Liverpool is visiting Southeast Asian country Thailand, to meet a friendly showdown at 2pm UK time before starting the league match this season. Liverpool already has played 2 matches but could not secure any wins. It is unbelievable that the team like Reds that was in the second position in the last premier league (08-09 seasons). Reds boss Rafael Benitez may a little bit worry about its performances of the pre-season friendly matches.
Liverpool is going to showdown is third match at Rajamangala Stadium and it will be screened at the official website only on Liverpoolfc.tv but you have to sign up to get e-Season Ticket. Even anyone can listen the radio (audio) commentary online.
Liverpool may have brought 10 new players. Among them two come free and one will play as loan. Later this month Reds will take on one Spanish football club Espanyol and a Norwegian club FC Lyn. All will be showed at Liverpoolfc.tv. But just after the showdown, it will take part another friendly match with Singapore National Team too.
The WC qualify match of the AFC Fourth Round is going to take place on 1 April 2009 at ANZ Stadium, Sydney. According to local time the match will be kicked off at 20:00 local time. It is the home match for Australia and the match is the most import for both teams especially for Australia.
Both the team met previously when Uzbekistan beat to Australia in their home match for 0-1 score. No doubt that Australia is in pressure in their home match. To gather strength, Uzbekistan’s energy level is on high to beat Australian. On the other hand the host is on pressure because they have to win in rest of the matches.
In the last match, Uzbekistan beat Qatar for 4-0 goals but in the previous match they beat 3-0. Except the last match they did not beat any team but made drawn with the top ranked Japan.
The oppositions Australia, is going to play their 5th match along with Uzbekistan. In their last four matches they just drawn with Japan but won.
Fox sports, Shanghai Sports will telecast the match live. Beside, here are some sites that will show the match live. SBS Radio national radio and online broadcast will broadcast the voice commentary in English between Australia and Uzbekistan FIFA World Cup Qualifier match Live.
On the point table, Chelsea and Liverpool is leading the second and third positions by acquiring the same points from the same matches. The duo is going to take on at Anfield. This is a Liverpool’s home match. The match will be most competitive match of English Premier League in 2009.
Analyzing the last matches, we can see that the winning records of Chelsea is very positive on the other hand Liverpool’s winning record at home is very positive so the football lovers will enjoy competitive match on the first February 2009.
Chelsea got 8 wins 2 draws and just single loss from the away match and 6 wins, 4 draws and2 loose. So, it is clear the away winning statistics are well in away than home.
The home team Liverpool has a strong position in the home it did not loose to any team in the English premier league in the round this season but he winning records are not good. It won 6 matches 5 draws without any loose out of 11 matches. But the away matches’ statistics are very stable. It just lost in a single match and 7 victories with 4 competitive draws.
Venue: Anfield
Date: Sunday, 1 February
Kick-off: 1600 GMT
There are three teams at present now who are in very narrow distance and can be 2009 English premier league title holder. Liverpool and Chelsea are just 3 points down from the top points holder Manchester United. It hopes that the title should be one of them among the three teams.
Liverpool defensive midfielder Javier Alejandro Mascherano has a confidence that they could beat the guest Chelsea in the next match. He also thinks that the match will be heave competition like the final match of English Premier League.
Mascherano admitted that Chelsea were in a similar position to Liverpool and warned that they would not be coming to Anfield looking for a draw: “But we know it won’t be easy because it’s also a final for Chelsea, so a point is nothing because the only beneficiaries would be United.”
Setanta Sports, Sky Sports satellite television will telecast the match between Liverpool vs Chelsea live at 1600 GMT. Beside the tv channels, you can enjoy live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Merseyside 95.8 FM, 1485 MW and DAB; text commentary on BBC Sport website & highlights on Match of the Day
Manchester United hosts Chelsea in an important premier league fixture on Sunday with both the clubs looking to come out with full three points from the match. Chelsea sits at the second place in the league point table with 42 points from 20 outings, while Manchester United secures the fourth place with 38 points from 18 matches. So, the Red Devils are 4 points adrift of Chelsea at this moment with 2 matches in hand. However, if Manchester United can defeat Chelsea on Sunday and then defeat Wigan Athletic midweek, then they can move up to the second place with 2-point advantage over Chelsea with a match in hand.
Both the sides are not at their very best in the recent weeks, even though they are very much in the title race in premier league. United is undefeated at home in premier league so far this season, while Chelsea has not lost on the road in premier league yet. So, the best home side will face the best away team of the league. No doubt, it is expected to be highly competitive.
Sky Sports 1 television channel is going to telecast the match live for the European football fans, while ESPN TV channel will show the match live for the South Asian fans. So, European and South Asian fans can watch the match live in Sky Sports and ESPN television channels.
Barcelona is the most qualified teams and that is going to face arch rival Real Madrid on 13 December 2008 at CampNou, Barcelona. The match between the two clubs is always most anticipated not only the fans only Spain but also all over the world. Both the teams have some injury problem but Real Madrid is facing more that Barcelona.
Just two days ago Real Madrid has appointed Juande Ramos as new coach after fairing Bernd Schuster. Although, Real Madrid still did not get any opportunities practicing on the new coach. But the new boss is hopping that the most champion record holder Real Madrid will able to turn back from their loosing continuation.
What: La Liga BBVA, Matchday 15
Who: Barcelona (1st, 35pts) vs Real Madrid (5th, 26pts)
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard recently praised manager Rafael Benitez, who has been at the helm of Liverpool since 2004. Despite Liverpool won Champions league and FA Cup under Benitez, Liverpool fans are not quite happy with Benitez for not being able to guide Liverpool to win a premier league title, which has become a mass-demand among Liverpool fans. Many fans also criticized Benitez for that. However, captain Gerrard has recently been full of praise about the Spanish coach.
Indicating Benitez’s obsession in football, Steven Gerrard termed Rafael Benitez one of the best coaches currently available. He also hats off to Rafael Benitez for his dedication to the game.
"Rafa is obsessed with football 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said in the latest edition of the official UEFA Champions League magazine.
"You have to take your hat off to him. He’s one of the best managers there is."
"Rafa is the type that when you finish a game as man of the match having scored three goals, he won’t even mention it," Gerrard said. "Instead, he’ll mention that you never used your left foot at a certain point!
"But Rafa does it right. When I need a pat on the back I get it. I have had lots of ‘well dones’ from him, but when I need a kick up the backside I get it too.
Steven Gerrard was once very frustrated at Liverpool and his relationship with Benitez was reportedly not as strong as it is now. In fact, Gerrard attempted to join Chelsea twice after not being given a perfect role in the field by the coach. However, Gerrard recently said he was selfish at that time and was only thinking about himself. Liverpool has been in excellent form so far this season as they are leading the point table in premier league with 37 points from 16 matches. Now, let us see if Rafael Benitez and Steven Gerrard can win a much-awaited premier league title for Liverpool.
Cristiano Ronaldo has recently received his European Player of the Year award in France. Manchester United manage Sir Alex Ferguson was also present in the award giving ceremony held in Paris, France. Ronaldo received the golden ball from France Football magazine. Manchester United’s Portuguese star thanked his teammates for their help in reaching him up to this level.
After receiving the award, Cristiano Ronaldo expressed that he wanted more success with Manchester United. Having spent five seasons at Manchester United, Ronaldo feels United as his home. The 23-year-old clearly said that he was happy at the club and wanted to stay at Manchester United, bruising aside any more thought of linking him with Real Madrid. The youngster was heavily linked with Spanish champions Real Madrid during last summer and he was reportedly interested to join Real Madrid and the club was also ready for a world-record transfer deal for signing Ronaldo. However, that did not happen in the end.
The Portugal international also said that he was an ambitious man and did not want to stop there. He now wants more success both collectively as well as individually. Ronaldo is happy to have reached at this level, but he thinks, the most important thing is to stay there and keep his development as a player. The player also expressed his wish to win a major title for Portugal national team. Cristiano Ronaldo has become the only fourth player from Manchester United to win the European Footballer of the Year award and the first player in 40 years since George Best won the title in 1968. Earlier, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton also won the award while playing for Manchester United.
In a very important Group A match of UEFA Champions League, Chelsea is going to face Romanian champion CFR Cluj at home on 10 December 2008. Chelsea’s qualification into the knockout stage of the tournament and CFR Cluj’s qualification into the round of 32 of UEFA Cup vastly depend on the result of this match. With 8 points from 5 matches, Chelsea currently takes the second place in the point table, 1 point ahead of third placed Bordeaux. So, Chelsea can qualify for the knock out stage in two ways. Either they have to defeat CFR Cluj in their last group stage match or Bordeaux can not defeat group leader AS Roma.
Match: Chelsea vs CFR Cluj; Group A, UEFA Champions League 2008-09
I earlier mentioned that this is a very important match for CFR Cluj too as they are looking to clinch a UEFA Cup place, by securing the third spot in the Group A. However, the task for the Romanian champions would not be so easy because they need to win over Chelsea on the road. Even a win over Chelsea would not ensure CFR Cluj a place in UEFA Cup unless Bordeaux fails to defeat Roma in their last group stage match. However, there is no doubt, CFR Cluj will try their best to secure a place in UEFA Cup. No matter, how hard the task is. In fact, CFR Cluj can put on an inspirational performance against Chelsea as they Romanian club has nothing to lose in the competition.
Coming to Champions League for the time, CFR Cluj created one of the biggest upsets in the history of Champions League when they defeated AS Roma 2-1 on the road in their very first match in the tournament. After that they held Chelsea to a goalless draw at home. Though CFR Cluj could not continue their success over the last three matches, the Romanian club already made their first trip to Champions League a success story. Now, they can feel free to show their best against Chelsea at StamfordBridge on Wednesday. CFR Cluj’s domestic performance so far this season has not been as impressive as it was last season. From 17 matches, CFR Cluj managed 20 points, 6 points behind leader FC Dinamo Bucuresti, and currently secures the fourth place jointly with FC Steaua Bucuresti in Romanian Liga 1. In their recent domestic league match, CFR Cluj defeated Gaz Metan Medias 2-1.
Chelsea can not afford to rely on the Roma vs Bordeaux match in their bid to qualify into the round of 16 in Champions League. So, they will definitely look for a victory over CFR Cluj in front of their home fans. Chelsea’s recent indifference form may not give much confidence to their players, but you can not forget the fact that Chelsea was the runner up in Champions League last season, and they have one of the strong squad in Europe. After three games, Chelsea came back to winning ways on Saturday as they defeated Bolton Wanderers 2-0 on the road, setting up a new record of most consecutive away wins in Premier League. So, you can expect that with this victory, Chelsea has come out of their recent setback, a 2-1 home defeat to Arsenal previous week.
Reports have it in the media that senior Chelsea players are unhappy over manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. However, assistant manager of Chelsea, Ray Wilkins, denied any dressing room dissent at Chelsea. He claims that the players are getting along with the coach very well. Now, Fans are expecting to see Chelsea appearing with their dominating form against CFR Cluj.
Online Live Score and Updates
I am giving some names of live score and update websites from where you can get the live score updates of the match:
Live Score
Goalzz
Live Football Scores
Goal.com
Footie Scorez
Chelsea is undoubtedly favorite against CFR Cluj at home. However, if a confident CFR Cluj can appear with their strong resistance against Chelsea, then this could be a very competitive match. No doubt, fans of both sides are expecting to see an exciting match.
Manchester United might offer Cristiano Ronaldo a new contract by which his current scale of salary, £120,000 a week, might increase up to £150,000 a week. Winner of this year’s European Footballer of the Year, Ronaldo still has three years left in his current contract. However, Manchester United wants to secure his future at the club by increasing his salary. The Portuguese winger was instrumental behind Manchester United’s ‘double’ last season. During Summer transfer window, Ronaldo was on the brink of joining Real Madrid who were overly interested to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, having seen his excellent form of last season. Even, Ronaldo himself was reportedly interested to join Real Madrid who were ready to make a record breaking deal to sing Cristiano Ronaldo.
Recently, Cristiano Ronaldo met manager Sir Alex Ferguson and club chief executive David Gill to discuss about a new five-year contract. If the new contract comes into existence, Ronaldo will be paid £8 million a year by Manchester United.
Ronaldo is currently paid £120,000 a week but should a new deal be struck an extra £30,000 could be added to that, putting him on £8 million a year.
Despite pledging his future to United when Real talks subsided, it seems Ferguson is not happy to take any chances on Ronaldo's current contract which still has three years to run. The Scot is all too aware that Madrid are prepared to spend as much as £50 million on the winger and so ensuring another five years would end all chances of any similar speculation in the near future.
Cristiano Ronaldo started the season with injury and returned to action a bit late. However, the Portuguese star has not yet been as impressive as he was last season. Ronaldo recently said that he was very close to join Arsenal before Manchester United signed him for a £12.24 million transfer deal with Sporting Lisbon. Now, let us see if Manchester United really hands Cristiano Ronaldo a new contract with higher salary.
Liverpool takes on PSV Eindhoven in their last Group D match of UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (9 December 2008). With 11 points from 5 games, Liverpool already clinched a place in the round of last 16. However, Liverpool will look for a win against PSV Eindhoven so that they can go into the knock out stage as the group champion in what they might face easier opponent in the first match of the knockout stage. For the Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven, this is a very important match because they can still clinch the third place in the group by which they can qualify for the round of 32 of UEFA Cup. They are currently at the bottom of the table with 3 points from 5 matches. Marseille also has equal 3 points, but they have better goal difference by which they take the third place in the standing. However, even a victory over Liverpool can not ensure PSV Eindhoven a place in the UEFA Cup unless Olympique Marseille can not win against Atletico Madrid in their last group match.
Match: PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool; Group D, UEFA Champions League 2008-09
Liverpool is currently leading the English premier league table with 37 points from 16 outings. Last night (Saturday) Liverpool defeated Blackburn Rovers 3-1 on the road, keeping the 1 point lead at the top of the table. Liverpool has not lost any game in Champions League so far this season and they have equal 11 points of Atletico Madrid who are currently leading the Group D point table with 3 wins and 2 draws.
There is no doubt that PSV Eindhoven’s performance so far this season has not been impressive both at home and in Europe. The Dutch giants lost 4 out of their 5 Champions League matches so far. Even in Dutch league, PSV Eindhoven currently takes the 5th place in the league standing with 25 points from 14 matches, seven points behind leader Alkmaar Zaanstreek (AZ). However, on Saturday, PSV got an inspirational 4-2 victory Groningen. So, they can go into the Liverpool match full of confident.
PSV Eindhoven will have home advantage against Liverpool and will look to avenge their 3-1 defeat away at Liverpool. On the other hand, Liverpool will look to build on their excellent home victory over the Dutch club. Well, Liverpool will definitely miss their Spanish striker Fernando Torres who is now suffering from hamstring injury which, many fear, might rule him out of the rest of the season or at least several weeks. However, club manager Rafael Benitez thinks the player will be back in action within due time.
"Fernando is progressing and improving so hopefully he will be back sooner rather than later," he told the club's official website.
"It's just a question of waiting and not pressuring the player. I was with him today and he was okay. He has a lot of confidence now and when you have confidence, you can be fitter sooner.
Here, one thing is, for sure, that Torres will definitely miss the trip to Netherlands. There is at least another worry for Liverpool and that is the current off form of summer signing Robbie Keane who could not yet find his natural form at the new club. Recently, manager Rafael Benitez dropped him in the substitute’s bench for the Blackburn Rovers match. So, it is not yet confirmed whether Keane will be handed a place in the starting line up against PSV Eindhoven. So, there is no doubt, Captain Steven Gerrard will have some added responsibilities in the absence of Torres and due to the shaky form of Robbie Keane. The good news for the Liverpool fan is that Gerrard has been in an excellent scoring form. Scoring 5 goals in Champions League so far this season, Steven Gerrard jointly shares the top place in the highest scorers’ list along with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
Online Live Score and Updates
Here, I am giving some names online live score and update websites from where you can get the online live score and updates of the match:
Live Score
Goalzz
Live Football Scores
Goal.com
Footie Scorez
Liverpool seems to be favorite against PSV Eindhoven, taking the reent form of both sides into account. However, the Dutch club will have home advantage and might play inspirational football in front of the home fans against Liverpool in what would take a stern test of the English club. I think, PSV Eindhoven will not leave any stone unturned to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Herein lies the indication of an exciting match.
Manchester United will take on ManchesterCity today in Manchester of the season in their important match. Both teams will face each other with the target of must win as they finished their last two matches goalless. To keep themselves in the competition and get boost, they have no more option except win. As it the home ground of ManchesterCity so, they will try their best to continue their impressive form over Manchester United. On the other hand, Manchester United will be looking to get back their prime form with the match. This exciting and nail biting will kick off at 13: 30 BST (British Standard Time).
Their recent impressive performance will boost ManchesterCity to take on Manchester United on their home ground. They defeated Arsenal 3-0 in the same ground. Let us see if they can continue their performance in the same basis or failed to defend ManU attack.
If you are die hard fan of football game and any of them is your favorite team then you should not want to miss the chance to enjoy the match. If you are unable to enjoy the match live on TV channels then you can search some websites where you can get updates ball by ball. To get a list of live football score and updates you can visit the link in below-
England is going to face 120-ranked Kazakhstan on 11 October 2008 (at 17:15 BST) in a world cup qualifying match of Group Six. This may not be a high profile clash in terms of the strength of the two teams. However, in many ways, it is a very important match for both teams. Let us first start with England team.
First of all, this is going to be England’s first home match in world cup qualifying round after last month’s two away schedules in Barcelona where England defeated Andorra 2-0 and in Zagreb where they defeated Croatia 4-1. Now, it is time to impress the home fans at Wembley stadium. England players need to show what they are capable of doing before their home fans who booed off England players after last month’s 2-2 draw against Czech Republic in a friendly match at the Wembley stadium. So, England fans are eagerly waiting to see their players continue their implacable form that demolished Croatia. On the other hand, England players are also looking forward to impress the home fans as this is going to be England’s last home match of 2008.
For Kazakhstan, it is a very hard match, because they are going to face England in England. Kazakhstan could earn only three points from three matches so far in world cup qualifying campaign. So, at least a draw in the match will be considered as a victory for Kazakhstan. The visiting team will go into the match knowing the fact that they have nothing to lose in the match, but has everything to win in the way. So, Kazakhstan might appear with spirited form against England. So, there are a number of reasons this match will attract the football fans from around the world.
All of the tickets for the match between England and Kazakhstan have been sold out and perhaps for the first time, there will be sold-out crowd at Wembley stadium. In my earlier entry, I wrote about television coverage of the match. British television channel ITV will show the match live for the British football fans. However, if you are not fortunate enough to attend the match in the stadium or manager your time to watch the live action of the match, then you can carry your little pocket radio to enjoy the live commentary of the match on BBC Radio Five Live radio channel. So, I hope you will at least enjoy the commentary of the match on BBC radio five live, if you can not manage to go to the stadium or stick to your television channel.
England will face Kazakhstan on Saturday in a group 6 world cup qualifying match at Wembley stadium. This is going to be England’s first home match in world cup 2010 qualifying round. With six points from the opening two matches, England is now leading the point table in Group six. However, Kazakhstan has managed only three points from three matches so far. They currently stand in the second last position in the group. The match kicks off at 17:15 BST (British Standard Time).
England fans are eagerly waited for this match and it has already been reported that all of the tickets have been sold out for the match. Specially, after England’s impressive 4-1 victory at Zagreb last month, English fans are now interested to see the sparkling form of the home team. However, England’s experience in the last match played in Wembley was not so good as England players were booed by the furious English fans who were disappointed at England’s come-from-back 2-2 draw against CzechRepublic in a friendly match.
This time, it is expected to be different as England indicated to come back to their prime form in the match against Croatia. Moreover, opposition Kazakhstan is not a football power in Europe. The 120-ranked Kazakhstan will definitely go into the match as underdog and anything less than an impressive victory for England would not satisfy the England fans. After England narrowly missed out on Euro 2008 finals, England fans were very much disappointed at their performance. However, the recent performance against Croatia has been impressive and English fans are now expecting England to show similar dominance over Kazakhstan.
Wembley stadium can accommodate 90,000 football fans. So, the rest of the English fans have to enjoy the match on their television sets. However, the good news is that England fans do not have to face the similar problem that they did in England’s first two qualifying matches. Irish sports channel, Setanta Sports, holds the television broadcast right of England’s away world cup qualifying matches. As Setanta Sports is a pay-per-view channel, a terrestrial channel like BBC or ITV was supposed to air the highlights of the match. This has been going on traditionally. However, this time, Setanta Sports failed to make a deal with any terrestrial channel to air the highlights of the match. Both BBC and ITV found Setanta’s demand too much to sign a deal for airing the highlights of the match. This created agitation among the fans across England. England supporters were seen chanting “We hate Setanta” during first two world cup qualifying matches. Later on, FA chairman Lord Triesman called the broadcasters in a meeting and at last, Setanta and ITV signed on a deal which is reportedly worth £500,000. So, from now, England fans will be able to watch the highlights of England’s away matches in world cup qualifying round on ITV.
However, there is no such complexity when it comes to England’s home matches like the one against Kazakhstan. England fans will be able to watch the match live on ITV television channel as ITV holds the television right of England’s home matches. ITV is an UK-based television channel which air its program for free as it is a terrestrial television channel. That means, it is a free-to-air channel. So, England fans do not need to pay to watch this match. Many England fans missed England spectacular performance against Croatia due to the problems among the television broadcasters. Now, ahead of the Kazakhstan match, English fans are ready not to miss any more action of England football team. However, now it is up to England players to ensure that their fans will not miss their impressive form once again. Anyway, if you reside in England or currently in England, then do not forget to tune on ITV on 11 October 2008.
If you want to know the program schedule of ITV, then visit the official website of ITV here.
You already know that England will not get their regular captain John Terry for the match against Kazakhstan as he is suffering from back injury picked up during Chelsea’s Champions league match recently. Now, his long time partner in the central midfield, Rio Ferdinand will lead the English team in the world cup 2010 qualifying match against Kazakhstan on Saturday.
Rio Ferdinand has recently talked about the match and he thinks that it might be as hard as playing a match against France, Brazil or Argentina. The Manchester United defender has also revealed that people should be realistic about their expectations from England.
“When you're playing against France, Brazil and Argentina, they are hard games, but you expect they will come at you and sometimes that can be easier because there are holes and gaps to exploit. But against the likes of Kazakhstan it can be like coming up against a brick wall and it takes a lot of beating down to get through sometimes.”
“Expectancy levels are different in this game and as a younger player you might think it will be a lot easier. Through experience of playing a lot of games for England you realise that you have to approach every game the same. Maybe that is one of the mistakes we have made in the past. We have not approached each game in the right way and results tell you that.
England started their world cup qualifying campaign well with two victories in the opening two matches against Andorra and Croatia. Against Croatia, England pulled off a 4-1 big margin victory and it is natural that people will not expect England thrash the120-ranked Kazakhstan at home. Well, it is true that people have enough reason to expect a big margin victory against Kazakhstan, but I agree with Rio Ferdinand on the fact that over-expectancy is no good for England as their past performance indicates and people should have realistic expectancy level. However, there is no doubt, England is definitely favorite against Kazakhstan.
In the absence of regular Captain John Terry, defender Rio Ferdinand will lead England in the upcoming world cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Saturday. Rio Ferdinand has recently talked about England’s new star Theo Walcott who scored hat trick against Croatia last month. Ferdinand compared Walcott with England striker Michael Owen saying that both the players share the same mentality on the field.
“Theo knows what he’s good at,” said Ferdinand. “And Michael Owen was exactly the same.”
“I was with Michael the whole time at the 1998 World Cup in France and he knew that he was a good player and what he was good at…….
“You are seeing the same with Theo now. They’re different players, but have the same mentality.”
Theo Walcott has emerged as a grown up player this season both for this club Arsenal as well as for England. Ferdinand thinks that he has gathered enough experience since his surprise selection in the England squad for 2006 world cup. The defender also thinks that Walcott has come out of himself well and he has the pace and talent in him.
England has won both of their first two qualifying matches last month. The first match against Andorra was not an easy affair, even though England pulled off a 2-0 victory. However, it was against Croatia where England players got their rhythm back thanks to the hat trick of Theo Walcott. Now, let us see if Theo Walcott can continue his excellent form against Kazakhstan.
England team will face Kazakhstan in a world cup 2010 qualifying match at the Wembley stadium on Saturday. On the back of two victories in the first two qualifiers, England is confident now and they are now looking to pull off a convincing victory over Kazakhstan who has only 3 points from three outings in world cup qualifying with a victory over Andorra and two defeats against Croatia and Ukraine.
There is no doubt, England is favorite in the match and a victory for England is now much-expected. However, after England thrashed Croatia last in Zagreb last month, English fans are eagerly waiting to see a big margin victory over the visiting minnows in the match. Last time, England played at Wembley, fans jeered off the English player after their 2-2 unimpressive draw in a friendly match against Czech Republic before the start of world cup qualifying round. Now, this time, England players need to impress the fan with a big victory.
"Fans react to how the players are playing," said midfielder Frank Lampard, who attracted much of the scorn during England's protracted drop in form. "With the Croatia game we showed a work ethic and a team ethic and a lot of people responded to it.
"We don't want to get carried away with ourselves but when fans see that and hopefully see it at Wembley on Saturday, you get a different response out there."
Though England was impressive against Croatia in their 4-1 victory, they had to struggle to pull off a 2-0 victory over minnows Andorra in the world cup qualifying opener. So, England fans still have fear for England team even against 120-ranked Kazakhstan in the match. England defender Rio Ferdinand wants to continue the momentum England got in the impressive victory over Croatia. However, he admitted that fans started getting agitated if England does not score within first 20 minutes.
England will miss their regular captain John Terry who is out with his back problem, while Joe Cole, who has been in excellent form, failed to make it to the squad due to his foot injury. Shaun Wright-Phillips will replace Cole in the left wing. Though Shaun Wright-Phillips generally plays in the right wing, this time he has to leave his favorite place for Theo Walcott who scored a hat trick against Croatia in the previous world cup qualifying match.
Now, one thing is clear is that England must play well against Kazakhstan and snatch an easy, impressive victory. Otherwise, England fans might again get angry and star booing off the English players. Well, I think, England fans shouldnot boo off the team as there are some rising stars like Theo Walcott who could be England’s bright future.
England manager Fabio Capello will definitely face the dilemma when he has to settle England’s midfield line up for the upcoming world cup 2010 qualifier against Kazakhstan. Most importantly he has to decide if he wants to play both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard together or pick up any one of them in the opening line up. Capello is not the first person who is facing this dilemma. In fact, since the reign of Sven Goran-Eriksson as England manager, this has been a constant debate in the English media.
Both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are star midfielders and have been in excellent form. Steven Gerrard is the captain of Liverpool, while Frank Lampard plays for Chelsea in premier league. So, you might be thinking that what is the problem with playing both of them together?
Well, the thing is that whenever they play together they can not show their best. No, do not think that they have personal ego or any kind of personal problem, but the fact is that they do not fit together in the English midfield. Even statistics also prove it. That is why, the issue of playing both of them together becomes headline. Yes, I also admit that their performance together was not impressive for England, but I think, Capello should play both of them in the starting line up for the home match against Kazakhstan.
To be honest, Kazakhstan is definitely underdog against England. So, England manager can hand both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard another chance together in the match because Fabio Capello may not get an easier match than this one in the near future at home. In fact, the match against Kazakhstan will be England’s last home match this year. Moreover, both Gerrard and Lampard have been matured as a footballer and perhaps they are at the peak of their career. So, this is high time to hand them another match together so that Gerrard and Lamprad can prove the potential of their tie up for England.
England Captain John Terry will miss England’s world cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Saturday. Terry missed a closed-door practice match arranged for England national team yesterday as he was suffering from back problem and it is pretty sure that the star centre midfielder will not be part of England squad for the match against Kazakhstan.
John Terry picked up the back problem during Chelsea’s Champions league match against CFR Cluj. So, he did not risk himself by participating in the practice match at the London Colony training ground of Arsenal. England squad was divided into two teams and played against each other. This is not the first time that Chelsea star is suffering back problem. In fact, John Terry missed England’s two important Euro 2008 qualifier matches against Russia and Croatia and England eventually missed out on Euro 2008 final tournament.
In the absence of John Terry, England manager Fabio Capello now has to look for replacement among Joleon Lescott, Wes Brown and Matthew Upson. Joleon Lescott started England’s opening qualifier against Andorra as Capello opted to give Rio Ferdinand time for recovery before the Croatia match.
Emile Heskey also missed the practice match yesterday. However, he is expected to be back in training in time and will be available for the match against Kazakhstan. John Terry is even doubtful for next week’s world cup qualifier against Belarus.
England striker Michael Owen has failed to make it to the England squad once again as he has not been included in the 23-man squad declared by England manager Fabio Capello for the upcoming world cup 2010 qualifying matches against Kazakhstan and Belarus. England will face Kazakhstan at the Wembley stadium on 11 October 2008 and this will be the last home game for England this year. Last month, England started off well in their world cup qualifying campaign with victories against Andorra and then against Croatia. England’s laborious 2-0 victory against Andorra in Barcelona picked up three points but did not impress the fans, but in Croatia, England players outclassed the home side 4-1 with Theo Walcott scoring a remarkable hat trick. All the way, that was a confidence-booster performance against Croatia.
Manager Fabip Capello has brought some changes in the squad. Midfielder Steven Gerrard, who was injured during England’s opening two world cup qualifying matches, has been named in the squad, while winger Joe Cole has been ruled out with foot injury. Manchester City midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips has got the reward for his excellent current form as he has been recalled to the England squad. Jimmy Bullard and David Bentley lost their place in the England side. Paul Robinson replaced injured Scott Carson as the third goalkeeper in the squad.
Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch is in the squad alongside Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott and Emile Heskey etc. Both Walcott and Heskey played very well against Croatia. Michael Owen scored 5 goals from six matches so far, but manager Fabio Capello thinks that it is not enough to get a place in the squad. He said that scoring goals does not indicate good form. That means, the manager does not think that Owen is in good form now, even though the Newcastle United captain has been in scoring form. Here, I am giving the names of the members of 23-man England squad from BBC:
England squad: James (Portsmouth), Green (West Ham), Carson (West Brom); Brown (Manchester United), Johnson (Portsmouth), Terry (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Lescott (Everton), Upson (West Ham), A Cole (Chelsea), Bridge (Chelsea); Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Walcott (Arsenal), Barry (Aston Villa), Jenas (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Downing (Middlesbrough), Wright-Phillips (Manchester City); Heskey (Wigan), Crouch (Portsmouth), Rooney (Manchester United), Defoe (Portsmouth).
It seems that Manchester United have finally been back in their real form. It was an away match win for Manchester United. So, it was an impressive and very important victory. Wayne Rooney got a goal and Manchester United dominated most of the time in the match. With this win, Manchester United is now going to an important position. It seems that they may become the leader in the league table in EPL very soon. Manchester United is also doing well in Europe too. So, their fans would surely start to dream that they can make another double.
However, Manchester United is still at the 6th position with 11 points from six matches. On the other hand, it seems that relegation is calling Bolton as they are in the 17th position in the league table.