by a truly great player.

For the next eighty-four minutes Porto huffed and puffed but rarely troubled the exceptional partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic back together again. In fact, the best chance fell to Vidic who somehow managed to put the ball over the bar when it looked easier to score.

Second year

So for the second year running three of the four semi-finalists are from England and at least one finalist is guaranteed to be English for the fifth year in succession.