SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 02 - 03 Dec 2006

The picks in recent weeks have been pretty good to all of us, for there is something for everyone. From Liverpool to Everton to ManUtd to Chelsea (did I forget anyone?) and come this weekend, we have the yummy London derby between the Gunners and Spurs. Will we have a sideshow of Jol fighting Wenger in the technical area? I won't be surprised to see another punch up as Arsene Wenger has been terribly irritable of late.

Menopause?

EPL27: SAT 02/12 Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur on ESPN at 08:45pm SIN/HKT

EPL28: SUN 03/12 Everton vs West Ham United on ESPN at 11:55pm SIN/HKT

Good luck and good game!

Midweek Preview: 29th November 2006

Manchester United vs Everton

"The league is not going to be won by one game. We need to be consistent and win the next two, three, four games to be up there in May." - Rio Ferdinand, after the 1 - 1 draw with Chelsea


Perhaps it is an indication of how much the bar has been raised, and how well Manchester United have been playing this season, that I am supremely unhappy at the draw with Chelsea. A season ago, I would have heaved a huge sigh of relief at getting away with a draw. I guess I can take that as a positive.

This is the time of the year which will test the mettle of the manager and players both, as Man Utd embark upon a congested and breathless fixture list all the way into January. The important thing now is for the team to continue in their fine form and minimise any points-dropping. It's no use beating all the top teams, but stumbling against smaller teams. Happily, United have so far gone about their job, efficiently and ruthlessly putting the so-called less glamourous teams to the sword. And that is exactly what they need to do when Everton visit Old Trafford tomorrow.

I do not really foresee Everton giving us any problems at home, and furthermore they are shorn of their 2 most dangerous men: Andrew Johnson and Tim Cahill. We should be thankful that Johnson will not be getting the chance to add to his respectable tally of 6 goals in 15 games for Everton, and even more grateful that our midfield and defence need not cope with the danger of Cahill. David Moyes will probably stick to a strikeforce of James I-can't-score Beattie, and James neither-can-I McFadden. Not a strikeforce to make Man Utd's defence quake in their expensive boots.

Oddly, whenever I played Championship Manager, James McFadden is one of the first players I usually buy because he's relatively cheap, his stats are amazing, he is incredibly versatile (a two-footed player who can play as a winger, attacking midfielder, or forward right, left, and centre), and he scores over 20 goals a season for me. Whatever happened in real life?!

Louis Saha, our hero-turned-villain (or deflated hero, as Jaywalk calls him), is probably living in a nightmare now, but he still has the ability to turn the game on its head in a moment of exquisite brilliance (or exceptional stupidity). Despite limping off the pitch on Sunday night clutching his thigh after a terrible challenge from Cashley Cole, there are no indications that he will be unable to start tomorrow, so expect the speedy partnership of Saha and Rooney to cause the aging Everton defence problems.

Rooney, on the other hand, has no such problems with confidence as Saha does, and he seems to have made a habit of scoring against his old club. Michael Carrick, who I have to say thoroughly deserved his Man of the Match award against Chelsea, is doing a magnificent job with his instinctive pinpoint passes, incisive distribution and willingness to track back and get into tackles. He is no Roy Keane, but he is maturing slowly but surely. In three seasons he will be a complete and all-rounded midfielder.

All in all, I have no complaints about the performance of the players, and even Rio Ferdinand seems to be getting over the lapses of concentration that so often plagued him in the past. Everton are a combative and physical team with some very good young players, but with their attacking threat well blunted and their defence leaky, this will be a stroll in the park for Manchester United.


Man to watch (Manchester United): Wayne Rooney. If I'm not wrong I believe he has scored in every game he's played against Everton (please correct me if I'm mistaken). And his work-rate against Chelsea told of a player champing at the bit to score. A goal is long overdue.

Man to watch (Everton): This space would ordinarily belong to Tim Cahill, but without him all focus must shift to Mikael Arteta. The Spanish midfielder has been chipping in with his fair share of assists and goals and is more than capable of scoring stunners from range. Edwin van der Sar needs to be alert the moment Arteta has the ball at his feet.

Jaywalk's Encyclopaedia of Bookies' Odds says: Man Utd are giving 1.25 ball and decimal odds of 1.85 to beat it. Normally I'd steer clear of making definite predictions, but for this match I'm confident enough to believe that Man Utd can overcome the handicap quite easily. A 2-0 , 3-0 or 3-1 win for Manchester United is very very possible.


Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 25 - 26 Nov 2006

We have 2 Perfect 10s this weekend. Congrats to Cha_Dum_Yen and David.hvp for getting both matches right! It could have been 3 of us, had I not changed the Charlton-Everton match at the last minute. ARRRGGGHHHH!!!!

Congrats to Cha_Dum_Yen for this is his second Perfect 10 of the season. Could have been me too!!! T_T

Well, the consolation for me is that I am now top of the table after dethroning TheSaint888 with a 5-point lead. Not the perfect circumstances to win though.

Come back TheSaint888!


SPUG EPL Prediction League "Perfect Score" Hall Of Fame
Perfect Score = 2 correct-score predictions in a single weekend and hence the award of the full 10 points.

1) Cha_Dum_Yen (24 Sep 2006), (25 Nov 2006)
2) Bedokian (24 Sep 2006)
3) TheSaint888 (24 Sep 2006)
4) Voxeros (24 Sep 2006)
5) David.hvp (25 Nov 2006)

Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
No points for submission after kick-off. (Disqualification)

SPUG Blackout
Also, this is a mirror for the SPUG Server where the actual prediction game is being carried out at http://www.spug.net/showthread.php?t=85183. In the event SPUG server goes down, we will automatically carry on the prediction game at this blog site.

As usual:

1) If you have spotted a mistake, please let me know where and what so that I can amend them accordingly.
2) Please check your scores for accuracy as soon as possible before I update the table during the next round of scores. Once the table has been updated, the old table will be overwritten.
3) In case you are still seeing the old table even if I have announced a new update, please refresh your browser to reload the table.

Weekend Outlook (26 Nov 2006)

Manchester United vs Chelsea

"...It was a real shame Fergie couldn't get him (Joe Cole) when West Ham got relegated....."

- JayWalk, 25 Nov 2006

We are just a third of the way into the season and people are harping about how this coming match would be the title decider, which personally, I think is a bit daft.

While I concede that title decider will be the match between these two clubs but I have my sights set on 14 April 2007 when these two play at Stamford Bridge instead.

The Premiership isn't a 100m sprint event. It is a marathon where the winner is declared only when the finishing tape is breasted.

Both teams lost their respective matches during midweek at ECL but the problem is that Chelsea's loss may be a deliberate tactical move to eliminate Barcelona at Stage 1, given that they have already qualified. ManUtd, on the other hand, have painted themselves into the corner with another (!) freak loss. It was obvious that the upcoming game against Chelsea was too much of a distraction that despite dominating the game at Celtic Park, we came away the loser. We were good for the first half before the midfield ran out of ideas and the forwards firing blanks. If only Saha had converted the penalty, we would even need to worry about the final game against Benfica.

Let's look at the game stats in the Celtic game. Granted we controlled possession as usual but look at the Shot-On-Goal. It was a measly 4 out of 16 attempts. What the hell were the strikers doing?

We got eliminated by Benfica last season. It was a painful memory. Again, in a fortnight's time, we will be facing them and I wonder if it would be deja vu all over again. History has a knack of repeating itself in the most cruel fashion. Are we are going to shoot ourselves in the foot again?

A win here over Chelsea has a psychological impact of untold proportions. It would even be larger than a 6-point gap. A win today may send Chelsea down the spiral. Premiership-wise, an away game against Bolton, followed by a home game against Arsenal, spell great points-dropping potholes for them. Don't forget they still have to deal with the Carling Cup tournament on 20 Dec 2006, just before we enter into the hectic Christmas and New Year's fixtures.

Unfortunately, a loss here also spells the danger of sending ManUtd into the downward spiral, regardless if our next few opponents are relatively easy to overcome.

JayWalk The Talk: First XI against First XI, we are by far the stronger team. However, if we look further into the bench, Chelsea are not only able to fill all 5 seats with first-team internationals, but also have a couple more internationals on the bleachers as a result of spillover. Such is the strength of the Roman Roubles.

Saha's showing during midweek was terrible and Fergie should have had him substituted. Problem is, with who? We may be a relatively big club by international standards but standing next to Chelsea and we are transformed instantly into minnows. Our best hope is for Saha & Co. to figure out what went wrong earlier and get it fixed as quickly as possible. Hopefully before Sunday's game.

Injured list-wise, Park is still out but the good news is that everybody else, including the doubtful pair of Ferdinand and Neville should be available for call up this weekend. Over at Chelsea side, well.... it doesn't matter, does it?

Despite rumours, Ballack and Drogba should be fit to start this game. Joe Cole has always done well against ManUtd, dating as far back as his West Ham days. For some strange reason, Cole seems to have the talent to figure out ManUtd's game pretty easily. It was a real shame Fergie couldn't get him when West Ham got relegated. Hopefully, Mourihno doesn't know about this.

JayWalk The Walk: Bookie odds is even ball but for now but the decimal odds is 1.775 for the home side to beat it. Now, because this game is going to be very tight, I would expect the odds to fluctuate all the way until kick off. The word in the grapevine is that the handicap, may be shifted to ManUtd giving 0.25 ball and Chelsea a decimal odds of 1.8 to beat that.

What I interpret from this is that, by creating a 1.775 odds at even ball, the bookies are projecting a false confidence backing the home team. My feel on the ground is that folks (sans the die-hard fans) are staying away from this punt as it is too hard to decide. Now, we all know that bookies can only be profitable if transaction volume is high and so a 1.775 facade is to lure the ManUtd punters out of their shell and lifting their money out of their wallets. Thereafter, a drastic 180 degree shift to Chelsea receiving 0.25 ball and 1.8 decimal odds would lure the other side to even up the whole trade balance.

Very sneaky indeed.

Now this will be a very tight game but yet, the first team to score would probably finish with all 3 points. Expect action to be fast and furious as soon as the kick-off whistle is blown but I doubt if it would be a high scoring affair.

My crystal ball says that it would be a draw with ManUtd gaining 1 point and Chelsea dropping 2.

No bet.

Update (25 Nov 2006 15:50 GMT+8): Odds have been changed to Chelsea giving 0.25 ball with decimal odds of 1.775 to beat it. Looks like my conspiracy theory holds true after all. Stay tuned as the fluctuation progresses.

Update (26 Nov 2006 20:00 GMT+8): Odds are back to EVEN ball and back to ManUtd having the decimal odds to beat it. The way I see it, this game is headed for a draw and the bookies had to revert back to the old handicap because too many people are betting on Chelsea to take advantage of the 0.25 ball handicap.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Stand up if you hate Chelsea!

Top Ten Reasons I Can't Stand Chelsea


1) Didier Drogba

His favourite sport besides football: Scuba diving and skydiving. His favourite word: Dive. Used as a slang word to mean cool, hot, trendy e.g. "Hey, that chick is DIVE, man!" or "What a DIVE club this is!" He originally wanted to change his name to Diver Drogba but when people kept pronouncing it Dee-ver instead of the correct way Die-ver, he got frustrated and changed it back to Didier.

2) Arjen Robben

He attracted the attention of Man Utd as a precocious 19-year-old. After flying all the way to Manchester to meet with the manager and the players, and given a tour of the Carrington training complex, he verbally agreed to sign for Man Utd and gave interviews to that effect. His father, also his agent, publicly declared that he would not allow his son to sign for a club other than Manchester United. Two weeks later, BA-BOOM! Robben signs a (more) lucrative contract with Chelsea and insists he had wanted to join them all along. Now he has recently told Sky Sports that he is unhappy with his lack of first-team chances at Chelsea, regrets joining and wants to leave. Ha! That's called reaping what you sow, you filthy turncoat.

3) John Obi Mikel

A 16-year-old playing for Norwegian club Lyn Oslo, Manchester United snapped him up quickly. He signed his contract with Man Utd, held press conferences and was snapped wearing Man Utd jerseys, grinning happily and shaking hands with Sir Alex. After that, he abruptly vanished for 8 days. Without contacting his club or family, he suddenly turned up in London. Crying, he claimed
he had been "forced" into signing for Man Utd and the club he really wanted to play for was - wait for it - Chelsea! He also said he would not return to Norway unless Lyn Oslo released him from his contract with Man Utd and let him sign for Chelsea. Man Utd were furious, Lyn were furious, and a complaint was lodged to FIFA, who ruled in Man Utd's favour. Chelsea though were so determined to get the boy they paid Man Utd and Lyn a total of 16 million pounds for him. 16 million for a 16-year-old traitor who gets brainwashed in 8 days? HAVE him, Chelsea.

4) Peter Kenyon

As Man Utd's previous Chief Executive, he was the brains behind our financial power and the one who engendered many of our high-profile and successful transfers. Abramovich flashed some cash, Kenyon packed his bags, and soon he is implicated in the various tapping-up sagas that severely blemished his reputation. Nothing of this sort happened when he was at Man Utd.

5) Ashley Cole

Moneyfaced and overrated. I'm no Arsenal fan but the way he treated his boyhood club over the mere possibility of a big-money move is nothing short of disgraceful. Clandestine meetings in London restaurant with the aforementioned Kenyon; criticising his club, his manager and his fans in his autobiography; and then not even being able to play well after moving. He's just married Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy. But does he know that even I wouldn't even have given him the time of day if he wasn't Cashley Cole, much less some singing bimbo.

6) Jose Mourinho

One day, God, saddened by the amount of arrogance that was plaguing the world and making its people miserable, gathered up all the arrogance on Earth and rolled it into a huge, big ball. But He didn't know where to put it; if He left it somewhere in Heaven, it might roll off a cloud back to Earth; the angels might play with it and get all arrogant; and He was afraid it might dissipate and spread again. So He decided to seal it up in the body of a single person. "One arrogant person is better than 10 million," He thought, for the ball in his hands contained the arrogance of 10 million people. He cast around for a suitable candidate, and His Eye fell upon a squalling boy infant in a crib in Portugal. The little one was then infused with the arrogance of 10 million, and God saw that it was good. Little did He know that this boy would grow up to manage one of the largest football clubs in one of the most popular football leagues in the world, thus spreading his arrogance worldwide yet again.

7) Stamford Beach

Why is the Stamford Bridge pitch always in such a disgraceful state? No doubt it's located in a depression next to a river, but with all the money at their disposal you'd think Chelsea could afford to fine-tune their drainage system a little so opponents are actually given a fair crack at dribbling the ball, instead of slipping and falling and breaking bones and tearing ligaments. And since the Stamford Bridge pitch is already in such bad shape, why water it some more the day before a match? Chelsea may have people who enjoy scuba diving, but other teams don't.

8) Yawn of the century

I might actually like watching Chelsea if they played football the way it was meant to be played: Scintillating, entertaining, set-me-on-fire type of Beautiful Football. Not score-one-goal-and-shut-up-shop type football. A lot of people will point out their 4-0 triumphs over Watford and Aston Villa as proof to the contrary. But actually watching those matches will probably put you to sleep. No flair, no beauty. Just 10 big golems storming down the pitch. Boring, boring, boring.

9) Death threats

What do referee Anders Frisk and Reading player Stephen Hunt have in common? Why, death threats from Chelsea fans, of course. Frisk had the misfortune of refereeing a Champs League match between Chelsea and (I think) Barcelona, sent off a Chelsea player (I think it was Drogba), and received threats to himself and his family so severe he quit refereeing. Stephen Hunt clattered into Petr Cech and fractured his skull, and right on cue, the death threats came. (Just a note: I really feel absolutely sympathetic for Cech because the clash was really bad and so is his injury, but in no way do I think Hunt did it maliciously.) Next up on Chelsea's death threat list should be Graham Poll. I bet Chelsea fans would sell their soul just to get their hands on a Death Note.

10) Boyfriend supports Chelsea

Ok, so he's been supporting them for 8 years, way before the Russian Revolution. But after they wrested the Premiership from Man Utd over the last 2 years, he has turned insufferably smug. (See, proof that arrogance is contagious.) We are 5 days away from the match and already he is confidently proclaiming that Man Utd will lose. But I am no slouch myself. I'll tell him that if Man Utd loses, he'll get no sex for a year. Then I shall post photos of what it looks like when a Chelsea fan is desperately praying for Man Utd to win. *evil laughter*

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 25 - 26 Nov 2006

Looks like the big game of the week is the clash of the titans, Manchester United vs Chelsea. It's a 6-point game where one will earn 3 points as the expense of the other losing 3 points. ManUtd has the advantage here where even a draw will be a point earned for the Red Devils and 2 points lost for Chelsea.

According to the rules, we were supposed to pick games in the 8 - 10 pm slot which originally meant Newcastle United vs Portsmouth. However, this Red-vs-Blue game is just too good to pass up and as such, I have taken the liberty to bend the rules a little here.

Game on!

EPL25: SAT 25/11 Charlton Athletic vs Everton on ESPN at 08:45pm SIN/HKT

EPL26: SUN 27/11 Manchester United vs Chelsea on ESPN at 12:00am SIN/HKT

Good luck and good game!

Midweek Preview: 21st November 2006

Manchester United vs Glasgow Celtic (Champions League Group Stage)

"I will take a gamble and make one or two changes. I have the Chelsea match to think about..." - Sir Alex Ferguson


Two huge British clubs. Both with fiery Scottish managers. Both with pride, history, and tradition. Both the dominant force in their respective leagues for years. Both with passionate and vocal supporters. Throw this all into the mix and you get the upcoming Champions League clash between Manchester United and Glasgow Celtic. Truly mouthwatering.

As our favourite manager takes his squad north across the border for the clash between the two British titans, I am here in Singapore hoping he does keep to his word and make only one or two changes, if necessary.

True, we only need a point to qualify for the knockout stages and we have to ensure our players are well-rested and free of injury for the all-important Chelsea clash on Sunday, but we also have 4 things to remember:


1) FC Copenhagen

Now, those changes made then didn't go so well, did it? Even Sir Alex admitted he took a risk that went wrong. So why is he publicly stating he'll take another gamble with Celtic? I remember when Celtic came to Old Trafford (OLD TRAFFORD, no less), they came back from behind to equalise, twice. We ended up winning narrowly, 3 - 2. So Celtic are certainly no pushover, and will be even less so at Parkhead. I could go into all the other convoluted stories behind this match - Gordon Strachan (Celtic manager) hates Fergie, Fergie hates Celtic (he's Rangers and Aberdeen), Celtic supporters hate Man Utd, Man Utd supporters look down on Celtic, etc. etc. - but the point is, Celtic will go all out for a win. Pride is at stake here. If Man Utd don't raise their game, they will lose.

2) One point is good, but three points are better

Sure, a draw ensures qualification. But it does not ensure us getting top spot in the group. Being top isn't about bragging rights at all, but it helps us make sure that we don't meet any of the other table-topping teams in the next round. Obviously only the 2 best teams from a group make it through, but in this early stage (according to current table standings) I'd rather meet Lille than AC Milan.

I have to admit that this MAY backfire, since we also currently have teams like Real Madrid, Roma and Inter Milan lying in second spot and thus being our likely opponents should the current standings remain. But top spot at least helps us to avoid some of the best teams around.

3) The Chelsea match is 5 days away

Hello!! Five days is ample time for the squad to get rested and charged up. I would understand the whole exhaustion issue if the match was 3 days away, but 5 days is almost one week. Field a full-strength side now, whip Celtic, secure further progress and top spot, boost your egos and morale and then on Sunday beat the shit and stuffing out of Chelsea. See? Win-win situation.

4) Parkhead the Invincible Fortress

Celtic are unbeaten at home for the past ELEVEN Champions League games. The last game they lost was to Barcelona, who went on to win the Champions League. Parkhead is not a friendly place to travel to.


With all these points in mind, how can Man Utd put out a half-past-six team? They can't afford to.


Man to watch (Manchester United): I might get tired of having to write the same name week after week, but here goes - Wayne Rooney. Having rediscovered his scoring boots and his fine form, he is now officially a menace to any opposing defence. Just please, Sir Alex, don't stick him out wide on the right or left.

Man to watch (Celtic): Kenny Miller is a rich vein of form, having scored 3 goals so far in the Champs League (same is Louis Saha). Special mention to Thomas Gravesen, back to his imperious best at Celtic, and Shunsuke Nakamura is always a danger from set-pieces and his penetration.

Jaywalk's Encyclopaedia of Bookies' Odds says: Originally Man Utd was giving 0.5 ball with decimal odds of 2.025 but was to revised to give 0.25 ball and 1.8 to beat it. Either nobody is betting Man Utd or at the last minute bookies think it will be a Man Utd victory. And I'm reproducing verbatim from Jaywalk's SMS, so I have no idea in hell what this whole thing means. But if bookies are giving 0.25 ball for Man Utd, it sounds good to me. I have a hunch Man Utd can wrap this by a goal.


Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 18 - 19 Nov 2006

What happened to Delay?

Anyway, the shaving continues as I am just one point off TheSaint888. At the rate I am going, I should be in the lead next weekend liao.

It's a relatively quiet weekend as points were few and far between. I was so close to taking the lead this weekend but a disappointing goaless draw, mars it for me.

Next week then.


SPUG EPL Prediction League "Perfect Score" Hall Of Fame
Perfect Score = 2 correct-score predictions in a single weekend and hence the award of the full 10 points.

1) Bedokian (24 Sep 2006)
2) TheSaint888 (24 Sep 2006)
3) Voxeros (24 Sep 2006)
4) Cha_Dum_Yen (24 Sep 2006)

Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
No points for submission after kick-off. (Disqualification)

SPUG Blackout
Also, this is a mirror for the SPUG Server where the actual prediction game is being carried out at http://www.spug.net/showthread.php?t=85183. In the event SPUG server goes down, we will automatically carry on the prediction game at this blog site.

As usual:

1) If you have spotted a mistake, please let me know where and what so that I can amend them accordingly.
2) Please check your scores for accuracy as soon as possible before I update the table during the next round of scores. Once the table has been updated, the old table will be overwritten.
3) In case you are still seeing the old table even if I have announced a new update, please refresh your browser to reload the table.

Weekend Outlook (18 Nov 2006)

Sheffield United vs Manchester United

"...With 3 points over Chelsea, a draw on 25 Nov 2006 will be a point earned for ManUtd and 2 points lost for Chelsea...."

- JayWalk, 18 Nov 2006

It is going to be a hectic schedule starting from now with ManUtd having midweek fixtures all the way until mid December. So all of a sudden, the elimination from the League Cup doesn't look so bad after all. With a cramped schedule like that, it's no wonder none of the big teams are paying too much attention to this cup that yields a paltry sum of money as tournament purse.

Personally, I favour the old Italian Serie A format of having 18 teams in the division, playing only 34 games in total.

Still, the resistance comes from the teams themselves who want to maximise gate receipts and TV monies, at the expense of slave-driving their players into damaging exhaustion.

The last match was a hard earned victory for ManUtd against bogey team, Blackburn Rovers and it was a sigh of relief to break that jinx. That, at a time when Chelsea are hot on our heels. Granted that the scoreline was a mere measly 1-0, I was however very satisfied with the Red Devils' performance as the attack came wave after wave. ManUtd's was all over Blackburn and had it not been the fine saves of Friedel and some unluckiness on the part of Rooney, we would have had a better harvest of goals. Still 1-0 or 7-0, it's the 3 points that matter the most.

We face Sheffield United today and despite them being a relatively weaker team, there are nevertheless a team not to be taken for granted. Looking at our fixture calendar, Sheffield United game is part of a "3-piece meal", with Glasgow Celtic in midweek and the big Clash Of The Titans against Chelsea at Old Trafford. This will be a roller coaster ride where the game against Sheffield United is merely the ascent to the highest point of the ride and then the free falling starts at Celtic Park against Celtic and through to Chelsea back home.

For weeks, I have been talking about fatigue and exhaustion. This time round, the element of the team's psychology will come in the play above everything else.

• Sheffield United - Fergie has already said that he wanted a 3-point cushion coming into the Chelsea's game and working the math and it means that nothing short of a victory at Bramall Lane is expected. Given that ManUtd stumbled at FC Copenhagen during the last ECL game, a big victory here would not only boost the morale and confidence of ManUtd but hopefully it would strike a bit more fear into Celtic before the kickoff whistle is blown.
  
  
• Glasgow Celtic - A draw here would mean qualification. Under normal circumstances, leading the group would yield an easier opponent in the next round as a result of seeding. However, this time round, things are a bit different with some of the traditionally stronger teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and AS Roma, struggling for the second spot at the moment. Finishing as group winners would most certainly draw one of these teams at the next round and so perhaps it may be a better idea to finish second?
  
  The trouble with aiming for second spot is that there is a risk of a cock-up and ending up on the outside. Then what?
  
  The way I see it, is that a club of ManUtd's stature will not need to resort to such tactics to advance. We have taken on and beaten every strong team before and we would do it again, regardless of which stage we are in.
  
  I see it as a better idea to win this Celtic game and finish as group winners. That way, we can even afford to ease up against Benfica on 6 Dec 2006, in order to concentrate on the Manchester derby against Manchester City.
  
  
• Chelsea - While Chelsea have already qualified to the next round of the ECL, expect Mourihno to push for a win at midweek to seal victory at the group stage. What that means essentially is that Chelsea will have no advantage over us as far as exhaustion level is concerned.
  
  Part of the reason why Fergie wanted to go into this game with a 3-point lead is not because he expected us to lose, but instead to allow ManUtd to settle down better and focus more on the game rather than being distracted with obsessing with the final score. Call it buying insurance if you will. With the peace of mind, Fergie is hoping that ManUtd can play more freely and ironically as a result of that, ManUtd may have a greater chance of winning. With 3 points over Chelsea, a draw on 25 Nov 2006 will be a point earned for ManUtd and 2 points lost for Chelsea.
  
  With that Chelsea will be the team under greater psychological pressure and Fergie is hoping that this would cause Chelsea to self-destruct under its own stress.
  
  A stroke of mastery genius from Sir Alex Ferguson.
  

JayWalk The Talk: Gary Neville just passed a late fitness test and it would be a boost to ManUtd's defence. Park and Solksjaer are still out while Giggs is expected to return today as well.

C.Ronaldo is likely to end up on the bench (punishment?) as the young Portuguese was involved in the midweek Euro 2008 qualifier against Kazakhstan.

Man to watch is Wayne Rooney for the young lad has been so unlucky in front of goal in recent weeks that he is due for one very very soon.

Over at the Blades' end, we have Webber, Davis, Bromby, Tonge, Kabba, Akinbiyi and Armstrong out injured but I would keep an eye on Rob Hulse who is currently their top scorer as well as Shot-On-Goal leader. If the ManUtd defense can lock him down, we should be rewarded with the 6th clean sheet in 10 games.

JayWalk The Walk: Bookies odds is ManUtd to give up 1.25 balls and a decimal odds of 1.82 to beat it. In English, that means that the bookies have all conceded that it would be a ManUtd victory. The punt now revolves around if ManUtd would win this by 1 or 2 goals.

Soccernet is the only website to predict a Sheffield United victory and it looks like I am going to call their bluff on this one. Not only would I punt on ManUtd today, I am probably going after a Arsenal-ManUtd-Portsmouth triple parlay with an odds of 6.66.

Wish me luck!

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 18 - 19 Nov 2006

weimeng idle again.

Matches picked courtesy of ihawk98, as Manchester City is featured again. I am looking forward to this week's game as all the teams are very evenly match i.e. we will have a pretty even spread of win, loss and draw predictions.

Game on!

EPL23: SAT 17/11 Manchester City vs Fulham on ESPN at 08:40pm SIN/HKT

EPL24: SUN 19/11 Wigan Athletic vs Aston Villa on ESPN at 09:25pm SIN/HKT

Good luck and good game!

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 11 - 12 Nov 2006

Well, nobody expect that Steve Coppell's boys could pull off a scalp against Spurs, did we? Here's the thing about Spurs that has been breaking every fan's heart. They have this tendency to build up your hopes and then trip you over at the least expected time.

For the rest of us, it's a big zero for the second game day.

Top scorer of the week is Everton with 6 points and enabling him to break into the Top 10 for the first time. TheSaint888 remained on top but there's me following closely behind shaving another 2 points between us.


SPUG EPL Prediction League "Perfect Score" Hall Of Fame
Perfect Score = 2 correct-score predictions in a single weekend and hence the award of the full 10 points.

1) Bedokian (24 Sep 2006)
2) TheSaint888 (24 Sep 2006)
3) Voxeros (24 Sep 2006)
4) Cha_Dum_Yen (24 Sep 2006)

Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
No points for submission after kick-off. (Disqualification)

SPUG Blackout
Also, this is a mirror for the SPUG Server where the actual prediction game is being carried out at http://www.spug.net/showthread.php?t=85183. In the event SPUG server goes down, we will automatically carry on the prediction game at this blog site.

As usual:

1) If you have spotted a mistake, please let me know where and what so that I can amend them accordingly.
2) Please check your scores for accuracy as soon as possible before I update the table during the next round of scores. Once the table has been updated, the old table will be overwritten.
3) In case you are still seeing the old table even if I have announced a new update, please refresh your browser to reload the table.

Weekend Preview - 11th November 2006

Manchester United vs Blackburn Rovers

"Forget the Carling Cup, the Premiership is always our top priority..." - Sheena and Jaywalk


Most people would have said that, after the Carling Cup debacle, the best way for the Red Devils to soothe their ruffled egos would be to thrash the next team that comes their way. And given that Man Utd have been flying high in the Premiership, I would normally agree.

Except for the fact that our next match is Blackburn at Ewood Park, and with Rovers under the management of old-boy Mark Hughes, we have never done very well against them. Last season alone they completed a league double over us, and allowed Chelsea a free 6-point lead just by doing that.

This season, Hughes has strengthened his squad with the addition of ex-Porto striker Benni McCarthy, who already has 7 goals to his name. David Bentley, on-loan from (or bought, I can't remember) Arsenal, has plundered 4 goals. Their other midfielders have all been chipping in with a goal or 2 each, and Morten Gamst Pedersen is always a threat from dead-ball situations. In fact, he seems to be making a habit out of scoring free kicks against Manchester United.

In short, Mark Hughes has put together a good, tough team, with Robbie Savage always at the ready to kick someone's ankles out, and the strikers and midfielders putting the ball in the net with some regularity.

Man Utd will need to be at the very top of their game if they want to nick this and maintain their lead over Chelsea. Rovers are not a very pacy team, so Man Utd can run circles around them, but unfortunately we don't have a midfield enforcer in the mould of Savage since Michael Carrick is, well, not savage enough. This match will be decided down the flanks as both teams have good wingers and rely on them. Gary Neville and Patrice Evra will need to be on the alert constantly.

However, Manchester United's main advantage is still the fact that the goals are coming from every part of the team, so you never know where the next goal will come from. This means our players are a lot harder to mark and stop. We have people in the team who have had chances and should be getting on the scoresheet by now - like Carrick and (!) Gary Neville. Let's hope they break their duck this weekend!


Man to watch (Blackburn): Need I say it again? Morten Gamst Pedersen. Watch out for his wicked free-kicks! If the bastard scores against us again today I might need to draft a petition pleading with the club to buy him.

Man to watch (Manchester United): The whole team. Seriously.

Stuff which I don't understand: According to Jaywalk's encyclopaedic knowledge of bookies' odds, Man Utd are giving 3/4 ball and decimal odds of 1.8 to beat it. I have absolutely no idea what the decimal odds are, or whether they're even important. So just going by the 3/4 ball thing alone, I say stay away. We always struggle to beat Rovers at home and it wouldn't surprise me if this match turns out to be a draw game or even if we lose (I hope not)! I do have a sneaking suspicion though, that Man Utd will nick this by a goal.


Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

Midweek Outlook (07 Nov 2006)

Southend United vs Manchester United

"... Expect the young lad (Kieran Lee) to be rewarded by the gaffer with a place in the starting lineup...."

- JayWalk, 07 Nov 2006

It was a lucky escape for us in the previous round where we were bailed out, by Kieran Lee, of what could be the lottery of a penalty shootout at Crewe Alexandra by the skin of our teeth. A last minute match winner, in extra time, was the sobering wake up call for us not to take minnows lightly for it is the likes of David that would take down the Goliath.

Still, that doesn't mean the we should switch back to first team with all guns ablazed. Nah. I think this should still be used as a platform to blood youngsters as this, apart from the FA Cup is the only platform where you can have a high level game and yet have the safety of a relatively weaker team. Why not FA Cup as well? You asked. Well, at this point in time, the FA Cup is still highly regarded although the rewards is now somewhat diminished with a merely UEFA Cup spot instead of the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup tournament.

The romance and tradition of the FA Cup is still there, I guess.

JayWalk The Talk: The problem with the youngsters in the previous round was that they were just not ready for the big time. Perhaps Fergie was overly optimistic? However, there was one name that stood out during the last game and that was Kieran Lee who saved Fergie the blushes. Expect the young lad to be rewarded by the gaffer with a place in the starting lineup.

Fergie will be sending a strong team today to be on the safe side. Giggs, Scholes, van der Sar and Neville will be rested while Solksjaer and Park are still stuck in the sickbay. Other than that, looks like it's a full bus load heading to the Roots Stadium.

On the home side, Southend United is in trouble. Currently occupying the cellar of the Nationwide League Championship as a result of only 2 wins in their last 10 games. More woes for manager Tilson as striker Harrold will not feature (cup tied at Yeovil) and central defender Barrett is doubtful. So we are expecting a team that can't score and can't defend at the same time? Can life be really that good?

JayWalk The Walk: The odds was ManUtd to give up 1-ball handicap this morning with a decimal odds of 1.80 to beat it. This was after Fergie's announcement that he is sending in a strong time to sew up the game in 90 minutes flat. Then in the afternoon, the bladdy odds went up to ManUtd giving 1.5-ball handicap and a 2.00 decimal odds to beat. Nah beh.....

Here what I think will happen. We will score 3 goals easily but only after we leak a freak goal as a result of our bumbling defenders. The Southend scorer will definitely get a yellow card right after the goal for an over zealous display of joy, as the lucky bastard takes off his shirt, waving like a mad man and running the entire length of the pitch.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 11 - 12 Nov 2006

Wah. This week weimeng early early send us this weekend matches liao. I is kum tong lao bak sai. =P

I was just wondering what will happen when SPUG returns eventually. Will those guys who missed out here continue to stay with the game after falling so many points behind?

Oh well. Que sera sera.

p.s. Just a trivia here. While we are familiar with calling the team at White Hart Lane, Spurs, do you know that the accurate name is Tottenham Hotspur and not Hotspurs?

EPL21: SAT 11/11 Manchester City vs Newcastle United on ESPN at 08:45pm SIN/HKT

EPL22: SUN 12/11 Reading vs Totthenham Hotspur on ESPN at 09:30pm SIN/HKT

Good luck and good game!

Happy 20th Anniversary Sir Alex!

Yes, our revered and beloved manager Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates an astounding 20 years in charge of Manchester United today! To have managed 20 years at the same club - a top-level club that regularly expects to be challenging for honours, no less - is a feat that is quite possibly impossible to replicate in today's world of manager-sacking chairmen.

Mention Sir Alex and it is inevitable that comparisons are drawn with other great managers - Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Sir Matt Busby, Brian Clough. But Fergie, I think, is in a league of his own. Arriving at Manchester United in 1986, a time when our bitter rivals Liverpool were dominating the league, he began revamping the club quite literally from scratch as he started off with the backroom and the youth system.

Unfortunately, Fergie was so busy bringing the youth system (set in place, of course, by Man Utd's other great manager Sir Matt Busby) up to standards that it took him 4 seasons to lay his hands on some silverware. In 1990, with United sitting in the bottom half of the league table and no trophies for 3 years, the supporters were getting frustrated and calling for Fergie's blood as the team went into their FA Cup third-round tie against Nottingham Forest. Mark Robins scored, the team won 1-0 and went on an unstoppable run, and Fergie lifted the FA Cup at the end of that season.

Of course, it didn't stop there. In subsequent years, he helped himself - and the club - to eight Premiership trophies, five FA Cups, two League Cups, a European Cup and a European Cup Winners' Cup (not to mention how, when he was at Aberdeen, he helped the club break the stranglehold that Celtic and Rangers had on the SPL). A breathtaking trophy haul by any standards.

Add to that the sweet knowledge that since then, Liverpool have not won the Premiership crown.

The master of mind games, Fergie famously clawed back a 12-point deficit against Newcastle in 1996 to inspire Kevin Keegan's infamous public rant ("This is rubbish! Absolutely rubbish!") and wrest the title away from Newcastle. He introduced his famous batch of Fergie's Fledgings that year, silencing doubters who said "You can't win anything with kids" and proving that the time he spent on the youth system was well spent. Today, Manchester United have a proud tradition of developing young players from scratch, and maintaining an English backbone in the team (quite unlike, say, Arsenal or Barcelona, who are known for not fielding a single Englishman or Spaniard in their teams).

And the famous Treble of 1999, for which he was knighted, cemented his place in football legend. To date, no other team has emulated that historic feat.

In recent years, with the rise of Chelsea and those terrible few seasons when we saw Arsenal run away with "our" crown and Liverpool win their fifth Champions League trophy (I am also an AC Milan supporter, so you can imagine the rage), it has been easy for us as fans to lose faith in Fergie. His series of bad, expensive buys - Juan Sebastian Veron, Kleberson, Liam Miller, Rio Ferdinand (sat out 8 months for his missed drugs test), Eric Djemba-Djemba - and his kicking out of Japp Stam, David Beckham, Roy Keane etc. did not exactly endear him to the supporters either.

These same supporters are now applauding the man and nodding their heads, saying "I knew all along, we were in a transitional stage."

Utter bollocks. You don't support a team just because it's on a high. You support it despite it being on a low.

With that, I say a big thank you very much to Sir Alex Ferguson, for bringing me 14 years of scintillating, entertaining, wondrous football, exctement-filled weekends, and much happiness. Thank you even for the tears and the pain, because this is what makes me Manchester United through and through. I toast you now with my Starbucks frappucino (since I don't have wine). Here's to another 20 trophy-laden years!

SPUG EPL Prediction League - Match Weekend 04 - 05 Nov 2006

The outcome of this week's games went against conventional wisdom as most of us were floored by the unexpected results.

Kudos to ianrush and apollo who bucked the trend and predicted a Fulham victory. Both were deservingly rewarded with the 3 points. Well done guys!

No change in the Top 4 spots with TheSaint888 still at the top but I am slowly closing in by closing the gap by yet another point. Ianrush leapfrogged 2 places to finish at 5th this week.


SPUG EPL Prediction League "Perfect Score" Hall Of Fame
Perfect Score = 2 correct-score predictions in a single weekend and hence the award of the full 10 points.

1) Bedokian (24 Sep 2006)
2) TheSaint888 (24 Sep 2006)
3) Voxeros (24 Sep 2006)
4) Cha_Dum_Yen (24 Sep 2006)

Scoring System
3-Points for a correct outcome (Win, Lose or Draw)
1-point each for correct score on each side.

Double Entry
Later submission shall override earlier submission.

Penalty
No points for submission after kick-off. (Disqualification)

SPUG Blackout
Also, this is a mirror for the SPUG Server where the actual prediction game is being carried out at http://www.spug.net/showthread.php?t=85183. In the event SPUG server goes down, we will automatically carry on the prediction game at this blog site.

As usual:

1) If you have spotted a mistake, please let me know where and what so that I can amend them accordingly.
2) Please check your scores for accuracy as soon as possible before I update the table during the next round of scores. Once the table has been updated, the old table will be overwritten.
3) In case you are still seeing the old table even if I have announced a new update, please refresh your browser to reload the table.

Weekend Outlook (04 Nov 2006)

Manchester United vs Portsmouth

"... He (Tony Adams) will make a great manager under the tutelage of Redknapp. ..."

- JayWalk, 04 Nov 2006

Is it me or do we have a very short termed memory. Right now everybody is harping about the accidental lost to FC Copenhagen in mid-week that nobody remembers the 4-0 thumping we gave to Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

It was domination right from the start as we were camping in Bolton's 1/3 for the first 20 minutes. It was a satisfying performance not in terms of score, but in terms of 10 shots-on-goal versus a mere 3.

Anyway, a warm welcome back to Sheena to the blog as I was dying under the load of maintaining my own blog and this one while etching a living from my day job. Too bad, Sheena's prediction got off to a bad start as I was predicting ManUtd to lose the handicap but stealing a draw from the game. Alas we lost eventhough the handicap outcome was the same.

Come to think of it, it didn't come as too big a shock for me as it was gamble to rest key players ahead of the Pompey game.

The consolation was that it was a lost that we could afford, although a win would have made our lives much easier in weeks to come. Looks like we need to bring out our A-Game when we travel to Celtic and then host Benfica back home. A win from either one of the game will see us through as group winners. Given, that we squandered the Copenhagen game, we no longer able to risk another draw. Let's bring in the 3 points first before easing the pedal.

Portsmouth may not hold any big names but certainly they are hitting the headlines recently for all the right reasons. Portsmouth's success can only be attributed to the genius of Harry Redknapp, working miracles on a shoe string budget. Granted that Tony Adams has contributed much to an improved Pompey defence, it must be noted that Adams actually benefited much more from this than he has contributed. Tony Adams must thank his lucky stars for the opportunity to have such a great mentor while he serves his apprenticeship.

Watch out for Tony Adams in 10 years' time. He will make a great manager under the tutelage of Redknapp.

JayWalk The Talk: To put things nicely, Fergie was resting key players and rotating the squad. The ugly reality actually was that the injuries are starting to pile up again. Park is still nursing and now we have Neville, Giggs and Solksjaer heading back to the sickbay. Saha who was cautiously omitted during midweek is 50-50 coming into today. Perhaps we would have a halfway substitution to bring in Smith in place of the French striker. If we are to do well today, we will be looking to Rooney and Ronaldo for inspiration while the newly formed engine room of Carrick-Scholes providing the ammunition.

Perhaps a Ronaldo goal today? I think he is due a goal anytime now.

Portsmouth aren't doing very well as far as health is concerned either. Defenders Johnson and Primus are out while midfielder O'Neil is doubtful. That leaves David "Calamity" James pretty vulnerable at the back.

However, keep a lookout for Kanu for the Nigerian striker is scoring goals for fun of late.

JayWalk The Walk: ManUtd are set to give up a 1.5-ball handicap but an alarming decimal odds of 2.1 to beat it. People are saying that Redknapp hates to be the team to play ManUtd today as the Red Devils are supposedly set on venting their frustration on the next team after the Danish Stumble.

In addition, history points towards a jinx that David James has whenever he encounters ManUtd, be it Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham or Portsmouth. Expect ManUtd to exploit the keeper's weakness in the air when it come to crosses. I wouldn't be surprised to see James' leaking goals from headers. Perhaps Ferdinand to get on the scoresheet as well?

As far as verdict is concerned, I think ManUtd should win the game but not the handicap.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.

A Gift Of Life - 05 November 2006

Pardon the interruption.

Chrissy is a very dear friend of mine and she is real. She was recently diagnosed with Leukemia and is currently receiving treatment.

I have to admit that I am guilty of simply skimming through similar emails but this one hit home. Chrissy is someone I know personally and not some arbitrary name in some circulated email in the sea of cyberspace.

Chrissy is very fortunate to have gotten a donor match but nevertheless still decided to organise a Bone Marrow Drive to help other patients.

This event is this Sunday and details are in my blog at http://jaywalk.blog-city.com, of which I am dedicating an entire week covering her.

Please help to spread the word and plug this on your blog, if possible. Let me know if you have done so, so that I can thank you in my Friday's entry.

Thank you.

Jay

Midweek Preview: 1st November 2006

Manchester United vs FC Copenhagen (Champions League Group Stages, 2nd leg)

So I'm back blogging again for the first time in about 6 months; many many thanks to Jaywalk for upkeeping and maintaining this blog for me, AND increasing readership as well. For those of you unfamiliar with me, I am the other contributor that's supposed to be regularly contributing, but due to circumstances beyond my control (reeeeally!) I had to, erm, sort of let go of this blog for a while (and my own personal blog too). Hey, don't sweat it; I'm back - though I guess you could say it's a try-to-prevent-Jaywalk-from killing-me kind of back. So, without further ado, on to the midweek preview.


"Oh, Copenhagen? You mean that team we flattened 3 - 0 and which are currently lying last in the Group F table on ONE point compared to Man Utd lying top with NINE points and totally unbeaten with one foot in the knockout stages already?" - Sheena, 5 minutes after the 4 - 0 drubbing of Bolton


I made that above statement while I was still on a high from Man Utd's very comprehensive win at the Reebok Stadium, in response to my boyfriend asking me what I thought of the coming European match. After taking some time to recover from the arrogance oozing out of every word in that sentence, he shook his head and sighed as he frantically sms-ed his bookie, no doubt to try to recoup some losses (dong-dong had wagered on a draw with Bolton).

3 days later, now that I'm down from my high, if you ask me the same question, my response would still be the same.

Yes, Manchester United need only a draw to secure their place in the knockout stage. Yes, to that end, they will rest some major players for the tricky weekend match against Portsmouth. Yes, they're playing away in Denmark. Yes, Copenhagen, who are level on points with Benfica, will want to clinch a win in order to try for a place in the UEFA Cup. But I do foresee a win anyway - though not by such a large margin as their last meeting.

[Just discovered - Sir Alex says he will field a full-strength side against Copenhagen. Read the article here if you like.]

Ryan Giggs will probably be rested, after his 31-year-old legs did such marvellous jobs for us against Liverpool and Bolton. Gabriel Heinze might be drafted in in place of Patrice Evra. Darren Fletcher, after performing marvellously against Liverpool but unceremoniously dumped to the bench for Bolton, will probably be restored to the starting lineup. Other than that, I don't see any more major changes made. Furthermore, Manchester United have no injury problems except for Park Ji-Sung.

Of course, boy wonder Wayne Rooney will have to stay in the squad; removing him just as he's found his scoring boots again will be a huge mistake. But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Alan Smith might be given 20 minutes or so of a runout.

Copenhagen will have no chance against a resurgent Wayne Rooney, Twinkletoes Cristiano Ronaldo, Purple Patch Paul Scholes, Passmaster Michael Carrick, Latest Goal Machine Rio Ferdinand, and Big Bad Golem Nemanja Vidic.

The great thing about Manchester United now (but not so great for their harried opponents) is that you never know who's going to score. Marking Saha? Rooney will score. Marking Rooney? Scholes will score. Marking Scholes? Cristiano Ronaldo will score. Marking all 4 of them? Rio Ferdinand, lurking in the box for a corner, will trap the ball down with his right foot, turn, and smash it into the top corner of the net with his left.

In their previous meeting, though, I have to say that I developed a newfound respect for Copenhagen, watching them come to Old Trafford and start off on an attacking foot instead of just sitting back and closing up shop. Their goalie, Christiansen, impressed me as well with a string of fine saves. If truth be told, the 3 - 0 scoreline was quite flattering to Man Utd, no matter how arrogant I might sound. And at home, Copenhagen will be harder to break down. This match will depend on who gets the first goal. If Man Utd does, the floodgates will open; if it's Copenhagen, they will close up tight at the back.


Stuff which I still don't understand: Apparently, bookies are giving Man Utd a one ball handicap. I say grab it with both hands and run. Copenhagen might be playing at home, Man Utd has too much class for them to be able to cause an upset. Furthermore, every area of Man Utd's team from the defence down to the strikeforce are scoring goals for fun. I suspect Man Utd to win by a comfortable 2-goal margin.


Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.