This Sunday's Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Manchester City certainly has the makings of a decisive game in the outcome of the title race. With City's stuttering away form over the last six weeks seeing them lose three ...
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The Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill saw his team held until the 113th minute last night before Stephan Sessegnon scored the winner against Middlesbrough, setting up two home games against Arsenal in the space of a week. This weekend will see a League clash at the Stadium of light, and O'Neill thinks that Arsenal will be [.

The transfer window might be over but that is not stopping a number of clubs from actively pursuing summer targets. After an amazing 7-1 victory over Blackburn on Saturday, Arsenal manager has immediately turned his attention back to weightier issues stating that his interest for Lille player Eden Hazard has not waned.

John Nyen spurs a more interesting relationship between Donovan and Dempsey than "foil."

....or did they?

10 goals in the Barclay's Premier League and 16 in all competitions: Clint Dempsey

5 assists in 7 games in the Barclay's Premier League: Landon Donovan

No animosity (photo credit: MLSSoccer.

Athletic Bilbao midfielder Oscar de Marcos insists his side will show Mirandes total respect on Tuesday night as the two clubs clash in the Copa del Rey semi-final.

Athletic, whose record of 23 Copa titles is second only to Barcelona (25), are favourites heading into the semi-final second leg after earning a 2-1 lead from last week's first meeting at Mirandes' Anduva stadium.

For much of this season, Spurs number one Brad Friedel has quietly gone about his business and at times, solid performances across the back four have provided him with little to do. When called upon, the American is an uncomplicated keeper who has brought calm between the posts where once there was chaos.

After watching Sunday's remarkable clash between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, I was left in awe at the fighting qualities United have in abundance. For a team minus ten first team regulars including Vidic, Fletcher, Jones, Nani...
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Arsenal legends Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams are squaring up for a head-to-head clash – with the winner securing a coaching role at the Emirates.

The former Gunners are frontrunners to replace Steve Bould within the coaching staff at the club at the end of the season.

Bould is poised to replace the retiring Pat Rice as Arsene Wenger's No.

Queens Park Rangers boss Mark Hughes has slammed the decision to delay John Terry's racism hearing until July. Terry was involved in an alleged racially-motivated clash with QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, and Hughes is upset that the trial will interrupt his side's preseason plans.

"They've made a decision that impacts on one of my players, they've given a date which is slap bang in the middle of pre-season," Hughes said.

The massive clash at Stamford Bridge this weekend could see Chelsea put out a back-four with two new starters Ryan Bertrand at LB and Gary Cahill at CB. They could be joined by two of Luiz, Ivanovic, and/or Bosingwa ... Continue reading →

Spurs assistant manager Kevin Bond revealed that Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe remain as major doubts for Monday night's clash with Liverpool. Both players have been struggling with hamstring injuries and while the timing of the game gives them an extra chance to recover, it looks as if both will miss out.

Harry Redknapp's high-flying Tottenham travel to Anfield on Monday 6th February to take on Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool and bet365 have got a fantastic free bet offer to add to the excitement. Place a pre-match bet on the game and bet365 will give you a free In-Play bet to the same stake.
To qualify for your free In-Play bet, simply place a bet with bet365 before kick-off, then once the game starts place another bet on any In-Play market.

There will be some very tense nerves in West London this weekend ahead of Chelsea's super clash with rivals Manchester United at Stamford Bridge this Sunday. A couple of years back, this would have been just another day in the office for the Blues, however, things have changed drastically.

In fact, things are so bad for the Blues that a 3rd place finish for them would be amazing.

Bolton 0 Arsenal 0
(Premiership)

Last night's clash at the Reebok was a classic example of a football match not being an isolated occasion, and not judged as such, but rather an act in a bigger play, with interpretations not purely taken from the ninety minutes of action, but from the wider context of both clubs.

""Football can go to hell if this is the situation.""
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Those were the words of Al-Ahly's star player Mohamed Aboutrika in the wake of the tragedy in Port Said, calling for the Egyptian league to be suspended indefinitely. "Crowds are dying in front of us, and there aren't any police or security forces," he said.

2012, after 2001?
Today is a crucial day as we'll know whether we continue our currently successful run in 4 competitions. Since the last victory against Dijon, OL players and staff didn't focus on the all important incoming clash at the Velodrome against Marseille, which could condition the path of the two clubs in L1.

Arseblog has teamed up with Thomas Cook Sport, official travel partner of Arsenal, to offer two lucky fans the chance to win a pair of tickets to their Barclays Premier League clash with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 4th February.

The Gunners will be in search of three valuable points against and some revenge against a Blackburn side for whom we scored two goals back in September.

Stoke City defender Robert Huth admits that getting anything out of tomorrow evening's trip to Old Trafford will be difficult but hopes that Manchester United are not at their best.

Huth, who is aware that the Potters have not defeated United in over 30 years, has seen the defending champions bounce back strongly from every setback and is worried that a backlash awaits following this weekend's 2-1 FA Cup defeat at Liverpool.

Saturday 15th October 2011.
Celtic, fresh from a defeat at Tynecastle, are 3-0 down at half time to Kilmarnock.
Winning the title looks a long way off, Neil Lennon's managerial coat seems to hang on an ever shooglier peg.
They came back to draw 3-3, three goals in a 10 minute burst from Anthony Stokes and Charlie Mulgrew salvaging a point.

A week is a long time in football. Seven days ago we were preparing for a league game against Manchester United, a game from which we hoped to get points, primarily, and restore some confidence after a couple of miserable results previously. Clearly that worked out well.

We've spent the last week poring over that game, the incidents, the manager's decision making and everything else.

U.S. Soccer fans were dialed in to yesterdays' FA Cup fourth round clash between Everton and Fulham that featured Tim Howard, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. The home side walked out 2-1 winners, with Donovan serving up assists on both goals for the Toffees. The win was the first for Everton against Fulham in their FA Cup history.

Kenny Dalglish has made four changes to the side that beat Manchester City for today's crunch clash with Manchester United. With five defenders named in the staring eleven, it looks like Kenny Dalglish may (unfortunately) go with a more defensive formation.Here is the full team: Reina, Kelly, Enrique, Agger, Skrtel, Carragher, Henderson, Gerrard, Downing, Maxi, Carroll.

Patrice Evra will be on the receiving end of some abuse today but I'd like to think it won't be racist abuse. Maybe I'm naive and I'm probably giving the vermin too much credit but I genuinely hope that Liverpool fans don't turn their dislike of Evra, having been lead to believe that he's a liar by the ridiculous propaganda from their club, in to something far more sinister.

Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan, the two best field players in American soccer, and two of the most popular players in American soccer history, are set to do battle today in the FA Cup (3pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Today's Fulham-Everton clash serves as the perfect event to showcase the match-up of two players who have been U.

The U.S. WNT will play a HUGE match early in year on Friday night, Jan. 27, when it faces Costa Rica in the semifinal of the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Women's Qualifying Tournament for a berth to the London Olympics.
A HIGHLY motivated U.S. team will kick-off the clash with the Central Americans at 5 p.

Angry Liverpool fans have targeted Manchester United defender Patrice Evra as the focal point for their wrath as Liverpool and Manchester United clash in the FA Cup 4th Round. Evra was involved in an altercation with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez when the two sides met in the League clash in September with Suarez having been [.

Zambia came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Libya in their African Nations Cup Group A clash at a rain drenched Bata.

It was clear for all to see this pitch was unplayable, however with severe pressure put on the referee from tournament organisers to let the game go ahead the official backed down on what right for the player's well being and let the game go ahead.

It's high time again for another hat trick and QOTD. Today's piece will focus a bit more on the USMNT as a couple of big games loom tonight and this weekend. One of the matchups includes two American soccer icons in a clash this weekend, which should make for must watch TV. Also follow after the break to have your say in the QOTD.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has called on his team to raise their game as his club pursue victory in their League Cup campaign and continue to cling on to their fast fading hopes of Champions League qualification. Gerrard's side have struggled in recent games in spite of heavy investment in the squad by manager Kenny Dalglish at the start of the current campaign - and even a recent return to fitness and form of the talismanic Gerrard has not been enough to stop the club sliding to 7th in the Premier League table.

Reserve coach Rodolfo Borrell believes Liverpool might be forced to adopt a more direct style of play as they look to overcome a physical Blackburn side at the Academy on Tuesday.
Rovers have yet to win a reserve game so far in 2011-12, but they did prove a tough nut to crack when the two sides shared the spoils in a goalless draw back in November.

Queens Park Rangers are reportedly keen for defender Anton Ferdinand to shake hands with Chelsea's John Terry in a bid to ease tensions between the pair before Saturday's FA Cup fourth round tie.
All eyes will be on the duo in the clash at Loftus Road this weekend, as they come face-to-face for the first time since England skipper Terry was charged with racially abusing Ferdinand in the Premier League meeting between the two sides in October.

Substituted at half-time having inadvertently assisted the goal which gave the opposition the lead is not the debut Eduardo Vargas had in mind after making his £11.4m move from Universidad de Chile to Napoli. In the 20th minute of the last-16 Coppa Italia clash with Cesena ‘Edu' chased back to the edge of the area to help out defensively when an attempt to control the ball resulted in releasing.

By Alan Duffy

Sometimes the world isn't fair. And for League Two Morecambe on Saturday, the world was very very unfair.

After getting the scoreline back to 2-1 in their home clash with Torquay, play-off hopefuls Morecambe pushed for a late equaliser.

Clint Dempsey scored a historic hat trick in a big win for Fulham over Newcastle United, while Brad Friedel and Tottenham agonizingly went down to Manchester City in a Premier League clash.

Harry Redknapp praised his players after yesterday's agonising defeat at Manchester City and at one point, the manager and his bench were convinced that Jermain Defoe had snatched a late winner.

"Gareth rolled the ball square to Jermain and we were all up on our feet ready for the ball to be put into the empty net," Harry said.

Lionel Messi scored his first away hat-trick of the season to give Barca a comfortable 4-1 victory over Malaga. The match wasn't as comfortable as the score-line suggest. In the first half Malaga had some serious chances and ended as 1-0. Rondon scored the consolation goal for Malaga.

Manchester City went six points clear at the Barclays Premier League summit after a late penalty conversion from Mario Balotelli ensured a thrilling 3-2 win over a resilient Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium.

After a slow first half, the hosts came alive at the beginning of the second, with goals from Samir Nasri and Joleon Lescott creating a comfortable two-goal cushion.

Tomorrow afternoon Manchester United will play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in a massive Premier League clash. Arsenal go into
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It's always tough to take your focus away from Clasico clashes. Hence Barca's visit to Malaga could be a herculean task in some aspect. First you have to get your feet back on the ground following a sweet victory at Bernebeu, then the big task - keeping the Wednesday's clash with real Madrid at camp Nou in the background.

Manchester City and Tottenham are ready to lock horns at the Etihad Stadium in a potential Premier League title-defining clash which promises to be dynamite. For the past two season's, Manchester City and Tottenham clashes have been purely to decide the squabble for that much-coveted fourth UEFA Champions League spot.