Barcelona vs Manchester United Champions League Final Preview

Barcelona vs Manchester United Champions League Final Wednesday 27th May. Live on ITV1 at 7.45pm.

Set up to be the classic Champions League Final, Manchester United will be aiming to make history as no other team has managed to defend their UEFA Champions League title. The match up with ‘galacticos’ Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is perfect for this stage. Sir Alex Ferguson doesn’t seem to let up on his ambition to annihilate all clubs in all competitions; he flexed his squad muscles on the last game of the Premier League season with a 0-1 victory against Hull City with a team that some football fans could scarcely recognise. This depth has meant that they’ve achieved the retaining of the Barclays Premier League and by doing that in their penultimate match against Arsenal the first team managed to bag a rest in preparation for the big final tomorrow evening at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Rio Ferdinand is fighting for full fitness and certainly will have benefited from this rest. His had 3 weeks out with a calf injury...you’d imagine that he will start in this huge European match.

For Barcelona, Guardiola will be taking Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta who have recently picked up knocks in La Liga games. Dani Alves, Rafa Marquez, Eric Abidal and Gaby Milito are unavailable. All eyes will be on Messi when Barca have possession, the 22 year old has been sensational this season and his left boot can unlock the best defences in the world on his day. Emerging young talent Bojan will be hoping Barca do it, he has come through the Barcelona youth team system and would become the youngest player to have ever won the Champions League.

Historically, it is the Red Devils that have the edge – Manchester United have knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League on three occasions and then there was the 1991 Cup Winners final where Mark Hughes scored twice in their 2-1 history. This was Sir Alex’s first piece of European silverware in the 1st season that English clubs were reinstated into European silverware after the 6 year UEFA ban.

As so much rides on a game like this, it will inevitably be a tense and close affair. This makes it perfect for some small stake spread betting. Although I am definitely not a professional gambler, if you are a neutral spectator in a football match like this then online sports spread betting is a way of making this nail bitingly exciting. The thing with spread betting is that most people are apprehensive of it because they are scared of the losses getting out of control. However with online football betting in general it pays to do a bit of odds comparison and reading the exact details of each bet that is offered to you. For example, with Sporting Index you can set a ‘stop loss’ which potentially caps your loss or profit. I like doing something silly like the number of corners in a match, for example Corners 10-Ups where 10 points are awarded for corners once there have been ten in the game (90 mins only). Of course be careful on your unit stake and think about the stop loss if you’re going to get aggressive. Be lucky...but be careful football gamblers!!

After being crowned World footballer of the year and winning the Prem/Champs League duble last season, some people predicted that Ronaldo would move to Madrid...either that or produce some more casual form for Man Utd. To match Fergie's desire he was proved that he is a big time player with goals when the Red Devils most needed them. He displays that winning streak that makes him perfect for his club.

"I know I've won a lot but I'm the one who set the bar that high," Ronaldo said, when interviewed recently by uefa.com. "I'm a player with a lot of ambition and a strong character. I think that at a personal level, what's most important is me. No matter what others might think, I'll keep thinking like that. I'll continue doing the things I did in 2003, 2004, 2005, right up until now. So nothing will change in me – probably the opposite. My ambition will grow, to win at club level as well as at a personal level. Because the feeling from winning is good, I'm really a winner and therefore I'm going to want more."

My prediction for the match is 1-0 to Manchester United, I think that Barca won’t quite have the fire power to beat Edwin Van der Sar and that quality Man U defence which will lead to the Red Devils 3rd Champions League title.

Newcastle and Boro join West Brom in relegation

Newcastle United down and out

No real surprise that Boro went down, after losing 2-1 at Upton Park to West Ham. No after match interview for Gareth Southgate, relegation just hurts so much that different professionals handle it in different ways.

However, after an emotional 8 matches, local hero Alan Shearer watched his beloved Newcastle United get relegated after being in the top division for 16 years. It was a terribly unfortunate exit in one way, as their 1-0 loss to Aston Villa was down to a freakish own goal by Damien Duff. Were they bad enough to go down? Yes, but then so were Sunderland and Hull City in my opinion as both teams lost today and knew they needed to get some points today to salvage Premier League safety.

But its all done now. The question is : Should Alan Shearer now stay at Newcastle United in the Championship with Mike Ashley as his boss?

Premier League News Sunday 24 May 2009

Premiership 2009 final weekend

These are the matches on the last day of the Premier League season 2009:

Arsenal v Stoke
Aston Villa v Newcastle
Blackburn v West Brom
Fulham v Everton
Hull v Man Utd
Liverpool v Tottenham
Man City v Bolton
Sunderland v Chelsea
West Ham v Middlesbrough
Wigan v Portsmouth

The last day of the Premier League season 2008/2009 concludes on Sunday 24th May this weekend. This year, I don't there could be many people that would think that Manchester United weren't the deserved champions, who were crowned Barclays Premier League winners last weekend at Old Trafford after drawing 0-0 with Arsenal. Liverpool's game against West Brom last week and the match against Spurs this week will have been difficult for them to prepare for, although the have a chance to make history down to the fact that the Reds have had a trully superb season. If they manage to avoid defeat against Tottenham at Anfield, they will become the only team in league history to have lost only 2 games and not to have won the Premiership. A bitter pill to swallow for the Rafa's men but in another way it proves that they have the potential next season to push on and perhaps move on to 19 league titles moving ahead of rivals Man Utd. Spurs are going for the Europa League spot so this could prove to be an entertaining game of football.

However, on Sunday we'll all be watching the drop zone, you've got to feel for the amount of nail biting that will be done for the supporters of the teams involved. Hull City will have to really scrap and fight to get any points against Manchester United who will rest some players but have one of the best squads in Premier League history. Newcastle tragically dropped back into the bottom 3 after losing 2-1 and will have to work really hard to get anything at Villa Park. Sunderland have Chelsea - also tough and Boro are away at Upton Park but in my mind were relegated (not mathematically) last week.

So who's going down? I'm going for Hull City and Middlesbrough to join West Bromwich Albion.

Good luck to the poor fans going to the matches on Sunday!

Sunderland Slide Closer to Trap door

Portsmouth 3 Sunderland 1 Guest blogger Josh Allen

Sunderland threw away another opportunity to guarantee Premier League survival last night, after letting a 1-0 lead slip at Fratton Park.

The result puts the Black Cats in serious danger of Premier League relegation. They are now just two points clear of the drop zone and face a daunting trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

If Sunderland are to go down it will be due to an awful run of form that has seen them pick up just 5 points from a possible 36. They have won just once in the last 3 months and that came against a Hull side in a similar state of free fall.

Momentum and confidence are two of the most crucial aspects of football. Sunderland currently possess neither and last night's game merely demonstrated how difficult it is to turn the tide. Despite Kenwyne Jones getting the opener early in the second half, the visitors were unable to build on their advantage. Their lead lasted barely a minute and shortly afterwards Portsmouth were ahead, following a calamity of errors culminating in a Phil Bardsley own goal.

To Sunderland's credit they didn't give in to the football odds and completely give up but it was simply not to be their day. Given the path that the game had taken, its ending was almost inevitable - Jones missed a great opportunity to equalise and moments later the ball was in the net at the other end courtesy of Armand Traore.

After the game, manager Ricky Sbragia was keen to put a positive spin on proceedings, telling BBC Sport: “it has always been in our hands and we know what is required on Sunday.” The fact is, he also knew what was required last night – a win would have secured their safety with a game to spare. Unfortunately for Sunderland, knowing and doing are two very different things.

West Brom relegated 17th May 2009

West Brom 0 Liverpool 2

Today, Tony Mowbray's men could not hide from the threat of relegation that has put a cloud above the Hawthorns since the latter part of 2008. Faced with a match against Liverpool who were snubbed yesterday in the title race by Manchester United, West Brom would still have been expecting a extremely difficult match against a Liverpool team that could have won the League with a bit more risk and reward style football throughout this season.

West Brom really took the game to Liverpool in the first half, unfortunately their effors on the pitch and die hard Baggies support were frozen by one moment of defensive madness that Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard jumped on to get Liverpool 1 nil up. Shelton Martis miscontrolled the ball putting it within Gerrard's reach - he snapped the football up with interest, dribbled directly at goal and lofted the ball over veteran Dean Kiely to get his 24th goal of the season.

In the second half West Brom struggled to get round the back of the Liverpool defence and couldn't really penetrate in the central areas. Then there was a counter attack that Dirk Kuyt professionally struck in from just outside the penalty box to make it 2-0 to the visitors.

This was a sad day for the Baggies but their fans were an example to any Premier League club who take their status in the division for granted - they really got behind the players which will mean everything to them and undoubtedly will be remembered when they start their new campaign in August in the Championship.

So are West Brom better than just a 'yo-yo' club?

Championship Playoff Final 25th May 2009

Championship Play-off Focus

Although the Premiership title race is over and promotion for Wolves and Birmingham City confirmed, the 2008-9 season still has a lot to offer fans of the beautiful game. The struggle to avoid relegation will not be played out fully until the final weekend of the season, with Newcastle, Boro, Sunderland and Hull all possibilities to go down. The FA Cup final between Everton and Chelsea will be an interesting clash and the Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona promises to be an exciting showcase between arguably the best teams in the world. Plus the transfer gossip will keep fans intrigued for weeks. Last, but not least, is the play off final on 25th May, in which Burnley will take on Sheffield United at Wembley for a place in England's top flight.

The two championship teams will not only be playing for prestige, but for the millions of pounds in TV revenue that will come their way if they are successful. The last few years have seen a number of teams struggle or go under financially, and blecause this often result in points being docked making financial recovery even harder, the lucrative rewards of top flight football are increasingly important.

So, who exactly are the two clubs with everything to play for on 25th May?

Burnley FC
Burnley FC play their football at Turf Moor, where on average 13,000 fans turn up to see them play. After finishing the season lying 5th in the table with 76 points, Burnley FC, also known as the Clarets, won 2-0 at Reading to triumph 3-0 on aggregate and seal a place at Wembley. This season has been an exciting one for the Clarets, who as well as reaching the play off final, also reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, impressivelt claiming Chelsea and Arsenal as scalps en route only to be knocked out only after extra time to Spurs. The play off final will be the team's 61st game of the season.

Burnley have a long and varied football pedigree; they are only the second team to win all four divisional titles in domestic soccer (Wolves being the first). They also held the record for the longest unbeaten run of league matches for over 80 years, which stood at 30 after the 1920-21 season and was only beaten by Arsenal in the 2003/04 season. A true sleeping giant.

Burnley's most successful era in the top flight English league was the 1950's and early 1960's. Burnley won the First Division title in the 1959-1960 season and continued to challenge for the next few seasons. 1961-2 saw a particularly bittersweet finish to the season as the Turf Moor achieved the runners-up double (to Ipswich in the League and Tottenham Hotspur in the cup) .

In recent years the club has invested heavily in its ground and has further ambitious plans to redevelop Turf Moor further, the future under the manager Owen Coyle looks prosperous as he leads his side into the 2008/09 campaign with Premiership ambitions. Sheffield United will however be doing everything possible on the 25th to thwart these ambitions ....

Sheffield United
On average 26,000 faithful turn up to Bramall Lane to watch Sheffield United, aka the Blades, play every week. Even the younger members of this fanbase are not strangers to the Premiership, as Sheffield United flirted with the top league for a single season in 2006-07. However it is unlikely that any of these fans will remember Sheffield United's most successful era, which was at the turn of the 20th century. The Blades finished as champions in the 1897-98 season, runners up in the 1896-97 and 1899-1900 seasons and were also winners of the FA Cup in 1899, 1901, 1915 and 1925.

In recent years, apart from the honours associated with promotion from lower leagues, Sheffiled United has not won a trophy since 1925. The 2002-03 season was particularly frustrating for Blades fans, who saw their team reach the semi-finals of both domestic cups and the first division play off final but unfortunately lost all three matches. The season of 2005/6 was brighter as Sheffield United earned promotion to the Premiership by finishing 2nd with 90 points; however this foray in the top flight was short-lived as the following season Sheffield United finished 18th with 38 points and were promptly relegated back to the Championship.

Sheffield United have reached the play-off final this year through finishing 3rd in the Championship with 80 points (winning 22, drawing 14 and losing 10 matches win a positive goal difference of 25) and then by beating Preston 2:1 on aggregate in the play-off semi final.

The bookies' favourite to win this match is currently Sheffield United but only by a whisker. With so much at stake, anything could happen. Given their sterling Carling Cup performance I'm going to go out on a limb and go for Burnley to win this match 2:0.

Bit of Harry business

Spurs fans will be looking forward to the next transfer window pre-season to the 2009/2010 season. They have the ENIC spending power, in my opinion misused and wasted on many acquisitions but now this is coupled with Harry Redknapp. Harry is a mover and a shaker in the football world, with a real talent to revitalise players that are Premier League quality but have been tempted to either retire or drop a division.

His old club Portsmouth are well publicised for having financial worries, his move did go towards some of the debts but they could offload players like Peter Crouch, Glenn Johnson and Nico Kranjcar...watch this space.

Then there is the Almeria winger Albert Crusat, rated at £5m that Spurs apparently are keen on.

Get signing with Levy's pennies, Harry.

Hull 1 Bolton 1

Premier League relgation battle continues with Hull City getting a point towards their cause.

Phil Brown's Hull managed to get an invaluable point at the Reebok Stadium to pull the Tigers out of the Premier League relegation zone, putting Newcastle United back in.

Gary Megson would have been pleased with a decent performance against a fired up Hull City and ultimately a point that consolidates their Premier League status for next season.

It was the home team Bolton took the lead with a good counter attack ending with full back Gretar Steinsson scoring after 26 minutes, his long distance drive from 20 yards appeared to have a slight deflection.

Hull eaqualised with Craig Fagan after a defensive mistake by Danny Shittu. Hull City kept pushing and pushing for a winner, they came very close. A great performance by Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen kept the Tigers out but Phil Brown has to be happy to get out of the relegation tonight after a nightmare second half of the season.

Premier League results 16th May

Premiership results for today - 16th May 2009.

Bolton 1 Hull City 1
Everton 3 West Ham 1
Manchester United 0 Arsenal 0
Boro 1 Aston Villa 1
Newcastle 0 Fulham 1
Stoke 2 Wigan 0
Tottenham 2 Manchester City 1

Spurs gunning for the Europa League sport

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Manchester City 1

Harry Redknapp's Spurs continue their strong finish to the season with a 2-1 home win against Manchester City.

With both teams locking horns over the Europa League spot (7th in the Premier League), it was Tottenham Hotspur who had the better of the first half, with Modric and Defoe starting brightly pushing Man City on to the back foot.

It was Defoe who clinched the opener to get the White Hart Lane faithful going. Luca Modric passed the ball out to Tommy Huddlestone who crossed in to Jermain Defoe who skillfully flicked the ball into the net with his back heel.

Man City turned everything on it's head in the second half when they took the game to Tottenham with good performances from Benjani and Ireland but it was subsitute Bojinov who picked up on a loose ball clearance from Corluka who neatly volleyed the equaliser in the 65th minute.

Harry would have been scratching his head a little bit in the second half, the lily whites just couldn't get going. Jermaine Jenas felt ill during the match so Zokora replaced him and then the teams started to really have a go at each other, real end to end stuff.

Then Spurs were awarded a slightly dubious penalty in the 85th minute. Defoe put a cross into on-loan striker Fraizer Campbell who appeared to have Micah Richards climbing on the back of him. There was an awkward pause when the penalty was awarded and the Man City players expressed their distaste to the decision. Captain Robbie Keane made no mistake for Spurs, coolly slotting home his spot kick.

Great win for Spurs, they're now on 51 points which just demonstrates that Levy's decision to cut his losses and get a traditional English management structure in at Tottenham i.e. the Harry factor was a correct one. Fulham and Everton both won also so the race will go to the fnal day.