Barclay's Premier League - Matchday 36 Fixtures and Results

ASTON VILLA vs  BOLTON      Villa Park, Birmingham  1-2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MATCHDAY 36

28TH APRIL

MATCH                                                       STADIUM

EVERTON vs FULHAM                    Goodison Park, Liverpool                  4-0
STOKE CITY vs ARSENAL              Britannia Stadium, Stoke on Trent     1-1
SUNDERLAND vs BOLTON            Stadium of the Light, Sunderland       2-2
SWANSEA CITY vs WOLVES          Liberty Stadium, Swansea                  4-4
W.B.A. vs ASTON VILLA                 The Hawthorns, West Bromwich        0-0
WIGAN vs NEWCASTLE                 DW Stadium, Wigan                           4-0
NORWICH CITY vs LIVERPOOL    Carrow Road, Norwich                       0-3

29TH APRIL

CHELSEA Chelsea vs Q.P.R.              Stamford Bridge, London                  6-1
TOTTENHAM vs BLACKBURN       White Hart Lane, London                 2-0

30TH APRIL

MANCHESTER CITY vs MANCHESTER UTD  Etihad Stadium, Manchester

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POSTPONED MATCHDAY 34

1ST MAY

LIVERPOOL vs  FULHAM     Anfield Stadium, Liverpool
STOKE CITY vs EVERTON    Britannia Stadium, Stoke on Trent

2ND MAY

CHELSEA vs NEWCASTLE    Stamford Bridge, London
BOLTON vs TOTTENHAM      Reebok Stadium, Bolton




POS LP         CLUB                                             P     W   D   L    GF GA  GD  PTS
                                           
1 MANCHESTER UNITED                                 35  26   5   4      86   32     51   83
2 MANCHESTER CITY                                       35   25   5  5      87   27     60   80
3 ARSENAL F.C.                                                   36  20   6 10     69   45      24   66
4TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS                                35  18    8   9    59   39      22   62
5 NEWCASTLE                                                     38  18    8   9    53   46       7    62
6 CHELSEA F.C.                                                    35  17   9   9     62   39      25   61
7 EVERTON F.C.                                                   35 14    9  12     46 38         8    51
8 LIVERPOOL F.C.                                                35  13  10  12    33  37        6    49
9 FULHAM F.C.                                                     35   12  10  13    45  48      -3    46
10 SUNDERLAND F.C.                                         35   11   12  13   44  43       3    45
11 W.B.A.                                                                 35   13   6  16    41  47       -6   45
12 SWANSEA CITY                                               36   11   11  14   43  49      -6    44
13 NORWICH CITY                                               36  11  10  15    44  61     -16    43
14 STOKE CITY                                                      35   11  10  14   33  49     -16   40
157WIGAN ATHLETIC                                          36     9  10  17    38  60     -22   37
16 ASTON VILLA                                                   35     7  15  13   36  50     -14   36
17 Q.P.R.                                                                   36     9   7  20     39  63    -23   34
18 BOLTON WANDERERS                                    35     10   4  21   30  68     -28   34
19 BLACKBURN ROVERS                                    36      8   7  22    47  75     -28   31
20 WOLVERHAMPTON                                         36      5    9 22    38  79     -41   24

Bayern Defeats Madrid 2-1 With Ribery and Gomez Goals

Bayern started slow and Real Madrid initially dominated the match and were the better team in the first 15 minutes.  As the game progressed, Bayern improved their game significantly.  The remaining 30 minutes saw a balanced match with good chances on either side.

Ribery opened the scoring in the 17th minute.  After a corner kick,  Real was unable to clear the ball out of the penalty area.  The ball bounced to Ribery, who drop kicked it into the net for a 1-0 lead.  The goal obviously heightened Bayern's self confidence, as they continued attacking the Madrid net, with excellent combinations.

From the start of the second half, Madrid noticeably ramped up the tempo.  Madrid's efforts paid off in the 53rd minute  when Ronaldo appeared in front of Bayern goal unchallenged, but was stopped by Manuel Neuer.  The Bayern defence was unable to clear the ball and Benzema fired it at the goal post.  The rebound came  to Ronald who lobbed the ball into the middle, where Mezil Oezil easily put it in the net for a 1-1 draw.  Mueller replaced Bastian Schweinsteiger in the 61st minute. 

After the tying game, Madrid seemed to be content to start the second leg with an away goal.  Bayern kept pushing for a winning goal and it paid off in the 90th minute, when Lahm moved around Contrao and delivered a pass into the penalty area, where Gomez was in place to transport the ball into the net.

Bayern had to battle through three minutes of extra time to maintain their lead.  The Bayern win was fully deserved, since Madrid was content to lay back after Oezil's goal.  Bayern moves into the second leg with a goal advantage.  It will take a strong effort on their part to win the aggregate. 


FC Bayern:  Neuer- Lahm, Boateng, Badstuber, Alaba - Gustavo, Schweinsteiger (Mueller 61st) - Robben, Kroos, Ribery - Gomez 

Real Madrid:  Casillas - Arbeloa, Pepe, Roma, Contrao - Alonso, Khedira - Di Maria (Granero 80th), Oezil (Viera 69th), Ronaldo - Benzima (Higuain 84th)

Bundesliga Matchday 17 - December 16th - 18th Fixtures and Preview

Bundesliga Matchday 17 kicks off tomorrow with FC Bayern hosting 1. FC Koeln in the Allianz Arena in Munich.  Bayern leads the league with 34 points, a three point lead over challengers Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04.  Munich has a 10 goal difference lead over Borussia Dortmund and will emerge as the official Herbstmeister (Fall champion) prior to the mid season winter break.  Lukas Podolski has been successful as a goal scorer this season and is challenging the scoring leaders.

On Saturday Dortmund is guest in Freiburg, which is trailing the league.  Dortmund should have no difficulty in picking up three points in the away match.  Schalke 04 hosts Bremen, which will be a challenge for the "Knappen" from Gelsenkirchen.

On Sunday Gladbach hosts Mainz 05, which was deprived of three points against Koeln in the make up match of matchday 13 earlier this week, due to a late goal by Lukas Podolski.  This will be a must win for both Gladbach and Mainz.  For Mainz it will gain some distance from the relegation zone, while for Gladbach a win will keep contact with the league leaders.

FC Bayern coch Jupp Heynckes had hoped that Schweinsteiger, who has returned to training, would be available for the final match before the winter break and possibly the DFB Pokal match against Bochum.  Unfortunately, Schweinsteiger will not be available.  The FC Bayern medical department has determined that the reinjury risk is still too high.   Both Heynckes and Schweinsteiger are disappointed with the decision.   Schweinsteiger broke his collar bone on November 2nd during a Champions League home game against Napoli.  

Matchday 17 completes the first half of the season, which has been full of surprises.  Gladbach, which was close to relegation last season, has surged and is a contender for the championship.  Augsburg is struggling in their debut to the Bundesliga and their visit to Hamburg this weekend will be another challenge.  Earlier on in the season it looked like FC Bayern would take be a runaway leader and that Manuel Neuer was unbeatable.   It turns out he is only human too.

The Bundesliga this season has been exciting and nothing has been decided.  The remaining matchdays after the winter break will keep fans on the edge of their seat.

Fixtures for Matchday 17


16.12.11,20.30 Bayern München - 1. FC Köln  3-0
17.12.11,15.30 Hamburger SV - FC Augsburg  1-1
17.12.11,15.30 SC Freiburg - Borussia Dortmund  1-4
17.12.11,15.30 1899 Hoffenheim - Hertha BSC Berlin  1-1
17.12.11,15.30 VfL Wolfsburg - VfB Stuttgart  1-0
17.12.11,15.30 Bayer Leverkusen - 1. FC Nürnberg  0-3
17.12.11,18.30 Schalke 04 - Werder Bremen  5-0
18.12.11,15.30 Kaiserslautern - Hannover 96  1-1
18.12.11,17.30 Mönchengladbach - FSV Mainz 05  1-0

Bundelsiga Table Updated 16 December  2011 



                                                         GP      W   D   L   GF/GA    Pts

1   Bayern München                        17         12  1    4     43:10      37
2   Borussia Dortmund                    17         10  4    3     35:12       34
3   Schalke 04                                  17         11  1    5     38-22       34
4   Borussia Mönchengladbach       17         10  3    4      25:11      33
5   Werder Bremen                          17           9    2    6    30-31      29
6    Bayer Leverkusen                     17           7    5    5     22:22      26
7   Hannover 96                               17           5    8    4     20-24     23
8   VfB Stuttgart                              17           6    4   7      23:20      22
9  1899 Hoffenheim                         17           6    4    7     19:18      22
10 1. FC Köln                                   17           6    3    8     27:35      21
11  Hertha BSC Berlin                     17           4    8    5      23:26     20
12  VfL Wolfsburg                           17           6    2    9       23:34     20
13  Hamburger SV                           17           4    7    6       21:27     19
14  FSV Mainz 05                            17           4    6    7       22:29     19
15  1. FC Nürnberg                          17           5    3    9       17:28     18
16  1. FC Kaiserslautern                  17           3    7    7       13:21     16
17  FC Augsburg                              17           3    6    8       15:28    15
18  SC Freiburg                                17            3    4  10      21:39    13

Champions League - Manchester City vs Bayern Muenchen Preview

Wednesday will see the clash of two league leaders when Manchester City hosts FC Bayern Muenchen in Group A Matchday 6 play.  While Bayern is already qualified for the Round of 16, Manchester City, which has taken a five point lead in Barclay's cannot pass to the Round of 16 without the help of  Villareal.  City presently holds third place in Group A with 7 points, with Napoli holding second with 8.  Villareal has not won a single game. 

Bayern comes to Manchester, having recovered from two successive losses to Borussia Dortmund and Mainz 05, with a weekend victory of 4-1 over Werder Bremen.  Manchester City leads the Premier league with five points, having defeated Norwich 5-1 on the weekend. 

Although Bayern has already qualified, the match is a matter of confidence building.  Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes will have the challenge to continue to build the flow of play from the midfield to the strikers, a skill that has been lacking since the absence of Bastian Schweinsteiger due to a broken collar bone.   Defeating Manchester City will also be a matter of prestige and confidence building.  Bayern will want to continue on its winning ways at Eastlands on Wednesday.

Manchester City's recent games include a 1-1 against Liverpool and wins over Arsenal (1-0) and Norwich (5-1).  Manchester will line up at Eastlands with a full slate, while Bayern still has Bastian Schweinsteiger and Breno out of action.   The absence of Schweinsteiger, Munich's on pitch leader and midfield director, has been a particular problem for Jupp Heyncke's.  Toni Kroos and Arjen Robben did not travel to Manchester due to the flu.   This will have an impact on the outcome.  Bayern's strength is its bench and not unsolveable for Heyncke.

Boateng will be returning to the Eastlands to face his former teammates,  an opportunity to show his stuff as a Bayern first stringer.  




While it is difficult to predict the outcome, one thing is certain, the clash of the two league leaders will be a demonstration of two top notch teams from England and Germany.   This is a must win for City and a matter of prestige for Bayern.  A City win is no guarantee to move on to the Group of 16.  A miracle is needed in the Napoli/Villareal match.

Prediction - This will be a close match, but Manchester's survival in the Champions League is at stake.  City has to go for it from the start.  Expect quick counters by Bayern.  2-1 Bayern.

UEFA European Championship 2012 Draw

Sixteen countries were in the draw, two host countries and 14 that qualified.  Below are the Groups as drawn by UEFA for the  competition. 

Group A               Group B                   Group C             Group D

Poland                    Netherlands             Spain                    Ukraine

Greece                    Denmark                  Italy                     Sweden

Czech Republic      Germany                 Rep of Ireland      France                                                          
     
Russia                     Portugal                  Croatia                 England

There are some interesting matchups particularly in Group B, with Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands.  It is without a doubt the toughest group.  Spain and Italy share Group C, while England, Sweden and France may provide some heartaches for each other in Group D.  

Spain the World Cup winner of 2010 is widely seen as the favourite to win this tournament.  There can be no doubt that Germany and the Netherlands will play a significant role.  In Group A all teams are evenly balanced.   

Champions League - Preview FC Bayern Muenchen vs Villareal

Matchday 5 goes on Tuesday November 22nd.  In four games FC Bayern has been able to edge out a six point lead in Group A.  Villareal, currently with no points, will be traveling to the Allianz Arena in Munich, while Manchester City travels to Napoli.  Kick off is at 20:45 CET for both matches. 

Bayern, which prior to this weekend looked like it may be a run away leader in the Bundesliga, lost to defending Bundesliga champion in a close match on a goal by Mario Goetze.  The match looked destined to be a scoreless draw, but Dortmund's defence closed the door to Bayern and relied on quick counters.  The strategy paid off.  Munich still retains a two point lead in the Bundesliga, but is far from a runaway leader now. 

For the match on Tuesday, Bastian Schweinsteiger is still on the injury list, with a broken collar bone, Arjen Robben, who played against Dortmund did not impress.  Ribery, Mueller and Kroos are available, as is Tymoschuk, who was banned for a red card during league play. 

Mario Gomez has been hot or cold this season.  During the Dortmund game, he seldom made use of the opportunities presented to him.  If he is hot on Tuesday he could be key to a Munich victory.  Mueller, Kroos and Ribery are bound to take a few more shots on goal as well. 

With four straight defeats,  Villareal has the worst record in its nine-year Champions League  history. The team  has also lost their last four away matches in UEFA club competition.

Villareal goes into the match with a dismal record of four losses and a goal deficit of minus 8. Villareal has little chance of making it past the Group stage, there is pride at play though. Villareal just comes off a hard fought victory against Real Betis this weekend, which may give the impetus to take the fight to Munich. 



                                    GP    W     D      L     GF/FA      Points
FC Bayern                    4      4      0      0       8-3         12
Manchester City           4       2     1     1        6-4           6
Napoli                           4       1      2     1       6-5           5
Villareal                        4       0      0     4       1-9           0 

While one should not count his chickens before they're hatched, the contest in the Allianz Arena looks like a victory for FC Bayern.  Munich will want to wrap up Group A, with only one game remaining in Manchester, against City. 

The game in Manchester could be do or die for City, depending on the outcome for the English side in Napoli.

Look for Bayern to push for an early goal.  Jupp Heynckes will expect a better game flow than they demonstrated against Dortmund.  Despite the odds being stacked for Munich, always remember the wise words of Sepp Herberger, the first postwar coach of the German National side, "The ball is round and a game lasts 90 minutes."  

Germany Meets The Netherlands in Friendly - Preview

The top three rated international sides in Europe are 1. Spain, 2. The Netherlands and 3. Germany.  Tomorrow Hamburg will be the stage for a friendly match between Germany and the Netherlands.  Both teams have qualified for the European Championship in 2012 with co-hosts Ukraine and Poland. 

Germany managed a draw against the Ukraine in Kiew on Friday, with just under 70,000 spectators.  With not much to lose, except some German pride, Jogi Loew tested a few newcomers and left Neuer, Klose, Lahm out of the match.  Midfield director Bastian Schweinsteiger is out until after Christmas with a collar bone injury.  Miroslav Klose also missed the match due to injuries.

Germany marched qualified for the European Championship with ten victories in ten matches.  Loew will not attempt his 3-5-2 system in this match.  It often left the defence wide open and allowed for quick counters by the Ukraine.  Two of the Ukraine goals were achieved after corner kicks.  So, in all likelihood a 4-4-2 system will be used with Klose and Gomez taking the point.

Germany's Likely Starters:

Neuer- Höwedes, Mertesacker, Badstuber, Aogo – Khedira, Rolfes – T. Müller, Podolski – Gomez, Klose

 There will be strength on the German bench as well with:   Oezil, Goetze, Schuerrle and Kroos.  


The Netherlands are no slouches either and will likely play a 4-2-3-1 formation. 

Holland is also qualified as the winner of its group for the European championship.  The were defeated once against Sweden.  The offensive line-up of the team is strong with international super stars like Arjen Robben, Weslie Snijder, Robin van Persie, Van der Vaart and Kuyt.  It is no accident that this team was in the World Cup final in South Africa. 

Likely Starters for The Netherlands:

Stekelenburg – van der Wiel, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Braafheid – van Bommel, Strootman – Kuyt, Sneijder, Babel – Huntelaar

The match promises to be an exciting one.  In the end, the final result, which should be close will be decided in the midfield and by the team with the strongest defence.  Gomez and Klose are in competition with each other, but in a friendly way.  This competition is good for the team.

My prediction is that it will be close match, with Germany making use of the home advantage and defeating Holland 2-1.  No matter what the final result, it should be a delight for the spectators.