Time for the Omok Cup to be pushed down as.... more predictions are in store! As well as some stuff (or a whole load of crap) about this weekend's League Cup final between Chelsea and Tottenham. But firstly, the midweek European matches...

Champions League
LIVERPOOL FC 2 INTERNAZIONALE DE MILAN 0
Liverpool finally returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Inter Milan. Inter's Italian defender Marco Materazzi was harshly sent off for two questionable bookings after only 30 minutes. The Italian league leaders then held on till the 85th minute, when Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt scored with a volley to give the Reds the all important lead. 4 minutes later captain Steven Gerrard scored to make it 2-0, and leave Inter in a huge hole ahead of the return fixture in a few weeks.

CFP OLYMPIACOS 0 CHELSEA FC 0
There was a bore draw in Greece as Olympiacos and Chelsea fought out a goalless draw, throwing the tie wide open ahead of the return leg at Stamford Bridge. It was a match with very few chances, and both sides would probably have been quite pleased with a draw.

FC SCHALKE 04 1 FC PORTO 0
German side Schalke 04 opened the scoring after just 4 minutes and never looked back as they claimed an important 1-0 victory over Portuguese giants Porto to put themselves in a favourable position ahead of the second leg in Portugal. An away goal for Schalke in two weeks time could see Porto exit the tournament, 4 years after they won it under Jose Mourinho.

AS ROMA 2 REAL MADRID CF 1
Roma came back from behind to grab a 2-1 victory against Spanish giants and European Cup favourites Real Madrid. Raul gave Real the lead after just seven minutes with a deflected strike, but Roma fought back and scored via Pizarro and Mancini. The second leg is at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid in a fortnight.

ARSENAL 0 AC MILAN 0
Arsenal and Milan fought out a competitive goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium, a result that would leave the Italian giants much more happier than their English counterparts. Arsenal dominated possession but Milan defended well and limited the Gunners to very few chances. The best chance of the match came in the 4th minute of stoppage time when Adebayor hit the crossbar with a header, and left the home fans sighing. This tie has now pretty much swung into AC Milan's favour.

GLASGOW CELTIC 2 FC BARCELONA 3
There was a 5-goal thriller in Glasgow during the midweek fixtures. Celtic twice took the lead in the first half, but were pegged back, and eventually lost the match to virtually doom their chances of qualification. Strikes by Hessilink and Robson sandwiched an equaliser from Barca's Lionel Messi in the first half. Early in the second half, Thierry Henry scored a sensational goal for the Spanish visitors to equalise, before Messi scored his second goal of the match to down the Scottish giants.

FENERBAHCE 3 FC SEVILLA 2
There was another five-goal thriller in Istanbul as Turkish side Fenerbahce pipped Sevilla 3-2 with a last-minute winner. Senturk scored the winner for the hosts in the 87th minute, to give them a slender advantage going into the second leg in Spain in a fortnight.

OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS 1 MANCHESTER UNITED FC 1
Lyon and Manchester United fought out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Stade de Gerland in France. The first half was entertaining but saw no goals, as Lyon played a cautious counter-attacking game. Manchester United started the second half brightly and dominated the early proceedings, but Lyon scored against the run of play. The French giants caught the defending English champions on the break, with young talent Benzema turning and twisting before firing a low shot past United keeper van der Sar off the post and into the net to give Lyon the lead. United fought back and finally drew level via substitute Carlos Tevez. A ball into the penalty box was not properly cleared by Lyon's backline, and the ball eventually fell loose to Tevez 3 yards from goal, and he made no mistake, hooking the ball into the roof of the net to earn United an important away goal. The second leg will be at Old Trafford.

Barclays Premier League
BIRMINGHAM CITY 1 ARSENAL 2 @ St Andrews
League-leading Arsenal suffered two cup setbacks this week. They collapsed 4-0 at Old Trafford to Man United in the FA Cup, and were held to a draw by AC Milan at home in the Champions League 1st leg. This weekend, they face struggling Birmingham at St Andrews. Birmingham have been poor recently and Arsenal should be able to get all 3 points.

FULHAM 1 WEST HAM UNITED 1 @ Craven Cottage
A London derby is in stall as Fulham host West Ham. Erratic West Ham have perennially under-performed against the weaker sides in the league, a factor that may inspire Fulham to play above themselves to grab some important points.

LIVERPOOL 3 MIDDLESBROUGH 0 @ Anfield
Liverpool beat Inter 2-0 in midweek to regain some of their confidence. They could carry that momentum forward to defeat Boro. However, it will not be an easy task for the Merseysiders as Boro are unbeaten in over 10 games and will be confident of posing some problems for Liverpool.

PORTSMOUTH 2 SUNDERLAND 1 @ Fratton Park
Pompey have been strengthened by the acquisitions of Jermaine Defoe and Milan Baros, as well as the return of their African Nations Cup players. Sunderland are poor travellers, and despite 3 wins in their last 5 games, should probably crash to another away defeat.

WIGAN ATHLETIC 2 DERBY COUNTY 1 @ JJB Stadium
Wigan face off against Derby in a crucial relegation-deciding match on Saturday. Derby have not won away from home this season and Wigan will want to continue Derby's abysmal away form to pull away from the relegation trapdoor.

NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 MANCHESTER UNITED 2 @ St James Park
Struggling Newcastle have not won since 'The Messiah' Kevin Keegan returned to take over as Magpies boss. Newcastle have been woeful, as their defence continue leaking silly goals and their attack continue to misfire. A plus point for the Magpies is that Michael Owen has scored in his last two league games, and will want to continue that run. However, Manchester United are difficult opponents, and their quality infront of goal should see them pip the hosts to all three points.

READING 0 ASTON VILLA 2 @ Madejski Stadium
Reading have lost all of their last six games en route to being dragged into the relegation zone. They will not favour a difficult clash against in-form Villa this week. The Villans came from behind to rout Newcastle United 4-1 at home last time out, and Reading will need to defend properly to prevent a thrashing.

BLACKBURN ROVERS 2 BOLTON WANDERERS 0 @ Ewood Park
Visitors Bolton have struggled to score goals following Nicolas Anelka's move to Chelsea in the January transfer market. Their goal-scoring woes are set to continue against a tough and uncompromising Blackburn defence who should be able to shut out Bolton's attacking options.

MANCHESTER CITY 1 EVERTON 1 @ City of Manchester Stadium
Man City's home form has dipped drastically in recent weeks. A loss to Arsenal was combined with draws against the likes of Blackburn and other teams. They will not fancy a difficult home match against the high-flying Toffees, who will look to defend well to shut out Manchester City's strikers.

League Cup Final--
CHELSEA VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (10.55PM SG TIME, SUNDAY)
Chelsea face off against London rivals Spurs in the League Cup final, hosted for the first time since 2000 at Wembley. Chelsea defeated Everton to reach the final, while Tottenham Hotspur thrashed Arsenal 6-2 on aggregate to book their own places. It will be a keenly-contested match, but a low-scoring encounter seems likely, as Chelsea prefer to grind out one-goal victories, sacrificing flair and entertainment. Spurs' two strikers in the form of Robbie Keane and Berbatov will need to be dealt with accordingly if Chelsea want to lift the Carling Cup for the third time in 4 years. Spurs meanwhile will look to win under cup-specialist Juande Ramos to lift their first trophy for many many many many years. Who will win? I can't predict this. >.> I predict the match will enter extra-time before a winner is announced, though.

Long post complete! :D

Joel at 2/23/2008 03:36:00 PM :: link

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