Looking Forward to the Weekend, Weekend

This weekend, there will be a few matches in both La Liga and the Premier League that are sure to entertain. Now, I don't normally cover La Liga, but El Clasico is certainly a great occasion to do so. Let's preview some of these matches, shall we?

Real Madrid v. Barcelona (La Liga): The clash of the Spanish titans. Last time Los Galacticos met the Blaugrana at the Camp Nou, Barcelona completed dominated Jose Mourinho's side with their tiki-taka style of play. However, with this match being at the Bernabeu, things could be a little different. With Barca being 8 points ahead of Real, this could be a pivotal match in the title-race. A win for Barcelona, and they have basically won the league. Unless of course, they have a terrible slump in form. But c'mon, it's Barca. But, a win for Real, and they're only 5 points behind. If that happens, all it takes is a Barca draw or two for Real to be firmly back in it. This will be the first of four matches that these two will play in a matter of 18 days, with the other matches being the Copa Del Rey final and the Champions' League semi-finals. My prediction? A 3-3 draw. I don't think Barca will be able to overcome the atmosphere of the Bernabeu. Heck, they let Arsenal come back at the Emirates. And yes, I did just take that as an opportunity to brag. This game will kick-off at 3 p.m. Central US time on Saturday.

Manchester City v. Manchester United (FA Cup Semi-Final): Anyone remember the gem of a goal above? Of course you do. It's most likely going to be the Premier League goal of the year. And, it was also the winner for the Red Devils the last time they met the Citizens. Did I also mention that Rooney isn't going to be playing. That's right, his ban will keep him out of this match. But, it isn't all bad news for United. City's main man, captain, and goalscorer Carlos Tevez will be out with a hamstring injury. That leaves either Mario Balotelli to start or Edin Dzeko. Balotelli's a little baby and Dzeko's still adjusting to the British style of play. So it looks like a tough choice for Mancini. I just hope that Roberto Mancini doesn't put a defensive-minded squad onto the field, which would ruin what I'm anticipating to be a fantastic match. Hopefully, Mancini will play around with his squad and play both of his center forwards. They'll be looking for a positive result, following their 3-0 defeat at the hands of the rejuvenated Liverpool, who will be facing Arsenal on Sunday. I honestly can't make a prediction for this one. After all, anything can happen in cup matches. This match will kick-off at 11:15 Central US time.

Arsenal v. Liverpool (Premier League): Finally, the third, and final of this weekend's "Clashes of the Giants". With both teams slightly ravaged with injuries, this could be closer than most expect it to be. The players out for Arsenal: defenders Bacary Sagna, Johann Djourou (most likely). But, with Emanuel Eboue having a fantastic match against Blackpool, his presence will be welcomed. What I'm fearing is a Squillaci-Koscielny backline for Arsenal. "Squicielny" as they're affectionately known by the Gooner faithful aren't exactly the best back line in the League. In fact, together, they're pretty terrible. This could be a huge disadvantage for Arsenal, with Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll firing on all cylinders for the Reds. It's kind of a scary situation. But, Liverpool's midfield, atleast in my opinion, pales in comparison to Arsenal's. With Steven Gerrard being out, Lucas, Jay Spearing, and Raul Meireles pitted against the likes of Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, and Jack Wilshere. However, under "King" Kenny Dalglish, the Reds have beaten both Manchester sides by the score of 3-0. But then again, those were home games. Arsenal have looked a bit weak at home lately, but this will be an amazingly crucial game for the Gunners. If they win, they're back in the title race, being only 3 points behind Manchester United. I predict a 3-1 win for Arsenal. I think that the squad will realize that this is the pivotal point of the season, and they'll play their hearts out.

Huge Injury Blows for Liverpool

During the week, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish ruled out both Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger out for the rest of the season. Gerrard, the Reds' captain, returned to training after having surgery on his groin, but then a similar injury occured. Center back Daniel Agger will be out for two months, after he suffered from a knee tendon injury in Liverpool's 2-1 loss to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. 

These players will be out of the match against Manchester City, along with Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly, who both have hamstring injuries. Those two will be out for around a month. Despite all of these injured players, Kenny Dalglish hasn't given up hope; "We’ve just got to get on with it and accept that’s the position we’re in. It’s up to us to make the best of it." With the wonderful recent form of Luis Suarez and Raul Meireles, hopefully this doesn't hurt the Reds' chances of overtaking Tottenham for 4th place.

Premier League Injury Update: March 31st

Chelsea: The Blues' recent signing Yossi Benayoun has been out of action since October, after getting surgery on his knee. He played in Isreal's Euro qualifier against Georgia this week, and will be looking forward to return to play for Chelsea. I was actually wondering where he went. 

Arsenal: During today's training session for the Gunners, Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Abou Diaby and Alex Song were all seen training at full strength. Arsene Wenger is confident that all four will be ready for Saturday's match against Blackburn. Also, Robin Van Persie should be ready for the match after his injury during Holland's Euro qualifier against Hungary was ruled to be not very serious. This will be a huge boost for Arsenal.

Tottenham: After recently recovering from a groin injury, Jonathan Woodgate returned to play in a friendly against Barnet. But, he was taken off with a calf-problem, and will miss the Spurs' Champions' League quarter-final against Real Madrid. This could be a major setback, despite Huddlestone coming back from injury. Also, Gareth Bale has a hamstring injury which occurred when training with Wales, but he could possibly feature against Real Madrid. Aaron Lennon should also be back after pulling out of England's friendly with Ghana.

Bolton: Stuart Holden will be out for approximately six months after sustaining ligament damage from a hard tackle by Manchester United's Johnny Evans. For the hard tackle, Evans received a straight red. This is a huge blow to the American, who in my opinion was one of Bolton's most consistent players at Bolton and in the USA National team.

Liverpool: Steven "Captain Fantastic" Gerrard could be back from a groin surgery for Saturday's match against West Bromwich Albion. He took part in most of this week's training sessions, but manager Kenny Dalglish will be cautious when considering to play Stevie G. I don't think it's been that huge of a loss for the Reds, with Raul Meireles and Luis Suarez both stepping up recently, contributing hugely to Liverpool's good recent form.

Premier League Injury Update

Steven Gerrard has been bothered by a recurring groin problem for a month and a half now, and reports say that he possibly could need surgery to help recovery. If he does require surgery, he could be out for the rest of the season. Kenny Dalglish had this to say; "For Steven and us it's a niggling problem to which we have to find a solution." It seems to be only a slight problem, with Gerrard being rested until fully fit.

During Everton's Wednesday draw with Birmingham City, Arteta was subbed off in the 10th minute because of a hamstring injury. After assessing the injury, Everton's manager David Moyes said, "It's too early to say, I'm not sure but I'm guessing he will be out for a few weeks." This is another important player injured for Everton, with Phil Neville also falling to a hamstring injury.

During their Champions' League loss to Barcelona, Arsenal's young keeper Wojciech Szczesny had dislocated his finger after stopping a free kick. Arsene Wenger wasn't able to determine how long Szczesny will be out; "He is out for a while, for how long? I couldn’t tell you." This is the second keeper injured for the Gunners, with Lukasz Fabianski out with a shoulder injury. Wenger will look to sign a player on loan to cover for new number-one keeper, Manuel Almunia.

Also during Arsenal's match with Barca, Cesc Fabregas again injured his hamstring, being subbed off late in the game. He should be out for the next two games, according to Wenger; "[Fabregas], no. He had a recurrence of his hamstring problem and he will be out for the next game. Maybe for the next two games." This means he will miss Arsenal's crucial FA Cup tie with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Premier League Weekend Roundup: Gameweek 29

Wolverhampton 3-3 Tottenham: After a long spell of posession for the Wolves, Kevin Doyle flicked in a header a Milijas header to put Wolves up 1-0. However, 10 minutes later, Jermaine Defoe fired a thundering shot from 25 yards out to equalize for the Spurs. 5 minutes later, Jermaine Defoe scored another off a deflection off of Ward to put Tottenham up 2-1. Continuing to trouble the Spurs' defense, Nenad Milijas was pulled down in the area by Alan Hutton, and Kevin Doyle slotted the penalty into the back of the net for his second. Two minutes into the second half, Roman Pavlyuchenko of Tottenham put the ball into the back of the net to give the Spurs the lead, and scoring his 11th of the season. Tottenham held onto the lead until the 87th minute, when Steven Fletcher equalized the match with a header from Jarvis' cross. Because of this draw, Tottenham wasn't able to hop above Chelsea in the table.

Blackpool  1-3 Chelsea: Despite the one-sided scoreline, this match wasn't as close as it seemed. Having many chances early in the match, Blackpool wasn't able to capitalize on those shots. Taking advantage of the Tangerine's poor finishing, John Terry put a corner into the back of the net in the 20th minute. After Blackpool almost gaining an equalizer, the half ended with Chelsea showing poor form. Soon after coming on, Slomon Kalou won a penalty for Chelsea, and Frank Lampard put it away to double the Blues' lead. 4 minutes later, Lampard scored another and put the game away for Chelsea. Blackpool got a consolation goal when Puncheon scored in the 86th minute, but that did nothing to change the outcome. Chelsea now move above Tottenham in the table. 

Derby Day: Liverpool v Manchester United

Liverpool v Manchester United is one of the most intense footballing rivalries in the UK. This year, The Red Devils are looking for a 19th Premier League championship, and in doing so, would over take Liverpool, who are also on 18 championships. But on this day, United's weakened back line wasn't able to contain the charging Dirk Kuyt.

After Dimitar Berbatov of the Red Devils hit the post early on, Dirk Kuyt opened up the scoring for Liverpool in the 34th minute, having an easy tap-in from a fantastic move by Luis Suarez. Soon after, the day of Manchester's Luis Nani began to take a quick turn for the worst. Trying to clear a cross from Luis Suarez, Nani mistakenly headed the ball straight back to a waiting Kuyt, who then headed the ball in Manchester's goal, making the score 2-0. Towards the end of the first half, Jamie Carragher went in with a very rough slide tackle on Nani, receiving a yellow card, and injuring the Portuguese midfielder in the process, who was subbed off for Chicharito.

The second half began with Manchester having their best spell of play, being on attack for long periods of time. United had many chances to try to comeback into the game, even forcing midfielder Raul Meireles to clear the ball off of the goal line.  However, against the flow of the game, Liverpool put the ball into the back of the net for a 3rd goal. Luis Suarez curled a free-kick in towards Edwin Van Der Sar, who then let the ball slip right into the feet of a waiting Dirk Kuyt, who scored to complete his first hat-trick for Liverpool. By the 65th minute, it was 3-0 for the Reds.

Being the most expensive Englishman ever being bought on the transfer market, Andy Carroll returned from injury to make his debut for the 'Pool in the 74th minute. He didn't have much work to do, as the game was already finished off, a clear 3 points for Liverpool. As a consolation, substitute Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez scored with a header from Ryan Giggs' cross towards the end of full time. After the match, Sir Alex Ferguson refused to talk to reporters about the game, "protesting" against the press.

With his injury, Nani will most likely miss the FA Cup quarterfinal home game at Old Trafford against Arsenal on March 12. The win puts Liverpool in 6th place with 42 points, while Manchester United maintains a 3 point game above Arsenal, but they have a game in hand.