El Classico Facts and stats

Today is probably footballs biggest game, and always is when the two Spanish giants meet.

Real Madrid always find it difficult to defeat Barcelona.
Last time they played in the league at Santiago Bernabau Barcelona won with a 3-1, and over the last four seasons 2008 - 2012 Barcelona have been destroying Real Madrid.
Here are the stats of the matches between 2008 - 2012.

• 2008: 2-0 Barcelona
• 2009: 2-6 Barcelona | 1-0 Barcelona
• 2010: 2-0 Barcelona | 5-0 Barcelona
• 2011: 1-1 Draw | 2-0 Barcelona | 1-1 Draw | 1-0 Real Madrid
• 2012: 3-1 Barcelona | 2-1 Barcelona | 2-2 Draw

Over that period Barcelona have scored 27 goals to Real Madrid's 9 goals.
You might be thinking '' hmmm Barcelona are going to destroy Real Madrid ''.
This is where you are wrong.
Real Madrid are currently top of the table with 85 points and Barcelona on 81 points.
All Real Madrid need is a win or a draw.
But if they lose then they are in real danger as Barcelona will be behind by one point.
Real Madrid have really improved under Jose Mourinho and currently we can all see Barcelona starting to slip up and starting to go slightly down hill, while Real Madrid have been impressive throught the campaign this season and it doesn't look like they are going to give up any time.

Barcelona havn't lost this season at home while Real Madrid lost one away.
So both teams have great records.

It could all come down to Messi V Ronaldo.
Yes alot of people say Ronaldo doesn't work his magic vs big teams.
But this season he's been on terrific form, probably best of his career.
If Real Madrid some how can find the weapon they need to keep Messi quiet then they will get a real boost and a great chance to get a high score win.

The big problem for both teams is their defenders.
With Barcelona's defenders really enjoy attacking, that opens up their defence significently, and with the speed of Ronaldo, the team could be punished within seconds like they were against AC Milan, when Pato ran through Barcelona's defence with speed and finshed with a great goal.

Real Madrid's problem with their defenders is that they are to aggressive.
They dont think very highly at what they're doing, thats why you see them being sent of very often in El Classico.

I think the team to win this game will win the La Liga, because if Barcelona win it then they close the gap to one point and if Real Madrid win it then they open the lead to seven points and lets be fair Barcelona wont catch them.

My prediction for the match will be a 2-2 draw.
I also think there will be 3 red cards.


Football8Update....

Todays Paper Talk 20-04-12

Barcelona board Gareth Bale their number one target and urged Pep Guardiola to sanction the deal.

Chelsea striker Dider Drogba is close to agreeing a deal to join Chinese outfit Shanghai Shenhua for £6.7 million a year contract.

Juventus are keen to bring in Salamon Kalou and Raul Meireles this summer.

Leicester boss Nigel Pearson is battling Everton for Mons striker Jeremy Perbet.

Mark Hughes will offer Danny Murphy a coaching role at the club to entice him to Queen Park Rangers.

Roberto Martinez is in a fight to keep Mohamed Diame at Wigan.

Arsenal are planning a £7 million move for Motipellier defender Mapou Yanga Mbiwa.

Mark Clattenburg is the only British referee out off 84 to get picked for the Olympics this summer.

Aston Villa want £12 million for Gabby Agbonlahor who is being chased by former boss Martin O'Neill.

Today's paper talk 19-04-12

Manchester City are close to signing Athletic Bilbao hitman Fernando Llorente for £30 million.

Dider Drogba led Chelsea to one of their greatest nights at Stamford Bridge, as they beat current holders Barcelona in their Champions League semi-final last night.

Dider Drogba spent most of the match horizontal but like a good heavywieght he rose from the canvas to land a hugely significant blow to Barcelona.

Manchester United are valued at £1.4 Billion as the richest club, with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are second are third respectively with Arsenal occupying a fourth place.

Tottenham are planning a summer swoop for Salamon Kalou from Chelsea as his contract is set to expire this summer.

Manchester United have revived their interest in Luka Modric.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are fighting to the wire for the signiture of Man City's forward Edin Dzeko.

On-loan Liverpool Midfielder Joe Cole wants to stay at Lille instead of a return to Liverpool.

John Madejski insists that Reading's new owners want the club to push for a European place after securing promotion 48 hours ago to the Premier League.

Today's paper talk 18-04-12

Arsenal's Robin Van Persie has raised question marks on his future after been spotted leaving the Barcelona team's hotel late at night.

Robin Van Persie's future is in more cold water after meeting with Barcelona's officals in London.

Cesc Fabregas has cranked up the pressure ahead of Barcelona vs Chelsea by saying that Roberto Di Matteo's side play long ball football.

Roberto Di Matteo declares that if Chelsea produce two great preformance's against Barcelona then they have a great chance of qualifying to the final of the Champions League.

The referee that refereed the match in 2009 between Chelsea and Barcelona admits that he made mistakes after declining Chelsea four penalty's.

Gael Givet has hit out at Steve Kean after the manager claimed the defender had refused to play in the 3-0 defeat to Swansea.

Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye has told Eden Hazard to join Arsenal ahead of Tottenham.

Alan Pardew has made enquiry for Swansea's onform midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson who has Seven goals for the Welsh side.

Mario Balotelli has said he will clean up his act and try to revive his career at Manchester City.

David Beckham is closer to his dream to make the Olympics with England after surviving the cut from Stuart Pearce.

Chelsea vs Barcelona PREVIEW

For Chelsea, the last four of the Champions League has become very familiar territory. In the Roman Abramovich era, the Blues have now reached the Champions League semifinals six times in nine seasons. But as impressive as that achievement is, it’s a somewhat hollow one, as Chelsea have only one final to show for it, the 2008 final which they agonizingly lost on penalties to Premier League rivals Manchester United. And for those who’ve had a major hand in leading them to the brink of success, this may represent the best remaining chance to finally reach the mountaintop.

If they manage to reach next month’s final in Munich, they’ll have done so against the odds, as they’re tasked with taking down mighty Barcelona, but it could be that the last run could be the best one. And if they do pull the stunner? It won’t fully make up for several years of European disappointments, but it might erase some of the sour taste left from their last foray into the final four.

There are no doubt more than a few Chelsea supporters who don’t like to think about how things transpired when these two sides met in the semis in 2009, and that’s quite understandable. For the neutrals who need reminding, the Blues held Barca to a goalless draw at the Camp Nou, and they were on track for a second straight final showdown against United after taking an early lead at Stamford Bridge through a long-distance cracker by Michael Essien. However, it was not to be, as Andres Iniesta made Essien pay for a poor clearance deep into stoppage time to send 10-man Barca through on away goals. As memorable as Iniesta’s late equalizer should be, due to the quality and timing of the strike, it’s overshadowed to this day by several controversial decisions and non-decisions by referee Tom Henning Ovrebo and Didier Drogba’s post-match remonstrations with, well, anyone who was within earshot.

Hopefully such controversies and embarrassments won’t occur this time around, though Chelsea could perhaps benefit from a little good fortune of some sort, given the tall task that lies ahead.

On a positive note, they do come into the semis in good form from a results standpoint, the best form they’ve been in since the start of the season. Since Andre Villas-Boas was sacked and assistant manager/former Chelsea star Roberto di Matteo was installed as caretaker manager, Chelsea have only one defeat in a dozen matches in all competitions, a 2-1 league defeat at Manchester City that was less than 15 minutes away from being a win. There are several potential reasons for the upswing in form, which has seen them also reach the FA Cup final and rejuvenate their hopes for a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, but they’ve begun to get the right results at the right time.

While their form is solid, Barcelona’s is fantastic. Saturday’s 2-1 comeback win at Levante was Barca’s fifth in a row in all competitions, and they now have 14 wins and one draw, a goalless draw in the first leg of their quarterfinal against AC Milan, in their last 15 matches in all competitions. Barca can be subdued, as the first hour-plus against Levante showed, but as the last half-hour showed, holding them at bay for 90 minutes is rarely ever possible. And if you hold them for 90 minutes, as Milan did, good luck doing it for 180 minutes.

That’s in large part to the presence of one Lionel Messi. With his match-winning double against Levante, Messi now has 26 goals in his last 14 matches – 29 in 15 if you count his hat trick for Argentina againstSwitzerland in February – and 63 goals on the season, with an excellent chance to reach the 70-goal mark. Of course, Barcelona have several more threats, but if you fail to stop Messi, it doesn’t bode well for your chances for a positive result.

Chelsea can’t match Barcelona in quality, but they aren’t short on experience, confidence, and inspiration. Petr Cech, Drogba, John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Ashley Cole likely won’t be together for much longer, and given how many European near-misses there’ve been in a run that’s seen plenty of success otherwise, you can be sure that they’ll put everything on the line to try to win.

Will that be enough? Unfortunately, a lot has changed over the last few years, not least the fact that Barcelona have only gotten stronger and Chelsea have, at best, stagnated. But maybe, just maybe, the Blues have it in them to turn back the clock to much brighter days and keep the flag flying for English football into a May date in Munich.

For Our US Readers:

Pause today’s UEFA Champions League viewing experience until you can enjoy it the way it’s meant to be: with friends and a Heineken.

Be among the first to test-drive Keep it Legendary, a unique set of tools that provides a spoiler-free web-browsing experience, enabling you to block the chatter and preserve the fun of tonight’s UEFA Champions League match until the evening.

Paper Talk 17-04-12

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill is planning a swoop for Wolves striker Steven Fletcher, who is set to move on if the Molineux club are relegated.

Stoke striker Ricardo Fuller is expected to leave the club on a free transfer this summer after growing frustrated at his lack of first-team action. Wigan, plus Championship sides Cardiff and Ipswich, are all interested.

Tottenham plan to move for Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers if the FA come in for Harry Redknapp.
Fabio is set to extend his contract with Manchester United - but could go out on loan at Benfica next season.

England captain Scott Parker has called for referee Martin Atkinson to be punished following his error in Sunday's Spurs v Chelsea FA Cup semi-final.
Striker Andy Carroll has pleaded with Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish to give him more starts so that he can prove his worth.
QPR boss Mark Hughes is planning a £4m move for Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey.
Reading are lining up a £2m swoop for Sunderland utility man Kieran Richardson.
West Brom boss Roy Hodgson is ready to let Simon Cox, Chris Wood, Gabriel Tamas, Joe Mattock and Gonzalo Jara leave the club in order to raise funds.
Blackpool and Charlton will battle it out for Fleetwood striker Jamie Vardy who is rated at £1m.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew ran the rule over Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen at the weekend, with Spurs and Arsenal also tracking the £10m-rated player.
Blackburn will hold talks with defender Gael Givet this week to determine if he can play for the club again. Givet was withdrawn from Saturday's game at Swansea after being named in the starting line-up with sources close to the player insisting it was because of a row with Steve Kean at the team hotel.
Fabrice Muamba left hospital yesterday just 30 days after his dramatic collapse at White Hart Lane - and his Bolton manager Owen Coyle believes he may even play again.

Spurs midfielder Scott Parker says the club will have "failed" if they don't make fourth in the Premier League after they were beaten in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
Roberto Di Matteo has been interviewed by Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo about becoming the club's new full-time manager.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon could face a 17-match touchline ban following his on-field tantrum at the end of Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Hearts.
The SFA have ruled out the possibility of moving the Scottish FA Cup final between Hibs and Hearts from Hampden Park to Edinburgh.
Aberdeen boss Craig Brown has vowed to wield the axe at the end of the season following Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Hibs.

Chelsea v Tottenham: London Derby battle it out for Wembley

Chelsea and Tottenham meet in the second FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday, with the London rivals’ fate this season tied in with that of their opponent. With one or the other set to miss out on a top four finish in the Premier League also, progression in the cup takes additional importance this season.

Chelsea have improved since the axing of Andre Villas Boas, with club man Roberto Di Matteo instilling confidence and a belief in the side. The Blues have made strides in the league to give them a chance of making the Champions League qualification places, and a memorable comeback against Napoli in Europehas set up a mouth-watering clash with Barcelona.

The main difference in Di Matteo’s approach is the respect and responsibility handed back to the club’s senior players. With the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Ashley Cole feeling devalued by the Portuguese coach’s squad rotation system, the Italian has made the old guard feel more valued, and this has paid off for him.

The Stamford Bridge club have the distraction of a Champions League date with the Spanish giants upcoming, and although the clash with Pep Guardiola’s men will be in the back of their minds, Spurs could capitalise on any lack of concentration. Chelsea have traditionally had something of a hex over their London neighbours, but the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge in the league a couple of weeks ago, in which Harry Redknapp’s men dominated, will have given the White Hart Lane club confidence.

Tottenham have come unstuck slightly over the last couple of months, with an excellent start being counteracted by a poor second half to the season. Defeat against Arsenal, Manchester United and Evertoncould almost be understood given the difficulty of the opponent, but a loss to Norwich and draw with Stoke at home have the White Hart Lane faithful nervous.

Ahead of the game at Wembley, Spurs are still in fourth place but are level on points with Newcastle, and two ahead of Chelsea. With a five-point gap opening up to Arsenal in third, it is a safe bet to say that one of Sunday’s competitors will miss out on the top four. Spurs fans will look to win their first piece of silverware since their League Cup triumph in 2008, where they beat Chelsea in the final.

A couple of key matchups may well decide the outcome of what should be a close game. With Branislav Ivanovic suspended, the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon will look to get at makeshift fullbacks and take advantage of possession down the flanks. Scott Parker and Frank Lampard will hope to be team-mates this summer at Euro 2012, but will go head-to-head in the battle to win possession and shield their back fours. Finally, second strikers Rafael van der Vaart and Juan Mata are the playmakers that can create chances that will ultimately win the match.