The Confederations Cup is in full swing now in South Africa and after a fairly slow start the tournament has got into full swing. The group stages are now over and the two semi-finals feature USA Vs Spain and Brazil Vs South Africa. It is a bit of a weird tournament in all fairness, to qualify you have to win a FIFA Confederation Championship (such as the Copa America or European Championship) or the World Cup or be the host country of the next World Cup.

All eyes may be on Manchester United and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League but at the bottom something equally as interesting is happening. On Monday May 11 Newcastle face Middlesbrough at St James' Park and the loser will almost certainly be playing their football in the Championship next season.

The first three Premiership rounds have generated a lot of excitement and even though it is still early in the season, some things are clearer after we have seen the teams play. Premiership sack race is as interesting as ever, but Rafa Benitez has, surprisingly or not, emerged as the hot favourite after Liverpool lost two of the first three league games, while Paul Hart and Phil Brown were among the candidates even before the season started.

The pick of this weekend's Premier League action is without a doubt Manchester City's home tie with Arsenal. Both teams have something to prove, City may have a 100% start but they're yet to come up against a side who will also be competing for honours and the match against Arsenal represents a great chance for them to establish their own top-four credentials.

The European World Cup play-offs were drawn today (October 19) and the Republic of Ireland have drawn 1998 winners France. The Irish will have to beat the French if they are to make it to South Africa and the game should be a cracking occassion.

Of course the French are the favourites with the World Cup 2010 betting odds.

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award winning Dirty Tackle...

Fat Ronaldo plays with that evil looking bobblehead doll that's supposed to resemble him. [Globoesporte]

Peter Crouch and Jonathan Woodgate get caught doing the robot in a nightclub.

I never thought I would see the day but there are increasing calls from the Inter faithful for Jose Mourinho to leave.

The self styled "special one" who won the Champions League in 2004, as well as league titles in Portugal, England and Italy, is under intense pressure as Inter's alarming European form continues to slide downwards.

It wasn't the wisest pre-match interview to give. Criticising the opposition in the build-up to any match is always ill-advised, but when the inflammatory comments come from a Tottenham manager ahead of a trip to Arsenal, you are asking for trouble.

In truth Harry Redknapp did not say anything particularly controversial – he, like the Premier League title betting odds, expect Chelsea or Manchester United to win the league, not the Gunners – but he should have been aware of what the headline writers would seize upon.

By Gareth Freeman

Derby day in Manchester is always a special occasion but this year the stakes are higher than they have been in many years. For over a decade now United's dominance of the Premier League has cast a shadow over City. The stakes have risen somewhat now Manchester's other team have squillions to spend and have enjoyed a terrific start to the season.

Written by Gareth Freeman

Champions League Quarter Final 1st Leg: Manchester United 2-2 FC Porto

It proved to be a frustrating night for Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson after Porto defied the betting odds and left Old Trafford with a well deserved draw.

The two FA Cup semi-finals last weekend were fairly boring games, despite Everton upsetting the betting odds and taking out Manchester United, and personally I think it could be time the FA made an effort to regain some of the prestige the FA Cup once had. In years gone by it was the country's most prestigious tournament and the final was a massive occasion across the country.

For all the attacking prowess the four remaining teams in the Champions League posses the first legs produced just one goal between them. In the tie between Barcelona and Chelsea this was due to a combination of poor finishing, good goalkeeping and Chelsea's excellent defensive tactics. In the Manchester United and Arsenal fixture United ran riot over the Gunners and should have won by a far greater margin but one man stood in their way – Manuel Almunia.

Finally a few issues in the Premier League have been resolved, namely Manchester United have been confirmed as champions. United played out a fairly boring 0-0 draw with Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, where neither goalkeeper really had a save to make, which confirmed them as champions.
Livepool boss Rafael Benitez congratulated the winners, he said: "I prefer just to say well done to the club, a big club, a good club,
"Normally you have to be polite and respect the other manager but during the season we have seen a lot of things that I didn't like, so that's it.

By Gareth Freeman

City may have dominated the back pages over the summer with their transfer exploits but Sir Alex Ferguson doesn't see United's neighbours mounting a serious title challenge next season.

He told the BBC: "It won't be easy for them to win anything, even with the players they have bought.

Fair enough, it isn't the biggest Manchester derby ever but it is certainly one of the most important for years, perhaps even decades. For the first time in a very long time City see themselves as genuine contenders to take the title from United and after a summer of unprecedented spending they should go into this tie full of confidence.

The visitors at Old Trafford this Saturday are local rivals Bolton Wanderers. United got the better of the Wanderers last season with a 2-0 win, though there was a bit of controversy over the penalty decision that led to United's first goal, and they'll be looking for three points today after drawing with Sunderland last week.

Well, English football's golden child has arrived and bets are already being taken on whether newborn Kai will eventually live up to his father's high standard as a professional footballer (you know, as the children of the incredibly talented and famous always do).

The bookies at Ladbrokes have set the odds on mini-Roo breaking into Manchester United's first team at 33-1.

"Look at Nani - his free kick goes right into the wall, again!"
It's been all doom and gloom for Liverpool over the past few weeks - the losses keep mounting, as do the injuries - and the club finds itself in its most precarious state in years.
On the other hand, Chelsea are being touted as "Champions" before we've even hit December, and with over six months of football still to be played, it seems as if journalists, bloggers, and pundits alike are claiming that The Blues have what it takes to win it all.

By Gareth Freeman

Ahead of Liverpool's league tie with Arsenal there was a notable absentee at the press conference - Rafa Benitez. Alex Ferguson has always been a bit of a master at the old ‘mind games' or whatever you want to call them. He made Kevin Keegan snap, he has sparred with Arsene Wenger on numerous occasions and now it looks as if Rafa has fallen by the wayside in his latest, and probably most bitter, feud.

After all the hype about Liverpool getting back into the title race it looks as if Manchester United have all but sealed the title now. Manchester United saw off Portsmouth 2-0 in midweek while Liverpool played out an unreal 4-4 draw with Arsenal.
That draw with Arsenal all but ended Liverpool's title hopes and their odds have rocketed, so if you do still fancy betting on them to do it you'll get a good price!

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas seems to be linked with a move away from the Emirates every time a new transfer window comes around. The 22-year-old Spanish international is integral to Arsenal and if he leaves it would be a massive blow to boss Arsene Wenger, who has pretty much shaped his team around the midfield schemer.

David Villa has been one of the hottest properties in Europe for some time now and it seemed almost inevitable Valencia would have to cash in on their star man due to their 450million euro debt. The talented hitman had stated his desire to stay in Spain, which effectively ruled out everyone bar Real Madrid and it looked as if he was heading for the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Chelsea monkey is well and truly off our backs, so now is the perfect time to go to Stamford Bridge with confidence. The defeat against Manchester United has guaranteed complacency will not be a problem, but with four wins under our belts we should still head west with nothing to fear.

Stamford Bridge is no longer the fortress it once was – Liverpool and Arsenal both won there last season – and the players have the confidence of knowing they took four points from Chelsea last term.

The Champions League resumes this week with the fancied teams looking to extend their good starts and improve on their Champions League betting odds. All four English clubs won their first matches in the tournament, along with La Liga giants Real Madrid, while Barcelona and perennial dark horses Inter Milan shared the spoils in their San Siro clash.

Real Madrid spent plenty of money in the summer to rejuvenate their faltering team. After falling way short of eventual Spanish and European Champions Barcelona last season Los Merengues forked out huge transfer fees on the likes of Ballon d'Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, while Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso also completed big moves to the Spanish capital.

By Gareth Freeman

United's Carling Cup win over Barnsley was encouraging in the fact the ‘squad' players came in and gave a decent account of themselves. Michael Owen's goal was vintage Owen, he showed neat skills and a cool composure to send the ball into the net but, with all due respect to Barnsley, he should have registered a goal against the opposition.

Just over a third of the season has gone and it is a case of so far so good for Tottenham Hotspur. 25 points from 13 games represents an excellent start, but the question will we be fourth when the season finishes?
It is a tough ask. The holy grail of a top four finish preoccupies too many clubs – Spurs especially, just ask Martin Jol – but the carrot of Champions League football is hard to ignore.