Barclay’s Premier League 2008/2009 – Opening Day Fixtures

16/9

VERY CONFIDENT

• Arsenal vs West Brom – Arsenal Win, -1.5
• Hull vs Fulham – Fulham win, -1.5

CAN TRY

• Bolton vs Stoke – Bolton not to lose
• Everton vs Blackburn – Blackburn +1.5, Draw
• Boro vs Tottenham – Tottenham win, -1.5
• West Ham vs Wigan – Draw
• Sunderland vs Liverpool – Draw, Sunderland +1.5

17/9

VERY CONFIDENT

Man Utd vs Newcastle – Man Utd win, -1.5

CAN TRY

• Chelsea vs Portsmouth – Draw, Portsmouth +1.5
• Aston Villa vs Man City – Villa win, Man City +1.5

Barclay’s Premier League 2008/2009 – Welcome

Welcome everyone to another wonderful season of English Football  … !!

Manchester United will be trying to emulate the fantastic double achieved last season and would have been happy that the Ronaldo saga is over .. for the time being at least ! .. They are on the lookout to add another striker to the team and Berbatov seems to be the most likely target …

Main contender to the crown will be Chelsea and the Samba contingent .. Scolari may have won the World Cup but we have to wait and see if we can handle the pressure of weekly football games and the hunting pack of english paperazzi !! ..

Arsenal have a very good mix of young and older (less than 25 yr olds) players and are the team to watch .. they have been affected by the loss of the midfiled trio of Flamini, Hleb and Gilberto but there has been talk that Wenger could bring in Gareth Barry to Emirates, leaving Rafa Benitez fuming at his Amreican owners.

Apart from the top three, it is not possible to see anyone else winning the title … Liverpool will have achieved greatness if they finish in the top four .. Apart from Torres, Gerrard and Mascherano, the team lacks good players and will struggle this season. Torres had a great season last year but it will be difficult this season as defenders will know how to handle him better …

Other UEFA cup potentials to watch for are Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Man City. Martin O’Neill has bought wisely and will be given the Barry cash to buy more players. Losing Barry will be a great disadvantage to the club but they have a very good blend of young exciting players and old experienced players. Ashley Young will be the key player to watch !!

Relegation candidates have to Hull City, Stoke and West Brom … all three newcomers have not bought well and will struggle this season against the Big Boys of BPL !!

Lookout for my Opening Day predictions soon !!

Take care for now …

Euro 2008 – Preview

After a long break since the end of Barclay’s Premier League, we meet again for Euro 2008. If you are still not aware, this year’s tournament is jointly hosted by Austria and Switzerland and the tournament starts on Saturday, 6th of June.

Let’s take a look at the teams and favourites for this year’s tournament.

Group A

• Czech Republic
• Portugal
• Switzerland
• Turkey

The favourites to progress to next round from this group have to be Czech Republic and Portugal.

Group B

• Austria
• Croatia
• Germany
• Poland

The favourites to progress to next round from this group have to be Germany and Croatia.

Group C

• France
• Holland
• Italy
• Romania

The so-called Group of Death which could go anyway. Favourites to progress to next round from this group will be France and Italy.

Group D

• Greece
• Russia
• Spain
• Sweden

The favourites to progress to next round from this group have to be Russia and Spain.

 Quarter-Finals

• Czech Republic vs Croatia
• Germany vs Portugal
• France vs Spain
• Russia vs Italy

Semi-Finals

• Czech Republic vs Germany
• France vs Italy

Finals

• Germany vs France

Winner

FRANCE !!

Relegation Battle Heats Up …. !!

Hello everyone … what a week !! .. With Chelsea and Man Utd deservingly clinching the their places in the Champions League Final, Rafa Benitez finally got what he deserved by unfairly criticising Drogba as a diver !! .. So another season without winning the title or trophies for Liverpool !!

Utd will have to defeat West Ham at all cost this weekend to keep the title from Chelsea, who have a tough date with Newcastle at St James Park.

Fulham’s surprise win at Man City has opened up the relegation battle with 6 teams still involved in the fight to remain in the Premier League.

• Fulham (30 points)  – Birmingham (H), Portsmouth (A)
• Birmingham (32 pts) – Fulham (A), Blackburn (H)
• Reading (33 pts) - Tottenham (H), Derby (A)
• Bolton (33 pts) – Sunderland (H), Chelsea (A)
• Middlesboro (36 pts) – Portsmouth (H), Man City (H)
• Wigan (37 pts) – Aston Villa (A), Man Utd (H) 

Wigan

Wigan’s last two games are difficult and they would be lucky to get any points out of these games. However, if Fulham beats/draws with Birmingham at The Cottage, Wigan will be safe !!

Middlesboro

Boro’s last 2 games are at home to FA-Cup concentrating Portsmouth and soon-to-be managerless Man City. They require just one win from their remaining games to ensure safety and they are capable of it !

Bolton

Bolton are in deep shit .. They have to meet in-form Sunderland and title-chasing Chelsea in their last two games. A win over Sunderland at home is a must and hope that Fulham beats Birmingham !!

Reading

Reading have a tough match against Tottenham this weekend which they should avoid defeat at all cost. Their final game is against relegated Derby in which they should collect the 3 points comfortably.

Birmingham

It does not look good for Birmingham. Dropping 2 points against a reserve Liverpool side have made matters worse and a win against Fulham is a MUST !! Anything less than 3 points against Fulham will confirm relegation as their last game is UEFA place chasing Blackburn !!

Fulham

Fulham have started their relegation fight a little too late .. Even if they win their last two games against Birmingham and Portsmouth, they have to win by big margins as they have a weaker goal difference than Bolton. It will be a pity if they are relegated by goal difference !!

My prediction for Relegation :

• Derby
• Birmingham
• Fulham (on goal difference !!)

 

BPL Weekend – 19th-20th April

The BPL 2007-2008 is coming to a close with only three games remaining and the final pieces to the jigsaw are getting in place now. Man Utd can more or less confirm the title with a win at Blackburn, Liverpool can retain their customary 4th place with a win away to Fulham and the relegation candidates can also be confirmed.

However, as we saw last week, football is a funny game and you can never predict the unexpected. We have to bear in mind that Man Utd and Liverpool have Champions League games in midweek and some first team players might be rested. Though Man Utd have depth in reserves, this cannot be said the same of Liverpool. Benitez will rest Torres for sure (and probably Gerrard) and the Liverpool are very ordinary without these two. If you guys still remember, Fulham won last season’s game 1-0 to stay in the league !!

This week’s matches …

Wigan vs Tottenham

Wigan have been playing well recently and the pitch at JJB stadium (which they share with the local rugby team) is in awful condition. Wigan have used the condition of the pitch to their advantage and have almost retained their Premier League status for another season. Steve Bruce has a full team to select form and Chris Kirkland has been in fine form that they have kept a few clean sheets at home lately.

Tottenham have been a completly different team since they won the League Cup. With European place secured and not being affected by relegation worries, the players do not seem to have any motivation or desire to win.

Prediction : Wigan Win 1-0/2-1

Other games :

• Arsenal vs Reading : Arsenal, -1.5
• Blackburn vs Man Utd : Man Utd, +1.5
• Fulham vs Liverpool : Draw
• Middlesbrough vs Bolton : Boro
• West Ham vs Derby : West Ham
• Aston Villa vs Birmingham : Draw
• Man City vs Portsmouth : Portsmouth
• Newcastle vs Sunderland : Newcastle 

 

Clash of the Titans …

It’s hard to update blogs after your predictions are no way near the final results … the two games which I was most confident yesterday, played me out while the other games which I was not so confident about, came out true. Hmmmmm ……

Anyway, let’s look into one of the key matches of the season … Man Utd vs Arsenal !

Man Utd are in a confident mood and are looking good for a win … Even Singapore Pools think so too as the opening odds for Utd win were at 1.80 (now at 1.55) …

With a tough list of fixtures awaiting Man Utd, Utd should try to win all their home matches, where they are in a different form altogether … Rooney and Ronaldo were rested against Roma and should be fresh to continue their good partnership .. Vidic is still out but Utd have good backup in Pique, Silvestre and Brown .. Tevez , Ronaldo and Rooney have scored 50 of the 70 league goals this season and there will be goals if the three of them start.

Arsenal are looking at yet another season without a trophy and defeat at Old Trafford will confirm that. The three games against Liverpool would have drained them out physically and psychologically and it would take a momentus effort from Arsene Wenger to motivate his players tonight …

Fabregas has lost steam and he looks aimless … Adebayor is missing chances which he used to finish easily .. Brendner is a waste .. Defence is leaking too many goals .. confidence is at a very low ..

Prediction : Man Utd Win

In the other match of the day … Liverpool face Blackburn at home in a match which should see them win to have a stronger grip on their customary fourth place !!!

With Everton failing to win at Birmingham yesterday, this will be a good chance for Liverpool to open up a small gap with only 4 games left in the season .. The problem is, you do not what kind of changes Rafa Benitez will make to the team … Javier Mascherano is still suspended but with Torres and Gerrard in great form, this should be an easy win for Liverpool .

 

 

 

Relegation battle on showcase …

Hello there everyone .. long time no see .. apologies for not updating the blog !!

Man Utd’s pursuit to retain the BPL title met with a slight hiccup at Teeside and with Chelsea grinding out yet another 1-0 win, the title could be decided when both the teams meet later this month.

This weekend sees relegation battles in the spotlight, with teams at the bottom of the table fighting out for lucrative points.

Sunderland vs Man City

This has to be the best bet of the day .. Sunderland are quite formidable at home and are currently on 3 consecutive wins .. Sunderland are still mathematically involved in the relegation battle and Roy Keane would be hoping the current winning streak continues …

Man City on the other hand on a free fall and have lost another defender, Nedum Onuoha, for the rest of the season. With Micah Richards already out for the season, Erikkson has a defensive crisis as who will partner “own-goal specialist”, Richard Dunne.

Their away record is pathetic compared to their home form and I do not see that improving tonight.

Prediction : Sunderland Win.

Reading vs Fulham

Fulham are going down … and are not going to come back for a while .. They were awful against Sunderland also in their last couple of matches .. Jimmy Bullard is the only saving grace in an otherwise awful team ..

Reading on the other hand are very good at The Madjeski Stadium. They are still close to the relegation places and Steve Coppell will expect three points from this game. With difficult away games to Arsenal and Wigan looming after this game, Reading needs this win very badly.

Prediction : Reading Win.

Other Games :

• Birmingham vs Evertop : Draw / +1.5
• Bolton vs West Ham : +1.5
• Derby vs Aston Villa : Villa Win
• Tottenham vs Middlesboro : Draw / +1.5
• Portsmouth vs Newcastle : Portsmouth Win

 

 

Merseyside Derby at Anfield ..

And the march goes on … !!

United’s sprint to the final seems to relentless and they showed their intents with a convincing 4-0 win over Aston Villa. Though Villa are not at their best, Ronaldo’s performance was excellent with a cheeky goal and three assists. There were some worries that Alex Ferguson might rest some of key players in anticipation of the Champions League quarterfinal with Roma in midweek but thankfully, only van der Sar was rested.

In the other matches, Bolton were very unlucky to lose to 10 men Arsenal, Sunderland were very lucky with an injury time goal which will move them closer to safety and finally, Derby were relegated to the Coca-Cola League Championship !!!

Liverpool vs Everton 

The biggest game today will be the Merseyside derby where Liverpool hosts their main rival and threat to their customary 4th place. Liverpool come into this game with high hopes and good form (sans the defeat at Old Trafford where they were simply outclassed by Man Utd). However, knowing Rafa Benitez and with his favourite tournament coming up in midweek, it has to be seen if he will rest some of his players tonight.

I hope he does not do any major changes to the side since this is an important game. Mascherano is definitely out but the rest of the team that played against Utd should start this game.

Everton have a mini injury crisis with Cahill out for the rest of the season. Andrew Johnson and Steven Pienaar face late fitness tests. Everton have not won at Anfield for a very long time and I do not see them doing it in this match.

Prediction : Liverpool to win .. 2-0, 3-0 !!

Tottenham vs Newcastle

Kevin Keegan finally got his first win since his retun to St James Park when Newcastle defeated Fulham 2-0 last weekend. However, Spurs are no Fulham and under Juande Ramos they are capable of producing good football. Last week match saw the return of Mark Viduka and Keegan was able to field his attacking trio of Viduka, Owen and Martins.

Spurs might rest Ledley King but Woodgate is expected to play against his former side. Spurs’ own attacking partnership of Keane and Berbatov are expected to create havoc against a weaker Newcastle defence which sees Cacapa missing with injury.

Prediction : Spurs win over sorry Magpies !!

Chelsea vs Middlesbrough 

Nothing much to say abt this game except the fact that Chelsea are unbeaten at home for almost four years and that record is not going to be blemished today !!

Prediction : Chelsea win .. 2-0 or 3-0 !!

Battle at both ends !!

Man Utd extended their lead at the top of the League after convincing win over Liverpool which ensured that they complete their customary double over Liverpool season after season !!! .. No thanks to Mascherano for getting a needless red card and an FA charge which might extend the current ban to 3 or 4 matches … Man Utd would have won against Liverpool with or without Mascherano.

Chelsea have now become the biggest threat to Utd’s title defence as they have a much easier run to the end of the season. The game against Man Utd in late April will be very important to both the teams ..

A couple tricky games this weekend  …

Man Utd vs Arsenal

An important game for Utd which they should win to extend their lead over Chelsea. However, after the international midweek games, some of the key players will tired and needs to be seen how their performances will be. Utd have depth in strength and should win this game. Villa have been performing badly in their last few games and have virtually dropped out of the race for the UEFA spot.

Prediction : A comfortable win for Man Utd.

Bolton vs Arsenal

Arsenal are falling behind in the title race in an alarming fashion as they have yet to register a win in 5 games. 4 points out of 15 allowed Chelsea to do catch-up and they will have a daunting task to recapture the 2nd spot from Chelsea. Adebayor has lost his “power” ever since he changed his hairstyle, Van Persie is still not at his best and their record at Reebok Stadium sucks badly !!

Bolton are fighting for their lives and have been losing narrowly in recent games. They will employ their usual rough tactics and long ball strategies to unsettle Arsenal and I have a feeling they will succed in denying Arsene Wenger’s team the win ..

Prediction : Bolton to surprise !! .. +1.5

Derby vs Fulham

If there is a game that you will expect Derby to win, this is the game !! .. Derby are still rooted to the bottom of the table and relegation looks more certain with 7 games to go. However, they have been playing very well lately and Paul Jewell has done very well in the market by bringing ex-Man Utd keeper Roy Carroll to Pride Park. He will be again on the spot in this match against a goal shy Fulham team.

Fulham have not won away this season and will be looking for a win against Derby to extend the relegation fight to the end of the season. They do not have enough firepower in front and a lot of dependance is on McBride.

Prediction : Derby to sneak their second win of the season .. +1.5 !!

Other Games :

Sunderland vs West Ham - Sunderland Narrow Win

Birmingham vs Man City – Draw

Portsmouth vs Wigan – Portsmouth Win

Reading vs Blackburn – Tough one to call but I am going with Reading home win !!

Grand Slam Sunday !!

With eight matches to go, there is no clear indication where the BPL title is heading to … though the destiny of the title seems to be in Man Utd’s hands … Chelsea’s resurgence was halted at White Hart Lane by some slack defending .. Arsenal’s title run has also been somewhat disrupted by Eduardo’s broken ankle and Adebayor’s loss of form  … Liverpool’s title run ?? …to be honest, they were never in it at all, right from the beginning !!!

Manchester Utd vs Liverpool

Man Utd were in good form recently until the FA Cup loss to Portsmouth at home. How they lost that game is still a mystery !! Goals have dried up a bit lately though they are creating a lot of chances in recent games.

Expect the attacking trio of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez being unleashed against a Liverpool defence which will miss Daniel Agger. Carragher and Skertel (or Hyppia) will have a tough time against United’s dangerous trio.

United might have to do without Ferdinand as he has not recovered from his back injury. Wes Brown might partner Vidic at the center of defence with Evra and O’Shea slotting in the full-back roles. Anderson did a reasonable job in shutting out Gerrard in the last meeting at Anfield and he would be doing the same in this game.

Liverpool will depend heavily on Torres and Gerrard to score goals against a very mean Man Utd (only 5 goals let in at Old Trafford this season). Liverpool have also scored fewer goals away from home this season (only 17 goals), with Man City and West Ham scoring fewer goals than Liverpool in the top 10.

It’s gonna be tough game but with the high stakes, Man Utd will prevail. A draw is not good for Liverpool but you never know what Rafa Benitez is thinking.

Prediction : Man Utd to win it 2-1.

Chelsea vs Arsenal

Another London derby for Chelsea though this one is at home. Avram Grant against the Big Four is very poor and that is set to continue. Chelsea’s home record is unbelievable but that record was possible due Jose Mouriho !! .. All good things should come to an end and this game could see an end to that record.

However, Arsenal are not in great form either with four successive League draws .. though the win against AC Milan at San Siro is sandwiched between those four draws, the gunners are finding it hard to win. The loss of Eduardo has meant that Adebayor and Bendtner will spearhead the attack, with a lot of concerns arising from Emirates with the loss of form of Adebayor (the so called ‘Samson’ effect).

This game looks like a draw from the onset and only a moment of brilliance (or error) can change that !!

Prediction : Draw game !!