Champions League qualifiers

I guess I'm not too much creative, but see these two games as nice bets. Shortly...

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Dinamo Zagreb – Red Bull Salzburg
Dinamo have excellent 1-1 from the first game, but will have to play without two suspended players, key striker Mandzukic (substitution is young Kramaric) and right back Etto.They showed the artificial grass is not a problem, as they were a better opponent in Wien. Will be supported by noisy crowd and I see them as much closer to progress.

Visitors had a lots of problems in previous round against Irish Bohemians, scored a lucky goal in re-match in 83th minute. Huub Stevens also has big problems with the dressing room atmosphere, key striker Janko was on the bench (this time will be at home as he got a yellow card suspension) and 35 year old Zickler will be alone in attack. Although they have to score, won’t attack and wait a chance from counter attack or set pieces.

I expected a bigger odd for Dinamo, but anyway see it as a nice bet. William Hill offer 1.73. Home win.

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Panathinaikos - Sparta Praha

Panathinaikos invest a lot to break Olympiacos domination in Greece. Boss is Henk ten Cate, while new players are Djibril Cisse, Mattias Bjarsmyr and Sebastian Leto. In the first game, Pao missed a lots of chances to score more than once, including a penalty kick and 1-3 defeat at the end. There's no doubt they're a better opponent and will have to attack from the start.

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Sparta made a first class wonder, but will have a hard task to keep the advantage. They already showed in Praha what they think about authorities and I think they can score in Athens as well. Key defender Tomas Repka is injured and won't play.

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I can not predict which side is closer to progress, but see goals. Pinnacle offer 1.81. Over.

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Can promise one (maybe even two) full analyze for tomorrow, Partizan - APOEL. Stay tuned.

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Thursday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Another player not interested in going to Stamford Bridge is Milan's Andrea Pirlo. Despite Milan president Silvio Berlusconi hinting he could leave, the player's agent says "We are not worried by Berlusconi's comment. He is a Milan player, he is under contract and he honours contracts." (Press Association) 
Chelsea seem set to miss out on Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery, who is only interested in going to Real Madrid, and also AC Milan's Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato, who says he is part of Milan and the club decides his life.(The Times) 
Liverpool's Alvaro Arbeloa says he is "filled with pride" to be linked to Real Madrid and "it would be a lie" to assume he will be at Anfield next season.(Daily Telegraph) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Wigan say they have received "acceptable" bids of £14m to £18m from Manchester United and Real Madrid for winger Antonio Valencia. (Daily Mail) 
United are also interested in signing Atletico Madrid's Argentine striker Sergio Aguero, who scored 17 goals in La Liga last season and is valued at £45m.(The Independent) 
Midfielder Cesc Fabregas has dropped his biggest hint yet that he could leave Arsenal, calling the club "impotent" because of their failure to challenge for the title and suggesting he would like to join Real Madrid. (The Sun) 
Inter Milan sporting director Marco Branca flew into London on Wednesday for talks with Chelsea about a £10m double bid for Ricardo Carvalho and Deco.(The Sun) 
Blackburn could move for Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch to replace Roque Santa Cruz, who has joined Manchester City.(Daily Star) 
Middlesbrough have paved the way for winger Stewart Downing to join Tottenham by signing Mark Yeates from Colchester (Daily Express).
Turkish club Besiktas want Portsmouth midfielder John Utaka and Greek top-flight newcomers Atromitos are interested in Pompey's veteran defender Sol Campbell (Daily Mirror). 
Sunderland want to sign Newcastle striker Peter Lovenkrands on a free transfer (The Sun).
Former Liverpool and Sunderland striker Djibril Cisse is to have a medical with Greek side Panathinaikos (Daily Star). 
Liverpool have received an offer from Malaga for their unwanted goalkeeper, Charles Itandje, who was fined for misbehaving during the Hillsborough memorial service (The Guardian).
Stoke have added Newcastle striker Alan Smith to their list of summer transfer targets (Daily Telegraph). 
Tottenham midfielder Adel Taarabt is to join Malaga on loan with a view to a permanent £2.5m transfer (Daily Mirror).
Ipswich are targeting former Manchester United midfielder Quinton Fortune, who is currently without a club (The Independent). 

OTHER GOSSIP

Peter Reid is in line to be the new Southampton manager if a rival group beats Matthew Le Tissier's takeover consortium to buy the club.(Daily Star) 
Arsenal defender Keiran Gibbs is expected to sign a lucrative new five-year deal when he returns from England duty at the European Under-21 championships.(Daily Star) 
Real Madrid will reportedly insert a buy-out clause of £1bn in winger Cristiano Ronaldo's contract when he completes his move from Manchester United (Daily Telegraph).

AND FINALLY

England Under-21 winger Theo Walcott says he played so badly against Finland in the European Under-21 Championship that even his parents booed him when he was substituted. (Various)
A six-year-old boy asked the Celtic club shop to put the name of new goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska on the back of his shirt - but staff had not heard of him (Daily Record).
www.bbc.co.uk

Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra is trying to persuade Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery to come to Old Trafford.(The Sun) 
Manchester City and Tottenham are battling it out for Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry.(Daily Star) 
West Brom defender Paul Robinson says he will leave the relegated club as he wants to play in the Premier League.(Daily Mirror) 
Arsenal have made an £8m bid for Fulham centre-back Brede Hangeland.(Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham are ready to make another bid for Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov, who is currently playing for Manchester City.(The Sun) 
Chelsea are confident they have beaten Inter Milan in the race to sign FC Twente striker Marko Arnautovic.(Daily Mail) 
Defender Michael Turner has disappointed Liverpool by pledging his future to Hull. (Various)
Wolves have abandoned plans to sign Spurs midfielder Tom Huddlestone after being quoted £8m for the 22-year-old.(Daily Mail) 
Rangers manager Walter Smith is set to offload midfielder Barry Ferguson this summer rather than risk him going on a free next year.(Daily Record) 
Tottenham are ready to listen to offers for Darren Bent and Roman Pavlyuchenko and are set to step up their chase for Djibril Cisse.(The Guardian) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Newcastle are ready to offer Alan Shearer a four-year contract as they look to bounce back into the Premier League.(Daily Mirror) 
Shearer has been told that £30m must be slashed from Newcastle's wage budget following their relegation to the Championship.(Daily Star) 
West Brom manager Tony Mowbray is the favourite to succeed Gordon Strachan at Celtic.(The Sun) 
Wigan boss Steve Bruce has been strongly linked with the vacant manager's position at Sunderland. (Daily Mirror) 
However, Strachan is not a target for Sunderland.(The Independent) 
Strachan told family and friends last week that he would be standing down as Celtic manager.(Daily Record) 
Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov says following his FA Cup semi-final miss, he will not want to step up should the Champions League final go to a penalty shoot-out.(The Sun) 
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate says the club needs to be in the Championship promotion hunt by Christmas if he is to remain in his job.(The Sun) 
Former Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd is hoping to beat Jim Magilton to the QPR manager's job. (Daily Star)

AND FINALLY 

One person that is revelling in Burnley's promotion to the Premier League is former Labour press chief Alastair Campbell. He says Burnley's achievement was "even better than playing football in a charity match with Diego Maradona in front of 72,000 people".(The Sun)
www.bbc.co.uk

Portsmouth 3-1 Sunderland

Sunderland remain in serious danger of relegation after relinquishing a one-goal lead to lose at Portsmouth.
The visitors took the lead against the run of play when Calum Davenport's cross was tapped in by Kenwyne Jones. 
John Utaka fired in an equaliser a minute later and then forced Phil Bardsley to bundle in an own goal that gave the home side the lead. 
Sunderland's woe was sealed late on when Utaka found substitute Armand Traore and he fired in an angled shot. 
Having earned their first point in eight matches at Bolton last week, Sunderland stuck with the same side with top scorer Djibril Cisse on the bench, their initial priority to avoid defeat as opposed to chasing victory. 
In contrast Portsmouth brought in Kanu and Utaka to form a three-man front line with Peter Crouch as they looked to celebrate Premier League safety with a flourish.
The result leaves Sunderland needing a win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Sunday to guarantee their safety. 

Portsmouth: Begovic, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Utaka, Davis, Mullins, Hughes (Traore 46), Kanu (Kaboul 46), Crouch (Primus 90).
Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Nugent, Basinas, Belhadj. 
Booked: Utaka. 
Goals: Utaka 60, Bardsley 68 og, Traore 88. 

Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Davenport, Ferdinand, Collins, Tainio (Cisse 80), Malbranque (Edwards 54), Whitehead, Leadbitter (Murphy 85), Richardson, Jones.
Subs Not Used: Colgan, Reid, Healy, McShane. 
Goals: Jones 59. 

Att: 20,398 
Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).
www.bbc.co.uk

Portsmouth - Sunderland

Excellent betting week is behind. I feel sorry 'cause major leagues are close to finish. I'm already following results and news from Scandinavia, preparing myself for summer. No reason to stop updating this blog on daily basis.

One more thing. If somebody is interested in advertising at "Football Betting (and More)", one possible way is to write analyzes. Conditions are it has to be unique and to fill some quality level. Text will be published with a link back to Your site. Anyway...

Excellent weekend for Pompey. Thankfully to Hull City (draw) and Newcastle (defeat), Portsmouth secured their Premier League status. Before that epilogue, results from past few weeks seriously threatened to damage the health of all at Fratton Park. No win in past four games and three defeats, with no goals scored (372 minutes in total) and just a single win from last seven games (Bolton Wanderers at home, 1-0)! After the previous game vs Blackburn on the road (0-2 defeat), situation became dramatic. Manager Paul Hart was accused (from the press mostly) for sending “10 defenders” on the pitch. Natural defenders Johnson and Belhadj were trying to give a support to Peter Crouch. That tactic didn’t work and now Hart has to change something. Big loss is missing of Niko Kranjcar who was organizing midfield line. Traore, Diop, Gekas and Ashdown will be sidelined, too. Noe Pamarot is available again after a suspension, while Armand Traore has recovered from a groin problem and could make his first appearance since February. But the main thing is Hull and Newcastle made all bad thoughts vanished. Lads can play a game without a pressure and celebrate third consecutive Premier League season.

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Manager Sbragia said: ”We know it is going to be tough”. Will be tough, definitely! Black Cats have 36 points, two more from the first under the line-Newcastle and one more from Hull City. These three clubs (plus Middlesbrough, 32 points) will decide about two travelers to Championship. Additional beauty is a schedule for the last round. Sunderland-Chelsea; Hull-Man Utd; Aston Villa-Newcastle; West Ham-Middlesbrough! I really don’t know who can win from those four. Too much calculations and combinations. Sunderland can relegate only if take zero, or one point from those two games and Newcastle win Villa on the road. Current shape doesn’t indicate the big possibility for Sunderland’s win on Fratton Park. They have only a single win in last eleven games (Hull City, 1-0 at home), have not netted in last three! And, on the road in 18 games scored just 12 times. New boss Ricky Sbragia brought some improvement in performance, at the last round (Bolton, on the road 0-0) team looked solid, but the attack is still the biggest problem. Full-back George McCartney could return to the squad after missing six games with a calf injury. Kenwyne Jones (his absence means Cisse will be alone in attack), Kieran Richardson and Teemu Tainio are expected to shake off knocks but Craig Gordon and Nyron Nosworthy are out. It seems the visitors’ biggest trump will be relaxed Portsmouth tonight and their “best friends” Villa at the last round. 

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When You watch the fact the home team hasn’t score in last four games, visitors in last three, then the bookies miserable offer against the goals isn’t something unexpected. On the pitch will be Crouch against Cisse and “20 defenders” on both sides! Usually, I’ll just pass by, but offer for Monday leave You decision: this game or Scandinavia. So, I predict a draw as a fair enough for both clubs and will try with a small bet. 888sport and Pinnacle offer 3.25. Draw.

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Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Tottenham have joined Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid in the race to sign Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez. (The Sun) 
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has refused to rule out signing the Argentine if the 25-year-old is allowed to leave Old Trafford. (The Times) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is eyeing Zenit St Petersburg striker Pavel Pogrebnyak as a potential replacement for Emmanuel Adebayor. (Daily Mirror) 
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has been priced out of a move for Rangers centre-back Madjid Bougherra but could still make a summer move for Ibrox striker Kris Boyd. (Daily Record) 
McLeish will battle Wigan and Bolton for the signing of Portsmouth midfielder Sean Davis. (Daily Mirror) 
Marseilles striker Djibril Cisse, who has spent the season on loan at Sunderland, has told team-mates he is joining Tottenham in the summer. (Daily Mail) 
Celtic have rubbished reports that they want to sign striker Michael Owen on a pay-as-you-play deal from Newcastle. (Daily Record) 
Rangers will not consider selling Steven Davis, Kris Boyd, Pedro Mendes or Madjid Bougherra if they clinch the title. However, Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor will be moved on for the right price. ( Daily Mail) 
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is ready to sign striker Oli Johnson from cash-strapped Stockport County. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn scouts were in Egypt on Sunday night to check on ENNPI right-back Ahmed Al-Muhammadi. (Daily Mail) 
Dundee United are interested in Spanish goalkeeper Alberto Marrama and Slovakian counterpart Dusan Pertis. (Scottish Sun) 
Cardiff midfielder Joe Ledley will spark a bidding war after rejecting the offer of a new contract from the club. (The Sun) 
Giles Barnes is being offered to all clubs as Derby look to cash in on the midfielder. (Daily Mirror) 
Swindon manager Danny Wilson has placed West Brom and Leicester on red alert by conceding top scorer Simon Cox is likely to leave the County Ground this summer. (Daily Mirror) 
Ipswich defender Alex Bruce, who was a target for Hull, Wolves and Leeds, has agreed a new two-year contract at Portman Road. (Various) 
Millwall will sign Stevenage Borough striker Steve Morrison in an £85,000 deal this week. (The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit out at Chelsea striker Didier Drogba after his side's 4-1 defeat by the Blues on Sunday, claiming: "We live in a league now where the divers are rewarded." (The Times) 
Newcastle defender Fabio Coloccini, who claims he was "sold" a different club from the one he is playing for, is set to be dropped for the Magpies' relegation showdown against Middlesbrough on Monday. He said: "I was sold a club that would be challenging in the top half of the table with maybe a good chance of doing well in the cups." (Daily Star) 
Tottenham midfielder Wilson Palacios will not play again this season after returning to Honduras after the murder of his 16-year-old brother Edwin (The Sun) 
Brazilian midfielder Elano has threatened to quit Manchester City if the club do not open talks over a new contract. (Daily Mail) 
Chesterfield are interested in appointing Andy Richie as their new manager following the departure of Lee Richardson. (Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY 

Angry Chelsea supporters want to get their own back on Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, who made a number of controversial decisions in the Blues' Champions League semi-final, second leg against Barcelona. They have set up an internet campaign to stop Norway winning the Eurovision song contest. (Daily Star) 
Armed officers in gas masks foiled a samurai sword gang's raid on a jeweller's used by the wives of England footballers in upmarket Wilmslow, Cheshire. The store's celebrity customers include Victoria Beckham and Coleen Rooney. (The Sun) 
Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar has become the 16th Premier League victim of burglars who strike while footballers are playing. Thousands of pounds in cash and valuables were taken from his Liverpool home just before the Toffees' match against Tottenham kicked off on Saturday. (The Sun)
www.bbc.co.uk

Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce, the man who signed Joey Barton for Newcastle, could be interested in acquiring him for Rovers after the Magpies began moves to terminate the midfielder's contract. 
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has dropped hints he may leave the club, saying he speaks to AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani regularly and describes the club as "sexy as Beyonce". 
Porto left-back Aly Cissokho claims Tottenham are interested in him. 
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez says he will not be put off making big-money signings, despite striker Robbie Keane's short and ill-fated stay at the club this season before returning to Tottenham. 
Sunderland have decided against making striker Djibril Cisse's loan move from Marseille into a permanent transfer. 
Portsmouth have failed in a £500,000 bid for Scotland's young player of the year, Hamilton midfielder James McCarthy. 
 
OTHER GOSSIP 

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has told his some of his older players that this year represents their best chance of winning the Champions League with this squad. 
Everton manager David Moyes says left-back Leighton Baines is sure to feature for England at the 2010 World Cup if he maintains his current form. 
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has admitted he does not know how the club will cope financially whether or not they avoid relegation from the Premier League. 
West Ham could miss out on a place in Europe next season because of doubts over their ability to satisfy the demands of the Uefa club licence that is required. The Hammers missed the initial deadline for applications, which was 30 April. 
Norwich are set to appoint caretaker boss Bryan Gunn as their full-time manager to try to avoid further upheaval after their relegation to League One. 
Celtic captain Stephen McManus may not play again this season because of a knee problem. 
Fans in Scotland are to petition the Scottish Parliament for the reintroduction of terracing at Scottish Premier League grounds. 
 
AND FINALLY 

On-loan midfielder David Beckham and his AC Milan team-mates, plus former Arsenal stars Mathieu Flamini and Philippe Senderos were in the crowd to watch Manchester United beat Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday 
Manchester United striker Danny Wellbeck insists on buying his underwear from a budget clothing store and when £2,500-worth of designer undies were left in his locker as a gift, he gave them to reserve team players. (Daily Express)
www.bbc.co.uk

Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz his number one summer transfer target - and hopes he can land him for a cut-price £12m. (Daily Express) 
Wenger's interest in Santa Cruz could signal the end of Emmanuel Adebayor's Arsenal career. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester City say they may miss out Santa Cruz but are back in the race to sign £35m-rated Valencia striker David Villa. (The Independent) 
And City are interested in winger Arjen Robben, who could be offloaded by Real Madrid in the summer. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester United are poised to make a £30m bid for Lyon striker Karim Benzema - to replace Carlos Tevez. (The Sun) 
Tevez has told Madrid's Cadena COPE radio station that he is likely to leave Manchester United at the end of the season. (Press Association)
Everton manager David Moyes is set to make a £6m bid for Rennes full-back Rod Fanni. (The Sun) 
Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro has revealed that he rejected an offer to move to Manchester City. (The Guardian)
And Everton winger Andy van der Meyde, who is a free agent in the summer, is wanted by both Stoke and Wolves. (Daily Mail) 
Djibril Cisse's goal drought could lead to him failing to secure a permanent deal with Sunderland. (The Sun) 
Stoke manager Tony Pulis wants the club to finish as high in the league as they can so that he can sign Cardiff midfielder Joe Ledley in the summer. (Daily Mirror) 
Wigan boss Steve Bruce will turn his attention to Manchester United's Fraizer Campbell after an unproductive scouting trip to Mexico. (The Sun) 
Aston Villa striker John Carew has disappointed Tottenham by insisting he wants to stay in Birmingham. (Daily Star) 
Promoted Wolves want to bring experienced Liverpool centre half Sami Hyypia to Molineux. (The Sun)  

OTHER GOSSIP 

Manchester United skipper Rio Ferdinand will be out of action for at least three weeks after the cracked rib he picked up during the Champions League win over Arsenal led him to start coughing up blood. (Daily Mail, Daily Mirror) 
However, some reports are saying Ferdinand's injury is not as bad as first feared and the 30-year-old could be fit to face Arsenal in the second leg on Tuesday. (Daily Star, The Guardian)
West Ham's European hopes have been dealt a blow with the news that midfielder Scott Parker is unlikely to play again this season. (Various) 
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has warned Barcelona's players, who complained about being kicked during the Champions League semi-final first leg, that they will be just as tough at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea midfielder Jon Mikel Obi has been told that he will have to wait until the summer before discussions open on a new contract. (Daily Telegraph) 

AND FINALLY 

Newcastle tea lady Kath Cassidy, who has spent over 40 years serving cuppas to the great and good at St James' Park, has her own ideas about how to motivate the players in their battle against relegation. 
"I might go into the dressing room before a game with my picture of Jackie Milburn holding his medals. I'd say to the players 'Get your finger out, look what he won for £20 a week.'" (The Sun)
www.bbc.co.uk

Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger could be on his way out of Anfield after snubbing a new four-year contract worth £10million. (News of the World) 
At least six Middlesbrough players, including Stewart Downing, Gary O'Neill, Afonso Alvez, Tuncay Sanli and Julio Arca, are ready to leave the Riverside Stadium if the club are relegated from the Premier League. (Mail on Sunday)
Tottenham are set to make an £8m summer move for Marseille striker Djibril Cisse, who is currently on loan at Sunderland. (News of the World) 
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is also hoping to sign Chelsea's teenage midfielder Jack Cork for £2m. (News of the World)

OTHER GOSSIP 

The Football Association has sacked Wembley head groundsman Steve Welch as workmen began installing the seventh playing surface since the £757m stadium reopened two years ago. (Various) 
Liverpool have held talks with the GMR group, billionaire owners of Indian Premier League cricket team Delhi Daredevils, that could lead to huge investment and an eventual buy-out. (News of the World)
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is ready to sell the club for just £120m if they are relegated from the Premier League. (News of the World) 
Steve Coppell will end his 25-year managerial career by leaving Reading at the end of the season, regardless of whether they are promoted to the Premier League. (Mail on Sunday)
Watford manager Brendan Rogers is in line to take over from Coppell if Reading do not win promotion. (News of the World) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says the era of foreign players dominating the Premier League will soon be over because of the declining value of sterling and the imposition by last week's Budget of a 50% tax rate upon high earners. (Various)
Avram Grant has told friends the Portsmouth manager's position is his to turn down. (News of the World) 
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson will be handed a contract extension and a £750,000 bonus for keeping the club up. (News of the World) 
Roberto Mancini wants to succeed Mark Hughes as manager of Manchester City. (Daily Express) 
Former Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe could be set for a return to the club, with Guernsey businessman Tom Scott, a former associate of Lowe, the front-runner to save the club in a £10m takeover. (Mail on Sunday)
A consortium with substantial financial backing are on the verge of taking over Southampton and want Alan Shearer as manager. (Sunday Express) 
The Football Conference has been sounded out about the possibility of taking in Southampton should the club collapse during the close season. (The Non-League Paper) 
The Italian Ministry of Interior are are considering asking for uniformed British police to patrol the streets of Rome if two English teams reach the Champions League final in May. (News of the World) 
 
AND FINALLY 

Alan Shearer may be confident that Newcastle can avoid relegation but some fans have detected signs of doom in last week's launch of the home kit for next season - there were no Premier League badges on the shirts in the promotional pictures, in contrast to those unveiled by Arsenal and Manchester City recently. 
That said, players modelling the kit did include Michael Owen, who many think will leave St James' Park whether the club stays up or not. (Mail on Sunday)
www.bbc.co.uk