Feb 13th-14th : Barcelona lose but still head La Liga

A round-up of the football action in Spain over the weekend.

Atletico Madrid 2-1 Barcelona

Barcelona suffered their first Primera Liga loss of the season on Sunday, slumping to a 2-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid.

Pep Guardiola's men were second best for long periods against an Atletico side who established a 2-0 lead inside 23 minutes thanks to a clinical Diego Forlan strike and a wonderful free-kick from Simao Sabrosa.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic halved the deficit within four minutes but Atletico deservedly held on to secure an impressive win and do city rivals Real Madrid a huge favour in the title race.

Xerez 0-3 Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice on his return from suspension as Real Madrid scored midwway through the second half to beat bottom club Xerez 3-0 away and put the pressure on Barca.

Real dominated virtually throughout on a stodgy pitch, but had to be patient as Xerez held out for more than an hour.

Alvaro Arbeloa finally put Madrid in front after 64 minutes, before Ronaldo's quick brace finished off the spirited Andalusians.

Sporting Gijon 1-1 Valencia

Valencia came from behind to secure a point at Sporting Gijon in a 1-1 draw, but were unable to find a winner.

Sporting Gijon put their recent woes behind them as they took a fifth-minute lead through Diego Castro.

And Valencia, despite constant pressure which saw them twice rattle the woodwork, were unable to find a way through until Juan Mata's leveller 14 minutes from time.

Sevilla 1-0 OSasuna

Sevilla moved back into the Champions League qualifying spots with a 1-0 win against Osasuna.

But it was another unconvincing perfornace, however Sevilla grabbed the only goal came after 35 minutes courtesy of the prolific Luis Fabiano.

Spanish La Liga Top Six

Team        Pl  W D L Fr Ag Pts 
Barcelona   22 17-4-1 53:13  55 
Real Madrid 22 17-2-3 53:15  53 
Valencia    22 12-7-3 39:21  43 
Sevilla     22 12-3-7 33:24  39 
Mallorca    21 11-4-6 35:23  37 
Deportivo   22 10-5-7 24:24  35

Stumble It!

Feb 6-7th : Spanish top three all win in La Liga

The race in Spain remains a two club affer as Barcelona remained five points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the summit after both teams won.

Barcelona 2-1 Getafe

Barca maintained their impressive home record with a 2-1 victory over Getafe - despite finishing the game with nine men following the dismissals of Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez.

Pique was sent off for a cynical lunge on Rafa Lopez after 24 minutes, although Barca were already a goal to the good by then thanks to Lionel Messi's brilliant early strike.

Pep Guardiola's side never really looked in danger, despite Pique's departure, and their dominance finally paid off as Xavi all but sealed a 17th league win of the season in the 67th minute.

Roberto Soldado's stoppage-time penalty pulled a goal back for the visitors after Marquez was sent off for the foul on Kepa Blanco which led to the spot-kick.

Real Madrid 3-0 Espanyol

First-half goals from Sergio Ramos and Kaka put Madrid in control, and substitute Gonzalo Higuain added a brilliant third late on as Manuel Pellegrini's men made it 11 out of 11 at the Bernabeu.

In Saturday's early game in Spain, first-half goals from Ever Banega and David Villa saw Valencia cruise to a 2-0 home win over struggling Real Valladolid to boost their hopes of a return to the Champions League.

Banega struck after eight minutes and Villa added the second just before the half-hour mark to secure the three points for Unai Emery's side and consolidate third place in La Liga after 21 rounds of matches.

Valenica 2-0 Valladolid

Valencia cruised to a 2-0 home win over struggling Real Valladolid to boost their hopes of a return to the Champions League.

Banega struck after eight minutes and Villa added the second just before the half-hour mark to secure the three points for Unai Emery's side and consolidate third place in La Liga after 21 rounds of matches.

Spanish Liga Top Six Standings

Team        Pl  W D L Fr Ag Pts 
Barcelona   21 17-4-0 52:11  55 
Real Madrid 21 16-2-3 50:15  50 
Valencia    21 12-6-3 38:20  42 
Mallorca    21 11-4-6 35:23  37 
Sevilla     21 11-3-7 32:24  36 
Deportivo   21 10-5-6 24:22  35

Stumble It!

23-24 Jan : Weekend wrap-up of Spanish La Liga

Valladolid 0-3 Barcelona

On Saturday night Barcelona's routine 3-0 win at struggling Valladolid saw Pep Guardiola's side finish the first half of the Primera Division campaign unbeaten.

In establishing their unbeaten run, the Catalans became only the fifth side to accomplish such a feat, previously achieved by Madrid, Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad.

And they did so with comfort against a poor Valladolid outfit.

Xavi and Dani Alves struck within the space of two minutes halfway through the first period to give Guardiola's men full control of proceedings, and Lionel Messi added a third shortly into the second period to wrap up a comfortable victory.

Real Madrid 2-0 Malaga

Cristiano Ronaldo scored both goals before being sent off as Real Madrid kept the gap to leaders Barcelona at five points with a 2-0 victory over Malaga on Sunday.

Ronaldo had struck twice in quick succession in the first half to put Madrid on their way to a 10th consecutive home win this season, but he was then handed his marching orders in the 70th minute.

Ronaldo was shown a straight red card after catching Patrick Mtiliga in the face with a flailing elbow as he attempted to escape from the Malaga defender - but the 10 men of Madrid held on for a crucial three points.

Deportivo La Coruna 3-1 Athletico Bilbao

Deportivo La Coruna boosted their hopes of qualification for next season's Champions League with an excellent 3-1 win at home to Athletic Bilbao.

Filipe gave the Galicians the lead in acrobatic style, but fell awkwardly and suffered a nasty twist to the ankle which left him in excruciating pain and will leave him sidelined for several months at least.

Another Brazilian, Juca, doubled Depor's lead 10 minutes later, and although Athletic were given hope by Diego Colotto's own-goal, Pablo Alvarez rounded off what was a deserved win for the home side with the third in the closing stages.

Sevilla 1-0 Almeria

Former Almeria striker Alvaro Negredo took advantage of a huge stroke of luck to sink his old club and help Sevilla end a run of four successive Primera Division defeats with a 1-0 victory.

Negredo netted the only goal of this Andalusian derby in the 10th minute after visiting captain Santiago Acasiete's attempted back-pass got stuck in a puddle.

Acasiete picked up a pass from his goalkeeper Diego Alves on the edge of the box, but when he tried to play the ball back, it stopped in a pool of water midway between the two, and Sevilla midfielder Dirnei Renato nipped in to poke the ball inside where Negredo tapped into an empty net.

Spanish La Liga

Team        Pl  W D L  Fr Ag Pts 
Barcelona   19 15-4-0  49:10  49 
Real Madrid 19 14-2-3  44:14  44 
Valencia    19 11-6-2  35:18  39 
Mallorca    19 10-4-5  33:21  34 
Deportivo   19 10-4-5  23:19  34 
Sevilla     19 10-3-6  29:21  33

Stumble It!

Barcelona comfortable on top of Spanish La Liga table

Barcelona stretched their lead at the top of the Primera Division to five points as they beat Sevilla 4-0 to take advantage of a slip by Real Madrid.

Barcelona 4-0 Sevilla
Barca could not get past a stubborn Sevilla defence in the first half at the Nou Camp, but the floodgates opened after Julien Escude's own goal broke the deadlock five minutes into the second period.

Substitute Pedro added the second after 70 minutes, before Lionel Messi netted in the 85th and 90th minutes to notch his 100th and 101st goals for the club.

Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Real Madrid
Fernando Llorente's early header proved the difference between the sides as Athletic Bilbao pulled off a shock win over Real Madrid in the Primera Division on Saturday night.

Spain striker Llorente nodded home from a corner after just two minutes and the home team held on for a fine win, Athletic goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz denying the visitors with a string of great saves.

Valencia 4-1 Villarreal
Valencia closed to within three points of Real Madrid with an entertaining win over 10-man local rivals Villarreal at the Mestalla on Sunday night.

Ever Banega opened the scoring early on and David Villa doubled the lead from the penalty spot, with Kiko earning a red card for a foul on the striker.

David Silva made it three 11 minutes after the break and, although a defensive mix-up led to Nilmar reducing the deficit, Villa deservedly capped the performance with his second goal.

Real Mallorca 2-0 Deportivo La Coruna
Real Mallorca made it nine home wins out of nine and climbed into the Champions League places with a 2-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.

Mallorca, who have also won both of their Copa del Rey games at their Ono Estadi fortress this term, took the points thanks to two goals in seven minutes just after the break through Mario Suarez and Gonzalo Castro.

The victory means Mallorca, who started the day one place and one point behind fourth-placed Depor, swap positions with the Galician side.

Spanish La Liga Top Six Standings

Team        Pl  W D L  Fr Ag Pts 
Barcelona   18 14-4-0  46 10  46 
Real Madrid 18 13-2-3  42 14  41 
Valencia    18 11-5-2  35 18  38 
Mallorca    18 10-3-5  32 20  33 
Deportivo   18  9-4-5  20 18  31 
Sevilla     18  9-3-6  28 21  30

Stumble It!

Barca, Madrid and Valencia all win in Spain

Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona to a 5-0 win at Tenerife as the Catalan giants ended the weekend as they started it; holding a two-point lead at the top of the Primera Division.

Messi's contribution was a wonderful hat-trick - the third goal an impudent chip from the edge of the area.

Carles Puyol also got on the scoresheet with home defender Ezequiel Luna adding a late fifth with an unfortunate prod past his own goalkeeper.

Real Madrid beat Real Mallorca 2-0 to remian in second place.

Madrid had greater difficulty with the snow in the capital than they did with a toothless Mallorca side.

But despite the wintry conditions, Manuel Pellegrini's men strolled to victory with goals from Gonzalo Higuain - a sublime 25-yard curling effort - and Esteban Granero.

Valencia had a comfortable 3-1 win at Xerez to strengthen their hold on third position.

Xerez, who have now accumulated just seven points from 17 games, threatened a surprise when Carlos Calvo cancelled out Juan Mata's opener.

But Valencia upped their game to outplay their valiant, if limited, opponents. David Silva restored their lead and a fine solo effort from Carlos Marchena settled matters.

CLUB        Pl  W D L  GD Pts 
Barcelona   17 13-4-0 +32  43
Real Madrid 17 13-2-2 +29  41  
Valencia    17 10-5-2 +14  35 
Deportivo   17  9-4-4  +4  31 
Sevilla     17  9-3-5 +11  30 
Mallorca    17  9-3-5 +10  30 

Stumble It!

Barca drop points at Nou Camp in 1-1 draw with Villarreal

Barcelona dropped points at Camp Nou for the first time in the campaign as they began 2010 with a 1-1 draw against Villarreal.

Barca had looked to be on course to get the new year underway in style as Pedro put the ball into the net seven minutes into the match after Thierry Henry had hit the woodwork.

However, in-form Villarreal hit back early in the second half when Cani struck the ball across goal for David Fuster to fire in.

Scoring Summary
Barcelona : Pedro (7)
Villarreal : David Fuster (51)

Stumble It!

Lionel Messi wins Fifa World Player of the Year award

Barcelona football Lionel Messi has been named Fifa World Footballer of the Year to complete a stunning 2009 for the Argentine forward.

The 22-year-old, who helped Barca win the Club World Cup on Saturday - their sixth trophy of the year - also won the Ballon d'Or award this year.

In a vote by captains and head coaches of the men's and women's national teams, Messi won 1,073 votes, Ronaldo 352, Xavi 196, Kaka 190 and Iniesta 134.

Messi becomes the first Argentine to win the award, which was inaugurated in 1991, and it completes a stunning year for the brilliant winger.

Stumble It!

Champions League Draw - Man United get AC Milan, Chelsea face Inter, Arsenal v Porto

AC Milan v MAN UTD
Porto v ARSENAL
Lyon v Real Madrid
CSKA Moscow v Sevilla
Bayern Munich v Fiorentina
Inter Milan v CHELSEA
Olympiakos v Bordeaux
Stuttgart v Barcelona

The first-leg ties will be played on 16, 17, 23 or 24 February. The return games will be played on either 9, 10, 16 or 17 March.

Stumble It!

Henrik Larsson is back in football - as a manager

Former Celtic and Barcelona striker Henrik Larsson has been appointed manager of Swedish second division side Landskrona Bois.

Larsson is now 38 and retired as a player in October after finishing his career with Helsingborgs.

Larsson was capped 106 times by Sweden and won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006 in a 2-1 win over Arsenal in Paris.

He also won two Primera Division titles with Barcelona, four Scottish Premier League crowns while at Celtic and was part of the Manchester United squad that won the Premier League in 2007.

Stumble It!

Champions League Group stages complete - 16 teams for second round named

The lineup for the UEFA Champions League first knockout round was completed on Wednesday when the group stage concluded with holders Barcelona, Inter Milan, VfB Stuttgart and Olympiacos taking the final four places.

Generally, the group winners are the stronger section with the five shorted priced sides in the Winners group, but with Inter Milan, Olympique Lyon and Bayern Munich lurking as dangerous runners-up opponents.

Group winners
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Bordeaux (FRA)
Manchester United (ENG)
Real Madrid (ESP)
Chelsea (ENG)
ACF Fiorentina (ITA)
FC Barcelona (ESP)
Sevilla (ESP)
Arsenal (ENG)

Group runners-up
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Bayern Munchen (GER)
CSKA Moskva (RUS)
AC Milan (ITA)
FC Porto (POR)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
Internazionale Milano (ITA)
VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Olympiacos (GRE)

Knockout Draw
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The draw will take place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland at 12.00CET on Friday 18 December.

The UEFA Champions League first knockout round first-leg ties will take place on 16/17 and 23/24 February 2010 (with two games each day) with the second legs to be played on 9/10 and 16/17 March.

Outright Winner Betting Odds :
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Barcelona 4.50 @ Betfred
Chelsea 5.00 @ Eurobet
Real Madrid 7.00 @ Bet365
Manchester United 9.00 @ Ladbrokes
Arsenal 11.00 @ Eurobet
Internazionale Milano 17.00 @ Eurobet
Sevilla 21.00 @ Centrebet
Bayern Munchen 23.00 @ Centrebet
AC Milan 23.00 @ Bet365

Stumble It!

Barcelona star Lionel Messi wins Ballon d'Or award

Barcelona's Lionel Messi has won the acclaimed Ballon d'Or award after being named European Footballer of the Year.

French magazine France Football said the Argentina forward beat 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo into second place by a massive margin - 473 points to 233.

Messi, 22, won the treble of Champions League, the Spanish championship and Spanish cup with Barcelona last season.

Third and fourth place in the voting were Messi's Barcelona team-mates, midfielders Xavi (170 points) and Andres Iniesta (149).

Striker Samuel Eto'o, who left Barcelona for Inter Milan during the close-season, was fifth.

Messi becomes the sixth Barcelona player to take the award but the first since Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho in 2005.

RECENT WINNERS :
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2000 - Luis Figo (Portugal),
2001 - Michael Owen (England),
2002 - Ronaldo,
2003 - Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic),
2004 - Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine),
2005 - Ronaldinho (Brazil),
2006 - Fabio Cannavaro (Italy),
2007 - Kaka (Brazil),
2008 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).

Stumble It!

Barcelona beat Inter Milan 2-0 in Champions League to move to top of Group F

Barcelona bounced back from the brink of elimination when the evening started to take charge of Group F thanks to a Xavi Hernandez-inspired victory over Internazionale Milano.

The holders laid on their most complete performance, by some distance, since that fabulous day in May last year when they defeated Manchester United 2-0 to lift the trophy in Rome.

Their first goal came straight from the training ground. Xavi bent a corner to the near post, Thierry Henry flicked it on to the far, and Pique bullishly held off Thiago Motta to stab home.

For the second goal, Iniesta clipped an inside pass to Xavi, whose cushioned volley was measured to land between two defenders and meet the run of Daniel Alves. Alves dinked the ball to the far post and Pedro raced in to volley home.

Barcelona v Inter Milan match report at UEFA.com

Standings

Group F     Pld Pts 
Barcelona    5   8 
Inter Milan  5   6 
Rubin Kazan  5   6 
Dynamo Kyiv  5   5 

Stumble It!

UEFA Champions League Results for Tuesday - Barca beaten!

Rubin Kazan silenced the Nou Camp just two minutes into their Champions League clash with Barcelona as the holders slipped to a shock 2-1 defeat.

Alexander Ryazantsev's 35-yard rocket gave the Russians the lead in the Gro
up F encounter - and left Barca trailing for the first time this season.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic levelled in the 48th minute, controlling the ball on his chest and firing home via a post, but there was another twist to come as Gokdeniz Karadeniz grabbed a 73rd-minute winner.

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Another major upset looked on the cards at the San Siro as Dynamo Kiev twice led against Inter Milan only for Jose Mourinho's men to fight back to draw 2-2.

Taras Mykhalyk put Dynamo Kiev in front after five minutes and Lucio powered a header into his own net to restore their lead after Dejan Stankovic had levelled.

But Walter Samuel headed in at the right end two minutes after the break to make it 2-2.

Barca, Rubin and Dynamo are now all level on four points, with Inter bottom of the pool on three.

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TUESDAYS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL SCORES

Champions League - Group E
FT Debrecen 3 - 4 Fiorentina
FT Liverpool 1 - 2 Lyon

Champions League - Group F
FT Barcelona 1 - 2 Rubin Kazan
FT Inter Milan 2 - 2 Dynamo Kyiv

Champions League - Group G
FT Rangers 1 - 4 Unirea Urziceni
FT Stuttgart 1 - 3 Sevilla

Champions League - Group H
FT AZ Alkmaar 1 - 1 Arsenal
FT Olympiakos Piraeus 2 - 1 Standard Liege

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STANDINGS

Clubs         Pld W D L GF A Pts
Olympique Lyon  3 3-0-0  7:1  9
ACF Fiorentina  3 2-0-1  6:4  6
Liverpool FC    3 1-0-2  2:4  3
Debreceni VSC   3 0-0-3  3:9  0

Clubs         Pld W D L GF A Pts
FC Barcelona    3 1-1-1  3:2  4
FC Dynamo Kyiv  3 1-1-1  5:5  4
FC Rubin Kazan  3 1-1-1  4:5  4
FC Inter Milano 3 0-3-0  3:3  3

Clubs         Pld W D L GF A Pts
Sevilla FC      3 3-0-0  9:2  9
Unirea Urziceni 3 1-1-1  5:4  4
VfB Stuttgart   3 0-2-1  3:5  2
Rangers FC      3 0-1 2  3:9  1

Clubs         Pld W D L GF A Pts
Arsenal FC      3 2-1-0  6:3  7
Olympiacos FC   3 2-0-1  3:3  6
AZ Alkmaar      3 0-2-1  2:3  2
Standard Liege  3 0-1 2  4:6  1 

Stumble It!

Arsenal set the Standard after 3-2 win in Liege

After Arsenal came back from two down to beat Standard Liege in Belgium, they were backed up into 5th favourite to win the Champions League.

The Gunners were 2-0 down inside five minutes but goals from Nicklas Bendtner, Thomas Vermaelen and Eduardo turned the match on its head and sparked wild celebrations from the visiting fans.

Liverpool meanwhile slipped back after battling to an uninspiring 1-0 win over Hungarian side Debrecen, while Inter Milan and Barcelona held their positions after battling to a 0-0 draw in Milan.

Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are vying for favouritism at a best of 4/1 and 5/1.

But English teams occupy the four of the next places in the betting, with Chelsea shortest at 6/1, Manchester United 15/2, Arsenal 11/1, and both Inter Milan and Liverpool on offer at 12s.

BEST OUTRIGHT ODDS FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE :
5.00 FC Barcelona @ Eurobet
6.00 Real Madrid @ Betfred
7.00 Chelsea @ Bet365
8.50 Manchester United FC @ Victor Chandler
12.00 Arsenal @ Betfred
13.00 Internazionale Milano @ Paddy Power
13.00 Liverpool @ BetFred
26.00 AC Milan @ Victor Chandler
29.00 Bayern Munich @ Ladbrokes

Stumble It!

Champions League draw kind to English clubs

The four English clubs in the Champions League were handed favourable draws for the group stage of the competition.

Arsenal have been drawn against AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos and Standard Liege in Group H.

Last season's finalists Manchester United take on CSKA Moscow, Besiktas and Wolfsburg in Group B.

Liverpool are top seeds in Group E and face Olympic Lyon, Fiorentina and Debrecen.

Chelsea are the ranked club in group D and will play Porto, Atletico Madrid and APOEL Nicosia.

Remaining Groups :

Group A
Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa

Group C
AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich

Group F
Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dinamo Kiev, Rubin Kazan

Group G
Sevilla, Glasgow Rangers, Stuttgart, Unirea Urziceni

Stumble It!

Barcelona favourites for Champions League Final

Barcelona have been installed as favourites to win the Champions League final following their dramatic qualification at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Andres Iniesta's injury-time goal - Barca's only shot on target all night - equalised Michael Essien's early effort and sent the Spanish side through on away goals with a 1-1 draw.

Barcelona will now face Manchester United in Rome on May 27 and it's Barca who are the 8/11 favourites with Ladbrokes to lift the trophy they last won in 2006.

Defending champions Manchester United are available at 2.10, with bet365 prepared to go odds-against largely because they have big liabilities on Barca in their outright book.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth said: "Bookmakers don't mind draws, but we stopped patting ourselves on the back when we looked at the ante-post liabilities on Barcelona. We'll be more than happy to see Sir Alex retain the trophy."

Boylesports disagree with bet365 and Ladbrokes and and offer both Barca and ManYoo at 10/11 each.

Stumble It!

Real Madrid still making the most money in revenue league

Real Madrid remain top of the Deloitte Football Money League in terms of revenue generated for the fourth successive season.

But English clubs dominate the list with seven Barclays Premier League sides are among the top 20.

The Manchester United money men saw last seasons double success increase their revenues to £257m, an increase of £45m on the previous season.

It saw United receive a bumper pay-out in terms of broadcasting revenue while their income from commercial contracts also saw a healthy increase. In addition, sell-out crowds at their 76,200 seater stadium saw matchday revenues grow by a staggering 10 per cent to £101.5m last season, meaning that 39 per cent of their total revenue comes from home games.

Chelsea's overall revenue grew by 12 per cent, largely thanks to a 30 per cent increase in money from broadcasters.

While Arsenal may be sweating in Champions League qualification this season, the move to the Emirates Stadium continues to be a success story.

While there are suggestions that the cost of building the 60,000-seat arena has tied manager Arsene Wenger’s hands in the transfer market, matchday revenue of £94.6m last season, which represents 45 per cent of Arsenal’s total revenue, is difficult to argue against.

Liverpool's need to press ahead with the construction of a new stadium is highlighted by their relatively low matchday revenue figure of £39.2m despite an average crowd at Anfield of 43,500.

Even Tottenham's smaller White Hart Lane home generates more matchday revenue than Anfield, while they, too, have a plans for a new stadium in place. Spurs continue to do well from broadcasting and commercial revenue streams, but the Deloitte survey points out that they must return to the days of challenging for a Champions League place to stand a chance of regaining a top 10 spot.

Manchester City return to the top 20 thanks mainly to the revenue generated by the new broadcast deal and a reviewed ticket price structure, which saw the average gate at Eastlands rise by five per cent, keeping matchday revenue constant at £18.5m.

Deloitte Football Money League - 2007/08 revenue
1 (1) Real Madrid £289.6million
2 (2) Manchester United £257.1m
3 (3) FC Barcelona £244.4m
4 (7) Bayern Munich £233.8m
5 (4) Chelsea £212.9m
6 (5) Arsenal £209.3m
7 (8) Liverpool £167.0m
8 (6) AC Milan £165.8m
9 (11) AS Roma £138.9m
10 (9) Internazionale £136.9m
11 (12) Juventus £132.6m
12 (13) Lyon £123.3m
13 (16) Schalke 04 £117.5m
14 (10) Tottenham £114.8m
15 (15) Hamburg £101.3m
16 (19) Marseille £100.4m
17 (14) Newcastle £99.4m
18 (-) Stuttgart £88.3m
19 (-) Fenerbahce £88.1m
20 (-) Manchester City £82.3m

(previous year in brackets)

Stumble It!

Champions League Knockout Draw : Italy vs England x 3

The champions league draw for the last 16 was made in Nyon on Friday and it has thrown up some mouthwatering clashes as English clubs face three Italian opponents ...and Real Madrid as well.

Manchester United will face Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Former Tottenham boss Juande Ramos will return to England with Real Madrid as they take on Liverpool, with the second leg to be played at Anfield.

Arsenal will have the first leg at home as they play AS Roma, while Chelsea will clash against Juventus who are managed by former boss Claudio Ranieri for their .

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT DRAW
Chelsea v Juventus
Villarreal v Panathinaikos
Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v FC Porto
Lyon v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Arsenal v Roma
Inter Milan v Manchester United

The ties will be played on 24/25 February and 10/11 March as the Champions League knockout phase begins.

Stumble It!

Barcelona v Real Madrid - Special bets

Real Madrid visit bitter rivals Barcelona on Satueday evening with their new coach Juande Ramos and Betfred have priced up a number of special bets on "El Classico".

Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has been enduring a torrid time this season and two markets have been opened up for punters who think he might have a tough time :

"Casillas Catastrophe 1" is for Barcelona to score four or more goals, which they have done on an incredible nine occasions already this season, and the Betfred price for that to happen again is 11/2.

"Casillas Catastrophe 2" is for the goalkeeper to commit a foul that results in a penalty and that eventuality is a 7/1 chance at BetFred.

You can also bet on whether Real Madrid will have a player sent off in the match and it's 7/2 that the visitors are reduced to 10 men, as they were against Sevilla last weekend when Arjen Robben’s red card meant he misses this match.

Betfred spokesman Jon Wilde said: "Bernd Schuster's last act as Real coach was to say he didn't think the Galacticos could win in the Nou Camp and it could be a long 90 minutes for Real.

"Casillas is expected to return to the side after seeing his understudy Jerzy Dudek keep a clean sheet against Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League, but he will need to improve on his poor form in such a big game."

Check out all the options at BetFred Bookmakers.

Stumble It!

Sevilla beat Real Madrid to move into 4th spot

Sevilla survived a spirited fightback from champions Real Madrid at the Bernabeu to win 4-3 in the Primera Liga on Sunday.


Adriano Correia gave Sevilla a third-minute lead and although Raul pulled one back in the 19th minute, Ndri Romaric and Frederic Kanoute had the visitors 3-1 up at half-time.

Gonzalo Higuain and Fernando Gago levelled for Real midway through the second half, but a red card for Arjen Robben took the wind out of their sails, and Renato headed the winner six minutes from time.

Real Madrid's third defeat in four league matches left them fifth in the standings with 26 points from 14 matches, nine behind leaders Barcelona who they play at the Nou Camp next weekend.

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Barcelona hammered Valencia 4-0 on Saturday, and are now 6 points clear at the top with 35 points after second-placed Villarreal were held 3-3 at home by Getafe.

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Valencia are third with 27 points ahead of Sevilla on goal difference.

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Deportivo Coruna overcame Malaga 2-0 at home. Malaga keeper Inaki Goitia let Angel Lafita's free kick slip through his hands after 65 minutes and Mexico striker Omar Bravo netted the second from the penalty spot soon after.

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Real Valladolid came back from three down to draw 3-3 at Osasuna with Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche's powerful header securing a point five minutes from time. Valladolid are eighth with 20 points.

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Osasuna slipped back to the foot of the table after Recreativo Huelva claimed their first win since the opening day of the season, twice coming from behind to beat Real Mallorca 3-2 away.

Stumble It!

Round 12 : Barcelona held by Getafe but still three points clear

Barcelona needed a second half equaliser from Seydou Keita to rescue a point as the leaders were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Getafe in the Primera Liga on Sunday.

Barca have 29 points from 12 games, which leaves them three points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid and four in front of Villarreal.

Real Madrid beat Recreativo Huelva 1-0 at the Bernabeu while Villarreal were upset 0-3 at home by Real Valladolid.

Fourth-placed Valencia are ahead of Sevilla on goal difference with 24 points after thew two sides drew 0-0 at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday.

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Europes best clubs ready for UEFA Champions League Draw

Sixteen teams gained automatic entry to the competition proper and the same number came through the third qualifying round on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Making their debut in the group stage are UEFA Cup holders FC Zenit St. Petersburg, CFR 1907 Cluj of Romania, the first Belarussian qualifiers, FC BATE Borisov, and the inaugural Cypriot entrants Anorthosis Famagusta FC.

In all, 17 nations are represented in the draw, the ceremony for which will include the UEFA Club Football Awards.

English sides dominate the seedings for the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League group stage draw which will take place from 18.00CET on Thursday at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum.

POT ONE
Manchester United FC (ENG, holders) 107.996
Chelsea FC (ENG) 124.996
Liverpool FC (ENG) 118.996
FC Barcelona (ESP) 117.837
Arsenal FC (ENG) 110.996
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) 99.380
FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) 96.934
Real Madrid CF (ESP) 93.837

POT TWO 92-66 points
FC Bayern Munchen (GER), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Villarreal CF (ESP), AS Roma (ITA), FC Porto (POR), Werder Bremen (GER), Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR), Juventus (ITA)

POT THREE 63-51 points
Olympique de Marseille (FRA), FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS), FC Steaua Bucuresti (ROU), Panathinaikos FC (GRE), FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA), Celtic FC (SCO), FC Basel 1893 (SUI), Fenerbahce SK (TUR)

POT FOUR 49-1 point
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR), ACF Fiorentina (ITA), Club Atletico de Madrid (ESP), FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR), CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU), Aalborg BK (DEN), Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP), FC BATE Borisov (BLR)

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Champions League 3rd Round Draw

Arsenal were handed an tie against former England boss Steve McClaren's new side FC Twente in the Champions League third qualifying round.

McClaren was appointed by the Dutch side in June this year, taking his first job since he was sacked by England in November 2007.

Liverpool have been drawn against Belgium's Standard Liege. Liverpool, who were beaten by Chelsea in the semi-finals last year, will fancy their chances of getting past Standard Liege.

The Reds will play their first leg away from home - as will Arsenal and Rangers, too, provided the Glasgow side make it through.

Elsewhere in the draw, highly-fancied Barcelona will play either Beitar Jerusalem or Wisla Krakow and Italian giants Juventus face Tampere United or Artmedia Bratislava.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - Full draw:
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Aalborg/Modrica v RANGERS/Kaunas
Standard Liege v LIVERPOOL
FC Twente v ARSENAL
JUVENTUS v Tampere/Artmedia
BARCELONA v Beitar Jerusalem/Wisla Krakow
Schalke 04 v Atletico Madrid
Spartak Moscow v Drogheda/Dinamo Kiev
Fiorentina v Slavia Prague
Galatasaray v Steaua Bucharest
Anorthosis/Rapid Vienna v Olympiakos
Vitoria Guimaraes v IFK Gothenburg/Basel
Shakhtar Donetsk v Domzale/Dinamo Zagreb
Levski Sofia v Anderlecht/BATE
Inter Baku/Partizan v Fenerbahce/MTK Budapest
SK Brann/Ventspils v Marseille
Panathinaikos/Dinamo Tbilisi v Sheriff Tiraspol/Sparta Prague

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Ronaldinho lands in Milan - PR hype hits

Brazil star Ronaldinho has been unveiled to fans and the media at the San Siro stadium after completing his move from Barcelona to AC Milan.

The 28-year-old insisted he was fully fit despite concerns about his lifestyle and attitude in Spain.

"I have always lived a regular life and I will continue like that. I am in good physical condition" he said. "Every player dreams of playing for Milan. It is a special emotion and I hope to bring happiness to the fans."

Thousands of fans turned up at the stadium to welcome Ronaldinho to the club, with the San Siro nearly half full.

"I already feel at home here" he added - although unfortunately he was speaking in Portuguese and not Italian.

The fact that Barcelona sold the overweight Ronaldinho at a cut price fee, that Ronaldinho only wanted to move to a club that would let him play for Brazil in the Olympic football tournament, and that AC Milan are not in the Champions League this season were not discussed.

Milan need to reinvigorate the side with youth, energy and desire ... and instead they buy Ronaldinho?! Too old, too fat, and too jaded after a very successful career.

Can you see this all ending in tears in 12-18 months? Me too.

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Ronaldinho to join AC Milan

AC Milan have beaten Manchester City in the race to sign Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho after revealing they have reached an agreement in principle on a three-year deal for the Brazilian.

The Serie A club made the announcement on their official website following a day of talks between Barca president Joan Laporta and Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani in the Catalan capital.

The financial terms of the agreement have not been revealed but City's interest almost certainly pushed up the final fee.

Transfer talks between Barca and Milan reportedly stalled earlier this week, with the Italian club only willing to pay £11.9million plus up to around £4million in add-ons - £7.9million less than Barca were demanding.

But the Rossoneri are understood to have increased their bid by around £4million after City were reportedly waiting with a bid of £27.8million.

The Italian club confirmed that the formal completion of the deal now hinged only on the Brazil international successfully completing a medical.

"AC Milan and FC Barcelona have reached a principle agreement for the transfer of Ronaldinho to the Rossoneri," read a short statement on Milan's official website on Tuesday. "The player will be in Milan tomorrow (Wednesday) to undergo the medical examinations and sign the contract that will bind to Milan until June 30, 2011."

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Thursday's Transfer Rumours

It looks like being another month or so until "REAL" football kicks off - so I'm going to continue the football transfers rumours series.

ARSENAL lead off today with a whole lot of talk ..

Arsenal midfielder Alex Hleb has agreed a four-year-deal with Barcelona and is set to sign for £15m - or perhaps €15m. No-one seems quite sure.
(Source = The Sun)

Arsenal are also likely to waive goodbye to Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva to Greek side Panathinaikos.
(Source = Blog Arsenal Analysis - but now picked up by a lot of papers)

On the positive side Arsenal will complete a £11.5m deal for Marseille's Samir Nasri now that the new French tax year has begun.
(Source = The Sun)

Newspapers then start totally making it up when claiming that Arsenal have bid £19m for Andrei Arshavin but his club Zenit St Petersburg want £24m.
(Source = Star)

The Gooners are also rumoured interested in 22-year-old Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, who is rated at £8m by his club River Plate - and this sounds more like Wenger to me.
(Source = The Sun)

Chelsea are also well covered in the rumour market ..

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has personally blocked Inter Milan's attempts to buy midfielder Frank Lampard.
(Source = half a dozen sites)

While on paper says that Lampard has told friends he is determined to leave Chelsea and says it is time for him to go.
(Source = Daily Express)

Didier Drogba still wants to leave Stamford Bridge, even though there hasn't been much interest - with Milan keeping very quiet ...
(Source = Daily Star)

And Chelsea were interested in Brazil forward Robinho but have been told by Real Madrid that it will cost £30m to sign .
(Source = Daily Star)

Liverpool fans are also kept informed - although the news is not so positive ..

Liverpool were interested in signing Valencia's David Villa but have been put off by the massive £32m price tag and instead are looking at Spanish international winger David Silva.
(Source = The Sun)

Benitez's transfer funds are also in doubt after Juventus said that they will not pay £15m for midfielder Xabi Alonso. That could affect Liverpool's chances of raising the cash to sign Aston Villa's Gareth Barry.
(Source = The Sun again)

Finally two snippets from mighty ManYoo ..

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has pontificated again about "player slavery" and said Manchester United they should let winger Cristiano Ronaldo join Real Madrid.
(Source = FIFA website)

Manchester United look to have lost another Portuguese employee in the form of assistant boss Carlos Queiroz, who took over as Portugal manager on Wednesday evening.
(Source = Daily Star)

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ESP : Barcelona 2-3 Mallorca - Barca blow it again!

Yet another upset at the Camp Nou as Barcelona throw away a 2-0 lead to lose 2-3 at home to Mallorca.

Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o scored for a 2 goal lead for the home side before Mallorca hit back with goals from Valero, Webo and (deep into injuury time) a winner from Guiza.

Watch all the goals in the following videos - English commentary this time ...

VIDEO LINK :
Barcelona 2 - 3 Mallorca
17 [1 - 0] T. Henry
56 [2 - 0] S. Eto'o
67 [2 - 1] B. Valero
70 [2 - 2] P. Webo
90 [2 - 3] D. Guiza

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Manchester United odds on to qualify after scoreless draw

Manchester United are favourites to qualify for the Champions League final with the bookmakers after holding Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their semi-final clash at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty after only three minutes and then sat back and defended the 0-0 scoreline for 88 minutes - perhaps due to the absence of Nemanja Vidic.

Barcelona dominated possession but caused Edwin van der Sar few real problems in the United goal, will now have to avoid defeat in the return leg in order to progress to the final in Moscow.

Manchester United are a best priced 1.60 to qualify while Barcelona are 2.40 to get to Moscow. Both prices are from Aussie internet bookmaker Centrebet.

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Personally I think that United have to be very wary of conceding at Old Trafford, but still should be slight favourites at around 55% likely to win and qualify meaning a price of 1.81 for fair value.

RELATED LINK :
BookieLabrat's LIVE Champions League Betting Odds page.

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Ronaldinho to leave Barcelona for AC milan

Barcelona's Ronaldinho has reportedly agreed initial terms with Italian giants AC Milan, according to his brother and agent Roberto de Assis.

The Brazilian, 28, is set to miss the rest of the season with injury but is said to be disillusioned with life at the Nou Camp and keen for a move.

De Assis insisted it was not yet a done deal but said: "Basically, Ronaldinho and Milan have come to an agreement. He was impressed with first contact with them, they are a great team."

Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said: "There is a general agreement with the player. Now a deal has to be reached with Barcelona. Give us time."

The forward has also been linked with a move to Manchester City after De Assis was a guest at the home game against Chelsea. But De Assis claims the meetings at Eastlands were regarding "personal matters" and did not concern his brother.

And he now believes only a fee needs to be agreed with Barca for the two-time world player of the year to make the move to Italy a reality.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted on Friday he would like to bring both Ronaldinho and Chelsea's out of favour striker Andriy Shevchenko to the San Siro next season.

Milan are fifth in Serie A and in danger of missing next year's Champions League after a poor season. They were knocked out of this year's Champions League as holders by Arsenal in the first knockout round.

And Ancelotti's men have struggled to score and create goals with Brazilian Ronaldo playing just a handful of games before being ruled out long term with a knee injury.

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Manchester Utd step towards semi-finals

Manchester United are into 2/1 (3.00) to win the Champions League after they took a huge step towards the semi-finals.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney gave United a 2-0 victory over Roma in the Stadio Olimpico to put them firmly in the driving seat going into the second leg of the quarter-final at Old Trafford next week.

Ronaldo made the breakthrough with a brave header in the first half for his 36th of a remarkable season. Rooney then extended their lead when he took advantage of a mix-up between goalkeeper Doni and Christian Panucci.

And it means the Red Devils, are now a best priced 3.00 (at Betfred) while their likely semi-final opponents Barcelona are next best at 4.00 with Ladbrokes and Centrebet.

Barca also claimed an away win in the first leg of their last-eight clash, beating Schalke 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen. Bojan Krkic scored the only goal of the game in the 12th minute, putting Frank Rijkaard's side in a powerful position ahead of the Nou Camp return.

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Money talks - 11 clubs turnover GBP 100m +

Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have established themselves in the world top five of highest-earning clubs, according to a new report.

They made £580m between them last season and Deloitte, the business consultancy which compiles the Football Money League, believes their revenues will only increase as English clubs as a whole seek to maximise their money-making potential abroad.

A ninth Premier League title combined with a run to the Champions League semi-finals and a £14m-a-year shirt sponsorship deal helped United earn £212.1m in 2007. Chelsea made £190.5m in the same period and Arsenal took £177.6m, mainly from corporate revenue which doubled to £91m in their first season at the Emirates Stadium.

There are six English clubs in the top 20, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United being the others. Financial analysts expect more to follow in 2008 because of this season's £300m Premier League broadcast deal.

The rich list 2008

1 (1) Real Madrid £236.2m
2 (4) Manchester United £212.1m
3 (2) Barcelona £195.3m
4 (6) Chelsea £190.5m
5 (9) Arsenal £177.6m
6 (5) AC Milan £153.0m
7 (8) Bayern Munich £150.3m
8 (10) Liverpool £133.9m
9 (7) Internazionale £131.3m
10 (12) Roma £106.1m

11 (15) Tottenham Hotspur £103.1m
12 (3) Juventus £97.7m
13 (11) Lyon £94.6m
14 (13) Newcastle United £87.1m
15 (16) Hamburg £81.0m
16 (14) Schalke £76.9m
17 (-) Celtic £75.2m
18 (-) Valencia £72.4m
19 (-) Marseille £66.6m
20 (-) Werder Bremen £65.5m

Last year's position in parentheses

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Henry to return to England - for Newcastle?

This one made me laugh out loud - I had to read it twice to make sure it was genuine.

Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has stated that Thierry Henry is at the top of his wish-list and UK bookmaker bet365 make the price 11/2 (6.50) for Henry to join Newcastle by the time the transfer window closes at the end of August.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth managed to keep a straight face when he said : "If Keegan manages to stay at Newcastle and keep them in the Premiership he could have a bottomless pit at his disposal in the summer – and Thierry Henry is hardly getting rave reviews at Barcelona."

He did add : "However, Newcastle are just 12/1 for relegation and they'd have more chance of signing Lenny Henry if they dropped into the Championship."

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GOONER SAYS : Bearing in mind Henry's legendary status at Arsenal, and the fact that he left on extremely good terms last summer, I think that if he was going to turn up anywhere in the Premier League in August - then the Emirates Stadium would be the place to see him.

Keep your money in your pockets on this one.

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Henry out for Barca's trip to Lyon

Thierry Henry will sit out Barcelona's Matchday 5 trip to Olympique Lyonnais after he and Oleguer Presas were left out of the travelling squad.

Henry played a major role for Barca on Saturday evening, assisting Bojan Krkic for the second goal in a 3-0 victory against RC Recreativo de Huelva.

Yet he and Oleguer, who replaced Gianluca Zambrotta in the 65th minute at Camp Nou, both missed this morning's training session and will not make the trip to France as Barcelona look to secure progress to the UEFA Champions League first knockout round.

Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard will be able to call on Ronaldinho, who was rested against Recreativo.

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Jose Mourinho to manage Portugal in Euro2008?

Jose Mourinho looks likely to be the next manager of the Portuguese national side if the weight of punters money is to be believed.

The job of the Portuguese manager is obviously one that might appeal to the ego of Mourinho - and returning as a "national hero" of sorts will surely appeal to the self titled SPECIAL ONE.

Also remember that with Big Phil Scolari getting into trouble recently - trying to punch a Serbian player after a 1-1 draw in qualifying - that the Portuguese FA may well be looking for a popular way to cut the ties.

The Portugal national side is the outstanding favourite at 1.50 (after starting at 14.00 at some bookmakers) and the next two contenders are Tottenham and AC Milan at 6.00 and 6.50 repectively.

While AC Milan would be a good fit for Mourinho they seem to be in a good solid position and not looking for a change so I can't see that happening - while the Tottenham link is surely just a reaction to the instability of Martin Jol's job - as I also cannot imagine Mourinho being happy to settle for 5th best !!

One club job that might be worth a tickle could be the Barcelona role where boss Frank Rikkard is under pressure again after a slow start by Barcelona in this seasons La Liga - and Barca may simnply think that it's time for a change.

But as mentioned the overwhelming favourite is manager of Portugal - and the challenge of the task of finally leading Portugal to international success must surely appeal to Mourinho.

JOSE MOURINHO NEXT JOB ODDS -- BET AT BET365
1.50 Portugal
6.00 Tottenham
6.50 Milan
11.00 Valencia
15.00 Porto
15.00 Real Madrid
21.00 Barcelona
21.00 England
21.00 Juventus
41.00 Man Utd

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Arsenal through to Group stages - 20/1 to win

Arsenal are 20/1 to win the Champions League with Ladbrokes after they easily progressed to the group stage by easing past Sparta Prague 3-0 on Wednesday night to secure a 5-0 aggregate triumph.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg teenager Theo Walcott brilliantly set up Czech star Tomas Rosicky's early strike while late goals from Cesc Fabregas and Eduardo Da Silva completed the win.

Meanwhile Celtic also advanced to the lucrative group stages - for which the draw is on Thursday - having overcome Spartak Moscow on a penalty shoot-out following a pulsating clash at Parkhead. The Bhoys are now 101.00 with Ladbrokes.

The Hoops took a 2-1 aggregate lead when Scott McDonald stabbed home but just before the break Pavluchenko levelled the matters, ultimately forcing the game into extra-time and then penalties. But Artur Boruc was the hero, saving two spot kicks to send Gordon Strachan's men through.

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On Tuesday night Liverpool thrashed Toulouse 4-0 to progress through their qualifying tie 5-0 on aggregate and they're now available at 13.00 with Bet365 ahead of Thursday's draw to go one better than last year and lift the trophy.

Rangers edged past Crvena Zvezda 1-0 on aggregate following a tense goalless draw at the Marakana Stadium and they can be backed at a general price of 100/1 with most bookies but 126.00 with Bet365

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Of course the leading candidates all automatically qualified for the group stages Manchester United and Chelsea were automatically in the hat for the group stages with Barcelona the favourites.

TOP SIX SIDES :
Barcelona are 6.00 at PaddyPower
Chelsea are 7.50 at Bet365
Manchester United are 7.50 at Bet365
AC Milan are 11.00 at Bet365
Inter Milan are 11.00 at Paddy Power
Real Madrid are 11.00 at Bet365

OF course you can always get the latest live prices for the UEFA Champions League at our partner site at Bookielabrat.com

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Theirry Henry moves on - so should we.

It's been 48 hours now - and I probably should comment on the departure of Thierry Henry from Arsenal to Barcelona.

There have been all sorts of reactions on the net - but with the benefit of a wee break before posting perhaps I'll be able to get it into perspective.

Thierry Henry is/was Arsenal's greatest ever scorer, he was probably the most exciting player that I've ever seen in the famous red and white shirt, and in the last 8 years he has been a great servant for the club.

Over the last year he has struggled with fitness with a raft of injuries affecting his 6 ft 2 in frame, and he will turn 30 on the 17th August this year.

I think that it would be fair to say that we probably saw the best of Henry at Highbury, and that in his last year while at the Emirates he looked increasing frustrated resulting in increasingly whiny press releases about what the club must do to keep him happy.

I suspect that Henry left because he knows that he has just 1-2 years left at the top and that he'd like to win something big (league title / champions league) immediately - and does not think that Arsenal can challenge in England without the funds that Man United, Chelsea and even Liverpool now have at their disposal.

He is probably right. Arsenal continue to be a work in progress - and do not have the balance and mix of experienced and young players needed to win major trophies. Hopefully this departure will galvanise Mr Wenger and the boardroom into realising what is needed to compete at the very top.

I think that Gooners everywhere should pause and reflect on the pleasure that Henry's appearances for Arsenal have given us - and also realise that in 1-2 years time it may have been Arsenal that were selling off Henry as being past his use-by date.

We've seen it with nearly all of our former heroes with Patrick Vieria, Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars, Robert Pires, Anders Limpar and even Nigel Winterburn all being sold once they couldn't reach the required standard - football is a business too - and is very mercenary.

There are exceptions with Dennis Bergkamp coming to mind, and of course there was "Mr Arsenal" Tony "Donkey" Adams but these one-club men come once a decade and it's a measure of the man as much as it is a measure of the actual playing skill. These men are exceptions - not the norm.

So it's a parting of the ways for Arsenal and Henry - but we should not forget everything that Henry achieved in Red and White - and personally I wish Mr Thierry Daniel Henry well for his future club - except when he plays against Arsenal.

Adieu Roi Henry

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Real Madrid big favourites to win Spanish League Title

Real Madrid are now a best 1/9 at bet365 to win La Liga after Saturday's dramatic penultimate round of matches.

Trailing twice and with title rivals Barcelona winning against Espanyol, Real's title hopes looked to have been ended for yet another season.

But ex-Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy's goal forced a 2-2 draw and a last-gasp equaliser for Espanyol at the Nou Camp ensured Real Madrid go into the final round of games next Sunday top of the table.

Madrid are level on points with Barca but in front on head-to-heads, so a home win against 12th-placed Real Mallorca will guarantee a title for the first time in four years at Real Madrid.

Barcelona are now considered almost out of the running and are priced at a huge 6/1 (7.00) at Paddy Power. Barcelona are away to bottom club Gimnastic in their final fixture.

Seville's title hopes remain alive but only just after their 0-0 draw goalless draw with Real Mallorca. They go into the final weekend two points off the pace and it's 50/1 that the other two slip up and they sneak through by scoring a home win over Villarreal.

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UEFA Champions League - Last 16 Found

The draw for the UEFA Champions League first knockout round will take place on Friday 15 December at 12.00CET after Manchester United, Arsenal, Porto and newcomers Lille sealed the final four spots in the last 16 on Wednesday night.

Group winners were :
Chelsea (ENG), Bayern Munchen (GER), Liverpool (ENG), Valencia (ESP), Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), Manchester Utd (ENG), Arsenal (ENG), AC Milan (ITA)

Runners-up :
Barcelona (ESP), Internazionale Milano (ITA), PSV Eindhoven (NED), AS Roma (ITA), Real Madrid CF (ESP), Celtic FC (SCO), FC Porto (POR), LOSC Lille Metropole (FRA)

Draw conditions :
* Clubs from the same association must not be drawn against each other.
* The winners and runners-up of the same group must not be drawn against each other.
* Group winners must not be drawn against each other.
* Group runners-up must not be drawn against each other.
* All group runners-up will play their first-leg matches at home.

The next set of games will be a two-legged knockout round of 16 - to be played 20/21 February and 6/7 March

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Champions League Outright Markets

Barcelona eased through to the knockout stages of the Champions League after a regulation 2-0 win over Werder Bremen at the Nou Camp, and are now 3/1 favourites with bet365 to retain their title.

Ronaldinho opened the scoring with a 13th minute free-kick, and Eidur Gudjohnsen doubled Barca's lead five minutes later to send Bremen into the UEFA Cup.

Barcelona dislodged Chelsea from the head of the betting despite the English champions topping Group A following an equally comfortable 2-0 win over Levski Sofia.

Andriy Shevchenko scored the first for the Blues on 27 minutes, before subsititute Shaun Wright-Phillips sealed the win late on.

Chelsea are now 7/2 shots with bet365 to triumph in the Champions League final.

Paddy Power can't choose between the two market leaders and offer them both at 7/2, while Skybet have Chelsea as 3/1 favourites with Barcelona next best at 4s.

There were no shocks with most teams already through to the knockout stages, and Roma progressed from Group D with Valencia who they beat 1-0. Roma remain 25/1 outsiders with most firms.

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