United Edge Closer To Chelsea After A Week Of Upsets

Chelsea's unbeaten streak ended at the City of Manchester stadium in the first match of the sixth weekend of the Premier League season setting the tone for a week of upsets.

Robert Mancini smartly diluted any pressure of expectation on the Citizens, by predicting that the champions would retain the title quite easily this season.

That was before the match, although Mancini continues to stand by his statement even after the Chelsea game that City won 1-0.

An inspired goal by Carlos Tevez was followed by resolute defence that saw Carlo Ancelotti substituting a surprised Didier Drogba.

With Lescott and Boateng missing in the back-line, it was left to Ashley Cole to man the fortress, and ironically Tevez's shot went through Cole's legs before ricochetting off the post to beat Cech into the Chelsea net.

Next, it was West Brom's turn to upset punters who had backed Arsenal to win handily against Albion before their home fans at Emirates.

After a goalless first half, West Brom set the alarm ringing at Emirates, with an Odemwingie strike in the 50th minute, and followed it up with a second one, two minutes later, this time off Jara's boot.

But it wasn't until 20 minutes later that Arsene Wenger's men woke up with a vengeance.

By then, Albion were 3-0 up, with the third goal coming in the 72nd minute. Ironically, that strike which proved eventually to be the winning margin was the contribution from Jerome Thomas, an ex-Arsenal man.

For Arsenal, the match was a tale of missed opportunities, with. Ebou and Arshavin wasting scoring opportunities within the first quarter-hour.

Bolton held Manchester United to a 2-2 draw at the Reebok Stadium which should justly rank as a win, considering that United never led during the match but came back twice from behind to level the score. Knight put the home side ahead in the fifth minute, and Nani got the Red devils level in the 22nd.

Petrov got Bolton up again to 2-1 in the 67th minute; seven minutes later, Owen rescued the Old Trafford side from what would have been a humiliating loss.

Tottenham's loss to West Ham at Upton Park should be up there with Chelsea and Arsenal's defeats. Coming off a morale boosting win in the Carling Cup, West Ham prevailed in the London derby played before a full house of home fans.

Apart from Piquionne's 29th minute strike that gave Avram Grant's side the lead, Ro Green's athleticism between the sticks won the day for the Hammers.

West Ham continue to remain in relegation zone, for now, but they have managed to move one place up the points table, leaving Everton to wallow in twentieth, following the Goodison Park squad's draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Blackpool's 2-1 loss to Blackburn could also be considered an upset; that is the extent of Blackpool's stamp on the ongoing Premiership campaign, the Seasiders' first ever. The defeat left the Tangerines without a home win. In their only other match at Bloomfield Road, so far, Blackpool drew 1-1 against Fulham.

Premier League News: Manchester United Could Lose Rooney To Real Madrid

A Spanish newspaper, AS, has claimed that Wayne Rooney is unlikely to renew his contract with Manchester United paving the way for a transfer to Spanish club Real Madrid.

According to the paper, Rooney is frustrated with the media intrusion into his personal life and that has led to his decision to quit the Old Trafford squad. Real Madrid boss is said to have told the newpaper that he was very keen to have Rooney with the Bernabeu squad.

Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson could get the opportunity to shift to Juventus, in the January transfer window. The Italian club have shown interest in signing Johnson although his contract with the Anfield squad still has three years to run. Juventus are hoping that Liverpool's off-field management wrangles could get Johnson to consider their offer.

In their match against Wolves, this weekend, West Ham will not have the services of recent signing Thomas Hitzlsperger sidelined with a torn thigh muscle that could take several more weeks to heal.

Ibrahim Afellay could join Manchester United next summer when the midfielder's contract with Dutch club PSV Eindoven is set to expire. Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are other sides interested in the extremely adaptable 24 year old who scored twice in Holland's Euro qualifier win over Sweden.

Despite their recent financial problems, Liverpool could invest £14 mn to acquire Brazil striker Nilmar from Soanish club Villarreal. The goal machine has helped his side to second position in Spain's La Liga; Chelsea and Juventus are also said to be interested in signing Nilmar.

Arsenal's goalkeeping problems could soon be at an end if they manage to acquire Gorka Iraizoz from Spain's Athletic Bilbao.

German right-back Philip Lahm could leave Bayern Munich after 15 years spent at the club, if Carlo Ancelotti has his way.

Sir Alex may have finally found a successor to Van der Sar between the posts, in the form of Rangers' goalkeeper Allan McGregor. Playong for the Scotland national squad, McGregor was impressive in the recent qualifier against Spain that Scotland lost 3-2. Van der Sar, who will turn forty at the end of this month, recently announced his intention to retire.

Recently, Fergie is said to have considered Schalke's Manuel Neuer, Ateltico madrid's David de Gea and Ajax's Maarten Sketelenberg, but these players come with about four times the price tag of McGregor who can be acquired for about £5 mn. McGregor rcently became Scotland's first choice between the posts, taking over from Gordon, currently with sunderland in the Premier League.

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Manchester United Football Club Fans Are The Sexiest Football Fans

Manchester United supporters are England's Sexiest Football Fans, according to new research. Female followers of Fergie's boys, who boast Corrie star Kym Ryder and telly presenter Zoe Ball among their number, were voted the country's best looking by 1,500 male fans.

Second place in the poll were Chelsea fans, who include Sienna Miller, Danni Minogue and Isla Fisher - followed by the attractive followers of Liverpool.

Arsenal may be riding high at the top of the Premiership, but they could only manage fourth place, despite having singer Rachel Stevens and ex-Page 3 model Jo Guest as supporters.

The survey found over half of guys (53 per cent) spend time checking out how fit the girls at football matches are and two thirds of blokes reckon there's something sexy about girls in footie shirts.

Carl Christensen, MD of www.thepeoplesclub.com, which commissioned the poll, said: "Football is changing. You see more and more girls at games these days. It's like a fashion parade at times at Stamford Bridge, with some of the totty treating the stadium concourse like a catwalk."

"The sexy style of football is having an influence on the make up of fans attending the games too. I believe that Manchester United's free flowing football and Manchester City's cavalier spirit is rubbing off on the female fans."

Sexy female fans of struggling Newcastle United finished off the top five. Tottenham came sixth in the poll while Derby were at number seven. Eighth place went to West Ham United. Rampant romeo Sven Goran Eriksson's Manchester City were voted in at number nine followed by Aston Villa at ten.

The survey also named Swansea City supporter Catherine Zeta Jones as the sexiest celebrity football fan, beating second placed TV presenter Cat Deeley, a West Bromwich Albion fan. Arsenal fan Rachel Stevens came third while actress and Everton supporter Jennifer Ellison is at four. Finishing off the top five is Titanic actress and Reading follower, Kate Winslet.

At the other end of the scale Crystal Palace supporter Jo Brand was named the ugliest celebrity supporter followed by Norwich City director, Delia Smith.

Carl, added: "Everyone would agree there is something about girls in footy shirts which is downright sexy - it is the beautiful game after all."

England's Sexiest Football Fans

1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Newcastle
6. Tottenham
7. Derby
8. West Ham
9. Man City
10. Aston Villa
11. Cardiff
12. Middlesbrough
13. Sunderland
14. Charlton
15. Everton
16. Blackpool
17. Birmingham
18. Coventry
19. Southampton
20. Leeds

Sexiest Celebrity Football Fans

1. Catherine Zeta Jones (Swansea City)
2. Cat Deeley (West Brom)
3. Rachel Stevens (Arsenal)
4. Jennifer Ellison (Everton)
5. Kate Winslet (Reading)
6. Kirsty Gallager (Liverpool)
7. Emma Bunton (Tottenham)
8. Lucy Pinder (Southampton)
9. Kim Marsh (Manchester United)
10. Helen Chamberlain (Torquay United)

Ugliest Football Fans

1. Jo Brand (Crystal Palace)
2. Delia Smith (Norwich)
3. Alison Moyet (Southend)
4. Kate Garraway (Gillingham)
5. Claire Sweeney (Everton)
6. Michelle Marsh (Oldham Athletic)
7. Gabby Logan (Leeds)
8. Emma B (Aston Villa)
9. Donna Air Newcastle)
10. Geri Halliwell (Watford)

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Premier League Super Match Preview - Manchester United Vs Liverpool

Liverpool travel to Old Trafford this Sunday for a lunch-time kick off against traditional rivals Manchester United.

Liverpool's Record at Old Trafford:

This hasn't been the friendliest venue for Liverpool, in terms of match results. In 18 visits, the Merseysiders have won just four, while the Reds have won 10, with the remaining four games ending without result.

The Red Devils trump the Anfield squad in the number of goals scored, too. Against 27 goals scored by Sir Alex's squad, Liverpool have only managed to find the back of United's net on 15 occasions.

Manchester United's Record at Old Trafford:

United have had a brilliant home record, against all comers; in 77 matches played at Old Trafford, they have won 37, and only lost 15, while scoring 127 goals against just 70 conceded.

Liverpool's Current Premier League Season:

Liverpool haven't conceded a goal in their last two Premier League games, against West Brom and Birmingham. But they have only the solitary win in four matches this season.

United's Premiership Record:

United have not lost a match in their last nine Premiership games; they have won six and drawn the rest.

But if the Old Trafford side are feeling the strain of being four points behind Chelsea on the Premier League points table, the frustration was only compounded in their goalless draw against Rangers in the Champions League, on Tuesday. The Red Devils could yet rue the leads they threw away in the Fulham and Everton games; Evra and Evans in defence were to blame for lapses in concentration.

With Rio Ferdinand's return, Sir Alex will breathe a sigh of relief. Ferdinand has already gone through the paces staying the entire duration of the Rangers game, but the true test of his match fitness will be in the way he stands up to Torres, against Liverpool, on Sunday. I expect Evans to start, with Ferdinand coming in as a second half substitute, late in the game.

United's Team Selection Factors:

Sir Alex chose to rest many of his players in the Champions League game against Rangers, giving players like Smalling, Da Silva and Gibson a start. As a result, players like Scholes, Evra, O'Shea, Berbatov and Vidic who missed that match should find themselves well rested.

So the squad for Sunday's match should be more or less the same as that in the Everton game, last weekend. Wayne Rooney who missed the match at Goodison Park should be back in Premier League action.

A piece of good news for United is that Rio Ferdinand is set to play his first game of the Premiership season. Owen and Hargreaves are not fully recovered from their injuries, and Anderson is also a doubtful starter owing to a knee injury.

United will miss Carrick's ability in pacing and finishing a game. In another jolt to United, they have also lost Valencia to a broken ankle that he sustained in the Rangers game. The Ecuadorian has had the knee operated on, but is likely to be out of football action at least until February.

This would mean greater pressure on Nani, during this season. The Portuguese player should relish the challenge, as he has begun to gel with the squad.

Liverpool's Team Selection Factors:

The Merseysiders will be without Kuyt, Aurelio and Fabio. Gerrard and Torres, who were absent from the Liverpool side that beat Steaua Bucharest in the Europa League game on Thursday, are certain to start.

Joe Cole has served out his three match suspension after his first ever red card in Liverpool's opening match of the Premiership against Arsenal, and will also return to action against Fergie's men.

Red Devils Vs Merseysiders, Last Season:

Last season, the sides shared a game each, both home games going to the hosts. In the Old Trafford match, United prevailed 2-1, on the back of Park Ji-Sung's winning strike. In the Anfield match, Liverpool were more decisive, winning 2-0.

Game Plan for Manchester United:

Vidic and Evans will play a crucial role in the back-line. Berbatov is sure to start, according to Sir Alex, and should partner Rooney at the spearhead.

Alternatively, United could choose to go with Berbatov the lone striker, allowing Rooney to play a deeper role, in which he proved so effective in the recent Euro qualifiers. In such case, Park could be shunted to midfield, with Giggs manning the left flank.

Game Plan for Liverpool:

Gerrard should start with Poulsen in midfield with the flanks manned by Maxi and Jovanovic. Lucas Levia is an alternative available to Hodgson, if he is so inclined. The key for Liverpool is Torres. If he fails to impress, Hodgson could opt for Ngog, on the hour. Ngog who added a second goal to Torres' first in last year's home game against the Red Devils, at Anfield, is in great form this season.

Starting Elevens:

Possible starting eleven for Manchester United: Van der Sar, Evra, Evans, Vidic, Neville, Park, Fletcher, Scholes, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov

Possible starting eleven for Liverpool: Reina, Konchesky, Carragher, Skrtel, Johnson, Meireles, Poulsen, Jovanovic, Gerrard, Maxi, Torres

Sir Alex Ferguson Vs Roy Hodgson:

Interestingly, Sir Alex and Roy Hodgson have a personal rivalry going, in which Hodgson has had scant success, with the team under his stewardship winning in just two of nine Premier League meetings with Manchester United.

Prediction:

With the Anfield side recording just one win in their last 11 games, and finding the rival net just eight times during their last 14 matches, it is hard not to go with the Old Trafford side, in this one. United have rarely gone three games without a win. Liverpool would do well if they got away with a draw.

The Last Word:

Rivalries don't get any fiercer in sports than that between Manchester United and Liverpool. Don't miss this potentially explosive match between two teams that will never bury the proverbial hatchet.

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Can Manchester United Win the Champions League?

I have just watched Manchester United beat Barcelona in the semi-final of the champion's league. It was a superb, intriguing match with United showing all of the battling qualities of a typical English team. The question on many people's mind is can Man United win the Champions league final in Russia in three weeks time?

I personally believe that Manchester United will become the champion's league winners this year as they have best players including:

Christiano Ronaldo

Christiano Ronaldo is probably the best player in the world right now. Some would argue that Messi is right up there, he certainly is a top player as well. Ronaldo would grace any team and could prove to be a match winner in May. Not only has he got immense skills on the deck; he is also outstanding in the air.

Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes may be quiet off the pitch however he is a little dynamo on it. His goal in the semi-final just showed what a quality player he is. In recent years he has become more of a defensive midfielder as other younger players take on the mantel up front. Scholes is always able to score the odd goal and is often overlooked by the opposing players whom prefer to concentrate on Rooney and Ronaldo.

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney tends to save his best performances for the big games and he would be my choice for the first goal scorer in the final. Rooney is a real English battler with a massive amount of skill.

Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand is a real lion at the back and is a true leader. I have no doubt that he will be more than capable of marking any forward out of the game and will be a superb future captain of the English national team.

Manchester United may well rule Europe for the next few years to come as Alex Ferguson plans to dominate the champion's league competition.

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Manchester United Under Malcolm Glazer

Manchester United is a term which is known to football fans all over the world. It is a football club, an English football club to be precise. It is based on Old Tafford, United Kingdom. They are also known as the "Red Devils" of England. It is one of the most famous and popular football club with more than 300 million supporters all over the world. 300 million can be roughly estimated as 5% of the total population! They are the most successful and influential club and ever since the 1990s they are rumored to be the richest clubs in existence. The club had a humble beginning during the initial stages and was even closed down on number of occasions due to mounting debts.

Being initially called the Newton Health Y&R, it was said to be sponsored by a health club. Five European trophies have been credited to them ever since the club came into existence. This included one international cup, one European super cup, two European champion's cup, one cup winner cup. They were bestowed with 12 domestic cups and 16 premier league cups too. They were also relevant in finding and establishing Europe's G-14 football club. Malcolm Glazer who was an American businessman had invested on Manchester United in 2005. He had paid a staggering $1.47 billion just for a 28.7% share on the team. It was after a year long battle in the courts that he could ultimately get his hands on the team.

He had faced difficulties in claiming the club, due to the facts the takeover had made the club poorer by $850 million. Also he being a businessman, fans did not like the idea of a business man holding the reins of one of the most successful football clubs of the world. They had hoped for someone who had adequate knowledge about the sport to invest on the club. Escalating prices of the tickets also angered the fans as the club often received hefty sums from advertisements and sponsorship dealings. A vast majority of the fans even went to the extent of not renewing their season tickets for the forth coming matches of the Manchester United. Songs disrespecting Glazer and his sons can still be heard on many matches played by Manchester United.

Fans worldwide have been largely discontent by the takeover of the club by Malcolm Glazer. He had played significantly no role in the upcoming of the football club. His children were the ones who enjoyed director posts of the club for sometime. Despite these shortcomings, the club has surged forward under his guidance. He had spent quite large sums of money on the club and even more in roping the world's best football players into the club. The club had won two major cups in 2008 itself, the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League. It is to be noted that the Glazer group does not interfere with the daily business dealings of Manchester united and have left such activities to David Gill, the chief executive of Manchester united. Steep increase in the prices of the tickets had prompted many faithful followers to stay away from the club matches.

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Premier League Preview - Manchester United and Liverpool

There have been a number of transfers which have affected the top four - either to there advantage or disadvantage. The player who will be misssed most from the Premier League is none other than Cristiano Ronaldo who joined the Spanish club Real Madrid for a record fee. Manchester United will feel the loss of the great player but if Hargreaves, who missed the last season, makes himself fit the loss will be minimised to a certain extent. Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping that his new signing Antonio Valencia can fill Ronaldo's boots but those are really big boots to fill. Manchester United also lost Carlos Tevez but have signed Michael Owen so it wont affect them much. With the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick, Rooney, Owen, Hargreaves and the rest, Manchester United will once more be in the hunt for the title once more and will be looking for a hatrick.

The Premier League's runners up Liverpool will be hoping they can do it this time with Ronaldo and Tevez absent from Manchester United but Liverpool themselves have lost one of their key playes. The Spanish giants Real Madrid recently signed Xabi Alanso from the Reds and that would have weakened Rafael Benitez's squad. But Liverpool has a very strong squad and if they gel well, the title could be theirs this season. Gerrard is absolutely brilliant and can turn any game on its heels and play makers like Torres, Riera, Macherano, Kuyt, Carragher and the rest will only make the opponents fears rise even more.

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Manchester United Football Club Facts

History:

Manchester United Football Club is an English football club which plays at Old Trafford located in Greater Manchester. They currently play in the top division in football being the Premier League. The club was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath. They joined the Football League in 1892 and they have played in the top division of English football since 1938. The average attendance at the club has been higher than any other team in English football. The club is one of the most successful in the history of English football and has won over 20 major honours since Sir Alex Ferguson became manager. Since the 1990's United have been one of the richest clubs in the world with the highest revenue of any football club.

Club Crest:

The United club crest has been changed on a few occasions, but the main form remains similar. The badge has been designed around the crest of the city of Manchester. The red devil on the clubs badge is part of the design due to the club's nickname The Red Devils, which was taken on in the early 1960's.

Stadium:

United's magnificent stadium 'The Theatre of Dreams' was bought in 1909 for around £60,000 with a total construction cost of £90,000. The capacity of this stadium in total is 76,212 fans all seated.

Sponsorship:

The sponsors who are currently with Manchester United are AIG who are the main sponsors of Man United, and as part of the sponsorship deal their logo is displayed on the front of the club's shirts and is also on other merchandise. The AIG deal was announced by Manchester United in 2006 and is worth a British record £56.5 million.

Owner and Chairmen:

The owner of this amazing football club is Malcolm Glazer who is there to make sure the club runs smoothly and doesn't go bankrupt. Also along with Malcolm Glazer are the co-chairmen being Joel and Avram Glazer. Together they run a successful business in keeping Manchester United in the top financial condition so the team is able to win important matches and please fans.

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The History of Manchester United

Manchester United are arguably the best club in the world, but this multi million pound club started as Newton Heath L&YR F.C. in 1878, as the works team for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Health.

They played on a small, dilapidated field on North Road, near the future site of the Manchester Piccadilly railway station for fifteen years, and then in 1983 they moved to play on Bank Street in a nearby town called Clayton. In 1902 this ground was closed as Manchester United were nearly kicked out of the football league due to debts of two thousand and five hundred pounds, but thankfully just before the club could be shut down they received a large investment from J.H.Davies, the managing director of Manchester breweries.

Manchester United's first major signing was of Charlie Roberts of Grimsby Town for £750 in April 1904, they believe that this signing helped Manchester United to third in the very next season. In the 1905-1906 season Manchester United were finally promoted to the First Division, where two years later they emerged as champions for the very first time.

On the 19th of February Manchester United played their first game in the still standing Old Trafford stadium, their first game was looking an ease, beating Liverpool 3-0 at half time only to lose 4-3, they went on that season to win no silver wear, and in the next ten years the club started declining in the ranks until 1922 when they were relegated back down to Division Two.

Three seasons before world war two, Manchester United were promoted, then relegated, then promoted once again, providing them with a spot in division one once the war was finally over.

In the season of 1956-57, Manchester United became the first season to compete in the European Cup, and it was in this competition that Manchester United recorded their biggest win to date, beating a Belgium team 10-0 before being knocked out in the semi finals by Real Madrid.

Tragedy struck the next season as a plane crash killed 8 of Manchester United's players on a trip to the Germany for a European match. Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan where the players killed that day, these players will never be forgotten.

In the early 70's Manchester United changed the badge to the badge we know off today. Soon after that, in 1986, the introduction of Sir Alex Ferguson was happening as he took over the manager's position.

Sir Alex Ferguson didn't have much success at Manchester united until the year of 1998 where his team secured the best season in the history of English Football, completing the treble of the Premier League, the FA cup and the Champions League.

Manchester United seemed ordinary until the season of 2006-07 when they won the Premier League, scraping past Chelsea. This gave Manchester United and their young guns of Rooney and Ronaldo confidence to rule the scenes in the next season as Manchester United completed the double, winning the Premier League and the European Cup.

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Manchester United Facts and Figures

Manchester United Football Club were formed in 1878 and were originally known as Newton Heath Football Club, before becoming MUFC on the 26th April 1902. Since 1902 Manchester United have won a wealth of titles and trophies. They have won the English league title 18 times, 7 of these being the old English division 1 title and 11 being the Premier League most recently for the 2008/09 season.

Man Utd have won the European Cup/Champions League 3 times and were the first English team to win the competition when they beat Benfica in 1958, they went on to win it again in 1999 and again in 2008 beating fellow English team Chelsea on penalties in Moscow.

The FA Cup is the world's oldest cup competition and Manchester United have won it 11 times, which is more than any other team, they last won the cup in 2004. Other honours include 3 League Cup Titles, 17 Community/Charity Shield's, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 Fifa World Club Cup.

Ryan Giggs has played more games for Manchester United than any other player and has played over 800 games for the club since making his debut in 1991. He is the only player to have scored in every season of the Premier League, and kept up the record for the 2008/09 Premier League season by scoring against West Ham United at Upton Park.

Denis Law scored the most goals in a season for Manchester United in a season when he scored 46 goals for the club in all competitions during the 1963/64 season, Dennis Violett scored the most league goals in a season when he netted 32 times during the 1959/60 campaign and more recently Cristiano Ronaldo scored the most goals in a 38 game league season during the 2007/08 Premier League winning campaign.

Sir Bobby Charlton has scored the most goals for Manchester United netting 249 times in his 758 appearances for Utd. The clubs second top striker is Denis Law who scored 237 times in his 404 appearances for the club.

United have always signed quality players in the transfer market as well as rearing their own players through their famous youth academies. The clubs record transfer fee is for Dimitar Berbatov who they signed for £31,000,000 from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 before that the record signing was Rio Ferdinand who signed for the club from Leeds United in 2002.

United record win was 10-0 when they defeated Anderlecht in the European Cup in 1956 and the clubs record defeat is 7-0 and they have lost by that amount three times, most recently in 1931 to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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Manchester United to Play AC Milan in Champions League

The draw for the next round of Champions league is out now. The top two English clubs Manchester United and Chelsea will play against the two Italian Clubs, AC Milan and Inter Milan. Arsenal will play against FC Porto.

Manchester United was thrashed out from Champions League in the 2006-07 season by AC Milan. It was the last time when Man United did not qualified for the final game. After that United have played the final in both seasons 2007-08 and 2008-09. This season's performance of Manchester United is not very eye catching like in the last few seasons. They are still struggling to fill in the place of Ronaldo. In January transfer window Sir Alex Ferguson will have to bring some good players to improve his side.

Chelsea will play against Inter Milan, which is currently coached by José Mourinho. Mourinho is the man who coached Chelsea to win two consecutive EPL trophies in seasons 2004-05 and 2005-06. Mourinho unexpectedly left Chelsea in 2007-08 season just before the game against Manchester United which Chelsea lost 2-0. So clearly he left Chelsea with some real bad memories although he became one of the greatest mangers for Chelsea football club. Now he is all set to take on Chelsea with his Inter Milan side. So it is better to say it will be Mourinho vs Chelsea.

Arsenal will be playing against FC Porto. FC Porto has won the Champions League Trophy in 2003-04 with José Mourinho coaching the Portuguese club.

Fixtures are following:

- Olympique Lyonnais vs Real Madrid CF 16/02/10 and 10/03/10
- AC Milan vs Manchester United FC 16/02 and 10/03
- FC Porto vs Arsenal FC 17/02/10 and 09/03/10
- FC Bayern München vs ACF Fiorentina 17/02/10 and 09/03/10
- VfB Stuttgart vs FC Barcelona 23/02/10 and 17/03/10
- Olympiacos FC vs FC Girondins de Bordeaux 23/02/10 and 17/03/10
- FC Internazionale Milano vs Chelsea FC 24/02/10 and 16/03/10
- PFC CSKA Moskva vs Sevilla FC 24/02/10 and 16/03/10

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English Premier League - Manchester United Beat Chelsea in Weekend's Big Match

Manchester United and Alex Ferguson sent a message to the rest of Premier League yesterday and, I would suspect in particular, to the Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. Man Utd beat Chelsea easily 3 - 0 at Old Trafford on Sunday in the English Premier League's big game of the weekend. Ferguson, if he didn't already, now believes his club can catch Liverpool and retain the title by beating the other teams at the top of the table.

This was Man Utd's and Ferguson's, first win over the other potential title contender this season. Earlier in the week Ferguson had, somehow, unsettled Benitez, the Liverpool manager. So much so in fact, that the Spaniard launched into a pre-meditated diatribe against Ferguson in his Friday press conference about his alleged influence over officials. In reply to what the Liverpool manager's attack, Ferguson said after the game yesterday, "I think you have got to cut through the venom of it and hopefully he will reflect and understand that what he is saying was absolutely ridiculous. He is an angry man and I think he was disturbed for some reason or another -- that is all I've got to say about it."

Ferguson is certainly the master of the mind games and it would appear that he has certainly won one over on Benitez. The Premier League game between the two famous rivals at Old Trafford in March will be interesting to see how the two react with each other, never mind the fact the result of that game could go along way to deciding the final destination of the Championship.

Anyway, so far this season Utd have already drawn 1 - 1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in September, drawn 0-0 at Villa in November, and lost away to both Arsenal and Liverpool. However, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal all still have to visit Old Trafford and it looks like Man Utd are starting to time their push for the top with perfection again.

It was Man Utd's central defender Vidic who headed the opener just before half-time then strikers Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov scored one each as United. The win now means that Utd are only one point behind Chelsea.

United now have 41 points, which is still five behind Liverpool, but the current champions have two games in hand over their rivals. United can therefore move into first place should they beat Wigan and Bolton later this week.

However, back at Old Trafford it was a poor day at the office for Chelsea and their boss Phil Scolari who had previously said this match was absolutely crucial to his team's chances of regaining the championship they last won in 2006. Perhaps he put too much pressure on his players as Chelsea failed to get a single shot on target, even playing with three strikers for the final 10 minutes.

Scolari has seen his future come under increased speculation in the British press in recent weeks with some poor results. His team has stumbled against the backdrop of alleged unrest in the dressing room, as well as financial restrictions in the transfer market during the January window due to the current financial crisis.

Scolari said, "Now is the time for me and my players to think about our future: have we lost everything or are we men and do we improve? It's only this way or the second way is death.

"We know, all the fans know and the press knows if we play like the second half we won't arrive." His English still isn't too good but you can certainly understand what he means.

Chelsea have only won one of it's last five Premier League games, which is hardly championship form. Chelsea's next game is in just three days when they visit Southend in an FA Cup 3rd round reply. Should Chelsea lose that game, the alarm bells will certainly be ringing in south west London!

There was also a very interested spectator at Old Trafford yesterday. Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, now the coach at Inter Milan was sat in the stands. Inter of course are due to play Man Utd next month in the last 16 of this season's UEFA Champions League. He must have been glad he wasn't still in charge of Chelsea however, Man Utd's performance will certainly have given him something to think about ahead of his return with Inter.

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Tough Task For Man United

Winning the Premier League should prove a much tougher task for Manchester United than it seems. Sure they are a fighter and would not throw in the towel until the bell ring but it would not be a smooth ride for them to retain their crown. The additional offender groans. Lose to Everton this week proves that United is really going to have to give their all and pull out all the tricks under their sleeves if they are to win his season.

Strike Factor

This season United only establish strikers are Rooney, Berbatov and Owen. Mame Diouf and Macheda are still need improvement and have not proved themselves on the big stage. And the match against Everton this week proves a point that this is a department that United lack in-depth quality. A bad day for Rooney is all what it take for United to lose a match. United are relying too much on Rooney. His 21 premier league goals is one third of the total United have scored in the premier league. Berbatov manage eight so far (United join second top scorer with the own goal they receive) and Owen only find the net twice in the league.

Chelsea Factor

This season Chelsea has so far proved that they are the team to beat. Playing at a consistent level week in and week out could result in a league winning season to them. Along the way so far they have little blips in their form but still united have more than frequent fail to capitalize on those blips. And unlike United Chelsea have manage to prove that they does not necessary have to count on Drogba for the goals as they even manage to feast in goals during Drogba absent to the Africa Nation Cup.

Fixture Factor

With eleven match to go, United are running out of fixture to afford another lose if they want to create history (winning the league this season will see United the first team winning four consecutive premier league title and also the team with most top flight title which currently they share the record with Liverpool). United remaining fixtures are six home games and five away games. But United also have to overcome Chelsea and Liverpool (both at home) as well as their neighbor Manchester City away who will be looking forward to this fixture to avenge their unlucky lose to United previously.

FIFA WORLD CUP ChelseaFC Premierleague

English Premier League 09-10 - Manchester United Vs Manchester City

Anticipation for the 2009-10 English Premier League derby match between Manchester United and Manchester City was at an all time high as Manchester City made the short trip to Old Trafford to face the 18 time English champions Manchester United.

The match was significant for 2 reasons. For a long time, City have been in the shadow of their more illustrious counterparts, but the Citizens are now the richest team in the world and manager Mark Hughes has put together a team good enough to take on the best in the world. Before the match, City had been unbeaten and winning at the champions den would have inflicted a psychological blow in the early stages of the competition.

The match would also see the return of Carlos Tevez to Old Trafford. Tevez had successfully recovered from injury and was keen to prove a point after the reluctance of Red Devils manager Alex Ferguson to sign him on a permanent contract last season.

The match started well for the home team, with Wayne Rooney dancing past the City defence and scoring in the 2nd minute. But Carlos Tevez, forced yet another error from United goalkeeper Ben Foster and squared the ball to Gareth Barry to equalize. 1-1 was the score at half time with Manchester City looking threatening.

If the 1st half was entertaining, the 2nd was breathtaking as Darren Fletcher capitalized on some poor City defending to score 2 headed goals. Craig Bellamy equalized both times, the 2nd on the stroke of full time. City just would not lie down and a credible draw was imminent. But with nearly the last kick of the game, up popped Michael Owen to score the winner for the Red Devils after an incredible 7 minutes of injury time was played in what was possibly the best Manchester derby match in a long time.

Is Manchester United still the best team in Manchester? The Red Devils fans have bragging rights until the return trip at the City of Manchester stadium, but with Emmanuel Adebayor back from suspension, City will surely be looking for revenge.