FA Cup & Premier League action this weekend NEWS
There's a busy weekend of football action ahead with the two FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley plus a number of vital Premier League games with relegation implications.
The FA Cup will of course take centre stage this weekend with the two semi-finals, wrongly in my opinion, taking place at Wembley. The first game on Saturday between Millwall and Wigan will be a fantastic affair for the two clubs, neither of whom would have realistically expected to be there.
Wigan have failed to sell their full ticket allocation of 31,000 amply demonstrating one of the reasons why Wembley is unsuitable for the semis. Wigan's average home crowd is just 19,000 and with the costs of travel, the inability of fans to travel by rail due to the timetable, expensive London accommodation costs at a time of economic austerity, particularly in the North, its easy to see why the club still has 10,000 tickets remaining.
Had the FA used stadia such as Old Trafford, Villa Park or St. James' Park for the semi-finals it would not only retain the air of uniqueness associated with a Wembley final, but it would also, in an age where many of the Premier league's top clubs are situated outside London, recognise the fans and their needs. With clubs in London and the South venues such as Stamford Bridge or the Emirates would be perfectly acceptable for Cup semi-finals.
FA wake up and stop putting money before everything else. Their plan has spectacularly backfired this year as there are likely to be at least 14,000 empty seats at the Wigan v Millwall game. This is unlikely to make for a special atmosphere at a Cup semi-final and will look terrible on TV with millions of fans worldwide watching the game.
The second semi-final on Sunday sees the comparative giants of Chelsea and Man City competing in the other semi-final. At least Wembley should be full on that occasion and a great game is a real possibility with some of the world's best players on display.
Shifting to the Premier League there are fewer fixtures this weekend due to the Cup semi-finals but what ties are left look enticing. Putting aside the Manchester derby from Monday results from last weekend may have hardened perceptions but still, nothing is settled, meaning there is still lots to play for.
Reading's seventh successive defeat at the hands of Southampton reiterated the growing feelings that the Royals will be playing Championship football next season, whilst the Saints have done enough to guarantee at least one more year in the top flight. In truth, Southampton have shown themselves to be a much better team than either QPR or Reading, the two teams promoted with them last season, and they would probably have survived had they retained Nigel Adkins as manager.
Aston Villa are another team whose prospects appear much brighter after they beat Stoke 3-1 at the Britannia last weekend, the highlight of the match being a wonderful volleyed strike from defender Matthew Lowton, his second of the season. Villa have an exciting young squad packed with home-grown English talent, supplemented by quality foreigners such as Benteke, Weimann and Vlaar. Should they stay up, and they are now fancied to do so, they could be a team to watch next season.
In terms of goals of the week the only real competition to Lowton's strike was that of QPR's Loic Remy, who earned Rangers a well-deserved point against fellow strugglers Wigan, despite them having to battle for much of the game with 10 men. QPR battled heroically but the stark reality for Harry Redknapp's men is that they needed all three points.
Stoke's loss to Villa and Sunderland's 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge has drawn both those clubs more deeply into the relegation mire. Neither club has only won more than once in their last 10 games and they are now 3 and 2 points respectively above the relegation zone. With Villa improving and Wigan proving themselves adept at late season recoveries there's the distinct possibility that one of these two could go down, along with QPR and Reading who simply seem to have too much to do.
At the top end of the table Man City did what they had to at Old Trafford and demonstrated fantastic spirit in beating Utd 2-1. The result may not change the ultimate destiny of the title but it should give City a lift for next season when, with the addition of some new blood no doubt, they'll be challenging again. Utd should still seal the championship before the month is out.
In the battle for Champions league places Arsenal have closed on Spurs to the extent that should they win their game in hand they will move into fourth spot. The Gunners are in good form and have a real chance of nudging Chelsea out of third place. Spurs, who could only manage a 2-2 draw with Everton without talisman Gareth Bale, must now fear being pushed into the Europa League, although Everton are still in the hunt themselves.
This mini-league, just below the top two, is as absorbing as the fight for survival at the foot of the table. Arsenal may be the form team but they have games against Everton, Man Utd as well as Fulham away to come, whilst Spurs face Man City and Chelsea in their run-in. Chelsea have perhaps the toughest remaining schedule with Spurs, Man Utd, Everton, Swansea and Liverpool as well as the FA Cup and Europa League semi-finals to contest. In fact with Spurs' recent travails it may actually be Chelsea's extra commitments that help Spurs achieve Champions League qualification. Everton's run-in is slightly easier with games against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal to look forward to.
I think Everton will be the unlucky team in all of this but in terms of who will take third and fourth its almost impossible to say. Liverpool, in this writer's opinion, are not now in with a shout of a place in Europe and should start looking to the problem of keeping Luis Suarez at Anfield whilst preparing for a top four challenge next season. If they are to make a serious bid next year they'll certainly need at least a couple of new players to bring their squad up to the quality of those of the teams above them.
As well as what's been happening on the field the Premier League made a major announcement this week regarding the introduction of goal line technology. After years of debate surrounding the issue the FIFA finally gave their blessing last year and now the Premier League have given the go-ahead for the technology to be introduced next season and the FA will ensure Wembley is appropriately equipped in time for August's Community Shield.
Whilst we can bemoan the delay in finally agreeing that such technology is necessary the authorities should be applauded for ignoring the still-present voices of dissent. Too many important games have seen mistakes by officials, albeit understandable, with other sports embracing high-tech equipment to assist in making crucial decisions. Think Frank Lampard against Germany and think Ukraine versus England at last year's Euro championships.
Hawk-Eye, who already provide technological assistance in cricket and tennis, have won the contract to install the cameras at all 20 of next season's Premier League grounds, as well as Wembley. Sods law now dictates that the technology will not called upon next season, and the debate will rage on as to whether this is the beginning of the end of the ultimate power of the referee.
Critics have long argued that the purity of the game would be diluted by the introduction of technology and that any equipment that can't be used on the proverbial 'Hackney marshes' shouldn't be used at the highest level. This fails to understand that other sports have managed quite well with the introduction of similar technology and that different competitive levels demand different officiating.
I say give it a go - we can always switch the cameras off if they are proven to be unnecessary.
Meanwhile back to the action and this weekend's games: -
Saturday 13 April
Arsenal v Norwich - 3pm ko at the Emirates. Norwich are another club trapped in an awful run of results (one win in ten) who could conceivably to in danger of relegation, although a lot of results would have to go against them for that to happen. Arsenal are flying high with victories in their last three games and they are heavily favoured to make life even more uncomfortable for Chris Hughton's team. To make things even more difficult for the Canaries both England midfielder Jack Wilshere and top scorer Theo Walcott are fit again and available for selection. The rumour mill is suggesting that Arsene Wenger will be allowed and is willing to spend bigger than is usual at Arsenal in the Summer. That will depend upon qualifying for the Champions League though, and to do that they need to win here. Norwich beat the Gunners in the first meeting of the teams and that result will be reversed here.
Aston Villa v Fulham - 3pm ko at Villa Park. Villa showed last week that when they remember to defend properly they can be a handful for anyone given the attacking quality they possess. Top scorer Christian Benteke is just one goal away from the 20-goal milestone and in recent weeks he's been more than ably supported by Gabby Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann. Fulham performed much better than perhaps expected in a narrow defeat at Newcastle, who scored very late to take the points. Fulham's top scorer, Dimitar Berbatov, had a couple of good chances but just couldn't convert and, as always, he'll be the main threat to Villa. It's a bit of blow to the Cottagers that Ashkan Dejagah is out for the season as he had been in impressive form. Fulham appear to be a growing force away from Craven Cottage under the stewardship of Martin Jol but Villa are in a real purple patch and, importantly, they need the win more. I can see Villa winning by a couple of goals, although Fulham will still create chances.
Everton v QPR - 3pm ko at Goodison Park. Whilst QPR will battle until the very end Everton should view this match as a perfect opportunity to maintain the pressure on Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea, putting themselves in the ideal position to take advantage of any slip-up. Everton may consider themselves unfortunate not to have taken all three points at Spurs last week, but in the circumstances a point was valuable. David Moyes will welcome back key man Marouane Fellaini as well as Steven Pienaar, whilst QPR will have to do without suspended Bobby Zamora, further stretching Harry's options up front. Many pundits have already written Rangers off as relegation fodder and with only four wins all season its hard to see them now racking up the necessary victories, whilst teams around them are finding some form. Everton to win, albeit Rangers will be competitive.
Reading v Liverpool - 3pm ko at the Madejski Stadium. It's a testament to the improvement Liverpool have made under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers that in contrast to recent times they travel to Reading confident of victory. It's a shame that they made such a slow start to the season as recently they have been very effective. In fact in the last 10 games only Man Utd, Man City and Arsenal have secured more points than the 18 Liverpool have managed, Spurs also managing 18. If the Reds are able to take this form into next season they will be challenging for Champions League football once more. With Reading having to win they'll be more attacking than usual which will allow Liverpool to use their counter-attacking game. New signing Coutinho has developed a genuine understanding with Luis Suarez and looks a real bargain. The Reds to win comfortably.
Southampton v West Ham - 3pm ko at St. Mary's Stadium. Southampton played very well in beating a dispirited Reading last week and they now appear to be safe from the threat of relegation. West Ham on the other hand were depressingly negative at Anfield where they managed to strangle Liverpool's ambition in earning a 0-0 draw. The Hammers may be more adventurous this week against opposition more akin to their standard but they are not a good team away and Southampton are full of confidence, although they could be without key players Jay Rodriguez and Jason Puncheon who are both ill with a virus. West ham can recall striker Andy Carroll who scored a couple of cracking goals in his last match and he's the best bet for another Hammers victory. I feel Southampton are in the groove, playing some lovely football and will beat West Ham.
FA Cup semi-final
Millwall v Wigan - 5.15pm ko at Wembley. Although the first FA Cup semi-final may appear on the surface to be a battle of two lesser clubs Wigan are an effective Premier league outfit whilst Millwall were last in the FA cup final only nine years ago, losing the 2004 final 3-0 to Man Utd. As Utd qualified for the Champions League Millwall competed in the following season's UEFA Cup and a similar fate likely awaits the winner of this game given that Chelsea and Man City, who compete in the other semi-final, are almost certain of Champions League qualification. In one respect then, this game is already a final. It's a shame that Wigan's fans will be outnumbered but the game should still be a huge occasion for both clubs.
Sunday 14 April
Newcastle v Sunderland - 12pm ko at St. James' Park. This particular North-East derby has added spice with both teams still in relegation peril. Sunderland reacted well to new manager Paulo di Canio last week, although they still ran out 2-1 losers at Chelsea, whilst Newcastle celebrated like Cup final winners at the end of their 1-0 defeat of Fulham, thanks to Cisse's late strike. Whilst the Magpies are in 13th position the bald fact is a defeat here still leaves them only five points above Wigan in 18th and the Latics will have two games in hand. The form book shows Newcastle either win or lose (five wins and five defeats in their last 10 games) so this game should produce a result. Newcastle's defeat to Benfica, whilst obviously disappointing, could be for the best allowing them to focus on Premier League survival. Although Sunderland responded positively to di Canio at Chelsea I can't see them turning over Newcastle, who have just that bit more quality
Stoke v Man Utd - 2.05pm ko at the Britannia Stadium. The 606 phone-in on Radio5Live last week featured some doom laden Stoke fans who seemed certain that their team are all but relegated. Whilst the truth of the matter is somewhat less depressing Stoke are certainly in for a fight for the rest of the season if they are to stay up. After this game they face fellow cellar-dwellers QPR, Norwich and Sunderland, all of whom will be scrapping like mad to stay up. The myth of fortress Britannia has also been smashed recently, so a visit to Stoke is no longer as daunting. On the plus side for the Potters Man Utd also lost last week, for the first time in some months, but as we all know they are still on course for a record 20th top-flight league championship. Utd will be strengthened by the return of Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and even perhaps Paul Scholes, although Ashley Young is out with an ankle knock. Its hard to see Stoke getting a result here, even if they will fight for every ball and contest every tackle. Utd are not a team to be intimidated and physically they are more than able to handle the rough stuff. Utd by a couple of goals methinks.
FA Cup semi-final
Chelsea v Man City - 4pm ko at Wembley. Probably the best game of the weekend is fittingly the second FA Cup semi-final at Wembley featuring two of the country's best teams, the reigning Premier League champions versus the reigning European champions. City will be endeavouring to win their third trophy in as many years after 30+ years of winning nothing, whilst Chelsea have just qualified for the Europa League semi-finals and are therefore still in the hunt for two trophies. City played very well at Old Trafford last week and the form of Argentine strikers Aguero and Tevez bodes well should Roberto Mancini decide to deploy them together. Chelsea, who face Spurs' conquerors Basel in the Europa league semi-final, also face a selection dilemma regarding their strikers. Fernando Torres scored again against Rubin Kazan and Benitez must decide whether to start with him, Demba Ba or even perhaps both, although that is unlikely. City could be without midfielder David Silva who picked up a hamstring pull in the Utd game - he'll be assessed before kick off. With the long trip to Moscow there is a chance that Chelsea may be fatigued and this is just one reason why I favour City, who have already beaten Chelsea twice this season, to win this and the Cup itself.
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