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Tuesday 22 March 2016
Guardiola May Take Manchester City To Europa League
Pep Guardiola may not lead Manchester City to UEFA Champions League in his first season if the team fails to meet up with the top four and at such does not qualify for the Champions league.
Manchester City who are presently in the fourth position in the league lost at home to their neighbours Manchester United, who trail them with one point, and with eight more matches to go anything can just happen.
However, Pep's contract with City did not state that his contract should be cancelled if they fail to qualify for Champions League, and this means he will stay put with City.
City are giving their all presently in the UEFA Champions league after qualifying for their first ever quarterfinal stage, and with a date with PSG. This could also be a source of distraction for the team in the domestic league as they have lost crucial matches that is capable of denying them qualification for the next edition.
If City continues with this current performance they may end up at Europa league, and that may just be Guardiola's first European title assignment with Manchester City.
Will The Pharaohs Of Egypt Let Eagles Go?
Interim Coach Samson Siasia has taken charge of the team after the resignation of Sunday Oliseh and the team is set to face the Pharaohs of Egypt.
S/N
|
TEAMS
|
MP
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
P
|
1.
|
Egypt
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
2.
|
Nigeria
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
4
|
3.
|
Tanzania
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
4.
|
Chad
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
Nigeria are second on the table with four points after two matches, while Egypt who is on top has six points from two matches.
An outright win is what is expected of the Eagles if anything meaningful is expected of the team. A win in Kaduna will put Super Eagles on seven points and will give them the confidence required to go to North Africa and at worst get a draw.
Losing or getting a draw in Nigeria will dim Super Eagles chance of qualifying and this may deny Nigeria the opportunity to qualify for the next edition.
Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2015 edition of AFCON tournament after the Super Eagles managed to get a 2-2 draw in Uyo under former coach Stephen Keshi.
Interestingly, interim manager Samson Siasia is the only Nigerian Coach who has never been beaten by any African side while in charge of the Super Eagles.
Will Luis Suarez Ever Bite Again?
Luis Suarez is set to return to international duties for country Uruguay, after he was banned from nine international matches and in all football-related matters after biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.
Though the ban earlier affected his unveiling and play for his new club Barcelona, management appealed to the judgment of FIFA at CAS, arguing that the incident occurred while on international duties and not club, hence he was later allowed to play for Barcelona.
Interestingly, Barcelona put a clause in his contract which allows him to pay a fine of $3m to them if for any reason he bites while playing for them.
As the Barcelona star is set to return to international assignment for Uruguay in world cup qualifier against Brazil and Peru, Uruguay Coach Oscar Tabarez does not expect to see a repeat of such biting incident from Suarez.
Speaking at a news conference, Tabarez said the least he expected was that Suarez would avoid another biting incident.
"He must have feelings and one of the targets we have is to try to get him to only think about football. Nothing else, nothing that may bother him," he said.
"We will get rid of anything that may disturb a sense of calm. Of course, that would be always speaking with him. That's the idea we have.
"This is not the right moment, but some serious things have happened, the least we can expect is that they won't happen again.
Thierry Henry Is Ready To Takeover From Wenger As Gunners Manager
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The legend revealed his recent achievement via Twitter and thanked the Football Association of Wales and the Arsenal Academy "for helping me pass".
Henry is one of the few footballers who won all the silverware during his hey days, and will be looking up to repeating same as a manager.
Monday 21 March 2016
Monaco Mauling Of PSG At Home Is Insignificant
Monaco beat PSG 2-0 at home to still maintain second position at the table and move to 55 points after playing 31 matches.
The defeat had no effect on Paris Saint-German who are 22 points ahead of Monaco and have technically won the league despite the loss.
PSG will have to concentrate on their quest to make more positive impact in Europe, as they have reached the quarterfinal stage of the UEFA Champions League.
PSG is billed to meet Manchester City in the quarterfinal and they will be doing everything possible to secure a semifinal ticket.
Benitez Yet To Drag Newcastle Out Of Relegation Zone
Newcastle Manager Rafael Benitez is yet to get Newcastle out of relegation zone after playing two matches.
Newcastle were forced to a 1-1 draw at home in her second match under the tutelage of Benitez by co-relegation compatriot Sunderland, who ensured that the new manager did not get a win.
Benitez first match was a loss to Leicester City, and the second a draw.
Newcastle would have still remained at the relegation zone if they had won Sunderland, but would have moved closer to 'light' rather than where they are.
Taking Newcastle out of relegation zone is the only condition that would keep Benitez in Newcastle by next season and the Spaniard is out to achieve this goal to keep him in the premier league next season.
Chelsea's Failure To Beat West Ham Keeps Them At Stand-Still Position
Chelsea hope of moving further beyond the tenth position was truncated by West Ham as they compelled the blues to a 2-2 draw at Stamford bridge.
Hiddinks men have been at the tenth position in the past few weeks and all efforts made to make them go beyond that position have proved abortive.
Though Chelsea trail Liverpool who are two points ahead of them, Liverpool still have an outstanding and that even makes it possible for the lead to be increased if eventually they win the outstanding match.
If the situation continues this way Chelsea may be faced with a situation where they will concentrate on domestic competitions next season and be absent from European tournaments.
Southampton Move Closer To Europa After Thrash of Liverpool
Southampton beat Liverpool 3-2 to move to seventh position on the table, giving them an opportunity to get close for qualification to Europa tournament.
Koeman's men are seventh on premiership table with 47 points and have so far played 31 matches, and are having seven more matches to go.
Although they are three points ahead of Liverpool after the defeat, Liverpool still have an outstanding match and one more match to play, making them have nine matches to end of season and puts them in a more comfortable zone to qualify for Europa if they win the next two matches.
Leicester City Remain On Top After Defeat Of Crystal Palace
Claudio Ranieri men maintained their comfortable stay on top of the table during the weekend when they traveled to Crystal Palace and snatched an away 0-1 defeat.
Leicester are on top with 66 points and are five points ahead of runners-up Tottenham, who have 61 points and both teams having seven matches to go.
Only Leicester City can give away the league as they just need to win their next six matches to comfortably win the league irrespective of what happens below them between Tottenham and others.
Manchester United Move Close To Top Four After Defeat Of City
Manchester United beat Manchester City 1-0 to move closer to top in the English premier league in a derby match.
United are seated on sixth position on the table with 50 points and now tied on points with West Ham who are fifth on the table.
The defeat of Manchester City also make United move close to City who are fourth on table with 51 points, putting them in a very tight situation.
With eight matches left for both City and United, the top four remains open to both teams and West Ham also who compelled Chelsea to a 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Real Madrid Move Closer To Overtake Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-0 yesterday to move closer to the second position of the Laliga table as they trail Atletico Madrid with one point.
Madrid were four points behind Atletico Madrid, but Atletico loss to Gijon during the weekend gave and opportunity for Real Madrid to come close by one point with eight matches left for both sides.
Barcelona Remain On Top Of Laliga Table Despite Away Draw To Villareal
Barcelona are still on top of the Spanish Laliga table despite away 2-2 draw with Villareal. The Catalans are on top of the table with 76 points and nine points ahead of runners-up Atletico Madrid who lost during the weekend to Sporting Gijon.
With eight matches to end of season, Barcelona will need to win five more matches to guarantee win of the title which has to include the El Classico for them to be on a safe side.
Saturday 19 March 2016
Atletico Madrid Loss To Sporting Gijon May Facilitate Barcelona Win Of Laliga Title
Atletico Madrid lost to Sporting Gijon in match 30 of the Spanish Laliga, giving Barcelona the opportunity to comfortably win the league if they scale through against Villareal tomorrow.
Barcelona are trailed by Atletico Madrid with eight points and a win for Barcelona in tomorrow's encounter will increase their lead on Atletico by eleven points before Barcelona go into her next match with Real Madrid.
Interestingly, Atletico and Barcelona are also expected to clash in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions league in a few weeks time.
IMSU Alumni Trash Students 2-1 In Novelty Match To End Home Coming In Grand Style
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| IMSU ALUMNI TEAM BEFORE THE MATCH |
 |
| IMSU STUDENTS TEAM BEFORE THE TEAM (PHOTOS CHIKODI) |
The match which was one of the events mapped out for the first homecoming of the Alumnites witnessed a good number of Stars based in far-flung remote part of the country.
 |
| Cross section of other stars at the venue |
The match commenced with a kick-off done by the national president of the Alumni Enyioha Chris Anyanwu.
IMSU Alumni did not waste much time in launching attack on the students and their attack paid off when they took the lead within thirty minutes of play by 2-0.
At half time the technical crew of the students team made technical imputes, which was aimed at frustrating the Alumnites, and the students tried getting back on their seniors upon resumption.
The attack managed to get them one goal, but the Alumnites gained more possession of the ball and attempted to increase the lead before the blast of the final whistle came a few minutes after the second goal.
IMSU football team are out to make impact in the forthcoming NUGA Games to be hosted in Makurdi, and the Novelty match is probably one of the warm-up matches arranged to prepare the team ahead of the national event.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCH PREVIEW;
Both teams last met at this stage in 2014 and it went in favour of Atletico after they played a goalless draw in Camp Nou and got a 1-1 draw in Atletico. The away goal rule favoured Atletico who eventually got to the final and lost to Real Madrid.
Barcelona are defending champions and are willing to break the jinx by becoming the first club to win the title back-to-back since its name was changed to Champions League in 1992, they currently have a 38 unbeaten record and will surely wish to extend their win irrespective of who they meet at any level.
Atletico Madrid is yet to win the title but have played in the final on two occasions, in 1974 when they were defeated by Bayern Munich and in 2014 when Real Madrid defeated them. They are a good side when it comes to defence and they will be faced with the challenge of curtailing the damages of Messi, Neymar and Suarez if they must make head way in this edition.
However, Barcelona will have a 60% chance of progressing while Atletico will have 40 % chance of progressing to the semifinal stage.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW: BENFICA VS BAYERN MUNICH
Both teams have tasted the European champions glory, with Bayern having more silverware in respect to that. The last time Benfica played in the semifinal of the Champions League was in 1990, they progressed to the final and lost to Milan by 1-0.
On the other hand, Bayern have been very consistent with the semifinal, with the most recent being the last edition where they lost to eventual winners Barcelona.Benfica is yet to taste the venom of a vibrant attacking side and the match against Bayern will actually determine that.
However, Bayern have a higher chance of moving to the semifinal ahead of Benfica, with Lewandowski, Robben and Muller. They can do some damages. Pep's joker Thiago Alcantara is also a man to reckon with.
Champions League Preview: Wolfsburg Vs Real Madrid
ANALYSIS
Expectations will be high for Wolfsburg after breaking the jinx and getting to the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions league. It will be an honour to be in the semifinal for the first time too, but.... Madrid is hard knot to crack.
Zinedine Zidane will face his first test with a German side in the knockout stage and this is really going to be tough.
Wolfsburg are bent on proving a point in this Champions League, but how this will come to be with at the expense of a Madrid side that are seeking to win their eleventh Champions League still remains a mystery.
PREDICTION
Going by present form and pedigree, Madrid have a 65% chance of progressing to the semifinal stage while Wolfsburg have 35% chances.
Friday 18 March 2016
How Far Can Manchester City Go In The UEFA Champions League?
Manchester City have been drawn with French side Paris Saint-German, in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League and this is really a tight encounter for both sides.
City are the burden bearers of England, being the only English team left in the tournament after United, Chelsea, and Arsenal were shown the way out, no thanks to Wolfsburg, PSG and Barcelona who did the damage.
Manchester City are playing in the quarter-final for the first time and Pellegrini may hope to extend this feat for the club by securing a semi-final place as well.
Unfortunately, PSG who have suffered at this stage of the tournament in the hands of Barcelona on two occasions must have heaved a sigh of relief when the draw was done, hoping to also get a semi-final ticket at the expense of City.
City have 35% chances of edging out PSG at this stage, considering the fact that PSG is the only club in Europe to have won their home league with eight matches left.
However, City who are on the fourth position in their domestic league are still struggling to maintain the top four position, and this could cause some distractions for them in Europe.
PSG played a key role in knocking Chelsea out of the Champions League, and will not hesitate to do same to any English side who stand on their way as they aim to reach the final.
Liverpool Edge Out Manchester United In Europa Encounter
 |
Manchester United's one and only goal in the two-leg encounter came through a penalty, when Martial was brought down in the 31st minutes, he took the penalty himself and put United in the lead.
However, Klopp's men did not give room for the lead to enter half-time before Coutinho went on solo run and scored the equalizer for Liverpool at 45 minutes of play, making the first half to end in a 1-1 draw.
All efforts made by Van Gaal's men in the second half to increase the scores proved abortive, as Klopp's men kept them away from seeing the back of net despite being at home.
Liverpool have been drawn with Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final of the Europa tournament, giving Jurgen Klopp an opportunity to face his former club Dortmund in Europe. This will be his first meeting with his former club since he left.
UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final Fixtures
 | |
| The Die Is Cast!!! |
 |
| WOLFSBURG VS REAL MADRID |
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| BENFICA VS BAYERN MUNICH |
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| ATLETICO MADRID VS BARCELONA |
 |
| MANCHESTER CITY VS PSG |
Thursday 17 March 2016
Determined Dortmund May Trash Tottenham In Second Leg
Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to complete their winning by having a smooth run when they play Tottenham today in England.
Dortmund beat Tottenham 3-0 in the first leg of their encounter at the Europa tournament and are capable of doing same when they meet today.
The German side who are supposed to be in the Champions league found themselves in Europa A after having a poor performance in their home league last season.
Though by virtue of their seated on second position on the Bundesliga table, they have qualified for Champions league, that would not hinder them from aiming to win the Europa title.
Manchester United Set To Beat Liverpool At Old Trafford
Manchester United are set to turn things around when they clash with Liverpool in the second leg of the Europa round of 16 match taking place today.
Liverpool beat United by 2-0 at Anfield and have two goals advantage ahead of the match against United. United will be aiming to get a 2-0 win and probably take the game into extra time with hope of qualifying.
Interestingly, Liverpool lost the final of the Capital One Cup to Manchester City, and will be looking up to scaling through to the quarterfinal of Europa, to keep their hope of winning silverware alive.
Van Gaal who is still under pressure to reach the top four, could also fall back on winning the Europa Cup as a means of qualifying automatically for the UEFA Champions League.
SPORT DIET FOR TODAY
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