Fabio Capello has announced his England squad for Wednesday night’s friendly against Egypt (Wembley Stadium, 8:pm 03/03/2010).  Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross is the main beneficiary of the current defensive crisis, earning his first call-up to the senior squad after only two Under-21 appearances. The call-up came on the day he broke Arsenal teenager Aaron Ramsey’s ankle with a clumsy challenge in a Premiership match at the Britannia Stadium. Shawcross left the pitch in tears, clearly distraught at the consequences of his mistake.  However, he has won many plaudits for his solid defensive work this season and takes the centre-back spot vacated by Rio Ferdinand due to his current back problems.

The whole defence looks short of experience at international level shorn of Ferdinand, Ashley Cole (also injured) and Wayne Bridge, who quit the national team this week citing personal differences with John Terry. Only seven specialist defenders were picked and they total only 108 caps between them, or seven fewer than David Backham alone! Everton’s Leighton Baines is the other uncapped defender. He and Aston Villa’s Stephen Warnock (1 cap) take the left-back berths vacated by Cole and Bridge. They were the only viable options for left back but have both impressed this season and look ready for the challenge of international football.

There doesn’t seem to be a specialist right-back in the squad. Manchester City’s Micah Richards will be disappointed at missing out given the absence of Glen Johnson through injury. Capello may be planning to play Wes Brown or even James Milner at right-back.

The headlines in midfield and attack are recalls for Theo Walcott, Stewart Downing and Carlton Cole. Walcott hasn’t impressed this season in club football and has only started a handful of games for Arsenal, but Capello clearly thinks he has something to offer the national team. Stewart Downing is England’s only real natural left-sided player and was a squad regular before a serious injury ruled him out last May. This call-up rewards his recent good form since he regained fitness and broke into the Aston Villa first team following his summer move from relegated Middlesbrough. Joe Cole is the biggest name to miss out in midfield, having failed to play enough regular football at Chelsea to impress Capello.

Up front, Carlton Cole got the nod ahead of Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor for the fifth striker spot. It remains to be seen whether Capello will take five strikers to the World Cup, or four plus someone such as Walcott, but time seems to be running out for the Aston Villa man. Attack is certainly the most experienced department of the team, with Rooney, Heskey, Crouch and Defoe totalling almost 190 caps between them and those four look shoe-ins for places in the final squad.

GOALKEEPERS
David James (Portsmouth, 49 caps)
Robert Green (West Ham, 8 caps)
Joe Hart (Birmingham, 1 cap)

DEFENDERS
John Terry (Chelsea, 58 caps)
Wes Brown (Man. Utd, 22 caps)
Matthew Upson (West Ham, 18 caps)
Joleon Lescott (Man. City, 9 caps)
Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa, 1 caps)
Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City, 0 caps)
Leighton Baines (Everton, 0 caps)

MIDFIELDERS
David Beckham (AC Milan, 115 caps)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, 77 caps)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea, 76 caps)
Gareth Barry (Man. City, 35 caps)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Man. City, 29 caps)
Stewart Downing (Aston Villa, 23 caps)
Michael Carrick (Man. Utd, 20 caps)
Theo Walcott (Arsenal, 8 caps)
James Milner (Aston Villa, 6 caps)

FORWARDS
Emile Heskey (Aston Villa, 57 caps)
Wayne Rooney (Man. Utd, 57 caps)
Jermain Defoe (Tottenham, 38 caps)
Peter Crouch (Tottenham, 36 caps)
Carlton Cole (West Ham, 6 caps)

TEAM BY TEAM
Aston Villa – 4 players
Man. Utd – 3 players
West Ham – 3 players
Chelsea – 2 players
Man City – 2 players
Tottenham – 2 players
AC Milan – 1 player
Arsenal – 1 player
Birmingham – 1 player
Everton – 1 player
Liverpool – 1 player
Portsmouth – 1 player
Stoke City – 1 player

Here are About A Ball’s betting tips and predictions for the big matches in England and Scotland on the weekend of the 27th and 28th of February 2010. For the latest form guides visit the About a Ball Form Lab. For betting techniques and systems visit the About a Ball Betting Guide.

Saturday 27 February 2010

English Premier League

Chelsea v Man City 12:45
Chelsea return from Wednesday night’s excursion to Milan to face a Saturday lunch time kick off against Manchester City, themselves losers at Stoke on Wednesday night. There are likely to be some tired legs on both sides and Chelsea will be without a recognised left-back in Ashley Cole’s absence due to injury. Goalkeeper Petr Cech is also likely to be out following the injury he suffered in the San Siro. City hope to have Tevez available again after the recent premature birth of his child and it’s the first match-up between John Terry and Wayne Bridge since the tabloid revelations. Chelsea are unbeaten at home whilst City’s form is wobbling so a home win looks likely.
Click here for full match odds.
PREDICTION: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City

Birmingham v Wigan 15:00
Birmingham’s form is becoming patchy of late whilst Wigan’s is simply atrocious. Both sides lost last lime out, against Fulham and Tottenham respectively last weekend, but Birmingham are solid at home and should have enough to see off the Latics and maintain their challenge for a European spot.
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PREDICTION:Birmingham City 2-0 Wigan Athletic

Bolton v Wolverhampton 15:00
This fixture has the air of a must win game for Bolton if they are to get their fight for survival back on track. With no wins in their last seven games (all competitions) and not even a goal to show for their last six Premier League outings, and coming off the back of a 4-0 FA Cup hiding by Spurs in midweek, Owen Coyle’s arrival has plainly failed to rejuvenate the team. Wolves aren’t faring much better, with only one win in their last eight and it’s likely to be a nervy affair at the Reebok Stadium with both teams fearful of losing so we foresee a draw.
Click here for full match odds.
PREDICTION: Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Burnley v Portsmouth 15:00
Many bookmakers have refused to compile odds in advance of this match as Portsmouth’s parlous financial situation means they are likely to enter administration on Friday. Hopefully they will be able to fulfill their remaining fixtures but a points deduction would remove any hope of Premier League survival and leave the team with nothing to play for. With no wins in eight league outings and facing a Burnley team who are strong at home, it looks like another defeat for Pompey.
No odds available yet.
PREDICTION: Burnley 1-0 Portsmouth

Stoke v Arsenal 17:30
Stoke are unbeaten this year and knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup 3-1 on home turf a month ago. Arsene Wenger is likely to take this game a bit more seriously but it’s rare for any visitors to take three points away from Stoke. Arsenal had the luxury of a free midweek to prepare for this fixture whereas Stoke were taken to extra time by Manchester City on Wednesday night and will perhaps already have one eye on next weekend’s FA Cup quarter final against Chelsea so circumstances could favour the Gunners as they strive to hang on to the coat tails of the leading pair.
Click here for full match odds.
PREDICTION: Stoke City 1-2 Arsenal

Sunday 28 February 2010

English Premier League

Tottenham v Everton 13:00
Spurs have found their shooting boots this week with 3-0 and 4-0 wins over Wigan and Bolton respectively. Their Wednesday night cup win over the latter wasn’t too taxing so they should be considerably fresher than their opponents, who play away in Lisbon late on Thursday night and won’t have much recovery time between touching down on Merseyside and this early Sunday kick off in London. Everton have been in fine form recently, beating both Chelsea and Manchester United at home, but this will be just as tough a test of their mettle and their thin squad may start to feel the toll of so many big games in such a short space of time.
Click here for full match odds.
PREDICTION: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Everton

Liverpool v Blackburn 15:00
Two wins on the bounce and a clear week to prepare for this fixture are encouraging signs for Sam Allardyce’s Rovers side, although both those wins were at Ewood Park against weak opposition and their recent away form is dreadful. Liverpool will no doubt be tired following their Thursday night Europa League game in Bucharest, Romania, but they know that nothing less than a win will do in order to keep pace with their adversaries in the race for fourth spot. The simply must capitalise on home games against bottom half opposition, and with Torres back in the squad they will surely be too strong for Blackburn.
Click here for full match odds.
PREDICTION: Liverpool 3-0 Blackburn Rovers

Sunderland v Fulham 15:00
Fulham are another team who faced a long trip in Europe on Thursday night. They’ll be flying back from Ukraine on Friday and presumably travelling up to Sunderland the next day or early on Sunday whereas it will be eight days since Sunderland lost to Arsenal last time out. However, Steve Bruce’s team are without a win in seven and slipping down the table so morale is low and nerves are starting to show. They’ll see this game as a great chance to return to winning ways but goals have been hard to come by since the turn of the year and the well organised Fulham defence is unlikely to present them with any gifts. It’s been a great February so far for Roy Hodgson’s team, for whom Zamora is in fine form, but their best results have all come at Craven Cottage and they’ve struggled slightly on the road this year.
Click here for full match odds.
PREDICTION: Sunderland 0-0 Fulham

Carling Cup Final

Aston Villa v Man Utd 15:00 (Wembley Stadium)

Cup football, a neutral venue, will Fergie play his strongest team? The form book goes out of the window for this one. Not that it would have told us much anyway as both sides have been impressive in recent weeks. It’s Villa’s big chance for a first trophy in over a decade and you can be sure that Martin O’Neill’s men will go all out for the win, playing their usual speedy, counter-attacking brand of football. Sir Alex Ferguson may take the opportunity to give some of his second string players a chance to star in a showpiece occasion, as he did against Spurs last year, but it’s still likely to be a stong side fielded by the holders. Both teams played in midweek so that shouldn’t affect matters too much. United have Ferdinand and Giggs on the injured list and Nani suspended following his dismissal in the 1-1 draw at Villa Park two weeks ago but Nemanja Vidic is back and looked impressive against West Ham. Anderson is now out for the season. Villa have few injury worries now that Stephen Warnock is fit again and Stiliyan Petrov is expected to overcome a virus. This could be a close and high scoring affair with extra time.
Click here for full match odds.
PREDICTION: Aston Villa 2-3 Manchester United (aet)

Scottish Premier League

Rangers v Celtic 12:30
Rangers are unbeaten domestically since November and have a seven point lead over their rivals with a game in hand having sat out last weekend’s fixture due to a frozen pitch. Celtic beat Dundee United 1-0 last weekend and know that they must match that result at Ibrox to revive their ailing title challenge. January additions to the forward line such as Keane, Rasmussen and Kamara have shaken things up and given the team something of a new lease of life but they are still inconsistent, unpredictable and dodgy at the back. It will take a monumental performance for the to overcome Rangers on their own patch and I don’t think they have it in them.
Click here for full match odds.
PREDICTION: Glasgow Rangers 3-1 Glasgow Celtic

 Liverpool face Romanian opposition in the form of unheralded Unirea Urziceni.  www.aboutaballco.uk assess the threat they pose in the Europa League.

History

Think of Romanian football and most English fans will think of the like of Steaua Bucharest and the other sides from the capital such as Rapid and Dinamo.  But times are changing in Romanian football and a provincial revolution led by the like of Cluj, Timisoara and Unirea Uriceni has shaken up the established order in Romanian football.

Following years as a provincial back-water in a town between Bucharest and the Black Sea coast, Unirea bumbled along seldom making a significant impact on even the local football scene, let alone a national one.  Promotion to the Romanian top-flight in 2005/06 changed all that and an impressive fifth place finish in their first season indicated they may be around for a while.

After a few more seasons of top-flight consolidation, Unirea claimed their first ever Romanian Championship in 2008/09 led by former Chelsea and Southampton defender Dan Petrescu after pipping Timisoara to the title by just three points and only finally assuming the top position of the league three-match days before the end of the season.

Season so far

That championship success granted entry into the Champions League for this season, and Unirea far from disgraced themselves claiming a more than respectable eight points in a group that contained Sevilla, VfB Stuttgart and Glasgow Rangers and finishing third overall. Home form was far stronger than away form, with a win coming against Sevilla and draws against the other two, but their best result was a 1-4 away win at Ibrox at the expense of Rangers.  That result gave them a chance of a surprise qualification for the knock-out stages in the final match against Stuttgart, but the Germans inspired by the arrival of new boss Christian Gross had a 3-0 lead in the first 11 minutes of the game, which they failed to relinquish.

Surprisingly Dan Petrescu has made way during the extended winter break in Romania, stepping down from the post to accept a managerial offer in Russia, and it remains to be seen what effect his departure will have on the squad.  Not only did Petrescu help Unirea to the best ever performance by a Romanian side at the Champions League group stage, but he left them joint top of the league with Cluj on 34 points after 17 matches.

Manager

The man to try and help fill the gap left by the former Romanian international, will be little known Israeli Ronny Levy.  The former Maccabi Haifa manager has an impressive record with one of Israel’s top sides leading them to three successive titles.  Credited with uncovering several top performers in the Israeli league as well as introducing advanced software-based coaching and training methods, Levy will have his work cut out replacing the most successful Unirea manager ever.

Players to watch

Top scorer for the club is Marius Ioan Bilasco, who opened the scoring at Ibrox with the equaliser for Unirea.  He has six goals overall for the season, in a side that generally shares the goals around pretty evenly.  Standing at just over 6’, Bilasco is decent in the air, and also good on the ground generally occupying a lone striking position under Petrescu in the Champions League.

Argentine left-back Pablo Brandan has been another strong performer for Unirea in their first ever Champions League campaign.  Equally comfortable coming forward as defending, Brandan arrived at Unirea after a spell in Spanish football with Alaves and Burgos.  The 26-year-old has three goals for the season and could present a threat down the left side of the pitch.

Strengths

- A strong home record, undefeated in Europe and just one loss in the league

- Happy to let the opposition dominate the ball, so will force Liverpool to take the initiative in the tie

- A squad out to impress their new boss

Weaknesses

 - Haven’t played since December in competitive football, so likely to be far from fully match fit

- Without inspirational manager Dan Petrescu, so will need to adapt to playing under a new manager

- Arguably only slightly stronger that Debrecen by comparison, so overall probably shouldn’t unduly trouble Liverpool over the course of the two-legs

Familiar faces

After the departure of Dan Petrescu, there are no other players or staff members that have any connections with English football

 Have we met before?

With such scant European history, this will be Unirea’s first meeting with any side from the English game.  Liverpool have played Romanian opposition on four occasions, the last time dating from the 2000/01 run to the UEFA Cup final when they overcame Rapid Bucharest 1-0 on aggregate.

Could Napoli top-scorer Marek Hamsik be on his way to West London?

 The Daily Express today suggests that Chelsea are still very much in the market for Napoli forward Marek Hamsik, a story that  has been backed up by sources in Italy as well.  Meanwhile Serb centre-back Neven Subotic of Borussia Dortmund is also being tracked.

The transfer window may have only just shut but it looks like Chelsea are already reviewing their options for the summer, and one player who has come back into reckoning for a move to Stamford Bridge is Marek Hamsik.  The Slovakian international star has been with Napoli for 2.5 seasons making just over 100 appearances in all competitions scoring 30 goals from a range of positions including up front, from the play-maker position and even out wide.

The 22-year-old first caught the eye with Brescia, to whom he moved as a youngster back in 2004/05 hitting 10 goals in 40 appearances in Serie B prompting Napoli to snap him up as they returned back to Serie A after several seasons in the doldrums themselves.

This season he already has 8 goals in 24 Serie A matches, as Napoli have maneuvered themselves into a position to challenge for a position in the Champions League for next season thanks to a wonderful run of form, which saw them hold runaway league leaders Inter Milan to a 0-0 draw last time out.

Hamsik is one of a number of Napoli players who has been connected with Chelsea in the recent past, with his team-mate Ezequiel Lavezzi also thought to be interesting the West London club.  However, Hamsik is now thought to be the man most wanted by Carlo Ancelotti, who has had the chance to watch him first-hand when in charge of AC Milan.

Chelsea may find they have some stiff competition for the 29-times capped Slovak forward, as Inter Milan are also thought to have made Hamsik a top-target for what could be a busy transfer period.  Furthermore if Napoli succeed in qualifying themselves for the Champions League next season, they may be in a stronger bargaining position in terms of demanding a transfer fee thanks to their potentially enhanced finances. 

The Napoli top scorer isn’t the only player on the Chelsea radar, with defender Neven Subotic currently under contract to German side Borussia Dortmund also being closely watched.  The 21-year-old Serb-stopper has had an impressive season at the Signal Iduna Park helping propel his side to the edge of the Champions League places this season thanks to some wonderful performances at the heart of the defence. 

Standing at an impressive 6’3” Subotic is not only excellent in the air but also a strong tackler and reader of the game.  His 6 goals for Dortmund last season in his first season after joining from Mainz will certainly earn comparisons with John Terry.  With 9 caps to his name already, Subotic may well be a top performer at the World Cup in South Africa alongside Nemanja Vidic for his country, and Chelsea may be eager to tie up a deal sooner rather than later if they are considering a move for him.

Check out Chelsea’s latest odds and form with: http://aboutaball.bettorlogic.com/leaguesummary.aspx

What have Liverpool, AS Roma, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Juventus all got in common?  They have all knocked out Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League; and after last night Lyon might be able to add their name to that list.  www.aboutaball.co.uk asks why Real Madrid simply fail to perform at this stage.

Since the abolition of the second cumbersome group stage of the Champions League at the beginning of the 2003/04 season, Real Madrid have qualified for the round of 16 on each occasion, and yet can count only one aggregate victory at this stage.  That came at the first time of asking, when they overcame Bayern 2-1 on aggregate, but since have managed just two wins since in 11 games and have suffered a premature exit on every subsequent occasion. 

It’s not just the failure to progress, it’s also at times the startling lack of performance even against sides that shouldn’t be troubling them.  Consider home and away defeats to AS Roma in 2006/07, a team that would go onto to be battered by Manchester United in the quarter-finals.  Last season, Real even managed to make Liverpool look like a flowing and attractive team when they succumbed to a 4-0 humbling at Anfield, after crashing to an initial 1-0 defeat the Bernabeau.

Last night against Lyon in a disappointing 1-0 loss in France was no exception to what is increasingly becoming the rule where Real Madrid are concerned in the Champions League.  After high profile transfer activity pre-season, the pressure is on Real to acquire at least some sort of silverware with the most expensively assembled front-line anywhere in the world game currently.  Two points off Barcelona in La Liga with their arch rivals by and large looking every bit as good as they did last season, the UEFA Champions League represents a credible alternative for a return on the heavy investment.  Furthermore with the final of the competition due to be held in May at the Bernabeau, the opportunity to claim their tenth victory and become the first side ever to reach double figures in Europe’s most venerable club competition makes the Champions League an even more attractive prospect.

Yet at the Stade Gerland, Real turned in their most disappointing performance for months.  Many had tipped Real for a handsome margin of victory over their French rivals, as Lyon flag in Ligue 1 and appear to be on the verge of relinquishing their status as the team to beat in France.  Real’s recent performances have also been pretty stellar with some excellent results, albeit against some of the lesser lights in La Liga such as Espanyol, Xerez and Real Zaragoza. 

Flaccid attack/Weak defence

The former AC Milan schemer was one of last night's more dissapointing performers

The front-line of Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka looked bereft of ideas between them with the latter pair starved of any service by the industrious Lyon midfield comprised of Jeremy Toulalan and Jean II Makoun.  Higuain a striker who thrives on balls into his feet, cut an increasingly lonely figure in attack as his colleagues drifted to the periphery of the game and deeper to try and acquire the ball without being dogged in possession by the snappy Lyon defence.  Higuain’s replacement Karin Benzema, whose return to his old club just months after leaving, was overshadowed by David Beckham’s meeting with old employers at the San Siro, was even less effective. 

What space there appeared to be in the game was to be found on the flanks, but Real increasingly focused their attempts on the heart of the pitch, thus playing into Lyon’s narrow game plan.  Indeed the first substitution of the game by Manuel Pellegrini, Real manager, saw Brazilian full-back Marcelo withdrawn entirely, when his attacking impulse down the left-hand side form a more advanced position has been one of the recent factors in Real’s good run of form in the league.  Furthermore Sergio Ramos loves to drive down the right-hand side of the pitch from right-back, but asked to play a centre-half role initially, Ramos was restricted to his own half for much of the game.

Not only did the Real midfield fail to provide any service to the forwards but Xabi Alonso and Mahamadou Diarra, another lower-profile returnee to a former club on a night of re-acquaintance in the competition, failed to close down Jean II Makoun for the opening goal which he plundered from long-range.

Knock-out misery

Real are far from out of the running in the tie overall with the difference pegged at just one goal for the return home leg in three weeks time.  Perhaps the pressure of having to perform in a knock-out situation got to the team collectively.  It wouldn’t be the first time that Real have spectacularly under-performed in Cup competition this season – they were humiliated pre-Christmas by a third-division side in the Copa del Rey (the Spanish Cup) loosing over the course of the two legs, an identical scenario to the match against Lyon.  Maybe the league format, which is more forgiving of the occasional bad performance, means that the squad feels less pressure to perform. 

Whilst this theory might hold for this season’s potential early exit from the Champions League at the hands of Lyon, it doesn’t explain all the other baffling results at the round of 16 in the competition in the last few years. Last night’s poor performance will certainly leave fans of Los Merengues wondering why their side can’t seem to get it together at this stage of the tournament, and perhaps thinking there is some greater super-natural explanation for their team’s collective failure.

Check out the latest Real Madrid and Lyon form and odds with: http://aboutaball.bettorlogic.com/leaguesummary.aspx

Portuguese giants FC Porto may be struggling in their domestic league, but could still prove dangerous opponents for Arsenal.  www.aboutaball.co.uk takes a look at the challenge facing The Gunners in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

History 

FC Porto emerged from the shadow of the Lisbon-based giants Benfica and Sporting Lisbon during the course of the 1980’s powered by the ambitious Costa da Pinto, who was determined to wrest control of Portuguese football away from the capital to the Northern port of Oporto.  After claiming Europe’s premier trophy in 1987, the 1990’s were a story of near-misses on the European scene, as they continued to rack up the titles domestically. 

However, the arrival of enigmatic manager Jose Mourinho at the turn of the decade, then a little-known, but outspoken manager, once again propelled FC Porto into the big time claiming first the UEFA Cup in 2003 before following that up with the Champions League the following season. 

Mourinho’s departure along with several big-name players left an inevitable vacuum at the club, but current coach Jesualdo Ferreira has been able to finally help fill the chasm the current Inter Milan boss left behind. 

Whilst Porto haven’t looked like being able to consistently bridge the gap between themselves and the highest echelon of European football, they can still boast an impressive record of surviving Christmas in the continent’s premier club competition, even if the Round of 16 has been frequently as far as they have progressed in recent seasons.

Season so far

2008/09 gave a hint that the football landscape in Portugal might be on the verge of changing when Sporting pushed FC Porto hard for the title.  Heavy investment by Benfica over the summer combined with the loss of several key FC Porto players, such as Lucho Gonzalez and Lisandro Lopez, plus the emergence of provincial side Sporting Braga as credible and prolonged candidates for the title, has helped demote FC Porto yet further.

The sense of dissatisfaction amongst the supporters regarding the radical shift in the past few months back towards the capital has been further exacerbated, as FC Porto have exercised a policy of financial prudence in the transfer market, whilst their rivals have invested heavily in their squads.  Furthermore controversy following an incident involving two FC Porto players in the tunnel in the aftermath of the most recent meeting between themselves and Benfica has led to a lengthy domestic ban for Hulk and Cristian Sapunaru and forced many FC Porto fans to wonder if they are being made to pay for their recent dominance of the Portuguese league. 

A 0-0 draw against Leixoes at the weekend cost FC Porto further ground in the title race and they now find themselves nine points adrift of Benfica, and even eight off a place in next season’s Champions League qualifying rounds and thus facing the prospect of missing out on Europe’s cash rich competition next season.  Despite the wide-spread disappointment at the way 2009/10 has worked out, FC Porto still managed to come through a potentially tricky Champions League group ahead of the better fancied Atletico Madrid, are still in with a chance in all four competitions they entered and haven’t tasted defeat since before Christmas. 

Manager

Despite having a stint as coach at hated rivals Benfica on his CV, manager Jesualdo Ferreira is a well respected figure at FC Porto and seen as the first coach that has really been able to overcome the legacy/burden of the Mourinho-era.  The 63-year-old has seen it all, and has helped keep FC Porto within touching distance of the European top thanks to a canny transfer policy and making the best of his available resources.  Indeed Ferreira can in some respect claim to trump Mourinho, at least in the domestic arena, as he is the only coach to have won three consecutive Superliga titles, something the former Chelsea motor-mouth never achieved. 

Players to watch

Radamel Falcao in action against Chelsea earlier in the season (GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Whilst much of the pre-match talk has been of supposed Manchester United target Hulk, the Brazilian’s suspension means that a lack of match fitness will almost certainly cost him his place in the starting XI.  Nevertheless FC Porto can still call on several excellent replacements including Colombian striker Radamel Falcao.  Believed to have been a target for Aston Villa during the winter transfer window, the Colombian forward only arrived in Europe with FC Porto over the summer after catching the eye in the Argentine league.  Falcao is good on the ball, with a turn of pace and also decent in the air, therefore combining all the necessary attributes to present a genuine threat to the Arsenal defence.

Uruguayan forward Cristian Benitez won many plaudits with two strong performances at this stage last season, as FC Porto succumbed to Manchester United.  After scoring at Old Trafford in the first leg, the left-sided midfielder was also linked with several prominent names around Europe.  Nevertheless the talented player nicknamed The Little Onion for his ability to drive opponents to tears with his range of tricks and jinking runs, remains in Portugal for the time being.  Playing from a left-sided attacking position, Benitez will look to exploit any space left in behind the Arsenal right-back.

Strengths

- An ability to be able to exploit their underdog status in continental competition successfully transferring the perceived pressure onto their more illustrious opponents

- Excellent movement in the attacking-third, which will have to be closely watched by the Arsenal defence

- A good home record in the Champions League, especially against English teams, who have often struggled there (Manchester United winning at the Estadio Dragao was the first ever English victory at FC Porto)

Weaknesses

- With Hulk unlikely to feature in the first leg from the start a lack of a genuine centre-forward to lead the line

- In Helton, a Brazilian goalkeeper in the mould of AC Milan’s Dida, a goalkeeper who is a good shot-stopper but liable to drop the occasional clanger

- Potentially brittle confidence after their failure to match Benfica in the domestic Championship this season making the first goal potentially of huge significance

Familiar faces

Surprisingly there are no ex-Premiership players currently in the FC Porto squad as transfer policy has focussed more on developing upcoming talent rather than picking up off-casts from other European sides, something that both Benfica and Sporting Lisbon have both actively engaged in this season. 

Have we met before?

It’s been just over 12 months since Arsenal and FC Porto last met, sharing a win a piece in the Group Stages of last season’s competition.  The Gunners ran out 4-0 winners at the Emirates Stadium proving far too strong for the Portuguese side with van Persie and Adebayor both helping themselves to a brace.  The pair then met in the final game with qualification secured for both, and FC Porto repaid the compliment with a 2-0 win.

The pair also met for the only other time in the group stages of the 2006/07 tournament, this time Arsenal coming out crucially on top with a win and a draw, which also helped them secure top-spot in the group at the expense of FC Porto after they both finished with 11 points.  Thierry Henry and Aliksandr Hleb were on target in the home leg in a 2-0 victory and a 0-0 draw, once again in the final group game, gave Arsenal the advantage on the head-to-head record. 

Check out form of FC Porto and match odds at: http://aboutaball.bettorlogic.com/leaguesummary.aspx

What a cracking match this is set to be, United have Vidic and Giggs out but new England captain Rio Ferdinand returns to the side whilst it looks unlikely Beckham with start for Milan.

The best way to preview a match is to check out what the bookies make of it because it pays for them not to be wrong! The best odds I could find at the time of writing had Milan at 15/8 with United favorites at 13/8 and the draw an outside bet at 11/5. United may be flying at the moment but without Vidic and the experience of Giggs away at the San Siro a draw would be a great result. At 11/2 the lowest odds you can get is on a 1-1 draw which makes a lot of sense although I fancy 0-0 which you can get at 7/1. The first legs of these champions league ties are often cagey low scoring affairs even when they include the likes of Rooney and Pato.

Talking of the top marksmen Rooney is odds on to score first at 9/2, Beckham is 11/1 to score first and only 7/2 to get a goal at some point during the match. If I was taken a punt of first goal scorer I’d go for Darren Fletcher at 16/1.

Enjoy the game and good luck!

United take on Italian giants AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League tie this week.  www.aboutaball.co.uk runs the rule over one of Italy’s most evocative footballing names.

History

The 17-times Italian Champions are second only to Juventus in terms of outright wins in Serie A, along with cross-city rivals Inter Milan.  After being set up by English ex-pats at the end of the 18th century as a place they could play cricket and indulge in other sporting activities, AC Milan have really flourished in the football arena.  Of course it has not just been domestically they have flexed their muscle, but also on the continental stage with several great teams going down in history each ranking amongst the best of their generation. 

Arguably the greatest side ever assembled at AC Milan was under Arrigo Sacchi and then continued later by Fabio Capello at a time when English fans were given regular access to Italian football via Channel 4 at the beginning of the 1990’s.  Powered by the Dutch trio of Ruud Gulit, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, AC Milan swept all before them both at home and abroad.

Recent seasons have brought less silverware as the club became embroiled in the embarrassing Calciopoli scandal that engulfed Italian football in the summer of 2006.  As a result Inter Milan have become the pre-eminent force in Serie A, and AC Milan have since been playing catch-up to their local rivals.

Season so Far

The 2009/10 season started under something of a cloud with the departure of their main player, Kaka to Real Madrid and long-serving manager Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea.  Rookie manager Leonardo was handed the task of taking the fight to Inter Milan this season, which AC have done with varying degrees of success. 

Unsurprisingly with so many changes both on the field and in the backroom staff they started sluggishly.  However eight wins in nine Serie A matches in a run stretching between October and January suggested that they were back on course, but recent results have been less satisfactory including draws against bottom-half of the table pair Bologna and Livorno, and a morale sapping loss to Inter, which have cost AC Milan valuable ground in the chase for the title. 

A number of new signings brought into the club are yet to really gel, and there appears to be something of a division between the established team members such as Clarence Seedorf and Massimo Ambrosini and the more recent recruits, such as Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato.  Relatively inexperienced manager Leonardo hasn’t always got the balance right, but results have picked up as AC Milan have developed over the course of the season. 

Qualification for the knock-out stages of the Champions League pre-Christmas at a time when they were really struggling for form, was far from assured and combined a home defeat to Swiss outsiders FC Zurich with an impressive away win against Real Madrid. 

Manager

The cerebral Leonardo was handed the tough task of guiding AC Milan through a difficult patch in their history.  Given his status as a rookie, his appointment was a slight surprise.  After coming under pressure early on in the season as AC Milan slipped as low as 12^th by match-day seven, he has shown that he is capable of moulding the team into something of a functioning unit.  Defeats against Inter Milan in both Milan derbies though indicate there is still much to be done if they are to make up the chasm that has developed between them and the top of the league. 

Players to Watch

The former World Player of the Year is back to his best after a spell in the doldrums

The genial Brazilian player-make Ronaldinho is arguably the player who above all makes the side tick.  The former Barcelona midfielder dropped off the radar after leaving Barcelona in the summer of 2008 and such was his struggle for form that he has even been benched.  Nevertheless in recent months he has returned to something approaching his best, with his range of tricks, flicks and attacking passing.

Dutchman Clarence Seedorf has moved into a less attacking role since Ronaldinho arrived at the club, but can still pose a threat from a slightly deeper area.  One of the most experienced operators around Europe the powers of the now 33-year-old may be on the wane, but he may have a pivotal role to play in what is likely to be the area of the pitch in which battle for supremacy will be decided. 

Strengths

- The return to form of Ronaldinho makes him a key-man to be stopped from right-full back area, a position that United have struggled to fill this season.

- Incredible experience throughout the team, and a will to win, especially in Europe, that is unsurpassed anywhere on the continent. 

- Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has struggled for goals since arriving from Real Madrid in the summer, but a brace in Friday night’s 3-2 win against Udinese, indicates he still knows the route to goal.

Weaknesses

- An ageing squad, especially through midfield, that may be susceptible to the pace and power that United possess in this area.

- Both right- and left full-back have been a problem area for AC Milan throughout the course of the season.  In the last match Daniele Bonera returning from long-term injury played on the right side and veteran Giuseppe Favalli occupied the left back area.  Both could be exposed by United over the course of the tie.

- Goalkeeper Dida is good for at least one blunder a match with crosses a particular source of worry to the error-prone custodian. 

Familiar faces

Of course, a look at AC Milan wouldn’t be complete without discussing David Beckham.  The Old Trafford legend is in his second spell at the San Siro on loan from his US club LA Galaxy.  It’s been six-and-a-half years since Beckham left English shores, and this will be his first chance to play against his former employers.  However, he has been far from first choice under Leonardo this season and the arrival of Mancini on loan has seen him demoted to the bench for the right-sided attacking role that he has fulfilled with some aplomb in his two-loan spells in Italy.  Only a man with a heart of stone would begrudge Beckham a chance to return to his old stamping ground, but it could well be that it will be more of a cameo role than one from the outset.

Former Arsenal player Mathieu Flamini looked set for an exit over the winter transfer window, but remains at the club for now.  The Frenchman is yet to fully establish himself in midfield playing nearly as often as sub as from the start.

Beckham isn’t the only player in the squad with US connections’ former Newcastle centre-back Oguchi Onyewu is an international for America despite never having played in the MLS.  The tall defender spent part of the 2006/07 season at St James’ Park, but failed to make a positive impact after committing several costly errors alongside the equally mistake strewn Titus Bramble. 

Have we met before?

AC Milan very much hold the upper-hand historically in matches against United with five wins in eight attempts, and progression to the next stage of the tournament each time they have met.

The last meeting dates back to the semi-final of the Champions League in 2007, in which the Italians triumphed 5-3 on aggregate.  An exciting first leg narrowly went United’s way thanks to goals from Rooney and Ronaldo, but a brace from Kaka kept Milan in the tie.  A heavy 3-0 defeat in the return leg after goals again from Kaka, as well as Seedorf and the now departed Gilardino, settled the tie AC Milan’s way and they went on to claim the victory against Liverpool in the final in Athens.

Two narrow 1-0 wins in the 2004/05 edition of the tournament at the second round stage, thanks to strikes from arch goal-poacher Hernan Crespo took Milan through some five years ago at United’s expense. 

Delving into less recent memory Milan also overcame United in the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1969 taking a 2-1 aggregate victory; after winning the first leg 2-0 in Italy, United could manage only a 1-0 win back in England.  The first ever meeting between the two teams dates back to the semi finals of the 1957-58 competition, as United battled back from the Munich air-disaster. The brave run was ended by AC Milan, who overturned a first leg 2-1 deficit, to run out comfortable 4-0 winners in the return leg and set up a final against the great Real Madrid team of the 1950’s, which they went on to lose 3-2.

Everton take on Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Lisbon in the round of 32 Europa League tie.  www.aboutaball.co.uk gives the lowdown on all you need to know pre-match.

 History

One of the traditional top-three in Portuguese football, the Lisbon-based side can boast 18 Championships, although that is still far less than their two traditional rivals Benfica and FC Porto.  In the glory years for Portuguese club football in the 1960’s, Sporting also added their name to the pantheon of European greats by claiming the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963-64 defeating MTK Budapest.

Despite being less successful than Benfica and FC Porto on the playing field, they are generally credited with having the best youth academy in Portugal and recently brought forth such talents as Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and looking further back the like of Luis Figo.

Recent years have been less kind to Sporting, and their last domestic championship success dates from 2001/02 when they claimed the double.  Nevertheless Sporting have been more successful in Cup competitions in recent times, winning the Portuguese FA Cup in the last two seasons. 

Season so far

Last season, Sporting finished as runners-up to Porto, thus initially qualifying for the Champions League play-offs.  A last-gasp win over FC Twente, put them through to a match against Fiorentina for a place in the lucrative Group stages, but they were heavily beaten by the Italian side and were demoted into the Europa League.

It’s been a turbulent 2009/10 for Sporting so far, with league and European matches bringing very contrasting fortunes for fans of the side known as the Lions or the Green and Whites.  Domestic form has been enormously disappointing continuing a trend that has seen Sporting lose ground to their local rivals.  To further add to their misery the increasing influence of Sporting Braga on the Portuguese league has seen Sporting slip further down the internal pecking order.

This decline is reflected in their position in the table, currently fourth but languishing a full 19 points off leaders Benfica.  Home-form has been the greatest source of disappointment in 2009/10 with just four wins from 10 league matches, and just 11 goals scored. 

Hopes had been high pre-season that Sporting could be in a position to challenge at the sharp end of the table, but a sluggish start to the season saw Paulo Bento, the former manager, resign to be replaced by Carlos Carvalhal.  His arrival at the helm sparked a revival in fortunes, but a recent run of seven winning matches was broken by a 1-0 loss at Sporting Braga in January and has been subsequently compounded by elimination from the League Cup and just one point taken from the last two league games. 

Pre-Christmas, European football brought some relief for the suffering Sporting faithful and they topped Group D, which contained Hertha Berlin, Heerenveen from Holland and Ventspils, the Latvian Champions.  Sporting’s only defeat came on the final match-day of the Group in Germany, when they went down to Hertha Berlin, who have their own peculiar story of poor league form combined with strong European results.

Manager

44-year-old Carlos Carvalhal is a familiar name around the Portuguese scene having spent his entire playing career in the league, before taking up the managerial reigns at his final playing club Espinho.  After stints at various Portuguese sides, he came to national prominence by guiding his former side Vitoria Setubal (a club who know a thing or two about promising managers having had Jose Mourinho for a time as coach) to the inaugural League Cup title.  Carvalhal took up the reigns in November and will be in charge until the end of the season. 

Players to watch

The former Flamengo forward knows the route to the back of the net

The unquestioned danger-man from Everton’s perspective is Brazilian born Portuguese international striker Liedson.  The 32-year-old has been in Portugal for some six seasons and has scored goals in abundance.  However, the six-times capped international divides fans because of his willingness to go to ground under little provocation, and he will need to be carefully handled by the Everton defence.  Nevertheless last season he notched 23 goals in 33 games in all competitions, and already has 15 this season, including three in Europe. 

In the midfield Portuguese international Miguel Veloso has been perennially linked with a move to the Premiership, including at one-time to Everton.  The industrious centre-midfielder is a good user of the ball, and will be looking to try and show watching English managers that at 23 he has matured into the sort of player that could enhance a Premiership team. 

Strengths

- In Liedson they have a potent goal-scorer, who will need to be subdued

- Following their recent run of bad results, the Europa League is their last chance of some silverware, so they will all out to win against Everton

- A number of gifted young players eager to make their mark on the European scene.

Weaknesses

- Terrible recent form is likely to leave them low on confidence, so could collapse if Everton can score the first goal in the tie

- A lack of significant defensive cover in midfield areas could prove significant, as Everton possess excellent attacking options from this part of the pitch

- Lack of mobility in the centre of defence, with especially Anderson Polga susceptible to good movement

Familiar faces

Perhaps the most familiar name to fans of Everton will be Florent Sinama Pongolle, the former Liverpool forward.  The French striker is a recent recruit from Atletico Madrid, and made nearly 75 appearances for the Reds in a four-year spell managing 10 goals.  Two productive seasons in Spain after his departure from Anfield persuaded Atletico to shell out some €11 million for him at the beginning of last season.  However he was far from a qualified success in the Spanish capital, and was snapped up by Sporting this winter after being made available for transfer by a new management team at Atletico. 

There are also two ex-Tottenham players amongst the playing staff at Sporting.  Helder Postiga spent a very unhappy season at White Hart Lane in 2003/04 and is in his second season at the club after arriving from Greek football.  Despite not scoring this season in 27 appearances, he has an uncanny knack of scoring against English sides, and most memorably scored for Portugal against England in Euro 2004.

Meanwhile Pedro Mendes arrived over the winter from Glasgow Rangers, after a time in English football initially with Spurs and later with Portsmouth.  The former international midfielder made his debut in the league defeat to Academica.

Have we met before?

Everton and Sporting have never met, but Sporting have a long history of matches against English opposition, which includes a 6-4 aggregate win over Manchester United, and ties against Southampton, Sunderland, Bolton Wanderers and Cardiff City (albeit representing Wales). 

Their most recent match against a team from the Premiership dates from 2007/08, when they took on Gary Megson’s Bolton in the old UEFA Cup.  After a 1-1 draw in Portugal, Sporting eased through to the quarter-finals to set up a tie against Glasgow Rangers with a 1-0 victory.  The match is best remembered for Bolton’s desperate attempts to play themselves out of the competition by fielding more or less a reserve side against both Sporting, and in the previous round against Atletico Madrid, as they sought to preserve their Premiership status.

Roberto Mancini elected to start his two new acquisitions in the transfer window in the Premiership victory against Bolton Wanderers.  www.aboutaball.co.uk reviews how Adam Johnson and Patrick Vieira got on.

 After a month of frenzied transfer speculation surrounding Manchester City, the arrivals lounge at Eastlands was actually rather under-populated with just the two new names: Patrick Vieira and Adam Johnson, one a midfielder approaching the veteran stage of his career and the other something of a rookie from the Championship. 

 Both made their debut as substitutes at Hull City at the weekend, and both started against Bolton Wanderers.  Furthermore both introduced themselves to the City fans with a significant part in the two goals that their side scored.  However, their overall impact differed significantly.

A changed Vieira?

The decision to start the former Arsenal midfielder alongside Nigel de Jong at the heart of the City midfield prompted the question whether both were required in the starting XI of a game deemed an easy home win.  Many felt that Vieira’s presence in the midfield (in contrast to Ireland, de Jong and Barry against Hull) put too much emphasis on defending rather than going forward. 

However, noticeably Vieira spent much of his time the other side of the half-way line, leaving de Jong with the majority of the covering duties.  Whilst many City fans will recall the Patrick Vieira of Arsenal with part grimace and part grudging respect as something of a midfield enforcer, he returns to the Premiership after a spell in Italy a slightly changed character in terms of his role on a football pitch.

His evolution started under Roberto Mancini at Inter, who often played him in a similar three-man midfield setup alongside the Argentine pair of Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti. Both are more comfortable on the back-foot, so much of the responsibility to get Inter moving forward from midfield fell to Vieira.  This subtle shift in emphasis in his game was quite evident against Bolton, as the Frenchman’s forward passes were of a significantly higher standard than his defensive contributions.

His through pass for the second goal was quite magnificent: the perfect amount of back spin applied for the ball to hold up and fall neatly into the path of Adebayor to smash home.  The finish caught much of the media attention, but the pass through from Vieira went rather unheralded, which was a pity because it was a fine ball.

The rest of Vieira’s passing was somewhat understated and not overly ambitious, but tidy enough.  Nevertheless his defensive contribution was a little lacklustre.  He was caught in possession a couple of times during the game, on one occasion in the first half hesitating on the ball outside his own area seemingly uncertain what to do with the ball.  His tackling and closing down will also need to be improved – Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba unleashed a long-range effort from outside of the box at one point, and he really should have been picked up quicker by Vieira and closed down.

After playing the full ninety minutes, something he hasn’t done too much of in recent months at the San Siro, Vieira looked increasingly tired as the game progressed, but at 33 should still be more than able to complete games for City once his full match fitness comes to the fore. 

On the evidence of the performance against Bolton, it looks like he may also have a slightly more attacking role at Manchester City, and if he produces quality through balls like the one for Adebayor on a regular basis, he’ll quickly have Arsenal fans wondering if Sol Campbell wasn’t the only ex-Gooner their side should have picked up in January.

A bit of a wide boy

Whilst Patrick Vieira’s home debut was a bit of a mixed bag, Adam Johnson’s was eye-catching to say the least.  The former Middlesbrough player looks like he might have been a bit of a bargain at £6 million on the basis of the game against Bolton. 

The one time England U-21 international looked a constant menace on either flank and won the penalty from the right side after driving into the Bolton penalty area before being tripped by Paul Robinson.  Interestingly for a wide-man Johnson was equally happy to cut in to the centre of the pitch as try his luck by going down the line, leaving both Bolton full-backs uncertain as to his intentions.

Used as part of a three-man attacking line, Johnson was free to concentrate on influencing the game in the final third, and was at the heart of everything City did positively in the first half.  Employing players with natural width was never part of Mancini’s game at Inter Milan, the Italian preferring a narrow formation that used someone like Dejan Stankovic as a play-maker in the traditional tre-quartista role, what we would refer to as the hole. 

The acquisition of Johnson to come in alongside the existing options of Petrov and Wright-Philips, suggests that Mancini may be prepared to eschew that for an approach based on flank play.  There is going to be plenty of competition of places on the flanks with Johnson’s arrival.  After Shaun Wright-Philips’ rather wild contribution as a second half substitute, it looks like Johnson may be the natural choice to partner Adebayor and Tevez up front, at least for the time being. 

Indeed such was his impact if he can maintain it, then he may be an outside contender for a place at South Africa in Fabio Capello’s England squad.  Quite a change over the course of a season for a player who spent the first month of 2009/10 playing Scunthorpe United and Doncaster Rovers!

Both Vieira and Johnson look like they may have a role to play for City as they look to try and muscle their way into fourth place, or better, for Champions League football next season.  With critical fixtures coming up against both Liverpool and Tottenham in the next five games, not to mention a clash against Chelsea and an FA Cup match against Stoke for a place in the quarter-finals, there will be no shortage of incentive for City to do well.  Adam Johnson in particular could have a key role to play as the final and decisive stages of the season are entered into.