With 32 names in the bag (irrespective of how they got there) thoughts can now turn to the subject of the draw for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.
The first thing to be decided is which countries to seed. This is calculated just before the draw and is based on past performances in recent World Cups and the FIFA World Ranking. Click to continue reading...

Bad news for Barcelona today as they revealed that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss this weekend's game against Athletic Bilbao due to a hamstring injury.

Barcelona says the injury was discovered following medical tests Thursday after the Sweden striker felt discomfort on Wednesday.

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David Villa scored two first-half goals to help Spain beat Austria 5-1 in an international friendly Wednesday. Cesc Fabregas and substitutes Daniel Guiza and Pablo Hernandez also scored for the European champions after Jakob Jantscher had ... Click to continue reading...

David Villa scored two first-half goals to help Spain beat Austria 5-1 in an international friendly Wednesday. Cesc Fabregas and substitutes Daniel Guiza and Pablo Hernandez also scored for the European champions after Jakob Jantscher had ...

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by CARL ELDRIDGE Crocked Kieran Gibbs will give Arsene Wenger another injury headache ahead of the trip to Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday.

The young left-back hobbled out of England U-21's 0-0 draw in Lithuania last night and this morning's paper report on the injury which comes after RVP was sidelined with ankle ligament damage.

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When will this end!

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Former Manchester United defender Gerard Pique believes Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas will eventually return to European champions Barcelona and not join arch-rivals Real Madrid.

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Liverpool, the five-time European champions who have won the English title a joint-record 18 times, are struggling on the pitch but comprehensively outperforming their rivals online.
The club's official Facebook page has more than one million fans - more than every other official Premier League fan-page put together - while its Twitter feed has more than 55,000 fans. Click to continue reading...

Argentina were thoroughly outclassed by the European champions on Saturday night in the Vicente Calderón, losing 2-1. Xabi Alonso scored twice for the home side, the second a late penalty, whilst Lionel Messi got a temporary equaliser also from the spot after just over an hour. I wasn't in the best shape last night, hence [. Click to continue reading...

Javier Mascherano is set to leave Liverpool after his advisers agreed on personal terms with Barcelona to line up a move in January or the summer, according to a report.
The Argentinian midfielder is desperate to complete a switch to Camp Nou and now knows he can expect to earn around €120,000-a-week should he join the European champions, the Sunday Express states. Click to continue reading...

by FRANCO PANIZO

Nine spots remain for the 2010 World Cup, and four of those� will be decided� through the UEFA playoffs, which are set to� begin on Saturday.

Russia-Slovenia, Greece-Ukraine, Portugal-Bosnia Herzegovina and France-Ireland are the� two-legged playoffs� that will determine which remaining UEFA teams� punch their tickets to South Africa next summer.

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For ranking methodology and other information about the series, see the original post. To read the about the No. 7-rated stadium, the Camp Nou in Barcelona, click here. To see all "soccer mecca" entries click here.
No. 6 Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid
Open since: 1947
Capacity: 80,000
Tenant(s): Real Madrid
World Cup hosts: 1982
We have now had two stadiums in Argentina (Bombonera at No. Click to continue reading...

Beginning Saturday, eight nations in Europe will compete for the last four remaining UEFA spots in the 2010 World Cup. Winners of the two leg playoffs will secure a spot in the World Cup draw on December 4, and the losers endure the pain of watching next summer's tournament from home.

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Beginning Saturday, eight nations in Europe will compete for the last four remaining UEFA spots in the 2010 World Cup. Winners of the two leg playoffs will secure a spot in the World Cup draw on December 4, and the losers endure the pain of watching next summer's tournament from home.

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Rafa Benitez will try to solve his Liverpool striker crisis with a £12m move for Carlton Cole.
West Ham may be forced to sell their leading target man in the January transfer window due to a cash crisis at Upton Park.
So Benitez is looking to take advantage with a move for the 26-year-old. Click to continue reading...

The forthcoming season of world football is set to be the most thrilling in recent history concluding with one man holding aloft that hallowed golden trophy in Jo'berg next summer.

As top-flight action kicks off around the globe, who should we be looking out for? Which players are capable of bursting on to the international scene and emulating the famous exploits of an adolescent Owen during France '98?

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It is almost two years since the South Korean national team last ventured outside the borders of Asia. This weekend sees the Taeguk Warriors in Europe for the first of two 2010 World Cup warm-up matches against tough opposition.
Saturday sees the team in Denmark and then four days later; Huh Jung-moo takes his players west to London to face Serbia. Click to continue reading...

As a fan of Barcelona I was thinking the other day about the club's rich history as well as their successes in the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona have won the UEFA Champions League three times in their history with two coming in the last four years which is extremely impressive.

It got me thinking; which Champions League winning side was better?

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Unhappy midfielder could be interested in Barca exit.

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Manchester City captain Kolo Toure says he would like to see brother Yaya join him at Eastlands after admitting the Barcelona midfielder is unhappy at the Nou Camp.

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Liverpool will not be forced to sell off key players if the club make an early exit from the Champions League, co-owner Tom Hicks said.
"None of our star players will be sold, regardless of results," the American told the Sunday Mirror. "The club is doing very well due to rapidly growing commercial revenues. Click to continue reading...

This matchday of Champions League and Europa League has provided us with action and entertainment. Anyone who said the group stages are boring is proved wrong big time, with big teams slipping, and small teams fighting, the group stages will be fought to the death.
In the Champions League, Liverpool boss Benitez is risking big with a 1-1 draw against Olympique Lyon, although the reds aren't out of the competition mathematically, they will need many results to go their way so that they can go through to the knockout stages. Click to continue reading...

At least Barca drew with Rubin Kazan this time, but in no way did they impress.� Something about Champion's League play has the boys from the shore playing snake-bitten...and I think I know what it is.

�

Take a look at the crew from Barcelona and answer me one question.� Even though they are the reigning European Champions (and have a huge bullseye on their backs)� do you think they kind of expect to be in the Final 16?

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Catalan giants try to annoy Gunners in a whole new way.

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Barcelona's copycat chase of two of Arsenal's Under 18 starlets has been stepped up with Barça represenatives making formal offers for both Benik Afobe and Chukwuemeka Aneke to visit their Catalan base for talks.

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FC Barcelona has just one loss this season, and the defending European champions will get their chance to avenge that loss on Wednesday when they travel to Russia to take on FC Rubin Kazan on Wednesday.

The Russian champions cracked this week's SBI European Club Top 10 with its latest league victory, and on the strength of its 2-1 win at the Camp Nou and its draw vs.

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FC Barcelona has just one loss this season, and the defending European champions will get their chance to avenge that loss on Wednesday when they travel to Russia to take on FC Rubin Kazan on Wednesday.

The Russian champions cracked this week's SBI European Club Top 10 with its latest league victory, and on the strength of its 2-1 win at the Camp Nou and its draw vs.

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The European Champions League is back for Matchday 4 with some great match ups, including AC Milan vs Real Madrid on Tuesday and Lyon vs Liverpool, who are fighting for their life, on Wednesday. The full list of games for Matchday 4 (of 6 in this round) can be found on the UEFA website. The broadcast schedule looks like this:

TUESDAY, Nov.

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Once again, Barcelona is exhibiting an intense lack of "hand" when they gave away a draw to Osasuna. � I think the picture says it all...

Now that you've a minute to look it over I'll get to the real problem here. � It's not that Osasuna drew Barca. � Technically, any team can beat or draw anybody on any given day (regardless of how bad they are.

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First came the goal-less draw vs. Valencia, then came the 2-0� Champions League loss to Rubin Kazan, but after being shut out on two straight occasions, FC Barcelona's attack re-awakened in grand fashion this weekend.

The European champions put on a classic display on Sunday, scoring six goals in a match they could probably have scored eight or nine.

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First came the goal-less draw vs. Valencia, then came the 2-1� Champions League loss to Rubin Kazan, but after dropping points on two straight occasions, FC Barcelona's attack re-awakened in grand fashion this weekend.

The European champions put on a classic display on Sunday, scoring six goals in a match they could probably have scored eight or nine.

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Fromer Spurs' manager Marttin Jol has come out today and heaped praise on Newcastle soon to be announced new manager Chris Hughton. Martin Jol - former Spurs' manager Hughton and Jol, working together, came agonisingly close to taking Tottenham to the European Champions League. Newcastle fans might forget that Chris served 11 years as a coach [. Click to continue reading...

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French striker Thierry Henry may leave Barcelona next summer to play for the New York Red Bulls, a Spanish sports daily said on Friday.

Henry, 32, would like to end his career in the same country as his friend and countryman Tony Parker, who plays basketball for the San Antonio Spurs, the daily AS said, without indicating its sources.

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You can watch Celtic v Hamburg Live online here.

Celtic v Hamburg
Europa League
Hampden Park
Thursday 22nd October 20:05 BST

Bottom of UEFA Europa League Group C after two games, Celtic FC will be wary of being cast adrift as fellow former European champions Hamburger SV return to Glasgow, where they won 2-0 on their only previous visit.

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In partnership with Russian Football Now, EPL Talk presents the tenth episode of RNF's podcast.

The Russian Premier League made headlines this week when Rubin Kazan beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp. It was the first time since February 22 that a team had beaten the European champions on their pitch.

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I can't believe the reaction to Rubin Kazan beating Barcelona in the Champions League. Rubin are the strongest side in a very tough and high quality Russian league and, as Zenit have shown in recent seasons, Russian club sides should be a force to be reckoned with in European football.
It's not as if the team that finished third in the weak French league went to a multiple European champions and won, is it? Click to continue reading...

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said his side must win their remaining three group games if the five-time European champions are to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
A 2-1 home defeat by Olympique Lyon on Tuesday left Liverpool third in Group E after three games, six points behind leaders Lyon and three behind second-placed Fiorentina. Click to continue reading...

by� FRANCO PANIZO

Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller has enjoyed a strong first year in MLS, and the 39-year-old is planning to stick around for a few more seasons.

Keller told reporters Tuesday he would be surprised if he was not around for the start of the 2011 season, when a Pacific Northwest rivalry is expected to begin as expansion teams Portland and Vancouver join MLS.

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