RSSBolton vs Arsenal Preview
Arsenal comes into this match on the back of a comeback victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup. Bolton has won three games on the trot in all competitions.
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain’s substitution caused a huge uproar amongst Arsenal fans as Arsenal went down, 1-2, to Manchester United last week. One can only imagine the anger amongst the fans as Arsenal conceded two goals to Aston Villa prior to half-time in the FA Cup. The players and Arsene Wenger knew that they had to come back, at-least for the fans and level the tie. They struck three times in the second half via a pair of Robin Van Persie penalties and a Theo Walcott goal to win the game and qualify for the next round.
Copa Libertadores Report: Jan 31
Paraguay's Libertad and Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina cruise into the group stage of the 2012 Copa Libertadores after winning their respective preliminary play-offs.
Libertad of Paraguay and Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina progressed to the group stage of the 2012 Copa Libertadores, after defeating El Nacional of Ecuador and Sport Huancayo of Peru, respectively, on Tuesday.Having lost 1-0 to El Nacional in Quito last week, Jorge Burruchaga's Libertad completely turned around the tie by thrashing The Ecuadorians 4-1 in a extremely one-sided affair in Asuncion, to qualify for the second round of the competition for the tenth successive year and their 13th time in total.
Meanwhile, Gustavo Alfaro's Arsenal advanced to the group stage of the competition for only the second time in their history despite a 1-1 draw with hosts Sport Huancayo. The Argentines struggled to adapt themselves to the 3,200-metre altitude, but nevertheless made their 3-0 win from the first leg count.
In this report:
Lazio vs Milan Preview
AC Milan will have the opportunity to provisionally overtake Serie A league leaders Juventus when they travel to the Stadio Olimpico to do battle with Lazio on Wednesday.
The Rossoneri have been in phenomenal form in recent weeks, and will be hoping to continue with their winning ways against a Lazio outfit who they beat 3-1 at the San Siro stadium in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals last week.Massimiliano Allegri's side regained their winning mentality immediately after losing the Derby della Madonnina to Inter Milan in mid-January as since then they have won four consecutive games in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and conceding a mere two.
But Milan face a stiff test against a Lazio outfit that will be after sweet revenge at what is expected to be a capacity crowd at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Cagliari vs Roma Preview
AS Roma will aim to join the chasing pack when they travel to Sardinia to take on Cagliari as they intend to mount their Champions League bid.
Following four wins from their last five league games, the Giallorossi have everything to play for when they visit Cagliari at the Stadio Sant'Elia on Wednesday. Sixth-placed Roma may find themselves thirteen points from the summit, but the fact that they have a game in hand means that if they continue with their progression they could be rewarded with a place in next season's Champions League, not to mention with the Scudetto.
The later may seem rather far-fetched, but by no means is it impossible, as despite last week's 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Juventus in the Coppa Italia, Roma have been surprisingly effective in 2012.
Internazionale vs Palermo Preview
Inter Milan will have no choice but to stitch up their wounds when they take on Palermo at the San Siro in a clash which could define their destiny.
The Nerazzurri will be hoping to rebound from two successive defeats, knowing that anything less than the three points against Palermo could severely dent their title chances at the midway stage of the season.Things went from bad to worse for Inter, as after being knocked out of the Coppa Italia against Napoli last week, they went on to lose their seventh game of the season against lowly Lecce on Sunday. Not only did this result put an abrupt end to their seven-game winning streak but more importantly it saw them fall out of the Champions League qualification zone.
There's no doubt that Inter are passing through a negative patch, but what better way to rectify this than to obtain the three points against Palermo, whom are one of only three sides yet to have enjoyed an away win all season.
Juventus' clash with Parma is postponed due to extreme snowfall
Tuesday's Serie A fixture was called off by the match officials less than an hour before the scheduled kick-off time due to harsh conditions.
The Serie A clash between Parma and league leaders Juventus was postponed less than an hour before the scheduled kick-off time due to severe snowfall on Tuesday.The match was called off at the 28,000-capacity Stadio Ennio Tardini stadium by officials after speaking to the directors of both clubs.
Great part of Italy has experienced extreme weather conditions in recent days.
Juventus, who maintain a 20-game unbeaten record this season, could have extended their lead at the league summit to four points ahead of the rest of the rounds matches, which are scheduled for Wednesday.
Manchester United vs Stoke City Preview
There is no FA Cup title or Carling Cup trophy to dream about. Manchester United can solely focus on winning the English Premier League now.
The Red Devils are aiming to evaporate the 3-point gap that puts them behind league leaders Manchester City. However, expect eighth-placed Stoke City to apply pressure on Ferguson’s outfit at Old Trafford tonight. Stoke City encountered defeat in their latest English Premier League fixture but they should find hope and confidence through a few things ahead of Tuesday night’s battle at Old Trafford. Firstly, the Potters are going into the game fresh from their convincing 2-0 win over Derby in the FA Cup Fourth Round. Manchester United, meanwhile, are carrying the wound of their 2-1 loss to Liverpool.
Can Real Madrid win La Liga this season?
Seven points ahead of Barcelona, Real Madrid is poised to win La Liga this season.
Barca’s away-day blues is no secret- they have dropped 13 points away from home. With each point they have dropped, they have found Madrid ahead of them bit by bit. Barca has dropped points in seven matches so far this season. Real Madrid has dropped points in just three matches.Jose Mourinho’s team has been outdoing other sides in style this season. With the exception of two blips at the beginning of the season, Madrid has won every game with the exception of the match against Barcelona. Madrid lost to Levante and drew with Real Sociedad in the other two games where they lost.
Should Leverkusen stick with Robin Dutt?
Disappointment after disappointment; draw after draw- Leverkusen fans are perhaps slightly sickened by their beloved club’s results at the moment.
Leverkusen has been associated with one simple word for many seasons in the Bundesliga- ‘talent’. In terms of sheer raw talent, very few teams can get the better of Leverkusen. Currently, the title race in Germany is as close as ever with four teams challenging for the coveted shield- Leverkusen isn’t one of them.In the previous two seasons, Leverkusen displayed that they were ready to challenge for the title. In the 2009-2010 season, Bayer 04 was the top side for much of the season before being overtaken by Bayern and eventually finishing fourth. Last season, they challenged for the title for much of the campaign and finished second behind Dortmund.
Bundesliga Review: Stuttgart, Köln, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim battered by title contenders
Bayern continues to lead the way on goal difference in the Bundesliga. None of the four teams which are contenders for the salad bowl dropped points this week.
Schalke was on the verge of losing their connection with the top four. Lukas Podolski struck in the fourth minute and Köln took the lead into half-time. Köln actually held on till the hour mark but Schalke found a way. An unlikely source in the form of Ciprian Marica scored the equalizer. Then, Schalke started compounding misery on Köln.Marica grabbed a second 12 minutes later. Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored from the penalty spot just six minutes after the second goal. Benjamin Höger added one more just four minutes after the third. Now, that is what you call an ‘attacking force’. While their Ruhr rivals aren’t exactly scoring for fun, they are scoring quite a few too.
Parma vs Juventus Preview
Serie A league leaders Juventus will be looking to extend their impressive 20-game unbeaten run when they travel to the Stadio Ennio Tardini to take on Parma on Tuesday.
La Vecchia Signora have been in unstoppable form in recent weeks and are the odds on favourites to further extend their lead at the league summit against Roberto Donadoni's inconsistent side.Juventus are well aware of the fact that more than ever now every team they face will fight their hearts out to be the first to inflict defeat upon them this season.
Parma are likely to be stiff opposition, as since their humiliating 5-0 defeat to Inter Milan at the San Siro in early January they have gone unbeaten in three successive league games, with a 3-1 home victory over Siena and two away draws against Bologna and Catania, respectively.
Everton vs Manchester City Preview
The last clash between Manchester City and Everton in the English Premier League ended in a 2-0 victory in favour of the Citizens...
Everton have 26 points like thirteenth-placed Swansea City and twelfth-placed Fulham. The Toffees are not yet into a relegation battle situation as they are 8 points above the bottom zone. Pushing into the top half of the English Premier League table, however, seems very demanding for Everton. They've drawn their last 2 games in the league and they are not the favorites to triumph at Goodison Park on Tuesday night.
The good news for Manchester City is that Vincent Kompany is back from suspension. The Belgium defender received a lengthy ban for his challenge during City’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United earlier in January.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool Preview
Liverpool, after a win over their biggest rivals, takes on a Wolves side that has lost their last two Premier League games.
Liverpool put paid to Manchester United in the FA Cup this week. Dirk Kuyt was once again the hero as he scored a late winner past David De Gea, a keeper whose days at United are perhaps numbered. While Liverpool is mixing it with the big boys in the cup competitions, they are blatantly failing with the small boys in the Premier League.Their previous game in the league was a 3-1 loss to Bolton Wanderers. Liverpool struggles against the ‘smaller’ sides. Their next match is against one such team. Wolves lost their two previous home games which came against Villa and Birmingham. They are really reeling from those losses and find themselves nineteenth in the league.
Swansea City vs Chelsea Preview
After losing narrowly to Man United and stunning Arsenal earlier on, what can Swansea City do to Chelsea at the Liberty Stadium?
Andre Villas-Boas definitely needs to inspire his men in the absence of Ivorian stars Drogba and Kalou. The away record of the London-based club is quite inconsistent this season. Out of 11 away matches, Chelsea have won 5, drawn 4 and lost 2. Chelsea are unbeaten domestically since the year commenced but they are eager to bounce back from their disappointing goalless draw away to Norwich City.
Fourth-placed Chelsea are 5 points behind Tottenham Hotspur. Although the title seems far from their reach, the Blues maintain the ambition of gaining as much points as possible.
Gil Vicente vs FC Porto Report
FC Porto's long unbeaten run stretching back almost two years came to an end in Barcelos on Sunday night as Gil Vicente beat the champions 3-1.
A pallid Porto were unrecognisable for most of the match, while that takes nothing away from an excellent all-round display from the hosts. Claudio's early header flicked over Porto goalkeeper Helton to give the Gil the lead set the alarm bells ringing for the Dragons, and on the stroke of half time a penalty given away by Otamendi gave Claudio the chance to score his second goal.
The centre-back did not waste the opportunity and Paulo Alves' side went into the interval with a comfortable lead.
Sporting CP Lisbon vs Beira-Mar Report
Sporting won for the first time in 2012 on Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 triumph over Beira-Mar at the Alvalade.
The Lions offered free tickets to children and reduced prices for adults, and the initiative had the desired effect as over 38,000 spectators were in a attendance on a sunny Lisbon afternoon. And the home fans soon had something to cheer about, as two carbon copy goals from giant centre-back Oguchi Onyewu put Sporting in control of the match.
Crosses from Jeffren and Capel were thumped into the back of the net by perfectly timed headers from the American defender.
Mendoza BoCA Juniors vs River Plate Report
Boca Juniors defeat arch-rivals River Plate for the second time in a week thanks to a first-half strike from Pablo Mouche.
The Argentine champions reaffirmed their supremacy over their crosstown rivals with a 1-0 triumph at the Malvinas Argentinas stadium in Mendoza on Sunday, which won them the Copa Luis Nofal.A first-half header from skilful winger Pablo Mouche was enough to give Boca Juniors a justified victory over a evidently inferior River Plate outfit.
Boca, who had already beaten River 2-0 on Wednesday, once again proved their superiority in the superclasico even if they won by the narrowest of margins.
Milan vs Cagliari Report
Italian champions AC Milan move within one point of league leaders Juventus after hitting three past a sluggish Cagliari on Sunday.
The Rossoneri closed the gap on Serie A league leaders Juventus to just a single point after thrashing Cagliari 3-0 at the San Siro stadium on Sunday.Milan won the game courtesy of goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antonio Nocerino and Massimo Ambrosini to cap off a remarkable display that further highlighted their attacking strength.
Massimiliano Allegri's side created plenty of goal-scoring opportunities in the first half, but although they peppered the Cagliari goal they couldn't find a way past goalkeeper Michael Agazzi, who pulled off a number of fine saves.
Lecce vs Internazionale Report
Uruguayan midfielder Guillermo Giacomazzi brings an abrupt end to Inter Milan's seven-game winning streak as Lecce win their first home game of the season.
Inter Milan missed out on a glorious opportunity to move into third place of the Serie A standings, after falling to a shock 1-0 defeat to lowly Lecce at the Stadio Via Mare on Sunday.Uruguayan midfielder Guillermo Giacomazzi scored the only goal of the match five minutes from the half-time break to secure Lecce only their fourth win from twenty league games this season.
Inter were hoping to make it eight wins on the trot against what appeared to be vulnerable opponents, but Lecce had different ideas and made life very difficult for them in the first half, as they closed the visitors down with tight marking.
A Gabriel Hauche strike is the difference as Racing Club edge rivals Independiente
La Academia ousted their Avellaneda rivals in a heated derby that saw three players sent-off.
Racing Club defeated arch-rivals Independiente 1-0 in a hotly-contested clash at the Jose Maria Minella stadium in Mar del Plata on Saturday, thanks to a second-half strike from Gabriel Hauche.With the win, Alfio Basile's much-improved side won the Copa Provincia de Buenos Aires to boost their confidence looking ahead to the Argentine Clausura championship.
The fiery encounter produced three red cards, two for Independiente with former Barcelona defender Gabriel Milito and Fernando Godoy, and another for Hauche, Racing's goal-scorer.