Manchester City v Manchester United

Premier League

Round 10

Etihad Stadium

02-11-2014 @ 13.30 BWT

How are the two sides current form?

What are the probable line-ups?

Samir Nasri are currently the only player on City's injury list while it looks worse with Manchester United. Here, Jonny Evans, Jesse Lingaard, Patrick McNair and Valencia are injured while Wayne Rooney is serving a ban.

Hart

Zabaleta - Mangala - Kompany - Kolarov

Fernando - Touré

Navas - Silva - Milner

Aguero

____________________________________________

van Persie - Falcao

Mata

Herrera - Di María

Blind

Shaw - Rojo - Jones - Rafael

De Gea

Worth keeping an eye on

Yaya Touré - Manchester City: The Ivorian midfielder has not impressed as much as he did last season, but is still key player for Manchester City. If he plays his best, he can be a decisive player for City in this match, but on his worst days you will not even notice him on the pitch. That said, he has the ability of being anonymous in 80 minutes and then suddenly pop up and score the match winning goal.

Daley Blind - Manchester United: Danny Blind will be crucial for the Manchester United defend in this match. The Dutch has to take control of the midfield and play hard against Navas, Milner and Silva and keep them from supplying Aguero the ball.



What to expect from this match?

City have won six of the last ten matches and have the advantage against United. None of the last ten meetings have ended with a draw why we can expect to see a winner by the end of the match, and City are the favorites. However, they displayed their weaknesses against West Ham, and it is up to van Gaal to take advantage of these. Against Chelsea, Manchester United showed that they don't just give up, and their fighter spirit is important against City on Sunday. Comparing the tow sides City looks the strongest, and Aguero will be a mouthful for the United defends. We can expect at close match between the two sides with Manchester City as the late winners.

What are the odds?

Manchester City: 17/20 (Betway)

Draw: 3 (William Hill)

Manchester United: 38/11 (BETBRIGHT)

Arsenal v Manchester City

Premier League

Emirates Stadium

13-09-2014 @ 12.45 BST

How are the two sides current form?

Arsenal are, so far, unbeaten in the Premier League with a win against Crystal Palace in the first round of the new season, followed up by two draws against Everton and Leicester. Despite the win in the first round, this has not been the start of the season most Gunners had hoped for.

Manchester City started the season as expected with two wins, against Newcastle and Liverpool, before, surprisingly losing against Stoke last round. Despite the defeat, City are currently fourth in the Premier League, one single point ahead of Arsenal on the seventh.

The guests have won five of the last ten meetings with Arsenal, but the Gunners won last time to the sides faced eachother. This was in the Community Shield final prior to this season, where Arsenal won 3-0.

What are the probable line-ups?

Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Serge Gnabry are all out of this match, while Mikel Arteta, Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny and Mesut Ozil are all rated doubtful. Only Eliaquim Mangala is out of the Manchester City squad, while Fernando and Pablo Zabaleta are rated doubtful.

Manchester City: Yaya Touré is one of the most underestimated midfielders in the Premier League, and he proved that last season. He is one of the best when it comes to breaking the play and creating chances, why he is so important for City in this match.

Six Premier League sides have qualified for the European competitions this season; four in the Champions League and two in the Europa League. But, what are their chances in Europe??

This year's Champions League will have Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City representing England while Everton and Tottenham will play in the Europa League. Great Dane Football Blog takes a look on the teams chances in their respective groups. 

Champions League

Group B

FC Basel 1893, Liverpool FC, PFC Ludogorets Razgrad, Real Madrid CF

FC Basel was one of the big surprises in European football last season, beating Chelsea twice in the Champions League, and are underdogs in this group. There is no doubt that Liverpool and Real Madrid are favorites as group winners. On paper, Real Madrid is a better side than Liverpool, and they should  win both matches. Ludogorets are, without a doubt, the weakest team in the group, but can cause problems from Liverpool with their typical East European work rage. Liverpool should advance from group B. 

Liverpool fixtures: September 16th - Liverpool v Ludogorets, October 1st - FC Basel v Liverpool, October 22nd - Liverpool v Real Madrid, November 4th - Real Madrid v Liverpool, November 26th - Ludogorets v Liverpool, December 9th - Liverpool v FC Basel.

Group D

Arsenal, Borrussia Dortmund, Galatasaray AS, RSC Anderlecht

Once again Arsenal and Dortmund are facing each other in the Champions League, and they will be the favorites for the win. Galatasaray can come from the back and surprise, especially as Dortmund doesn't look as strong as they have done the last couple of seasons. Furthermore, Arsenal has a history of failing in the Champions League, but the side seems stronger this season. Belgian football is not what is was many years ago, that said, Anderlecht have a lot of European experience, and can cause trouble for all the sides in this group. Arsenal will end as runners up or third in this group.

Arsenal fixtures: September 16th - Dortmund v Arsenal, October 1st - Arsenal v Galatasaray, October 22nd - Anderlecht v Arsenal, November 4th - Arsenal v Anderlecht, November 26th - Arsenal v Dortmund, December 9th - Galatasary v Arsenal.

Group E

AS Roma, FC Bayern München, Manchester City FC, PFC CSKA Moskva

Two giants meet Bayern München and Manchester City clash in Group E, and there is no doubt they will battle for the win in this group. No doubt Roma are a great side, but Italian teams and the Italian Serie A is not what it used to be. CSKA Moskva shouldn't be a hurdle for City at all, but time and time again we see the Russian sides surprise. Manchester City will end as winners of Group E.

Manchester City fixtures: September 17th - Bayern München v Manchester City, September 30th - Manchester City v AS Roma, October 21st - CSKA Moskva v Manchester City, November 5th - Manchester City v CSKA Moskva, November 25th - Manchester City v Bayern München, December 10th - AS Roma v Manchester City.

Group G

Chelsea FC, FC Schalke 04, NK Maribor, Sporting Clube de Portugal

Of all the Premier League sides competing in the Champions League, Chelsea are in the easiest group. No doubt Schalke 04 is a good side, but Chelsea should not fear the Germans nor Maribor and Sporting. Chelsea should win this group without any problems.

Chelsea FC fixtures: September 17th - Chelsea v Schalke 04, September 30th - Sporting v Chelsea, October 21st - Chelsea v Maribor, November 5th - Maribor v Chelsea, November 25th - Schalke 04 v Chelsea, December 10th - Chelsea v Sporting.

Europa League

E

Group C

Asteras Tripolis FC, Besiktas JK, FK Partizan, Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs did well in the Europa League last season, and are one of the favorites this season as well. Asteras Tripolis and Partizan should not be a problem for Tottenham, while Besiktas is the hardest opponent in the group. That said, Tottenham will be the winners of this group.

Tottenham Hotspur fixtures: September 18th - FK Partizan v Tottenham Hotspur, October 2nd - Tottenham Hotspur v Besiktas, October 23rd - Tottenham Hotspur v Asteras, November 6th - Asteras v Tottenham Hotspur, November 27th - Tottenham Hotspur v FK Partizan, December 11th - Besiktas v Tottenham Hotspur.

Group H

Everton, Krasnodar, Lille LOSC, Wolfsburg

Everton are in a much harder group than Tottenham, facing Lille and Wolfsburg. While Krasnodar should be a walkover, Lille and Wolfsburg are both sides able to cause problems for Everton. However, the Toffees have gone through a major development the last couple of seasons, and they can go far in this years Europa League. 

Everton fixtures: September 18th - Everton v Wolfsburg, October 2nd - Krasnodar v Everton, October 23nd - Lille v Everton, November 6th - Everton v Lille, November 27th - Wolfsburg v Everton, December 11th - Everton v Krasnodar. 

Arsenal v Manchester City

FA Community Shield

Wembley Stadium

10-08-2014 @ 15.00 UK

Arsenal won against Boreham Wood and lost against New York Redbull before playing their friendly tournament Emirates Cup last weekend. Here, The Gunners won 5-1 against Benfica before losing 0-1 to Monaco. 

Manchester Citys first friendly this season ended with a loss to Dundee FC, followed up two consecutive wins against Hearts and Sporting Kansas. Last week they played the Guinness International Champions Cup facing AC Milan, Liverpool and Olympiacos. Here, City only won against AC Milan.

The last ten meetings between Arsenal and Manchester City have ended in five City wins. 

What are the probable line up?

Arsenal are definately without Theo Walcott for the Community Shield, as the winger is out with a knee injury. Furthermore, Ryo Miyaichi, Thomas Vermaelen and the new goalkeeper David Ospina are all rated doubtful. 

Manchester City are without Alvaro Negredo, struggling with a foot injury.

Tuesday 15th April - Swansea in-fight

It emerged, on Tuesday, that Swansea players once again have been in a fight during training. In January it was revealed that Chico Flores had picked up a brick during a row with Monk, back when monk was still active as a player. Just two weeks after Laudrup was sacked. Since then, Monk has taken over as an interim-manager, and now  the dressing room has been ripped apart by in-fighting between the players once again. According to the Daily Mail, Monk had organised a training game trying to get the Hull defeat out of the system. However, the plan was undermined by a training ground fight involving not less than six first-team players. To make the situation even worse for Monk, Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins witnessed the clash. 

Friday 21st March - Champions League draw

We can look forward to some killer games in this years Champions League Quarter-finals. Manchester United will get their hands full against Bayern Munich while Chelsea will meet PSG in a battle between two giants. Furthermore, Dortmund, once again, meets Real Madrid in a replay of last season. In the last match we can look forward to a Spanish battle between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. The Champions League is treating us well this year!

Tuesday 25th March - The Manchester Derby

Manchester City took the third win of three at Old Trafford with a 3-0 win in the Derby. Edin Dzeko brought his total goals for City to 40 when he scored in the first minute and again in the 56th before Touré finished the humiliation with a goal in the last minute. The Manchester City win was not even close to the result from the last match at Etihad, but the Sky Blues dominated the Red Devils throughout the match.

Wednesday 26th March - #Moyesout

The morning after Manchester United's derby defeat saw #Moyesout trending on Twitter for the second time. The manager came under fire already during the match where stewards were sent to guard the famous banner supporting David Moyes at Old Trafford. However, Wednesday morning hundreds of tweets from furios fans and comical memes were tweeted under the hashtag #moyesout. Whether Manchester United will listen to their fans only time can show.

Wednesday 26th March - Kasper Schmeichel scores! or did he?

Did Kasper Schmeichel scorer his first goal for Leicester or was it Chris Wood? We will let you decide:

Thursday 27th March - UEFA launches new European league

The Nations League is as the name implies a new international tournament with the European national teams playing against each other instead of the friendlies. The concept of the tournament hasn't been confirmed yet, but the leagues (four levels) will start in autumn 2018, and four Euro places will be in play. The 54 member associations will be divided into four groups after their world ranking, and the nations will play either four or six matches during autumn 2018. During 2019, the nations will play for promotion or relegation depending on their position in the league. The Nations League is thought to run along with the Euro- and World Cup-qualifications.

Manchester Utd v Manchester City

Premier League 28th Round

25-03-2014 @ 19.45 UK

De Gea

Rafael - Ferdinand - Jones - Evra

Carrick - Fellaini

Januzaj - Mata - Welbeck

Rooney

___________________________________

Negredo - Dzeko

Silva - Fernandinho - Touré - Nasri

Kolarov - Lescott - Demichelis - Zabaleta

Hart

What to expect from this match?

Given that the Manchester Derby have only ended in one draw of the last ten played, there will be found a winner on Tuesday evening. Manchester City have the upper hand against Manchester United and I expect them to be the dominating side in this match. That said, United owns the fans a Derby win at Old Trafford and will fight hard to get it. It is impossible to say if their form have changed with the win over Olympiakos, but a win against City will show if they are back on track. City are missing Aguero up front, but both Dzeko and Negredo have something to prove and I can see Dzeko put one into the back of the net. City are most likely to pull out with a win.

What are the odds?

BET365 gives a 5/6 odds on a Manchester City win while BetFred gives 5/2 on a Manchester United win. A draw gives back 13/5 on SkyBet. Wayne Rooney has scored five goals in his last five games in all competitions against Manchester City and gives 13/2 at PaddyPower if he scores the first goal of the match. 

Sam Navret, the same Arsenal fan that started the petition for Luis Suarez to be handed over to Arsenal, Sunday launched a new petition to make the FA ban Daniel Agger for his tackling on Jack Wilshere. During England's friendly against, Denmark Agger broke the leg of Wilshere sending him on the sidelined for the title race. According to Sam Navret 'It has been well-known that Liverpool FC have been on a campaign to destroy Arsenal and we, the fans of Arsenal, believe that Daniel Agger was instructed by Liverpool's owner John Henry to target Jack Wilshere during the match.' What's next Sam?

Wednesday March 12 - Tim Sherwood warns Spurs' players

Perform or leave, that seems to the message from Tim Sherwood after the embarrassing loss to Chelsea in the weekend. Wednesday the manager told the press that "It's come to a stage where we have to start looking at pre-season. I'm the one planning it at the moment and looking at different personnel. The boys here have an opportunity to prove that they want to stay. If not, they'll be moved on and we'll look for replacements. I know the DNA of the guys and I know the ones I can trust and those I can't." Yesterday, Tottenham lost 3-1 to Benfica, so maybe a few of the players are already on their way out the door.

Wednesday March 12 - Two out, two to go?

First Arsenal played an entire match in Munich being one step behind Bayern through 90 minutes. Then Manchester City's billionaire boys were learned a lesson by Barcelona... In both matches, the referees were criticised. Fact is that yet another year English football seems to be run over by German and Spanish teams. That said, Manchester United and Chelsea can still bring some pride to England, but with United being behind with two against Olympiacos the faith lies with Chelsea. Next week will show if England has lost their place in European top football.

Thursday March 13 - Oops, I did it again...

Bendtner, Bendtner, Bendtner... just as we thought he was back and had left all the scandals behind him, Bendtner decides to take off his pants and rub his crotch on a taxi. Furthermore, the Danish striker told the taxi driver that he would "Fuck him" as well as kicked the radio in the cab. Wonder if Bendtner wanting to bang a taxi driver is a clear sign to his girlfriend? One thing is for sure: Bendtner's agent will have to do a hard mans work to find the striker a new club this summer.

Thursday March 13 - Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting

Back in the days Eric Cantona kicked Crystal Palace fans 'Karate-style'; now he is also assaulting pub guests. The French Manchester United legend was arrested in Primrose Hill, London, after a burst up with a pub guest - which didn't need medical treatment - and was trying to walk away from the police. However, an officer stopped the French and finally, got him placed in the back of the police car. There is currently no news about what had happened or whether the victim will press charges against Cantona.

We are ready with the new Friday Five where we take a look back on five things we find worth remembering each week.

Manchester City battled last year's FA Cup final defeat after trailing by one at the break, winning 3-1 in the Capital One Cup. A well organised Sunderland side was brought in front by Fabio Borini, and Manchester City were deservedly trailing behind at the break. However, Pellegrini must have spoken with big words in the break as Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri put City in front with two goals less than a minute apart, before Jesus Navas ended the match with a goal in the 90th minute. Manchester City takes the first trophy of the season still being in play for the Premier League win. It is worth mentioning that none of the 14 Manchester City players in the final were English.

When it emerged Tuesday that Arsenal had, in fact, triggered Luis Suarez release clause with their January bid, an Arsenal fan started an optimistic petition for Liverpool to hand over the Uruguayan. Arsenal made a bid of £40,000,001 in the January window, but the offer was declined as Liverpool owner John W. Henry denied any release clause. However, on Tuesday he told that there, in fact, had been a release clause but that in today's football,  such things never work anyway. This made the optimistic Arsenal fan demand Liverpool hand over Suarez to the club, apologies to Arsenal and pay a £4,5m compensation. Sign up here!

A new Schmeichel entered the scene of international football when Kasper, son of Peter Schmeichel was the best man for Denmark against England on Wednesday. The 27-year old goalkeeper stole the show from the English national team, and kept them away from the goal until the last part of the match where he was without a chance when Sturridge headed the ball in the net. The Leicester-keeper has been praised for his performance in the British papers on Thursday and with his performance on Wednesday he is putting pressure on Stephan Andersen to become the first choice for the Danish national team. A transfer to the Premier League could help him on the way.

Neymar showed that he is more than a well paid footballer when a 7-year old South African boy ran into the pitch during the match between South Africa and Brazil.

Nike revealed their new knitted boots ahead of the summers World Cup. The boot is called Magista and will, according to Nike, be a game-changer. The knitted boot will fit around your foot like a glove, and is designed to bring your foot closer to the ball for enhanced control. In fact, Nike claims that "no other boot will get your foot this close to the ball". How many England players will be wearing this boot this summer?

Manchester City v Chelsea

FA Cup Semi-final

Etihad Stadium

15-02-2013 @ 17.15

How are the two teams form?

It's only been a week since the two sides met at Etihad Stadium, and Chelsea took all three points against Manchester City. Since then, City played a 0-0 draw against Norwich on Saturday while Chelsea won 3-0 against Newcastle. In fact, Chelsea are now unbeaten in 12 matches, including the last two matches in the FA Cup. 

However, statistically Manchester City has an advantage as they have won 6 out of the last 10 matches between the two sides. 

What are the probable lineups?

Manchester City are without the profiles Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho, Javi Garcia and Samir Nasri for the meeting with Chelsea. The opponent from London is struggling with injuries as well, as Tomas Kalas and Marco van Ginkel are out, and John Terry and Fernando Torres are rated doubtful. 

Hart

Zabaleta - Nastasic - Kompany - Clichy

Navas - Touré - Demichelis - Silva

Dzeko - Jovetic

________________________________________-

Eto'o

Hazard - Oscar - Salah

Ramires - Matic

Ivanovic - Terry - Cahill - Azpilicueta

Cech

What to expect from this match?

The two sides often play some very even matches against each other, with only one goal separating them. This match will without a doubt be yet another tight match, where Chelsea will try and copy the success they had a week ago. If the Pensioners manage to keep the strong Manchester City attack away from the big chances as we saw last Monday, they are one big step closer to the final. That said, with City losing points in the Premier League this weekend, they will be eager to perform in the midweek game against Sunderland and continue against Chelsea in the weekend. Despite Chelsea won last Monday, I feel confident City will take a win in the 5th round of the FA Cup.

What are the odds?

Most of the bookmakers have Manchester City as favorites with 6/5 at Boylesport while a Chelsea victory gives 11/4 at BetFred. A draw will give 6/2 at Skybet.

Manchester City v Chelsea

Premier League Round 24

Etihad Stadium

03-02-2014 @ 20.00 UK

How are the two teams form?

Manchester City are 1st in the Premier League with an incredible streak of 12 consecutive wins, before welcoming Chelsea at the Etihad. Chelsea are currently unbeaten in 8 matches placing them 3rd in the table, and can overtake Arsenal, 2nd, with a win.

The last 10 matches between the two sides have ended in 6 Manchester City wins against Chelsea's 3.

What are the probable line ups?

Tomas Kalas, Fernando Torres and Marco van Ginkel are all out with injuries for Chelsea while Manchester City will have to do without Sergio Aguero, Javi Garcia and Samir Nasri.

Hart

Zabaleta - Demichelis - Kompany - Clichy

Navas - Toure - Fernandinho - Silva

Dzeko - Negredo

__________________________________

Eto'o

Hazard - Oscar - Willian

Matic - Ramires

Azpilicueta - Cahill - Terry - Ivanovic

Cech

What to expect from this match?

Manchester City are unstoppable at the moment and are the favorites for the title this season. However, given Chelsea's current form with eight wins in a row, they are not to be underestimated. That said, City just looks that better at the moment, even though they are struggling with injuries. I expect Mourinho to focus on the defends in this match, which the predicted starting line up also suggests. One thing is for sure; Azpilicueta and Ivanovic will have their troubles with Navas and Silva. I expect City to win this match, but not with more than one goal.

What are the odds?

Unibet gives back a 13/14 for a Manchester City win, while a draw gives 11/4 at Totesport. If you have Chelsea as favorites BetVictor offers 15/4 for a win to the Londoners. 

Premier League Round 16

City of Manchester Stadium

14-12-2013@ 12.45 UK

How are the two teams form?

Remember when Joe Hart was as strong as Captain America and would let nothing pass him in his goal? Whether you're a Manchester City and England fan or not, you had to be impressed by his amazing form. However, since the start of 2013 Hart have been more known for his mistakes than his savings. Let's take a look on a few of them:

News is that Hart will be replaced for the Manchester City Capital One Cup Match against Newcastle United; maybe the future for the goalie? But how will that affect England? Let's face it: at the moment there is no other goalkeeper good enough to guard the goal for England, so should he really be dropped? Most England fans are crossing everything they possibly can hoping for a Hart back in form.

Chelsea v Manchester City

Premier League Round 9

Stamford Bridge

27-10-2013 @ 16.00 UK

How are the two teams form?

Chelsea is unbeaten (before this week's meeting with Schalke 04) in their last six matches before welcoming Manchester City to Stamford Bridge, for what can turn out to be a thrilling match. The opponent from Manchester has won their last two played matches (before this week's meeting with CSKA Moscow) and is current fifth in the league, one point after second placed Chelsea.

The last ten meetings between the two sides have ended in seven victories to Manchester City and two for Chelsea.

What are the probable line ups?

Chelsea is without Ashley Cole, Tomas Kalas, Andre Schurrle and Marco van Ginkel due to injuries while Manchester City still is missing Martin Demichelis and Vincent Kompany.

Cech

Ivanovic - Terry - Luiz - Bertrand

Ramires - Lampard

Mata - Oscar - Hazard

Eto'o

___________________________________________

Negredo - Aguero

Silva - Fernandinho - Touré - Nasri

Kolarov - Lescott - Nastasic - Zabaleta

Hart

What to expect from this match?

The two sides met in two matches during pre-season with a total of fifteen goals. The first meeting was won by City while the other was won by Chelsea, and we can hope that both teams will be in the same mood as they were in May. However, we should probably expect to see tow teams holding back and not taking too many risks during the first 20 minutes. Both teams are in need of three points, but at the same time, none of them can afford to lose as their positions in the table will be overtaken by other clubs. I truly hope and expect we will see a match with two or three goals, and believe that Chelsea will pull out of this with the three points.

What are the odds?

Sportingbet holds Chelsea as favorites with a 7/5 (2.4) bet while Manchester City gives back 11/5 (3.2) with Coral. A 2-1 victory to Chelsea will give you your money ten times back with Bet365.