Stop the Presses!

Franco has graced us with his views, albeit narrow considering the breadth of this summer's footy happenings! But it's good to have you back for predictions at the least because those aren't my bag. I'm sure the web is glowing with your renewed presence...enough with the intro.

Youngest brother to Adam Himeano, Fumio, has been signed to the NY Red Bulls' youth squad! Robinho and his dribbling skills will grace the Prem in a Man City blue after Arab oil money flowed into the English top flight at the end of the transfer window. Inter, Juve and AC all strengthened over the summer, yet the lot drew during the Serie A kickoff. Speaking of, Olof Melborg, how did it feel to lose two points after Gilardihno turned you with such skill inside the area?

Paul Ince, Former MK Dons manager, became the first black manager to work in England's top flight as new faces grace all levels of international footy but most noted is the activity of Zenit, having spent 24 million pounds on Danni (a Portuguese player with one cap) the club refused to lower their asking price for Russian starlet Arshavin. Why mention the Ruskies when the likes of Deco, Ronnie and Giovanni flew the Nou Camp coup? Simply , because our pride n' joy Man U lost out to Zenit in a preseason cup match that exposed United's lack of bite as Danni cashed in and Fletcher saved blushes with a 2-1 scoreline. Thank the mafioso g-ds that are Sir Alex and the Glazer Family for swooping Spur's Bulgarian striker Berbatov. Berba, a highly touted player, has been in the top three in goals and assists over the past two seasons will now link up with Rooney and Co. donning the number 9 kit.

With the summer full of sporting stories I hope to highlight something other than the Olympics or the EuroCup through this media. The Homeless World Cup took place and was the subject of a documentary film that was featured as of last night on ESPN. The film follows seven player's stories of inclusion from the farthest edge of society, a tale of humanism, the games were played on six-a-side courts that were constructed on the exact spot Nelson Mandela was released from prison. High Bishop Desmond Tutu(guest speaker at my graduation)is featured in the film along with his strong views that homelessness is the new apartheid. For instance, their are five million homeless people in Russian that legally don't exist...check it out via IMDB or Apple's web site trailers.

I was excited at the beginning of last year's season but with the most recent manager sackings the drama reaches new heights. Firstly, Allen Curbishly steps down at West Ham over disputes with the club's transfer policy and the dicey sale of defenders Ferdinand and Macartney to Keane's Sunderland. Secondly, Kevin Keegan quits Newcastle amid a collapse in relations with both the board and owner Mike Ashley over, you guessed it TRANSFER POLICY. Young Milner's move to Aston Villa seem tip the scales of discontent, then King Kev fought against the sale of Micheal Owen during a bought of madness where-in every player at the club was on the chopping block. As to be expected the Jordies' rage over the loss of the messianic manager has overflowed from protest to outright boycot of Ashley's ownership and the boiling-point position of Director of Football held by Dennis Wise.

With this turmoil turning to dust, soon to settle, the Hammer's appoint Zola the former Chelsea star at the end of this recent international break. What impact will all of this and more have on the top league in the world? Can't really begin to guess, but I can for sure say this: IT'S GOOD TO BE A MANC

My first post in about half a year, and Peter Crouch is the topic

Okay, imagine this scenario. You are trying to shoot a target that is 100 yards away. You have a small pistol and you seem to have a hard time hitting the target. You could just go grab a bigger gun and hit the target easier, but you decide to keep on pluggin away with your little pistol. That is what Rafa Benitez has done by selling Peter Crouch. Remember this moment (pic on the left)? The only other striker in the Premiership that could even come close to making a shot like this is Adebayor. As I write this, I am watching a replay of an Arsenal/Liverpool match from 2007. This game is memorable because Peter Crouch grabs a hat trick and this game ultimately allowed Liverpool to pip Arsenal at the end of the season for third place. As I watch this game, all I can think of is "what the hell were you thinking Rafa." Peter Crouch actually allows you to play the long ball game and utilize it with some success. This message also goes out to Fabio Capello. Imagine if Peter Crouch and David Beckham could play together... Oh wait, they can, and they have. Am I the only person that sees this? For all the things he's not, David Beckham is the most accurate crosser IN THE WORLD! He can hit Peter Crouch from a mile away. Anyway, all I'm sayin' is that The guy needs to play more, and I'm glad he is at Portsmouth. Harry "Houdini" Redknapp will bring the best out of him, and Crouch will get the first team football he deserves. Imagine Kanu and Crouch in the lineup at the same time.

Por-tu-gal! Por-tu-gal! Por-tu-gal!

June the 11th saw the Czech team face-off against the Portuguese in the most important match of group A. The Stade de Geneva was alive with applause, horns, drums, and chants ringing out from the hearts and minds of respective supporters. Never in my life has such an experience soared beyond my wildest dreams.

At the celebration lounge across from the stadium we met up with David, Philly and Nuno who work for Fedex and support Portugal. So with our bellies full of good food, wine and espresso we donned our scarfs and sunglasses joining the masses at the entrance to an intimate and beautiful stadium.


To our left was the massive Czech section full of life and jeers for Ronaldo. At the opposite end were gathered the Portuguese fans who came to life as Deco netted the first goal of the match in less than nine minutes. Ronaldo played with imaginative flair, expressive heel-flicks and bullet shots one of which forced Peter Czech to power-dive to his left, deflecting a good hit out of touch for a corner. When the Czechs leveled after a well placed header from Libor Sionko the stadium burst with noise and vibrations of hands and feet moving in unison.


The crowd was buzzing with anticipation at the start of the second half and weren't disappointed as both teams controlled the match for periods almost in deadlock. In the end the quality of Deco and Ronaldo's play was simply too much. Witnessing pro footballers in action allowed my mind to grasp not just the skill involved but also the true speed of Cristiano as he ate up ground like a demon possessed. Deco created the breakthrough with a deft touch sliding the ball from the corner of the 18 yard box into Ronaldo's path; his side-footed finish found the back of the old onion bag with me holding both arms aloft in celebration...one hand happened to be holding a hotdog (gifted from fans on my row).


The match maintained its intensity as Ricardo parried a shot over the crossbar with a strong, top hand save. The giant Jan Koller came on for Tomas Galasek to act as target man and was immediately man-marked. Nuno Gomes, Joao Moutinho and Simao yielded to younger subs Fernando Meira, Hugo Almeida and Ricardo Quaresma. These fresh legs brought new life to the Portuguese side as Ronaldo wore the captain's armband playing in the pocket of space behind Hugo Almeida as a second striker. Whilst the Czech's pushed for an equalizer their fans provided enough encouragement to power a small city. But it was Ronaldo who broke free onto a counter attack and gifted substitute Quaresma, from our friend (pictured to the right) Nuno's hometown idols FC Porto, a simple goal that iced the victory amid the proud song of the Portuguese national anthem.

I am now hooked on live sport without thoughts of coming home, no offense friends...maybe five days from now I will feel different. But at the moment the density of today's memory runs like water from the Amazon river of my heart and 200 miles out to the sea of my soul one can drink the fresh water of new-found experience.

Wednesday Match Day Approacheth

Before launching into a Euro rant I'd like to mention Barcelona. At the family owned restaurant Sumoll, brothers Ramon and Damien treated us to a true insider experience. It was there I watched the first Portugal match while talking of Ronaldo's fate with Damien who spoke great english. Neither of us want to see the Portuguese winger go to Madrid and speaking of; Manchester United have lodged a formal complaint to the world governing body of footy: FIFA. Much to Calderon's chagrin there is proof in the form of an interview with club manager Schuster to bolster the English clubs claims. Now this protracted tug of war is bound to have some end in sight...right? Just don't hold your breath or bet your house on the certainty of the above statement, albeit made in passive voice.

I toured Camp Nou, the larger than life stadium, and upon entering its hallow ground my breath was taken away and I'm still trying to catch it. I will post pictures taken on the stadium tour sooner than later. The world should know that the life-size poster of the former Barca manager Frank R. is no longer used to pose in pictures with visitors and other inanimate posters of Henry and Messi.

Goal of the tournament: The Van Basten-esque volley from Sneijder that near posted Buffon...or the one two goal scored by Zlatan...discuss.
Moment of chaos: No not the German fan arrests, but instead the left footed volley scored by Lucas in Germany's last match. This goal came from a gaf at the back and resulted in one of the most ugly and perfect goals of the tournament. Seeing that goal as perfect from a Polish perspective, however is a lot to ask. Much the same can be said of the second goal in Greece's match bundled over the line by a two defenders and a fossilized goalkeeper.

France needs to get their act together and either grow some balls and take more than one shot on goal in a match of sack their coach who relies on astrology to pick his lineups. I am sorry people, but the game was disjointed at best. It was a match marred by selfish runs (Malouda) and shots from impossible angles (Anelka).

If Spain and Holland can maintain their current runs of form they will go far in this summer's tournament...not to discredit the German team or count out the Italians. Speaking of going far take the train into the mountains of Figures, Spain and visit the Dali museum.

EuroCopa!

Like the German lads in our hotel I am anticiapting the Euros with much pride and passion not for my own country but for the experience. In three days time this blog will have its first bit of on action journalism direct from Geneva, Switzerland. Perpair yourself world wide web, pray to what ever entity you see fit, but above all:ENJOY

ECC Picks & FA Cup Review

Spalletti is excited.

FC Porto are turned out by their German opponents 2-0.
Roma trouble the Real Madrid but the La Liga side wins it 3-1.
Inter sink Liverpool and Rafa gets sacked because of it 3-1.
Chelsea face Olympiacos for a win 2-1.

Predictions aren't my bag, people. The blog needs current news whereas in other realms of footy headlines; stop the presses! Liverpool was wrenched from the oldest domestic cup competition in the world by the skipper of Championship side Barnsley. Barnsley now faces Chelsea in a heady home draw. The West Brom v Cardiff game insures that "one of the minnows," as Tommy Smith says, will make it to the semi's. The Red Devils have a home draw against Portsmouth which leaves the dream final of Chelsea v Man U alive.

A quick shout to Anna from Kenya (Arsenal), Jonas from Iceland (Leverkusen), Steve and Jill (Barnsley) from Chicago just to name a few pub-going-friends. Steve nearly had a heart attack as Barnsley shook the rafters of Anfield with unbridled shouts of joy. Wed. predictions to come...

Winter Review Rant

While my co-writers practice "real" journalism alas left to my own rythm, the cut n' paste incision of mid-term grades and bad weather in Savannah shades. Winter headlines find Villa breaking into the top five seeds whilst Arsenal holds league lead, despite sacking Big Sam Newcastle is in trouble again as Keegan's renewal can't stop the skid. In fact many managerial faces have changed, awash in the hard rain of expectations involving strategy, glory and g-d. Tottenham appointed Ramos and Chelsea shoved Jose aside, Fulham sacked Sanchez, Bruce got the blues and left City for Wigan while Ally took his place and Paul Jol is now in charge of Derby with egg on his face. Sunderland fights relegation having topped Wigan as Derby fans recite incantations amid PR relations at their club's 9 point BPL funeral.

Man City steals points from United at derby spun as Munich tribute 50 years ago to the day, Sven adds gems in the transfer window as clubs shuffle their cards, money-bags Liverpool deny lowly Luton gate fair during FA Cup draw as civil war rages around Rafa. England's manager Capello stands stern at helm of first win against the Swiss, new faces playing in new places before a tense Wembley crowd.

Controversy collides with 70-plus-thousand fans down in Texas land, a night that saw Altidore start and score beautifully was marred as Clint Dempsey's goal, the game-winning third was pulled back for offsides. Honestly, get me a crew from Germany, Australia, Switzerland, or any nation neutral to the USA v Mexico game, someone not possibly corrupted by money, pressure or outright bias! As a side note I watched that game on Telemundo because the announcers are that much better despite the extreme language barrier. So get wise US journalists, send your camera crews to England so they can learn how to shoot the beautiful game. Trust me on this one, not every sport needs a sky cam.

Why ask the impossible of titanic telecasting corporations? Simple, because the arrival of Figo and Zidane are eminent when considering the entertainment group that owns the LA Galaxy recently bought Luis Figo's contract. Now, will these players alone change MLS for the better? Probably not. What MLS needs is an overhaul of US sports ideas; strip down the regional division system for a league table for the love of g-d! New blood could come into the league if USL became the eqivalent of lower league football in England, but this won't happen because of the profit and incentive driven business of owning exclusive rights among other scruples. And another thing, shift the league's schedule to match the rest of the world, this bullshit is really fucking up our national team.

Enough MLS venting, back to rhymed ranting. Catch Saturday's FA Cup draw, United v Arsenal, the only game by far, worth watching. With ECC knock-out stages to come next week I can only hope that crowd violence doesn't rear its ugly, unwanted head. Until then, peace.

Champions League Matchday 4B Predictions

No time for a picture today. Straight into predictions I will go:

Lyon draw Stuttgart

Roma and Sporting draw

Inter all over CSKA

Fenerbache over PSV

Arsenal rape Prague again

Sevilla beat steaua

United trounce Kiev

and Barcelona beat Rangers at the Nou Camp

Champions League Matchday 4A Predictions

It's crunch time Stevie G, can you resurrect Liverpool? I hope for your sake that you can, because Liverpool out of Europe before Christmas would be a shame. Now for my predictions of the day:

Liverpool rise to the occasion and beat down Besiktas

Porto beat Marseille at the Dragao

Chelski draw Schalke

Valencia beat Rosenborg

Real Madrid stomp Olympiakos

Bremen and Lazio draw

Milan go to shanksville and grab a win against Shakhtar

Celtic take out Benfica at Celtic Park

Champions League Matchday 3 Review

Liverpool is drowning. 1 draw and two losses in a group that they should be winning easily. If they don't right this ship soon, they will be out of Europe before old Chris Kringle makes his rounds.

I went 11-5 on Matchday 3 to bring my overall total so far to 29-19. That ups my accuracy from 56% after the first two matchdays to 60% now. I like where I am at right now, and i think I can stay at this high level. Now for some teams who are already at that level (and the ones who are not).

Most Impressive team: Rangers (still?)
They completely shut down Barcelona and were a post away from winning that game. There was one moment where Damarcus Beasley dispossessed Ronaldinho that was absolutely amazing. This team is on a roll, but let's see how they can do at the Nou Camp.

Other Impressive Teams:
Manchester United- This team is firing on all cylinders, and are early favorites to win the competition (along with Arsenal). 3 games, 3 wins. Can't do any better.

Arsenal- Beat down S. Prague. This is another team that has completely hit their stride. Can hit cruise control because they will be in the next round and further.

Now for the Scrubs:
Liverpool- If they don't win their next match, they are through. I cannot fathom how they are doing so bad. They have a squad built for Europe, but they can't put it together. Maybe it's the rotation system of Benitez...

I know that this may seem very much a British Bias, but I run this blog so if you don't like it, I say bollucks to you.

Champions League Matchday 3B Predictions

Yes, I am number one at Champions League predictions, Thanks Ruud.
Yesterday was pretty successful for me as I went 7-1 including the Rangers-Barca draw. Now for today's predictions:

Liverpool beat Besiktas easily

Marseille draw with Porto

Chelski give Schalke the beatdown

Valencia handle Rosenborg

Real Madrid take out Olympiakos at the Bernabeu

Bremen and Lazio draw

Milan, even without Kaka, beat Shakhtar

Celtic go on the road and grab a win at Benfica.

Let's hope today is as good as yesterday.

Champions League Matchday 3A Predictions

There's a huge game at Ibrox today. Are you ready Damarcus? If Rangers can beat Barcelona, then they are for real. If not, then they could still possibly be for real, but a win would throw them into the realm of contenders for this trophy. Keep in mind, Celtic were a goal away from making last year's Champions League semifinals an all British affair. Scotland can knock Italy out, and catapult themselves into, Euro 2008. Scottish footy is on the rise ladies and gents, and I love it. What if Celtic and Rangers were in the Prem?... Now for the predictions:

Stuttgart beat Lyon at home

Roma do enough at home to beat Sporting

Inter beat CSKA in Moscow, and Ivan Cordoba pulls out a shank of his own when someone runs onto the field to shank Ibrahimovic. Cordoba knows what's up.

PSV and Fenerbahce draw @ the Philips Stadion

Arsenal demolish Sparta Prague @ the Emirates

Sevilla dropkick Steaua back to Romania, where all Spanish speaking citizens will be taken to back alleys and you guessed it, SHANKED

MY TEAM:
Manchester United remain perfect and go to Kiev and grab a win. We finally figure out what is under Sir Alex's trench-coat, a metal plate to protect him from a shank wielding fan. Rooney then proceeds to bite the guy's nose off.

Match of the day:
Rangers gain a valiant draw with Barcelona at Ibrox

Champions League So Far...

2 Games for the Devils, 2 wins. I'd say that's reason to celebrate.

Manchester United essentially have two Cristiano Ronaldo's. This can only mean trouble for the Premiership as well as Europe. This will hopefully propel them to Champions League glory this year. Now for some reaction from the first two days of Champions League action.

My predictions for the first two days of Champions League action went 18-14 for an accuracy of 56%. Pretty shabby for my standards, but hopefully I will get better. There have been some pretty impressive and pretty unimpressive teams in this tournament so far, and here is my best and worst:

Most Impressive Team: Rangers
Rangers took out the German and French Champions back to back, and Damarcus Beasley has re-energized this team. Look for them to advance to the knock out stages and hopefully do well. Let's see what they can do against Barcelona.

Other Impressive teams:
Marseille: took out Liverpool at Anfield, first time the Pool have ever lost at home to Frogs

Celtic: finally scored a a goal (2 actually) against AC Milan (where were those in the knockout round last year Bhoys?)

Barcelona: business as usual. Henry had a peach of a goal against Stuttgart and the Henry/Messi/Ronaldinho triumvirate is starting to mesh...Yikes

Manchester United: haven't scored a lot, but the defense has been exceptional. United are living on the edge with all of these 1-0 scorelines, but as long as they win, who cares.

Arsenal: this team has just looked good whenever they step on the pitch this season. It seems that the team chemistry has skyrocketed since Henry left. Look out for them in all competitions this season.

Now for the Unimpressive teams (that you would normally expect more from because we don't waste time here with teams that we already know suck):
Liverpool: a draw on the road in Portugal is acceptable, but losing at home to a French team? That is not going to sit well on Penny Lane.

Lyon: They had a fire sale at the end of last season, and it is beginning to show. This team is nothing without Florent Malouda, and not signing Ribery really hurt them. Look for them to drop into the Uefa cup and get eliminated by some team that Gorbachev crapped out after the Soviet Union split up.

AC Milan: Last year's winners barely beat Benfica, and got upended by the Celts. This team is also performing terribly in Serie A. If they don't fix this soon, a certain best player in the world might start thinking about plying his trade elsewhere

On a side note, I really miss Jose Mourinho. I just can't enjoy the Manchester United/Chelsea rivalry without him (or the rivalry he has with Rafa Benitez). It just made things more fun, and his firing makes me hate Chelsea even more. He was the only part of that team that I liked, other than a few players, and now he is gone. Abramovich is an idiot because he will not find a better coach in the world, that isn't already taken, to coach this team. However, maybe his mistake opened a huge door...ARE YOU LISTENING SUNIL GULATI!!!!!!! HIRE MOURINHO FOR THE USA JOB!!!!!!! IT DOES NOT MATTER THE PRICE BECAUSE HE COULD BRING US A WORLD CUP SOONER RATHER THAN LATER!!!! WE HAVE THE TALENT, WE JUST DON'T HAVE A TACTICIAN... SO BRING THE BEST ONE IN THE WORLD TO US!!!

Champions League Matchday 2B Predictions

Hatikvah gets the start today for Liverpool against Marseille, and I know that will make some of the contributers to this blog very happy. Now... Le Predictions:

Porto take out Besiktas
Schalke edge Rosenborg
Valencia and Chelsea draw
Real Madrid beat Lazio
Werder Bremen over Olympiakos
Benfica win easily over Shakhtar
Celtic upset AC Milan at Parkhead
and finally...
Liverpool walk all over Marseille

Champions League Matchday 2A Predictions

Yes, give praise for Champions League footy. Match Day 1 was bad for me, but I will rebound this week:

Rangers and Lyon draw
Barcelona all over Stuttgart
Sporting beat Dynamo
CSKA all over Fenerbache
Sevilla beat Sparta Prague
Inter beat PSV
Arsenal pound Steaua
and finally, MAN UNITED over Roma

Champions League Matchday 1B Predictions

Welcome back Wayne, grab a goal for us today against Sporting will you?
I don't have much time today, so no smalltalk and straight to the predictions:

Rangers beat Stuttgart in an upset
Roma pound Dynamo Kiev
Inter Milan all over Fenerbahce
PSV beat CSKA Moscow
Arsenal and Sevilla draw at the Emirates
SHANK SPECIAL: Sparta Prague and Steua Bucharest draw
MATCH OF THE DAY 1:
Barca beat Lyon in a good one

MATCH OF THE DAY 2:
Manchester United get all over Sporting and win easily

Champs League Preview/Matchday 1A Predictions

After a long summer in Blogging purgatory, have no fear, Sam is here!!!!! Sorry for the vacation, but I had a summer abroad in Oxford and I met the most awesome girl ever, so I have been a little busy, but I am back and ready to give my two cents on the beautiful game.

I can see that Nani is raring to go against his former club Sporting Lisbon tomorrow, and he is heels over head that he is a Manchester United player now. I know that I do this every year, but I am predicting that Manchester United have the squad that will win Europe this year. The additions help their depth, and once Rooney and Tevez begin to mesh, it will be game over.

Now, it is that time of year again folks, the time where teams from regions that you would never dare visit lest you be ( here comes a common theme of this blog) shanked, come out of their caves to get humiliated by the big clubs. You might catch the occaional upset (heck, even Villareal made the Semifinals a couple of years ago), but it isn't likely. Here are my predictions for Matchday 1A:

Marseille over Beskitas in a match that will indeed involve fans wielding shanks.

Chelski (Chelsea) over Rosenborg (Whoop dee do)

Schalke and Valencia play out a draw in Gelsenkirchen

Lazio returns to the Champions League and gets a draw with Olympiakos

AC Milan grab a win over Benfica (sorry Mr. Adu and his apologists)

Celtic easily win over Shakhtar aka Shanktar (this team easily has the craziest, shank wielding fans)

Liverpool go to Portugal and grab a win from Porto

MATCH OF THE DAY:

Real Madrid win a barnburner over Werder Bremen, but watch out for Diego in this match.

"He's a Man Mountain in There."

Restraint on blog posts just wasn't to be. Too many feelings, you see, are floating 'round in late summer sunshine worldwide at the onset of myriad seasons. For the following reasons the end of August has captivated us peons: Nine months of footy to follow, More for La Liga, Title Races, teams uncomfotable in odd UEFA Cup places, Blackburn are on the map, Sven is back and walking on water. Sir Alex hasn't yet releaved what he stows beneath that coat and by winter we'll have sorted the men from the stoats. Ronnie and Rooney share the stage with Nanni and Carlito, Italy has the hopes of having a scandal free season, maybe mob violence will silence to reason, net-minders to endure the Catalan's Fantastic Four, Juventus offically in flight after scorer's delight, Lyon's roster is no more for an exodus was in store, living the dream newly promoted teams blacken their blades at night, some players seek better futures through last gasp transfer rumors, all whilst David Beckham is causing Beatlemania, outright hysteria. Yet, how and why is this good for the United States of America? Our world anticipates its footballing magicians taking stage. All at the fingertips, soon restored, now and forevermore.

Champions League Final Preview: AC Milan v. Liverpool

All I have to say about the FA Cup is that at least United won the Prem.

Here we go folks, Liverpool vs. AC Milan part deux. This matchup is a very difficult one to call. Both of these teams are loaded with talent and both are well coached, but one team is better coached. Rafa Benitez is one of the best tactical managers in the world. I think that he will have Liverpool ready for this game. Steven Gerrard is probably the most inspirational captain since the Roy Keane glory days. He could be the deciding factor in this game.

On the Milan side of things, Kaka, enough said.

Who wins? I think that the best player in the world will carry his team to victory today, and that player is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, or simply, KAKA. I said in an earlier post that I will never pick against Milan in Europe again and I meant it, but believe me, I am rooting for Liverpool. C'MON YOU REDS!!

FA Cup Final Preview: Manchester United vs Chelsea

Well, here we go. This one's for all the marbles. One team realizes its dreams, and the other has them dashed. There can only be one winner and one loser. The... wait a minute, that's one too many sports cliches. Sorry about that...

Anyway, today marks the final showdown of the season between the two best teams from the best league in the world. On the Chelsea side of things, they are without Ballack, Shevchenko, and Carvalho for sure, and Robben and Cole are up in the air. This will make things EXTREMELY difficult for them.

On the Manchester United side of things, two players (Saha and Neville) are out for sure, but that is no surprise as the two have been injured for most of the latter part of the Premiership campaign.

Who wins this clash of the titans? Well, it goes like this:

Chelsea have a strong squad despite their injuries, and this is the only trophy left for them to claim. Drogba has been on fire this season and was a very close second to Cristiano Ronaldo for best player in England. Unfortunately for Chelsea, I think this game rests on Frank Lampard's shoulders. When he scores, Chelsea typically do well. The problem with that is, well, Frank Lampard is a choke artist. Look at the world cup for example. The guy had 21 shots on goal and none went in. At times, Lampard couldn't hit a barn door with a machine gun. I don't think that he is capable of coming up big in this game, and that is one reason why Chelsea will not win this game.

The other reason is that Manchester United are just too talented and have less injuries. Cristiano Ronaldo is unstoppable, and Rooney has caught fire towards the end of the season. Alan Smith will most likely get the nod, and he has been brilliant since his return.

This game will end with Manchester United hoisting the FA Cup and completing a domestic double. If only things had gone different in the Champions League...