Liverpool vs PSV Eindhoven Champions League 08-09: Preview, Live Score

If you want to get the live score and updates of the PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool match then visit the following link:

PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool Live Score and Updates

Liverpool hosts PSV Eindhoven in a Group D Champions League encounter on Wednesday (1 October 2008) . The match will take place at Anfield with high flying Liverpool taking on Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. Liverpool got off to a good start in their Champions League 2008-2009 campaign as the reds defeated Olympique Marseille 2-1 away from home. PSV Eindhoven, on the other hand, lost to Atletico Madrid 3-0 in their Champions league opener. On the back of recent derby triumph over Everton, Liverpool will look to continue their winning run in Europe too. PSV Eindhoven might come out full of confident, knowing that another defeat would bring an end to their hopes of progressing to the round of 16 in the tournament.

Match: Liverpool vs PSV Eindhoven, Group D, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 1 October 2008, Wednesday

Venue: Anfield

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Live on TV: Ten Sports TV Channel

Liverpool did not have very good domestic record for a number of seasons now. However, the club has seen a steady progress so far this season. With 14 points from 6 matches, Liverpool has ensured their best start to premier league in the recent past. Recently, Liverpool posted a morale-booster victory over city rivals Everton thanks to double strike from Spanish striker Fernando Torres. With this victory, Liverpool moved up to the second spot, just behind the leader Chelsea on goal difference. So, it is well-predicted that Rafael Benitez boys are now full of confident ahead of the Champions League showdown with PSV Eindhoven.

Unlike premier league, Liverpool remained as one of the strongest clubs in the Europe. In fact, Liverpool is most successful English clubs in UEFA Champions League with five titles so far. Even if you consider their recent performance in Europe, you would see them in the semi final for three times in the last four seasons; two times they made it to the final and won the title in 2004-2005 season. So, in Europe, most of the clubs do not usually like to travel to Anfield. Even in this season, Liverpool got an emphatic start in Champions League, winning away at Olympique Marseille. So, Liverpool players now have a number of sources to take inspiration from ahead of PSV Eindhoven’s visit to Anfield.

PSV Eindhoven is the defending champion of Eredivisie (highest domestic football league in Netherlands). However, the Dutch champions got an ordinary start in the season, picking up 9 points from four games so far this season. PSV Eindhoven now occupies second place with a point behind the leader Groningen. Recently, PSV Eindhoven defeated FC Volendam 1-0 to hold onto second place in the league table. They are one of the most successful Dutch clubs in Champions League. The won the European title in 1987-88 season for the first time and since then they could not add another European feather to their cap.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will not get the service of defender Philipp Degen due to injury. The defender sustained two broken ribs in their 2-1 Carling Cup victory over Crowe. Javier Mascherano might feature against Eindhoven, though Rafael Benitez did not play him in their recent derby victory. Ryan Babel has already earned a tag of Liverpool’s substitute performer. The Dutch striker has proved his mettle as an effective players coming off the bench, but the forward is yet to impress Benitez for a regular place in the starting line up. With Captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres back in form, manager Rafael Benitez is supposed to have no worry on his shoulder ahead of the Champions league encounter against PSV Eindhoven.

For PSV Eindhoven, young midfielder Ibrahim Afellay might be vital at Anfield. The 22-year-old young prospect has already shown what he can do in his day. Liverpool has an eye on this talented midfielder who has the ability to turn the result of the match in PSV Eindhoven’s favor by his own. No doubt, Ibrahim Afellay is the main strength of their midfield.

Liverpool and in PSV Eindhoven faced against each other on four occasions in which Liverpool won thrice and the other match was drawn. So, Liverpool is ahead of in PSV Eindhoven in terms of head-to-head meeting as well.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some names of online live score 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. However, the visiting side knows it very well that they need three points from the match in order to reach the next round. So, even though Liverpool has better chance in the match, I can not write off PSV Eindhoven because the Dutch Champions will be desperate for points against Liverpool. I think, Liverpool will find it difficult to pull of home victory over PSV Eindhoven. I guess, it is going to be a hard-fought match at Anfield on Wednesday.

AaB Aalborg vs Manchester United Champions League: Alex Ferguson Cautions United Players

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his boys of Danish side AaB Aalborg ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League encounter at the Energi Nord Arena, Denmark. Though he thinks that the Danish champions got a point from the Celtic encounter, he also cautions his boys not to underestimate AaB Aalborg.

United boss is completely aware of the home advantage that his Danish opposition will have in the match. So, he also knows it very well that AaB Aalborg will come out with full of cinfidence, even though the club’s recent domestic form is poor.

The Times reported:

"Aalborg were lucky to get a draw at Celtic but they will be at home against us and my old mate Bruce Rioch will have them fired up," Ferguson said.

"They are playing Manchester United, they will have a sell-out crowd and the whole town will be up for it. Danish clubs are always battlers."

"Having dropped two points in our first game it is important we get it right against Aalborg," Ferguson said. "Going to Villarreal for a win will be very difficult and the last thing we need is to be going to Parkhead needing three points to go through."

Manchester United is greadually reaching at their prime, even though the defending champions of both premier league and Europe got off to a poor start to the seaosn. In fact, the club occupies the 9^th place ian the premier league point table with right points from five matches. This result card, for sure, does not go with the class and quality of Red Devils. However, the good thing is that United’s top two guns: Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney- are coming back to their prime form. There is no doubt anything less than three points from the match will go with the name of Manchester United.

Arsenal vs FC Porto Champions League 08-09: Cesc Fabregas Calling for ‘Good Reaction’ against Porto

Arsenal started their Champions League 2008-2009 campaign with a 1- 1 draw away at Dynamo Kiev thanks to a late strike from Captain William Gallas. However, the Gunners dominated the match and created a number of chances. However, the Gunners missed all of those chances and thus had to share points with hosts Kiev.

Now, ahead of next Champions league match against Porto, Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas said that Arsenal can not afford to miss as many chances as they did against Kiev. He also added that Arsenal was not happy with the performance against Kiev as, he thinks, Arsenal should have won the match. However, the Spanish midfielder is now confident that Arsenal will have a good reaction against the Portuguese side FC Porto.

Arsenal will face the French Champions on Tuesday (30 September 2008) in the Group G encounter. However, the Gunners have suffered a shocking 2-1 home defeat against newly promoted Hull City last weekend. So, a victory is badly needed for the premier league club, while Porto will also look for a morale-booster victory at Arsenal.

Related article:

Goal.com

AaB Aalborg vs Manchester United Champions League: Live on ITV 4 TV Channel

Defending Europe champion Manchester United will take on Danish Superliga champion AaB Aalborg tomorrow (30 September 2009) away at the Energi Nord Arena. Let me be first to share some interesting similarities between the two clubs in terms of their performance. Both Manchester United and AaB Aalborg are the defending champions in their respective domestic tournaments and both the clubs got off to a poor start this season. Manchester United currently stands in the 9^th place, having played five matches so far this season. AaB Aalborg, similarly, is struggling to put their title defense challenge back on track as the Danes are just two points above the relegation zone, occupying the 10^th place with 7 points from eight matches in the 12-team competition.

So, it is pretty sure that both Manchester United and AaB Aalborg are not at their best at this moment. However, you will make a mistake if you think that the two clubs are going to present with a dull, less competitive match on Tuesday. In fact, both the sides are trying to be back on the right track. Manchester United defeated Bolton Wanderers 2-0 in their recent premier league match, while AaB Aalborg got a 3-2 hard-fought extra-time victory over Bronshoj BK in the Cup Competition of Denmark football.

Manchester United is the most favorite team in Group E of Champions League 2008-2009. However, they started their title defense campaign with a goalless draw against Villarreal at home. A victory is the ultimate aim for United in the match, considering the fact that AaB Aalborg is the weakest side in the group. So, losing point to AaB Aalborg might be lethal for the Red Devils. So, anything less than a victory against AaB Aalborg will not satisfy the Manchester United.

AaB Aalborg, on the other hand, does not have anything to lose in the match because they know it very well that a defeat to Manchester United would not come as a big shock to them. So, the Danish club will try their best to give as much challenge as possible to Manchester United. Moreover, AaB Aalborg can take inspiration from their Champions league opener at Celtic from where they came out with a point.

The match between AaB Aalborg and Manchester United will be telecast live on ITV 4 television chanel. The match will kick off at 19:45 BST (British Standard Time). ITV is one of the popular television channels in Europe. So, if you reside in Europe or are currently in Europe, then you can enjoy the live action of the match between AaB Aalborg and Manchester United.

Arsenal vs FC Porto Champions League 08-09: Live on Ten Sports TV Chanel

Arsenal will take on Porto on Tuesday (30 September 2008) in the Group G Champions League encounter at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal will look to recover the wound they received from Hull City thanks to their 2-1 home defeat. The defeat has come as a big blow for the Premier League giants ahead of the Champions League fixture. Even before this match, Arsenal was flying high and goals were coming very easily in their way. However, the Gunners stumbled at premier league newcomer Hull and thus was forced to move down to the 4^th place in the league table.

Porto, on the other hand, did not have a good start in Portuguese Liga and the defending champions are now in the third place of the league table with 8 points from four matches. However, the dragons got a 2-1 league victory over over Pacos Ferreira on Friday. They played well too. So, they will definitely go into the match with full of confidence.

In their Champions League opener, both sides got satisfactory result. Arsenal drew 1-1 away at Dynamo Kyiv, while Porto defeated Turkish giants Fenerbahce 3-1 at home. Porto and Arsenal are the top most favorites in Group G to progress to the round of 16. So, a victory in the match for either side would take them very close to the next round of the competition. So, fans of both Arsenal and Porto are now excited with the match and eagerly waiting to see the match either sitting in the stadium or on television screen.The high profile match between Arsenal and Porto will be telecast live on Ten Sports television channel.

The match will kick off at 19:454 BST (British Standard Time). Ten Sports is a popular television channel in Asia and Middle East and airs different sporting events for their subscribers. Today, I visited the TV Schedule page of Ten Sports’ official website. In the TV Schedule page, I got to see three different program schedule for three different regions; one is for India / Bangladesh / Sri Lanka / Maldives / Nepal, another one for International (Europe / ME / HK / Jap / Indo) and there is a separate schedule for Pakistan.

Among these three schedules for three different regions, I could just find the Arsenal vs Porto match in the schedules for India / Bangladesh / Sri Lanka / Maldives / Nepal as well as for Pakistan. That means, the audience of the South Asia will be able to enjoy the Champions league showdown between Premier league giant Arsenal and Portuguese Champions FC Porto.

For more information visit the TV Schedule page of Ten Sports.

AaB Aalborg vs Manchester United Champions League: Preview, Live Score

Manchester United will travel to Energi Nord Arena in Denmark to face the Danish Superliga champion AaB Aalborg on Tuesday (30 September 200) in Champions League 2008-2009. The defending European champions did not have a good start in their title defense campaign of Champions League as they were held to a goalless draw by Villarreal at home. AaB Aalborg, on the other hand, got off to a good start in their second entrance to Champions League group stage as the Danish club came out with a point away at Celtic thanks to a goalless draw. In the upcoming match, AaB Aalborg will have home advantage against Manchester United.

Match: AaB Aalborg vs Manchester United, Group E, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008

Venue: Energi Nord Arena, Aalborg

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Live on TV: ITV 4 TV channel

Manchester United had a very successful last season with a prestigious double of Premier league and Champions league titles. However, the Red Devils did not have a good start this season. With 8 points from five matches, Manchester United occupies the 9^th place in the league table. In fact, they could score only 6 goals from five outings against 4 goals being conceded. However, Manchester United is now set to put their title defense campaign in both premier league and in Europe back on track.

Alex Ferguson men defeated Bolton Wanderers 2-0 on Saturday in a league encounter with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Cristiano Ronaldo did not take part in United’s Champions league opener against Villarreal, but the Portuguese star is all set to feature in the starting line up of Manchester United for the AaB Aalborg showdown. Ronaldo’s presence must boost up the confidence level of the Red Devils, as the Portuguese winger has the ability to dominate over the opposition with his pace and tactical skill.

However, Wayne Rooney must play a crucial role for the defending European champions because Rooney is perhaps the most consistent performer of Manchester United. Moreover, Ferguson has a few more quality options in record signing Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez who is known as big-match hero. Actually, Manchester United has very long squad with a lots of quality players in each and every positions. However, midfielder Michael Carrick might miss the trip to Aalborg with his foot injury that kept him out for the Bolton encounter as well.

AaB Aalborg also started the season with the tag of defending champion, but just after eight rounds, they found themselves two points above the relegation zone in Danish Superliga this season. So, you can understand that AaB Aalborg did not have a better domestic start than Manchester United. The Danish club lost five out of eight outings so far in the league with two victories and a draw. AaB Aalborg now occupies the 10^th place with 7 points under their belt. However, they pulled of an extra-time 3-2 victory over Bronshoj BK in Danish Cup competition.

However, manager Bruce Rioch, former manager of Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers, is somebody who, Ferguson believes, is able to make his boys fired up against Manchester United.

Mirror reported:

"Aalborg were lucky to get a draw at Celtic but they will be at home against us - and my old mate Bruce Rioch will have them fired up.

"They are playing Manchester United, they will have a sell-out crowd and the whole town will be up for it. Danish clubs are always battlers."

Despite their poor domestic run, AaB Aalborg, has impressed everyone with their performance in the Champions league opener against Celtic. So, Manchester United would make a big mistake if they take the Aalborg lightly, considering their current domestic form. Manchester United and AaB Aalborg never met each other previously. However, Sir Alex Ferguson knows very well about Danish clubs as he recently said that Danish clubs are battlers. On the other hand, Bruce Rioch also knows about English football as well as Manchester United as he had to meet Ferguson boys during his managerial spell with Bolton Wanderers and Arsenal in premier league.

A victory in the game is badly needed for United if they want to keep the pressure off their shoulder before meeting Celtic and Villarreal. No doubt, AaB Aalborg is the weakest side in Group E on pen and paper. So, anything less than a victory against AaB Aalborg will be considered as a failure for Manchester United. AaB Aalborg, on the other hand, has nothing to lose from the match, but has everything to win in their way. So, I think, the Danish side might show spirited performance in front of their home crowds.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some names of online live score 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

On pen and paper, Manchester United seems to be favorite against AaB Aalborg. However, I guess, AaB Aalborg would play all out against Manchester United, knowing the fact that they hardly have anything to lose to defending champions Manchester United. Rather, they can win everything, even if they can share point with Manchester United. Herein lies the indication of an exciting showdown between AaB Aalborg and Manchester United.

Arsenal vs Porto Champions League 08-09: Preview and Live Score

Arsenal hosts F.C. Porto on Tuesday in an exciting Champions League encounter. The Group G match will take place at Emirates Stadium with Arsenal looking to recover from Saturday’s surprise home defeat to premier league newcomer Hull City. Portuguese club Porto, on the other hand, has just got their title defense challenge back on track with Friday’s 2-0 victory over Pacos Ferreira, following two disappointing draws in the league. With Arsenal looking to retain the momentum they lost on Saturday and Porto eyeing on continuing their winning run, the upcoming meeting between the Arsenal and Porto seems to be an exciting one.

Match: Arsenal vs Porto, Group G, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 20 September 2008, Tuesday

Venue: Emirates Stadium

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Going into the match on the back of 2-1 home defeat to Hull City, Arsenal must seek a strong come back with a spirited performance against the visiting side on Tuesday. With this defeat, Arsenal lost their chance to retain the top place in the league point table. The Gunners currently occupy 4^th place with 12 points from six games. In fact, this was Arsenal’s only second defeat at the Emirates Stadium.

The most important thing is that Arsenal had been playing very well in the past few weeks with their strikers finding goals easy to come by. In fact, a seemingly reserve Arsenal side outclassed Sheffield United 6-0 in the recent Carling Cup encounter. So, the setback Arsenal suffered to Hull City came as a big shock to the North London club.

Well, this is not the first time Arsenal lost a game this season. In fact, Arsene Wenger boys received an early blow at Fulham when they lost all three points to the home side few weeks back. However, since then, Arsenal went through a spell of jubilant form that saw Arsenal players finding net too often both at home and abroad. So, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is now hoping his boys would respond strongly after their recent upset. Wenger thinks that the attitude and the spirit in the squad are good, besides admitting that Arsenal was too easy to break against Hull City what, he hopes, his boys would not repeat again.

Footylatest reported:

"I'm confident that we’ll respond well on Tuesday night because the dissapointment is so deep. The attitude is good and the overall spirit in the team is very very good. Today we were caught a little bit for being too easy and I don’t think that will happen on Tuesday.

"They (Porto) are always a difficult side to play. They’ve just beaten Fenerbahce. They played last night and have given enough. We know in the Champions League we don’t have the same risk as we have tonight. We have to rebuild the confidence before Tuesday to get the right belief into the game."

F.C. Porto is the defending champion of Portuguese Liga (Portugal’s premier league), but the Dragons got off to a poor start this season. Porto drew at Benfica in the season opener before defeating Belenenses at home to pick up their first league victory this season. However, Porto faced tough challenge at Rio Ave who held the champions to a goalless draw. Then on Friday, F.C. Porto posted their second straight home victory against Pacos Ferreira thanks to goals from Raul Meireles and Hulk. So, Porto secures the 3^rd with 8 points from four matches, bridging the gap between leaders Nacional and Sporting Lisbon.

This has been one of the poorest starts for Porto in the league. May be a number of high-profile departures including Jose Bosingwa and Ricardo Quaresma over the Summer is taking the toll on Porto now. Porto started their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 victory over Fenerbahce at home. So, Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira will want his boys continue their winning run at Arsenal.

Arsenal started their Europe mission with a 1-1 satisfactory draw away at Dynamo Kyiv. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger did not hand his summer signing Mikael Silvestre a debut game for Arsenal yet. Now, as the former Manchester United defender ready to take to field, Wenger might feature Mikael Silvestre against Porto. Gael Clichy returned to action against Hull City. Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri did not take part in the defeat to Hull with Diaby suffering from thigh injury. However, Samir Nasri might be part of Wenger’s squad for the visit of Porto. Besides, long term absentees Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo will remain sidelined.

Porto does not have as much injury woes as Arsenal has. Midfielder Lucho Gonzalez missed the home victory over Pacos Ferreira. I am not confirmed if the player would be able to feature against Arsenal.

Arsenal and Porto faced each other twice so far. Both the matches came in the Champions League in 2006 with the first match being drawn at Porto, and Arsenal wining the second one by 2-0 at home.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some names of online live score websites from were you can get the online live score and updates of he match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

Despite considering their 2-1 recent upset at home, I think, Arsenal still seems to be slightly favorite for the upcoming encounter against Porto in the Champions League. However, I can not write off Porto yet, especially considering their strength in the midfield. Arsenal will have home advantage and the guile to recover the Hull City wound, while Porto will look for a spirited performance away at Arsenal. So, I think, an exciting showdown is now waiting there at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday for the football fans.

Manchester United Pulled off 2-0 Victory over Bolton Wanderers

Manchester United escaped with three points against Bolton Wanderers thanks to a controversial penalty awarded to United. With the 2-0 home victory, the defending champions are now in the 8^th position with 8 points from five outings. Manchester United opened scoring thanks to a penalty awarded by referee Rob Styles. However, television reply showed clearly that Jlloyd Samuel did not have an illegal challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo who later converted the penalty successfully to put Manchester United ahead in the match.

Bolton looked confident until conceding the first goal. However, following the first goal, they took the back seat and looked fragile. So, poor referring must be an issue in this regard. Manchester Untied got the second goal when Wayne Rooney’s curled shot found Bolton net following Ronaldo’s back-click. So, Bolton fans can claim that if the penalty was not awarded against them, the result could have been something different.

Well, having said that, Manchester Untied well-deserved three points from the match as they were better in each and every position in the field. Manchester United dominated all through the match with Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov keeping the Bolton defense always busy. With this defeat, Bolton Wanderers went down to 17^th position in the point table with only 4 points from 6 matches.

Related article:

BBC

Arsenal Suffered 2-1 Home Defeat to Hull City

Arsenal suffered a crashing 2-1 home defeat to newly promoted Hull City today as they Gunners are left in the fourth place in the league table with 12 points. It was undoubtedly a very big blow for the Wenger boys who were flying high since the loss at Fulham. With this victory, Hull City continues their surprise performance in the league and currently stands in the sixth position in the point table.

Arsenal was put ahead in the match by Cesc Fabregas in the 47^th minutes of the match. However, Hull City scored twice to come out with three points from Emirates stadium. First, Cousin headed home Andy Dawson's corner to equalize the score, and minutes later, Hull City got the winning goal thanks to a spectacular 25-yard strike from Geovanni.

Arsenal tried their best to come back in the match, but all of their efforts went in vain as the Hull defense was up to the mark. William Gallas had a good chance in the 83^rd minute, while Boaz Myhill denied Fabregas in his pursuit to level the score. Hull City has been in revelation so far this season. Promoting to the premier league, Hull City has showed that they have the quality and talent to survive in the top level.

The defeat came as a big blow for the Arsene Wenger boys as they have been playing very well since their defeat to Fulham earlier this season. Losing 3 points is not the all Arsenal lost in the match. Rather, the Gunners lost the momentum they achieved in their 6-0 Carlig Cup thrash over Sheffield United. Arsenal is still in the title race, but if they continue losing points after every few matches, then I am not sure for how long they will be in the title challenge.

Related article:

BBC

Chelsea Defeated Stroke City 2-0 in Premier League Battle

Chelsea projected sixth straight away victory in premier league today as the Blues defeated Stroke City 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium. With this victory, Chelsea amassed 14 points to their credit and reached atop the table (Arsenal might retain the top place with a victory over Stroke City in today’s late kick off).

Chelsea dominated all through the first half and got the opener thanks to a strike from Jose Bosingwa. Receiving a pass from Frank Lampard, Bosingwa rushed up and scored the first goal for Chelsea.

However, the home side came out full of confidence in the second half and created a number of chances. Leon Cort perhaps had the best chance for Stroke City, but his header was cleared on the line. Michael Ballack was instrumental behind most of Chelsea attacks.

The German Captain perhaps let Scolari feel relieve as the manager is currently missing two of his top guns Deco and Michael Essien. Lampard, Kalou also played well. Nicolas Anelka ensured three points for Chelsea with his second half strike. So, Chelsea did not have much problem to pull off another away victory in the premier league.

Related article:

BBC

Liverpool Wins Merseyside Derby 2-0 over Everton

With striker Fernando Torres ending his six-match goal draught with two goals, Liverpool found it easy to pick up three points out of today’s lunch time kick off against city rivals Everton. Liverpool did not have any problem to pull off the 2-0 victory over Everton, even though it was an away fixture for the All Reds. The last dent to Everton’s coffin came when Tim Cahill was sent off after 80 minutes for tackling Xabi Alonso.

The first half ended goalless, but nine minutes into the second half Torres scored from Robbie Keane’s cross to put Liverpool ahead in the match. Three minutes later, the Spanish striker doubled the lead scoring from close range. So, Liverpool came out with three points without being tested fully.

Tim Cahill had a very good chance on the 13^th minute but his shot went out. Liverpool, however, dominated the first half, but the visiting side could not take a stern test of Howard, but from the very beginning of the second half, Liverpool started testing the Everton keeper. With this victory Liverpool ensured their best start to the league. Now, let us see if they can continue it till the end of the season and can clinch their much-awaited premier league title.

Related article:

BBC

Stroke City vs Chelsea EPL 08-09: Preview and Live Score

Premier league giant Chelsea visits Britannia Stadium to take on home side Stroke City on Saturday. High-flying Chelsea will go into the match looking for three points, while Stroke City, on the back of last weekend’s excellent 0-0 draw away at Liverpool, will look to bring an end to Chelsea’s unbeaten league record so far this season. Getting the support of the home fans, newly promoted Stroke City will definitely try their best to replicate their Anfield form against Chelsea at home.

Match: Stroke City vs Chelsea; English Premier League 2008-2009

Date: 27 September 2008, Saturday

Venue: Britannia Stadium

Kick off: 15:00 BST (British Standard Time)

Chelsea is one of two ‘Big Four’ clubs who has not lost any match so far in the premier league. In the high-profile last weekend meeting with defending champion Manchester United at home, Chelsea salvaged a point thanks to a late goal from Salomon Kalou. However, the 1-1 stalemate against Manchester United cost Chelsea the top place in the league table with Arsenal climbing up to the top of the table. However, with 11 points from five matches, Chelsea is now within a point of Arsenal. So, losing any more point would see Chelsea going down in the table. Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men seem to be confident now after outclassing Portsmouth 4-0 in the third round Carling Cup encounter. However, Chelsea needs to be aware of resilient Stroke City defense.

Stroke City will face Chelsea for the first time since 1985 in a premier league meeting that Chelsea clinched 1-0. Stroke City has made it to the premier league once again, and has already showed that they have talent and skill to survive in the league, even though they are still in the 18^th place of the point table with four points from five matches. However, Stroke City can take inspiration from their last weekend’s performance against Liverpool that saw them leaving Anfield with a deserved point. However, the kind of confidence booster performance was more precious than a mere draw with Liverpool, because the Potters will now know that they could come up with something impressive if they can give their best.

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has a number of injury problems to contend with. First, the Brazilian manager will miss Portuguese duo Ricardo Carvalho and Deco for the trip to Stroke City. Carvalho has been out for a month with knee injury, while Deco is on the way to recover from thigh injury. In the centre of Chelsea defense, Alex is expected to be features alongside Captain John Terry, while Michael Ballack will replace Deco in the midfield. Michel Essien’s long term injury has already weaken Chelsea’s strength in the midfield. However, Scolari signed free-agent midfielder Mineiro for a back up this week. However, the Brazilian is less like to feature Mineiro in the match against Stroke City.

Both Deco and Carvalho missed Wednesday’s 4-0 victory over Portsmouth in the third round match of Carling Cup 2009. Didier Drogba started for the first time this season in the Carling Cup encounter, but it is not yet confirmed if Scolari would keep him in the starting line up for the Stroke City showdown or keep his faith on Nicolas Anelka in the attacking line up.

Stroke City fans can be happy to know that Ricardo Fuller is looking to retain his place in the starting line up as he has recovered from knee problem. However, Stroke manager Tony Pulis will have a welcome problem at the heart of the defense because he has a number of choices to feature in the central defense alongside Abdoulaye Faye. Ibrahima Sonko will be in the contention for the starting line up as he has shaken off knee injury, but he has to compete with Leon Cort for getting a place in the first eleven. Last but not the least; Amdy Faye is also available for Chelsea’s visit to Britannia Stadium after serving one match suspension. However, Andrew Davies remains out as he needs more time to recover from injury.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some online live score websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

Chelsea is favorite against Stroke City, but Stroke City’s excellent form of recent coupled with their home advantage might give them some ground while taking on Chelsea. I would not be surprised to see Chelsea struggling to find net through a packed Stroke City defense. However, considering Chelsea’s recent goal scoring form, I think, Stroke City defense would find it more challenging to resist the Chelsea strikers than what they did against Liverpool in the previous match.

Related articles:

Sky Sports

Setanta Sports

Sportbox

Soccerway

Manchester United vs Bolton Wanderers EPL: Preview, Live Score

Manchester United welcomes Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Saturday in an important premier league encounter. Manchester United looks to get their title challenge back on track after a poor start in their title defense of premier league. The Red Devils could manage to get only 5 points from their first four premier league matches so far this season. So, there is nothing to be surprised to know that the defending champions are now at the 15^th position in the league table. Blackburn Rovers also got off to a bad start in their premier league campaign as they stands at the 16^th in the league table with a point less than Manchester United, but Bolton played a match more than United. So, the Saturday’s clash will see two struggling sides taking on each other.

Match: Manchester United vs Bolton Wanderers; English Premier League 2008-2009

Date: 27 September 2008, Saturday

Venue: Old Trafford

Kick off: 15:00 BST (British Standard Time)

Manchester United could manage to win only one out of their four matches and that was against Portsmouth. However, the Alex Ferguson boys were held to draw against Newcastle United and Chelsea, while the Red Devils suffered a rare defeat to Liverpool away at Anfield, which was their first defeat at Liverpool in seven years. So, it is pretty clear that Manchester Untied is not at their prime and they can not afford to lose any more point at this stage of the league. So, anything less than a victory against Bolton Wanderers would be considered as a disaster for Manchester United.

However, Manchester United showed glimpses of their prime form in the match against Chelsea and the last Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea helped Manchester United get some confidence back in their title run. Manchester United played well at Stamford Bridge and took lead in the match, but United failed to pick up three points as Chelsea found net courtesy of Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou in the second half. However, Manchester United players will find inspiration from Tuesday’s 3-1 Carling Cup third round victory over Middlesbrough. Most importantly, Cristiano Ronaldo has found net in the match and that could be an inspiration for the other players of the side.

Bolton Wanderers suffered a 3-1 home defeat to in-form Arsenal last weekend, even though they played well in the second half of the match. Bolton is going through a rough patch of time. They won only one of their five premier league matches and lost three, while the other match was drawn. Managing only 4 points from five matches Bolton is now on the verge of relegation zone. Despite the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, Bolton Wanderers manager Gary Megson is still hopeful about the United visit. Recently, he talked about Bolton Wanderers upcoming fixture at Old Trafford.

BWFC reported:

That's just the way that things have worked out and you have got to play the big four home and away, but the fact that we are playing them on consecutive Saturdays doesn't particularly help.
We've got to go there and try and put it to the back of our mind and try to get a decent result.

Cristiano Ronaldo has recently retuned to action, and now after getting his goal scoring form back, he is likely to start against Bolton Wanderers in what it would be his premier league first team appearance this season. Ferguson has a number of options to choose from in order to set up the attacking line up. Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and record signing Dimitar Berbatov are all available for the visit of Bolton Wanderers. However, United manager Alex Ferguson will not get the service of Michael Carrick due to his foot injury, while goal keeper Edwin van der Sar is not confirmed for the home match as he took a serious knock to his knee in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea. However, defender Nemanja Vidic is back in the contention for first team line up and is expected to replace Jonny Evans at the centre of Manchester United defense.

After serving three-match suspension, Gary Cahill is now available for the visit to Old Trafford. He could bolster Bolton’s weak defense. Last but not the least, Johan Elmander, the club’s record signing, has just been back to training after recovering hamstring injury. Full back Matty Taylor has also shaken off his foot injury. Both the players returned to training this week and Gary Megson would need to take a last minute-decision on their fitness.

Online Live Score and Updates

If you want to get the online live score and updates of the match, then visit he following websites:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

Manchester United seems to be favourite against Bolton Wanderers. Primarily, Manchester United will look to ensure three points, but a big margin victory could give them a much-needed confidence booster. However, Bolton will also try to pick up at least a point from the match in what it would be success story for Bolton Wanderers. I think, the match will be interesting one with Cristiano Ronaldo coming back to form and Bolton looking for a strong performance which would boost up their level of confidence.

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Arsenal vs Hull City EPL 08-09: Preview and Live Score

Arsenal will host newly promoted Hull City at the Emirates Stadium on 27 September 2008. Both the sides are now full of confident on the back of their recent form in premier league. Arsenal moved up at the top of the point table with last weekend’s 3-1 away victory at Bolton Wanders, while Hull City drew against Everton 2-2 at the KC Stadium in the last Sunday’s premier league encounter. After being promoted to premier league, Hull City has already picked up two victories alongside two draws and a defeat in the first five premier league matches so far. With eight points under their belt, Hull City now secured the eighth place in the league table.

Match: Arsenal vs Hull City; English Premier League 2008-2009

Date: 27 September 2008, Saturday

Venue: Emirates Stadium

Kick off: 17:30 BST (British Standard Time)

Since Arsenal’s defeat away at Fulham, they have been in imperious form that saw Arsenal scoring 21 goals besides conceding two in their last six matches in all competitions. Arsene Wenger boys are now in firing form with most of the players playing at their prime. With 12 points, Arsenal is just a point ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool. So, the Gunners need to pull off a victory over Hull City at home in order to keep their place at the top intact. So, knowing the fact that a slip up against Hull City may cost them the top place in the table, Arsenal playing will go into the match eyeing on a victory.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger featured a very young side including a number of players from Arsenal’s reserve team against Sheffield United in the third round encounter of Carling Cup on Tuesday. However, the seemingly reserve side pulled off a confidence-booster 6-0 victory against Sheffield United and secured a place in the fourth round. With all the key players, who were rested for the Carling Cup showdown, coming back in the starting line up, Arsenal is expected to be stronger than it was in the Carling Cup meeting with Sheffield United.

Hull City, on the other hand, has already proved that it has talent and skill to become a club who are capable of taking stern test of premier league giants. Except the 5-0 thrash by Wigan Athletic, Hull City has been playing extremely well. Last Sunday, they pushed Everton all the way in the 2-2 affair in which Everton needed to come back from 2-0 down to pick up a point from the match. Moreover, winning over Newcastle United 2-1, Hull City proved that any kind of negligence to them might be lethal for their opponents. So, Arsenal must not underestimate the Tigers ahead of the home meeting.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will find defender Gael Clichy available for the match as the player recovered quickly from an injury that he sustained in the 3-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers. Mikael Silvestre could be handed his debut match for Arsenal since he joined the club from Manchester Untied last month. However, Abou Diaby has been ruled out of the match with thigh injury. Long term absentees like Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo remain sidelined. The good news for Arsenal fans is that midfielder Samir Nasri is fit for the Hull City encounter after recovering from knee injury.

Hull City manager Phil Brown has named striker Dean Windass in the line up for the visit to Emirates stadium. Dean Windass expressed his frustration after being ruled out of Everton match and questioned his future at Hull City. Now, he could get some action against Arsenal. Hull City signed Bolton midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos recently, but he will be feature against Arsenal as the player lacks match fitness. Brown will not get the service of Craig Fagan who picked up a serious injury against Newcastle United.

Missing Craig Fagan will be a huge blow for Hull City as they player had been playing pretty well this season. Moreover, Anthony Gardner has been left out of the squad to visit the North London club on Saturday as the player missed club’s training with a thing injury.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some names of online live score websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

Arsenal is undoubtedly favorite against Hull City. However, I think, it would be little risky to write off Hull City, even though Arsenal is playing at their prime at this moment. Arsenal might face some strong challenge from Hull City, but still a victory for Arsenal seems to the likely result to conclude the match.

Related articles:

Goal.com

Sportbox

BBC

Sporthull

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Everton vs Liverpool EPL 08-09: Preview and Live Score

Liverpool will travel to Goodison Park to face their city rivals Everton in the first Merseyside derby of the season on Saturday. The traditional mouth-watering battle will see both the sides looking to pick up three points courtesy of a moral-boosting victory. However, there is no doubt that it would not be easy for neither side. Referring to last year’s correspondent match up that saw Liverpool winning 2-1 thanks to Dirk Kuyt’s two controversial spot-kicks awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg, you can predict another heated encounter at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Match: Everton vs Liverpool, English Premier League 2008-2009

Date: 27 September 2008, Saturday

Venue: Goodison Park

Kick off: 12:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Live on TV: Sky Sports 1

Liverpool and Everton form one of the most popular and high-profile derby battles in Europe’s club football. Traditionally the football fans of the city get separated on the match day. So, public interest is always at the peak whenever the two rivals take on each other. Last season, Liverpool won both the home and away matches against Everton in premier league. So, Everton might play rough against Liverpool and they will go all out in front of their home crowd. For Liverpool, getting three points from the match is very important because they lost two important points against newly promoted Story City at home last weekend. So, Liverpool needs to be back on track in their pursuit to win much-awaited premier league title this season.

Liverpool started off well in the premier league campaign as the Rafael Benitez boys has not suffered any defeat so far this season. Moreover, Liverpool got a morale-booster home victory over Manchester United on 13 September. However, the Reds lost a large part of that momentum in their goal less disappointing home draw against Stroke City last weekend. However, it is true that Liverpool dominated all through the match against Stroke City, but their strikers failed to outclass the packed Stroke defense, while a Steven Gerrard goal was disallowed by referee on offside, even though television reply showed it could have been a legal goal.

However, Liverpool started their Carling Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory over Crewe Alexandra in the third round. The fans are not happy with the narrow margin victory over Crewe. With three victories and two draws in five premier league matches so far, Liverpool managed 11 points under their belt and currently stands at third position in the league after Arsenal and Chelsea.

Everton could not manage to get a good start in the season as they have already lost two out of five matches they played so far this season. The Blues could manage to win two matches. Interestingly, both the victories came away from home. With two wins, two defeats and a draw, Everton got 7 points so far and secures 9^th place in the premier league. In their recent premier league encounter, Everton had to come from 2-0 down to ensure a point against Hull City. No doubt, it is a disappointing performance for Everton. They encountered another draw just 72 hours after the Hull City match as they were held to a 1-1 stalemate by Standard Liege in UEFA Cup.

Liverpool will miss defender Philipp Degen who picked up with two broken ribs in their 2-1 victory over Crewe. However, Captain Steven Gerrard and Spanish striker Fernando Torres will be back in the starting line up for the Everton match. Manager Rafael Benitez rested his two top guns against Crewe. So, they are now fresh enough to face Everton. Javier Mascherano might be drafted into the midfield to strengthen Liverpool midfield. Ryan Babel is also expected to come back in the match against Everton.

Everton manager David Moye will get two of his key players- Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta- available for the match. New recruit Louis Saha might get his debut match for Everton, while record signing Marouane Fellaini will also be there in the line up to get the experience of a Merseyside derby for the first time.

Online Live Score and Updates

If you want to get the online live score and updates of the match then visit the following online live score websites:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

It is a match that is always unpredictable. With both sides gearing up to give their best against each other, it is always too hard to pick up a favorite between Everton and Liverpool. Everton may not have been in good form, but they will have home advantage. Liverpool, similarly, lost points against Stroke City, but you need to remember their heroic victory over Manchester United. Overall, the upcoming encounter between Everton and Liverpool seems to be a hard-fought affair with full of excitement.

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