Euro 2016 in France

Netherlands face qualification uncertainty as Iceland aim for Euro 2016 in France

 April 2, 2015   John Welsh

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With the international football break now concluded and the UEFA European Championship 2016 qualifying stage arriving at the half-way stage, it is evident that a couple of teams have almost guaranteed their entry to the finals in France barring any serious loss of form. Slovakia and England can still boast 100% records from five matches […]

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premier league title chelsea

Chelsea set for Premier League title as campaign approaches finale

 March 25, 2015   John Welsh

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With just eight games remaining in the current Premier League campaign and with a lull in proceedings due to the international football break, it may be an ideal opportunity to reflect upon the potential title winners at the end of the season and the prospects of those teams vying to secure qualification for the 2015-16 […]

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Barcelona

Recent Barcelona victories silence talk of a crisis at the club

 March 24, 2015   John Welsh

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There was talk of a crisis in the camp at Barcelona. The team had been beaten 1-0 in San Sebastian by Real Sociedad with Lionel Messi and Neymar restricted to used substitute roles as rumours emerged of dressing room unrest and the fate of manager Luis Enrique was the subject of much adverse discussion. It […]

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UEFA Champions League

Barcelona and Juventus Complete QF Line-up for 2015 UEFA Champions League

 March 22, 2015   R K Gupta

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On March 18, 2015, Camp Nou was full to the brim as hosts FC Barcelona prepared to take on Manchester City FC. The English Premier League side had lost the first leg 1-2 at home and they looked for first wiping out the deficit and then scoring another goal to stay in contention. But City’s […]

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Europa or Champions League

An embarrassing two weeks for the English Premier League in UEFA European competitions

 March 20, 2015   John Welsh

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For the first time this century, there will be no English representatives in either the Europa or Champions League quarter-finals after Everton were defeated 5-2 by Dynamo Kiev on Thursday evening to be eliminated on a 6-4 aggregate from the Europa League. This week has also witnessed the early departures of Manchester City and Arsenal […]

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Clinical Porto Beat Basel But Real Madrid Survive Schalke Scare in UEFA Champions League Round-of 16-Second Leg

 March 11, 2015   R K Gupta

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Two contrasting round-of-16 second leg matches were played on March 10, 2015 at Portugal and Spain leading to the emergence of the first two quarterfinalists in the UEFA Champions League. Playing at home, the Portuguese FC Porto scored a comprehensive 4-0 victory over FC Basel to reach the aggregates of 5-1 and advance to the […]

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English Championship table

Excitement continues at top of English Championship table

 March 9, 2015   John Welsh

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It is a commonly shared belief that the vast sums of money available for competing in the English Premier League compares very unfavourably with the amounts earned by those teams participating in the lower tiers of the league hierarchy. The opportunity to earn such revenues is the prize awaiting those football clubs occupying the second […]

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Ligue 1

A New Year heralds a change in Ligue 1 fortunes for Caen

 March 4, 2015   John Welsh

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With the destiny of the 2014-15 French Ligue title set to involve a three way tussle between Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon and Marseille, another team in that league is currently displaying much better form than any of the leading protagonists and were considered near certainties for relegation prior to the Winter break. Caen have won six […]

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Premier League

A poor week for the Premier League in European competition

 February 27, 2015   John Welsh

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The English Premier League is arguably regarded as the best football in Europe, if not the World, and a recently signed TV package worth over £5 billion for the live screening of matches may justify that assertion. However, such revenues do not guarantee success on the pitch as the performances of English teams in European […]

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UEFA Champions League

UEFA Champions League Round-of-16: Team Prospects after First-Leg Matches

 February 27, 2015   R K Gupta

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During February 17-25, 2015, 8 round-of-16 first-leg matches were played in different European venues. Playing at home at Lviv on February 17, FC Shakhtar held visitors Bayern Munich to a goalless draw and made the second-leg match crucial for both teams. On the same day, PSG staged a second-half revival to draw against Chelsea FC […]

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