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Manchester United and Liverpool will lock horns in what is expected to be a fiercely-contested Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Saturday.
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Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson will be unable to count with the services of a host of players, including Anders Lindegaard and Phil Jones, both with ankle injuries, and Michael Owen, with a thigh problem. Other players who have been discarded for the clash are Tom Cleverley and Portuguese midfielder Nani.
Ferguson will likely provide Javier Hernandez with a starting role, after the Mexican international made a real impact when he entered the field against Chelsea last week, and ended up scoring United's late equaliser. Veteran midfielder Paul Scholes also played a key role in United's revival at Stamford Bridge and could start the game from the kick-off.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men haven't won at Stamford Bridge in a decade. Here are some tips they should follow to reverse this statistic.

The Red Devils may have had the upper hand over their rivals at Stamford Bridge over the years, but this has changed dramatically over the last decade as since the 2002-03 Premier League season Sir Alex Ferguson's side haven't won a single game at the venue after nine attempts.
Chelsea have been dominant at the Bridge, after having obtained six wins and three draws over United during this period in official Premier League games.
However, with three defeats in eleven home games this season, beating Chelsea at the Bridge may not be impossible any more. United have barely lost a single away game this season, and if they manage to find gaps in the leaky Chelsea defence they are more than capable of returning to Old Trafford with the three points.
FOX kicks off with live Barclays Premier League coverage of Chelsea hosting Manchester United at Stamford Bridge Sunday, Feb. 5 at 10:30 AM ET on FOX.

FOX is expecting big returns on broadcasting a major EPL clash on the FOX Network which is widely available throughout the US on Terrestrial, Satellite and Cable Television. This is the second match in as many weeks that FOX airs a live Barclays Premier League match. The first was on January 22nd which drew record television audiences in the US with apx 1.3 million US viewers as American soccer fans watched Arsenal lose to Manchester United 1-2 at home.
The live coverage of Chelsea-Man United will be presented by Rob Stone, former U.S. Men’s National Team player Eric Wynalda and CNN's Piers Morgan. Repeat airings of this match will be available at 7:00PM and 11:00PM (EST) on Fox Soccer Channel.
The last 15 meetings between Manchester City and Fulham in the Premier League have produced goals at both ends of the pitch. Will any of these teams keep a clean sheet on Saturday?

Manchester City must recover from their crucial defeat to Everton. The Citizens got punished by a former Manchester United boy, Darron Gibson. His goal proved to be the difference at Goodison Park on Tuesday night.
Roberto Mancini and his men are leveled on points with Man United at the top of the English Premier League standings. Both teams have 54 points after 23 games. The Red Devils might stumble away to Chelsea this weekend so Manchester City can look forward to seizing their opportunities this weekend.
Meanwhile, Fulham will need to overcome the psychological blow of losing key player Sidwell to a long-term injury. Martin Jol confirmed the news on Thursday by stating the following according to ESPN:
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.
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.
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.
Can FC Barcelona afford to drop any more points with a Real Madrid side that might have found their groove? Not if they want to defend their Liga title.

A 100% record in La Liga was probably not FC Barcelona’s aim at the start of the season; but in view of Real Madrid’s solidification, they are advised to go for perfection.
Yes, Barcelona have been trying to give their fans the very best. Surely, never did they allow themselves to get carried away by complaisance; but in contrast, their results in La Liga have not always been positive.
Failing to accomplish missions or dropping points are things that can happen from time to time. Yet, mistakes seem to get massive exposure when they come at an unexpected moment.
ESPN will be free to view for millions of sports fans over an unmissable weekend in February as the sports media company offers fans the opportunity to sample its extensive range of live British and international sport for free.

ESPN’s Free Weekend, sponsored by Nokia Lumia, begins at 6am on Friday 3rd February and will make ESPN and ESPN HD available to all Sky, TopUp TV and BT Vision subscribers in the UK and Ireland. Additionally, the channel will be available for free to the 10million UK households who have the subscription-free digital TV service Freeview, meaning that in total, some 20 million UK households will have free access to the channel.
Jeroen Oerlemans, ESPN Vice President, TV Channels Europe, Middle East & Africa, said: “Millions of UK fans have already discovered the great range of great sport ESPN offers – from the Barclays Premier League to Serie A, to cricket, darts, motorsports and UFC. This is a great opportunity for us to introduce that to millions more and let them sample the programming ESPN has on offer.”
Whether it's the Spanish La Liga or the Campeonato Paulista, the Gillette Brazil World Tour or the UEFA Europa League, GolTV has it covered!

It was announced on January 17 that GolTV and Kentaro have come to an agreement which will GolTV to broadcast Gillette Brazil World Tour games and top international soccer matches. Commenting on this feat, GolTV COO Rodrigo Lombello explained:
“As all eyes turn to Brazil and excitement builds for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, this agreement allows GolTV to showcase premier friendly and qualifier matches, connecting fans and reinforcing that GolTV is the exclusive destination for those who are just as obsessed with soccer as us.”
In addition to the partnership with Kentaro, GolTV has signed an agreement with Torneos y Competencias. Constantino Voulgaris, executive vice president of programming and business development at GolTV, declared the following:
Saturday January 14 2012,
Tottenham Hotspur can move joint top of the Premier League with a win over struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Tottenham are currently three points behind league leading Manchester City, who do not play until Monday. Wolves are currently one point above the relegation zone after a seven game winless run.
Manchester United are currently level on points with Tottenham, and can also move into a tie for first place if they beat struggling Bolton Wanderers. Bolton currently sit in the relegation zone and are one point adrift of safety.
In other action, Blackburn Rovers can climb off the bottom of the Premier League table with a win or draw when they play host to Fulham on Saturday.
Blackburn are currently three points adrift of safety after losing their last two games, while Fulham are seven points clear of the relegation zone after beating Arsenal 2-1 last time out.
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Manchester United have had one too many setbacks this season. It’s interesting to know how they will end their 2011/12 campaign.
No more Champions League glory hopes
Already, their hunt for UEFA Champions League glory is dead. The Red Devils’ new generation of players couldn’t survive the existing pressure in the group phase of the tournament. Dropping points to Portuguese giants Benfica in the process seemed understandable, but losing to FC Basel in the Round of 16 decider was something too alarming to believe.
This defeat relegated Fergie’s team to the UEFA Europa League and provoked jeers among the Red Devils’ army of haters. But in typical fashion, battered Manchester United fans vowed to cheer their lads all the way to Europa League glory.
Thursday January 5 2012,
Tags:
MLS,
ESPN
The 17th season of Major League Soccer on ESPN will begin Monday, March 12, at 9:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes with the live telecast of the Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union match from PGE Park in Portland, Ore.
The inter-conference matchup will be the culmination of Major League Soccer’s First Kick 2012, a series of nationally televised matches to open the 2012 season-opening week (March 10-12).
Highlights of 2012 MLS season:
All 21 (11 on ESPN2, nine on ESPN, one exclusively on ESPN Deportes) regular season matches will be available in high definition and carried on ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN3 and WatchESPN;
Top three teams by appearances: current MLS champions Los Angeles Galaxy (eight), New York Red Bulls (seven) and Seattle Sounders (six);
Although Andre Villas-Boas and Fernando Torres are under scrutiny at Chelsea, key player Juan Mata has found reasons to believe in the Blues’ chances for success this year.

The 23-year-old Spanish midfielder can look down at this individual performance at Chelsea with pride. The former Valencia play maker has already provided 9 assists and scored 5 goals in 23 appearances for the Blues. However, his good form has been overshadowed by the entire team’s flaws from a general point of view.
“It's true we've had a little crisis of results,” Juan Mata admitted before reiterating his belief in Chelsea’s criticized manager.
“But Villas-Boas is doing things very well and both the players and the club have a lot of confidence in him. He won everything with Porto last year.”
Manchester United will be looking to stay in touch at the top of the Premier League table with a win at Newcastle United on Wednesday.

United are three points behind league leading Manchester City after being beaten 3-2 by Blackburn Rovers last time out, but have played a game less than the Citizens.
Newcastle have fallen to seventh place in the table after winning one of their last eight games.
These two teams met at Old Trafford back on November 26th, when a second half Demba Ba penalty snatched a 1-1 draw for Newcastle.
In the other game of the day, Bolton Wanderers will be looking for a win to lift themselves off the bottom of the table when they travel to face Everton.
Last placed Bolton are four points adrift of safety after drawing 1-1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out. Everton can move into the top half of the table with a win or draw, and will enter this fixture looking to extend a four game unbeaten run.
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Saturday December 31 2011,
Manchester City will be looking to open up a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a win at Sunderland on New Year’s Day.

City currently sit top of the Premier League, but are above second placed Manchester United on goal difference alone having played a game less. United slipped up on New Year’s Eve when they were beaten 3-2 at Old Trafford by relegation strugglers Blackburn Rovers.
Sunderland are three points clear of the relegation zone and will be looking to make this their third game without tasting defeat.
In the other game of the day, West Bromwich Albion will play host to Everton with both teams knowing a win will lift them into the top half of the table.
West Brom currently sit in 11th place in the Premier League, while Everton are one place and one point behind them. Both teams will enter this game in good form, and will be looking to extend a three game unbeaten run.
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The year 2011 will end with the English Premier League’s 19th Matchday. Liverpool and Newcastle will provide Friday’s only game as Saturday will be packed with more action.
Remarkably, Liverpool have never lost at Anfield in the league but they haven’t managed to pick up enough points on home soil either. From a possible 27 points, the Merseyside Reds have won just 15. This is the result of their 3 victories and 6 draws at Anfield.
“If you want to be really positive you could say we are undefeated at home but we've said before we don't want to set our standards that low,” Kenny Dalglish miserably told reporters on Thursday.
“We want to be winning our home games as often as we possibly can and we've certainly given ourselves opportunities to have won every home game. We haven't done that but we will keep going and we believe we will do.”
The Red Devils simply have to overcome Blackburn Rovers’ underdog threat to enter 2012 as English Premier League leaders. That’s all they’ll need to edge Man City… at least, temporarily.
Former Blackburn boy Phil Jones is publicly a fan of his ex-club. However, the Manchester United defender will be left with no other option than wishing defeat for the visitors on Saturday.
Rock-bottomed Blackburn Rovers are yet to win away from home but they’ve managed to secure draws at 5 separate occasions.
“We won’t find it easy, though. It’s going to be tough,” Phil Jones reminded ahead of the game according to Manutd.com.
“I know what sort of squad Blackburn have and there are some cracking players there. We can’t take them lightly.”
It is interesting to observe that Manchester’s two foes, City and United, are joint leaders at such a point in the campaign. They share the same record in terms of wins, draws and losses.
Spurs’ exclusion from the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League apparently doesn't bother Luka Modric to the extent of wanting to quit for a bigger club.

The Croatian midfielder’s name was constantly mentioned in the headlines, especially last summer, as Chelsea looked favorites to land the player’s signature. All the same, Harry Redknapp won the transfer battle and Modric remained at White Hart Lane.
As the January transfer window is about to open, speculations surrounding the 26-year-old have emerged again. Rumors suggest that Modric might respond to Chelsea’s midfield problems by joining Andre Villas-Boas’ struggling Blues.
The player, however, has been quick to discard them. On Thursday, the English press reported Luka Modric as saying:
Tuesday December 27 2011,
Third placed Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to break into the title race with a victory at Norwich City on Tuesday.

Tottenham have lost only one of their last 14 Premier League games, and with a win over Norwich can move to within seven points of the league lead, having played a game less than joint leaders Manchester United and Manchester City.
Tottenham’s north London rivals Arsenal will also be in action on Tuesday. The Gunners can break into the top four with a win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday.
The Gunners are in good form having won three of their last four games, Wolves will be looking for a win to increase the one point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.
In Tuesday’s other game, Swansea City will play host to Queens Park Rangers with both teams looking to climb away from the relegation zone.
This game will be a clash between two newly promoted clubs who have won respect for their style of play from many fans and pundits. They will now be looking to collect enough points to ensure they stay in the division.
QPR are currently two points clear of the relegation zone after losing their last three games, while Swansea are two points further ahead.
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