The rule I guess for Chelski Chelsea is:

Runner up in Carling Cup + runner up in FA Community Shield + runner up in Premier League + runner up in Champions League + humiliation against Barnsley =

BYE BYE AVRAM!!!!!!!!!

Manchester United

The Red Devils have had a great run in their first final since 1999 (the treble season). They have outscored their opponents 19-5, and just 1 goal was conceded in the knockout stage. Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney will be the forwards today and they will have to find a way to get past Petr Cech. Both have scored against Chelsea this season, with Tevez getting his first ever Man Utd goal at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo, player of the year, one of the best in the game, need I say more? He leads all scorers in the Champions League with 7 goals, and we know what he can do to set up his teammates, or bend in a free kick from 30 yards away.

The midfield has been strong for the most part for United, Paul Scholes scored the winner for them against Barcelona to send them to the final, Ryan Giggs is going to surpass Bobby Charlton's club record for caps, and Michael Carrick....well I said most part right?

United's defense has been brilliant in this Champions League run, as mentioned, they've conceded just 5 goals in 14 matches. The goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar has been inconsistent at times, and he will have an important role in his first ever final.

Chelsea

Well, it hasn't been as pretty but they are in! Things were quite bumpy after a 1-1 draw with Norwegian minnows Rosenborg at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho resigned and things were in peril for the club. They had to rally to beat Valencia away 2-1. Although they won their group rather easily, their goal scoring form was poor, just 9 goals and even 2 scoreless draws.

However, they blew past Olympianakos, survived a massive scare from Fenerbahce, and that set up another round of Chelsea vs. Liverpool. They were essentially saved from elimination all because of John Arne Riise's own goal in stoppage time at Anfield, as that got them an away goal and a draw heading back to Stamford Bridge. Frank Lampard, who lost his mother just 1 week before, stepped up and scored the go-ahead penalty in extra time with the score tied 1-1 in an emotional moment for the midfielder. They led 2-1, Didier Drogba scored to make it 3-1 and they held on to win 3-2 and 4-3 on aggregate.

For Chelsea to win this game, they need strong attacking play. Drogba has been in less than stellar form, Nicolas Anelka has been just about useless since being transferred from Bolton, and Andriy Schevchenko is just about the worst signing for the Blues this decade. They are in need of more chances to be created to frustrate Van Der Sar and company.

Michael Ballack has been much improved, the midfield seems to be dragging the Blues out of the dumpster, with Lampard and the German international leading the way. They will be very dangerous, especially when given an opportunity near the penalty area to smack in a free kick.

John Terry was injured 10 days ago against Bolton and that will be a major affect on this game, he will play, but whether or not he is healthy is the key. Petr Cech is considered by many to be one of the top goalkeepers in the world, and I find it hard to disagree.

Prediction

It's going to be a tough one, a close game that will be dominated by defense, but I see Manchester United earning a cup double. We may even need extra time to decide this.

Man United 2 (Ronaldo 25, Tevez 103) Chelsea 1 (Lampard 33) (A.E.T)

For those in England, enjoy David Pleat butchering the names of Drogba and Beletti.:)

Manchester United hang on to beat Barcelona 1-0 on aggregate after a tremendous goal by Paul Scholes, while Chelsea win in extra time 3-2 and 4-3 on aggregate.

It was an emotional moment as Frank Lampard scored the go-ahead goal on a penalty kick, just days after the death of his mother. After he scored he went to the corner flag and sunk to his knees with tears of joy as the Blues were only one step away from the final. Didier Drogba took care of that, as he scored his 2nd goal to make it 3-1 in the game, and 4-2 on aggregate. Ryan Babel had his shot deflected in for the Reds but it was too late. Another day, another Chelsea opponent ousted at Stamford Bridge.

It's still possible for both teams to earn a Cup double, as they are currently tied for first place (the Red Devils have a massive goal difference though, so they hold the tiebreaker) with 81 points and just 2 games to go. A loss for either team essentially means doom for them. United face West Ham tomorrow at Old Trafford, a team they have lost to 3 straight times, while Chelsea face Newcastle on Monday at St. James' Park.

The final will be held on May 21st.

I love the shock of the announcer (Clive Tyldesley), brilliant stuff.

FM Note: Won't post anything until Monday on a mini vacation.

Portsmouth vs. Cardiff City in the FA Cup Final

Both Cardiff and Portsmouth won in er....very boring 1-0 games over Barnsley and West Brom respectively, and Portsmouth's win confirms the Premier League will have one team in the FA Cup Final again. I certainly never envisioned either team making it past the quarterfinals but here they are and have pulled off miraculous runs. It's good every once in a while that we don't have the likes of Liverpool or Chelsea of the Premiership coast their way to Wembley.

Champions League Final 4

Manchester United will face Barcelona after hammering AS Roma 3-0 (2-0, 1-0), in their quest for a Cup Double. Barcelona are looking for something to raise their heads about as their La Liga chances are all but dashed.

Liverpool vs. Chelsea blah blah blah...I'm sick of seeing that series.

Arsenal/Liverpool 1-1

Before the classic encounter at Anfield in which the Reds won 4-2 on Tuesday, Arsenal could not put away Liverpool twice at the Emirates and suffered 1-1 draws. Arsene Wenger can pretty much kiss any trophy goodbye with a loss or even a draw this weekend at Old Trafford.

Canada's Women's Team Qualifies For Olympics

A first in Canadian football as the ladies qualify for their first ever Olympics after a 1-0 over Mexico, the team that knocked them out during qualification in 2004. They will join the USA, who as you know, steamrolls through everyone in CONCACAF. The men had a chance to qualify as well but they lost to the U.S in the semifinal 3-0.

Omul care si-a dat autogol in prima repriza Deivid.

Sa incepem!:)
In opinia mea pentru a te numi suporter nu trebuie sa te duci pe stadion, sa tipi ca disperatul, sa injuri sau sa scumpi seminte. A fi suporter inseamna o pasiune (netrecatoare), un hobby, o dragoste cum sunt putine in viata. A fi suporter in opinia mea inseamna devotament ( nu de genul celor care astazi tin cu Steaua, maine cu Dinamo). Inseamna acel devotament de a aplauda la 8-0 pentru adversari, de a plange in hohot cand echipa ta favorita a luat gol in minutul '90 si a fost eliminata din semifinalele Uefa Champions League. De a avea forta sa crezi la 3-0 pentru adversari, ca totusi echipa ta poate invinge.

Gesturi ca mersul la stadion si aruncatul cu bricheta, scaune, etc, nu definesc un suporter, ci pur si simplu acest comportament defineste un huligan, un vandal. Pe stadion trebuie sa respecti aceleasi reguli ca pe strada, exista aceleasi legi. In Rusia, huliganismul se pedepseste cu inchisoarea ( si cu totii am auzit de inchisorile rusesti). Injuratul echipei proprii, sau a adversarilor nu definesc termenul de suporter. Te duci la stadion sa vezi un spectacol, nu sa injuri oamenii care isi fac treaba, sau sa scuipi, sa te bati. Un meci de fotbal este un spectacol, unde toate lumea plateste si are aceleasi drepturi.

Suporter inseamna sa iesi pe strada dupa ce echipa ta a fost invinsa, cu fularul cu insemnele echipei, si sa discuti cu oamenii care tin cu alte echipe, sa analizezi, sa tragi concluzi si in final sa arati tuturor ca aceea este echipa ta, buna, proasta, cum este ea. Tu nu tii cu un club pentru un presedinte, sau pentru antrenor, sau mai stiu eu ce jucator ( cum fac fetele spre ex. ). Tu tii cu acel club pentru ca reprezinta o pasiune, ca ai auzit tu cand erai mic ca sunt buni, sau ca au batut pe nu stiu cine, sau ca au fost batuti de nu stiu cine si ai simpatizat cu ei. Un club reprezinta o traditie ( traditie nu inseamna numai sa castigi trofee), un mod de viata, un mod de exprimare a fotbalului, un stil. Ajax vinde jucatori, Real Madrid a aruncat intotdeauna cu bani, Petrolul Baicoi e o echipa cu istorie in divizia C, asta defineste un stil, un mod de viata, o pasiune.

Acestea fiind spuse: pasiunile mele sunt AC Milan, (a fost o vreme Dinamo, dar nu pot sa zic ca sunt suporter in Romania, pentru ca imi schimb preferintele de la o zi la alta din cauza mizerilor din acest campionat), Newcastle United, FC Porto si Fenerbahce Instanbul.
Prietenii mei pot sa confirme faptul ca eu am fost printre singurii care au crezut ca Fenerbahce poate sa bata Chelsea ( am crezut din punctul de vedere al unui suporter, al unei persoane careia ii place fotbalul si careia ii place sa creada ca stie cate ceva despre acest fenomen) si dupa cum tocmai s-a vazut scorul a fost 2-1. Asa cred in fiecare meci, in fiecare dintre echipele cu care tin. Dar nu injur adversarii pe care echipele mele favorite le au, nu bat alti oameni care nu tin cu ele, etc. O sa spuneti bine, bine dar in Romania nu prea sunt asa pasiuni pentru formatiile din exterior. Ei bine va inselati amarnic, majoritatea tinerilor de varsta mea tin cel putin cu o echipa din Italia, Spania, Anglia. Man Utd, Real Madrid au fani peste tot in lume, fani care platesc din greu pentru diferite suveniruri cu echipele favorite. Fani care probabil ca nu omoara alti fani, doar ca sa se numeasca Ultras.

Acestea fiind zise vreau sa multumesc pentru rabdarea care ati avut-o de a citi acest articol lung si sa invit sa raspundeti la intrebarea din titlul printr-un coment:)

Manchester United: Slow start to the season, all of their wins were either 1-0 or 2-0. Now they can't stop scoring goals with Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney healthy. They are 2nd in the Premier League, 2 points behind Arsenal, and have a 3-0-0 record in the Champions League, including a 4-2 thrashing of Dynamo Kiev.

So you've heard about the good, but what about the other two teams? Read more after the jump.

Liverpool: I don't know where to start with them. They had a great start to the Premier League season, but  they went from 1st to 4th, and coming off a 2-1 over Everton in a controversial Merseyside Derby, in which they were lucky that penalty wasn't called late in the game to make it 2-2. The scoring for the Reds has dropped after a 6-0 thrashing over Derby County. In their last 9 competitive games,  they've scored 10 goals, with 4 coming against Reading in the Carling Cup (Reading was the same team that let Portsmouth score 7). Liverpool are now winless in the UEFA CL (0 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses), including a 2-1 loss to minnows Besiktas. With Arsenal next in the Premier League, things could turn ugly.

Tottenham: We could very well be talking about Spurs in the Championship. They are 3rd from bottom in the Premiership, and now have lost 2-1 in the UEFA Cup to Spanish club Getafe. They are winless in 7 Premiership games, and after long talks about manager Martin Jol's job, he has been sacked. Awful if you're a fan of Tottenham, and now they are in a sinking ship.

 That's all for now, and starting next week, we'll have new pages for La Liga, Serie A,  and Premier League standings, MLS playoff scores.

Celtic are in Group D with defending UEFA Champions League winners AC Milan, Portugese powerhouse Benfica, and Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, have won one and lost one. That win however was a 2-1 stunner against AC Milan, in which the fans were a little too happy (and Dida for Milan was a little too dramatic).

As things come to a close for the first set of group games for the respective clubs, they are on pace to advance to the round of 16.

To be fair, they were without Frank Lampard and Didier "Swan Dive" Drogba. But, it's a Norwegian team! The worst part, this game only drew 24,579. They draw almost 2 times that amount.

This weekend is make or break for the Blues, they've got Manchester United this Sunday, and they have conceded first in almost all of their Premier League games.  Watch out Mourinho, you're season is young, but it's looking bleak already.

FC Porto

Liverpool (Runners-up)

Marseille

Group B
Chelsea (Semi-finalist)

Rosenborg

Schalke 04

Valencia

Group C
Lazio

Olympiakos

Real Madrid

Werder Bremen

Group D
AC Milan (Champions)

Benfica

Celtic

Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E
Barcelona

Lyon

Rangers

VfB Stuttgart

Group F ( My Group of Death)
Dynamo Kiev

Manchester United (Semi-finalist)
A.S. Roma (Got pasted 7-1 by team above)

Sporting Lisbon

Group G
CSKA Moscow

Fenerbahce

Inter Milan

PSV Eindhoven

Group H
AEK Athens or Sevilla

Arsenal

Slavia Prague

Steaua Bucuresti

So as you can see, it looks like Arsenal have it made in their group. But Arsenal are the most unpredictable team in the Premier League and Europe, let's see what happens come 2008.

Match: Liverpool vs. Chelscum (UEFA CL Semifinal 2nd Leg)
ESPN Commentary: Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth.