Atletico Madrid Vs Chelsea Match Preview

Chelsea travel to Spain in order to face off against the la liga's  Top dog ; Atletico Madrid, in the semifinals of the champion’s league.

Kick off at  Vicenze Calderon Stadium 19:45 BST

Realistically, no one expected Chelsea to go through the quarter finals, after Paris saint Germaine had put 3 past them in the first leg of the quarter finals. They showed great resilience and spirit, when they came back for a 2 goal deficit in the second leg and knocked the French giants out of the competition, thanks to goals from Andreas Shurle, and Demba Ba. They are currently second in the premiere standings with 75 points are chasing Liverpool in the title race. They haven’t shown a great away form this season, managing only 2 wins in their last 5. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at times blamed the lack of able strikers for his team’s poor away form this season, but the opposing team’s manager Diego Simone has praised Chelsea’s strike force ,saying they possess world class strikers in there team ,who are a danger to any team. I suspect his history with Chelsea’s Fernando Torres may have clouded his judgment to some e extend. Fernando Torres form this season can be labeled many things but saying his world class is a bit of an exudation. Will Torres’s return to his boyhood clubs ground will a dream or a nightmare? We will just have to wait and see.

Atletico Madrid has had no such problems this season. They possess a potent strike force in Spanish Internationals Diego Costa who is subject to a possible transfer between the two clubs , and David Villa. They have put away Opposition with ease this season, thanks to their lethal partnership in front of the opposition goal. Atletico Madrid defied all odds when they knocked 3 times champions Barcelona Out of the competition, and by doing so proved to be worthy adversaries.

Both theese strikers have a lot to say in this game ,one is the light of hope for his team ,the other overlooked ,and dismissed . (Imagecredit:footzoo.com)

Team Injury news

Diego Simeone has been boosted by the news that midfielder Arda Turan is fit.The Turkey international had been sidelined with a groin injury suffered during the quarter-final first leg against Barcelona and his return will ease the pressure on playmaker Koke.Costa will lead the Atletico line, while on-loan goalkeeper Courtois will line up between the posts after UEFA made it clear that there could be no deal preventing him from facing his parent club. (Chelsea)

Samuel Eto'o was left in London with a knee injury , but Eden Hazard, who has not played since suffering a calf injury in the quarter-final win over Paris St Germain, did travel with the squad on Monday.Cech is included in a 20-man squad party after missing Saturday's shock home defeat by Sunderland in the Premier League through illness but Branislav Ivanovic is suspended, so Cesar Azpilicueta may play at right-back and Ashley Cole could return on the left.Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah are ineligible after playing for other clubs earlier in the competition.

this game is a difficult one to call, both teams play a great passing game ,and possess great skill on the ball.the team with arial power is likey to gain an advantage ,in this case chelsea,but athletico are a great counter attacking team , and can expose chelsea's lack of pace in defence . 

Final Score /Prediction

Atletico : 2                  Chelsea : 1 

Player of the week Page Launched

Player of the Week Page Launched !! 

Ok, so we have just launched a new page, called the player of the week, this page will be updated every week. Make sure to check it out on a regular basis, in order to find out about the world’s best football players. Who do you think should be next? contact us , or leave a comment ,if you would like us to do an article about your favorite player. 

This week’s Pick is Andrea Pirlo !! 

France Take on England ,as Group D Opener Promises To Be an Exciting Fixture

England's drama striken national team , enter the tournoment looking to put in a perfomrance that will silence their critques. newly appointed Manager Roy Hodgson has a heavy burden on his shoulders as anything below a semi-final finish wil cost him his job as manger of the three lions .
Hodgsons has already had the press going bonkers.he almost caused a press uproar  when he omitted Manchester Uniteds  Rio ferdinand.the veteran defender missed out on the world cup competition when he picked up an injury in a frendly match prior to the start of the compition two years a go , and saw the euro 2012 competitions as a way to bow out gracefully from the international scene. obviously things didn't turn out they way Rio thought. with Frank Lampard , and Gareth barry injured another young and inexpirenced player in Jordan Henderson was given a golden opportunity to make name for himself.if england fail to make it past the group stage ,he will surly have to move abroad and live in a cave for a while .in my opinion Hodgson has a good mix of cool headed expirenced players like gerrard , cole an terry to drive the team . the  explosive pace and relentlesness of players like Oxlade chamberlain , and Theo Wallcot on each wing will give England many options , both in attack and defence .with 4 vicotories in their last 5 games england are on a good from and look like genuine title contenders . 

England Talisman Wayne Rooney will miss the  game due to 

Suspension

Lauren blanc men look to inject some pride back into the french national team after the world cup 2012 shambles . laurnt blanc is looking to make france forget all about the players revolt agianst then manager  Raymond Domenich. France are undefeated in 21 games under laurent blanc and look to continue their winnigstrweak when they kick off aginst england on monday . 
France have always had their share of football superstars , Cantona , Henry ,Zidane have put in world class perfomances for their nation. Blanc will  look to challenge the class of 2012 to emulate what these legends have achieved.great things are expected form Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Muncih's Frank Ribery as they have performed brilliantly for their respective clubs , but it remains to be seen weather they can bring their club form onto the international scene.

Line Ups

France major concern are int he center of the field ,with Yan M'villa ,Blaise Matuidi.and Diarra , all facing fitness tests before the England game. its likely that Diarra makes the starting line up as he looks to have recovered faster then his compatriots.

the game wil be played in the center of the field , the french will look to force Gerrard play with his back to goal , as his passing range is a threat to any defense.he can turn a defensive situation into an attacking one in an instant. Bezema has plenty of player son his side who can feed him balls left and right. breaking away from Terry  and running into empty space  will be his primary mission in the game . 

No real injury concern for Roy Hodgson.John terry and Ashley Cole visited the teams Medical quarters , after complaining from slight pain after training  , but are likely to start non the less being given the all clear.

we really haven't seen a specific system or pattern in the goals scored by England. but judging by the starting players  Hodgsons team relay vastly on the Wings as an outlet to provide scoring opportunities. always a threat in set pieces England may look to catch France on the counter ,as Evra tends forget to track back when going forward.

Final Verdict 

France : 1            England : 1 

Chelsea and Liverpool to Battle For The FA Cup Trophy, as American Tom Henry and Russian Tycoon Roman Abramovich Faceoff in Football Business

It’s finally here tomorrow 5^th of May two giants of English football will face off in the FA CUP semi final at the 90,000 seater Wembley stadiums. The two teams have met 9 times in total in the FA cup with two of them being semi finals in 1996 and 2006. Liverpool were victorious on both occasions. Liverpool have won 7 FA cup finals in 13 previous final appearances, most recent of them being 2001, and 2006. Chelsea has won the tournament 4 times since the year 2000 in 5 appearances

 Kenny Dalglish’s side has somehow struggled in the league, currently sitting 8the in the standings 10 points behind 6th place Chelsea. They have managed 3 victories in their last 5 games in all competitions. Some questionable business in the transfer market has led many to question the Scottish manager’s judgment, and many speculate that Liverpool legend will be replaced at the end of the season. As the new American owners looking to re established the reds dominance in the English league as well as Europe.

Chelsea have also had a roller coasters of a season, with the arrival of new manager and his eventual sacking, the playershave recently  found their rhythm under the Portuguese mangers assistant and former player Roberto Di matteo. Their new found confidence let them to victory over European giants and arguably one of the best team of all time FC Barcelona in the Semi finals of the champion’s league last month. The blues have managed 2 victories in the last 5 competitive games. Chelsea players will look to win the trophy as a way to guarantee Roberto Di Matteo another season as manager.

The two clubs both have in their ranks players who can change a game in an instant, this fixture promises to be an exciting and explosive one, as the likely start of Fernando Torres against his former club will add more fuel to the fire. Two of the finest midfielders in todays game Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard face off against each other, as this game has the potential to answer the question fans from both team have been asking is Who is a better player?. Kind of like the ongoing argument betweenn   NFL S's  own  Patriots  Tom Brady vs Green Bay Packers‘s Aaron Rodgers.

It will be all eyes on Fernando torres ,and new Liverpool sensation Luis Suarez .both scored hat trick recently with the Uruguay slaying Norwich while Fernando Torres added to QPR’s misery  helping Chelsea to a 6- 1 victory.

The superiorety of one player over the other is widely argued in the world of soccer

Line ups and Injuries

Steven Gerard, Luis Suarez, Jose Reina, Craig Bellamy and Daniel Agger are all likely to start line after being rested in the game against fulham on Tuesday. It’s unclear whether veteran defender Jamie Carragher will make a start, as martin Skertel and Daniel Agger have formed an impressive partnership in center of the Liverpool s defense.

Liverpool will look to find Luis suarez when the player makes a run into to the emplty space. this will all depend on weather the liverpool defence can break free from chelsea's constant harassment in the midfield . if any time carrol is interduced , gerrard can feed him from almost anywhere on the flied.

Roberto di matteo will be without Center backs Gary Cahil and David Luiz as the two players are out due to injuries to their  hamstrings. Serbian International branislave Ivanovic will likely to play alongside john Terry in the center of the defensive line with Jose Bosingwa Starting As Right Back.

chelsea wil depnd on te creativity of spanish international juan mata , his trickey and delivery on the wings is  crucial to chelsea's plans to open the scoring.With Micheal Essiens great ability  to hold te midfeild and protect it from counter attack  , frank lampard will freely roam in the oppositions sides , and try to create scoring opprtunities.

Final Verdict

 the midfeild remians key to this match , with two of liverpool preferred central midfielders out for the rest of the season its time for Young Due jordan Henderson and Jay Sparing seem some how out of place.how ever when it comes to Cup inals Liverpool can never be underestimated . 

 Liverpool               Chelsea 

     3                              1 

                           



One Goal Down ,and Fresh Out of Defeat,Its Go Hard or Go Home For FC Barcelona

Pep Guardiolas men are not having a good week, tasting defeat in front of 90,000 fans at  their home stadium to Real Madrid on Saturday night. Messi’s and co will relish the chance to bounce back, and Tuesdays fixture provides the ideal stage. Chelsea enters camp nou with a goal advantage, Barcelona nee only  to score 2 goals and keep a clean  to reach the final. Barcelona has not lost three games in row since 2003, and are looking to extend that recorded even further. Defeat to real Madrid came as a shock to many of us, Barcelona were unlucky at times but the waste-fullness of some Barcelona  players in front of opponents goal  proved to be the catalyst in  defeat to their nemesis . I’m sure the Catalan clubs manager Pep Guardiola will instruct his team to be more accurate and clinical in front of goal come Tuesday . as in recent years everyone has got  use to the sight of Barcelona easliy slotting one one one chanced into the opponents  goal. Chelsea managed a goalless draw in the emirates stadium, holding arsenal off and securing a crucial away point. Chelsea lost once in 14 games . Chelsea care taker manager certainly make some changes to the line up from the weekend with the old guard (Terry, Lampard, Cole, Cech, Drogaba) almost certain to get a chance to complete the revenge mission. 

I usually go into statistics at this point, but we all know it useless since this two recently played each other and their condition more or less remains the same.

The deciding factors at this point remain tactics and the the players who will take part as well as the ones who don’t .  Lionel Messi will need to step up and be counted, and finally end his goal drought against the London club. Messi is now goals less in the last two games his played ,although he has already netted 63 goals this season in total. he is now a goal behind Cristiano  Ronaldo in the pi-chichi race. 

Chelsea defense was impressive in the first leg .Ashley Cole and Ramirez manged to keep Barcelona Left back  Dani Alves quiet ,and Mikel and  Frank Lampard made nuisance of themselves in the middle of the field to stop the fluied movement of Barcelona passing game . this proved vital in shutting out Barcelona . it remains to be seen whether they will deploy the same tactics this time round.

Barcelona Legend Johan Cryuff had the following to say about the fixture in his weekly column for a Dutch news paper:

"I still think Barcelona will beat Chelsea on Tuesday, Despite the fact that Barcelona have now lost two games in a row, I expect another good game from them at Camp Nou”

"You can't compare the loss against Real Madrid to the defeat versus Chelsea. Barca created plenty of chances in London, but failed to convert any of their opportunities. There were hardly any serious chances against Madrid, because the simple things went wrong”

Chelsea defended very well in the last time the two teams met 

Roberto Di Matteo is currently sweating the availability of drogba  who missed the game against arsenal due to swollen knee, if Drgogba does not recover in time ,Chelsea are likely to call upon Fernando Torres’s  services, who is the only player to have tasted victory over Barcelona at the camp Nou from his playing days in athletic  Madrid . 

Probable Line Ups

Gerard pique is likely to return to team after missing 5 games, a falling out with pep Guardiola semd him down the pecking order. he will be eager to prove his worth ,and will look ro prove a point . Cesc Fabregas who was rested against Madrid is likely to return with Alexi Sanchez   being called back to the starting 11 after making a substitute appearance against Real Madrid.

Valdes
Alves, Puyol, Pique, Adriano 
Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta
Sanchez, Messi, Fabregas

Barcelona will have to try and break the impressive Chelsea backline. with Sanchez lurking in the 18 yard box and Messi in possession of the ball it’s a very do able task.  If Barcelona manage to score Chelsea will have to come out of their own half and actually try to attack Barcelona, this however might give Barcelona the advantage to counter. 

If fit is certain that Drogba will start the game, Michael l Essien played a full 90 minutes arsenal and its likely for Miel to replace him in the Center of the feild.

Cech
 Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole
       Mikel, Meireles
Ramires, Lampard, Mata
           Drogba? /Torres

Chelsea will most likely sit back and  soak up all the pressure before  hitting Barcelona on the counter, just like the reverse fixture in the Stamford Bridge .if they concede a goal, ashlye Cole and Juan mata are likely to attack the flanks , and try to provide aerial crosses for  the forward to hit . Chelsea will try to use their physical advantage over the Catalan opponent. 

Final Verdict

Barcelona                                      Chelsea

3                                                            1

Its Darby Time as The Gunners Look to Shoot Down High Spirited Chelsea

  High flying Chelsea visit the emirates stadium on Saturday for a mid day kickoff against local rivals Arsenal. They have had a hectic schedule. Coming off a victory over Spanish and European heavy weights FC Barcelona in the first leg of the champion’s league semi finals. Chelsea will no doubt fancy their chances against the north London club. Arsenal has managed to win four of their last five games, suffering a shock defeat at home to Wigan ended their 6 game winning streak at home. They are currently 3^rd on the premier league standings, trailing second place Manchester city with 13 points. Chelsea has not had a good away from this season managing only a win in their last 5 away games in the domestic competition. Chelsea are currently 6^th in the league standings, trailing 4^th place Tottenham Hotspur  by two points ,Newcastle United are the surprise package of the season look to steal the last champions league spot from under their London clubs nose .

 The first fixture was played in the Stamford Bridge with arsenal achieving an impressive victory. Turning a 2 goal deficit and eventually wining 5 goals to 3. The flying Dutch man Robin Van Persi scored an impressive hat trick to give his side all 3 points

Arsenal Captain Robin Van Persi has been  Fantastic for the gunner this season so far 

The Netherlands international is currently top of the goals scorers chart with 27 goals scored in the league. That’s 3 more than frank Lampard, Juan Mata, Fernando Torres, and Didier Drogba efforts put together.

Van Persi has been subject to transfer speculation, as his current contract expires in 2013, and due to his current form many major European club will fancy their chances at signing the player. He was spotted visiting the Barcelona camp on Monday when the Spanish side was preparing for their champions league tie against Chelsea.

Chelsea have played 3 matches within a week, and the games have taken a toll on the aging squad .Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has dismissed suggestions that his team stand a better chance of winning due to this fact . Speaking to the press he had the following to say:

“I don’t believe that they will be tired at all,” he said. “You expect to be playing Chelsea at their best and you cannot expect them, with the players and numbers that they have, to be tired.

Probable Line ups and injuries

Arsenal is without midfield maestro Mikel Arteta, as former Everton player is out for the rest of the season following a dreaded ankle injury. Gunner’s youngster Jack Wilshere was due to be back after a long term absence but has failed to recover on time and so he remains sidelined. Francis Coquelin and Abou Diaby are both likely to make the bench after recovering from minor injuries.

Szczesny
   Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Santos 
Ramsey, Song, Rosicky
Walcott, Van Persie, Gervinho

The gunners will look to use their strength on the flank, with quick passing and fluent movement, Chelsea will have a difficult time keeping up with Arsenals pace. They are extremely dangerous in the counter and are likely to catch the Chelsea back line off guard on several occasions. Look out for Theo Walcott and Ashley Cole s 100 meter foot race though out the game.

Chelsea will have to make without right back Branislave Ivanovic as player is out serving a 3 game suspension. The Serbian international is punished by the FA for violent misconduct against Wigan FC attacker Sean Maloney. Jose Bosingwa will be looking to make good impression on care taker manager Di Matteo as the Portuguese international has not been largely involved in the blues campaign this season. .Didiere Drogba is likely to be rested after playing a full  90 minutes in the midweek fixture, with the 50 million acquisition; Fernando Torres ready to make a rare start as the focal point of Chelsea’s attack.

Cech
Bosingwa, Cahill, Terry, Cole
Lampard, Essien
Ramires, Mata, Sturridge
Torres

Chelsea’s Spanish duo Juan Mata and Fernando Torres hold the key for Chelsea. Mata posses great creativity and will look to find Torres throughout the game. The arsenal defense will have torrid time keeping el ninio quiet. As his movement off the ball and quick feet has on many occasions has left opposition defenders bamboozled.

Final verdict

 Arsenal are a hard team beat at the emirates, taking Chelsea’s recent away form into consideration mixing it  with the recent games Chelsea have been involved with ,I’m gonna have to give this one to arsenal ,simply because they are the home team and have a better record against the blues .

    Arsenal                            Chelsea

2                                             1