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.

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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.

City Count the Cost of Hughes Errors

The great exodus has begun. The overrated and the overpaid have started to scatter, some complaining of the coldness of a manager who doesn't appear to appreciate their gifts. Few seem to be expressing gratitude for the munificence that has allowed them to amass millions without actually doing anything of worth. Because while Manchester City hope that Edin Dzeko will prove the most influential addition of the January transfer window, there is a pertinence to the departures at Eastlands. Wayne Bridge and Roque Santa Cruz have already gone out on loan; Emmanuel Adebayor and Shaun Wright-Phillips could follow. Were a replacement to be bought - at considerable cost, presumably - then Joleon Lescott might be allowed to join them. There is a common denominator: all are Mark Hughes' buys.

England: Wednesday's FA Cup Preview

Leeds vs. Arsenal

Preview

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England: FA Cup Third Round Tuesday Review & Report

Sven-Goran Eriksson's return to Eastlands turned sour as Manchester City went through to the FA Cup fourth-round.

Review

Manchester City 4 - 2 Leicester City
Richard Jolly at Eastlands

The brightest star in Europe and £1m to a mysterious agent

Manchester United's signing of a callow, improbably talented Cristiano Ronaldo in August 2003 was a defining moment for the Premier League and modern football itself, heralding a dazzling new superstar for a fledgling millennium.

For the 18-year-old's agent, former nightclub owner and semi-professional footballer Jorge Mendes – who is being sued by the English agency Formation for half the fees he earned on that and other deals – Ronaldo's arrival marked his entry into football's big time.

Cantona Back in Football

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona is making a shock return to the game as director of soccer at New York Cosmos.

Kevin McCarra: Arsenal's flair and fragility make them the greatest fun to watch

Arsenal may not win the Premier League but they are rescuing it. Unless Arsène Wenger's side are in action, a match between members of the elite now leads to a sense of foreboding. When Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United inflicted their 0-0 draw on the public, Luka Modric was prized not so much for creating chances as for looking as if he might do so. By comparison with the others on the pitch the Croat's performance for Spurs gleamed at White Hart Lane.

Talking Point: Rafael van der Vaart

Tottenham Hotspur's attacking maestro, Rafael van der Vaart opens up about his life and football at White Hart Lane.

England: FA Cup Third Round Tuesday Preview

Several sides clash on Tuesday for their FA Cup Third Round Replays. Manchester City host Leicester City, Cardiff host Stoke and Wolves host Doncaster.

Preview

Uli Hesse in Germany

There are sports, usually of American origin, where number crunching forms part of the appeal, not only for professional analysts but for regular fans. Football (or soccer, if you prefer) is not one of them, though. I was reminded of this over the course of the past weekend. On Friday, I found myself on the phone to California for a football podcast and, trying to phrase a consideration we'll come back to in a minute, heard myself utter the spectacularly smart sentence: "Stuttgart don't have many points, you know. One day later, Borussia Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke appeared on television and, trying to explain why the Dortmund party line is "Don't Mention the Title", said: "We now have 46 points. No team has ever won the Bundesliga with 46 points."

Sid Lowe in Spain

The inventive management of Mauricio Pochettino and a flourishing youth policy has helped Espanyol defy their critics.

Espanyol indebted to Mauricio Pochettino as kids show their worth.

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Tim Vickery in South America

The return of Ronaldinho after a decade in Europe is an undoubted coup for the Brazilian game. He ended up joining Flamengo, who pipped Gremio and Palmeiras to his signature. He could have gone elsewhere - to the Premier League, for example. Coming back across the Atlantic was a vote of confidence in the direction that the country is taking, with its financial stability, strong currency, and so on.

Americans On The Continent: Hannover Continue To Creep Up the Table

In the first full week of resumed action, Steve Cherundolo’s Hannover 96 side defeated Ricardo Clark’s Eintracht Frankfurt to go 2nd in the German Bundesliga.

The Rest

Americans In The UK: Tim Howard The Goat For Everton

The usually sturdy keeper played admirably before committing a crucial error against arch-rival Liverpool.

The Rest

Paolo Bandini in Italy

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the goal of the weekend but his Milan side are looking fearfully over their shoulder at a revitalised Inter.

Leonardo wakes Inter up from their slumber to leave Milan wobbling.

Raphael Honigstein in Germany

Mario Götze became possibly the first Bundesliga player to be substituted for being too good as Dortmund threatened to humiliate Leverkusen.

Borussia Dortmund preach caution but they are cruising to the title.

Avram Grant to stay as West Ham manager

West Ham are "committed to retaining Avram Grant as manager" after reports had linked Martin O'Neill with his job.

Blackburn complete signing of Jermaine Jones

Jones, 29, joins Rovers on loan until the end of the current season and joins Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz in reinforcing manager Steve Kean's squad in January.

Eduardo Alvarez in Spain

Now that almost every La Liga team have played their first 19 fixtures, that magic moment of the football season has finally arrived: ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the mid-term review.

Based on their performances so far, all 20 competitors can be classified in the following groups:

Bruce speaks out over derby violence

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has urged the authorities to issue a lengthy ban to the supporter who barged into Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper at the end of Sunday's game at the Stadium of Light.

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Monday's Rumours


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Roberto Carlos scores directly from a corner

England: Premier League Weekend Review, Reports & Analyses

A thrilling Saturday of Premier League action saw a number of entertaining games which were then followed by four pulsating draws on Sunday in the top-flight.

Review

Liverpool 2 - 2 Everton
Richard Jolly at Anfield
Andy Hunter at Anfield


Tottenham 0 - 0 Manchester United
Phil McNulty at White Hart Lane
Kevin McCarra at White Hart Lane

Sunderland 1 - 1 Newcastle
Louise Taylor at the Stadium of Light

Birmingham City 1 - 1 Aston Villa
Stuart James at St. Andrew's

Five Things We Learned

Italy: Serie A Weekend Review

AC Milan missed the chance to go six points clear at the top of the table after a 1-1 draw at struggling Lecce. The result leaves them four points clear of Napoli, who drew with Fiorentina last night, and Lazio, who gained their first win of 2011 thanks to a late goal from substitute Libor Kozak against Sampdoria. A third straight win in Serie A - and fourth in all competitions since Leonardo took charge during the winter break - lifted Inter to fourth.

Review

Spain: La Liga Weekend Review

Barcelona took advantage of Real Madrid's surprise draw at Almeria to move four points clear atop La Liga.

Review

The Fifth Official

Few of us like Monday but The Fifth Official does, for it brings with it a chance for him to point the finger and laugh. Here he pulls out the pretty, the puzzling and the downright pig-ugly from a weekend brimming with potential victims.