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Arsenal v Birmingham Preview – Carling Cup Final

Arsenal vs Birmingham Carling Cup Final Wembley Stadium, London Sunday 27th February, 2011 15:00 BST By kick-off on Sunday afternoon, five years, 9 months and 6 days will have passed us all by since Patrick Vieira clipped his winning penalty past Roy Carroll‘s despairing fingertips -  a calm stroke of the Frenchman’s right boot that…

Inter Milan v Bayern Munich Preview

Last year’s Champions League finalists meet at the San Siro on Wednesday as Inter Milan and Bayern Munich contest the first leg of their round of 16 tie.

Marseille draw should suit Manchester United

Bolstered by injuries to key personnel at Manchester United and their lacklustre away form, Marseille will be going all-out to beat the Red Devils in the first leg. The game is United’s first of four straight away matches, and they need to start winning these games if they are to succeed in Europe / win the league title this season.

Manchester United and Chelsea plot Champions League success

Watching their respective seasons unfold, it seems unlikely that either Chelsea or Manchester United will be celebrating at Wembley come 28 May 2011. It’s not to say that they’re not capable of winning the Champions League – only Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid and…ahem…Tottenham stand as genuine contenders alongside them – but all signs so far point to an almighty struggle to reach their league objectives and no luck on the European front.

Having said that, if you had to bet on the two Premier League teams most likely to win the Champions League at the start of the season, it would have been Manchester United and Chelsea, and if they can turn their average form around and their players start earning their hefty paycheques, a last-eight / last-four berth awaits at least one of these two sides.

Hey, at least they’ve got it easier than Arsenal, right?

Lyon can’t keep beating Real Madrid, can they?

We’ve heard it all before – Madrid will finally end Lyon’s unbeaten run against them. No, seriously, with Jose Mourinho at the helm, Madrid can really beat Lyon. Except we heard that with Barcelona, too, and no points for guessing how that went.

Madrid have new players, they have Mourinho, and they have all the expectations in the world weighing on them. It’s the kind of game Madrid need to win if they are to be taken as seriously as they tend to take themselves (actually, the game to win would be Barcelona at Camp Nou, but Madrid aren’t in a position to pick and choose).

A 1-1 draw then?

Shakhtar Donetsk see Roma as stepping stone to greater glory

Roma go into their Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk on the back of indifferent form in the domestic league, but manager Ranieri knows that a series of good results (and progress to the Champions League quarterfinals will breathe life back into a faltering campaign. Shakhtar, Champions League newcomers, topped their group (beating Arsenal along the way) and will be aiming for a better result than the 4-0 defeat in 2006.

Valencia v Schalke Preview

Valencia host Schalke in the first leg of their Champions League second round tie. Valencia, 3rd in La Liga, will be aiming to stifle the in-form Schalke strikers and keep a clean sheet going into the return leg. The Champions League represents Schalke’s best chance for bringing some respectability into a season that saw them flirt with relegation before rising back to the top 10 of the Bundesliga.

Juventus v Inter Milan Preview

Sunday’s Derby d’Italia is being billed as Juve’s last chance at making significant progress towards securing a Champions League spot this season – a gap of 11 points behind Milan with 14 games to go means title hopes have been shelved for next year. Inter, on the other hand, will want to use this match to get a leg up on title rivals Mlian – only 5 points behind but crucially a game in hand.

Cristano Ronaldo v Lionel Messi, Head 2 Head

As Argentina and Portugal line up to face each other in a battle to decide who’s got the better player / fine-tune tactics for more important games / make some money, we look at a head-to-head comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (Part #439571291). Oh, and if you’re interested in the game, you can…

Arsenal can Overtake Manchester City with a Win

This match would either mean Man City staying within a two point deficit of the top spot Chelsea or Arsenal claiming the second spot on goal difference leaving behind rivals Tottenham Hotspur and their opponents City.