Arsenal may have sealed themselves the fourth spot out of the reach of Aston Villa and Everton, but they are still striving to clinch a third place finish which will see them automatically seeded into next season’s Champions League group stage.

The Gunners are six points off local rivals Chelsea going into Sunday’s big London derby clash at the Emirates. Arsenal will have the opportunity to cut this gap to only three points before both play two more games to conclude their respective season.

As it stands at the moment in the English Premier League, it looks like Arsenal are far from Chelsea’s reach but Sunday’s match could steer up a crunching end to the Blues’ campaign. Guus Hiddink’s men were well on course to winning the Premiership title at the beginning of the season – so as Arsenal – but they eventually got piped away by rivals Liverpool and defending champions Manchester United.

(Read full article…)

Four games remain before Manchester United complete their Premiership campaign and only three points separate them from nearest title challengers Liverpool. The Red Devils have a game in hand though – which gives them a bigger advantage over Rafael Benitez’s Merseyside Reds. Next up on the agenda is Sunday’s most anticipated derby clash against billionaires Manchester City at Old Trafford.

The Mancunian battle could come up as arguably the greatest Manchester United v Manchester City clash in these last six years as the outcome of this game will have a lot of impact on each team’s fate this season.

The pressure is on the Abu Dhabi’s Sky Blues billionaires to deliver in these last moments of the campaign with their Europa Cup dream still very much alive, while on the red side of Manchester, the tension is rising in the battle at the top of the league.

Read the rest of this article on the Man Utd vs Man City live match page.

West Ham United v Liverpool FC

Liverpool defeated Newcastle’s underdog spirit at Anfield last Sunday to add fuel to their blistering desire of clinching the English Premiership title for the first time in eighteen years. The Merseyside Reds cannot afford to drop anymore points as they lay three points behind Manchester United who have a game in hand, and with only three matches remaining in the race for domestic glory.

Coach Rafael Benitez takes his side to West Ham this weekend with nothing else in mind than getting another three points against these Londoners. Speaking to Liverpoolfc.tv, defender Aurelio revealed his hopes and dreams of doing well in the next games:

“We know that Manchester United still have a game in hand, so our ambition is to finish well in our last three games and after that we will see where we end up,”

Read the rest of this article on the West Ham vs Liverpool match page.

Watch the Best of European Football this Week on GolTV!
GOLTV will air three live La Liga matches this weekend beginning with Real Madrid vs. Barcelona on Saturday, May 2 at 2:00 p.m. ET. This is the all-important second “EL CLASSICO” match of the season. Barcelona leads Real Madrid by 4 points, with just 4 games left. Barcelona won the first match this year 2-0 back on Dec. 13, 2008. If Real Madrid could win this game at home at the Bernabeu, they would cut the deficit to just 1 point with 4 games remaining, and the title chase would again be on. Villarreal takes on Sevilla at 4:00 p.m. ET. Then on Sunday, May 3 watch Espanyol vs. Valencia at 1:00 p.m. ET.

The Bundesliga action continues on Saturday, May 2 at 11:30 p.m. ET with Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern Munich just fired their manager JURGEN KLINSMANN this week after a poor string of recent results. With just 5 games left, they are in 3rd place, three points behind leaders Wolfsburg, and in desperate need of a win against lowly Monchengladbach, who are just two points from bottom of the table and in danger of relegation. On Sunday, May 3 watch Hamburg vs. Hertha Berlin, LIVE at 11:00 a.m. ET. Hertha Berlin is in 2nd place only two points behind leaders Wolfsburg, while Hamburg is in a 3-way tie for 3rd spot only one more point back. Hertha won the first meeting this season, 2-1 back on Nov. 15, 2008. Hamburg is seeking revenge, as well as the badly needed 3 points to help them stay in the title race.

TORONTO, April 30, 2009 – Below is a list of soccer matches that will air live or on tape delay on GolTV from May 1 to 8, 2009.

GolTV Match Schedule for May 1 to 8, 2009*

(Read full article…)

Soccer Legend Zinedine Zidane and Top European Players to take on Vancouver AllStar Team

Top European Players to Accompany Zidane

Vancouver-based soccer club, Adlani Soccer Ltd., announced today that French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane and a group of renowned European soccer players are coming to Canada to play a series of rare exhibition games, including Vancouver. The Zidane & Friends Canadian Soccer Tour features 15 soccer greats personally selected by Zidane himself, including Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Ludovic Giuly, Samuel Eto’o, Gennaro Gattuso, Dado Prso and Arrigo Sacchi.

They’ll line up against an all-star team of Vancouver’s top soccer talent from past and present. The Zidane & Friends Canadian Soccer Tour is coming to Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium on Saturday, July 4, 2009.

Considered by critics to be one of the greatest footballers to ever play the beautiful game, Zidane played professionally in France, Italy and Spain and was a member of the French national team. Career accomplishments include helping France win the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 in addition to winning the 2002 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid. He is a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year.

The Vancouver AllStar Team is being assembled by coaches Ahcene Adlani and Frank Cucca. Adlani’s commitment to the development of soccer in Canada is such that he believes this tour will prove that Canada’s top athletes can stand up to the best players in the world.

“We are thrilled at the prospect of bringing this tour to Canada,” says Adlani, founder and director of Adlani Football Club. “Our Canadian players will have the match of their lives as Zidane & Friends bring some of the best players in the world to our doorstep.”

Tickets for the Zidane & Friends Canadian Soccer Tour in Vancouver go on sale Thursday, May 7th at 10:00 am and are available at the BC Place box office, all area Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.ca  or by phone at 604-280-4400. Prices are $29, $49, $79 & $99 plus service charges.

About Zidane & Friends Canadian Soccer Tour
Alessandro Costacurta played for A.C. Milan from 1987 – 2007 and for Italy in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, and was renowned as one of Italy’s greatest defenders.  Franco Baresi led the A.C. Milan team and its defence for the best part of a decade and was named one of the “greatest living footballers” by FIFA.  Ludovic Giuly is an attacking midfielder who has an explosive pace over short distances, which has led him to be a top scorer for several European teams. Samuel Eto’o is a Cameroonian  footballer  who is a striker for FC Barcelona. He is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations  and is widely regarded as the Greatest African footballer in history. Gennaro Gattuso is an Italian World Cup winning footballer who currently plays for A.C. Milan with whom he has twice won the UEFA Champions League. Dado Prso is the famous Croatian professional football striker who is best known for his successful years with the Glasgow Rangers. Coach Arrigo Sacchi is an Italian football coach and former head coach of the Italian national football team where he helped Italy reach the World Cup Final in 1994.  He has twice been the manager of A.C. Milan, has managed Parma AC and Athletico Madrid and was appointed director of football at Spanish giants Real Madrid.
SATURDAY, JULY 4th, 2009

BC PLACE STADIUM - VANCOUVER, BC

DOORS:  7:00PM         GAME:  8:00PM

TICKETS ON SALE:
THURSDAY, MAY 7TH @ 10:00AM

Ticketmaster Outlets - charge by phone 604-280-4400
Or buy online at www.ticketmaster.ca
Tickets $29, $49, $79, & $99
(Plus service charges)

SETANTA SPORTS BRINGS VIEWERS A MAY DOWNPOUR OF

LIVE SOCCER, RUGBY AND AUSSIE RULES  ACTION

68 live matches in May

TORONTO (April 30, 2009) – The FA Cup final between Chelsea and underdog Everton at Wembley Stadium Saturday, May 30 at 10 a.m. ET/ 7 a.m. PT highlights a month of must-see live action on Setanta Sports.

The European soccer and rugby seasons wind down in May and Setanta serves up 68 live matches in 31 days from some of the world’s top soccer, rugby union, rugby league and Australian Rules leagues and competitions.

(Read full article…)

Manchester United’s 1-0 victory against Arsenal, the perfect score line for the Red Devils?

It was Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson’s wish to keep Arsenal from scoring and beat them by a lone goal to nil at Old Trafford on Wednesday, and the pair got what they wanted.

John O’Shea’s 17th minute strike from inside the penalty area secured the victory for the European defending champions but how vital will this goal be?

Manchester United dominated the field right from the start of the game, with Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney, Darren Fletcher and Cristiano Ronaldo forcing Arsenal’s midfield and the Red Devils’ ability to play their game of football came very much at Ferguson’s delight.

“I was pleased with the performance, the level of passing and movement was very, very good and we played at a high tempo,” the manager told Sky Sports.

read the rest of this article on the Arsenal v Man United live match page.

Why a 0-0 score line might not be a “Camp Nou present” for Chelsea

A negative Chelsea side aided by a controversial referee saw Barcelona failing to score at home for the first time in this Champions League campaign. The Blues are only the second consecutive club after Manchester United to hold Barcelona in a goalless draw at the Camp Nou in Europe. Can they emulate the defending champions’ achievement by defeating the Blaugrana on their own field back in England?

It seems like Chelsea travelled to Spain to draw – or to keep a clean sheet at least and this is something that Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez was quick to notice. The midfielder poured out his anger at Chelsea’s physical negative approach.

“The result is unjust. I’m surprised to have faced such an ultra-defensive Chelsea side. They wanted a 0-0 scoreline and they got it.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s skipper John Terry was full of joy after helping his team manage a clean sheet against the club that is regarded to possess the best attacking forces in Europe if not on the entire planet.

“It’s a fantastic result, and we’ll be ready to go again at Stamford Bridge with our fans behind us.”

Read the rest of this article on the Live Chelsesa vs Barcelona Match Page.

A battle of two giants beyond the mental strain of men.

The clash that is arguably the world’s most pressurizing, significant, fascinating and titanic battle in the world of football takes places on Saturday, May 2, at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Spain’s capital Madrid.

The tension ahead of this encounter has hugely mounted especially because of both teams’ last result in the Spanish Primera Liga. Barcelona could only manage a 2-2 draw at Valencia last weekend while Real Madrid overcame the might of rivals Sevilla in a dramatic 4-2 victory that kept Los Blancos as serious challengers for the league title. The Galacticos’ hands aren’t far from Barcelona’s reach now…

Real Madrid: The wounded giant that may come alive again

Real Madrid endured a lot of inconsistency, showing only a few flashes of their natural sparkling bright display until Bernd Schuster was ordered the sack. A weak Real Madrid side then succumbed to Barcelona’s ruthless authority when both clashed at the Camp Nou in what was Juande Ramos first match in charge. Since then, Los Blancos seem to have raised to life the spirit of war and bravery that is inspiring them to confront Barcelona’s invincible fortress. The reigning La Liga champions are facing the difficult task of retaining their crown against the likes of the team that is currently considered as Europe’s best. Los Blancos – who were more than 11 points behind Barcelona at a point in the season – now look set to reaffirm their glorious might just as the league campaign is coming to a close.
Visit the match page to read the full article here - Real Madrid vs Barcelona Live