England: The Battle for the Olympic Stadium

Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are preparing to deliver into the hands of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC)the final details of their rival offers to take over the Olympic stadium after 2012. Much of what the two Premier League clubs are proposing has been kept confidential, including the potentially pivotal details of the financial dividend for the public purse should they be chosen as tenants. But they have to satisfy five criteria laid down by the OPLC at the start of this process:


Plans to be finalized today

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Friday's Rumours



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England: Premier League Previews & Predictions + Table

Gerard Houllier is looking for Darren Bent to make an immediate impact when Aston Villa tackle Manchester City on a packed Saturday of Premier League action. New Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish continues his quest for a first victory since his return to the Anfield hotseat when the Reds travel to Wolves, while Avram Grant takes his West Ham team to Everton following his recent stay of execution. The title race continues apace with leaders Manchester United putting their unbeaten record on the line against Birmingham at Old Trafford as Arsenal play host to Wigan and Tottenham make the trip to Newcastle. Sunderland begin life without Bent as they travel to Blackpool, Fulham welcome Stoke to Craven Cottage and Blackburn play host to West Brom on Sunday.


Preview

Team News

Wolves vs. Liverpool: Mark Lomas' Preview
Aston Villa vs. Manchester City: Jon Carter's Preview

Lawro's Predictions

CLUB	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Man Utd	21	12	9	0	24	45
Man City	23	13	6	4	18	45
Arsenal	22	13	4	5	23	43
Chelsea	22	11	5	6	19	38
Tottenham	22	10	7	5	6	37
Sunderland	23	8	10	5	3	34
Bolton	23	7	9	7	3	30
Stoke	22	9	3	10	2	30
Newcastle	22	8	5	9	3	29
Blackpool	21	8	4	9	-5	28
Blackburn	23	8	4	11	-8	28
Everton	22	5	11	6	-2	26
Liverpool	22	7	5	10	-4	26
West Brom	22	7	4	11	-12	25
Fulham	22	4	11	7	-2	23
Birmingham	21	4	11	6	-5	23
Aston Villa	22	5	7	10	-15	22
Wigan	22	4	10	8	-15	22
Wolves	22	6	3	13	-14	21
West Ham	23	4	8	11	-19	20

Spain: La Liga Weekend Preview & Eduardo Alvarez's Quiniela + Table

Barcelona will look to return to winning ways after their Copa del Ray defeat to Real Betis when they face Racing Santander.

Preview

Eduardo Alvarez's Quiniela

CLUB	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Barcelona	19	17	1	1	50	52
Real Madrid	19	15	3	1	30	48
Villarreal	19	12	3	4	18	39
Valencia	19	11	4	4	9	37
Espanyol	19	11	1	7	0	34
Atlético	19	9	3	7	8	30
Athletic	19	9	2	8	-2	29
Getafe	19	8	3	8	-1	27
Mallorca	19	8	3	8	-1	27
Sevilla	19	8	2	9	-5	26
R Sociedad	19	8	1	10	-2	25
Hercules	19	6	4	9	-6	22
Deportivo	19	5	6	8	-11	21
Racing	19	5	5	9	-11	20
Osasuna	19	4	6	9	-8	18
Málaga	19	5	2	12	-17	17
Sporting	19	3	7	9	-10	16
R Zaragoza	19	3	7	9	-15	16
Levante	19	4	3	12	-11	15
Almeria	19	2	8	9	-15	14

Italy: Serie A Weekend Preview + Table

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has told his players to hold their nerve and focus on themselves rather than others. The Serie A leaders head into Sunday's game against Cesena on the back of draws against Udinese and Lecce. Napoli are joint second in Serie A, level on 37 points with Lazio, and travel to rock-bottom Bari on Sunday.

Preview

CLUB	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Milan	20	12	5	3	17	41
Napoli	20	11	4	5	10	37
Lazio	20	11	4	5	8	37
Inter	19	10	5	4	13	35
AS Roma	20	10	5	5	4	35
Juventus	20	9	7	4	10	34
Palermo	20	9	4	7	8	31
Udinese	20	9	3	8	4	30
Sampdoria	19	6	8	5	2	26
Cagliari	20	7	5	8	5	26
Fiorentina	19	6	6	7	0	24
Genoa	19	6	5	8	-4	23
Chievo	20	5	8	7	-2	23
Parma	20	5	7	8	-6	22
Catania	20	5	7	8	-7	22
Bologna	20	6	7	7	-8	22
Cesena	20	5	4	11	-10	19
Lecce	20	5	4	11	-18	19
Brescia	20	5	3	12	-9	18
Bari	20	3	5	12	-17	14

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli hoping to avoid knee operation by having treatment in America

Manchester City have sent Mario Balotelli to a Vermont-based knee conditioning specialist in an attempt to resolve the injury that has forced the Italian forward to miss three months of the season.

Mario Balotelli: Manchester City's outspoken striker shoots his mouth off

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has made more headlines off the pitch than on it. Here are some of his choicer quotes.

Steve Bruce slams Gérard Houllier over Darren Bent move to Aston Villa

"I would have thought that, out of respect, maybe he would say 'we're interested in buying your striker' in order to give me a chance to do something. I did have the utmost respect for Mr Houllier but I haven't had a call. We are disappointed."

Although Villa have publicly denied "tapping up" Bent, Bruce could not disguise lingering suspicions to the contrary based on the unusual speed of the switch's completion.

Steve Bruce gets angry...

The Joy of Six: Newly Promoted Success Stories

With Ian Holloway's Blackpool ripping up the top flight, we look at some other promoted teams who kept their momentum going.

Sid Lowe: Pressure on Real and Barca builds

Álvaro Arbeloa promised to keep on fighting despite Real Madrid's defeat at Almería last Sunday night. Down on the warmup track that runs round the inside of the stand, where the media gather waiting for a word of wisdom, elbows in sides, cameras swinging lethally, faces press up against arm pits. Teammate Sergio Ramos shook his head and lamented the result: it's hard, he said, to take this defeat. Kaká meanwhile was defiant: "I don't think this defeat is definitive," he was reported as saying in the sports newspaper AS.

Hang on a minute ... defeat? Madrid wasn't defeated by Almería on Sunday night. It didn't lose. It drew 1-1.

Dominic Raynor: Off The Ball

Off The Ball never rests in its mission to scratch around the underbelly of professional football to find the most bizarre, humorous and inexplicable stories. This week, Jermaine Pennant forgets he owns a Porsche, Wayne Bridge makes the worst debut in history, Mario Balotelli says Mario Balotelli is the best in the world and Diego Maradona takes on Carlos Valderrama at five-a-side.

The worst football transfer in the world?

It's a long way from Chelsea to Grozny, but in one of the most extraordinary appointments in recent sporting history, the legendary Dutch footballer and former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit has been unveiled as the new manager of Terek Grozny, the Russian premier league club from the country's restive region of Chechnya.

Ferguson: A Study in Scarlet

For the privileged gentlemen of the press, White Hart Lane affords journalists a proximity to the benches of the competing teams. Harry Redknapp's twitches and flouncings are closely visible, and his assistant, Joe Jordan, bares his teeth in a fashion similar to that of his playing days. But when Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson visit a ground, as they did Spurs on Sunday, most eyes are drawn in one direction.

The Greatest Teams Ever

Barcelona have taken a record 52 points from the first half of the season, winning 17 out of their 19 games in La Liga.

In Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, they boasted all three shortlisted players for the FIFA Ballon d'Or and the current side, including the Champions League-winning predecessors of 2006 and 2009, are now certain of their place in the pantheon of the all-time great teams.

ESPNsoccernet selects a list of some of the greatest sides of their eras.

The Mill + ++

Thursday's Rumours


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Leeds striker Mike Grella joins Motherwell

Motherwell have signed American striker Mike Grella from Leeds United on loan until the end of the season. Grella joined Leeds in January 2009 following a successful trial after leaving Cary RailHawks Under-23s.

England: Wednesday's FA Cup Report & Analysis

Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal
Kevin McCarra not at Elland Road

Why Kevin McCarra was not at Elland Road

Zonal Marking's Analysis

Colombian striker Angel joins LA Galaxy

Los Angeles Galaxy have signed Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel to team up with Landon Donovan and David Beckham, the MLS club said on Wednesday.

Marcela Mora y Araujo in Argentina

He may not have left the Camp Nou to a standing ovation, he may not be the best-paid player in the world, and he may not have totally fulfilled the promise he had. However, Andres D'Alessandro -- a one-time prodigy -- was voted Best Player In The Americas for his performances for Brazil's Internacional by the prestigious Uruguayan El Pais.

Grant Wahl: Didier Drogba Interview

It has been exactly one year since I traveled 44 hours to Angola to interview Didier Drogba, the Chelsea and Ivory Coast superstar, for a story in Sports Illustrated magazine leading up to last year's World Cup. He couldn't have been more accommodating, spending 90 minutes talking to me in his private bungalow on the heavily fortified Ivory Coast team base in Cabinda during the African Cup of Nations.