Bundesliga 2010 2011 Kaiserlautern Köln MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

bundesliga 2010/11
matchday 18
16th january 2011:

kaiserslautern v. köln

 It’s well known already FC Koln were struck by the H1N1 virus and 5 important players were stuck by it and will be out for at least a week. They are defenders Miso Brecko, Youssef Mohamad, Brecko and Giannoulis, along with midfielder Jajalo, the latest on that list, all of them important and the first 3 even regulars.  They will have to play an improvised defense under these circumstances, with midfielder Pezzoni converted to a defender, Eichner making his debut and Schorch making his second appearance this season. Until Sunday, it wouldn’t be a surprise to have more players added on the unavailable list.

Lautern also will have to deal without two important players: defender Bugera and midfielder Tiffert, but their problems aren’t even close to Koln’s. They were strong at home in autumn while Koln barely managed to win 4 points on the road. I believe The hosts will take full profit of Koln’s situation and their attack is strong enough to penetrate that improvised defense.

Championnat de France 2010 2011 Marseille Bordeaux on MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

week 20

16th january 2011: 

Olympique de Marseille reçoit dimanche à 21h au Stade Vélodrome les Girondins de Bordeaux  en conclusion de la 20e journée de Ligue 1. En difficultés avant la trêve, l’OM et le FCGB espèrent renouer avec le succès ce soir.

Les Marseillais ont connu une fin d’année 2010 laborieuse. En championnat, les hommes de Didier Deschamps n’ont plus gagné depuis 5 matches  (une défaite et 4 nuls). Pour leur premier match officiel en 2011, les Phocéens ne se sont pas rassurés puisqu’ils ont été sortis, dimanche dernier, en 32es de finale de la Coupe de France par Evian-Thonon-Gaillard (3-1), pensionnaire de Ligue 2. Après les neuf rencontres de la 20e journée hier, Marseille se retrouve 7e au classement avec 29 points, à six longueurs de Lille, le leader.

  De toute son histoire, Bordeaux n’a donc pas ramené souvent trois points de la cité phocéenne. D’ailleurs, et à l’image de Marseille, le FCGB n’a pas connu beaucoup le succès ces derniers temps. Les cinq dernières rencontres des Girondins en Ligue 1 se sont soldées par des scores de parité. Si Bordeaux ne gagne pas souvent, Bordeaux ne perd pas non plus. Les protégés de Jean Tigana sont invaincus depuis 9 matches.

Campionato 2010 20111 Lecce Ac Milan on MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

week 20 
16th january 2011: lecce v. ac milan

 With Leonardo seemingly already making an impact as Inter coach, AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri will no doubt remind his charges that, despite having a nice cushion at the summit of the Serie A table, they need to keep their eye on the ball. And that starts with their trip to the Stadio Comunale Via del Mare to face Lecce on Sunday evening.
In all truth, though, the Giallorossi shouldn’t be able to contain AC. Despite their shock victory in Rome against Lazio in their latest fixture, Lecce have struggled this season, commensurate with which they are currently languishing in eighteenth place in the league table. And they were giving a thumping by the Rossoneri when they locked horns in both sides’ opening match of the current campaign at the San Siro, losing 4-0.

Milan are far from impregnable, as Udinese demonstrated when leaving the Giuseppe Meazza with a point last weekend, a thrilling game which ended 4-4. However, Allegri’s men have generally looked strong this season – the strongest they have looked for a while – and Alexandre Pato, Antonio Cassano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, not to mention Robinho, offer the Diavolo so much strength in depth up front. AC simply have too much firepower for the likes of Lecce.

Pato, who is on the radar of many of Europe’s top clubs, particularly that of Chelsea, will surely form part of the likely three-pronged attack that Allegri will deploy, having scored twice in the Udinese spectacle, while the 21-year-old put three past Antonio Rosati when Lecce visited the San Siro in August, and the young striker is worth backing at a standout 9-2 with bet365 in the first goalscorer market.  

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P.L. 2010 2011 Sunderland Newcastle on MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

week 23
16th january 2011: 
sunderland v. newcastle united

There’s a sense of expectation around this particular Wear-Tyne derby, what with Newcastle battering their local rivals 5-1 in the reverse fixture (as if anyone needed reminding) and the fact that there hasn’t been a goalless draw between the sides in Premier League history. In addition, Newcastle have only failed to score in one of their last nine games. Oh, and their last outing in the Premier League was a 5-0 thrashing of West Ham United.

Although there are usually goals in this fixture, more often than not it’s Newcastle getting more of them in recent history. Sunderland triumphed over their rivals back in the 2008-09 season, but that was their sole victory at home against Newcastle since 1980. If Sunderland want to avenge their heavy defeat at St. James’ Park, they will have to rewrite recent history.
The Black Cats also have some catching up to do in terms of all-time results as well. Sunday’s meeting will be the 143rd between the sides with Newcastle coming out on top 56 times, Sunderland winning 44 times, and 46 draws. That said, there could hardly be a better time to do it as Newcastle are without their top scorer and arguably their best player of the season in Tiote.

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Primera Division 2010 2011 Villareal Osasuna MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

week 19
15th january 2011: 

Wednesday evening’s Copa del Rey match against Sevilla proved to be a frustrating affair for Villarreal, who were held to a rare home draw by the Andalucian side. Had Juan Carlos Garrido’s side not been going so well in the league, that result would have been a particular disappointment, but presently the Yellow Submarine are moving at full steam ahead to try and claim third spot.

Survival for Osasuna in the top flight this season is by no means a foregone conclusion, and the Pamplona side have endured an alarming slump over the winter that has brought their participation in the Primera Division into question. Over the course of the last six games, they’ve failed to win a single match, maintaining any forward momentum only by three draws.

Bundesliga 2010 2011 Wolfsburg Bayern on MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

bundesliga 2010/11
matchday 18 

15th january 2011: 

wolfsburg v. bayern münchen

After months and months of speculation, Edin Dzeko finally left Wolfsburg last week. While much media focus has been over how the brilliant striker will fit in at Manchester City, in Germany, the questions have been raised as to how Wolfsburg will manage without their departed captain and historical top scorer.

Many among the Bayern faithful will recall Arjen Robben’s first match for die Roten. Just days after signing from Real Madrid, the Dutchman came on as a second half substitute and scored a fine brace to cap off a 3-0 victory away to Wolfsburg.

Now, after missing spending six months on the sidelines with a hamstring tear, Robben returns to Bayern as a “new signing” of sorts. And now, he plays his first game of the season against none other than Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena.

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Copa Del Rey 2010 2011 "El Derbi Madrileño"Real Madrid Atletico Madrid

copa del rey 2010/11
quarterfinals 
First and Second Leg

The Copa del Rey may not always take top billing for Real Madrid, but Jose Mourinho indicated from the beginning of the competition that he intends to win this crown. If the Portuguese was having any second thoughts about deploying a strong side in the tournament, a derby fixture against Atletico Madrid will compel him to focus firmly on Thursday evening’s quarter-final first leg encounter. Los Blancos remain on the coattails of Barcelona in the Primera Division, and even a difficult encounter against Villarreal on Sunday evening could not break their momentum. There may have been a good deal of controversy involved, but there could be little doubting the importance of Madrid’s 4-2 success, during which they twice had to recover from behind.

A storm is brewing at the Vicente Calderon, where Atletico Madrid are perceived to be under performing in the Primera Division. Under pressure coach Quique Sanchez Flores was left frustrated by Monday night’s 4-1 humbling against Hercules in Alicante. From the outset, los Colchoneros were second best, and Jose Antonio Reyes’ late goal was scant consolation on a bleak evening for the capital side.
“I believe my players can do big things... I am confident in them,” Flores told the press prior to Thursday’s encounter against Real Madrid, retaining great faith in his side. “All these years we have not won at Real Madrid can act as a stimulus.” After a great start to the season, Atleti are rather coming apart at the seams. Only two wins have been gleamed from their last six Primera Division encounters, of which four were played against sides in the bottom half of the table. During this period, they’ve also been embarrassingly eliminated from the Europa League.

P.L. 2010 2011 Blackpool Liverpool on MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

week 19 (rescheduled)

12th january 2011: 
blackpool v. liverpool

The latter days of Roy Hodgson’s bitter reign on Merseyside saw him lose the fans completely, as the club’s supporters roundly chanted for his head by calling for the appointment of the legendary Kenny Dalglish.
One could very well argue that the results may not have been a true reflection of the former Fulham manager’s capability, as he was unable to mould the squad to his liking by flexing some muscle in the transfer window. But the Merseysiders have parted ways with the 63-year-old now, and have given the fans what they wanted - King Kenny.Dalglish’s return to management after a decade-long hiatus began in poor fashion as a controversial penalty coupled with the sending off of his skipper Steven Gerrard ended in a defeat to bitter rivals Manchester United - which in turn meant that the Reds were knocked out of the FA Cup.
However, the feel good factor around the club will have trickled down into the squad as well, and could in turn translate into a positive performance on the pitch...

Championnat de France 1987 1988 Matra Racing PSG