Gameweek 17 is fast approaching, and for the unprepared may cause something of an issue as four teams do not play. And as the four teams represent some of the more popular value players, there is a risk your team may contain several players who earn no points that week. Now is the time to make some strategic use of transfers to plan ahead.

Video goal highlights from the Brazil vs England international football friendly in Doha, Qatar on November 14, 2009, Saturday. Game kicks off at 17.00 GMT. Wayne Rooney is set to captain England in the absence of John Terry. Brazil vs England highlights and team lineups to be updated. Related posts:4-0 England Slovakia goals- Highlights All the [.

The nastiest new shirt designs 1. Bolton home Wanderers have been churning out some pretty awful home kits in recent years, and this is the worst of a bad bunch in OTP's opinion. As we already mentioned, it looks like Bolton will be fulfilling the Premier League's barcode quote in Newcastle's absence.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Why hasn't Jose Francisco Torres been playing for the U.S. national team lately?

That question has been on the minds of many observers who have wondered about Torres' lack of playing time in recent weeks, including zero appearances in the Confederations Cup.

Brazilian midfielder Denilson has been rated as the 16th most efficient player in the Premier League by statistics experts Actim Index. Despite being criticised by many Arsenal fans this season, Denilson proved to be a reliable figure in central midfield during Cesc Fabregas' three-month absence.

DC United will be without Luciano Emilio when it takes on the Chicago Fire Saturday. The Brazilian striker will miss the game after receiving a red card in the team's 2-0 victory over New York last Thursday.
No problem, writes Steve Long. DCU's roster is deep and well-equipped to handle even the absence of its best player.

Ok, for all the Barca fans who had their fingers crossed while Iniesta had further tests today can relax for the time being now. According to Sport.es there is a high possibility of the player being fit for the finals against Manchester United. The report suggests that the injury is not as serious as one thought.

So much for Fortress Anfield! Even at this early stage, Liverpool's crushing home defeat to Aston Villa is a devastating blow to the club's title ambitions. The problem? Rafa Benitez's one-dimensional tactics and lack of an effective plan B. It's clear that if Liverpool are to recover and mount a serious title, important changes need to be made NOW.

After a two year absence, Torquay United returned to the Football League after beating Cambridge United 2-0 this afternoon at Wembley, in the Blue Square Conference Play-Off Final.
The game was watched by a crowd of over 35,000.

Coming soon to a city somewhere near you - the World Cup Trophy.
Coca Cola is going to take the world cup trophy on its biggest ever global tour as part of the world cup preparations.The route will span 84 countries and take 215-days.The Trophy Tour kicks off in Cairo on September 24 , 2009 and ends in South Africa on May 4, 2010.

Fantasy Premier League has re-opened its doors for the 2009/10 season. Take a look at the new additions and their valuations... Michael Owen at £8m, anyone? There have been a couple of rule changes this season:

• Emergency captain if yours doesn't play
• Transfers carry over if not used
• Private Head to Head leagues

Read more about those changes and their impact here.

I've written before about how good an interview Stephen Ireland is, always providing a great insight into situations with an honesty rarely offered by footballers.
There are a couple of features today in The Telegraph and The Guardian in which Ireland discusses - on the eve of Ireland's World Cup play-off with France - his continued absence from the international scene, and despite reports that have hinted at a return he firmly closes the door on a potential return:

But while admitting he will watch Giovanni Trapattoni's team tackle the French when he returns to Manchester, Ireland has emphatically ruled out the possibility of an about-turn on his international retirement and insisted that the hate mail does not concern him.

Technology Nightmare Episode Week 3 on Mindless Thoughts of a Miami Soccer Fan podcast. Mindless Thoughts hosted by Pieter Brown, Uncle Ed and Miguel Mejia. We welcome special guest Ignacio Rodriguez, Miami FC Public Relations
Email us at: podcast@miamisoccerfan.com/
Subjects covered: Miami FC vs Charleston Battery, Red Card on Walter Ramirez, Discussion with Ignacio Rodriguez Miami FC PR, Southern Legion absence at game, Suggestions to Miami FC and more.

Those of you who follow Major League Soccer's attendance numbers week-in and week-out - and there are plenty of you out there - already know that the league has experienced a modest drop in the average crowd size when comparing this year's numbers to 2008. Several factors have led to the overall decline, including poor weather conditions in some markets and the absence of David Beckham.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Right in the middle of a playoff run, a fully fit squad is vital for D.C. United to prevent a second consecutive absence from the playoffs.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

When the U.S. Under-17 national team kicks off its World Cup in Nigeria on Oct. 26, scouts will have their eyes trained on several of the U.S. team's top prospects, including midfielder Luis Gil, who is being pursued by a growing number of European clubs.

Yeah, I know it's been a while. Two weeks without The Beautiful Game has probably driven some of you mad.
But I haven't been out as long as C-Ron. Word is he's missing tomorrow's UCL action, after reaggravating an ankle injury three weeks ago.
So clearly I'm absolved of the short absence.

By 1970's GoonerAfter Bendtner's groin injury was announced I was beginning to worry as to what would have happened had van Persie suffered an injury himself! He is prone to do that I was thinking....In his absence I would not have hesitated to blow young Bendtner's trumpet. He has improved in leaps and bounds this season and would have been ideal to take over from van Persie and show what he can

Mini match report: Unexpectedly terrific performance by Spurs, with Aaron Lennon and especially Niko Kranjcar who scored twice, either side of a Jermain Defoe strike in devastating form on the flanks.

City never turned up (Robinho, take a bow), but then Tottenham didn't allow them to.

Nicolas Anelka rejoined Chelsea this week after a three week absence. The question to me is, does it even matter? Do Chelsea even need him? Not only does it even matter, but has Anelka ever been worth his transfer fee or salary when all things are considered?

I'll answer the first question right now.

Chivas looked like a mess coming into Sunday's game against America. They fired their manager after 17 days on the job (and no losses in three games) and the turmoil may have taken away from their focus.
Then, when new manager Francisco "Paco" Ramirez did not start Javier "Chicharo" Hernandez, one of the club's hottest scorers, it looked difficult.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has stated that his side are able to cope in the absence of captain Steven Gerrard.
The Reds have come under criticism for their results of late and the overwhelming conclusion to the dip in form has been the absence of influential captain Gerrard.
The 28-year-old has been struggling with an injury for the past couple of weeks, meaning he has missed key games in the club's season.

I must firstly apologise for my lack of attention to the blog over the past few days, I make no excuses for the improved quality of writing in my absence courtesy of Obsinho, I was simply sunning myself and enjoying not working for a few days, unfortunately I have now returned to the grind and a combination of alcohol/caffeine withdrawal leaves my head sore and my mind bitter.

Adriano is a free spirit who could not adjust to the rigors of European football.Being thousands of miles away from home away from friends and family wore his love of the game down to almost nothing. Today in his press conference after signing with Flamengo the talented striker said
"I always wanted to return to Flamengo.

Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon did an outstanding tactical view of what Arsenal is missing in their team, and to him, it all starts with the hole in front of Arsenal's back four.
Patrick Vieira filled that role as good as anyone in the world during his time at Arsenal, but Dixon feels that a major void was left when Vieira departed.

Harry Redknapp wants to sign Gareth Barry this summer to give his Tottenham Hotspur team the experience and leadership he believes they have lacked this season. The interest in Barry is long-standing, as is the interest in Roque Santa Cruz and Glen Johnson, and Spurs hope that Liverpool's uncertain finances mean that they will be able [.

Uniao de Leiria makes their return to the Superliga after a 1 year absence and will be joined by Liga De Honra winner Olhanense. Leiria defeated Beira Mar 3-2 and coupled with a loss by Santa Clara are back in the portuguese top flight. The story on the other side is not as happy as Belenenses and Trofense drop down to the Liga De Honra for next season

And that word is: Punchless.

One shot on goal, seven shots overall, despite controlling the game for decent stretches over the course of the afternoon. Punchless. One shot on goal despite fielding an "offensive-minded" lineup designed to counter the improved San Jose Earthquake defense and attempt to victimize the leakiest defense in the league.

Earlier today it looked as though Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas may be on his way out of the Emirates after he slammed the club for it's failure to win a Premier League title in over five years.
"The absence of titles at Arsenal is what angers me the most .

On the day that Cristiano Ronaldo passes his Real Madrid medical and is unveiled in front of 80,000 fans, Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech reckons our former winger will miss us more than we'll miss him.

Whilst Real Madrid gushed over him as one of the 'chosen ones' during the unveiling ceremony, Cech isn't convinced that his absence is going to make an awful amount of difference to how we do next season.

Team Overview: Sporting Gijon have played every season of their existence in the top two divisions in Spanish football. The club's strongest finish in the Primera Division came in 1979. That year the Rojiblancos finished in second place. The 2008/2009 season marks the club's first back in the top division since a ten year absence.

AP Photo / Manu Fernandez

Contract talks between Mexican defender Rafael Marquez and Barcelona have hit a snag putting in doubt his future with the club. The Mexican press is reporting that Marquez has rejected the teams latest offer of an additional year contract taking him up until 2011.

Morning all, hope we find you well. I'm as tired as Galwayman's goat. I don't know really how tired the goats of Galway men get but it just sounds good to my ear this morning.

We'll start with Eduardo around whom there has been some confusion in the last 24 hours. When asked about the options to replace the injured Samir Nasri Arsene Wenger said:

The options are Tomas Rosicky who is back.

Test yourself for self-delusion: "A point on the road is a good thing." Right?

No, none of us are that deluded. How about this? "The most frustrating thing about this match was giving up a two goal lead." Any buyers? I see a few hands out there.

But, of course, that's a comforting delusion as well.

Arsenal wins the more or less meaningless Emirates Cup with a dominant performance against Rangers. Jack Wilshere puts in a man of the match performance with 2 goals, and Arsenal controlled the match from start to finish. More importantly, this is 2 good performances in 2 days, both coming against clubs in the Champions League.

I'm out of the office for a couple of days, returning Thursday, so do us all a favor and behave yourselves in my absence. Lots of soccer later this week. Thursday: Dynamo at FC Dallas, 7:30 p.m. (11.2, Informa) Friday:...

Ok, Arsenal fans could up in arms against me for posting this. But relax guys there is no chance of this completeing this season. But it is always good to have a debate on a subject which matters most to Catalans. Guardiola and Laporta both have made clear their hopes of signing the Catalan.

After an absence of eleven years, the English Premier League is back on the networks of ESPN in the United States! Last week, the American company announced that it had reached an agreement with Fox Sports International to broadcast up to 48 live Barclays Premier League (BPL) matches in the United States for the 2009/2010 season.

League's Biggest Baby

It is the least coveted award in all of the LLTO Award Ceremony, the League's Biggest Baby. Who will win it in 2009/2010? With all the new additions to Real Madrid it is quite possible that one addition will be the odd man out, but who will this player be?

Barca are set to face Sporting Gijon in their opening match of the Liga, in what will hopefully prove to be a great start to the season. It mightn't be that easy, especially given the absence of Leo Messi, who went straight from Monaco after the Supercup to join up with the Argentine national team in Rosario, in preparation for their upcoming World Cup qualifier against Brazil.