Score (Gameweek): Arteta-22, Drogba-20, Carew-19, Lampard-18, Malouda-17 ...... Score (Total): Rooney-216, Fabregas-212, Lampard-200, Drogba-198, Bent-166 ...... Form: Lampard-9.5, Arteta-9.2, Malouda-8.8, Torres, 8.5, Drogba-8 ...... A simple click on the ads is the best way to motivate me! Thank you.
Showing posts with label Pre-Match Analysis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pre-Match Analysis. Show all posts

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Pre-Match Analysis: Gameweek 38

It's the last gameweek of 09/10 FPL season. Give your best and enjoy the world cup coming soon!



Fantasy Predictor
My predictions for games this gameweek.

ARS VS FUL [2-0]
AST VS BLA [2-0]
BOL VS BIR [1-2]
BUR VS TOT [1-7]
CHE VS WIG [5-0]
EVE VS POR [3-1]
HUL VS LIV [2-4]
MNU VS STO [2-0]
WHU VS MNC [1-2]
WOL VS SUN [2-1]



Fantasy Line-Ups
My recommendations to boost your fantasy scores.

Gw 38's One-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the gameweek.
Frank Lampard - £13.6m
The motivation to grab title could really bang him a lot of points.


Gw 38's Dream Team
My favourite squad of the gameweek.

Hahnemann

Bale - Evra - Craddock

Lampard(C) - Malouda - Nani - Arteta

Drogba - Rooney - Defoe

Substitutes (in order): Begovic - Dunn - Carr - Ridgewell

My Captain: Lampard
Other Recommended Captains: Drogba, Rooney, Nani
Emergency Captain Strategy: Value

Starting 11 Value: £93.1m
Total Value: £110.8m

Friday, April 30, 2010

Pre-Match Analysis: Gameweek 37

Have you given up? Say "NO"!



Fantasy Predictor
My predictions for games this gameweek.

BIR VS BUR [1-1]
MNC VS AST [1-0]
POR VS WOL [1-1]
STO VS EVE [1-1]
TOT VS BOL [4-0]
LIV VS CHE [1-2]
FUL VS WHU [0-1]
SUN VS MNU [1-2]
WIG VS HUL [2-0]
BLA VS ARS [1-1]
FUL VS STO [2-0]
MNC VS TOT [2-1]



Fantasy Focus
Analysis of big showdowns this gameweek.

Manchester City vs Aston Villa
Prediction: 1-0

Manchester City will host Aston Villa for a direct showdown which will determine which team STILL has chance to sneak into the Champions League bandwagon.

Managed only to get one point out of last three matches with top three, the Eastlanders has now trapped within the big mess with other fourth place contenders. Should they lose points again, bye~

But City is just far too strong at home so I don't think Aston Villa can take any point from Manchester. Adam Johnson, Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor... if they can't score any goal, they should feel guilty for their expensive price tags.

You can actually get four City players this week if you somehow managed to buy Martin Fulop before his team was updated!

Liverpool vs Chelsea
Prediction: 1-2

The title will automatically be on Chelsea side if they can get all three points from Anfield this Sunday.

Chelsea produced a fearsome bounce back after recording their second 7-0 victory of the season. Take note that they are now the team which scored most goals in Europe this season, even more than Barcelona currently.

Meanwhile, Liverpool has been eliminated from UEFA Europa League due to away goal, which should pretty much hit their confidence. They have also fitness disadvantage compared to Chelsea.

The game should be close, and Liverpool should be giving out their best even if that may mean that Manchester United will surpass their league title record, but Chelsea's physical advantage will outmatch Liverpool's lesser physique. The Blues are just built to be tough.

Has been pretty good recently, but can he stop Chelsea?

Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 2-1

A very interesting replacement fixture as Manchester City will battle with Tottenham for the Champions League ticket next midweek.

Both sides will play this weekend so they would not have any fitness advantage against each other.

The match will be close, but I will still back City to win this one due to their good home records. Maybe Gareth Bale can lead their team to strike one or two, but I don't think they can score more than City.

On side note, remember to buy full six players from these two teams for games this week.

All hopes on him.



Fantasy Line-Ups
My recommendations to boost your fantasy scores.

Gw 37's One-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the gameweek.
Gareth Bale - £5.9m
Not adventurous, but quite a safe bet I believe.


Gw 37's Dream Team
My favourite squad of the gameweek.

Gomes

Bale(C) - Hangeland - Evra

A Johnson - Duff - Etherington - Arteta

Tevez - Defoe - Adebayor

Substitutes (in order): Begovic - Hughes - N'Zogbia - R Johnson

My Captain: Bale
Other Recommended Captains: Tevez, Defoe
Emergency Captain Strategy: Value

Starting 11 Value: £78.3m
Total Value: £98.3m



Fantasy Times
The latest football news to enrich your day.

UEFA Europa League: Fulham Smiles Through, Liverpool Falls

Fulham has entered the first ever Europa League final after succeeded to reverse Hamburg 2-1 at home.

Goals from Davies and Gera has helped the club to record a new page in its history.

Meanwhile, Liverpool has failed to secure a English vs English final after losing to Athletico Madrid due to away goal.

Aquilani has helped the Reds to lead before the break and dragged the game to extra time before Benayoun added another in the first four minutes of ET. However, Diego Forlan once again scored the crucial goal which knocked Liverpool out of the tournament and left them trophyless in this embarrassing season.

A marvelous achievement.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Pre-Match Analysis: Gameweek 35 (LATE)

Sorry as I wasn't able to post in time this week. Was on serious WAR before that.



Fantasy Predictor
My predictions for games this gameweek.

MNC VS MNU [4-2]
BIR VS HUL [2-1]
BLA VS EVE [0-1]
FUL VS WOL [1-1]
STO VS BOL [1-0]
SUN VS BUR [1-1]
TOT VS CHE [2-3]
WIG VS ARS [1-2]
POR VS AST [0-2]
LIV VS WHU [1-1]
HUL VS AST [2-1]



Fantasy Line-Ups
My recommendations to boost your fantasy scores.

Gw 35's One-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the gameweek.
Ashley Young - £8.5m
Double gamer with steady form.

Gw35's Predicted Stars
Tevez
Lampard
*Dream Team was omitted this week since it has no point due to lateness.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Pre-Match Analysis: Gameweek 34

You now have five more games to improve your season. All the best!



Fantasy Predictor
My predictions for games this gameweek.

HUL VS BUR [2-0]
WHU VS SUN [1-2]
WOL VS STO [1-1]
BLA VS MNU [0-1]
LIV VS FUL [3-0]
MNC VS BIR [2-0]
CHE VS BOL [4-0]
AST VS EVE [2-1]
WIG VS POR [2-1]
TOT VS ARS [3-4]



Fantasy Focus
Analysis of big showdowns this gameweek.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
Prediction: 3-4

London will be full of sparks this weekend as the Gunners travel to White Hart Lane for a pretty decisive battle.

One fight for the summit while the other fight for European dream. Certainly a game worth to be watched for. Unfortunately though, both sides have a lot of injuries.

So, whose dream will come true? I think none of them. I strongly believe Tottenham will finish below of Liverpool (Liverpool on 5th) after the three games against Top 3. They just don't have the quality to defeat a team of higher class. On the other hand, without Fabregas, Arsenal's firepower is reduced by 50%.

But, the Gunners should have no problem eliminating this derby rival. I reckon them the win, and I reckon Nasri to shine.

Oh yea, Van Persie may be back as well. Scout him.

... has actually second the highest points per game - behind of his teammate Fabregas - in this season's fantasy...



Fantasy Line-Ups
My recommendations to boost your fantasy scores.

Gw 34's One-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the gameweek.
Didier Drogba - £12.0m
With Rooney lightspeed recovery, he will have to push harder for the golden boot.



Gw 34's Five-Gamer (Last)
My highly anticipated top pointer of the next five gameweeks.
Didier Drogba - £12.0m
Three home games coming out of last five.



Gw 34's Dream Team
My favourite squad of the gameweek.

Given

Craddock - Zhirkov - G Johnson

Nasri - Nani - N'Zogbia - Malouda

Drogba(C) - Tevez - Torres

Substitutes (in order): Sorensen - Etherington - Huth - Collins

My Captain: Drogba
Other Recommended Captains: Torres
Emergency Captain Strategy: Value

Starting 11 Value: £87.0m
Total Value: £106.7m



Fantasy Times
The latest football news to enrich your day.

UEFA Champions League: NO ENGLAND

After years of domination in the Champions League, Platini's strategy seems to have worked this year - not any single club of England reached the semi-finals of UCL! This is such an irony when compared to two years before where three of the four semi-final slots were occupied by English clubs.

Arsenal's defeat to Barcelona was not a surprise. In fact, their LEAD was. With about 70% of possession even at away, the Spanish giants is just too much for the Gunners. Messi again became the Messiah with four terrific goals, peeling off Arsenal's confidence to the bottom. The England's Barcelona still have much to learn from the pioneer of on ground football.

On the other hand, Ferguson's lost his bet this time as his decision to deploy Rafael costed him a red card, which eventually brought to Manchester United's exit of Champions League. In fact, the manner in which they knocked out can only be described as a shame. They scored two in seven minutes and cushioned a three which was definitely a comfortable lead. But Olic's goal before the half and the harsh booking on Rafael eventually made United unable to roam forward. With such total control, it was not that hard for Robben to strike a wonderful volley and take their team to the next round.

So, it's Barca vs Inter and Bayern vs Lyon on the semis. Can Mourinho make his revenge against Guardiola? Stay tuned for the next round.

Chelsea shouldn't have sold him.

UEFA Europa League: YES ENGLAND

English clubs Fulham and Liverpool continue to shine on the Europa League after both of them qualified for the semi-finals of the competition.

The Reds gave Benfica a big lesson with a 4-1 victory on ground. The most hated Liverpool player by their fans, Lucas Leiva, had earned much positive remarks from the supporters with his brilliant goal in which he dribbled past the keeper before attempting the shot. Besides him, Torres has broken the Anfield record by becoming the first player of the Reds to score a brace on home for four consecutive games. Impressive.

As for Fulham, it was Bobby Zamora's showtime again as he struck in the only goal which secured them the progress to the semis. It is simply a brilliant performance for a small-medium size club like Fulham to go such far in the European competition.

Liverpool vs Athletico Madrid, Fulham vs Hamburg. Hope that both English clubs will meet at the final.

"Now that should shut your bad mouth up!"

Friday, April 2, 2010

Pre-Match Analysis: Gameweek 33

Red hot Chelsea visits Rooney-less United! Can the Reds defend themselves at home?



Fantasy Predictor
My predictions for games this gameweek.

MNU VS CHE [1-2]
ARS VS WOL [2-1]
BOL VS AST [1-2]
POR VS BLA [2-1]
STO VS HUL [2-1]
SUN VS TOT [1-2]
BUR VS MNC [0-2]
BIR VS LIV [0-1]
FUL VS WIG [2-1]
EVE VS WHU [2-0]



Fantasy Focus
Analysis of big showdowns this gameweek.

Manchester United vs Chelsea
Prediction: 1-2

The league conquest between these two giants will be pretty much decided on this Saturday at Old Trafford.

Weeks before Chelsea was looking awful and was expected to have a big disadvantage in the title race; weeks after the tides have completely reversed. A total of 12 goals in just two games had pulled Carlo Ancelotti's side back from people's doubts about their capacity to win any trophy this season.

On the other hand, Manchester United has just lost to Bayern Munich 1-2 during Tuesday's European clash. However, Rooney's injury proved to be a much bigger concern for United fans. He will be staying out of the field for 2-3 weeks and this is such a disaster for Ferguson's side, especially when now is the critical period for them to chase for the titles.

Berbatov will not be a strong replacement for Rooney in such crucial games. He is not tough enough mentally.

On the other hand, on form Malouda is expected to rape the old and slow Gary Neville.

I guess this game is pretty much decided already. No Rooney, no victory. Sorry Manchester United.

If United loses, it'll be a much terrible experience to him for watching his club losing yet unable to do anything...

Birmingham City vs Liverpool
Prediction: 0-1

The jinxed Liverpool will travel to St Andrews aiming to get nothing but three points.

Stamina will be a heavy disadvantage for the away side due to their long distance flight to Portugal for an Europa match-up with Benfica, which ended up with a loss.

Birmingham has already been undefeated for 12 games at home and the last game against Arsenal has further shown the strength of the Blues fighting at St Andrews. However, their defence has been shaky since 2010, which is pretty much contrast from the beginning of the season.

The game will be much closer than you think, and I won't be surprised if Liverpool draws or even loses due to their poor away form. Still, the Reds have an edge in this game and if they can play like how they play against Sunderland, victory will be in their hands.

Will he score a red again?



Fantasy Line-Ups
My recommendations to boost your fantasy scores.

Gw 33's One-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the gameweek.
Carlos Tevez - £9.2m
Yes, it's the same man again!



Gw 33's Five-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the next five gameweeks.
Samir Nasri - £7.9m
No choice for Wenger but to put him as the direct substitute for captain Cesc. He has already shown us what he is capable to.


Gw 33's Dream Team
My favourite squad of the gameweek.

Howard

Baines - Hughes - G Johnson

Nasri - Arteta - Duff - A Young - Malouda

Tevez(C) - Torres

Substitutes (in order): Sorensen - Zamora - Huth - Collins

My Captain: Tevez
Other Recommended Captains: Nasri
Emergency Captain Strategy: Value

Starting 11 Value: £84.5m
Total Value: £103.9m



Fantasy Times
The latest football news to enrich your day.

UEFA Champions League: Their Legs Injured, Our Hearts Shattered

This week's European showdown has pretty much been cruel to English clubs.

Rooney made a fantastic start for United in Allianz Stadium by firing a goal in less than two minutes from the start, only to be reversed by Bayern for the final score of 1-2 and Rooney himself injured seconds before the game ended.

The England's World Cup hope will be out for 2-3 weeks, which is a bad news for Ferguson but quite a relief for Capello.

Arsenal earned an unbelievable draw after being fallen two goals behind with Gallas and Arshavin both subbed out in the first half with injury. However, it was still a nightmare for the Gunners as Fabregas has to be ruled out for the rest of the season due to damaged fibula.

The Spanish captain was already injured during the game but he had no choice but to continue as Wenger had already wasted two substitute quotas for injured players. Cesc's never giving up spirit ultimately inspired his teammate to comeback from two goals behind despite the game was heavily possessed by Barcelona. He was then found to be unable to stand up after equalising through the spot.

His injury is rather unfortunate for the team as that literally means that Arsenal will not get any trophy again this season. Furthermore, he will be in major doubt for World Cup as well.

Two aces lost in one week... Terrible. =(

UEFA Europa League: Zamora the Hero, Babel the Zero

Zamora scored one and made one to give Fulham a 2-1 victory against Wolfsburg.

Meanwhile, Babel was the culprit for Liverpool after being sent off through his irrational action which caused Liverpool to lose 1-2 through two penalties by Benfica.

Will his form continue on this week's league action?

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Pre-Match Analysis: Gameweek 32

A difficult situation for Chelsea - if they lose any points this week, they can say bye bye to EPL trophy and prepare for the next season!



Fantasy Predictor
My predictions for games this gameweek.

BIR VS ARS [1-2]
CHE VS AST [2-1]
HUL VS FUL [0-2]
TOT VS POR [4-0]
WHU VS STO [1-1]
WOL VS EVE [2-3]
BOL VS MNU [0-2]
BUR VS BLA [1-2]
LIV VS SUN [3-1]
MNC VS WIG [3-1]



Fantasy Focus
Analysis of big showdowns this gameweek.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Prediction: 2-1

This clash will be one of Chelsea's largest obstacle to lift the league trophy.

The Blues' form have been very shaky recently with only about 50% of victory rate recently. A 5-0 Portsmouth's thrash does not really convince me, since Pompey is a team where most teams can rip off (except for Hull, of course).

However, the Villans are just as good as the host, if not worse. Despite being remain unbeaten in 2010, the double double league fixtures for Aston Villa had only seen them taking 6 points from 12, in which now they have even less chances than Liverpool claiming the fourth spot, judging by fixtures.

Martin O'Neill's wisdom will be very important in deciding the outcome of the game with Milner most probably absent. The Young-Carew duo will again be the biggest threat to pierce Chelsea's defence, especially when Ivanovic is out for a whole month - we all know how inferior Paulo Ferreira is.

Still, with the offensive quality Chelsea has, I think they will get full advantage of Stamford Bridge and take Aston Villa as their prey before they eventually visit to Old Trafford...

He might not be pretty, but his finishing is classy.



Fantasy Line-Ups
My recommendations to boost your fantasy scores.

Gw 32's One-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the gameweek.
Carlos Tevez - £9.0m
Wigan should not be a tough test for him.



Gw 32's Five-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the next five gameweeks.
Fernando Torres - £11.3m
A highway for him to score points. We all know how much quality he has.


Gw 32's Dream Team
My favourite squad of the gameweek.

Schwarzer

Bale - Hughes - Evra

Kranjcar - Arteta - Fabregas - Duff

Pavlyuchenko - Torres - Tevez(C)

Substitutes (in order): Sorensen - Etherington - Insua - Craddock

My Captain: Tevez
Other Recommended Captains: Torres, Fabregas, Arteta
Emergency Captain Strategy: Value

Starting 11 Value: £82.7m
Total Value: £102.3m



Fantasy Times
The latest football news to enrich your day.

World Cup 2010: England's Calamity

On the verge of South Africa World Cup, Capello now has more and more reasons to headache:
  • David Beckham suffered a big injury which will ruled him out from the pitch for half year,
  • Ashley Cole is still racing with time to get ready for World Cup just in time,
  • Emile Heskey was injured during the game in midweek,
  • James Milner has a sore Achilles which the severity is still unknown,
  • Wayne Rooney, England's biggest hope of getting the World Cup, is limping off the pitch after the game against Liverpool...
More may come, and this is definitely not a good story for Capello...

Hope that Ferguson won't exhaust him... That's impossible though.

FA Cup: Tottenham proceeds

Tottenham defeated Fulham 3-1 to book a place in Wembley for FA Cup semi-finals.

Bobby Zamora opened the scoreline before David Bentley, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Eidur Gudjohnsen completed the comeback victory with one goal each.

Tottenham's next opponent would be Redknapp's former club - the relegating Portsmouth.

He touches the ball and scores again!

The Wild Battle of First and Fourth

Two points separated the first from third - the premier league is still full of excitements till now!

Manchester United is now on the pole officially. With a much better form than Chelsea, they are looking forward to lift the trophy for the fourth time consecutively. They have only left Chelsea (H), Man City (A) and Tottenham (H) of the top seven to fight for, which are obviously much easier than Chelsea's.

The Blues will still need to face Aston Villa (H), Man Utd (A), Tottenham (A) and Liverpool (A) which are on the top half of the table. With three away games out of these four, they are having a big disadvantage compared to the other two. A draw or defeat out from Old Trafford will basically mean that their race is over.

Whereas for the Arsenal who will only need to fight Tottenham (A) and Man City (H), their title hope was quite bright before until Vermaelen was suspended last week. The way where Arsenal endure the three games without him will pretty much decide their fate.

As for the race for fourth, Aston Villa is on the verge of being the first to be knocked out. The game this weekend will decide whether they can stay on track or try again next year.

Liverpool are four points behind Tottenham who played one match less than them. However, the gap might be eventually cancelled with Tottenham's back to back challenge against the top three.
The Reds' fate will be pretty much concluded on the clash with Chelsea, with the prerequisite of getting at least 13 points out of 15 before that.

Meanwhile, Manchester City will have four continuous tough games from April to May - Man Utd (H), Arsenal (A), Aston Villa (H) and Tottenham (H). Despite the toughness of fixtures, three games on home means that they still hold some advantage against their rivals.

How exciting this season has became!

Who will be the hero?

Friday, March 19, 2010

Pre-Match Analysis: Gameweek 31

15 games this week! The most breath taking fantasy weekend which will very much decide how far you will go this season!



Fantasy Predictor
My predictions for games this gameweek.

AST VS WOL [3-0]
EVE VS BOL [4-0]
POR VS HUL [2-1]
STO VS TOT [0-0]
SUN VS BIR [1-1]
WIG VS BUR [1-0]
ARS VS WHU [3-1]
MNU VS LIV [2-3]
FUL VS MNC [0-1]
BLA VS CHE [1-2]
WHU VS WOL [2-0]
AST VS SUN [2-0]
MNC VS EVE [2-2]
POR VS CHE [1-3]
BLA VS BIR [2-1]



Fantasy Focus
Analysis of big showdowns this gameweek.

Manchester United vs Liverpool
Prediction: 2-3

The hottest derby in the world is going to run again this weekend with the title contenders Manchester United the host this time.

Manchester United's form has always been on a red hot run throughout the season, which contrasts Rafa's army's shaky form a lot.

At so, why still predict the Merseysider Reds to shine?

Well, just as my last prediction of Manchester United-Liverpool encounter, spirit takes a big factor in such derbies. Liverpool is now starring as the biggest sentinel of all time, not only protecting their status as the usual top four of the year, but also as the most top flight league title holders of 18 times. These ambitions, when compared to Manchester United ones, can really ignite drive Liverpool much stronger than their biggest derby rivals.

The best thing about this game is the Rooney-Torres encounter which can really decide the whole outcome of the game. Rooney is a so complete striker who virtually play in any position upfront. However, he'll have problem getting past Javier Mascherano-the defensive beast, and jumping higher than Sotirios Kyrgiakos to perform his most accurate heading ever, unless Berbatov is performing at his best to draw the attention of Liverpool's defence.

Meanwhile, Torres is proven to be much superior against Vidic-Ferdinand duo, and unless they both performed at their very best, I don't think they can stop him. The Spanish star had already scored four in his last two games, which will give a big sign of fear to Sir Alex Ferguson. Not to be forgotten there's also Gerrard on his back - the deadly duo which had given the Red Devils much trauma during their last several encounters.

With nothing to lose, Liverpool will be much more determined and hence, as a Liverpool and Torres supporter I stand on their side this time. Let's enjoy this game and hope both Rooney and Torres will give us a lot of goals in our fantasy teams.

Hope that he won't become the culprit again...

Manchester City vs Everton
Prediction: 2-2

Champions League chaser Manchester City will host Everton on the replacement fixture taking place next midweek.

The Eastlanders are in a fluctuating form, with only two games won on their last five, while the Merseysiders are on a fine run of form after bouncing back from their early season misery.

I believe both sides will be even-stevens, with plenty of goals coming. Arteta is a must pick for me, while the likes like Carlos Tevez, Adam Johnson and Steven Pienaar are good addition to your squads as well.

So can Manchester City continue to push up to realise their top four aspirations? It's still a big riddle now but we all know that the outcome of this game may really much change their destiny...

Another couple of good displays and he should be on the way to South Africa.



Fantasy Line-Ups
My recommendations to boost your fantasy scores.

Gw 31's One-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the gameweek.
James Milner - £8.4m
With two games on home, I think he will score more than Drogba who's two games away.


Gw 31's Five-Gamer
My highly anticipated top pointer of the next five gameweeks.
Carlos Tevez - £8.9m
Some moderate to easy fixtures coming after this gameweek double.


Gw 31's Dream Team
My favourite squad of the gameweek.

Howard

Baines - Ivanovic - Collins

Milner(C) - Arteta - Malouda - A Young

Tevez - Drogba - Bendtner

Substitutes (in order): Sorensen - A Johnson - Scharner - Upson

My Captain: Milner
Other Recommended Captains: Drogba
Emergency Captain Strategy: Value

Starting 11 Value: £82.4m
Total Value: £103.0m



Fantasy Times
The latest football news to enrich your day.

Champions League: Mourinho's Revenge

Jose Mourinho has made a sweet revenge on Roman Abramovich as his side had won Chelsea 1-0 on Stamford Bridge to make it 3-1 in aggregate.

Samuel Eto'o scored the only goal of the match to make sure Inter proceeds to the last eight round of Champions League.

The outcome might be cause Chelsea to collapse, so beware when buying their players.

On the same round we also saw Barcelona easily scored four to take a step further than VfB Stuttgart.

"I should've still been the manager of Chelsea!"

Europa Cup: English Clubs Are Tough

Liverpool and Fulham prove that they are not an easy pie as they punished Lille and Juventus respectively to qualify for the round of last eight of Europa Cup.

Two goals from El Nino and another from Gerrard had saw the Reds recovered from their one goal deficit last week - and also gave Manchester United a big warning. Meanwhile, Fulham's reversal was much more dramatic with Trezeguet scored first to record a 4-1 aggregate for the Italian giants before the Cottagers eventually returned them four goals to win the round of 16.

You simply can't underestimate clubs from the most popular football league in the world...

Our missing on form Torres is back!