Good Saturday to you all. Here is the news.

It looks like Manuel Almunia is back in pole position. Or, he would be if Arsenal was a Forumula 1 team and he'd just come fastest in qualifying, but you know what I mean. A mixture of a chest infection, family tragedy and just plain old poor form meant his start to the season was a bit all over the shop, but it seems as if the manager is ready to put his faith in him again.

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Does it get much better?

Manchester United visits Chelsea this weekend with first place on the line.

I could stop there, but then this wouldn't be much of a preview, would it?

Before we get into the games, check out the TV schedule.

And don't forget to tab the winners with the EPL Talk Predictor.

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Wenger has centre back on his radar.

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Apparently on his way into the Emirates is Torino's Italy Under-21 defender Angelo Ogbonna. "I know exactly what I want and I am not closing the door on anything," he says.

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Imagine a world without coffee. It would be a truly dark and terrible place. When I was a younger chap I had a mate whose mother refused to buy coffee for some reason but insisted they drink chicory. I would imagine that is not at all pleasant. Like having beef stew but without beef and with chunks of gopher instead.

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get your coat oscar; you'll need it.

Speculation (and I hasten to say speculation); seems to suggest that Mr. Levy's move to sure up relations with Internacional in the last window was another savvy decision from our shrewd chairman as the major press seem to have heard wind of movements which might suggest that the capture of Sandro in the winter window (to sure up the enforcing side of our midfield), would seem to place us in pole position.

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While Jensen Button was busy winning the F1 World Title on Sunday, a teenager from Southend was also flying the flag for Britain in motor sport. Robert Foster-Jones snatched the British Super 1 karting championship in a sensational showdown in Lincolnshire on Sunday.
Knowing beforehand that nothing less than victory would suffice if he was to stand a chance of winning the title, Foster-Jones then produced a scintillating performance in the first final to blow things wide open. Click to continue reading...

Today's Sunderland defeat is clearly a devastating blow to Liverpool's title chances, after all, no team can win the league after losing 4 of their first 9 league games...right? WRONG. During the 1963-64 season, Bill Shankly's Liverpool team did just that!
I personally don't believe Liverpool can win the title this season, but as history proves, it IS theoretically possible, and it HAS been done before. Click to continue reading...

Big derby wins over the weekend from Chelsea (over Spurs) and Manchester United (over Man City) have left the two teams in the pole position in the English Premier League.
Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack raves about the influence of Carlo Ancelotti to the Telegraph, and about the two-team race between his side and their rivals from Manchester. Click to continue reading...

(Video: la "tetta" incriminata di Maria Lopez esce durante il balletto a Controcampo)
E' durata poco. Lo spazio di due sole puntate. Curve pazzesche, balletti sexy (come quello che provocò la fuoriuscita di una "tetta" e che potete osservare nel video), tanta esuberanza, ma poca competenza in maniera calcistica. Click to continue reading...

Brazil qualified at the weekend thanks to a 3-1 win in Argentina, who
are now fourth in the South American group, five points behind Chile and Paraguay and only two points in front of Colombia and Ecuador. If Ecuador win in Bolivia this evening or Colombia win in Uruguay and Argentina fail to pick up a point in Paraguay early on Thursday morning then either or
possibly both of them latter could leapfrog Diego's boys.

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In the SMH today: Canberra handed inside running as Meissner pulls out of FFA race for new team
Western Sydney have pulled out the day before the A-League game in Canberra. Make of that what you will, but Buckle-up Ben has hardly given us any encouragment has he. Ever?
Read his comments once more! Click to continue reading...

World Cup in South Africa is less than a year away and decisive qualifying battles are in front of us. As usually, the European qualifying zone is probably the most interesting one, partly as the teams fight for no less than 13 places at the big tournament. Netherlands is the first national team from Europe to have booked their ticket to South Africa, while England and Spain are likely to do the same, but there are still 10 places up for grabs.

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AIK won't enjoy any sort of peace and quiet at the top of Allsvenskan. Their pole position will immediately be threatened by a very tough opponent as the reigning champions Kalmar FF comes to Råsunda on Saturday. It's a tricky match-up that AIK hasn't won since 2006. But this game could very well mark a negative turning point for Kalmar, a team that has been an unlikely success story for the past few years. Click to continue reading...

The Mirror claims that a new bidder is going to enter the race to buy Newcastle United before Wednesday's deadline, although they say Barry Moat still remains in pole position. Apparently the bid will be made direct to Ashley, rather than Keith Harris at Seymour Pierce, and - I presume - without having performed a due [. Click to continue reading...

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Roberto Martinez had a reputation for attacking football during his time with Swansea City, but may look towards a pressing formation to kick-start the Premier League for Wigan Athletic.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have the pressing issue of handing the armband to a capable player, and Stiliyan Petrov appears to be in pole position to bear the burden of being the leader.

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Monday's game against Halmstad is yet another crucial match for AIK, but one that wouldn't raise my pulse much at all if wasn't for the fact that AIK is involved in an intense title race. Halmstad is after all a pretty dull club. They show up twice a season as an opponent, but they usually fail to leave much of an impression or elicit very strong emotions. Click to continue reading...

Jermain Defoe can start looking ahead to South Africa. The Tottenham Hotspur striker's two-goal display against Netherlands means it is a safe bet he is in pole position to join Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey in England's World Cup squad. This is bad news for Michael Owen.

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Jermain Defoe can start looking ahead to South Africa. The Tottenham Hotspur striker's two-goal display against Netherlands means it is a safe bet he is in pole position to join Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey in England's World Cup squad. This is bad news for Michael Owen.

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Jermain Defoe can start looking ahead to South Africa. The Tottenham Hotspur striker's two-goal display against Netherlands means it is a safe bet he is in pole position to join Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey in England's World Cup squad. This is bad news for Michael Owen.

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Liverpool new signings become like buses, wait around for ages for one, then three turn up at once, perhaps!

Udinese midfielder Gokhan Inler is the latest player to interest Liverpool as a replacement for Xabi Alonso.

The 25-year-old Turkish-born Switzerland international, Inler, is now understood to be high on Benitez's radar.

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Sky Sports News understands Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen.
Juve are open to the sale of the Denmark international and a number of sides have been linked with an interest in his services.
Premier League duo Fulham and Everton are among those clubs said to be admirers of the 29-year-old. Click to continue reading...

So, pre-season has come to a close, and the season starts in less than a week. The obvious question is 'are we ready?'

Gareth Southgate admitted last week that failing to get promoted at the first attempt would probably cost him his job. In truth, most Boro fans will probably start calling for his head if we fail to start the season with a bang.

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With the Champions League 3rd qualifying round drawing ever closer, a number of clubs are in with a chance of causing real upsets as they bid to qualify for the lucrative group stage.

Irish champions Bohemians have put themselves in a strong position after holding FC Salzburg to a 1-1 draw in Austria but far from basking in their achievement, Bohemians manager Patrick Fenlon has called on his team to finish the job.

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League Two side Notts County are in talks with Sven-Goran Eriksson about becoming their director of football.

Earlier in the month, Middle-Eastern consortium Munto Finance took over the club and laid out a set of ambitious plans, with the ultimate aim to "bring success back to Notts County Football Club.

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Americans Abroad / USMNT
Who Should The USMNT Start vs. Haiti? - Soccer By Ives
Cherundolo Eyeing MLS? - WVHooligan
Emotional Homecoming For Quaranta - Associated Press
Altidore Loaned To Olympiakos - MLS Daily
Has Robbie Rogers Done Enough To Earn World Cup Consideration? - Goal. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal seem to have fallen off the radar.

La Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Juventus is going ahead with negotiations to get the Brazilian midfielder on board and in exchange offer 20 million euros and winger Marco Marchionni to the Violas. A hitch between Juve's sports director Pantaleo Corvino and Melo's agent Bruno Carpiaggiani over Marchionni's purported value of a few hundred thousand euros needs to be sorted out.

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UPDATE: According to Tottenham's official website, Sevilla have agreed to a deal for Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora.

June 8th, 2009 According to Laurent Picard at Setanta Sports, Sevilla are interested in Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora but he isn't their main priority.

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Marcos Aurélio celebrates after striking against São Paulo

Nilmar's double strike for Inter away at Náutico put the Porto Alegre outfit back in pole position in Brazil's national championship. Earlier in the match, D'Alessandro capped a dismal week when he missed a penalty that could have put Inter in the lead.

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Pepe Reina has hit out at Gareth Barry and Carlos Tevez for snubbing Liverpool and opting for the riches on offer at Manchester City.
The Spanish keeper was a key part of the Reds side that finished just four points below Manchester United in the club's best Premier League season for years. Click to continue reading...

According to Udinese sporting director Sergio Gasperin, Liverpool are keeping an eye on midfielder Gaetano D'Agostino, but he is still likely to sign for Juventus.
"I can confirm the interest of the foreign club [Liverpool], but these are only inquiries, there is nothing concrete," he told tuttomercatoweb. Click to continue reading...

UPDATE: According to The Scotmans, Celtic boss Tony Mowbray is interested in signing Nancy striker and Hull City target Marc-Antoine Fortune. Mowbray said at a media conference,

"Everything is in the balance .

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According to Adam Scime at Goal.com, Tuttomercatoweb is reporting that Liverpool are interested in Udinese midfielder Gaetano D'Agostino but Juventus lead the chase for him. Udinese sporting director Sergio Gasperin said,

"I can confirm the interest of the foreign club [Liverpool], but these are only inquiries, there is nothing concrete.

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After completing the signing of Antonio Valencia from Wigan, Sir Alex Ferguson is now targetting a replacement for the departed Carlos Tevez.

According to Benzema's Lyon teammate Miralem Pjanic, the French striker is closing in on a move to the Premiership champions.

"Benzema is nearly gone to Old Trafford," Pjanic told Bosnian website Sportsport.

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UPDATE: According to Football Spy at the Daily Mirror, West Ham United are interested in Hull City target Marc-Antoine Fortune. Fortune is expected to meet with West Ham to discuss their offer.

According to Sky Sports News, Hull City boss Phil Brown admitted that talks have not advanced in the last 48 hours with Marc-Antoine Fortune and that the club might have to move on.

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Starting off with "Ooh...ahh...death threats in Colombia!" probably won't read any different than any other news story about South American football which hits the news feeds. Sadly, it's par for the case these days. Argentina is running away with pole position and Brazil has been breeding future generations on the pitch, while Uruguay is still [. Click to continue reading...