When you choose your betting predictions – you must be reasonable. Now, I am going to show you how I am analysing the leagues and what are my arguments. But first, choose your preferred bookie at onlinesportsbettingsites.co.uk.

First of all, don’t rush into making your predictions before the start of the season (That was my first mistake.)! You can wait until the very last few rounds of the competitions. Meanwhile, you must take a closer look at the leagues you are going to bet on. I think the middle of March is the right time to place your long-term bets. Firstly, you will have to wait for only 2 months and last, but not least there will be no further transfers and you will know what the teams’ strengths are!

When you are picking your predictions be aware of the form of the teams, injured players, the tactics they are using. Another important thing is the programme of the teams! You should also have in mind whether a team is still participating in the different cups. I don’t recommend placing a bet on a cup winner (nobody knows who will win The FA Cup, for example)!

So, let’s get started with the predictions. You can visit your favourite site for stats and see The Premier League.

English Premier League:

Liverpool – Top 4 (Top 6) – 6.50 (1.57)

Why I chose Liverpool to be in Top 4? Well, the team needed time to get on with Jurgen Klopp’s style, and now this time is up. All the Liverpool players are fit and in very good form. They have collected 44 points and have played one match less than 4th-placed Man City (51 points). The Merseysiders will have to play 4 very difficult games until the end of the season (vs. Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Chelsea), but I think they can handle with the situation. If you are scared of the high odd, you can also try Liverpool in Top 6 (1.57), which is like a gift for you!

Chelsea – Top 6 – 6.00

The worst season for Chelsea in the era of Roman Abramovich. But, you can easily see that The Blues have improved a lot since the appointing of Guus Hiddink. The Dutch manager have still not tasted the favour of the defeat in The Premier League! In addition, Chelsea are just 7 points down from 6th-placed Manchester United and 9 down from West Ham United. Furthermore, Chelsea are to host The Hammers on Saturday and if they win, the odds will drop dramatically!

Norwich – To Be Relegated – 1.36

The Canaries started well, but now they are on a run of 11 games without a victory. Moreover, they lost 9 of these 11 matches. They are already in the relegation zone and will hardly see themselves out of there!

Newcastle United – NOT to be relegated – 2.25

What’s the crucial thing here? Of course – Rafael Benitez. It took a lot of time McClaren to be sacked, but it finally happened. So, now Magpies’ chances are much more than a week ago! And even though they lost their last match, they played really well against Leicester City at The King Power Stadium in the last round. Moreover, Newcastle United were the team, which spent the biggest amount of money during the transfer window!

English Championship:

Cardiff City – Top 6 – 4.50 (risky)

When we take a look at the standings in The Championship, we can see easy to predict things, such as Burnley to be promoted and Bolton Wanderers to be relegated. But the real master class of predicting is to find out who will reach the 6th position! In my opinion, Cardiff City have really good chances of achieving that and the odds are pretty high (4.50). The Bluebirds have collected 58 points and are lying in the 7th position, just 1 point below the 6th-placed Sheffield Wednesday and 3 down from Derby County! Cardiff City won 1-0 their last match against Ipswich Town (one of their main competitors) and are going to host Derby County two weeks later. They will also play against Sheffield Wednesday at a later stage. So, I feel they are really underestimated.

English League 1:

Gillingham – Top 6 – 1.25

With 10 matches to go, Gillingham are lying in the 4th position of the standings in The League 1. The Gills have collected 62 points and are 7 above the 7th in the table – Coventry City. Moreover, The Gills are to host Coventry after two weeks, so this match can decide everything, but even if they lose it – it’s not fatal! That’s why I love ante-post betting – it gives you many many chances!

Bradford City – Top 6 – 1.80

Bradford City are 3 points in front of Coventry City. The Bantams beat 2-0 the strongest team in The League One – Burton Albion. In addition, Bradford have so-called ‘easy’ programme.

English League 2:

Plymouth Argyle – To Be Promoted – 1.72

As you know, there are 4 teams, which will promote at the end of the season. The first 3 will promote directly, while from 4th to 7th-placed teams will take part in the playoffs. Plymouth Argyle are lying in the 3rd place, 3 points in front of 4th-placed Bristol Rovers. The Green Army have the best defence in the league (32 goals conceded in 36 games). In addition, they have won 19 matches this season! So, even if they fall down to 4th position I think they will be the best among the teams to take part in the playoffs!

Leyton Orient – Top 7 – 1.61

What a turnover for Leyton Orient after Kevin Nolan’s arrival at the club! It’s been 10 matches, but everyone can feel the positive change. The ex-West Ham’s midfielder won 6, finished with a draw once and lost only 3 games since he’s at the club. Moreover, Orient recorded an incredible 1-0 away victory over Oxford (2nd place) in the last round of the competition.

English National League:

Forest Green Rovers – To Be Promoted – 2.10

Rovers are lying in the second place in The National League and are the team with the highest number of victories this season (25 of 38 matches). They are just 2 points behind the leaders – Cheltenham Town. And even if Forest Green don’t win the 1st place, I think they will have no problems in the playoffs!

Italy:

Juventus – Seria A Winners – 1.44

Juventus proved they are the most quality team in The Italian Seria A. Moreover, The Old Lady were knocked out of The Champions League and now they will be concentrated only on their performance in the league. Furthermore, they are lying in the 1st place, 3 points in front of Napoli. Gianluigi Buffon is 4 minutes away from a record in The Seria A (the biggest number of minutes without conceding a goal). The Italian goalkeeper has kept a clean sheet in the last 10 Juventus’ Searia A matches!

Roma – Top 3 – 1.30

Quite predictable! But, if you need to multiply an odd of 1.30 to your accumulator bet, you can be sure Roma won’t let you down! The Wolves are lying in the third place 9 matches before the end of the season. They are 5 points in front of Fiorentina and Inter Milano, so they can afford a defeat. Roma are to host Internazionale in the next round and if they win the game their task will become quite easier. The Wolves are on a run of 8 consecutive victories in The Seria A and they look strong enough to become even the runners-up this season.

Carpi – To Be Relegated – 1.40

Even though The White-and-Reds haven’t recorded a defeat for a month, their position in the standings is quite unpleasant. They are lying in the 19th position and will hardly outrun Palermo. Carpi will have very difficult last three games of the season (against Juventus, Lazio and Udinese) and this will be crucial for The White-and-Reds.

Germany:

Hertha Berlin – Top 4 – 1.61

Hertha Berlin have shown really good performance against Schalke 04 in the last round of The Bundesliga. The Blue-Whites smashed their main opponents in the battle for The Top 4 and they now will hardly be displaced of their position. Hertha rely on their home games. They have won 8 of their 13 matches at home this season and have lost only once at The Olympic Stadium.

France:

Monaco – Top 3 – 1.20

Obviously, Monaco is the second best team in France. The Reds and Whites are lying in the second position and they are almost sure about their place in The Champions League for the next season. The worst scenario for Monaco could be the third position!

Lyon – Top 3 – 1.66

Olympique Lyonnais is the only team to beat Paris Saint-Germain in The French Ligue 1. Lyon had a bad start in the league, but they have recently improved a lot! The Kids won 5 of their last 7 matches in The Ligue 1, scoring 19 goals! In addition, their programme is not that bad. In my opinion, their main competitors Nice, Rennes and Nantes won’t handle the pressure until the end of the season.

Spain:

Sevilla – Top 4 – 3.50 (risky)

Too good at home, but the poorest when playing away. Sevilla have won 13 of their 15 home matches in Primera Division this season. They even beat Real Madrid and Barcelona at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but Sevilla still haven’t won a single away match this season! Then, why to choose them? The difference between them and 4th-placed Villareal is only 5 points. That’s because of the Head to Head match, which was won by Sevilla (4-2). I think Sevilla have enough quality players and they are to improve their away performance. So, you can take the risk and bet on Sevilla in The Top 4!

Getafe – To Be Relegated – 2.25

Getafe are the team with the hardest programme in Primera Division. El Geta are already in the relegation zone and will have to play against Villareal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Valencia and Deportivo until the end of the season. Furthermore, they are in very poor form. Getafe have lost 8 of their last 9 league matches. So, it sounds very reasonable to bet on Getafe to be relegated at the end of the season.

Portugal:

Benfica – Champions – 1.57

After so many rounds Sporting being at the top of the league, Benfica beat The Lions and are now lying in the first place in the league. The Eagles look quality enough to win the title again. They have won 21 of 26 matches, having scored 70 goals (league’s best)! Moreover, their most difficult game is against Sporting Braga.

Holland:

PSV Eindhoven – Champions – 1.53

Just 1 point is separating PSV Eindhoven and Ajax Amsterdam at the top of The Eredivisie. But, PSV have more quality players in their squad and if they don’t lose against Ajax in the next round, they will probably become champions!

Denmark:

Midtjylland – Top 3 – 1.50

The champions, Mydtjylland, are lying in the third position in the standings of The Danish Superliga and they are able to fight even for the title (10 points down from Kobenhavn). No surprises are expected here, so you can easily trust The Wolves, who managed to record a victory against Manchester United this season (2-1).

Russia:

CSKA Moscow – Champions – 1.50

CSKA Moscow are the favourites for winning the title in Russia. The Militarians have collected 40 points so far and they seem to have a very strong team. Rostov, Lokomotiv Moscow, Krasnodar and Zenit just don’t look they are ready to become champions. There are 10 games until the end of the season, so hurry up and bet on CSKA Moscow – you won’t feel sorry.

Turkey:

Fenerbahce – Champions – 1.80

They are just one point behind the leaders Besiktas. All their best players are fit. Fenerbahce’s bench is long enough. The manager Vitor Pereira can rely on superstars like Robin van Persie, Nani, Fernandao, Raul Meireles and so on. Moreover, Fenerbahce won the direct match against Besiktas. The Yellow Canaries are now out of The Europa League and they will be concentrated only on their performance in the league.

European tournaments knockout stage:

PSG vs. Manchester City – PSG to eliminate The Citizens – 1.57

Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid – Barcelona to eliminate Atletico – 1.40

Sporting Braga vs. Shakhtar – Shakhtar to eliminate Braga – 1.57

Villareal vs. Sparta Prague – Villareal to go through – 1.50

Athletic Bilbao vs. Sevilla – Sevilla to qualify – 1.61

Borussia Dortmund vs. Liverpool – Dortmund to reach the semi-finals – 1.44

At both ends, you can easily place good accumulator bets, using the piece of advice I gave you. Of course, you are free not to share my opinion, but the thing I am sure you have agreed with me is that it’s worth placing long-term bets. Also, if you are a problem gambler you can try making your predictions for the ante-post events and don’t place any bets on week-to-week matches. I hope I was useful to you!

Johan Cruyff passed away on 24th March 2016 at the age of 68, after suffering from lung cancer. But he will always be remembered with his great abilities on the pitch and his good heart!

The Dutch legend was born on 25th April 1947 in Amsterdam. He spent all his free time playing football with the other kids, when he was a little boy. His father died when he was 12 and then he had to realize that such things happen in life…

At the age of 17 he was selected for the first time in the Ajax Amsterdam’s first team. He scored 4 goals in 9 appearances in his first season for the club (1964/65). Then he became an integral part of Ajax’s staring eleven. He won The Eredivisie on 6 occasions until 1973. But the most impressive achievement for Cruyff and his teammates was winning The European Cup 3 times in a row! Such record seems really difficult to be achieved at the moment.

The legendary Dutchman then played for Barcelona and was the key for Barca to lift the La Liga trophy in 1974. The most memorable moment for Cruyff in Barcelona was the 5-0 victory over Real Madrid at The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in 1974.

The Dutch national team, of which was Johan Cruyff a part, became famous for the ‘Total Football’ they played. The explanation is – any outfield can take the position of his teammate. You can see defenders attacking and midfielders coming at their places and so on.

However, Holland were unable to beat the host nation – West Germany in the final of 1974 FIFA World Cup. And that was the last World Cup for Johan Cruyff.

After 5 seasons at Barcelona, Johan Cruyff moved to the USA, where he played for the Aztecas and the Diplomats. He stayed in the United States only 2 years and then he felt it’s time to go back in Europe.

Cruyff was close to sign for Leicester City in 1981, but instead of this he moved to the Segunda Division side – Levante, but because of injuries and other problems Cruyff scored only 2 goals in 10 appearances for Levante.

Then Johan Cruyff returned to his favourite Ajax Amsterdam, where he won The Eredivisie two more times. In the last year of his professional career, Cruyff was signed by Feyenoord and it’s interesting that he managed to score a goal against Ajax in his last season. The legendary Dutchman won The Eredivisie and The Dutch Cup again and that was the end of his glorious career.

As a manager of Barcelona, he won La Liga on 4 occasions and The European Cup.

Johan Cruyff was one of the best football players ever and he had maybe the best understanding about the game! And he proved this, achieving such great things in football!

Both the Saints and Redmen were in good league positions ahead of this game on Sunday, so it was unlikely that they were going to make many changes. For the Saints, only the one with Jose Fonte back from suspension and coming in for Matt Targett.

The Southampton manager, Ronald Koeman were adamant that his team take home the victory. As he said prior to the game “It’s a tough one, a huge game to play and also an important one”. “We knew our situation before the Stoke City game. It was a must-win game and I think the same is for this weekend, because we know the position in the table, we know the points and if we’re still fighting for Europe I think we have to win.”.

Meanwhile, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said in his press conference, “Hopefully we have a good squad, a good line-up for Southampton because it was intensive against Manchester United, so we’ll figure out who will be available, who is in the best shape and who can play the Southampton game.”

Which is why it was slightly unfortunate that the Redmen had to make three necessary changes with Jon Flanagan coming in for the suspended James Milner and Joe Allen for the not 100% fit Jordan Henderson. The other necessary change was Divock Origi, who came in for the injured Roberto Firmino.

During the first half, Liverpool were straight out of the blocks, like a Greyhound chasing a rabbit at the races, with both Phillipe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge scoring within a five-minute period. Coutinho turned on his magic once again when he scored a long range effort from outside the penalty box to put the Redmen 1-0 up in the 17th minute. Then a few minutes later, Sturridge, ever the player for the big games and this were surely one of them, doubled the Redmen’s lead in the 22nd minute. He managed to curl one past two Southampton players and Fraser Forster, the Saints goalkeeper, to put them 2-0 up before the break.

But 2-0 really is the most dangerous lead to have as it didn’t take Southampton long before they were back in the game. With the introduction of Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mané after the start of the 2nd half, the game was completely turned on its head when Mané managed to pull one back in the 64th minute. Two further goals from the Saints came in the 83rd and 86th minutes when Graziano Pelle and Mané both scored.

This were the 2nd time since the start of this year, that the Redmen have been 2-0 up against Premier League opposition at half time and then thrown it away in the 2nd half to draw or lose the game. Which is why their hopes of a top-four Champions League spot have been dented with this dramatic victory by the Saints at St Mary’s.

Southampton remain 7th, 4 points off the top 4 with Liverpool 2 places lower and 7 points off the top 4.

Well what a difference a week makes and what a performance that were from The Red Devils last Thursday night but it was all to no avail as The Redmen struck just before the halftime whistle to make it 1-1. With this being only the 2nd European meeting between these two historic rivals, in the space of 7 days, it didn’t disappoint.

As expected, both teams made starting line-up changes to the previous Thursdays encounter at Anfield. For the Red Devil’s, Michael Carrick and Jesse Lingard were exchanged for Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay. These changes were made due to Carrick only just returning from injury and Lingard being suspended for the previous leg at Anfield. They were also made to add some experience and pace to the Man Utd midfield. As Louis van Gaal put it before the game “It’s a big challenge and we have to believe in it and it starts with the players but it also starts with the fans, they also have to believe.”.

For The Redmen, there were only one change made which were to bring in James Milner, for Alberto Moreno who pulled up complaining of hamstring pain during Wednesday night’s training session at Old Trafford. Other than this necessary change, the team were just the same. Jürgen Klopp were looking to see the same amount of dedication and effort from all his players as before. He said before the game “We knew that we had to come here to play, so we can ignore the first result. It’s not important for us today. We are here to win the game again. That’s what we shall try. That’s all we have thought about. We are looking forward to it, we are excited, everything is good! We are not a low-rhythm team.” He’s were then asked by BT Sport’s Des Kelly if scoring first would burst United’s bubble. He said “Yes, but that’s always what you should try, isn’t it?” Sounds like common sense all day long, wouldn’t you say?

Liverpool went into the game in a commanding position with a 2-0 lead from the first leg but an Anthony Martial penalty in the first half brought Manchester United right back into the tie with a bang. With this goal and preceding under-performance at Anfield, United could not be accused of failing to understand the importance of the fixture this time around. Which is why you would have expected them go on and score another before the break. They did try to when Marcos Rojo attempted to convert a close-range effort that would have made it 2-2 on aggregate but he fluffed his lines and after that it didn’t seem to be their night anymore.

Moments before the break, Philippe Coutinho produced a moment of brilliance when he decided to create an individual goal from nowhere and give his team an all-important away goal. David De Gea had shown beforehand that it was going to take something special to beat him and, despite the difficult angle, Coutinho duly provided it with an audacious and beautifully weighted up-and-under finish. This moment of brilliance meant United needed three more to progress.

Into the second half and a few more attempts but no goals by both sides didn’t manage to change anything. The score stayed level at one a piece until the end, which is why it weren’t surprising to see large numbers of fans not being able to grin and bear it. This were very disappointing that they decided to up and leave which is why it might be some time before those early-leavers have shaken this latest disappointment from their system.

There are still 8 top-class teams left in The Champions League season 2015/2016 but, of course, there will be the only 1 champion. In the next few rows we will take a closer look to the key advantages, which can lead a team to the most prestigious title at club level.

1. The most important thing is the team spirit! A team should perform like a single unit. Every single player should know how to cooperate with his teammates, in order to win matches. That’s why there are lots of examples of smaller teams, beating European ‘giants’.

2. Of course, you must have quality players in your squad! You must have players, who are able to decide the final score of a game. For example, Lionel Messi have won The Champions League on 4 occasions with 3 different managers.

3. The third important detail is being concentrated only on your performance in The Champions League! For example, if you must fight for the title in your country until the very last round of the competition, this will surely affect negatively your performance in The Champions League. Especially if you fight for even more trophies…

When we take a look at the 8 teams, which are still in the competition, we should stand out not only Barcelona, but also Paris Saint-Germain. The Parisians are absolutely capable of winning The Champions League! They are meeting all the criteria. They have already won The French Ligue 1! In addition, Laurent Blac could rely on players like Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Matuidi, Lucas Moura and so on. Moreover, the team has shown an incredible performance in defence, conceding only 15 goals in 30 matches in the French league and only 3 goals in 8 games in The Champions League! So, I am looking for, but I can’t find any weaknesses in Paris Saint-Germain!

Real Madrid don’t have the needed balance in their squad. They depend too much on Cristiano Ronaldo, who is not showing his best this season. And despite the arguments about PSG, Barcelona and Bayern Munich remain the favourites for winning The Champions League. But when you take a closer look at Barcelona you can see that they rely only on their clinical trio in attack, while Bayern Munich have serious problems when their opponents don’t play on counterattacks.

Teams like Manchester City, Wolfsburg and Benfica don’t look strong enough for such a big success. Even though Atletico Madrid have shown consistency in their performance, the Spaniards were very lucky to progress after a victory on penalties against PSV Eindhoven. The Citizens have a too short bench, while Wolfsburg are weak in defence. The best team among the underdogs seems to be Benfica.

Of course, we will have to wait for the draw at first stage, because the underdogs can meet each other and eventually one of them can possibly reach the final.

Well as a proud Kopite myself, I think I’m more than qualified to tell you about them and me.

Liverpool FC are one of the most supported clubs around the world and the term “Kopites” is the name given to the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. Some say that it refers only to the fans who once stood, and now sit, on the Kop at Anfield but I tend to disagree with this definition slightly. I say it refers to all those fans and more, from all around the world, no matter whether they live in Liverpool, Halifax, New York or New South Wales. If you can show a true love for the club and the team, then you can say you’re a Kopite. It’s not only that, it’s also down how you see your relationship with club, its team and your fellow Kopites.

Do you live, breathe and love Liverpool FC?

A Kopite does all this and more! He or she has known disappointment by experiencing the bad times but not loved the club one degree less. A Kopite will spend up to 30 minutes a day, sometimes more, thinking about their club. They will be able to explain to the satisfaction of other fans why they support the club they do and finally they’ll be able to name the entire first team squad and be able to discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of their team.

Of course, it is true that the likes of some of the world’s top clubs get a huge boost in their supporters ranks after some of the success they’ve enjoyed.

Myself, I’ve watched the Redmen of Liverpool FC since I was around 10 years old, after returning home to England from living in South Africa for 5-6 years. One of my fondest memories is of my Uncle, a true Kopite to say the least, he was over the moon when the Redmen beat Sunderland 2-0 in the 1992 FA Cup Final. My Grandma, as she were from Sunderland, weren’t best pleased at the result but she forgave us in the end.

This bug continued to grow the more live games I watched with my Uncle, his enthusiasm for this team in red, whom I had no idea played only 62miles down the M62 Motorway from where we lived in Halifax, were infectious. From then on, I requested Liverpool football shirts and scarfs for birthdays etc. and I haven’t looked back since. I’d say 30 years of support makes me a Kopite although it has been more than difficult on and off since we won that FA Cup Final in ‘92.

Just because I didn’t and still don’t live in Liverpool doesn’t make me any less of a Kopite. I still have to explain myself to this day why I support them and not another team. I may only go to a few games a season, Anfield makes the hair on my neck stand up! But I still watch every game I possible can, either on TV or the internet. I Eat, Sleep and Breath Liverpool. I will always be a true Kopite.

Paris Saint-Germain are simply unstoppable! The French side has recorded just 2 defeats during the season so far! In addition, Laurent Blanc’s players have won 38 of 46 matches in all tournaments! Of course, PSG are lying in the first place in The French Ligue 1, having won 74 points – 23 more than the second-placed Monaco!

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has found the net on 23 occasions in 23 league matches, which is a great record for the 34 years old Swedish forward. The attacker was the key player for The Parisians against Chelsea in the Champions League 1/8-finals. But, Ibrahimovic is not the only superstar in PSG’s squad. Javier Pastore, Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria, Blaise Matuidi and the youngster Adrien Rabiot have also shown classy performance.

Moreover, Paris Saint-Germain are not afraid of playing against quality teams. They enjoy outplaying a very strong team. The Parisians are not just winning their games – they are totally smashing their opponents! For example, Laurent Blanc’s players outplayed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their last match. The Parisians had the possession in 60% of the time. And despite Chelsea created more goal-scoring chances, PSG were very clinical in attack and took advantage of the two positioning mistakes, made by Chelsea’s fullbacks.

On the other hand, The Parisians can now concentrate only on their performance in The Champions League, because they have an amazing advantage in The French Ligue 1. In comparison, there is no other team in Europe with such a record this season. Even Bayern Munich are leading by just 5 points! That’s why Paris Saint-Germain are now among the favourites for winning the most prestigious European tournament.

To continue, The Parisians have never won The Champions League. Their best record in the most prestigious European tournament is reaching the semi-finals in 1995. PSG have reached the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season and now we can see a real improvement in their performance. All the players of PSG seem to be more mature and exactly that makes them one of the favourites.

Laurent Blanc can enjoy watching lots of passes when The Parisians are attacking. In that aspect, they can get close to the Barcelona’s playing style. But this is not a copy of their style. When the team is leading, the players look calm and it seems that they know what they need to do to keep their advantage. PSG’s players can take advantage of every single error in the opposition’s defence. For example, Kenedy wasn’t in the right position when Chelsea conceded the first goal and that was enough for Ibrahimovic to get the ball in the empty area and pass it to Rabiot, who took advantage of his pace.

In conclusion, Paris Saint-Germain are playing like a real champion! They have the needed confidence and class. They know what to do on the pitch in every single moment of their matches! They have too many superstar players. I think The Parisians winning The Champions League would be a logical end of the season!

The Redmen took full control and played at full throttle throughout their Europa League last-16 performance against The Red Devils last Thursday night, when they produced a self-assured 2-0 first-leg victory at Anfield.

Ahead of kick-off, both teams made changes to their previous games starting line-ups. For The Redmen, the most notable changes being the resurgent Sturridge and the Magician, Philippe Coutinho. They both returned, along with Nathaniel Clyne, to inject some fresh energy and effort at looking to end United’s run of four straight wins over them.

For the Red Devil’s, Varela, Schneiderlin, Fellaini and Depay were brought in for Darmian, Carrick, Herrera and the suspended Lingard. These four changes were an attempt at increasing that four straight wins to five because as Louis van Gaal put it “When I beat teams like Liverpool, then the appreciation of the fans is higher and bigger.”.

Initially, van Gaal seemed to have got it right when young Marcus Rashford kneed Depay’s cross wide in the opening seconds. This came about due to an Alberto Moreno error when he underestimated the flight of the ball.

After that early scare, Liverpool reacted well by playing their natural passing and pressing game. They did this by getting themselves into numerous attacking positions, this made the thousands of Kopites, within Anfield, rise to their feet and produce an awe inspiring interpretation of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. This managed to spur the team to attack even more, something that hasn’t been seen at Anfield for some time.

After this positive reaction from the Redmen, the Devils looked as though they might find a way back into the game until a contentious 20th-minute foul by Memphis Depay on Nathaniel Clyne were noticed by both referee Carlos Velasco Carballo and his assistant. As expected, Daniel Sturridge converted the penalty, sending the ball into the bottom left-corner despite De Gea nearly saving it.

This may have decided the direction the Redmen were going to play but David De Gea had other ideas. He decided to pull off a number of top class saves over the next twenty minutes, until half-time, when attempts on goal were made namely by Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson.

Roberto Firmino finally doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 2nd half on the 73rd minute, this broke the camel’s back which at the time, handed the Merseysiders the possibility of travelling to the so-called “Theatre of Dreams” with a mouth-watering two-goal lead.

This were an historic 1st European clash of titans’ match for two of Europe’s most-decorated clubs which is why I’d like to point out that this tie is far from over. You may think that by Liverpool being 2-0 up, they have managed to completely extinguish any thoughts United had of winning this last sixteen tie over the two legs and you’d be half right. It has left the Devils needing to score a minimum of three goals at Old Trafford which is not impossible to accomplish but it will need something special from all the United players to carry it out.

Anyway, let’s wait and see if Manchester United can turn it around this Thursday at 8pm GMT.

The Foxes are about to make history, winning The Premier League title for the first time. But, can Leicester City handle the pressure? There are still 9 rounds until the end of the season and The Foxes are lying in the first place, having collected 60 points – 5 more than second-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Claudio Ranieri’s players are showing the needed consistency, but they will surely feel tired in the last few rounds of the competition.

Leicester City have performed really well so far. They won 17 of their 29 league matches and have lost on only 3 occasions. And the most unbelievable thing about their record is the fact that they have almost been relegated in the previous season. In addition to the fact that the Foxes’ players have pulled together, they are showing great discipline and give 100% in every single game until the very last seconds of the matches.

Despite their bench isn’t as ‘long’ as it should be, Claudio Ranieri can be happy his key player avoided injuries all season long. The Italian manager uses a consistent starting eleven, which is helpful for developing the style of the team and if his key players prevent from injuries until the end of the season, The Foxes are capable of becoming the new champions! Furthermore, Leicester City didn’t sell their stars during the winter transfer window, which was again key for their further results.

Another important fact is that everyone is helping in defence. You can see the top goal-scorer Jamie Vardy, who bagged 19 goals in The Premier League, taking the ball from his own box and organizing a fast counter-attack. The Foxes are very clinical in attack. They are very good at finishing their goal-scoring chances. But, they are relying too much on the individual skills of Riyad Mahrez and the fast pace of Jamie Vardy.

However, the programme of The Foxes until the end of the season looks very difficult. They will host Newcastle United, Southampton, West Ham United, Swansea City and Everton, and will have to visit Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Manchester United and Chelsea in the final round. So, Claudio Ranieri’s players will have to take advantage of their games at The King Power Stadium and win as many points as possible.

All the people talk about the amazing performance of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, but the other key players for the success are Robert Huth, Wes Morgan and tireless N’Golo Kante. The German defender Huth scored 3 very important goals for The Foxes, securing 6 points against the main opponents Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. Wes Morgan is one of the best defenders in the league and exactly because of him, Leicester City have conceded only 31 goals so far.

To continue, despite N’Golo Kante is at the age of 24, the Frenchman has been showing great consistency in his performance. All of his moves on the pitch look mature. Kante is a real hard-worker. We can usually see him making a tackle, then giving an accurate pass, which qualities are among the most important things in football.

At both ends, Leicester City must keep going and think only about the upcoming match. If Ranieri starts calculating points, they won’t lift the trophy…

A game between two of the oldest football rivals in the world is going to be played out tonight. Also known as the “The North-West Derby”, this game has been played so many times, I’ve lost count many moons ago. No seriously, this game has been played a 194 times since April 1894 with the Redmen’s greatest victory coming one year later in October 1895. They beat the Red Devils, known back then as “Newton Heath Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway F.C.”, a whopping 7-1 in the old Second Division of the time.

More recently, over the last 2 seasons, the Devils have beaten the Redmen 4 times on the trot, these being 0-1(Away), 3-1(Home), 2-1(Away) & 3-0(Home). But that could all be about to change as the Redmen, with the exception of the League Cup Final against Manchester City, are unbeaten in their last 6 fixtures, these being 1-2(Away v Crystal Palace, Premier League), 3-0(Home v Manchester City, Premier League), 1-1(At Wembley v Manchester City(3-1 to Man City after extra-time & penalties in the League Cup Final), 1-0(Home v Augsburg, Europa League), 0-0(Away v Augsburg, Europa League) and 0-6(Away v Aston Villa, Premier League).

Liverpool’s predicted starting line-up is excepted to consist of Goalkeeper: Simon Mignolet, Defence: Alberto Moreno, Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne. Midfield: Emre Can, Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana. Forward: Daniel Sturridge.

One of Liverpool’s main weaknesses this season has been in defence and it is good news for them that Mamadou Sakho & Dejan Lovren, two of their three main centre backs, are fit and likely to continue their run of games this evening. Since local lad, Jon Flanagan hasn’t been selected to play in the Europa League, it is likely that Nathaniel Clyne will come in for him at Right Back and Alberto Moreno will play at Left Back.

Moving on into Midfield, I predict that Emre Can and Captain Jordan Henderson will start in the centre with Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino on either side of Adam Lallana who will act as the playmaker(the Number 10 role) behind the resurgent Daniel Sturridge.

Manchester United’s predicted starting line-up is excepted to consist of Goalkeeper: David De Gea, Defence: Chris Smalling, Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind. Midfield: Juan Mata, Morgan Schneiderlin, Michael Carrick, Memphis Depay and Ander Herrera. Forward: Anthony Martial.

It is much the same with Manchester, regarding their defence, as they have found it difficult this season to defend counter attacks and aerial duels with both Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind found wanting in their defeat to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Among the back four, only Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo appeared to display any real effort when it came to defending.

With the Red Devil’s midfield, I’m predicting Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick to start in front of the back four as central defensive midfielders. In front of them, I expect Juan Mata, Ander Herrera and Memphis Depay to be a trio which have caused and will continue to cause opposing teams a few problems this season. This is due to Mata’s ability to run straight down the middle with both Herrera and Depay supporting him on his right and his left respectively. Up front, I expect Anthony Martial to start as the team’s main point of attack with Marouane Fellaini starting instead if he is fit as he is more likely to cause more problems for Liverpool in the air from free kicks & corners than Anthony Martial will.

Well, there you have it, a breakdown of tonight’s match between The Redmen vs The Red Devils, one of the oldest football team rivalries in the world.

Newcastle United have really good players in their squad, but The Magpies are lying in the 19th position in The Premier League. One of the reasons for the poor performance is the lack of key players because of injuries. But, The Magpies spent the biggest amount during the transfer window in January and there is still no improvement in the results.
The Magpies have serious problems when playing away from St. James’ Park. They lost 6 consecutive away league matches. In addition, Newcastle United have recorded 29 defeats in their last 40 Premier League games away from St. James’ Park. They have won only 2 of 14 away games this season and that’s the other reason for the bad position of the team.
However, The Magpies are now just 1 point down from the 17th place and they have big chances to avoid relegation, but they will need to change something in their performance, especially in defence! Newcastle have conceded 53 goals in 28 matches. Only Aston Villa, Sunderland and Norwich have conceded more goals.
On the other hand, The Magpies are showing nice football when they are playing at home, but just playing good is not the key to success. The points are the most important thing! That’s why Steve McClaren is close to being sacked. Rafael Benitez, Brendan Rodgers and David Moyes are linked to the club, but there is still no information about hiring someone of them.
Newcastle United have kept a clean sheet on only 5 occasions this season, which again shows that the main Magpies’ weakness is the defence.
Of course, there is still time. There are still 10 games before the end of the season. And Newcastle United have great potential in their squad. The new signings Jonjo Shelvey and Andros Townsend have just adapted to their new team and if they show their best on the pitch, they can help The Magpies avoid relegation. But, their main opponents – Norwich and Sunderland won’t make it easier for Newcastle. That’s why The Magpies must show good concentration in defence and start winning points. Otherwise, they will repeat the scenario from season 2008/2009, when they finished in 18th position and head to The Championship.
Furthermore, Newcastle United will have to play against their main opponents for staying in The Premier League in the next few rounds. The games against Sunderland (home), Norwich City (away), Swansea City (home) and Aston Villa (away) will be crucial for The Magpies’ future. In addition, Newcastle will host Crystal Palace and Tottenham in the last rounds and The Magpies can take advantage of the home ground in their battle for staying in the most competitive league in the world.
However, there are too many questions… Will Steve McClaren stay? Can Newcastle improve their away performance? Can the team avoid relegation? We will find the answers at the end of the season.

Manchester City won 3-1 at the NSC Olimpiyskiy against Dynamo Kiyv in the first leg of the 1/8-finals in The Champions League and are about to make a historical participation in the quarterfinals of the tournament. City’s top goal-scorer Sergio Aguero gave The Citizens the lead after 15 minutes. Then, David Silva doubled from a close distance just 5 minutes before the end of the first half. Despite Buyalskyy scored for the Ukrainian team, Yaya Toure found the net in the 90th minute and secured a comfortable lead for Manchester City before the second leg in England. The Citizens could have even won by more goals, but Toure missed a great opportunity, sending the ball just wide after a great attack in the 82nd minute. So, there will be no pressure for The Citizens before the second leg and they can gain some extra confidence before the crucial battles of the season.

The Citizens were unlucky to meet Barcelona twice in a row at the same stage of the tournament and that’s why they were leaving the Champions League so early in the season. Now, they had to play against one of the ‘easiest’ opponents in the Round of 16 and Manchester City won’t miss their greatest chance to proceed to the quarterfinals for the first time in their history.

Furthermore, The Citizens look more mature and have improved a lot since their participation in The Champions League last season. Despite their temporary bad form in The Premier League, the team still has its chances for winning 3 trophies this season. They are just 6 points behind the leaders Leicester City in The Premier League (12 matches to go), and have already qualified for The Capital One Cup’s final, where they will meet The Merseysiders.

Manchester City’s greatest success in the European tournaments is winning The European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970, beating 2-1 Polish Gornik Zabrze in the final. Since then, The Citizens have reached the semi-finals of the same tournament once (1971). As I mentioned their best performance in The Champions League is reaching the 1/8-finals (Round of 16). This is their 6th participation in the most prestigious European club tournament and it looks like they are going to set a new record in their history.

If Manchester City are lucky to avoid some of the best teams in the next round, they can even go further. They have the needed quality! The questions are: Are they competitive enough to eliminate Barcelona or Real Madrid? Can Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany lead The Citizens to the glory? Can Pellegrini motivate his players? If the answers are “yes”, then they can even win The Champions League!

The legendary striker Miroslav Klose, who became Germany’s top goal-scorer ever is now 37 years old, but is still shows his world class. He is currently playing for Lazio, but is mostly coming on from the bench this season.
However, let’s take a look back in the most successful years of Miroslav Klose’s career. The first big club in the striker’s professional career was Kaiserslautern. The forward made his debut in The Bundesliga in April 2000. Just two years later he made his first real impact, scoring 16 goals for Kaiserslautern and becoming the second best top scorer for season 2001/2002. Meanwhile he was called for the first time in the German national team and made his debut on 24th March 2001 in a friendly game against Albania. He was eventually selected in the squad for The World Cup 2002 in Korea and Japan. Klose became the second best goal-scorer at the World Cup with 5 goals (all of them were with headers).
Two years later, the striker moved to Werder Bremen, where he lifted the DFB-Ligapokal in 2006. During the season 2005/2006 Klose scored 25 goals in 26 matches. But his biggest successes at club level came when he moved to Bayern Munich. Miroslav Klose won the Bundesliga twice, the DFB-Pokal twice, DFB-Ligapokal and DFB-Supercup. The striker was also in the squad when Bayern Munich became the runners-up in the Champions League (2009/2010).
At Lazio, Miroslav Klose won the Coppa Italia in season 2012/2013. He has scored 57 goals in 161 matches for The Eagles, but he is used mostly as a substitute.
Klose’s biggest success in football was in 2014 when he won The FIFA World Cup with Germany. He became the top World Cups’ goal-scorer with 16 goals in 4 consecutive tournaments. His goal against Brazil in the semi-final made him the greatest scorer in World Cups. He is also Germany’s all-time top goal-scorer with 71 goals in 137 appearances. Klose has also won 1 silver and 2 bronze medals from the other 3 World Cup’s he took part in.
The striker will be remembered with his goal-scoring instinct and great positioning. His header shots were crucial for Germany’s biggest recent successes. Klose also became the Man of the Match in World Cup games on 4 occasions. He was World Cup’s top goal-scorer in 2006. Klose was selected twice in the World Cup All-Star Team (2002 and 2006). Now, the forward can help his club team Lazio win The Europa League in maybe his final season as a professional football player.