Open Thread: LA Galaxy v. New England Revolution

Seems there is an MLS game on right now. New England at LA. No Beckham, no Donovan. So, not that intriguing...but here's your open thread.

Read more on "Open Thread: LA Galaxy v. New England Revolution"...

USMNT v. Costa Rica Open Thread

Ian already covered all of the basics of tonight's World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Costa Rica at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa. Here's how the US Soccer Twitter feed described the scene:



All that's left now is for you to leave your comments! Oh, but don't forget that the game was moved to ESPN2. The World Wide Leader hates you and your DVR machine.

U.S. starting lineup after the jump.

Howard, Wynne, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Beasley, Mastroeni, Bradley, Torres, Dempsey, Donovan, Altidore. Subs: Adu, Bornstein, Clark, Davies, DeMerit, Guzan, Kljestan.

Ching out with a tweaked hamstring.

Read more on "USMNT v. Costa Rica Open Thread"...

UEFA Cup's final Final Open Thread

European Silverware day! While not as glamorous as nest week's Champions League Final between Manchester United and Barcelona, this is guaranteed to be a historic finale. Yes, friends, today we see the last UEFA Cup Final ever. Germany's Werder Bremen and Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk will put it all on the line to see which team becomes the historical footnote/trivia answer. Or not. That's the beauty of the game. You can never tell how it will be played until the match is in motion.

Shakhtar and Bremen both benefited from entering the competition at the knockout stage after being dumped from Champions League play. That's not a bad parachute to have if you can ride it to the final. Inside, we'll hit on lineups and both teams road through the competition. In case that's not enough for you, you can go look back at Werder's entry into The Good, The Bad, The WTF, and know that Shakhtar will get added in after the match. Will they be secondary champions of Europe at the time? Hell for all I know, it will still be in PKs when that post goes live.















Shakhtar Donetsk

Round of 32: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1
Round of 16: CSKA Moscow 2-1
Quarterfinals: Olympique Marseille 4-1
Semifinals: Dynamo Kyiv 3-2

Today's lineup:
Pyatov, Kucher, Fernandinho, Jadson, Ilsinho, Luiz Adriano, Lewandowksi, William, Rat, Chygrynskiy, Srna.
Subs: Khudzhamov, Duljaj, Gai, Gladkiy, Ischenko, Chyzhov, Moreno.















Werder Bremen

Round of 32: AC Milan 3-3 (away goals)
Round of 16: Saint Etienne 3-2
Quarterfinals: Udinese 6-4
Semifinals: Hamburg 3-3 (away goals)

Today's lineup:
Wiese, Boenisch, Naldo, Baumann, Fritz, Rosenberg, Ozil, Prodl, Frings, Pizarro, Niemeyer.
Subs: Vander, Pasanen, Tosic, Vranjes, Hunt, Tziolis, Harnik.

No away goals to save the Germans tonight. Let's hope for lots of action and just a few goals, shall we?

Read more on "UEFA Cup's final Final Open Thread"...

Sunday Open Thread: Manchester + London Derbies

To get you in the mood for the early game, here's Madchester circa 1989....



Your comments go below. Have at it, boys and girls!

Read more on "Sunday Open Thread: Manchester + London Derbies"...

Monday Open Thread: Relegation Nation

Adopt the squeaky bum position and join us for a tense afternoon in the EPL and Colaship.

Two games. Four teams. Three in deep doo-doo. One Highlander. Etc.

As you can see above, the lads at George Keeley's have graciously jerry-rigged some bootleg A/V with ESPN360 piped onto a TV. Bigus is currently there, wearing a hole in the floor with his frantic pacing up and down the bar as we await kick-off from Carrow Road.

So yeah, you can watch Norwich/Reading on a computer-destroying ESPN360 should you wish.

Oh, and something about Alan Shearer.

TODAY:
Newcastle v. Portsmouth
-----
The Bland Alans: Shay Given's Less Talented Replacement, Beye, Coloccini, Bassong, Jose Enrique, Smith, Nicky Butt, Hard-Workin' Duff, Aussie who should retire, Martins, Crocked Midget.
Subs: The Evil Krul!, Barton the Thuggish, Guthrie, Gutierrez, Peter "Peace" Lovenkrands, Edgar, Carroll.

Pompey: Butterfingers James, Glen Johnson, Solololol Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Davis, Belhadj, Hughes, Mullins, The Nuuuug, Man Who Hopes to Have Nachos.
Subs: Begovic, Pennant, Pamarot, Utaka, Cranie, Kanu, Basinas.

With Mike Riley in charge, you can almost smell the botched penalty decision that swings the game dramatically to favour one side. Shearer has done nothing to lift the Magpies whatsoever, so I'm going with a dramatic, agonizing 1-1 draw.

Norwich v. Reading
-----
Canaries: Marshall, Otsemobor, Shackell, Doherty, Bertrand, Gow, Clingan, Russell, Carney, Lee, McDonald.
Subs: Nelson, Cureton, Lappin, Leijer, Daley

Hooped Spoilers: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Bikey, Duberry, Harding, Cisse, Karacan, Kebe, Little, Kitson, Long.
Subs: Federici, Matejovsky, Doyle, S Hunt, Pearce

No clue here. Narrow, fraught, desperate 1-0 home win via a late goal from a teenager. Or something like that.

Read more on "Monday Open Thread: Relegation Nation"...

Wednesday Open Thread

Huh. There are two matches today as well. While there is little to no hope that either of these will capture the imagination the way yesterday's Liverarse second half did, we will still play attention.

Unless the games suck, then we can get on with everything else.

Anyway, lineups and your comments are found after this link.

Spartak London-Everton (FSC)
FA Cup final preview, more or less. At least this one won't go into extra time
Spartak: Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, EBJT, Cole; Ballack, Essien, Lampard; Drogba, Anelka, Malouda. Subs: Hilario, Di Santo, John Obi Mikel Obi John, Kalou, Belletti, Manicienne, Mellis.
Everton: Howard; Jacobsen, Lescott, Yobo, Baines; Osman, Castillo, Neville, Pienaar; Jo, Cahill. Subs: Nash, Hibbert, Jagielka, Saha, Vaughan, Rodwell, Gosling.

Manchester United-Portsmouth (Setanta)
An easy win, right? Not much reason to even pay attention.
Man U: van der Sar; Neville, Vidic, Evans (rapist), Evra; Fletcher, Scholes, Anderson, Giggs; Ronaldo, Rooney. Subs: Kuscz..., Berbs, Carrick, Nani, Rafael, O'Shea, Tevez.
Pompey: Calamity; Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson; Davis, Mullins, Hughes, Belhadj, Nugent; Nacho Pete. Subs: Begovic, Pennant, Pemarot, Utaka, Cranie, Kanu, Basinas.

Read more on "Wednesday Open Thread"...

Open Thread: Liverpool v. Arsenal

Could today's match be as big as the match 20 years past pictured above?

Big 4 tilt today in the Premier League. Liverpool hopes to continue to press Man U in the title chase and Arsenal hopes to continue its fine form and 18 match unbeaten streak.

Both sides will be at less than full strength. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard remains out with an adductor injury. Arsenal will have several key players in the Krankenhaus. Strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin Van Persie are both out, William Gallas, Gael Clichy, Johan Djourou and Manuel Almunia will all miss the tie, but fullback Bacary Sagna and striker Eduardo will mark their return.

Full lineups and a bit of Championship chatter for Bigus after the jump.

Arsenal
Fabianski, Sagna, Toure, Silvestre, Gibbs, Arshavin, Song, Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Bendtner
Subs: Mannone, Diaby, Eduardo, Vela, Walcott, Ramsey, Eboue

Liverpool
Reina, Arbeloa, Aurelio, Carragher, Agger, Mascherano, Alonso, Benayoun, Riera, Kuyt, Torres
Subs: Cavalieri, Skrtel, El Zhar, Lucas, Babel, Ngog, Dossena


Whilst we get all wrapped up in a Big 4 matchup, lest we not forget some especially important matchups in the Fizzy Drink. Bigus' beloved Canaries do not hold fate in their hands and need results to go their way to ensure safety. So keep your eyes on the following matches:

Derby County v. Reading - if Reading win a playoff spot will be secured and will have little to play for against Norwich on the 27th.

Coventry City v. Barnsley - on the other end Barnsley sits in the last safe spot ahead of Norwich. Obviously a Coventry win is needed badly for the Birdies. Bigus IMs me saying Coventry owes Norwich for something or rather, but honestly, this is sport there is no oweing except for the gamblers. Let us just hope for the best Norwich results.

Read more on "Open Thread: Liverpool v. Arsenal"...

UEFA Cup Open Thread

Or, phrased more honestly: "Does anyone care about the UEFA Cup? Here's an open thread to say yes or no."

Frivolity and Citeh lineup after the jump.

History buffs will be unsurprised to learn that one of the two remaining French teams has already capitulated, as PSG were stomped 3-0 by Dynamo Kyiv. Le ouch.

Citeh just kicked-off, with a 2-goal deficit to dig themselves out of. LFC showed it can be done, although let's just end comparisons between Liverpool and Citeh there, shall we?

Citeh v. Hamburg (1-3 agg)
Citeh: Given Richards, Onuoha, and Dunne in the lineup, it's safe to say they have no possible Bridge to the semi-finals. Zabaleta and Kompany might have something to say about it, but they're as smooth in attack as the Republic of Ireland are in World Cup qualifiers. Elano, Robinho, Caicedo = I came, I dribbled, I fired wide.

Subs: Hart, Garrido, Petrov, Fernandes, Evans, Sturridge, Logan.

Hamburg: Rost, Boateng, Gravgaard, Mathijsen, Jansen, Pitroipa, Jarolim, Aogo, Trochowski, Guerrero, Olic.

Subs: Hesl, Da Silva, Petric, Ndjeng, Rincon, Schulz, Torun.

No such mirth possible there.

Other games:
Marseille 0-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Udinese 0-0 Werder Bremen


BIG SHINY UPDATE FROM THE BREAKING NEWS DEPARTMENT:
Hamburg just scored -- think one German lad passed it to another before the ball was nudged into goal past the shadow-that-once-was-Shay-Given. Let's just ignore this competition and pretend it never happened, shall we?

(5 minutes later)

But wait! Citeh have a penalty! And they score it, via Elano! 1-1 on the night, and only 2 more goals to go. As you were, gentlemen. If Hamburg score again, you can forget it.

Read more on "UEFA Cup Open Thread"...

The Bootroom: Let's Go Sunderland (Open Thread)

Let's not beat around the bush here, there is no love lost for ManU here at UF. We would all like to see them go down in a flaming wreck. Too soon? Sadly, it does not appear they will be obliging us this season, but that does not mean we can't root for Sunderland to reverse its form this year that has provided only 1 win since I opened my new girls on cars calendar.

So, pretty please Blackcats, get that Trinidadian & Tobagon sensation Kenwyne Jones back in goal scoring form and baptize the Red Devil backline.

After the jump, select matches.



EPL

Saturday, April 11, 2009
7:45 ET Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers
10:00 ET Middlesbrough v Hull City
10:00 ET Portsmouth v West Bromwich Albion
10:00 ET Sunderland v Manchester United
10:00 ET Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United
10:00 ET Wigan Athletic v Arsenal
10:00 ET Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers
12:30 ET Stoke City v Newcastle United

Sunday, April 12, 2009
9:00 ET Aston Villa v Everton
11:10 ET Manchester City v Fulham

Fizzydrinkship

10:00 ET Swansea City v Norwich City

League Two

10:00 ET Lincoln City v Luton Town

SPL

10:00 ET Aberdeen v Inverness Caledonian Thistle

La Liga

Saturday, April 11, 2009
14:00 ET Barcelona v Recreativo Huelva
16:00 ET Villarreal v Málaga

Sunday, April 12, 2009
11:00 ET Osasuna v Athletic Bilbao
11:00 ET Sporting Gijon v Valencia
11:00 ET Racing Santander v Real Betis
11:00 ET Mallorca v Almeria
11:00 ET Real Madrid v Valladolid
11:00 ET Numancia v Espanyol
13:00 ET Sevilla FC v Getafe
15:00 ET Deportivo La Coruña v Atlético Madrid

Bundesliga

Saturday, April 11, 2009
9:30 ET TSG Hoffenheim v VfL Bochum
9:30 ET Borussia Dortmund v FC Cologne
9:30 ET Energie Cottbus v Arminia Bielefeld
9:30 ET Borussia Monchengladbach v VfL Wolfsburg
9:30 ET Hannover 96 v Hertha Berlin
9:30 ET Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt
9:30 ET Schalke 04 v Karlsruhe

Sunday, April 12, 2009
11:00 ET Bayer Leverkusen v Werder Bremen
11:00 ET VfB Stuttgart v Hamburg SV

Serie A

Saturday, April 11, 2009
9:00 ET Napoli v Atalanta
9:00 ET Fiorentina v Cagliari
9:00 ET Torino v Catania
9:00 ET Chievo Verona v AC Milan
9:00 ET Internazionale v Palermo
9:00 ET Lazio v AS Roma
9:00 ET Lecce v Sampdoria
9:00 ET Bologna v Siena
14:30 ET Genoa v Juventus

Sunday, April 12, 2009
10:00 ET Reggina v Udinese

Read more on "The Bootroom: Let's Go Sunderland (Open Thread)"...

Man U v. Villa Open Thread

Man U's injury ward

It's a good one today, and not just because Man U has some serious injury issues....

Manchester United: Van der Sar; O'Shea, Neville, Evans, Evra; Carrick, Giggs; Fletcher, Tevez, Nani; Ronaldo.
Bench: Foster, Park, Welbeck, Gibson, Martin, Macheda, Eckersley.

Aston Villa: Friedel; L Young, Cuellar, Davies, Shorey; Milner, Petrov, Barry, A Young; Carew, Agbonlahor.
Bench: Guzan, Delfouneso, Knight, Salifou, Reo-Coker, Gardner, Albrighton.

That's right, Tevez is fit, but Neville and Evans are in at central back today. Can Villa take advantage and right their season? Meanwhile, in addition to injuries, Man U seem to be floundering, and are now facing rumors of C-Ron off to Real Madrid (again!) and training ground bustups featuring you-know-who. Oh and they turn around and play Porto in 48 hours.

Have your say after the jump, or feel free to chat about Everton-Wigan, Luton, Serie A, your pets, etc.

Read more on "Man U v. Villa Open Thread"...

The Bootroom: The Return of Club Play

Will Sven Goran also mark his return to the Premier League?

Finally, after two weeks of mostly shoddy international matches club play returns to ease my case of footie blueballs. Seriously, leagues were just starting to get interesting and then the break came to halt all momentum. ManU was on a two game slump, down to a 1 point lead (with a game in hand), Liverpool was streaking towards the top having outscored opponents 15-1 in March. The top four teams in the Bundesliga are separated by one point total. La Liga and Serie A are not as close but Real Madrid is still making a push. Then, mid-week we have CL quarterfinals.

That's not to say there weren't great moments during the week. Ballack, three times. Jozy, three times as well. Then, Sven Goran Eriksson gets canned. Now it's merely a question of which Premiership squad wants to take a chance on the Swede.

All of this great, but I'm just glad to resume the battles, select games after the jump, and join us in the bootroom, but no booting allowed.

EPL

Saturday
7:45 ET Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur
10:00 ET Bolton Wanderers v Middlesbrough
10:00 ET Arsenal v Manchester City
10:00 ET Hull City v Portsmouth Kingston
10:00 ET Newcastle United v Chelsea
10:00 ET West Bromwich Albion v Stoke City
10:00 ET West Ham United v Sunderland
12:30 ET Fulham v Liverpool

Sunday
10:00 ET Everton v Wigan Athletic
11:00 ET Manchester United v Aston Villa

La Liga

Saturday
14:00 ET Recreativo Huelva v Sevilla FC
14:00 ET Athletic Bilbao v Mallorca
14:00 ET Valladolid v Barcelona
14:00 ET Almeria v Villarreal
14:00 ET Real Betis v Numancia
16:00 ET Málaga v Real Madrid

Sunday
11:00 ET Espanyol v Deportivo La Coruña
11:00 ET Atlético Madrid v Osasuna
13:00 ET Valencia v Getafe
15:00 ET Sporting Gijon v Racing Santander

Bundesliga

Saturday
9:30 ET Hertha Berlin v Borussia Dortmund
9:30 ET Hamburg SV v TSG Hoffenheim
9:30 ET VfL Wolfsburg v Bayern Munich
9:30 ET VfL Bochum v VfB Stuttgart
9:30 ET Eintracht Frankfurt v Energie Cottbus

Sunday
11:00 ET Werder Bremen v Hannover 96
11:00 ET Karlsruhe v Borussia Monchengladbach
11:00 ET FC Cologne v Bayer Leverkusen

Serie A

Sunday
7:00 ET Atalanta v Fiorentina
9:00 ET Reggina v Genoa
9:00 ET AS Roma v Bologna
9:00 ET Cagliari v Catania
9:00 ET Juventus v Chievo Verona
9:00 ET Siena v Lazio
9:00 ET Sampdoria v Napoli
9:00 ET Palermo v Torino
13:00 ET Udinese v Internazionale
15:00 ET AC Milan v Lecce

Championship (I have fired TFA, how dare he not include the Colaship)

Saturday

10.00am ET Barnsley v Nottm Forest
10.00am ET Blackpool v Plymouth
12.20pm ET Bristol City v Preston
10.00am ET Coventry v Reading
10.00am ET Derby v Burnley
10.00am ET Doncaster v Watford
10.00am ET Norwich v Sheff Wed
10.00am ET QPR v Crystal Palace
10.00am ET Sheff Utd v Ipswich
10.00am ET Southampton v Charlton

Read more on "The Bootroom: The Return of Club Play"...

USA v. Trinidad & Tobago Open Thread

We're now returning you to your regularly scheduled programming after our little day of April Fools mirth. So what did you do today??

Tonight, the US Men's National team takes on Trinidad & Tobago in Nashville, TN, of all places. A win tonight will surely help wash away the bad taste of that draw in El Salvador over the weekend. Coverage begins on ESPN2 (the Deuce) at 7:30pm... Expect a pregame show featuring lots of in-depth analysis from Sideshow Bob et al.

Have your say in the comments, or feel free to chat about today's non-cricket, non-boobs events.

Read more on "USA v. Trinidad & Tobago Open Thread"...

The UF Clubhouse- Saturday Open Thread

Update (from Spectator): As can be seen from these pictures, the Premier League title race appears to be back on.... And this is why we love English football.

Good morning mates. Today is another day packed full of footie. As seasons move into the final third, title races are tightening, Euro berth races are more intense, and so are relegation battles. It is quite simply squeaky bum time.

In England, Man U looks to recover against Fulham from the thrashing it suffered last weekend at the hands of Liverpool. Chelsea and Arsenal look to continue their form against Spurs and Newcastle respectively. The marquee matchup occurs on Sunday as Villa looks to regain form against Liverpool and stay in the race for the final CL spot with Arsenal. Liverpool wants to continue its astounding form.

Germany's title race is great. Top five teams separated by only 6 points and two through four tied on points, while The Hoff has cooled and looks to get back into the race. La Liga has Barcelona looking to wrap its fingers around the throat of the league championship again and Real Madrid hopes to stay in touch with Barca. The big Serie A match is Roma v. Juve. Roma needs a victory to maintain hopes for a CL spot next year and Juve needs the win to keep its hopes up for a league title.

Select games after the jump


England (All Times ET)

Saturday
(8:45 am) Portsmouth v. Everton
(11:00 am) Blackburn v. West Ham
(11:00 am) Fulham v. Man U
(11:00 am) Stoke City v. Middlesbrough
(11:00 am) Tottenham Hotspur v. Chelsea
(11:00 am) West Brom v. Bolton
(1:30 pm) Newcastle v. Arsenal

Sunday
(9:30 am) Wigan v. Hull
(11:00 am) Man City v. Sunderland
(12:00 pm) Liverpool v. Aston Villa

Bundesliga

Saturday
(10:30 am) Bayern Munich v. Karlsruhe (Bayern tied in second on 45 points)
(10:30 am) Stuttgart v. Hertha Berlin (Hertha sits in first and Stuttgart wants to get back in the CL race)
(10:30 am) The Hoff v. Hannover 96 (Hoff is struggling and down to 4th)
(10:30 am) Arminia Bielefeld v. Wolfsburg (Wolfsburg tied in second on 45 points)

Sunday
(12:00 pm) Schalke v. Hamburg (Hamburg tied in second on 45 points)

La Liga

Saturday
(5:00 pm) Sevilla v. Valladolid (Can Sevilla continue its charge up La Liga?)

Sunday
(12:00 pm) Real Madrid v. Almeria
(12:00 pm) Osasuan v. Espanyol (6 point relegation match)
(2:00 pm) Barca v. Malaga
(4:00 pm) Mallorca v. Atletico Madrid

Serie A

Saturday
(3:30 pm) Roma v. Juventus (Roma's CL dreams will take a big hit)

Sunday
(10:00 am) Inter v. Reggina (Can Inter maintain in match with cellar occupants?)
(10:00 am) Genoa v. Udinese (Genoa sits in 4th)
(10:00 am) Fiorentina v. Siena (Fiorentina in 5th on GD)
(3:30 pm) Napoli v. AC Milan (Meelan in 3rd 12 points adrift)

Read more on "The UF Clubhouse- Saturday Open Thread"...

Arsenal-Hull City FA Cup QF Open Thread.

Boy that's a lot of info to try to get into the title line.

We, of course, tend to care much more about Arsenal than Hull, so let's hit the Arsenal news. Almunia is out after Diouf tried to break the Spanglishiard's foot off at the ankle. Clichy is said to be sitting as well, while Arshavin really wants to play but may be out due to eight stitches in his foot. Eduardo is lightly injured again and--news flash--Rosicky is never coming back.

Hull have some no-names back, some no-names injured or cup-tied, and Geovanni back in form just in time to repeat his heroics at Emirates. Great.

Full Lineups:
Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Djourou, Gallas, Gibbs, Walcott, Diaby, Song, Vela, Arshavin, van Persie. Subs: Toure, Nasri, Denilson, Silvestre, Mannone, Bendtner, Eboue.

Hull City: Myhill, Dawson, Ricketts,Halmosi, Zayatte, Ashbee, Barmby, Geovanni, Gardner, Fagan Manucho. Subs: Hughes, Duke, France, Garcia, Mendy, Folan, Featherstone.

Enjoy it. Comment away as usual. Pagination is encouraged but not required.

Read more on "Arsenal-Hull City FA Cup QF Open Thread."...

Chelsea v. Man Citeh Open Thread

Oh man...it's late. Here's an open thread for Spartak London v. Dubai Citeh and Villan v. Spurs. I just got done with a 4 hour screening of Che. Hopefully, I'll be up in time for halftime in the Oligarch Classic.

It's a light Prem scedule today with just two matches, but 'Arry opened his mouth so the late tilt between Villa and Spurs should be a tad more interesting than it might have been otherwise.

There are full slates in Italy and Spain. Atlético faces off against Villarreal in probably the best match in Spain. While Inter v. Everton Fiorentina is maybe the best of the lot in Spain? Ugh, this is really all we get today?

Maybe this is St. Patrick's way of saying save your drunkeness for after the futbol.

Oh, there is a Rangers v. Celtic match. Someone help me out here. Does it count as an Old Firm tilt if it's not a league game but for the Socttish Cup?

Read more on "Chelsea v. Man Citeh Open Thread"...

FA Cup/EPL Open Thread: Tangled Up in Blues

Spot the selfish, whiny one

Only three games today, and none worth that much coverage (sorry, Spartak fans). That game's a bit dire so far, with Spartak holding a 1-0 lead at half-time. Where is this Coventry team we saw play with gusto and style at Carrow Road last weekend? Oh, that's right, their best player, the left-back Dan Fox, isn't playing.

Meanwhile, Essien's on the bench, meaning he's about a week away from being that bulldog in defensive midfield again, much to the chagrin of any team still left to travel to Stamford Bridge.

We might well liveblog some La Liga later on in the form of the Madrid Derby, but for now, this is it. Gripe about Spurs, or offer your prayers for a home win at Craven Cottage.

Whatever you do, come cupset with us after the jump.

FA Cup Fixtures:
Coventry 0, Spartak London 1 (half-time)
Fulham v. Manchester United (12.30pm kick-off)

EPL's Sole Release:
Sunderland v. Tottenham (10am kick-off)

And a massive match for the Canaries, who travel to Blackpool today for a legitimate six-pointer. COME ON, NORWICH!

Read more on "FA Cup/EPL Open Thread: Tangled Up in Blues"...

Bangers and Mash With UF: Weekend Open Thread

Yesterday wasn't a good day for most of UF, Autoglass excepted of course. Arsenal failed to score again and Liverpool is playing like Arsenal of last year. Lead the league until January and then fall apart. Every day Manchester United get a tighter grip on the title without doing a damn thing.

However, despite losses of personal wealth of anywhere from $14B to $31B, Roman Abramovich must be smiling today. On a last gasp Frank Lampard goal, the Blues vaulted to second in the table on goal differential. The change in managers seems to be working--for now. Plus, Roman's girlfriend, Dasha Zhukova (pictured above), was named editor of a fashion magazine. Wonder if she will use this picture for the cover, Roman bought it for her for 17M pounds.

Maybe Sunday will be better. Maybe not. But, at least there's footie on and there's Silverware on the line at Wembley as Spurs take on Manchester United for the Carling Cup. Bigus and LB are there for the game - I am guessing there hasn't been too much time where a cup filled with beer hasn't been attached to their hands.

Also, help us name this weekend open thread feature for UF.

Here's an update from Wembley.

It's still scoreless and the Norwichomon crew are still drunk. Here's a grainy picture proving they are actually there.

And here's what they are all wearing today:



That's the Norwichomon credo and pastime.

Read more on "Bangers and Mash With UF: Weekend Open Thread"...

Weekend Preview and Saturday Open Thread

Tranny John Terry is happy that we finally made it to the weekend!

First thing's first. We're looking to make this weekend preview/open thread a permanent fixture, but we need your help coming up with a good name. The best entry will earn eternal fame and a modicum of our gratitude!

Looking over the fixture list, in the infinite wisdom of the European football gods, there's plenty of Sunday action, not as much Saturday. No big standouts but still plenty of footy. Roundup after the jump.


On Sunday, it's the Worthlessingtoncarling Cup between Man U and Tottenham. Is this the first step on Man U's try for the quadruple? Or will the Spurs supporters have more "silverware" to gloat about? All we know is that both teams will be fielding weakened squads. 'Nuff said.


And in the EPL (times are EST)....

Saturday:
7:45 Everton v. WBA
10:00 Chelsea v. Wigan
10:00 Middlesbrough v. Liverpool
10:00 Arsenal v. Fulham

The Arsenal-Fulham match is on FSC and also available for free from Arsenal TV.

Sunday:
7:30 Hull v. Blackburn
7:30 West Ham v. Man City
8:00 Bolton v. Newcastle
10:00 Aston Villa v. Stoke

Aston Villa-Stoke on FSC and available for free online. (h/t Keith)

(There's also a full schedule of midweek fixtures coming up.)


Last weekend we skipped over Serie A altogether because the matches were especially yawn. This weekend....

Saturday:
12:00 Lazio v. Bologna - Zzzzzzzz
2:30 Juve v. Napoli - Eh, it's Juve.

Sunday:
12:00 Sampdoria v. AC Milan - Can Milan get back on track against Crazy Cassano?
2:30 Inter v. Roma - An injury-decimated Roma needs a victory to keep their CL chances alive.

All matches are on FSC. Let me tell you about my love affair with Proactiv!


And in La Liga...

Saturday:
2:00 Espanyol v. Real Madrid - Can Espanyol beat the top two back to back?

Sunday:
11:00 Sporting Gijon v. Mallorca - Only 8 points separate 9th place from relegation.
1:00 Atletico Madrid v. Barcelona - Will Barca rebound after earning only 1 point in their last two matches?


In the Bundesliga (all games at 11:00 EST)...

Saturday:
Hertha v. Borussia Monchengladbach - Hertha faces bottom of table club to stay in title chase.
Energie Cottbus v. Vfl Bochum - The good ol' relegation six-pointer.

Sunday:
Werder Bremen v. Bayern - Both squads coming off mid-week triumphs in Europe, who keeps the mo'?
Hamburg v. Vfl Wolfsburg - Table toppers have two teams hot on its tail.


As always, there's much more: Dundee United versus Hearts in a battle for third in the SPL. Wolves versus the Green Scum of Plymouth in the Championship. Bigus's Norwich versus Coventry (go Canaries!). And my own Exeter City take on point-docked Darlington in a key League Two match. But that's all we got for now.

(And remember to help us out naming this here feature.)

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Weekend Preview and Saturday Open Thread

It seems we have now reached the point of the season where the leagues turn quite serious. Two-thirds of the way through, around a dozen matches to go, about time to separate the wheat from the chaff.

After the jump, have a look at the weekend's action. And, as always, have your say in the ol' comments.

As usual, let's start with the EPL....

7:45 EST Aston Villa v. Cheslea
10:00 EST Arsenal v. Sunderland
10:00 EST Middlesbrough v. Wigan
10:00 EST Stoke v. Pompey
10:00 EST Bolton v. West Ham
12:30 EST Manchester United v. Blackburn

The big match would be the early game, with Aston Villa, Chelsea and Arsenal locked in a battle for third and fourth. Villa's upcoming matches will likely determine their season -- if they can stay in the top 4 through early April, than they're looking quite good indeed. Meanwhile, Arsenal and Man U should each have no trouble at home against lesser competition. And after that it's just the big jumble in the lower half of the table.

Tomorrow's matches:

8:30 EST Fulham v. West Brom Albion
10:00 EST Liverpool v. Citeh
11:00 EST Newcastle v. Everton

Further down the English leagues, Bigus' Norwich host Burnley as they try to get out of the Championship relegation zone. My own Exeter City should be in good shape in League Two against Chester City, who are on a six-game skid.

Elsewhere, in the Bundesliga, here are the highlights (all matches at 9:30 EST)....

Stuttgart v. Hoffenheim - The Hoff try to get back on track
Bayern Munich v. Cologne - Featuring Lukas Podolski's former and future employer
Borussia Monchengladbach v. Hannover 96 - A battle of Americans: Michael Bradley against Steve Cherundolo
Wolfsburg v. Hertha Berlin - Can Hertha stay top of the league?

Tomorrow there's another big match with Bayer Leverkusen v. Hamburg SV. Hamburg is in title chase and Leverkusen could haul itself back into the discussion with a win.

And in la Liga...

2:00 EST Barcelona v. Espanyol - It's a derby match.
4:00 EST Sevilla v. Atletico Madrid - Does baby Agueradona make a difference? Can Atletico get back into CL contention?

And tomorrow is Osasuna v. Numancia in a relegation 6 pointer.

Enjoy all the action! And big ups to the Fan's Attic with the assist with the previews above.

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Sunday Open Thread: Today is Groundhog Day

Tottenham: Where boyhood dreams go to die.

This room... there's something about this room. And that guy over there-- I know him! But from where? When? It's a strange sensation, like we've all been here before.

And of course, we have. Arsenal and their bright new [boyish-looking] foreign star are visiting White Hart Lane for a showdown, if we can call it that, with Tottenham Redux. Robbie Keane makes his debut (again) today and does so as captain, which just makes the whole thing that much more bizarre. But as with truth and war, this type of moral ambiguity doesn't play so well during a relegation battle. So I'll stash it until things are more.. emmm... comfortable. (Note: Arsenal not expected to play Arshavin. Tottenham not expected to play well. Prediction: Spurs 2, Arse 2)

Elsewhere in London, West Ham play host to Man. U. in a match they will lose either 0-1 or 0-5. I'll put my money on the former if only because the Liverpool fans are so heavily invested in the outcome and everything for them this season is a blathering, teary-eyed melodrama. (Prediction: Manchester United 1, West Ham United 0)
Update! Lingering is threatening to liveblog this, so beware...

The fixtures and squads after the jump.



TOTTENHAM vs ARSENAL -- White Hart Lane -- 8.30 am

Tottenham: Cudicini, Gomes, Alnwick, Corluka, Dawson, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Chimbonda, Lennon, Huddlestone, Jenas, Zokora, Modric, Keane, Pavlyuchenko, Campbell, Bent, Bale, Taarabt, Rocha, Giovani,

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Nasri, Denilson, Song, Eboue, Adebayor, Van Persie, Fabianski, Djourou, Gibbs, Wilshere, Vela, Bendtner, Ramsey, Arshavin..


***


WEST HAM vs MAN U -- Upton Park -- 11.00 am

West Ham: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker, Noble, Savio, Collison, Cole, Di Michele, Boa Morte, Lastuvka, Lopez, Spector, Tomkins, Tristan, Sears, Kovac.

Man. Utd: Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak, Brown, Eckersley, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Fletcher, Gibson, Giggs, Park, Tosic, Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez, Possebon.

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