English Premier League Round 17 - Tottenham vs Chelsea - Preview

Aside from Arsenal vs Manchester United, Tottenham vs Chelsea proves to be the biggest clash of the Premier League for this week. Both teams sit towards the top of the table, however the form of both the teams vary. Tottenham have been very good this Premier League season as the they push for a Champions League spot next year. Along with that they are one of the four Premier League squads to have qualified for the Round of 16 in Europe. Another one of those squads is Chelsea, athough recently form has escaped Chelsea, to the extent that they lost to Marseille in their final group match of the Champions League. The match was a dead rubber, but nevertheless Carlo Ancelotti would've preferred to go into the match with a victory under the belt.

Chelsea Team News: Alex is still out after his knee surgery he just recently had, he will not be back until January. Frank Lampard may not feature, as Carlo Ancelotti hinted that he needed more match practice before returning to the frist team. Bosingwa is out through an injury he sustained to his hamstring. Nicholas Anelka and Ashley Cole will make their returns to the first team as they were rested during the Chmpions League match midweek.

Tottenham Team News: The biggest injury concern for Tottenham is of course Rafael van der Vart, the dutch international has been instrumental in many of Tottenham's wins so far this season. Luca Modric is back from injury which will ensure that van der Vart isn't too missed. Jenas and Kaboul may not play, but there is always a chance with football these days.

Tottenham will have home advantage but Chelsea will be hungry for points, this is a game not to be missed.

Match Prediction - Tottenham 2 - Chelsea 2

What do you think? Comment with your prediction, those with correct predictions will have their chance to feature in English blog next week.

Sydeny Rovers officially withdraw bid.....for the time being.

The much anticipated expansion of the Hyundai A-League into South West Sydney has stumbled as the bid has failed to gain much needed funding from a major sponsor. The West Sydney Rovers were aiming to enter the league within the next two years, and looked to be a promising franchise with a massive support base out west.

Although the FFA has not given up on adding another team to the growing leauge. Canberra looks like another safe bet, but the FFA's chief Ben Buckley did not rule out the possibility of another bid from South West Sydney perhaps under a different franchise.

It was suggested that another bid build upon the work of the Rovers team as alot of effort had gone into ensuring that the bid be both viable and prmising. This included work into establishing stadiums and government support.

One thing is for certain the league will need to reach a greater fan base to survive and what better way to do so than to expand the league.

Ballon D'or a Barcelona affair!

The final three candidates for the prestigous Ballon D'or have been announced and it seems that Barcelona have dominated the podium with Xavi, Messi and Iniesta all finding their way into the top three. But this is admist the great performances put in by likes such as Forlan, Robben and Sneijder.


The winners will be announced on January 10. Although it seems that those still in contention to win the award are not content with their posititon. Barcelona and Spanish midfielder Xavi admitted that Sneijder deserved to be on the podium after leading Inter to a treble of Cup trophies.



The title of best coach is also up for grabs, and it looks as if Mourinho already has the title wrapped up, but stiff competition still lies within Vincente del Bosque after his heroics with Spain at the 2010 Fifa World Cup. All will be known on January 10.

Fabio Capello In Talks with Inter?

After recent poor form Inter will be looking not only to sign some new talent in the next transfer window but also maybe find a new coach. Recent Italian media suggests that Inter are looking a bringing back Fabio Capello to the Serie A, after Englands poor World Cup form. Benitez will look to impress in the Club World Cup, as it looks as if poor form there will result in his axing. Although Capello earlier this year stated he wanted to take England through to the Euro 2012 championships, meaning that any offer of a club contract would look unlikely. Capello left the Serie A in 2006 as coach of Juventus after Calciocopli unfolded resulting in their demise to the Serie B

A Glimpse from the week where we saw the best and worst of Football.

An own goal scored by the FC Twente keeper in their game against Tottenham. Hopefully for him he can lift is head and rebound from that horrid effort.

Champions League 2010/2011 - Last 16

The waiting is over as the final eight teams to qualify through to the last 16 of the competition were confirmed today. The teams who qualified are as follows:

Group A - Tottenham and Inter

Group B - Schalke and Lyon

Group C - Manchester United and Valencia

Group D - Barcelona and Copenhagen

Group E - Bayern Munich and Roma

Group F - Chelsea and Marseille

Group G - Real Madrid and Milan

Group H - Shakhtar and Arsenal

Champions League Matchday Six 2011 - Marseille vs Chelsea

The last matchday of the group stage of the Champions leauge will be completed tomorrow, however there are still some exciting ties in hand. One of those is definitely that between Chelsea and Marseille. Marseille have boasted strong form in France, however lost on the weekend resulting in their sixth loss in all competitions. They currently sit fourth in Ligue 1 and second in the group and are a safe bet for qualification to the last sixteen. Their last opponents Chelsea will look to turn around form which has robbed them of points and top sport in the Premier League. After a 1-1 draw with Everton on the weekend the Blues will come out attacking to prove they still have what it takes to not only win the Champions League but move up in the table in the Premier League.

Marseille Team News: Mbia is suspended which will mean he will not be avaliable for the dead rubber, although will be for the round of 16. Deschamps will look to employ the same 4-3-3 tactic and hope that the firepower seen against Zillina will hold true agains Chelsea.

Chelsea Team News: Anelka and Terry will be rested since qualification is assured. Which means Terry and Essien will feature, giving them much needed game time after their respective injuries. Alex's knee surgery will definitely see him out at least until January. Cech will be rested after sustaining injury at the match against Everton. Chelsea will be relying on their depth to reach the landmark 18 points by the end of the night

Match Prediction - Marseille 1 - Chelsea 3

What do you think? Comment with your prediction, those with correct predictions will have their chance to feature in the round of 16 blog?

Player of the Week - Samir Nasri (Arsenal)

The french superstar and Arsenal attacking midfielder Samir Nasri continues to show his worth in the EPL with another stellar performance this week against Fulham. Tbe Frenchman scored two goals to ensure that the gunners took all three points against the Londoners. The two goals take him to a total of 11 for the 2010/2011 season making him one of the most prolific goalscorers in the league.