Weekend preview: Let’s hope for another cracker at Anfield

So, the weekend is upon us again. The weather is getting colder and the christmas rush is getting hotter. However, put the shopping to one side for a few hours to absorb some cracking fixtures from the Barclays Premiership.

This weekend features some intriguing games, and as the mad rush of matches is nearly upon us, teams will be desperate to grab as many points as possible before the festive mayhem begins.

This week’s pre-match analysis is focusing on two teams who are on a slippery slope. However, one side started a lot earlier than the other. Arsenal visit Liverpool on Sunday, and if it’s anything like last season, the neutrals are in for a treat.

Liverpool are performing consistently, but unfortunately for Rafael Benitez, it’s not the positive consistency he is looking for. The club is out of the Champions League, which after a dismal European campaign, was summed up by a sloppy 2-1 home defeat to Fiorentina. The Reds aren’t performing to the standards that they are capable of in the Premiership either, the club has won just two out of the last eight games and are three points off a Champions League spot.

Arsenal aren’t in a rich vein of form either, but have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League in top spot. Arsenal are currently eight points behind Chelsea with a game-in-hand and some pundits are claiming that the title-race is a two-horse race. However, with Chelsea losing vital players in the New Year to the African Cup of Nations, don’t rule out the Gunners just yet.

TEAM NEWS:

Fernando Torres could make his first start in six weeks after a niggling hernia problem. Another boost for Rafa Benitez is that Alberto Aquilani didn’t suffer any side-effects after his first start against Fiorentina in midweek, which means he could start again. However, don’t be surprised if he is named on the bench. Ryan Babel is a doubt with an ankle injury, but other than that, the Spaniard has a full squad to choose from.

Arsene Wenger claimed that this season has been the worst, in terms of injuries. With the likes of; Bendtner, van Persie, Eboue, Clichy, Gibbs, Rosicky, Djourou all sidelined, he may have a point. The news doesn’t improve either after it was revealed that Eduardo and Abou Diaby are doubts. However, Alex Song returns from suspension, which will be very welcome news to Wenger.

Last season, fans were treated to an epic, unpredictable 4-4 draw and whilst bookies will be hoping it won’t happen, picking a winner is very difficult. Having Torres back for Liverpool is such a morale boost, and will give surrounding players the impetus to play well. Therefore, I predict a 2-1 win for Liverpool, solely because of the Torres-factor.

As always, look out for Leicester City, who after two back-to-back defeats will be looking to bounce back against Sheffield Wednesday at the Walkers Stadium.

Enjoy your weekend!

Portsmouth come out fighting, but is it too late?

After reports that Portsmouth are planning to go into administration, the club have responded with an aggressive statement denying the allegations. The club has been under scrutiny over recent months after failing twice to pay the players’ wages and with the situation reportedly not improving, speculation was starting to arise that the south-coast club was about to delve into the mire.

Pompey have also denied that owner Ali Al Faraj is not committed to the club, and insist that CEO Peter Storrie would not be leaving the club, despite charges brought upon him of tax evasion.

It’s been a miserable time for Pompey who have been going through a major transformation. The club has gone through numerous protracted takeovers, the club has had to sell top players to balance the books and a transfer embargo has landed on the club.

Even though the club say that administration is not on the horizon, the horrid facts remain the same and fans will be concerned that the dreaded prospect could be close.

Pompey remain defiant though, the statement reads: “The owner and board of Portsmouth Football Club are disappointed at recent inaccurate media speculation regarding the club’s finances and the threat of administration.”

It also read: “The club is not going into administration. If that were the case it would have happened in September or early October.”

The possibility that the club could have gone into administration earlier on in the year will not fill the fans or players with much confidence. Furthermore, the club would suffer a ten-point reduction if it was to happen, which as things stand, would see their points tally read zero.

The statement also claims: “Constant malicious rumours and speculation do not assist with the major long-term funding that is currently being put in place.”

Fans will be worrying about the short-term though, the club is in serious danger of dropping into the Championship, which as proved this year features a lot of teams that can challenge the top, so there would be no guarantee that they would bounce straight back up at the first attempt.

Pompey have a new manger at the helm, Avram Grant, and they gained three vital points against Burnley last weekend. However, the continuing speculation will do nothing but hinder the players. The former Chelsea manager must battle the growing negativity if he is to create a miracle.

Trulli heading to Lotus?

Lotus have announced that they will confirm their driver line-up for 2010 next week, with former Toyota driver, Jarno Trulli top of their four-man shortlist. Team principal Tony Fernandes confirmed that Trulli and Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy were on the list but 1997 World Champion, Jaques Villeneuve was not on it.

Italian Trulli is without a team after Toyota pulled out of F1 shortly after the season finished in Abu Dhabi. However, speculation was rife that he wouldn’t carry on with the team anyway due to the team’s desire to bring a younger driver in.

Trulli has previous experience working with Lotus Technical Director, Mike Gascoyne. The pair worked together at Toyota before Gascoyne left the Japanese outfit in 2006.

Fernandes said in November that he had signed his first driver for 2010, but wasn’t disclosing who it was. Therefore, this announcement that Trulli is on the shortlist may just be the starter before delivering the main course, that indeed Trulli has signed.

With the Italian very likely to drive for the team in 2010, the big question is who will partner him? Fernandes has said that he wants the best available partnership, and with some good drivers still on the market, ambitious Lotus should have a strong line-up next season.

Capello’s dilemma couldn’t get anymore difficult….

England are blessed with one world-class striker, and that is in the shape of Wayne Rooney. And, as long as injury doesn’t strike, the Manchester United striker will be on the plane to South Africa, and will most likely lead the attack against USA on June 12th.

What is not clear though, is who will join him on that special flight to Africa. Capello has many good strikers at his disposal; Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor to name a few.

It will be a difficult decision for the Italian to make because whoever he takes, solid strikers will be left at home. To make things even more difficult, an England old-boy popped up to score a hat-trick in Germany last night.

Michael Owen scored all three of Manchester United’s goals in their 3-1 win against Wolfsburg, and one thing is for sure, he hasn’t lost his goalscoring pedigree that made him a success in the first place.

England have strikers who are big and strong, strikers that will be a handful. However, the likes of Heskey and Cole carry less of a goal threat than the 89-capped Owen. That is what Owen can provide a team, he showed it against Manchester City when he scored in the 90th minute after coming on as a substitute. He scores important goals, he gets in the right positions at the right time. If he maintains his form, Capello can’t ignore him for too long.

Bullard is out until the New Year

Football is known as the ‘beautiful game’ but for Jimmy Bullard, the game has never seemed so ugly. The cheeky Hull midfielder has been sidelined for six to eight weeks with a new knee injury. Bullard had recently come back to action after many months out after sustaining an injury to his other knee.

Bullard limped off after 19 minutes on Saturday, after an awkward tackle involving Aston Villa’s James Milner. From his emotional reaction, it was thought that it could be a similar injury to the one he sustained many months ago. However, according to the medical staff at Hull, he should be back in the New Year.

The England-capped midfielder is an integral part of the Hull City side and has been in fine form since returning from his long-term absence. His return had given the whole team a morale boost, which in-turn had a positive effect on results. The Tigers had pulled clear of the relegation zone but the combination of Bullard’s injury and Saturday’s 3-0 thumping has left the team in a precarious situation.

Phil Brown, Hull manager, will hope his talisman is available sooner rather than later. Bullard won the player-of-the-month award for the month of November, and Brown knows he can’t have players of that calibre on the sidelines for too long, particularly when the player is such a huge influence on the side.

Bullard is one of the sport’s good guys and every football fan will want him back quickly. His popularity is obvious to see, with the fans of Hull and Aston Villa giving him a standing ovation when he limped off. The Aston Villa management team also consoled him, which just shows how well thought of he is in the Premiership as a person.

Silverstone secures British GP future

Silverstone has agreed a deal, which will cement the British Grand Prix on the F1 calendar from 2010. The 17-year deal ends speculation about the uncertainty of the race, which has been intense over the last few months.

Donington Park was scheduled to hold the event, but due to lack of funding Bernie Ecclestone pulled the plug on the deal. Since then, the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) has been trying to secure a long-term deal that will see the British GP stay at Silverstone.

With the deal now signed, plans can finally get underway to modernise the pit lane and paddock. Tickets can also be released, which will delight fans across the UK and the world who have been frustrated over the last few months. Silverstone is the oldest racetrack on the calendar, and is a fans and drivers favourite.

Damon Hill, president of the BRDC, said: “The announcement is tremendous news.”

The former F1 World Champion added: “The BRDC wanted this relationship to continue, and we were prepared to go back to the negotiating team, with the level of risk satisfactory for the deal to go ahead.”

Having two British World Champions in the field, it seemed unthinkable that there would be no British GP. Thankfully, all the speculation can end, and now British fans can look forward to seeing their heroes on July 11th at the home of British racing.

Weekend Review: 5th-6th December

The concept of sport never fails to disappoint, and the weekend just past is no exception. In football, pivotal results shake up the top and bottom of the Premiership. In cricket, England secure a one-day series win in Durban without bowling a ball, India reach top of the test-rankings and West Indies in victory hunt against Australia.

In tennis, Spain faced the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final, with some extraordinary comebacks and blistering shots and rallies.

To the football though, it was another fantastic weekend in the Barclays Premiership. Table-topping Chelsea endured their third defeat of the season at Manchester City, losing 2-1. The afternoon was summed up for the Blues when Shay Given saved Frank Lampard’s late penalty. The defeat means Manchester United are only two points behind after cruising to a 4-0 win over West Ham United.

Arsenal kept the pressure on the top two after comfortably winning 2-0 against Stoke City. Arsenal could even afford to a miss a first-half penalty, after Andriy Arshavin was brought down in the area. Spurs couldn’t though, Jermain Defoe’s spot-kick was saved by Tim Howard as Everton fought back to draw 2-2 at Goodison Park.

Aston Villa maintained their challenge for a Champions League spot after beating Hull City 3-0. The result wasn’t the only blow to the Tigers with Jimmy Bullard limping off early on with what looks a new knee injury. Phil Brown will hope that his talisman isn’t out for too long, but Bullard’s emotional reaction suggests it is a bad injury.

Elsewhere, a stuttering Liverpool dropped points at Ewood Park in a dire game. Birmingham are cementing their place in the top ten after another fine win, Alex McLeish’s side came from behind to beat Wigan 3-2.

At the bottom of the table, Portsmouth reached double-figures in terms of points after recording a vital 2-0 win over Burnley at Fratton Park. Wolves picked up a welcome three points after beating Bolton 2-1 in a cracking game at Molineux. Finally, Fulham overcame a poor Sunderland side 1-0, Bobby Zamora scoring the important goal.

Just before the weekend began, England’s cricket team secured a 2-1 one-day series win over South Africa in Durban. The final game was a wash-out with no play available, which meant England picked up the winning trophy. It is only the third time a touring side has beaten South Africa in a one-day series.

During the weekend though, India overtook the Proteas at the top of the test-rankings. India reached the top after they secured the test series against Sri Lanka, by winning the third test by an innings and 24 runs.

Elsewhere in cricket, West Indies are well in the hunt to secure victory in the second test against Australia. Chris Gayle scored his eleventh test century as both sides head into the final day with all three results possible. Day four closed with West Indies on 284-8 in their second innings – 296 runs ahead.

In tennis, Spain regained their Davis Cup title after thrashing Czech Republic 5-0 in Barcelona. The team featuring Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco were awesome throughout the three days and thoroughly deserved the victory over the Czech team.

(Look out for the weekend preview on Friday)