Blackburn - Fulham

Rovers survived a hell in Manchester in last round (City, 1-1) and now have a chance for 3 points. In first four rounds they collected only 4 points, but seems their performance are better that results. Both defeats came after good displays (1-2 away to Birmingham after 1-0 lead and Arsenal 1-2, at home). Their style remains the same, long-balls and bullying attitude which made a great home record. Only 5 defeats in last 32 home games under Sam Allardyce! Big boost should be a return of skipper Ryan Nelsen in the center of defense, while right-back Michel Salgado is in doubt after thigh injury against Man City. Blackburn won 4 and drew 1 of last 5 against Fulham at Ewood Park.

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Mark Hughes at his new job still hasn’t felt a taste of defeat with one win and 3 draws. However, Fulham are poor travelers through the seasons. In previous one, they made terrible record of just one win (and 7 draws) of 19 games! In comparison with that season, they lost excellent Chris Smalling (Man Utd), another key defender Konchesky (L’pool) and of course boss Hodgson, but biggest loss is Zamora who broke the leg vs. Wolves (predicted absence is 5 months). I don’t expect too much from them this season and see Fulham lower than last season’s 12th position. Hughes has lots of problems with injured players. Defenders, Halliche and Stoor, have injuries and are in doubt, while absence of Andrew Johnson limits the options in attack. Fulham haven’t won a league game on the road since August 2009 (20 games) and didn’t score in last 11!

 

My only concern here is Blackburn’s attacking potential and am taking -0.25 instead clear win. Despite recent goals, I’m not so impressed with young duo, Kalinic and Diouf. And most of the team goals come after set-pieces. However, I expect a home win with a clean sheet. 1-0, or 2-0.

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Bet: Blackburn -0.25
Odd: 1.77  bet365
Stake: 9/10

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EL thoughts

Fulham should be favorite in the first fixture. Zamora isn’t fit, but will play. Great home record in Europe, one draw (Shakthar) and all other wins. This is the most important game in their lives.
Hamburger sacked Labadia, players definitely feel better. Decent German team with some very good players, Petric, Berg, Jansen, ZeRoberto, van Nistelroy.
The problem is final game is in Hamburg. Last season old farts from FIFA and UEFA were saying the interest of football is Barcelona to play in CL final (???!!!). So, this season interest of football (read: tv rights, advertising, bigger attendance, lack of Englishmen in town…) could be Hamburg to play at home. So would like to see Fulham in the final, but my vote goes for German side.

Liverpool - Atletico M. To be honest, have no idea about this one. Liverpool should progress, all season is in this game. But it could be the end of one (Rafa’s) era as well. Vote for Liverpool.

No bets, I’ve been just wasting my money lately.

P.s.: It was offside, right?

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Liverpool – Fulham

Nothing much to say about Reds. Gerrard and Torres have improved their form, Rafa realized it’s better to play more attacking and that started to produce really good results. They’ve noticed 9 competitive wins in a row at Anfield, last four with 3 goals margin. They still have a chance for 4th place and will hardly drop any point till the end. Torres is fit, Babel returned to contention. Liverpool have scored in their last 27 home Premier League matches.

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Fulham made a first class surprise qualifying for EL semi-final. Hodgson said Europe will have priority over Premier. Well, it’s not like I believe what managers talking (especially Hodgson), but they’re safe in Premier and it looks like a natural thing. They’re going to rest some players. Zamora won’t play (although it still hasn’t been confirmed). Maybe few others. If we add their terrible record on the road (15 matches without an away win in the league) and the fact Anfield Road is not a happy place for them (haven’t won in 28 attempts), I think surprise will hardly happen. 

Home win with few goals margin. Bet is Liverpool -1.75, odds around 2.00.

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Europa League - Reports

Liverpool 4 - 1 Benfica (agg 5 - 3)

Fernando Torres scored twice to help Liverpool overpower Benfica at Anfield and set up an Europa League semi-final clash with Atletico Madrid.
The Reds levelled the tie on aggregate when Dirk Kuyt met Steven Gerrard's corner and his header was allowed to stand after initially being ruled out. 
Lucas ran clear to make it 2-0 before Torres added a third on the break. 
Oscar Cardozo's drilled free-kick gave Benfica hope but Torres made sure of victory late on with a cool finish. 
The Spanish striker can look forward to returning to his former club Atletico in the last four after keeping alive Liverpool's last hope of silverware this season but, in the meantime, his side will resume their bid to secure fourth place in the Premier League with added confidence after an impressive display. 
Torres's eventual contribution more than justified Rafael Benitez's decision to replace him during Sunday's 1-1 draw with Birmingham to rest a knee injury, but initially he appeared to be struggling against the Portuguese champions and was in some discomfort.
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Wolfsburg 0 - 1 Fulham (agg 1 - 3)

Fulham produced a superb second-leg display to beat German champions Wolfsburg and seal their place in the Europa League semi-finals.
The Cottagers took 21 seconds to make amends for Wolfsburg's late goal in the first leg as Bobby Zamora neatly turned Jan Simunek and slotted his side ahead. 
Grafite saw a shot blocked on the line as the home side pressed late on but Fulham held out for a deserved win. 
They now face Hamburg in what is their first ever European semi-final. 
The success continues a sensational second European campaign for Fulham, who had eliminated defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk and favourites Juventus in the previous two rounds.
It is a fitting reward for an extremely determined and intelligent performance from the London side, who struck with their first attack and then frustrated their talented opponents. 
Wolfsburg came into the game full of confidence following Alexander Madlung's late header in the first leg, which had given them a priceless away goal and a strong foothold in the tie. 
Fulham were punished for a poor final 10 minutes at Craven Cottage last Thursday but it took them all of 21 seconds in the Volkswagen Arena to rectify the previous week's last-ditch lapse in concentration as Zamora gave them the lead straight from the kick-off. 
The in-form striker, who passed a fitness test before the game on an Achilles injury, collected a pass inside the area from fellow forward Zoltan Gera and stylishly set up a cool, side-foot finish past home keeper Diego Benaglio for his sixth Europa League goal of the season and 19th in total.
www.bbc.co.uk

Europa League

Liverpool – Benfica

Rafa made an (for Liverpool’s fans shocking) interview where he stated that Europa League have priority over 4th place in Premier! So, to exit the competition just after that would be stupid in my opinion. On the other hand Torres’ reaction when he realized he’s gonna be substituted at 60th min vs Birmingham while Gerrard at the same time keeps his head down, suggest there’s not so perfect chemistry in the dressing room. Also, Rafa demanded more resources for new players or he’ll go. I think that’s exactly what the board wants. Second solution is to sack Rafa and give hime 18 mill(?).

Benfica are without Saviola, but for me more important is Weldon who scored both goals in the first leg and is in doubt (still hasn’t been confirmed). They played at Monday and should be, at least little, tired. On the other hand they won’t lack in self-confidence. They already were in L’pool this season, humiliated Everton (I had 1 DNB). Their training session was followed by 150 supporters. Don’t know, but it seems they have a little bit better chemistry and desire for progress. Di Maria is a target of leading EPL clubs, he’ll have one motive more.

Too much reasons for both sides. I was about to take Liverpool –1.5, but gave up and will take goals in a double with the second one.

Wolfsburg – Fulham

Until Germans scored their goal at Craven Cottage, I think they were out of competition. Now they’re favorites. They’re strong side with great attacking potential. Dzeko is, as far as I’m aware, fully fit for the game. 

Fulham will play probably their most important game in the modern history. Main problem is they simply can’t defending on the road. Other problem is Dempsey is definitely out. Zamora got a knock against Wigan, will have a late fitness test, but he simply must play.

I see a high scoring game. Personally fancy Fulham to pass (instinct more than reasons), but see goals as a better option. Over 2.5. Something like 3-2, correct score.

So, double for me:
Liverpool - Benfica, Over 2.5
Wolfsburg - Fulham, Over 2.5

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Fulham 2-1 Wolfsburg

Fulham will take a narrow lead to Germany for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final following a hard-fought victory over Wolfsburg.
After a drab first half, Bobby Zamora curled in from 20 yards just before the hour to give the home side the lead. 
Four minutes later, Zamora turned provider for Damien Duff to smash in a superb second from 12 yards. 
Alexander Madlung's late headed goal changed the complexion of the tie ahead of next Thursday's return leg. 
It was a late blow that Fulham could have avoided after seemingly being in control courtesy of their two-goal salvo in the space of four second half minutes. 
However, Wolfsburg were rewarded for their persistence in the final 10 minutes and will now be confident that they can progress to the semi-finals. 
The reigning German champions, may not be having as successful season as last campaign but they remain a potent foe, who came into this match having lost only one of their last 10 matches. 
Their strength is built on the formidable attacking duo of Edin Dzeko and Grafite, who overcame injury and illness respectively to start this match, which may partly explain why they were largely anonymous throughout. 
The best opportunities the pair had were presented to them by the home side - in particularly an off-colour Brede Hangeland - but these they spurned. 
The most notable of these was a headed chance from Dzeko, which took the striker by surprise after Hangeland had completely missed his clearing header.
Fulham have a potent attacking threat of their own in the shape of Bobby Zamora and the big striker once again showed why he is so often mentioned as a potential England striker. 
It was he who broke the deadlock in the match in the 59th minute, collecting an infield pass from Zoltan Gera before manoeuvring himself into a shooting position on the edge of the box and curling a superb shot past keeper Diego Benaglio. 
Four minutes later he turned provider as the home side doubled their advantage, holding up a pass from Danny Murphy in the box with his back to goal before teeing up Duff to emphatically slam home from 12 yards. 
It was a burst of attacking precision that had until then being completely lacking from the home side, who had the best chances of the first half but saw them spurned by Zamora, from a tight angle, and Clint Dempsey, who fired wide just before the break. 
That Fulham did not see out the game with their two-goal lead in tact is largely due to their own failings. 
They gifted the visitors too much possession in dangerous areas and despite the Germans spurning two chances through tame shooting from Grafite and substitute Obefami Martins their quality eventually shone through.
In the 88th minute, Zvjezdan Misimovic's quickly taken corner was returned to him and his cross was headed home by Madlung to give Wolfsburg more than just hope to take with them back to Germany.

www.bbc.co.uk

Fulham – Wolfsburg

Fulham started to think about this game just after the humiliating of Juve. They have every right to be optimistic, knocking out Italian giant and ex competition winner - Shakhtar give them enough reasons for it. At the same time, they should be aware of their shape on the road. In Premier, they have a single win of 16 games. In Europe played a 1-1 draw in Ukraine which could be characterized as a miracle, more than a luck (19 attempts for Shakhtar and 17(!) corners) and 1-3 defeat in Italy. So, their chances are in this game, not in re-match. Zamora is rested, in fact all squad has been rested and they’ll give their best shot tonight.

 

Ex German champion eliminated Villarreal and Rubin in past two rounds. They have three consecutive wins in domain league (with three clean sheets) and their self confidence should be very high. They gain an attacking style of play and I doubt they’ll change it for tonight’s clash. From their point of view, they’ll play against average English team and won’t give them too much respect. Main problem is appearance of their best striker Edin Dzeko who is rated 50-50 to play. Even without him, Wolfsburg have huge attacking potential.

 

Both sides have reasons to believe in progress. Maybe I could give a small advantage to the hosts, but at the same time expect an open game from the start and goals. 888sport offer 2.00. Over 2.5.

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Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has sanctioned a £50m bid for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. (Daily Mirror) 
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has been assured that he will keep his job, despite a clear-out of the playing staff that will result in midfielders Joe Cole and Deco heading through the Stamford Bridge exit.(Daily Mirror)
Celtic's hopes of hanging on to on-loan striker Robbie Keane may be over, with Aston Villa targeting a £9m summer move for the Tottenham player.(Daily Mirror) 
Alternatively, Villa could make a move for Wigan's £15m-rated forward Hugo Rodallega.(Daily Mail) 
Juventus president Jean Claude Blanc has quashed Arsenal's hopes of reviving a bid for midfield anchorman Felipe Melo. (The Sun)
Celtic may be interested in signing QPR's Argentine midfielder Alejandro Faurlin in the summer.(Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko wants to help Spurs secure a Champions League place but admits he may not be at the club next season.(Daily Mail) 
Palermo centre-back Simon Kjaer has invited Liverpool and Manchester United to make a big-money approach to back up their reported interest.(Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool winger Albert Riera has hit out at manager Rafael Benitez and said: "His dialogue with the players is practically zero." Riera also branded the Reds a "sinking ship".(Marca in Spanish) 
In the wake of their Champions League defeat by Inter Milan, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich challenged his players to prove they are worth their pay packets and threatened manager Carlo Ancelotti with the sack unless he wins the Premier League title.(Daily Mail) 
The Glazer family are weighing up another round of refinancing to stave off the challenge to their ownership of Manchester United posed by a group of businessmen dubbed the Red Knights.(The Times) 
Liverpool's American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have been given three weeks to decide whether to accept an investment offer of £100m from the New York-based Rhone Group.(The Independent) 
Prospective Portsmouth owner Rob Lloyd remains optimistic he can clinch a deal for the troubled club, despite administrator Andrew Andronikou's doubts over the group he fronts.(The Telegraph) 
Celtic could play Scotland in a testimonial match at Parkhead on 16 May for injured Hoops defender John Kennedy. (Daily Record) 
West Ham risk upsetting some of their big-name players after withholding image rights payments as part of a tax investigation.(The Guardian) 
Aaron Lennon could give Tottenham and England a welcome boost by returning from his groin injury for the game against Chelsea on 17 April.(Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

Fulham forward Bobby Zamora believes that age is catching up with Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro and that he might find some success against the 36-year-old in their Europa League second-leg match on Thursday evening.(The Independent) 
Reading defender Matt Mills has apologised to Reading fans after making an abusive gesture at them in reaction to barracking during the Royals' 1-0 win over QPR on Tuesday.(The Sun) 

www.bbc.co.uk

Saturday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City are targeting Benfica's Paraguayan star Oscar Cardozo. The striker, and free-kick specialist, has scored 18 league goals this season.(Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool are keeping a close eye on Alex McLeish's contract talks at Birmingham, with a view to bringing in the Scot as a replacement for current Reds boss Rafael Benitez at the end of the season.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says the desire to become the first team to win four consecutive league titles and a record 19th in all is driving him on this season. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has told his goalkeeper Paul Robinson that it is not too late for him to be included in England boss Fabio Capello's World Cup plans.(Daily Mirror) 
And Aston Villa duo Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor have been told similar by their boss Martin O'Neill despite missing out on Capello's last squad.(Daily Star) 
Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon's World Cup dreams are in tatters though after Spurs boss Harry Redknapp admitted he had no idea whether the 22-year-old would play again this season. Lennon has been out with a groin problem since December.(The Sun) 
Stoke striker Tuncay Sanli is taking his former club Middlesbrough to court. He claims they owe him more than £500,000 in image, sporting and economic rights.(Daily Mail) 
Everton are ready to offer 10 players new long-term deals in an attempt to ward of interest from other clubs.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has told Shaun Wright-Phillips to stop talking about his desire for a new contract and concentrate on earning one on the pitch. (Daily Mail) 
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola reckons 10 points from their final 10 games of the season will be enough to keep his side in the Premier League. The Hammers currently have 27 points.(Daily Express) 
The 2012 football season will be put back by one week to accommodate the London Olympic Games which runs from 27 July to 12 August.(Daily Telegraph) 
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has admitted he would "do a Thierry Henry" and handle the ball if it meant getting England through to the World Cup final.(The Sun) 
American sports franchise Club 9 Sports claim they are close to a deal to invest in Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday.(Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

Fulham striker Bobby Zamora clearly does not rate his chances of making the England World Cup squad - he has already booked a holiday in Las Vegas during the tournament.(Daily Telegraph)

www.bbc.co.uk

Shakhtar - Fulham

Ukrainians are the previous year winners and surely one of the main candidates to win the competition again. In the first game at Craven Cottage, they were dominant, had a safe draw before Zamora struck an amazing hit for 1-2. At home, Shakhtar are always favorites, play attacking, have a pitch with extremely short grass that allow them a short pass play and their home record looks scary. In domain league, they have all 8 home wins with 26 goals scored and just four conceded. In Europe, they exited CL qualification after knocking out from Romanians – Timisoara (on away goals, two draws) and after that smashed Sivasspor (2-0), Partizan (4-1), Toulouse (4-0) and in last group game where progress were assured drew vs. Club Brugge 0-0. Main problem for Shakhtar could be a league break in Ukraine, as they played last competitive game 12.12., but in the same round last year they eliminated another Premier League side Tottenham (2-0 at home, 1-1 away). Boss Mircea Lucescu has two concerns, defender Razvan Rat and striker Luiz Adriano are both doubtful. 

Fulham traveled to Ukraine without a pressure as their status in domain league is safe. Boss Roy Hodgson doesn’t have too big squad to rotate players and I expect their best eleven from the start. Cottagers are typical home side and have a lots of problems on the road, in Premier League and in Europe as well. In Europa League, they managed just one away win Basel (3-2). Hodgson stated he has no intention of playing for a draw, but attacking formation against Shakhtar on the road could be only a death penalty. I expect their cautious start with not too much risk. Their advantage could be set-pieces and individual efforts of Damien Duff or excellent Bobby Zamora. However, Fulham will be without on-loan defender Nicky Shorey who is ineligible for the match, while full-back Paul Konchesky is still injured. 

Hosts are favorites here. They have top quality team, proved ambitions, their pitch and have much more experience of playing European competitions. Fulham have their hidden jokers, but this would be a tough test for any of top clubs in Europe and I simply don’t think they can cope with it. Also, freezing temperature (-4c is expected tonight in Donetsk, in London +6) and a cold wind won’t help. Best bet would be -1 ah, the alternative is -1.5.

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Tuesday brought a profit

Tottenham 2 - 0 Fulham

Tottenham reignited their push for a top-four spot with a clinical victory over Fulham at White Hart Lane.
The hosts, searching for a first league win since December, took the lead when Peter Crouch capitalised on some poor defending to clip in from close range. 
And David Bentley made the most of a rare Tottenham start when his free-kick was deflected home on the hour mark. 
The Cottagers offered little in attack, though Bobby Zamora brought a brave save out of Heurelho Gomes early on. 
However, the victory was all too comfortable for a Tottenham side that rarely had to get out of third gear as the hosts kept hold of fourth spot in the league, three points ahead of Liverpool, who were held to a goalless draw by Wolves. 
It was a far from fluent victory for Spurs, though, who have lost an element of attacking swagger of late with winger Aaron Lennon injured. 
But they had far too much for a Fulham side whose performances away from Craven Cottage could hardly be more of a contrast with their impressive home form. 
With just one league win on their travels all season, Fulham's gameplan was clearly to keep things tight early on - and they were grateful to Mark Schwarzer's smart low stop from Tom Huddlestone's drive in the first minute amid a typically sharp start from the hosts.
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Bolton 1 - 0 Burnley

Owen Coyle was subjected to a barrage of abuse from the Burnley fans who once idolised him - but his discomfort was eased as Bolton secured a vital victory that sent his former club into the Premier League's bottom three.
Coyle was the hero of Turf Moor less than a month ago after guiding them to the top-flight, but his defection to nearby Bolton has soured the relationship forever and he received a fiercely hostile reception from 5,000 travelling fans inside The Reebok stadium. 
Bolton answered the taunts aimed at their new boss by giving him his first league win as Chung-Yong Lee's goal, scored off the underside of the bar after 35 minutes, secured a crucial three points to leave Coyle's Turf Moor successor Brian Laws still searching for his first victory. 606: 
The Burnley supporters made their feelings clear about their one-time manager even before kick-off, with chants of "Judas" and a succession of banners - none of them flattering. One read "Never Forgotten Never Forgiven" and another was laced with Monty Python humour with the message "He's Not The Messiah. He's A Very Naughty Boy." 
Coyle emerged to a dazzle of flashlights from cameramen gathered around his technical area - then kept a low profile as Bolton went about the main business of securing the result that moved them out of the relegation places at Burnley's expense. 
And it was a win Coyle's side deserved as they achieved their first clean sheet in the league this season and left Burnley with only one point from a possible 36 on their travels. 
Coyle, perhaps unwisely, ventured on to the pitch at the final whistle to sympathise with his beaten former players and applaud the Burnley fans - to suggest the gesture was not appreciated is a masterpiece of understatement. 
Bolton created the better opportunities, while Burnley failed to make the most of any possession they enjoyed, their plans admittedly not helped by the early loss of Chris McCann and Graham Alexander to injury. 
It was clear long before the start that Coyle would be on the receiving end of a fearsome reception from a welcoming committee of away fans packed into one end of The Reebok Stadium intent on venting their fury. And so it proved.
www.bbc.co.uk

Tottenham - Fulham

After three competitive games without a win (Hull 0-0 at home, Liverpool 0-2 away and Leeds 2-2 home), Spurs have made a run for the 4^th place much more interesting as they now have M.City (same points) and Liverpool (a point less) on their back. This run has two sides. First, missing of Lennon. Without him, Defoe and Crouch don’t get much crosses and that has a big impact on Spurs’ scoring potential. Modric and Kranjcar are great technician, but their inability to win a tackle against much physically stronger midfielders makes from them a big cost for the team, especially against stronger rivals (Liverpool). However, those two bring a big advantage when Tottenham play vs. weaker rival that is focused on defending (Fulham). Second, Hull’s goalie Myhill made probably a best performance in career. Otherwise, would be a few goals margin. Against top four Spurs have a losing pattern, but good display despite another defeat should be mentioned. Leeds weren’t a disaster except it brought another game in short period. Tonight, ‘Arry will miss mentioned Lennon, Woodgate and Assou-Ekotto, while Pavlyuchenko and Huddlestone are in doubt. Goals that they conceded in Liverpool were the first after six games.

 

Fulham hold 9^th position with decent results so far. Main problem for boss Hodgson is their away form. They have only one win in eleven games on the road (four draws) and scored same number of goals. Even against low division Stanley in Cup had a lots of problems and hardly won (3-1) against 10 men opponent. From this distance they’ll hardly repeat the achievement from previous season (Uefa). Hodgson also has some problems regarding tonight’s game. First, they won’t be more rested than Spurs as he set a strong side to face Accrington. Second, he’ll miss some important players. His side-backs, Pantsil and Konchevsky, are out. Attack will be weaker for Dempsey and Zamora. Zamora somehow already has recovered from broken collarbone, but I don’t think he’ll be fit to appear. And third, beside they don’t like to travel, the Cottagers especially don’t like to travel at White Hart Lane as they won there just once in 62 years.

 

Spurs will play 6 encounters in 19 days. Sharing the effort is very important, but same as a good start of those run. Defoe said this game could define the whole season and I agree with that. They’re tired, but not more than Fulham are. Will miss Lennon, but Fulham will miss both side-backs. Instead Lennon’s crosses, I expect some creativity from Modric and Kranjcar that will provide some chances for Defoe – Crouch. Also, expected from Palacios to score from a distance. Sixth sense. Home win and very probably with few goals margin.

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Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

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Manchester City, turned down by Chelsea captain John Terry, will now turn their attentions to a £12m bid for Arsenal defender Kolo Toure. City are also looking at Everton centre-half Joleon Lescott and are prepared to up their bid to £20m.(The Independent) 

Fulham striker Bobby Zamora has rejected a £5m move to Hull, becoming the fourth forward to turn down Tigers boss Phil Brown after Michael Owen, Fraizer Campbell, and Marc-Antoine Fortune all said no to a switch.(Daily Mirror) 
Sunderland and Bordeaux are still negotiating a deal that would result in striker Marouane Chamakh heading to the north-east. (The Times)
Leeds United have put an £8m price tag on teenage midfielder Fabian Delph, a Tottenham target, and would ideally like him back on loan for a month. (Daily Mirror) 
Midfielder Gavin McCann and defenders Danny Shittu and Nicky Hunt may leave Bolton as manager Gary Megson looks to recoup some cash following a signing spree.(Daily Mirror) 
Former Chelsea forward Eidur Gudjohnsen says he is not guaranteed to return to England this summer if he leaves Barcelona, despite interest from West Ham. (Daily Telegraph) 
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill hopes Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin will fly out to Spain this week to join the Midlands club, who are taking part in the Peace Cup. However, Pompey are holding out for a fee of about £4m after a £2.5m bid by Villa. (Daily Express)
Sam Allardyce is trying to land Zenit St Petersburg striker Pavel Pogrebnyak for Blackburn as a replacement for Roque Santa Cruz, who joined Manchester City in June. (Daily Mail) 
Sunderland, Everton and Aston Villa are all hunting Standard Liege's Milan Jovanovic after the midfielder reiterated his desire to play in the Premier League. (Daily Mail)Daily Mail 
West Brom manager Roberto di Matteo is ready to make a shock move for Rotherham United's highly rated striker Reuben Reid. (Daily Mirror) 
Cardiff City veteran Mark Kennedy says striker Ross McCormack, a Hull City target, is a "fantastic player, a great lad and very popular in the dressing room".(Western Mail) 
Midfielder Steven Pienaar could be on his way out at Everton after rejecting a new contract. He has attracted interest from Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina. (Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will not offer John Terry the £250,000 weekly salary he would have got from Manchester City but the England defender's new Stamford Bridge contract will put him on at least £150,000 a week.(Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

Notts County's players say they have no idea what Sven-Goran Eriksson's precise role will be at the club. The new director of football watched Ian McParland's side beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 in a friendly on Saturday but keeper Russell Hoult said: "What Sven does, we don't know."(Daily Mail)
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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Brazilian star Kaka has opened the door to a potential move to the Premier League by admitting his desire to play in England when he leaves current club AC Milan. (Daily Star) 
Fulham striker Bobby Zamora is a target for Spanish side Villarreal. (Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham's on-loan striker Fraizer Campbell admits he is unsure if he will remain at Spurs next season or return to Manchester United. (Daily Star) 
Sunderland have targeted Spurs striker Darren Bent but only if the Black Cats avoid relegation. (Daily Star) 
Everton have made inquiries about Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Moutinho. (Daily Mirror) 
Manchester City will offer contract rebel Daniel Sturridge a take-it-or-leave-it final £40,000 a week offer. (Daily Star) 
Or 19-year-old striker Sturridge will be offered a contract worth £30,000 to stay at Eastlands, with Chelsea and Aston Villa keen on the youngster. (Daily Mirror) 
Birmingham and Reading will battle it out for Stoke striker Dave Kitson. (Daily Express) 
Derby manager Nigel Clough will offload up to 12 players at the end of the season in a massive clear-out at the club. (The Sun) 
Dexter Blackstock, who is on-loan at Nottingham Forest, will return to QPR to see out the final year of his contract. (Daily Mirror) 
Celtic are on the trail of Rayo Vallecano midfielder Mohamed Diame. The SPL champions watched the Frenchman in their weekend draw with Tenerife. (The Star) 

 OTHER GOSSIP 

Former Manchester City chairman John Wardle is in talks with Oldham about helping out the club financially. (Daily Mirror) 
Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney has shelved plans for a salary cap in the Championship. (Daily Mail) 
Blackburn have terminated the contract of Swiss international midfielder Johann Vogel. (Daily Mail) 
Celtic coach Neil Lennon says keeper Artur Boruc has replaced him as the Scottish Premier League's panto villain following recent public incidents involving the Polish goalie. (The Scotsman) 
Aberdeen are casting an eye over former Feyenoord defender Pieter Collen after joining the club on a week-long trial. (Scotsman) 
Rangers stars Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley have revealed that they were caught up in the Nashville tornado. (The Sun) 
East Stirling boss Jim McInally has told Colin Cramb he will never kick another ball for the club after being sent off against Dumbarton for dissent. (The Sun) 
Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies has handed club skipper James Fowler a new contract at Rugby Park for another two years. (The Sun) 
Former Rangers star Andrei Kanchelskis says Barry Ferguson is the man to replace outgoing midfielder Anatoly Tymoschuk at Zenit St Petersburg. (Daily Express) 
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood is keen to retain the services of skipper Scott Severin and Jamie Smith by earning a place in Europe next season. (Daily Express) 
 
AND FINALLY 

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney's wife Coleen McLoughlin has confirmed that she is expecting the pair's first baby. She also revealed they may adopt a child. (The Sun) 
Shy Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka has revealed his scariest moment came when he was forced to sing for his team-mates following his £15m move from Bolton. (The Sun)
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