Friday, May 02, 2014

Europa League Drama, Everton vs. Manchester City, Premier League Finances, Copa America In The U.S., Coppa Italia Final, Jose vs. Eden

Dorkfest
And there goes another week. A fine one it was, with a few scintillating second legs to help get us to Friday. Where to begin, then? Let's stick to form and look at matches actually played. Benfica and Sevilla will battle it out to see who is the second-best European champion. The guys from Lisbon held off the guys from Turin and the dudes from Seville dumped their Valencian brethren thanks to a very late Stephane Mbia goal. Sid Lowe claims the Sevilla/Valencia drama is why we watch football. Allright, then! Here's a breakdown of both matches. Shame about Juve - the final will be played in their stadium. Oh, well.

Looking ahead, it's almost time to call it quits in the domestic leagues. Just a few more matches to decide who wins, who goes to Europe, and who goes down. Let's begin in the Premier League:


Beyond the Premier League, it's the last match of the season for almost everyone else in England. Will Millwall drop to Division One?! What about Yeovil? Oh, they're already down. Too bad.

In Spain, there are three weeks left in the campaign. Atlético Madrid still sit in first and only need two wins to clinch the title. They go to Levante on Sunday. Here's a complete weekend preview.
Bolton's Player of the Year
In Italy, if Juventus can defeat Atalanta, they will win their third consecutive Scudetto. Here's a complete weekend preview.

It seems The Special One and Eden Hazard are engaging in a war of words. Ouch. Jonathan Wilson says Chelsea and Jose should brace for change after their latest Champions League failure.

The 2012-13 accounts of all the Premier League teams were released yesterday. David Conn examines the data and gives his take on the health of each club.

Today's Top Tenner? Veteran Players. Guys who played forever.

It was also announced yesterday that the 2016 Copa America will be held in the United States. That's excellent news. We're talking Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, the United States, Mexico and four other CONCACAF nations. There should be some good talent on display.

Major League Soccer is now in Week Nine. Here's a preview. And another.

In Italy, the Coppa Italia really isn't seen as a big deal. But some changes have been made to its structure, and with Juve running away with the Serie A title, it's generating a bit more interest than usual. This year's edition pits Fiorentina vs. Napoli. Michael Cox looks ahead to tomorrow's final in Rome.

Hey, this is pretty cool. Yank Abroad Tim Ream was voted Player of the Year by Bolton fans. And, Yank Abroad Tim Ream was voted Player of the Year by Bolton Football Club. Double Player of the Year! Good on ya, Reamer!

We out.

Onward!!

-SSN

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