Community Shield LIVE Commentary Special:

This is it: The Community Shield will be decided today, when Manchester City face Chelsea.

Hello and welcome to my LIVE Commentary of the Chelsea vs Manchester City Community Shield Match at Villa Park Stadium..

Villa's the venue: EPL team Aston Villa's 43,000 seater stadium will be used in today's CS final.

The winners of the FA Cup (Chelsea) facing the winners of the EPL (Manchester City) in a interesting crunch match, 6 days before the new season starts. 

Up for the FA Cup: Chelsea beat Liverpool in the final back in May.

Late drama: Manchester City won the EPL title in May, but just under the noses of local rivals Manchester United.

BREAKING NEWS:
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is out of action for the CS today and England's friendly against Italy with a back injury.

Everton have agreed a £15million fee with Manchester City for defensive midfielder Jack Rodwell. 

Team Line-ups:
 
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Lampard, Ramires, Mata, Hazard, Torres. 
Subs: Turnbull, Cahill, Bertrand, Essien, Meireles, Sturridge, Piazon.

4-2-3-1 formation for Chelsea, with 4 at the back, Mikel and Lampard in defensive midfielder and Ramires Mata and Hazard all supporting Fernando Torres.

Strong Chelsea squad with Eden Hazard, Ramires and Mata all behind the frontman Fernando Torres.
I think Torres has to score, if he will do well next season and keep his place in the starting 11 for the upcoming season.
Strong defence as well with Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry along with David Luiz. 



Manchester City: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kompany, Savic, Kolarov, De Jong, Y Toure, Milner, Aguero, Nasri, Tevez.
Subs: Johansen, K Toure, Clichy, Razak, Silva, Johnson, Dzeko.

3-4-1-2 formation for City, with Zabaleta, Kompany and Savic at the back. A defensive 4 of Kolarov, Yaya Toure, Nigel de Jong and James Milner. Samir Nasri is in-front of them, supporting Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero in attack.


Slightly weaker Manchester City, with 1st team goalkeeper Joe Hart out along with Micah Richards.


Referee: Kevin Friend.


Before we continue with the LIVE Commentary, let me give you a quick update with the latest EPL news, and friendlies involving EPL teams yesterday..

Yesterday's Friendlies:

QPR 2 Augsburg 2
Striker Djibril Cisse scored twice for QPR as they drew with German 2.League side Augsburg 2-2.

Cardiff City 4 Newcastle United 1
Striker Shola Ameobi scored the only goal for Newcastle as they were thrashed 4-1 to Championship and Welsh club Cardiff. 

Malaga 1 Everton 0
Everton lost their pre-season friendly against Spainish team Malaga by 1-0 thanks to a goal by striker Weligton.

Fulham 1 Charlton Athletic 2
Midfielder Damien Duff scored for Fulham, but despite this they lost 2-1 to Championship side Charlton.

Reading 2 Crystal Palace 0 
EPL 'new boys' Reading beat Championship side Crystal Palace 2-0.
Former Stuttgart striker Pavel Pogrebnyak (remember him?) scored for Reading in the 52nd minute before they doubled their lead 1 minute later..

Norwich City 0 Borussia Monchengladbach 2 
Norwich were beaten by 2 goals to nil against German side Borussia Monchengladbach (what a handful!)

Hannover 96 3 Manchester United 4
Striker Wayne Rooney scored twice, along with Javier Hernandez and £12million signing Shinji Kagawa also scored for United as they beat German side Hannover 96.

Goal: Striker Wayne Rooney scores for Manchester United yesterday against Hannover.

Safe hands: Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea punches the ball out.

Transfer News: 

West Brom have confirmed the season-long loan signing of Chelsea's young striker Romelu Lukaku. 

Not at Chelsea, still in the EPL: Striker Romelu Lukaku will be on-loan at West Brom for next season.

He was persuaded to go to The Hawthorns by his current manager Roberto Di Matteo who used to manage West Brom.

He has had a tough start to his Chelsea career after arriving for around £17million last season.
 
Manchester City have released a picture of midfielder Jack Rodwell in their colours:

£15million man: Jack Rodwell has his first interview as a Manchester City player, having passed his medicaL

 

Tottenham and Arsenal are in a tug-of-war over the signing of French starlet M'Baye Niang.

 

Newcastle United has reportedly completed a £6.6million deal with Ajax over defender Vernon Anita.

 

Promising transfer: Ajax left-back Vurnon Anita is reportedly close to a move to Newcastle.

 

 

Liverpool are prepared to make midfielder Charlie Adam bait for Fulham in order to sign midfielder Clint Dempsey. 

 

Bye bye Fulham? Midfielder Clint Dempsey is close to a move away from Fulham, with Liverpool set to make a bid.

 

Wigan winger Victor Moses is close to finalising his £8.5million switch to Chelsea.

Manchester United are set to up their offer for Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie to £20million.

This is how Robin Van Persie would look in a Manchester United shirt. He said that he would not stay in the EPL.

Let's get back to the action now:

Eden Hazard vs Sergio Aguero: Chelsea vs Manchester City - LIVE from Villa Park.

LIVE Commentary - Chelsea vs Manchester City:

0: Referee Kevin Friend has blown the whistle to start the match here at Villa Park. 
Manchester City kick us off, with Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero kicking off.

Some empty seats, but the atmosphere is intense with these two teams facing each other.

10: The first 10 minutes, have been all City's possession.

Chelsea have kept losing the ball every time they have possession.

11: Referee Kevin Friend has booked Manchester City defender Stefan Savic after a late foul on Eden Hazard. 

15: Midfielder Samir Nasri had a shot saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech at the far post.

19: Patient build-up play by Manchester City.

39: Chelsea midfielder Ramires with the ball at his feet from 25 yards out. He does a fake shot before weaving past two defenders and passing the ball straight through to Torres who chips goalkeeper Pantilmon before the ball hits the back of the net.

GOAL!!!!!!!
Chelsea lead by 1-0 against City. Torres breaks the deadlock and scores for The Blues.

Cool as a cucumber: Torres breaks the deadlock for Chelsea in the 39th minute with a delicate chip past Pantilmon.

41: Kolarov on the wing, before getting tackled forcefully by Ivanovic. Free-kick given, and the referee runs towards Ivanovic before brandishing a card....

RED CARD!!! He has been sent off for Chelsea, and now they are down to ten men!
Interesting verdict by the referee, but Ivanovic's studs were showing there and even though he looked to play the ball, he caught the player and was not near the ball. 

Straight red card: Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic was sent off after a dangerous late tackle on Kolarov.

45+1:
The referee blows the whistle for half-time after a few intense minutes at Villa Park.
The match has blown wide open.

14:37:
The players from both sides have come out of the tunnel and are getting ready for the second half here.

14:38:

Manchester City SUB:
Stefan Savic OFF
Gael Clichy ON

45: Chelsea have kicked off the second half with Hazard and Torres.

46: Fernando Torres with a burst of pace past Gael Clichy before getting a last-ditch tackle from Kolarov.

49: Torres weaves past a few defenders before getting bodychecked by defender Vincent Kompany. Yellow card given to the Manchester City captain.

50: Manchester City free-kick taken by Kolarov into the box... curling ball.... JUST past the post!

52: Counter attack by City, with Milner running down the wing before crossing the ball into the box but a deflection is cleared by Terry. Only partially cleared, as the ball falls to Yaya Toure who takes a good first touch before hitting the ball hard and low towards goal....

GOAL!!!!
Midfielder Yaya Toure equalises for Manchester City. 
It was coming as Chelsea were giving the ball away andwith ten men, it is hard to defend against City.

Bullet: Manchester City defensive midfielder Yaya Toure takes advantage of Terry's poor clearance to score.

58: Striker Carlos Tevez with a nice solo run past David Luiz and John Terry before unleashing a shot from 20 yards out.... GOAL!! City are in-front!
2-1.

I'm here to stay: Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez scores a good goal to give them a 2-1 lead.

63: Carlos Tevez goes on a run down the wing before getting clipped by Ashley Cole from behind. Yellow card given to Ashley Cole for a late tackle.

64: Chelsea midfielder Ramires takes a shot from 20 yards out which is high and dips towards goal.... SAVE! by goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon. 


65: Manchester City full-back Kolarov runs down the wing before crossing the ball into the box for someone to head....
Nasri is there lurking and sticks a leg out before hitting the ball past Cech into the net...
GOAL!!! City are dominating now.
Nasri has made it 3-1 with 25 minutes left to play.



71: Chelsea SUB:
Eden Hazard OFF
Ryan Bertrand ON


Well played by Hazard, promising display for the future by the young 21-year-old.


75: Chelsea SUB:
Juan Mata OFF
Daniel Sturridge ON

Last-ditch substitution for Chelsea, with Daniel Sturridge replacing Juan Mata.


77: Manchester City SUB:
Samir Nasri OFF
David Silva ON 

Silky Silva replaces Nasri who has played well today and scored a goal for his troubles..

Huge applause for both the players coming on and off.


79: Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge weaves past a defender before unleashing a shot from 20 yards out towards goal... saved and parried away by goalkeeper Pantilimon.
The ball trickles away from him as Bertrand runs towards goal.... he taps the ball into the net. GOAL!

Consolation goal: Chelsea full-back Ryan Bertrand gives Chelsea hope with a goal in the 80th minute.

80: There are some arguments, as Bertrand wanted the ball back but Pantilimon did not want to give it back to him.

Yellow cards given to both players for decent.


Chelsea are back in the match, 3-2.



85: Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has been awarded the McDonalds Man of The Match after a solid performance today, capping it off with a great goal to equalise for City.

90: The fourth-official has signalled 4 minutes of stoppage time to be added on here at Villa Park.

90+1: Chelsea are desperately pressing for the equalising goal here with Sturridge crossing the ball into the box, but Kolarov heads away for a corner.

90+3: David Silva skills past three defenders before cutting inside the box and passing the ball to Yaya Toure.
City are just holding the ball at the moment here, which is all they need to do.

90+4: The referee blows the whistle to end the match here at Villa Park.

Manchester City win the third piece of silverware in three years against a Chelsea side who were dominated in the second half despite scoring twice during the match.

Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Carlos Tevez and David Silva(despite the fact he was on for about 12 minutes) were all the players that gave Chelsea havoc throughout.

Chelsea were down to ten men at the end of the first half, but they were always second best despite leading thanks to a Torres chip.

15:35:
The Chelsea squad are collecting their losers medals with John Terry leading his team out to collect.


15:37:
Manchester City squad look happy and excited, awaiting clearance for them to collect their winner's medals and lift the shield.


LIVE Friendly:


Liverpool 2 Bayer Leverkusen 0 HT

Young 17-year-old teenager Raheem Sterling broke the deadlock for Liverpool in the 3rd minute, before defensive midfielder Lucas (who has just returned from injury!) doubled their lead after 30 minutes. 

Thank you for reading my EPL Blog. 
I appreciate all the support from daily views and my followers.
Please spread the word by telling your friends and family (who are interested in reading and talking about football/soccer)

My next LIVE Commentary will be on Wednesday, when England face Italy in an international friendly.

EPL Easter Monday Special LIVE:

EPL Easter Monday Special LIVE:

Happy Easter Monday to you all!

Yesterday, Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta unofficially ended City's title hopes with a bullet strike winner for Arsenal in the 87th minute.

Striker Wayne Rooney and 'Golden Oldie' Paul Scholes were both on the scoresheet for the defending champions as they beat ten-man QPR earlier in the day.

Today, we have 5 different matches for you including Everton vs Sunderland and the North-London derby between Fulham vs Chelsea, with 3 different time-frames.
I could do the day in parts, but it will be confusing so I will do a BIG blog post instead.






15:00 kick-offs:


Everton vs Sunderland:
Team line-ups:

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Heitinga, Neville, Gueye, Fellaini, Osman, Pienaar, McFadden, Stracqualursi. 

Subs: Mucha, Gibson, Drenthe, Distin, Coleman, Anichebe, Duffy.

Sunderland: Mignolet, Bardsley, Turner, Kilgallon, Colback, Larsson, Vaughan, Cattermole, McClean, Gardner, Sessegnon. 

Subs: Westwood, Bridge, Wickham, Richardson, Ji, Meyler, Kyrgiakos.

FACT: Everton manager David Moyes has never lost to Sunderland in his managing career.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Norwich City:

Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Livermore, Modric, Bale, Saha, Defoe.

Subs: Cudicini, Adebayor, Van der Vaart, Kranjcar, Rose, Sandro, Nelsen.

Emmanuel Adebayor is replaced by Jermain Defoe who starts in strike along with Louis Saha.

VDV also on the bench with Niko Kranxjar and Sandro.

Norwich: Ruddy, Martin, Ryan Bennett, Ward, Drury, Elliott Bennett, Howson, Johnson, Pilkington, Holt, Wilbraham.

Subs: Steer, Morison, Crofts, Jackson,Surman, Hoolahan,
Barnett.

Newcastle United vs Bolton:

Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon, Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Perch, Gutierrez, Ba, Cisse.

Subs: Elliot, Abeid, Gosling, Ryan Taylor, Shola Ameobi, Ferguson, Tavernier.

Deadly partnership duo Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse both start for NUFC. 

Bolton: Bogdan, Ricketts, Ream, Wheater, Steinsson, Mark Davies, Reo-Coker, Pratley, Kevin Davies, Petrov, Eagles. 

Subs:Jaaskelainen, Alonso, Knight, Klasnic, Ngog, Sordell, Miyaichi.

Marcos Alonso, Ivan Klasnic, Marvin Sordell and Ryo Miyiachi all on the bench for Bolton.

15:00: The 3 matches have all started.


15:04: Striker Louis Saha's shot for Tottenham (against) Norwich is well saved by John Ruddy.


15:08: Standout performer for Everton so far is midfielder Steven Pienaar, who is being creative but no-one can take any shots at the moment.


15:13: 
White Hart Lane,
Tottenham vs Norwich:
And the first goal of the day, has come at White Hart Lane... to the away side.
Midfielder Anthony Pilkington with the goal in the 13th minute.

Shock start: Anthony Pilkington celebrates his opener for Norwich against Spurs at White Hart Lane.

Yes!!!! Good result so far for 'the biggest Arsenal fan', me.  :)
Trouble for Harry Redknapp... :) 


15:18:
Goodison Park,
Everton vs Sunderland:
Midfielder and captain Lee Catermole is getting stuck in with his tackles.
Has recieved a yellow card, and now has to be careful.


15:32:
White Hart Lane,
Tottenham vs Norwich:
The home side has equalised! It was surely only a matter of time, and guess who scores it!
Super sub Jermain Defoe who started today... Nice through ball to him from Assou-Ekotto, before he chipped Ruddy nicely to score his 5th goal in 6 appearances.


15:35:
Goodison Park,
Everton vs Sunderland:
Everton passing well..., Heitinga with a chip to Fellani who volleys the ball from 14 yards out, but does not catch it well, and the ball goes wide. Still goal-less in this FA Cup quarter-final revenge match.


15:37:
FACT: Norwich are the first club this season in the EPL to have 10 English players in their starting 11 line-up.


15:45:
One minute of stoppage time at Goodison Park.


Tottenham vs Norwich:


Tottenham substitution:
Ryan Nelsen ON
Younes Kaboul (injury) OFF 


15:48:
HALF-TIMES:


Tottenham 1 Norwich City 1
Defoe equalised for Tottenham controversially as a potential penalty was NOT given at the other end a minute earlier after a shock start, 1-1 at half-time.
Consistency..


Newcastle 0 Bolton 0
Papiss Cisse, Hatem Ben Arfa and Demba Ba all have not been able to influence the scoreline in Newcastle's favour at the moment.


Everton 0 Sunderland 0
Goalless at the break, but plenty of chances that Everton should have put away.
Sunderland came close with midfielder Stephane Sessegnon's overhead kick was just wide.


16:03: The second halves have all started in the 3oclock kick-offs.


16:12:
Goodison Park,
Everton vs Sunderland:
Finally! Everton have taken one of their chances!
Striker Magaye Gueye scores his first goal for The Toffees after he hit a shot from a rebound.


16:26:
White Hart Lane,
Tottenham vs Norwich City:
GOAL
Midfielder Elliot Bennett takes advantage of the Tottenham defence's decision not to close him down, by taking an ambitious shot from 25 yards out towards goal., before beating Brad Friedel and scoring for Norwich!

Midfielder Elliot Bennett fires Norwich ahead at White Hart Lane against Tottenham in the 66th minute.

16:33:
Sports Direct Arena,
Newcastle United vs Bolton:
The first goal from this stadium to goes to the home side!
After 73 minutes, in-form midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa breaks the deadlock!
Wonderful solo goal, and Newcastle are close to 3 points today.
1-0 to Newcastle.


16:35:
Goodison Park,
Everton vs Sunderland:
He has been troubling all game, and finally midfielder Steven Pienaar gets his goal!
Doubles Everton's lead with 15 minutes left, and Sunderland have not scored for 75 minutes, so 2 goals could be a big ask...
16:36:
Goodison Park,
Everton vs Sunderland:
Another goal! 2 goals in 2 minutes for Everton, with midfielder Leon Osman's curling shot beating Simon Mignolet from the restart.

16:41:
Goodison Park,
Everton vs Sunderland:
No mercy!
Striker Victor Anichebe completes the domination, in the 81st minute with a goal for the Nigerian International.

16:43:
Sports Direct Arena,
Newcastle vs Bolton:
It was 1-0 to Newcastle, now it is 2!
Guess who scored it....
In-form striker Mr. Cisse, with his 10th goal in 9 matches after 83 minutes, which surely seals the 3 points for Newcastle now from a easy tap-in from 6 yards out.

16:52:
FULL-TIMES:
Newcastle 2 Bolton 0
In-form players Papiss Cisse and Hatem Ben Arfa with the goals to put Newcastle level on points with 4th placed Tottenham which gives their Champions League challenge hope.

Everton 4 Sunderland 0
You would not have thought Martin O'Neil's men would have been thrashed by Everton 4-0.
Even without top striker Nikica Jelavic, Everton comfortably saw off Sunderland with an inspiring performance from Steven Pienaar.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Norwich City 2
Tottenham fail to move back into 3rd place, and keep the pressure on rivals Arsenal, with a shock 2-1 defeat to newly promoted side Norwich.
 19:10:
FULL-TIME:
Aston Villa 1 Stoke City 1
This match was played at Villa Park, as 15th placed Aston Villa hosted 12th placed Stoke.
Midfielder Andreas Weimann started his 2nd match for Villa and capped it with another goal in the 32nd minute to break the deadlock for the home side.

Defender Robert Huth equalised for the visitors in the 71st minute to make it 1-1 from a powerful header to give Stoke a point from the match.


Chelsea vs Fulham:
Team line-ups:

Fulham: Schwarzer, Kelly, Hangeland, Hughes, John Arne Riise, Duff, Murphy, Diarra, Frei, Dembele, Dempsey. Subs: Stockdale, Orlando Sa, Kasami, Senderos, Etuhu, Briggs, Kacaniklic.

FACT: Fulham could leapfrog Liverpool, ino 8th place, with a win against Chelsea today.

Strong Fulham side, with Clint Dempsey, Kerim Frei (one to watch for the future!), Moussa Dembele and John Arne Riise in the attacking frame, while Danny Murphy, Damien Duff, Mohammadou Diarra and Brede Hangeland in the defensive style of play.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Bertrand, Mikel, Meireles, Kalou, Lampard, Ramires, Torres.
Subs: Turnbull, Romeu, Mata, Drogba, Malouda, Bosingwa, Sturridge.

FACT: Chelsea could move into 4th place, with a 2 goal win against Fulham today.

Didier Drogba, Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata all on the Chelsea bench, needed a rest ahead of a long fortnight.
Defender Branislav Ivanovic will probably play his last EPL match for rthis month, with a three match ban hanging over his head after an off-the-ball incident with Shaun Maloney (he punched him) against Wigan on Saturday just before he scored.
John Terry starts despite broken ribs along with John Obi Mikel and Fernando Torres.

20:40:
Craven Cottage,
Fulham vs Chelsea:
End-to-end 40 minutes in the match. Striker Fernando Torres had a shot from a dangerous area blocked by Hangeland, Midfielder Raul Meireles' shot was wide from 25 yards out, Fulham winger Kerim Frei had a low drive well saved by Petr Cech.

Both teams have had good spells of possession with precise passing by Dempsey, Riise and Frei for Fulham.
The same with Lampard, Ramires and Mikel for Chelsea.
Despite the rain, a good game of football but still goalless.
Two yellow cards for Chelsea, with Meireles and Cahill despite calls that they were harsh fouls. None for Fulham though who could open the scoring with Dempsey etc.
Chelsea breaking the deadlock would not be unsurprising though.

43:
PENALTY
Danny Murphy lunged into striker Salomon Kalou with both feet in from 16 yards out.
It looks a little bit harsh as Kalou was not going to score and defenders were behind him.
About to be taken, by midfielder Frank Lampard.
He steps up to take it.... and shoots.... GOAL!!
Powerful shot by Lampard, and even though goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer went the right way, the ball had too much pace to control and keep the ball out of the net.

FACT: Frank Lampard has now scored 150 goals in the EPL for Chelsea.

Fulham 0 Chelsea 1.

45: The fourth official signals only 1 minute of stoppage time to be added on here at Craven Cottage.

45+1: The referee blows the whistle to end the first half here.
The cameras are showing Fulham players still protesting the penalty decision, but it will not bring the scoreline back to 0-0.
Fulham are trailing by a controversial Lampard penalty just before half-time, and may feel they should be the side in-front at the break.


MORE TO FOLLOW SOON!

UEFA Champions League and Europa League Round-Up, FA Cup 6th Round + 4 EPL Match Previews:

UEFA Champions League and Europa League Last 16, Second Legs Round Up:

Champions League Last 16, Second Leg Action:

Tuesday:

 

Inter Milan 2 Marseille 1 (Aggregate 2-2, Marseille go through on away goals)
Milito 75'           Brandao 90+2'
Pazzini 90+6'

Bayern Munich 7 Basel 0 (Aggregate 7-1)
Robben 11', 81'
Muller 42'
Gomez 44', 50', 61'

Bayern Munich celebrate their 7-0 thrashing of FC Basel, to move into the Last 8 of the Champions League.

 

Wednesday:

Real Madrid 4 CSKA Moscow 1 (Aggregate 5-1)

'Higuain 26'                      'Tosic 77'

'Ronaldo 55, 90+4'  

'Benzema 70'  

Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo celebrate their 5-2 win over CSKA Moscow, putting themselves into the Quarter Finals of the Champions League.

Chelsea 3 Napoli 1 (Aggregate 4-4) (AET 5-4)

This match was played at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea hosted Napoli in a do or die matchup for The Blues if they wanted to qualify for the Last 8 of the CL (after a 3-1 loss in the first leg in Naples).

Striker Didier Drogba opened the scoring after 28 minutes, after midfielder Ramires' cross was headered past the goalkeeper into the net.

Striker Didier Drogba heads Chelsea ahead against Napoli in the 28th minute at Stamford Bridge.

Napoli conceded a silly corner in the 47th minute, in which winger Juan Mata's cross was quickly converted with a powerful header by John Terry to give Chelsea a 2-0 lead on the night, and level the aggregate score.

Defender John Terry doubles Chelsea's lead against Napoli in the 48th minute with a powerful header.

Midfielder Goklan Inler halved Chelsea's advantage with a sweet striker from 30 yards out in the 55th minute.

Frank Lampard made it 3-1 to the hosts after he scored a penalty in the 75th minute to take the match to extra time.

Every player was tired and defender Branislav Ivanovic ended the match with a clinical shot from 12 yards out.

UEFA Champions League Last 8 Draw:

APOEL vs Real Madrid

Benfica vs Chelsea

Marseille vs Bayern Munich

AC Milan vs Barcelona

First leg ties to be played on the 27th/28th of March, second legs on the 3rd/4th of April.

Europa League Action (EPL Teams mainly):

Thursday:

Athletic Bilbao 2 Manchester United 1 (Aggregate 5-3)
Manchester United had to overturn a 1 goal aggregate lead and ensure that Bilbao did not score more than once, to keep their Europa League dreams alive.
Watch highlights here:

Sorry about the foreign commentary...

Manchester City 3 Sporting Lisbon 2 (Aggregate 3-3, Sporting win on away goals)
This match was played at The Ethiad Stadium, as Manchester City hosted Sporting Lisbon in a must-win match if they wanted
to continue in the Europa League.
Sergio Aguero (2) and a Mario Balotelli penalty was not enough for City to qualify for the Last 8 of the Europa League.
Fernandez and Ricky Van Wolfswinkel both scored for the visitors in the first half.

UEFA Europa League Last 8 Draw:

(Just for the record)

AZ vs Valencia

Schalke 4 vs Athletic Bilbao

Sporting Lisbon vs Metalist Kharkiv

Athletico Madrid vs Hannover 96

First legs: 29th of March, second legs on the 5th of April.

FA Cup 6th Round Previews:

Saturday:

Everton vs Sunderland: LIVE at 12:45pm

This match will be played at Goodison Park as Everton look to move into the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2009, against a tough Sunderland side who have been under-rated so far this season and beat Arsenal 2-0 in the Fifth round to get here.

Everton playmaker Steven Pienaar is cup-tied for Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final against Sunderland at Goodison Park.
Central midfielder Darron Gibson is also unlikely to return to action from a knee injury.
Manager David Moyes is expected to rotate his squad after making six changes for the midweek defeat at Liverpool - which included first starts in two months for defender Phil Jagielka and midfielder Jack Rodwell - but today reported "a couple of niggling injuries" to unnamed players.
Striker Nicklas Bendtner is expected to be fit for Sunderland.
The Denmark international left the field on a stretcher with a knee problem during the closing stages of last weekend's 1-0 Barclays Premier League win over Liverpool, but has made a rapid recovery.
However, full-back Kieran Richardson is losing his battle to recover from a calf problem in time and Wayne Bridge could continue, while suspended pair Lee Cattermole and Stephane Sessegnon and injured duo Wes Brown (knee) and Titus Bramble (Achilles/calf) remain on the sidelines.

It could have the makings of a replay, or a heated and close match.

Most pundits would expect Everton to prevail in whichever sort of fashion as Sunderland have not beaten them IN ANY COMPETITION since the 22nd of December 2001. 

Tottenham Hotspur vs Bolton Wanderers: LIVE at 17:30pm

This match will come from White Hart Lane as an out-of-form Spurs side host a Bolton side who they will look to as an easy team to get back to winning ways in the race for the Champions League in the EPL.

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor is a doubt for tomorrow's match due to a hamstring injury.
Winger Aaron Lennon remains sidelined with a hamstring problem while Ledley King (knee) will have a fitness test today.
Defender William Gallas could make his first appearance since January after recovering from a calf problem, but defender Michael Dawson (ankle), goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes (knee), and midfielder Tom Huddlestone (ankle) are all out.

Midfielder Chris Eagles is a doubt for Bolton. He suffered a hamstring injury last weekend after coming on as substitute in the 2-1 victory over QPR.
England Under-21 striker Marvin Sordell is cup-tied due to his involvement with Watford, but Spanish defender Marcos Alonso is in contention for his first game in three months after coming through two reserves games unscathed.

Spurs will be very surprised if they do not beat Bolton, but do not underestimate The Trotters, who got to the FA Cup semi-final last season.

Sunday:

Chelsea vs Leicester City: LIVE at 14:05pm

This match will be played at Stamford Bridge as Roberto Di Matteo will be looking for his fourth win in a row as a 4-1 win against Napoli on Wednesday, but they host Championship side Leicester who will certainly be under-dogs in the race for a place in the semi-finals.

Di Matteo is confident that defenders John Terry and David Luiz will be fit to play against The Foxes on Sunday.
Blues captain Terry failed to finish Wednesday night's Champions League triumph over Napoli, while centre-back partner Luiz was limping badly afterwards with an ankle injury.
Di Matteo looks set to make changes after many players completed 120 minutes in midweek, while midfielder Raul Meireles is available after suspension.
Former Liverpool defender Paul Konchesky will return for Leicester, after serving a three-match suspension after his was sent off at the start of the month against Coventry.
Fellow defender Matt Mills, midfielder Ben Marshall and strikers Steve Howard and Jeff Schlupp are also pushing for recalls.
Midfielder Danny Drinkwater, back-up goalkeeper Conrad Logan and teenage defender Liam Moore are all cup-tied.

Liverpool vs Stoke City: LIVE at 16:00pm

The most interesting FA Cup match-up this weekend will come from Anfield as Liverpool host Stoke City in a match between two teams who have been having a rivalry lately.

Winger Craig Bellamy could return to the Liverpool squad for Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Stoke having missed the midweek Merseyside 3-0 derby victory.
Full-back Glen Johnson is still not match-fit having not played the last three matches while centre-back Daniel Agger remains sidelined with a cracked rib.
Stoke will be without suspended striker Ricardo Fuller.
The Jamaican serves the first of a three-match ban following his sending-off against Chelsea last weekend for a naughty stamp on defender Branislav Ivanovic.
Potters boss Tony Pulis has already confirmed goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen will get his chance in between the sticks after losing the number one spot to Asmir Begovic last month while striker Peter Crouch, rested against Chelsea, will also return.

4 EPL Match Previews:

This is a snippet of Round 30 of this season's EPL.

Manchester United will hope to bounce back (and move 4 points clear of rivals City) from their midweek defeat to Athletic Bilbao by beating Wolves on Sunday.

Fulham will look to extend their good form of late with a win over Swansea City, while Newcastle and Wigan will both be desperate to win to help themselves for Europe and avoiding relegation (respectively) 

Saturday:

 

Fulham vs Swansea City: LIVE at 15:00pm

This match will be played at Craven Cottage as 10th placed Fulham host 11th placed Swansea in an interesting match between two mid-table teams. 
Fulham midfielder Steve Sidwell has suffered an injury setback that looks likely to rule him out for a further four weeks.
He was close to a return to first-team action but has had to have another operation on a hernia injury, putting his rehabilitation back and ruling him out of tomorrow's match against Swansea.
Midfielder Aaron Hughes returns to the squad after missing last weekend's match against Aston Villa with a calf complaint, while Zdenek Grygera is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Striker Orlando Sa is out for at least three or four weeks with a hamstring injury.
Swansea have no fresh injury concerns.
Swansea winger Nathan Dyer will be out through a red-card suspension against Stoke City.
Andrea Orlandi is back in training after a hamstring tear, while Kemy Agustien is likely to miss the rest of the season after ankle surgery.

Fulham will be gunning for the win against Swansea, but it will not necessarily be easy..
They need Clint Dempsey and Pavel Pogbrenyak on top form if they want to win tomorrow.

Wigan Athletic vs West Bromwich Albion: LIVE at 15:00pm
This match will be played at DW Stadium as bottom side Wigan host 14th placed West Brom. There are 14 points between the sides.
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is waiting on the fitness of striker Hugo Rodallega and midfielder Albert Crusat ahead of tomorrow match against WBA.
Rodallega picked up a knock to his knee during last weekend's 1-1 draw against Norwich while Crusat injured a toe in training.
Goalkeeper Michael Pollitt is estimated to be 10 days away from a return after suffering a shoulder injury and midfielder David Jones is still sidelined with a knee problem.

West Brom centre-back Jonas Olsson is suspended after his sending off against Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend.
Defenders Craig Dawson and Gabriel Tamas will want to partner Gareth McAuley in the cenre of the defence. Right-back Billy Jones is also available again after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Striker Peter Odemwingie is unavailable (10% of playing) because of a calf problem. Shane Long, Somen Tchoyi and Simon Cox are all in contention to replace the Nigerian international.
Winger Jerome Thomas has shaken off his recent hamstring injury while midfielder Keith Andrews (knee) should be fit despite missing training during the early part of the week.

West Brom wil look to move comfortably past bottom placed Wigan, even without star player Peter Odemwingie.

Sunday:

Wolves vs Manchester United: LIVE at 13:30pm
This match will be played at Molienuex as under-fire Wolves host 1st placed Manchester United who are serious EPL title contenders, with only 9 matches left to play this season.
Manchester United will hope key striker Wayne Rooney shrugs off the knock he suffered during yesterday's Europa League defeat in Spain in time to face Wolves on Sunday. 
Paul Scholes is set to return in midfield against the home side, whilst defender Phil Jones hopes to shrug off a flu bug.
Wolves caretaker manager Terry Connor has no fresh injury problems.
Midfielder Karl Henry is the only player sidelined and he hopes to return from his hamstring injury.

FACT: Wolves have conceded 9 goals in 3 matches since captain Roger Johnson was dropped by caretaker manager Terry Connor.
Leaky, dangerous choice by Mr. Connor....

Newcastle United vs Norwich City: LIVE at 16:00pm
This match will be played at The Sports Direct Arena as 6th placed Newcastle host 12th placed Norwich.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is worried about the fitness of key duo Cheick Tiote and Danny Simpson ahead of Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with Norwich.
Midfielder Tiote picked up a hamstring problem on Monday during the 2-1 defeat against Arsenal, while full-back Simpson suffered an adductor strain in the same game.
Apart from that, Newcastle have no new injury concerns, although striker Peter Lovenkrands (thigh) and fellow long-term absentees Leon Best, Sammy Ameobi (both knee), Steven Taylor (Achilles) and Sylvain Marveaux (groin) are ALL still missing.
Norwich expect to have midfielder Jonny Howson available again after an illness.
Defenders Daniel Ayala (hamstring) and Marc Tierney (groin) are still recovering to full match fitness.
Striker James Vaughan (hamstring) is another still not available for first-team selection.

Newcastle will be disappointed if they do not win on Sunday against a high-and-low Norwich side.
Having said this, The Canaries are very un-predictable and can take a result from anywhere...

Demba Ba, Jonas and Papiss Demba Cisse's partnership will be key for the hosts.
 

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