Bleacher Report - Articles by Ronaldo Assis de Moreira

World Cup Qualifying: Good Weekend, Bad Weekend

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:11:33 -0400

Forget the issues of diving and poaching young players, all summer long we were told how La Liga was better than the Premier League. Yet, judging by this weekend’s action, England’s top division is where most of the top goal scorers in world football reside.

Leaving out the home countries, the Premier League was represented by Nicklas Bendtner, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Dimitar Berbatov, Didier Drogba, Tuncay, Stefan Maierhofer, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Giovani Dos Santos, Robin van Persie, Adel Taarabt and Michael Essien—who are all major players for their countries.

Good Weekend

Dunga & Brazil

Brazil’s 1994 World Cup winning captain has built a team in his “water carrying” image that looks at this early stage to be one of the favourites to lift the trophy again in South Africa.

Much like the vintage of USA 94, the current Brazil side is excellent in defence and Argentina will not be the last side ruing their lack of punch against the world class backline of the Samba Boys.

Dunga’s appointment was not welcomed by everyone in Brazil but after Argentina’s second World Cup qualifying defeat on home soil, O Globo was quick to claim: “It doesn’t get any better than this.” For once Brazil have a world-class keeper in Julio Cesar and a collection of defenders that are the envy of many other international teams.

(Brazil are 5/1 second favourites to win the 2010 World Cup.)

Argentina hoped to break down Dunga’s side but were unable to settle due to the brilliance of Kaka who was the best player on the pitch. Ably supported by Robinho and the clinical Luis Fabiano, Rosario was silenced and qualification secured to South Africa.

It will take a coach of real genius, perhaps Guus Hiddink or Vicente del Bosque, to work out a system that can breach the Brazil defence and hold out on the break against Kaka, Robinho and Luis Fabiano.

Despite the class shown by Brazil in Rosario, it might be worth backing Chile (7/1), who can qualify for the World Cup on Wednesday. Dunga is without his front three of Robinho (thigh injury), Kaka and Luis Fabiano as well as Lucio and Ramires.

Jermain Defoe

Defoe’s incredible start to the campaign continued at Wembley, claiming his seventh goal of the season in six games for Spurs and England.

At 26 it feels like the former West Ham striker is finally hitting his potential and he must feel that he will score every time he steps on the pitch.

(Defoe is currently 13/2 to finish as the Premier League’s top goalscorer.)

England were sluggish at times during the friendly win over Slovenia. There will surely be those who trumpet Fabio Capello’s Three Lions once qualification is secured with a win over Croatia on Wednesday night. However, the nagging suspicion remains that England are not quite technically good enough to win the 2010 World Cup and don’t have the necessary nous when it comes to the key moments in the latter rounds.

Don Fabio also has a few dilemmas, does the Italian stick with Glen Johnson who continues to defend poorly and surely he must start with Defoe even though Rooney would seemingly prefer anyone else.

Scotland

Finally George Burley’s side produced a second-half performance worthy of their fans. Scott Brown added to his burgeoning reputation with a fine headed first and had the Macedonia defence not been so limp in stopping James McFadden, comparisons with Maradona’s goal in 1986 would be common place.

Scotland were fortunate that Holland have stormed away with the group to leave the rest of the teams fighting over second place like bald men over a comb. With Norway likely to beat Macedonia on Wednesday night, it is imperative that the Scots secure at least a point against the Oranje.

Although the home side will be without James McFadden, they should be buoyed by the fact their opponents will already be thinking about their club commitments on the weekend.

Burley will no doubt be aware that Eljero Elia is a man in form and is swiftly becoming as important as Arjen Robben for the Dutch. But, Holland’s defence is by no means water tight and against opponents who may not be 100% up for it, this could make or break Scotland’s play-off chances.

(Scotland are 15/8 to beat Holland.)

Republic of Ireland

World Cup qualifying ensures there a few dates to mark in the diary. Italy’s visit to the Republic of Ireland on October 10, on the same night as Russia-Germany, will be make or break for Giovanni Trappatoni and his side.

The 5-2 defeat to Cyprus in 2006 had left many scars on the Irish and this result keeps the dream alive. As Trapp said after the victory on the clash with Italy: “It is David versus Goliath but in 90 minutes of football anything can happen.”

Before then, Bulgaria face Italy in Turin in Wednesday which could see Dimitar Berbatov and co pushed out of play-off contention or the group blown wide open.

Northern Ireland

It isn’t always the victories that secure qualification for big tournaments and Nigel Worthington’s sides 1-1 draw in Poland was a major result in terms of the overall standing in Group 3. Having gained just three wins in their last 32 away matches, Northern Ireland are unlikely to win many away from Windsor Park and now have to go all out for a home win over Slovakia.

Spain

Another master class from the European champions who hit five against a capable Belgium side that have been one of the biggest disappointments of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

(Spain are 9/2 favourites to win the 2010 World Cup.)

Switzerland
Not much attention has been paid to European qualifying Group 2, but it looks like Switzerland will edge out a bunch of other average teams (Greece, Latvia, Israel) to reach South Africa.

Egypt

The Pharoahs gained a scrappy 1-0 win over Rwanda on a dire pitch that leaves their World Cup hopes alive.

Ivory Coast

A 5-0 win over Burkina Faso continues to prove the quality possessed by the Ivory Coast. Ghana may have been the first African team to qualify for the World Cup but “The Elephants” look a good bet to win the competition next July.

(At 33/1, Ivory Coast are the favourite African team to win the 2010 World Cup.)

Ghana
As mentioned above, the first African team to qualify for the World Cup and if goalscorers Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien can stay fit they will have a chance in South Africa.

Giovani Dos Santos & Adel Taarabt

Most Spurs fans were delighted with the capture of Niko Kranjcar for a scandalously low fee of around two million pounds. In truth though Harry Redknapp may already have had the players at White Hart Lane to cover for the injured Luka Modric.

Taarabt will no doubt continue to showcase his party pieces at Loftus Road, his goal against Togo, the last move of the match was of real quality. Dos Santos not only scored one, but set up two and is now a major figure for Javier Aguirre and Mexico’s hopes of turning round their poor start to World Cup qualifying.

Nicklas Bendtner

After scoring a classic target strikers goal against Portugal, the Dane urged Arsene Wenger to pick him in a central role for Arsenal. Whilst The Professor’s new 4-3-3 formation appears to be working just fine so far, it is a little strange that Bendtner has been started on the right and Robin van Persie in the middle. Especially as RVP plays on the right in exactly the same formation for the Dutch.

Bad Weekend

Maradona

To blame Maradona for all of Argentina’s woes seems a little unfair, but he is the public face of the current side and defeat is almost always pinned on the coach no matter which team is defeated in world football.

The bottom line is that Argentina have incredible attacking talent (e.g. Juan Roman Riquleme and Gonzalo Higuain were not in the squad for differing reasons) but the defensive options available to the 1986 World Cup winning captain are pretty woeful. Not only have they had Maradona stumped but also contributed to the departure of his predecessor Alfio Basile.

How Gabriel Heinze still gets picked is a mystery to almost everyone who has seen him play over recent years whilst the central defensive pairing of Nicolas Ortamendi and Seba Dominguez is simply too inexperienced to deal with world class strikers.

Backed up by a goalkeeper who has just four international caps and it is easy to see why Maradona has an almost impossible job to build from the back.

Argentina as a team struggled defensively, the marking for Luisao’s opening goal was embarrassing and only accentuated after the game when Maradona confirmed that they had practiced defending set-pieces.

Great players rarely make great coaches, Franz Beckenbauer being one notable exception at international level. Maradona’s reputation could be forever be tarnished if Argentina fail to qualify for South Africa.

The three remaining games against Paraguay (a), Peru (h) and Uruguay (a) are humongous games and the whole world will be watching.

(Argentina are 13/2 favourites to win the 2010 World Cup.)

Raymond Domenech

Seriously, how is Domenech still manager of France?

France’s 1-1 draw with Romania has left Serbia in pole position in Group Seven and Wednesday’s match in Red Star’s Marakana Stadium will see the home side qualify for South Africa if they secure victory against Les Bleus.

Even a draw should be enough for Serbia to hold a significant advantage as they are four points ahead going into the crucial encounter.

Domenech should have been sacked after the feeble exit from Euro 2008. It seems abundantly clear that their performance at the World Cup was down to the genius of Zinedine Zidane and the emergence of Franck Ribery, since then the French coach has consistently failed to gel some world class players into a side that looks good enough to dominate even the average teams in world football.

Predictably, after France were booed off the pitch on Saturday, Domenech slammed the fans for being “dishonest and rude” and stood firm, saying “It’s not my style to let go.” It just goes to show that every country has their own Steve McClaren.

Carlos Queiroz

The late equaliser from Liedson saved Queiroz and Portugal from almost certain elimination from World Cup qualification. There is now a very real chance that the two best players in the world, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, will not feature in South Africa.

It has been said before, but Portugal must start winning, starting with the game in Hungary on Wednesday.

Kakha Kaladze

You have to feel for a player that scores two own goals in any game, for Kaladze to claim a brace against the team where he plays his club football only adds salt into the wounds. There has always been something quite tragic about the AC Milan defender following the kidnapping of his brother in 2001.

His two own goals were spectacularly unlucky with both flicking off his head and foot as he went to make defensive clearances. TV commentators on Georgian channel Rustavi Ori summed up the feeling towards the defender in his home country: “[Kaladze] gave back to Georgia what Georgia took away from him.”

Video evidence: Goran Pandev (West Ham)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:56:14 -0400

Sky Sports reports that West Ham have agreed a fee with Lazio for their Macedonian striker Goran Pandev. It has been an open secret this summer that Gianfranco Zola has been desperately seeking to strengthen his forward line.

With the News of the World alleging last weekend that Dean Ashton may have to retire from the game due to a degenerative ankle condition, adding a striker to the Hammers’ squad has become of even greater importance.

Pandev began his career at FK Belasica where he only spent a solitary season in the first team. His prodigious talent became well known throughout Europe leading to Inter Milan signing the youngster.

As with many promising youngsters at big clubs in Italy, the Macedonian was loaned out to C1 side Spezia to gain experience. The following season, he was again sent on loan, this time to newly promoted Serie A side Ancona.

In 2004, Pandev arrived in Rome as part of a swap deal which took Lazio’s Serbian star Dejan Stanković to Inter. Pandev impressed in his first year at Lazio, making 29 appearances and netting 3 goals. One of which included an unforgettable strike against Juventus where he beat Fabio Cannavaro, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta, before beating Gianluigi Buffon with an angled shot.

The striker’s star ascended even higher with Delio Rossi’s appointment as manager. He partnered the youngster with Tommaso Rocchi upfront and the two formed a great understanding. He caused some of Europe’s biggest teams to sit up and take note when he twice equalised against Real Madrid in the Champions League preliminary stages in 2007-2008.

Pandev’s form meant that he has been continually linked with a move away from the Biancocelesti. However, he has always insisted that he would stay with the club until 2010 when his contract expires. In all, he has scored 48 goals in 149 games, an excellent return for a striker in Serie A.

Pandev possesses excellent pace and acceleration which is also coupled with great physical strength. This enables him to play of the shoulder of the last defender, accelerate onto through-balls, hold the defender off and beat the goalkeeper.

He is left footed and hardly uses ever uses his right, meaning that sometimes he losses the opportunity of a strike on goal.

He possesses a striker’s knack of being in the right place at the right time, making him dangerous in the box and he feasts on loose balls. However, despite standing at 6ft, he is weak in the air, something which he will have to improve if he is to be successful in the Premier League.

Only a season ago Pandev’s asking price was bracketed around the £15 million mark. However, the Macadonian is refusing to sign a contract extension, resulting in Lazio forcing him to train on his own. Pandev has retaliated by threatening legal action.

This unfortunate situation has lead to West Ham purchasing an exciting player for a bargain basement fee combined with a 20% sell on clause. With Carlton Cole beginning to fulfil his promise (back-passes aside) West Ham could have a threatening strike force which can capitalise on their exciting attacks that often do not get the finish that the move deserves.

All that remains is for personal terms to be agreed and for him to pass a medical. Until both these hurdles have been surmounted, Hammers fans should be wary of a bigger club hijacking their bid.

Video evidence of Goran Pandev can be seen here.

Top 11 Goals of the Week

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:57:13 -0400

There were several candidates who stuck their head above the parapet to try and scoop the award for schmuck of the week in the past seven days.

You’d think the being a professional football, scoring from the spot would be a doddle. Yet in the past week several spot-kicks failed to be converted. Rather than blaming the Central Coast Mariners’ Adam Kwasnik for his last minute penalty miss against Sydney FC, we should really be focusing on Clint Bolton’s brilliant one-handed save to earn his team a point. Unfortunately, no such sympathy can be afforded to Michael Carrick and Louis Saha who both blew it big-time from 12 yards out.

Crap goalkeepers have also been out and about. Zenit St. Petersburg keeper Kamil Contofalsky helped tee-up Lokomotiv forward Wagner’s path by paddling a cross into the forward’s path on Sunday. While over in Japan, Gamba Osaka’s number one, Naoki Matsuyo (2.50 minutes in), made a horrific injury-time error of judgment to gift-wrap Nagoya a win as the keeper came, flapped and horribly missed a last-gasp free-kick.

Yet the ultimate plonker award goes to Seattle Sounders forward Steve Zakuani, for his harder-to-miss-than-score effort against Houston Dynamo at the weekend.

(Cheers to The Offside for flagging this up.)

Onto the list, where we have a brilliant selection of goals from the last week of worldwide football.

The unstoppable howtizers are represented by goals 3, 4, 5 and 7, while slightly more cultured efforts from distance can be found at positions 2, 8 and 11.

Goal 10 shows how a textbook header is converted, while an unlikley shoatboat is stationed at number 6.

That leaves two superb solo efforts in the form of goals 1 and 9.

As always, all we ask is that you sit back and enjoy!

1. Alexander Hleb (FC Timisoara v Stuttgart, Aug. 18, 2009)

2. Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon v Fiorentina, Aug. 19, 2009)

3. Roman Bodnar (Levski Sofia v Debrecen, Aug. 19, 2009)

4. Michel Bastos (Lyon v Anderlecht, Aug. 19, 2009)

5. Jack Rodwell (Everton v Sigma Olomouc, Aug. 20, 2009)

6. Jean Alain Boumsong (Auxerre v Lyon, Aug. 22, 2009)

7. Elano (Galatasaray v Kayserispor, Aug. 23, 2009)

8. Jonathan de Guzman (Feyenoord v Roda, Aug. 23, 2009) (his first goal was almost a carbon copy)

9. Eduardo (Grenoble v Lens, Aug. 23, 2009) (pictured)

10. Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus v Chievo, Aug. 23, 2009)

11. Carlton Cole (West Ham v Tottenham, Aug. 23, 2009)

Bundesliga: Hamburg Crash Four Past Wolfsburg; Winless Hertha Fall at Bochum

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 04:41:58 -0400

Wolfsburg 2 - Hamburg 4 (Bundesliga, August 23, 2009) Hamburg stormed into a third minute lead at Wolfsburg as Guerrero’s shot rebounded off the post, onto the head on Wolves’ keeper Benaglio, and into the net. After seven minutes it was 2-0 to the visitors as Eljero Elia managed to barge his way through the backline to net number two. Wolfsburg rallied after the break, Zvjezdan Misimovic and Obafemi Martins brought the hosts back level, but a 75th minute goal from Mladen Petric and a last-gasp fourth from Romeo Castelen sent the points back with Hamburg.

Bochum 1 - Hertha Berlin 0 (Bundesliga, August 23, 2009) Bochum took the lead against Hertha early in the second half when Antar Yahia scored from a set-play.

Betting Match Preview: Liverpool v. Aston Villa (Premier League)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:32:29 -0400

Liverpool v Aston Villa, Premier League, August 24, 2009

Liverpool 4/9; Draw 14/5; Aston Villa 8/1

Despite their 4-nil midweek thrashing of Stoke, Liverpool still have the whiff of a club who remain off the pace, particularly having regards to the departure of Xabi Alonso and a clutch of injuries that has left the squad looking bare.

Much of the crisis talk on the red half of Merseyside has centred on Liverpool’s defensive problems. With Sami Hyypia no longer at the club, injuries to Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger have left Rafa Benitez short at the back, with the Spaniard moving quickly to plug the defensive holes with the purchase of Greek bad-boy Sotirios Kyrgiakos. Kyrgiakos or Daniel Ayala will likely partner Jamie Carragher at the heart of Liverpool’s defence against the Villains. (Liverpool are 8/13 to keep a clean sheet.)

Further up the field there are more promising omens for Liverpool. Captain Steven Gerrard (6/5 to score) will be relishing the visit of the Midlanders having scored more Premier League goals against Aston Villa (nine) than he has against any other team in the league. With Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun (11/4 to score) all set to patrol the wide attacks areas for Liverpool, Stevie G will be free to dovetail with Fernando Torres (7/2 to score first) through the middle - a mouthwatering prospect for Reds’ fans knowing that Liverpool’s two main men chalked up twelve wins and two draws from the fourteen games they played together last season.

Having impressed during pre-season, Lucas Leiva will once again try and prove he can cut in at the top level in midfielder alongside Javier Mascherano, while Glen Johnson, who has looked a constant menace down the Liverpool right since joining from Portsmouth, will again look to bomb on down the right while hoping his defensive responsibilities are kept to a minimum.

Matters are far bleaker when assessing Aston Villa’s pre-match hopes.

Even if Martin O’Neill’s charges had begun the season on the front-foot, travelling to Anfield would always look daunting as Villa have failed to win any of their last 15 league meetings with Liverpool. Stacking losses to Wigan and Rapid Vienna on top of that, together with Curtis Davies’ injury which means the defender will likely miss the contest, and a Villa away win looks all the more impossible.

With rumours going round that John Carew (10/3 to score) has fallen out with the Villa management, the job of leading the line will fall on the shoulder of Gabi Agbonlahor (7/2 to score) and Emile Heskey (7/2 to score), who should in turn be supported by Ashley Young and James Milner breaking from midfield.

The absence of Gareth Barry remains blatantly obvious when assessing Villa’s central midfield positions. Stilliyan Petrov and new-signing Fabian Delph underwhelmed against the Latics and were punished by starting the match with Rapid on the bench. Other options include Nigel Reo-Coker, Steve Sidwell and Craig Gardner—none of whom are stars who seem capable of dominating the match in front of the Kop.

Liverpool won this fixture 5-nil (33/1) at the fag end of last season, Gerrard chalking up a hat-trick, and if Villa aren’t careful another battering could await them under the lights on Monday night.

101predicts: Liverpool 3 - Aston Villa 0 (17/2)

Liverpool 4/9; Draw 14/5; Aston Villa 8/1

Full match odds here.

Individual Match Highlights: Cristiano Ronaldo v. Borussia Dortmund

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:47:52 -0400

On Wednesday night Real Madrid ran out comfortable 5-0 winners at Borussia Dortmund as once again Los Blancos rolled out their galaxy of stars as the pre-season slowly draws to its conclusion.

All eyes were again fixed on CR9, the world’s most expensive footballer.

Consistent with the previous pre-season friendlies, Ronaldo appeared to have been given the duty of patrolling the left hand side of the pitch. However the role was hugely flexible, with the Portuguese livewire given offensive license to drift infield and roam more generally around the pitch in order to influence the play.

Although not one of his finest performances, Ronaldo showed a series of fancy flicks and cute touches, particularly in the opening forty-five. On a couple of occasions Ronaldo had the opportunity to test himself from direct free-kicks but, although able to hit the target, the efforts never really looked like going in.

Highlights of Cristiano Ronaldo performance against Borussia Dortmund can be seen here.

Goals on Saturday

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:20:06 -0400

Central Coast Mariners 0 - Sydney FC 0 (A-League, August 22, 2009) The home side, largely outplayed for much of the match, were awarded a penalty after John Hutchinson was brought down in the area in the last minute of regulation time. But Clint Bolton was spot on, diving to his right to deny Adam Kwasnik’s spot kick.

North Queensland Fury 0 - Melbourne Victory 1 (A-League, August 22, 2009) More misery for the Fury as Robbie Fowler’s new franchise slipped to their third consequetive defeat, Archie Thompson given far too much space to fire the Victory ahead on the stroke of halftime.

Betting Match Preview: Fulham v. Chelsea (Premier League)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 06:16:25 -0400

Fulham v Chelsea, Premier League, August 23, 2009

Fulham 11/2; Draw 13/5; Chelsea 4/7

The West London derby completes Sunday’s Premier League action, with Fulham looking to get one over on pace-setters Chelsea who are two from two at this early stage of the season.

Although 100 percenters, the Blues have not managed to win easily so far this season. (Chelsea are 8/11 to keep a clean sheet.) Victories in the Community Shield, at home to Hull, and then away at Sunderland have all had one thing in common - on each occasion the Pensioners have had to come from behind after conceding the first goal of the game.

The Cottagers’ scoring prowess, which has seen them chalk up 10 goals in their opening four games of the new year, took a hit this week though as record signing Andrew Johnson injured his shoulder in the Europa League qualifier with Amkar Perm. Johnson is expected to be out of action for several weeks, which should leave Diomansy Kamara (7/2 to score) and Bobby Zamora (7/2 to score) to lead the line for the hosts.

On the plus side, Roy Hogson will hope to welcome back long term injury victim Simon Davies in midfield, while new signings Damien Duff (6/1 to score) and Jonathan Greening could well be unveiled after moving to London this week from Newcastle and West Brom, respectively. With Clint Dempsey (12/1 to score first), Danny Murphy and Zoltan Gera all alternative options in the middle of the park, Fulham look to have several creative options which can cause Chelsea problems.

Elsewhere, Hodgson will have some touch-and-go decisions with Dickson Etuhu and Erik Nevland looking to get the nod for inclusion in the matchday squad.

Chelsea arrive at their nearest top-flight neighbours will a slew of injury concerns of their own. New signing Yuri Zhirkov is sidelined with a knee injury while Juliano Belletti (Achilles) and defender Alex (groin) are also set to miss out for Carlo Ancelotti’s men. Also missing will be Joe Cole (knee) and Paulo Ferreira (knee) who are both set to return to training next week.

As standard Didier Drogba (4/1 to score first) and Nicolas Anelka (9/2 to score first) will lead the line for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, while all eyes will continue to assess to so-called “diamond formation” which the Italian has introduced since arriving from AC Milan in the summer.

So far Ancelotti, who has recently been labelled the new Tinkerman, has erratically been chopping and changing his midfield line-up, making predicting the midfield-four a slightly more difficult task than usual. According to those in the know, after impressing at the Stadium of Light, Deco (5/1 to score) will be positioned at the top of the diamond. As a result, Frank Lampard (6/4 to score), who has been ineffective in “the hole” so far this season, is set to drop back a little further in midfield as he is more accustomed to do.

History is heavily in Chelsea’s favour, Fulham having won just one of their 16 previous Premier League meetings with their local rivals. Yet, after finishing seventh last season Fulham are no easy pushovers, and arguably a draw is the most likely result.

101predicts: Fulham 1 - Chelsea 1 (11/2)

Fulham 11/2; Draw 13/5; Chelsea 4/7

Full match odds here.

Copa Sudamericana: Velez Hold Boca; Cienciano Prove Too Strong for Liverpool

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:52:57 -0400

Boca Juniors 1 - Velez Sarsfield 1 (Copa Sudamericana, August 20, 2009) Pablo Mouche opened the scoring for Boca at the Bombonera stadium, rolling a left-footed shot past Velez goalkeeper German Montoya in the 4th minute. Velez roared back after the break and leveled when Zapata’s close-range strike cannoned into the net off Gabriel Paletta.

La Paz 1 - Cerro Porteno 2 (Agg. 1-4) (Copa Sudamericana, August 20, 2009) An early goal by Argentinian striker Roberto Nani gave the Paraguayans the lead and Julio dos Santos widened the gap to put Cerro four goals ahead on aggregate, before Ronald Segovia hit a consolation for the Bolivians early in the second half.

Cienciano 2 - Liverpool FC 0 (Agg. 2-0) (Copa Sudamericana, August 20, 2009) Cristian Guevara in the first half and an own goal by Carlos Santucho gave the Peruvians the qualification.

Betting Match Preview: Wigan v. Manchester United (Premier League)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:50:01 -0400

Wigan v Manchester United, Premier League, August 22, 2009

Wigan 11/2; Draw 13/5; Manchester United 4/9

Both teams come into this match off the back of an opening day win followed by a surprise defeat in their second Premier League match of the 2009-10 campaign.

All eyes will be on Manchester United following their shock defeat at Turf Moor on Wednesday night. After winning three Premier League titles in succession, the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez coupled with two largely unconvincing displays to start off the league season mean the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are smelling blood.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s sides have been written off before but a poor start to the new season could leave them playing catch up and a poor result at the DW Stadium could see Manchester United’s manager called upon to splash the cash.

After impressing in pre-season, Michael Owen (6/5 to score) has struggled once the season got going, missing a golden opportunity late on against Birmingham and then producing a weak performance at Turf Moor. The trouble for United is that Dimitar Berbatov (9/2 to score first) continues to look lackadaisical and despite claims that this would be his season, the taunts of Dimitar Veron could well be back in vogue.

As a result, much depends on Wayne Rooney (4/1 to score first) who in just two games of the Premier League season has shown his Jekyll and Hyde nature. The England striker scored the winner against Birmingham and although he was one of United’s better performers at Burnley, Rooney could well have been sent off late on for one of his trademark reckless challenges when the going gets tough.

Questions also have to be asked as to how Michael Carrick became United’s main penalty taker. It is always easy to question such decisions with 20/20 vision, but surely Rooney, Ryan Giggs or Anderson may have been a better bet?

Following the shock defeat at Burnley, Wigan will no doubt fancy their chances but it has also been a mixed start for Roberto Martinez and his side. A fine win at Aston Villa, which included a goal of the season contender from Hugo Rodallega (10/3 to score), looked to have been a fine platform for the season ahead, but a home defeat to Wolves has set back the Latics somewhat.

Wigan failed to show the energy against Mick McCarthy’s side that they had displayed at Villa Park and Martinez will be hoping for more from his attacking players. The Latics will get the ball down and with the likes of N’Zgobia and Jordi Gomez (11/2 to score), a United defence lacking Van der Sar, Ferdinand and Vidic will be tested.

Although the pundits will be talking up Wigan’s chances in the lead-up to this game and the home side have never beaten Manchester United since returning to the Premier League in 2005/2006.

Late on last season, United came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 at the-then JJB. Carlos Tevez was widely credited with changing the game after coming on as a substitute and another defeat here will see many question why Ferguson let the Argentine battler and a certain Portuguese winger leave Old Trafford.

101gg predicts: Wigan 2 – Manchester United 2 (14/1)

Wigan 11/2; Draw 13/5; Manchester United 4/9

Full match odds here.

Video Evidence: Balazs Dzsudzsak (Arsenal)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:37:43 -0400

PSV Eindhoven winger Balazs Dzsudzsak claims that Arsenal have made a formal offer for his services, belying claims that Arsene Wenger is waiting until Champions League qualification is ensured to spend some of the sterling he received from Manchester City.

With Nasri, Walcott, Arshavin, Rosicky, Eboue and Wilshere all able to play in wide midfield positions, Arsenal fans may rightly question why the Professor is seeking another midfielder.

The 22-year-old began his career with Debreceni VSC in the Hungarian First Division in 2005. He quickly caught the eye of many Western European clubs who had begun to trawl through Eastern Europe for untapped talent. After scoring 17 goals in 63 appearances, PSV wrapped up his signature and brought Hungary’s top prospect to the Eredivisie.

In the two seasons that Dzsudzsak has been at the Dutch club he has played 52 games and netted on 17 occasions. The Hungarian has become a regular on the left hand-side of PSV’s midfield, forging a reputation based on his pace, ability to beat his full-back together with the crucial ingredient of being a to deliver a telling cross.

The winger, a natural left-footer, offers any team width and a natural balance. Dzsudzsak is also a dead-ball specialist, so expect to see some competition between him and Robin van Persie if he does in fact sign for the Gunners. Another welcome piece of information for Gooners is that he is not scared to shoot when he has a chance to score, a welcomed fact as Arsenal are often accused of wanting to walk the ball into the net.

Wenger has also pursued a policy of banging square pegs in round holes, as he has converted players such as Wiltord, Walcott and Arshavin into midfielders. Not since Reyes has the manager bought a player who could beat opponents with skill and trickery.

Speaking to Hungarian website sporthirado.hu, Dzsudzsak revealed “I have just received the news that Arsenal has formally made an approach for me!” He added “Of course, I do not want to get ahead of myself… but if such a club is interested in you, there is nothing wrong with being proud of such a thing.”

This follows the modern footballers well trodden path of saying he wants to leave his present club. He doesn’t tell his manager or chairman that he wants to move but he lets everyone know how “honoured” and “proud” he is of his connection with a bigger club.

Dzsudzsak‘s agent has played down this rumor, but this is probably just a negotiating ploy. We all know Wenger’s love for a youngster and why would a player come out and say that an offer has been made if it is blatantly untrue and ruin his relationship with his present club.

Wenger, as all too many Arsenal fans know .is miserly when it comes to transfer fees and if this deal breaks down it will be because Arsenal refuse to meet PSV’s valuation of the winger.

Video evidence of Balazs Dzsudzsak can be seen here, while individual match highlights of Dzsudzsak’s most recent shift in PSV’s 4-3 defeat of Ajax can be seen here.

VIDEO: Manchester City upset Zlatan's Barca debut; Real smack Borussia for five

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:46:22 -0400

Barcelona 0 - Manchester City 1 (Friendly, August 19, 2009) Manchester City stunned the Nou Camp on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s debut. Martin Petrov scored the only goal of the game finishing a finely worked breakaway move.

Borussia Dortmund 0 - Real Madrid 5 (Friendly, August 19, 2009) (Longer highlights here.) Los Blancos needed just two minutes to score in Germany, new signing Esteban Granero scoring with a cool finish after Real passed their way through the Dortmund defence. Seconds into the second half, Arjen Robben cracked home a second following a Kaka corner. Real killed the game when Gonzalo Higuian tucked home the third and Kaka quickly slotted home from the spot minutes later. Raul slotted home a fifth at the death.

***

Aalborg 1 - FC Nordsjaelland 0 (SAS Ligaen, August 19, 2009) A late winner from Andreas Johansson gave Aalborg the points.

Tackle of the Week: Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal) v. Celtic (video)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:23:48 -0400

Having arrived in England under fire for being too short, Arsenal’s new centre-half Thomas Vermaelen has so far dispelled the pre-season doubters with a couple of fine performances against Everton and Celtic in the opening games of the season.

Against the Bhoys there was one specific moment during the first half when Vermaelen really earned his plaudits. The Belgian found himself in the Celtic box as the Londoners had a free-kick in a dangerous position. However the dead ball ran loose, and Celtic sprung into a counter-attack with Vermaelen stranded at the wrong end of the pitch.

Then, like a steam-train, Vermaelen sprinted the full length of the pitch to quickly return to his defensive duties, ending with a last-ditch tackle to deny Scott Brown a goal-scoring opportunity.

Thomas Vermaelen’s brilliant tackle can be seen here.

Betting Match Preview: Hoffenheim v Schalke (Bundesliga)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:03:52 -0400

Hoffenheim v Schalke, Bundesliga, August 21, 2009

Hoffenheim 13/10; Draw 11/5; Schalke 13/8

If Schalke beat Hoffenheim on Friday night in the Bundesliga then the Royal Blues will have already opened up a seven-point lead on German powerhouse Bayern Munich by the time Louis van Gaal’s team next step onto the field. That, however, may be easier said than done.

For the first half of the 2008/09 seaso,n the major story dominating German football was the incredible and unpredictable rise of the Village Team. At the winter break, the then newly-promoted Hoffenheim - a team with no history in German football whatsoever - were sitting top of the Bundesliga. But, after some awful luck during the Christmas break including a season-ending injury to Vedad Ibisevic (11/2 to score first), manager Ralf Rangnick was helpless as his team slid down the table and eventually even out of a European-placed finish.

The summer brought major changes at the Rhein-Neckar Arena, particularly at the back.

Hoffenheim strengthened by snatching Karlsruhe’s highly-rated left-back Christian Eichner to mirror the hugely promising talent of Andreas Beck (12/1 to score) in the right-back position, together with signing vastly experienced Croatian centre-half Josep Simunic from Hertha. And it wasn’t so long ago that Timo Hildebrand joined to take up the post between the sticks. (Hoffenheim are 7/4 to keep a clean sheet.)

Further forward, the same names that stole the headlines last season remain available in the attack. Ibisevic, who netted 18 goals in 17 games before his injury last season, leads the line once more, supported by Demba Ba (2/1 to score), Chinedu Obasi (15/8 to score) and Wellington. Slightly further back in midfield Carlos Eduardo offers a constant outlet ball with his pace down the flanks, while Sejad Salihovic (4/1 to score) is responsible for pulling the strings in the middle of the park.

Yet, with all that said Hoffenheim have begun the new season on the back foot. After coming from behind to draw with Bayern Munich in their opening match of the season, the Village Team then lost 1-nil away at Bayer Leverkusen last weekend. Against Schalke, thus, the hosts will be looking to chalk up their first win of the season.

Winning has been no problem for Schalke this season, Felix Magath’s charges have recorded two from two (winning 2-1 away at Nurnburg and then turning over Bochum 3-0 at home) to place them on top of the Bundesliga at this early stage of the season.

Like Hoffenhiem, Schalke are a team who can boast a hugely talented defence. Between the sticks is reported Manchester United target Manuel Neuer, arguably the best young keeper in Europe. And the custodian is protected by a solid backline of Marcelo Bordon, Carlos Zambrano, Benedikt Hoewedes, and Rafinha (7/1 to score), while the likes of Heiko Westermann, Levan Kobiashvili, and the currently injured Christian Pander wait on the sidelines for their chance to shine.

But what of Schalke’s attack, particularly having regard to the fact that the Royal Blues disappointingly finished eight last term due to an inability to score heavily enough throughout the season.

New manager Felix Magath has so far sought to improve Schalke’s offence by ditching the old 4-3-3 Schalke formation for a fresh-faced 4-4-2 line-up. This has allowed Ivan Rakitic (4/1 to score) to play higher up the field in the hole behind the strikers, while hotshots Jefferson Farfan (7/1 to score first) and Kevin Kuranyi (11/2 to score first) lead the line up-top.

With both Hoffenheim and Schalke being teams who like to play on the break, this match has all the ingredients of being a thrilling contest with goals flying in at either end.

101predicts: Hoffenheim 2 - Schalke 3 (28/1)

Hoffenheim 13/10; Draw 11/5; Schalke 13/8

Full match odds here.

Video Evidence: Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Liverpool)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:43:58 -0400

“I would like to inform the fans of AEK that on Monday night I received an offer from Liverpool, an offer which I have accepted. I’m sad to be leaving but Liverpool is one of the greatest clubs in Europe. I can’t wait to start.” - Sotiris Kyrgiakos.

In what could turn out to be one of the most surprising transfers involving a Greek player this summer, reports are rife this Wednesday that AEK defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos is on his way to Liverpool. The Reds are currently short of defensive options after letting Sami Hyypia head to Bayer Leverkusen, while Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel have both been sidelined with injuries in the past few weeks.

Rumours had linked Rafa Benitez with moves for Ryan Shawcross and Michael Turner but, having to contend with a limited transfer funds after the purchases of Glen Johnson and Alberto Aquilani, Kyrgiakos appears to have emerged as the preferred option. According to the whispers, Kyrgiakos has been bought for around £2 million and will sign a three-year deal at Anfield worth £30,000-a-week.

If 30-year-old Kyrgiakos, who has 49 caps for Greece, completes the move, he will be joining his sixth club. The centre-half, known for his combative style and aerial ability, has had successful spells at Glasgow Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt, while most recently he was given the captain’s armband during the 2008-09 season with AEK.

Far from being a clean-cut defender, Kyrgiakos’ career has often been dogged by controversy.

The more recent installment came during last season’s cup final between AEK and Olympiakos when he was shown a red card soon after being substituted (watch here). But this outburst was far from being a rare occurrence, earlier in the season in another match with Olympiakos the rugged centre-half lost it with Avraam Papadopoulos in an incident which came dangerously close to spilling out of control (watch here).

And back in the early days of Kyrgiakos’ career, when the defender was playing for Panathinaikos, there was an unforgettable tussle with Olympiakos striker Giovanni which saw the pair take their off-the-ball battle onto the turf where Kyrgiakos thumped his opponent on the side of his face (watch here).

Balancing Kyrgiakos’ mean streak, which is always likely to see the defender end up in the ref’s notebook or dismissed to have an early bath, is the defender’s tough tackling and powerful physical presence. In particular, standing 6.3ft tall and equipped with a timely spring in his step, Kyrgiakos is a beast in the air. His brawn does has a downside though as the defender carries the reputation of not being the best distributor of the ball.

And then there are the question-marks against Kyrgiakos’ fitness. In 2003 he suffered a serious injury to his left knee which saw him miss Euro 2004, which Greece went on to win. Last season the defender again suffered periodic absences and it is doubtful whether Kyrgiakos can maintain his health throughout the year ahead.

While the arrival of Kyrgiakos will act as a band-aid for the Reds, we would argue that had Rafa’s purse strings stretched that much further then the likelihood of the Greek international arriving on Merseyside would have been considerably less. Far from a dream signing, Kyrgiakos could well chip in with some crucial goals from set-plays while it would also be no surprise to see several cards flashed his way over the course of the next ten months.

Video evidence of Sotiris Kyrgiakos can be seen here.

Ex-Spurs Defender Timothee Atouba Has A Nightmare for Ajax v, PSV (video)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:13:24 -0400

Martin Jol has a blind spot for Timothee Atouba.

Tottenham fans will no doubt has less than fond memories of former Cameroonian left-back Timothee Atouba who spend the 2004/05 season at White Hart Lane. Brought to north west London but the Shrek lookalike, Atouba struggle to acclimatise to the speed and pressure of the Premier League, chalking up just 16 appearances in a less than impressive season at the Lilywhites.

At the end of his 12 months stint at Spurs, Atouba was sold on to Hamburg, where in 2007 the defender was again reunited with Martin Jol after the Dutchman was rudely dismissed from Tottenham. And then completing the Jol-Atoube love-affair, when the coach moved back to his homeland last summer ot take over at Ajax, one of Jol’s first signings was to bring Atouba along to Amsterdam with him.

Yet, after watching Atouba’s individual match highlights for Ajax against PSV from last weekend in the Eredivisie, many will be left wondering what the hell Jol sees in the second-rate left-back.

Atouba had one of those days were everything went wrong. Whether he tried to hoof the ball out of defence, take a throw-in, play a short ball, or try to make a tackle, everything went horribly wrong.

Highlights of Timothee Atouba’s nightmare for Ajax against PSV can be seen here.

VIDEO: Chelsea Chew Up the Black Cats; Wolves Claim Fine Away Win at Wigan

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:01:16 -0400

Sunderland 1 - Chelsea 3 (Premier League, August 18, 2009) (Longer highlights here.) Darren Bent claimed his second goal in as many games to put Sunderland one-up at home to Chelsea. (First-half highlights here.) Carlo Ancelotti’s side proved their title credentials in the second half, first Michael Ballack swept the ball home from a corner, Frank Lampard put the Blues in front from the penalty spot and Deco completed the win with a fine strike.

Carlo Ancelotti’s post match interview can be seen here.

Wigan 0 - Wolves 1 (Premier League, August 18, 2009) Wolves took the lead at the DW Stadium in the sixth minute, Andy Keogh glancing home a free-kick.

Mick McCarthy’s post match interview can be seen here.

***

Walsall 1 - Leeds 2 (League One, August 18, 2009) The Saddlers went ahead in the 79th minute when Sam Parkin scored from the spot, but late goals from Bradley Johnson and serial goalscorer Jermaine Beckford turned the match in Leeds’ favour.

CONCACAF Champions League: Columbus Crew, Pumas and CD Marathon win

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:00:31 -0400

UNAM 1 - Comunicaciones 0 (CONCACAF Champions League, August 18, 2009) A Luis Fuentes header settled the match for Pumas against Guatemalan side Comunicaciones.

Marathon 3 - DC United 1 (CONCACAF Champions League, August 18, 2009) Walter Martinez gave the Honduran league champions a 1-nil led in the 23rd minute. Luciano Emilio levelled for United in the 48th minute, but late goals by Jerry Palacios in the 82nd minute and Mario Berrios in the 87th minute gave Marathon the victory.

Columbus Crew 2 - Puerto Rico Islanders 0 (CONCACAF Champions League, August 18, 2009) Steven Lenhart scored in the 58th minute from just outside the box, before Robbie Rogers sealed the win in the 79th when he gathered a loose ball and scored with a left-footed strike.

Betting Match Preview: Rapid Vienna v. Aston Villa (Europa League)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:45:31 -0400

Rapid Vienna v Aston Villa, Europa League, August 20, 2009

Rapid Vienna 11/5; Draw 11/5; Aston Villa EVS

The mood around the Aston Villa camp following the disappointing home defeat to Wigan on Saturday appears to be bullish. Captain Stiliyan Petrov described the 2-0 loss to the Latics as a “one-off” whilst Gabriel Agbonlahor (5/1 to score first) has promised to “put it right this week” in the banana-skin of a tie in Vienna.

The Villa fans, who booed their team off at the final whistle on Saturday, will be well aware of the connection between league form and European football. The UEFA Cup exit at the hands of CSKA Moscow last season, even with a weaker side, led to a downturn in form that eventually saw the campaign end in disappointment.

Martin O’Neill has much juggling to do with what now looks like a crucial Premier League match against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. John Carew (6/5 to score) is expected to be fit but may not start if Villa rest players to avoid the 5-0 hammering they suffered at the hands of the Merseyside giants last season.

The bad news for O’Neill is that the trip to Vienna will not be for the faint hearted and the home side will pose a stern test. Such is their desire for victory over their Premier League opponents that the match will be played at Rapid Vienna’s intimate Gerhard Hanappi stadium rather than the much bigger Ernst Happel stadium.

Rapid have had a mixed start to the season having claimed a win, draw and defeat in their opening three games in the Austrian Bundesliga. Part of the reason for their inconsistent beginning to the 2009/2010 campaign may be due to the loss of highly-rated 22-year-old striker Erwin Hoffer, who secured a big move to Napoli.

Nevertheless, they do have lots of attacking firepower and have hit five goals at home twice already this season, against Villaznia Shkoder in the Europa League and against Austrian Karnten in the Bundesliga. The “Green & Whites” also beat Liverpool in a pre-season friendly a month ago.

Villa’s defence (Villa are 11/8 to keep a clean sheet), which if the pundits are to be believed, has never recovered from Martin Laursen’s retirement, will have to beware of striker Stefan Maierhofer. The Austrian international makes John Carew look small and the 6.7ft striker was rumoured to be a target for Wolves earlier this summer. Fellow frontman Christopher Trimmel (7/2 to score), who comes in at just 6.2ft, is another front man in good form and has claimed four goals in his three most recent matches.

Much has been made of Wigan’s win at Villa on Saturday and in many ways this fixture is a chance to bounce back. Martin O’Neill will likely blood some of the youngsters that impressed at the Peace Cup and whilst many bemoan their lack of experience, the club should be lauded for bringing talent through the ranks.

Nevertheless, this is a tricky tie, one of the toughest possible (Everton face Sigma Olomouc on the same night) and a draw or away goal may be a good result to finish off the tie at Villa Park.

101gg predicts: Rapid Vienna 1 – Aston Villa 1 (11/2)

Rapid Vienna 11/5; Draw 11/5; Aston Villa EVS

Full match odds here.

Video Evidence: Vladimir Bystrov (Everton)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:51:20 -0400

Following Everton’s abject performance against Arsenal over the weekend it is unsurprising that the Fourth Estate are now linking the Toffees with a raft of central defenders and holding midfielders.

However, one of the more interesting transfer rumours regarding the Toffees is contained in today’s Independent which links David Moyes with a move for Spartak Moscow’s 25-year-old winger Vladimir Bystrov.

Bystrov began his career at Zenit St Petersburg making 74 appearances and scoring 6 goals. In 2004 he made a move to his present club and since then has appeared 98 times and scored 19 goals for the Red and Whites.

The winger has had a stop-start international career with Gus Hiddink preferring to use the winger as an impact substitute when opponents are tiring. In all he has won 24 international caps and scored 4 goals.

The winger has built a reputation for his electrifying pace (his surname means fast in Russian) which makes him almost impossible to stop when he is in full flow, leading him to become the most fouled player in Russia’s Premier League. He is predominantly right footed and his usual position is on the right wing although he can play on the left. His pace is complemented by his excellent close control which enables him to wriggle out of tight spaces and deliver a telling cross.

One criticism of his playing style is that he is easy to read. His pace has meant that he has always been able to beat full-backs on the outside. Much like Theo Walcott this can make him easy to deal with and he will have to learn to beat players by coming inside the full back. He has also suffered a serious a knee injury for which he spent 14 weeks on the treatment table in 2007.

Bystrov would be an excellent addition to Everton’s squad. He can provide the pace which is sorely lacking in the Toffees first eleven as well as telling crosses to Jo, Yakubu and Saha to feed off. With Arshavin, Pavlyuchenko and Zhirkov now plying their trade for Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea respectively a Premier League move will be an attractive option for the winger.

Everton fan websites have been abuzz that David Moyes will make a big signing this week and Bystrov may be that player. Spartak Moscow have removed the player’s profile from its website leading to speculation that the move will be completed in the next couple of days.

Video evidence of Vladimir Bystrov can be seen here.

AC Milan and Juventus Share A Score Draw; Dundee United Shoot Down Hearts

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:27:55 -0400

AC Milan 1 - Juventus 1 (Friendly, August 17, 2009) Diego saw a 20-yard effort deflect off of Thiago Silva and into the net as Juventus established a first half lead. With 20 minutes remaining Alexandre Pato met a right wing cross to head the Rossoneri level.

***

Dundee United 2 - Hearts 0 (SPL, August 17, 2009) The once-upon-a-time “new Michael Owen,” Danny Cadamarteri, crashed home a fourth minute penalty as Dundee United took an early lead over Hearts. Danny Cadamarteri then sowed up the victory with a second five minutes from time.

***

Besiktas 2 - Antalyaspor 0 (Super Lig, August 17, 2009) Goals from Holosko and Tello (a super free-kick) midway through the second half eaned Besiktas the points.

***

Vitoria Setubal 0 - Vitoria Guimaraes 0 (Superliga, August 17, 2009)

Betting Match Preview: Burnley v. Manchester United (Premier League)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:05:16 -0400

Burnley v Manchester United, Premier League, August 19, 2009

Burnley 15/2; Draw 10/3; Manchester United 2/7

What a way for the 72,000 inhabitants of Burnley to welcome the return of Premier League football to Turf Moor. On Wednesday night Burnley will kick off their first home match after a 33-year top flight absence by playing host to the reigning champions, and local neighbours, Manchester United.

Last season was sprinkled with positives for Burnley. Up-and-coming manager Owen Coyle, having successfully guided the Clarets out of the Championship via the play-offs, also managed to suggest that the newbies can hold their own with the Premier League big-boys after beating Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal on their way to the Carling Cup semi-finals, where they eventually lost to Spurs in extra-time.

The opening day of the 2009/10 season showed though that the next ten months will be a constant battle for survival for the minnows. Stoke ran out 2-nil winners at the Britannia Stadium, but it was the porous nature of the Burnley defence - a backline which conceded 60 goals in the 46 games last season - which was all too plain to see.

In attack, the Clarets will look to Robbie Blake and Martin Peterson against United, however with the pair only managing to score 20 goals all-together last term, it may yet be a while before either man break their duck in the top flight. Also looking to open his account is new £3m signing Steven Fletcher - the 22-year-old former Hibs striker who has four Scotland caps joined Burnley in the summer after scoring 52 goals 190 appearances at Easter Road.

Elsewhere, there are some familiar faces for United fans in Burnley’s squad with Chris Eagles lining up in midfield and Richard Eckersley mooted for a debut after sealing his switch from the Red Devils.

While Burnley’s goal-threat is minimal, much like Birmingham proved at Old Trafford, as long as Coyle’s charges are willing to run-hard and invest bucket-loads of energy in chasing shadows, United’s task on the night will be far from smooth-sailing.

The champions already have three points on the board, but they also have a series of selection headaches to boot. At the back Sir Alex will likely be without the services of Van der Sar, Jonny Evans, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic, although on the positives Ben Foster looked to have brushed aside his less-than-perfect performance in the Community Shield, while Wes Brown has returned to the United first team.

Having failed to impress in the season opener, both Dimitar Berbatov and Luis Nani could find themselves benched in favour of Michael Owen and Park Ji-sung respectively. Antonio Valencia should get another chance to impress down the right-hand side, while two out of Carrick, Anderson Fletcher, Scholes and Giggs will claim the final two places in the centre of the pitch.

All eyes though will remain fixed on Wayne Rooney as the champions leading marksman.

101predicts: Burnley 0 - Manchester United 2 (9/2)

Burnley 15/2; Draw 10/3; Manchester United 2/7

Full match odds here.

Good Weekend, Bad Weekend

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:27:13 -0400

The Premier League returned with a bang and there is no shortage of topics to discuss in GWBW. Touched upon below are the fact there were six away wins on Saturday, every London team grabbed three points over the weekend and why central defenders are the new strikers (Vermaelen, Gallas, Shawcross, Upson and Bassong were all on target).

Good Weekend

Arsenal

The Gunners produced the performance of the weekend and after just 90 minutes of football have made a huge number of talking heads look like idiots. Of course, it would be premature to take too many conclusions from one result but Arsene Wenger’s side will be there or thereabouts this season. (Arsenal are now 11/2 to win the league.)

Crucially, Thomas Vermaelen had a solid debut in defence and coped admirably with Everton’s direct football. The fact the Belgium international scored will only boost his confidence. Denilson scored a cracker and the Brazilian midfielder will improve as the season goes on after playing a major part last season.

Many fans and pundits have been too caught up on the departures of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor. In the meanwhile Wenger has stockpiled a fine squad at the Emirates and it is likely that a whole host of players will show marked improvement this campaign. In particular, Cesc Fabregas certainly looked like he has the desire to finally bring some silverware to the Emirates.

After Saturday’s demolition of Everton the question marks now surround whether Arsenal can put up a title challenge, as opposed to asking if they can hold off the challenge of Manchester City for a top four spot. The Champions League tie with Celtic is crucial as it is believed Wenger will strengthen further if the Gunners progress to the group stages.

If Arshavin and Fabregas stay fit, Arsenal have as good a chance as anyone of winning the title. After the rout at Goodison Park it would take a brave man to back another team scoring more Premier League goals in 2009/2010.

And Jack Wilshere didn’t even make the bench.

Harry Redknapp

Starts have been tough for Spurs in recent years. Last season it took Spurs nine games last season to achieve their first Premier League win, while over the past three seasons the Lilywhites had failed to register a victory in their curtain-raiser.

All that changed on Sunday as Harry Redknapp led Spurs to an opening day win and while ‘Arry will take all the plaudits it is clear to see his imprint throughout the 2009/2010 side.

Much like he did at Portsmouth, the foundations at Spurs look solid despite the best efforts of Heurelho Gomes. Wilson Palacios appears to get better with every game and besides his goal, Sebastien Bassong could be just what Spurs need if he can avoid injury—not always so easy for a central defender at White Hart Lane.

There will of course be some who now hail Redknapp’s side as possibilities to break into the “Big Four.” (Spurs are 3/1 to win the “without the Big Four” market.) The real test will come in the next three away games at Hull, West Ham and Doncaster as Spurs usually struggle away from home and the signing of Peter Crouch was aimed at alleviating this issue.

Redknapp may also now regret handing the captain’s armband to Robbie Keane. The Republic of Ireland’s all-time goal scorer missed three good chances in the first half and looks a shadow of the player that left White Hart Lane for Liverpool.

Didier Drogba

For all the talk of Carlo Ancelotti’s diamond formation, it looked like same old Chelsea on Saturday as Didier Drogba plowed a lone furrow up front (where was Nicolas Anelka?) and won the game for the Blues.

The importance of the Ivory Coast striker cannot be underestimated and his poor form at the start of last season was undoubtedly one of the key reasons for Chelsea failing to sustain a title challenge and Luiz Felipe Scolari’s departure. As a point of comparison, Drogba’s first Premier League goal during 2008/2009 didn’t come until Boxing Day.

Ancelotti has much to ponder. While the spine of the side in Cech, Terry, Essien, Lampard and Drogba should be good enough to win silverware, some of the other players at the club look decidedly average. Neither Jon Obi Mikel or Michael Ballack looked particularly inspiring on Saturday lunchtime and if Yuri Zhirkov, Joe Cole and Florent Malouda are all available, a diamond formation in midfield doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Manchester City

A crucial win for City as a defeat on the opening day would have moved the pressure up a notch on manager Mark Hughes and the project at Middle Eastlands. Whilst two excellent finishes from Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland took the headlines, the performance of Shay Given at his former club was the real reason City came away with the points. As long as City’s defence looks porous, Given will have a major role to play.

Stoke

Two set-piece goals got Stoke up and running for the season as they introduced Burnley to the more direct style of play that can be found in the Premier League.

Ryan Shawcross who scored the first is now reportedly a target for Manchester United with Sir Alex Ferguson regretting the decision to let the central defender leave Old Trafford. The second came from a Rory Delap long throw which will be heartening for Tony Pulis as will be the massive noise generated at the Britannia Stadium that suggests ”second season syndrome” may not affect the Potters.

Roberto Martinez/Hugo Rodallega

We did tell you to expect good things from Wigan and Roberto Martinez could not have wished for a better start at Villa Park on Saturday. Huga Rodallega looks to be in fine fettle and he could be a surprise Golden Boot candidate after putting his name forward for the Goal of the Season award.

Gianfranco Zola

If the tabloid rumours are nonsense and Zola lasts the season at Upton Park, it will be a straight battle between the diminutive Italian and Roberto Martinez for up-and-coming manager of the season.

Darren Bent

Bent looked a different player to the one that missed a sitter for Spurs at home to Portsmouth last season. Climbing above Kevin Davies is no mean feat and the former Charlton and Ipswich striker could be an inspired buy from Steve Bruce.

Manchester United

United’s narrow win over Birmingham didn’t tell us a whole lot that we didn’t already suspect. The Red Devils will rely on Wayne Rooney and keeping it tight at the back this season whilst more is expected from Owen (guilty of missing a chance late on that he would have gobbled up five years ago) and Berbatov.

Goals from midfield are a must, which made Darren Fletcher’s first-half miss all the more galling. Nevertheless, United secured all three points and will need to show similar professionalism at Burnley on Wednesday night. (Manchester United are 2/7 to win against the Clarets.)

Shola Ameobi

The Newcastle striker scored a fine hat-trick and then dedicated the goals to Sir Bobby Robson.

Wolfsburg

The Bundesliga champions have continued this season where they left off in 2008/2009. Two wins out of two and they are already four clear of Bayern Munich. Former coach Felix Magath joins them at the top of the table with new Schalke and it looks like another mightily intriguing season in Germany.

Marouane Chamakh

He might make almost hourly comments on his desire to leave Bordeaux, but the constant speculation about Chamakh only seems to be inspiring him to score goals. Three in two now for the Moroccan striker.

Lyon

Whilst much is being written and said about Real Madrid and Manchester City, Lyon have gone on their own spending spree in recent weeks. Bafetimbi Gomis secured the only goal of the game against Valenciennes to suggest money can buy success.

PSV

A 4-3 win over Ajax is a fine way to secure the first three points of the season.

Keisuke Honda

If you don’t know about the VVV Venlo midfielder yet, it’s time to get with the programme. Honda, the new star of of the Eredivise, took his season tally to four goals and two assists in just three games yesterday at Utrecht, to confirm the “new Naka” as one of the hottest properties playing in European football.

Bad Weekend

David Moyes

Forget the furore over Joleon Lescott, Everton defended like school boys and Moyes’ anger could be visible from the bench. The Toffees could hardly be faulted for the opener but the two headed goals from Gallas and Vermaelen before the break killed the game and were most unlike David Moyes’ side.

This was Everton’s heaviest Premier League defeat at home and they have been on the receiving end of some real pastings by Arsene Wenger’s side in recent years. These have included a 4-1 defeat at home exactly five years prior to this defeat and during the same season (2004/2005) a famous 7-0 drubbing at the Emirates. This defeat was another blow to Everton challenging the very best and hits hard as it comes hot on the heels of their FA Cup final loss to Chelsea. (Everton are 8/1 to win the “without the Big Four” market.)

Moyes failed to strengthen the side in the summer and now a Champions League spot looks a tall order. As ever expect Moyes to get his side back on track at home to Sigma Olomouc on Thursday night but the fixture at Burnley next Sunday already looks tricky.

As many have mentioned since Arsenal ran riot, maybe Moyes has to sell Lescott to reinvigorate his side?

Liverpool (The Reds are now 9/2 to win the league.)

It was a chastening day for Rafa Benitez and he was quite clearly riled by the defeat. Much has been made of Xabi Alonso’s departure but following the clash of heads between Skrtel and Carragher, perhaps Benitez should have done more to hold on to Sami Hyypia.

The loss of Alonso was quite clearly seen throughout the match as Liverpool failed to provide much service through the centre for either Gerrard or Torres. The decision to play Ryan Babel was also remarkable, a point proven by the industrious Yossi Benayoun when he was introduced.

Whilst the defeat was hard to take there were some positives for the Merseyside giants. Not least the fact that full backs Insua and Johnson contributed to the attack which should make a major difference when teams come to defend at Anfield.

The key is to get Torres and Gerrard on the ball as much as possible, with these two players arguably the best in the Premier League. Liverpool are still well capable of securing title number 19.

Aston Villa

Martin O’Neill hid behind no excuses following the home defeat to Wigan. Villa fans will however be worrying that their highly-rated manager hasn’t replaced Gareth Barry and Martin Laursen, who were the backbone of the side that threatened to break into a Champions League spot last season.

It is way too early to start panicking, but the next three games against Rapid Vienna (twice in the Europa League) and Liverpool (where they lost 5-0 last season) look tricky. Most importantly, if Villa do struggle this season, Ashley Young will continue to be linked with a move away from Villa Park.

Mick McCarthy

Like many a side managed by McCarthy, Wolves were a tad naive against West Ham and will need to show some savvy in upcoming away games against Wigan and Manchester City. (Wolves are 11/8 to be relegated.)

Portsmouth

Paul Hart’s post-match interview was indicative of the gloom surrounding Fratton Park, summed up by the most unlucky of goals to concede as Clint Dempsey’s effort took a cruel deflection off Bobby Zamora. As suspected, it doesn’t look like Frederic Piquionne will be much of a threat up front and besides Nadir Belhadj and Niko Kranjcar the whole squad looks woefully short of the attacking quality necessary to stay up.

Sulaiman Al Fahim clearly believes the takeover is close otherwise he surely wouldn’t have been present at Fratton Park looking splendid in his white suit. David James summed it up in his column in The Observer yesterday: “We have been told we have a new owner lined up and the future is bright, but until everything is signed, sealed and delivered we are all—fans, players and staff—prone to worry.”

(Portsmouth are 6/5 to be relegated.)

David Beckham

Beckham’s time in the MLS took another turn for the worse as he saw red in LA Galaxy’s 2-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders. These moments of despair may just be a prelude to when Goldenballs takes a starring role in the MLS playoffs.

Duck-Breaker: Darius Vassell Scores for Ankaragucu v. Manisaspor

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:28:46 -0400

Two games, and already Englishman Darius Vassell has scored as many goals this season as he did all last year at Manchester City.

29-year-old Vassell made the surprise move to Turkish minnows Ankaragucu during the summer and already the move has borne fruit as the former England international struck an injury time goal to earn his new outfit a 1-1 draw with Manisaspor on Saturday.

Darius Vassell’s first goal in Turkish football can be seen here.

***

Earlier in the week Vassell was interviewed by local TV about joining Ankaragucu, with the interviewer forced to stop after every pause to translate the English into Turkish. Comically, poor Vassell was forced to pretend to look at things in the distance as the reporter took centre-stage.

Darius Vassell’s interview with Turkish TV can be seen here.

Bundesliga Goals: Hertha Fall at Gladback; Schalke Breeze Past Bochum

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:10:59 -0400

Monchengladbach 2 - Hertha Berlin 1 (Bundesliga, August 16, 2009) Roel Brouwers put Gladbach ahead against the run of play with a 23rd minute header before Karim Matmour added a second in the 52nd. Gojko Kacar reduced the arrears immediately but Gladbach held on for their first win of the season.

Schalke 3 - Bochum 0 (Bundesliga, August 16, 2009) Teenage midfielder Christoph Moritz began a miserable evening for Bochum with the first goal six minutes before the break and Felix Magath’s side doubled their advantage within a minute of the restart, Heiko Westermann burying a right-footed shot. Peruvian international Jefferson Farfan then added to the tally on the counterattack 14 minutes from time.

Betting Match Preview: Celtic v. Arsenal (Champions League)

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 10:00:27 -0400

Celtic v Arsenal, Champions League, August 18, 2009

Celtic 21/10; Draw 21/10; Arsenal 11/10

Celtic’s reward for their triumphant 2-0 win in Dinamo Moscow was to draw the short straw by being paired up against Arsenal in the final round of the Champions League qualifiers. The Battle of Britain may have neutrals drooling, but for the two teams involved, the reality is that failure to reach the lucrative group stages is unthinkable.

Although Dinamo proved that it is possible to leave a raucous Celtic Park with the points, the Bhoys will naturally be determined to right their wrong of their last home Champions League game. With the added spice of playing against the auld English enemy, the Scots will have that extra incentive to up their performance against the Gunners, and there are plenty of reasons for Celtic to be in buoyant mood.

Showing their killer instinct, Celtic warmed up for the tie with the North Londoners by blitzing Aberdeen in the first half on Saturday. Two goals from Aiden McGeady (5/1 to score) and one from Scott McDonald (7/1 to score first) proved decisive, however of particular interest was the new formation adopted by Tony Mowbray in his debut SPL match.

The former Baggies boss has decided to start the season with two out-and-out wingers in the form of McGeady and Shaun Maloney (4/1 to score), with his wide-men found dovetailing either side of a calm and stable central-midfield base of Massimo Donati and Landry N’Guemo (8/1 to score).

Up-top Celtic also look dangerous and full of options, with new signing Marc-Antoine Fortune (9/4 to score) injecting pace and guile in the attack, while sharp-shooter McDonald is continually kept on his toes with the likes of Georgios Samaras waiting in the wings replace the Aussie in the forward-line.

It’s not all good news for Celtic though, as on the injury-front the Bhoys will have concerns about Loovens and Maloney who were forced off early against the Dons with a variety of knocks and minor injuries. Hope is high that they will be available come Tuesday night.

Against Arsenal, the Scots will be tested to the extreme.

Having blown Everton off the park in their Premier League curtain-raiser, many will now be revising their theories of the year ahead for the Wenger Boys. Scintillating passing, devastating finishing, total control, and the killer instinct were all present at Goodison Park on Saturday, and if Cesc Fabregas (4/1 to score) can continue to play the season in the same manner in which he started then Arsenal may no longer be the dark-horses for this year’s title.

Against the Toffees everything clicked, but that isn’t to say history will repeat itself in every match Arsenal play this season. On their day the Gunners are virtually unplayable, but pretty possession does not always translate into cold, hard goals. (Celtic are 9/4 to keep a clean sheet.)

The match at Celtic Park will see Andrei Arshavin represent the Gunners for the first time in the Champions League, and with the mercurial Russian strangely quiet against the Toffees the former Zenit playmaker will be hungry to open his account for the year.

In attack, despite the departure of Adebayor, Wenger now looks to be flooded with options. Nicklas Bendtner (2/1 to score) showed some excellent touches and link-up play in the season’s opener, Robin van Persie (11/2 to score first) remains a constant goal threat, while Eduardo da Silva (7/4 to score) only needed a cameo appearance to break his duck for the season against David Moyes’ men.

If Arsenal play to their potential then the Bhoys will have a tough time getting something out of the game. However, if Tony Mowbray can organise his troops to stifle and frustrate his opponents south of the border, then perhaps the focus will once again shift on whether the likes of Denilson, Song, Diaby and Vermaelen can cut-it at the top level.

101predicts: Celtic 1 - Arsenal 1 (6/1)

Celtic 21/10; Draw 21/10; Arsenal 11/10

Ful match odds here.

Freddie Sears v. Bristol City: The Goal That Never Was

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:51:08 -0400

The season has only just begun but already there has been a real controversy which will likely been seen world-wide in the next few days. Remember the phantom goal between Watford and Reading, well this is arguably worse.

The match concerned was the Championship meeting between Bristol City and Crystal Palace.

With the the game goalless in the first half, Palace forward Freddie Sears scored a perfectly legal goal hooking a shot past keeper, but the ball hit the back goal post and bounced out.

In an unbelievable miss, both the linesman and referee Rob Shoebridge came to the conclusion that no goal had been scored, as accordingly awarded a goal kick. The Eagles went on to lose the match and manager Neil Warnock let rip to the media of his feelings at full time.

Warnock: “I have a transfer embargo on me and a group of young players working their socks off for the club. They didn’t deserve that today. We were cheated. And I’m not saying that against the referee because he didn’t mean to get it wrong. Sometimes as the away manager a big decision goes against you, the crowd get on your back and it’s very hard to keep things under control. It was a goal of course, but I don’t see what I could have done about it at the time. I had my own team to think about because we weren’t playing well in the first half.”

See the incident and Warnock’s angry verbal assault on the match officials here.

Is All the Hype Surrounding Manchester City Justified?

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:43:11 -0400

“City might not be favourites to win the league, but they should be.” So says Aston Villa’s excitable manager Martin O’Neill on The Manchester City Project.

City have spent the last year jumping, screaming and waving their hands in the air until the whole world was looking at them, throwing fistfuls of dollars at anyone and everyone and buying any player they happened upon along the way.

But whatever your views on the club, whether you see Eastlands as a footballing Frankenstein’s lab with Sheik Mansour the crazed madman cultivating his grotesque creation inside or whether you see them as a breath of fresh air challenging an increasingly stale quadopoly: you cannot deny that they are now one of the biggest talking points the Premier League has enjoyed in years.

But I’m not here to talk morals, everyone has their views on the issue and these “morals” often seem to differ wildly depending on which club you support as much as anything else: I’m looking to talk about what really matters—after being so hugely talked up, are City actually that good?

There is the bandwagon rumbling its way round football that simply looks at the numbers, equates that to success and says City are looking good for a top four finish.

Many have taken a moment to think deeper and simply let that bandwagon roll on by, but there are also many—and not just from the blue half of Manchester, as O’Neill demonstrates—who have run deliriously towards it and jumped on for the ride.

So far City’s spending this summer is nearly £100 million and they should improve as a result, but let’s not fall into O’Neill’s trap and get too carried away. The players they have brought in are good but not great, essentially “top four rejects.”

Carlos Tevez was a hard worker certainly but rarely showed the genuine class to back up his hype and was deemed not worth the money by Manchester United.

Kolo Toure has never fully recovered from the malaria he picked up two years ago and had slipped behind Johann Djourou in the Arsenal pecking order, even before the arrival of Thomas Vermaelen this summer.

Gareth Barry has spent the last two embarrassing years desperately trying to get anyone, anyone in the top four to notice him, only to trot off to City when none of them considered him a decent buy.

Roque Santa Cruz has led a similar dance but, like Barry, nobody involved in Champions League football wanted him.

Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal is the only City acquisition who could claim to have been a first choice player at a bigger club but he was also lazy and disruptive, and actually lacks the skill and finishing ability of Eduardo da Silva and Robin van Persie.

The bottom line is that, as with Toure, if Arsenal still wanted him he would still be there. Add in the well documented difficulties in keeping this number of players happy and integrating so many new signings into a team, and City’s progress is not so clear cut as they would wish.

Arsenal are of course the subjects of that other bandwagon circling in convoy with City’s and positively creaking under the weight of all its passengers: that they are the team whose place City will take.

Again this is based on the financial figures, and of course the clichés that Arsenal “don’t like it up ‘em.”

But the players tell their own story: a forward trio of Eduardo, van Persie and Andrei Arshavin supplied and backed up by the creation of Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky and marshalled by the improving Alex Song is the best looking 4-3-3 (the formation Wenger has employed in pre-season) this side of the Iberian peninsula and the most exciting front six in the league.

With Nasri, Walcott and Bendtner and the teenage talents of Vela, Ramsey and Wilshere there are plenty of attacking options to thrill and proof that the criticisms of their squad being too small are unfounded.

Of course, the concerns about both physical and mental strength are valid and defensively they are far more suspect, but it is still a team that has more quality than Manchester City’s and one that will surprise a lot of people this year.

There are those who expect more, but a fifth place finish and some decent cup progress will represent a good season for City this year. Their fans must be patient, as must their owner, because sometime in the next few years they will see some silverware, but for now we should all climb off the bandwagon and just allow the club to develop.

The Return of “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is”

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:38:13 -0400

We’re back!

Did you have a good summer? Did you manage to catch a tan and avoid an STD? Does your bank-balance now start with the letters OD? Whether you were able to answer “yes, yes, no,” or not, help is now at hand as we once again share with you our top betting tips and hope to help flood both your and our slush-funds.

For those of you new to 101greatgoals, let us explain what this post is all about.

Running 101greatgoals is a pleasure, a joy and a lot of fun. But it also incurs real costs and bills need to be funded. That said, the purpose of this Betting page and post is to add another string to our bow which would not only offer more great content for you, our readers, but also offering us the chance to get some much needed lolly in the coffers.

In partnership with William Hill, the Betting page is aimed to deliver on two main fronts. The first, as you may have seen, is to offer match previews in which we aim to provide concise and informative predictions ahead of the big games each week. But we know this isn’t enough. We know that to earn your respect we have to go the extra mile.

And so, we bravely chose to take on the challenge. Unlike most other sites out there, we wont just sit back spouting our nonsense opinions without committing ourselves to our opinions. Rather, we have decided to put our money where our mouth is to prove that we know what we’re on about, with the bonus of winning money for real.

For the record, during the final months of last season when this column began, our tips earned readers over £200 profit from an initial £25 stake.

You have the ability to cash in on this gravy train and earn yourself some extra pocket money. All you have to do is join William Hill and bet along with us by registering here. Alternatively you can just carry on looking in from the outside, too scared to have a little fun, and watch us pile in the cash while you get none.

Enough waffle, onto the bets where once again we begin by investing £25 in our William Hill account.

While England kicks off this weekend, it’s week two in the highest goalscoring league in Europe—the Bundesliga. And there are a series of mouth-watering ties including Bayern Munich’s home match with Werder Bremen while the reigning champions Wolfsburg travel to Cologne.

Expecting there to be more than two goals in both matches (Bayern-Bremen is 1/2 while Cologne-Wolfsburg is 8/13) we are staking a £3 bet with the hopes of winning a £7.27 return.

Hoping to pick up some easy money on two home bankers, we head to Saturday’s action in Ligue 1. PSG, after disappointing majorly last term, started the new year with a point at newly promoted Montpellier, and the Parisians will be aiming for all three points this weekend when they host Le Mans at the Parc des Princes.

After winning 2-0 on the road last weekend at Grenoble, title hopefuls Marseille entertain Lille at the Velodrome, with the Northern French outfit looking to bounce back after a surprise home defeat in week one at home to Lorient.

Backing a double home win of both PSG (4/7) and Marseille (8/13), the plan is to transform a £3 stake into a £4.62 profit.

Since football began, the opening day of the season has always brought surprise results in the Premier League. Last year Manchester United began the season with a goalless home draw against Newcastle, and this year Old Trafford welcome newly promoted Birmingham on Sunday.

Taking a higher risk to claim a higher return, we are willing to stake £1.50 on the Midlanders scraping an unlikely draw at 9/2, with the hopes of scooping an £8.25 return.

Goalless AC Milan Struggle in the TIM Cup with Inter Milan and Juventus

Ronaldo Assis de Moreira — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:50:57 -0400

Juventus 2 - AC Milan 0 (Trofeo TIM, August 14, 2009) Juve took the lead after a quick counterattack, as Amauri took a shot from the edge of the area that squirmed under the body of new Milan goalkeeper Flavio Roma. The Bianconeri made it 2-nil in the 32nd minute, Ronaldinho lost the ball in Milan’s midfield and Amauri played in Vincenzo Iaquinta, who in turn slotted the ball past an unconvincing Roma.

AC Milan 0 - Inter Milan 1 (Trofeo TIM, August 14, 2009) Super Mario Balotelli scored for Inter with a header from inside the area from a free-kick by Marco Materazzi.

Inter Milan 1 - Juventus 1* (Pens. 5-6) (Trofeo TIM, August 14, 2009) The opener came in the 25th minute, when Thiago Motta did well to pick up a deflected cross by Quaresma in the area and scored with a nice lob to make it 1-nil Inter. In the 39th minute, Marco Materazzi sent off for fouling Amauri inside the area, however Iaquinta’s spot-kick was saved by Julio Cesar. Four minutes later, substitute Nelson Rivas gifted Juve the equaliser as he played a terrible back-pass to Julio Cesar, allowing Amauri to sneak in and score.

All the goals from the TIM Cup can be seen here.

***

Sevilla 2 - Valencia 0 (Trofeo Carranza, August 14, 2009) A tidy Adriano finish into the near post and a last minute header from Aruna Kone handed Sevilla victory.

Las Palmas 1 - Sporting Gijon 3 (Friendly, August 14, 2009)

***

Leixoes 0 - Belenenses 0 (Superliga, August 14, 2009) The new Portuguese season kicked off with a drab draw.

***

Slask Wroclaw 2 - Polonia Bytom 1 (Ekstraklasa, August 14, 2009) A Szewczuk header put the hosts 1-up but the lead last just five minutes before Podstawek drew Polonia level with a deft header. 18 minutes from time Wolczek earned Slask the points crashing home a rebound.

Ruch Chorzow 1 - Arka Gdynia 0 (Ekstraklasa, August 14, 2009) After Arka missed the opportunity to lead through an early penalty, Sobiech tucked away a 20th minute opener which p[roved to be the only goal of the game.

***

Central Coast Mariners 1 - Newcastle Jets 1 (A-League, August 14, 2009) Jin-Hyung Song put the Jets ahead shortly after halftime with a well-taken strike from the edge of the box. But the lead was quickly wiped out as defender Nigel Boogaard headed a free-kick home from close range to earn the Mariners a point.