El Clasico showdown, Old Firm derby and lots of Man City action in December - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

There's only one more month left in 2011, and it looks like the year will go out with a real bang from a football standpoint.

December features several must-see matches, with a few that will have title implications on top of deciding bragging rights between fierce rivals.

Xabi Alonso has revealed that Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo has still not returned to training ahead of Saturday's crucial La Liga clash with Sporting Gijon.

Ronaldo picked up an ankle injury following a strong challenge by Luis Perea during last weekend's ill-tempered derby win over city rivals Atletico Madrid.

It might seem a little strange to say so, especially since Wolves are one of the worst sides in the Premier League, but this afternoon's match at Old Trafford should be looked at with anticipation. No, not the kind of anticipation that's felt ahead of a crunch clash in May, but the kind of anticipation [.

Is this the worst hat ever? It might just be. This Wigan fans donned a festive hat, probably in anticipation of a stuffing at the hands of Chelsea. But it wasn't to be as Jordi Gomez bagged a late equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw for the Latics. Great news for Roberto Martinez, but not [...]

"[Rio Ferdinand's] performance was nothing short of magnificent," announced Alan Hansen on Match of the Day 2 yesterday, before wheeling out selected clips for his analysis on what appeared to be Ferdinand's return to form (at one point, he put down a random pass to Wayne Rooney as good "anticipation" ).

"[Rio Ferdinand's] performance was nothing short of magnificent," announced Alan Hansen on Match of the Day 2 yesterday, before wheeling out selected clips for his analysis on what appeared to be Ferdinand's return to form (at one point, he put down a random pass to Wayne Rooney as good "anticipation" ).

So here's a hot topic for you guys: as I was preparing for today's TTB (which is going to be daily again from now on) I saw this little tweet from Merritt Paulson:

Finalized 2013 kits today-tough as I like current so much. Pleased still. Hopefully no leaks; if so,at least decent image unlike past leaks

So we now know that we will get a refreshed primary and secondary kit in 2013, but more than that we know that it's different enough that owner Merritt Paulson put special emphasis on his love of the current ones in his tweet meaning that there's a reasonable assumption we could see some fairly big changes.

Their Words As the person at FIFA responsible for the delivery of the FIFA Confederations Cup and the FIFA World Cup it is essential that I also get a personal view on the status of preparations during my planned host city visits to take place every two months next year. Because we have no time to rest, the clock is ticking ever faster and the anticipation is rising for all of us.

Everybody I talked to said the same thing – we were up for it like no other game in recent memory. Not just a derby, this one has become more sour over the last few years. There's a bitter edge to it, compared with the intense but long-standing rivalry with the Arsen*l, heightened by the welcome but unusual sensation of being third and favourites.

Alan Hansen believes Liverpool's transfer policy in the past year has helped them enjoy a much more fruitful 2011 and will see them kick on again next year.
Like everyone else with Reds connections Hansen has been delighted with the progress the club has made since Kenny Dalglish returned to manage the club in January.