He is only 21-years old, but he has already been in his first Danish Cup final and played European football. This week we keep an eye on AC Horsens’ André Bjerregaard.

André Bjerregaard had most of his football in education in Silkeborg IF, but his career took speed in Horsens. However, before the Superliga club contacted him, he played six months in the minor Danish league Danmarks Serien for Herning Fremad.

The change from Herning Fremad in the minor league, to AC Horsens in the 1. Division was quite a culture shock for the talent, who suddenly had to play on a much higher level.  In 2010, he then got his first appearance for Horsens in the last match, in the season against Frem, in the Danish 1. Divison. However, Bjerregaard does not think back on the match as something special. Instead, his debut in the Danish Superliga against Fc Nordsjælland is a highlight in his career:

Since his debut, André Bjerregaard has often started the matches on the bench and had a role as a joker. However, coach Johnny Mølby sees a great future for his talented winger.

One of the great matches is the Danish Cup final in 2012. Here, Horsens met Fc Copenhagen, who brought themselves in front after 42 minutes. During the second half, Bjerregaard was sent on the pitch, and in the dying minutes of the match, the talents gets the ball, takes a touch and hammers the ball on the bar! A few seconds after, the match was over.

Despite losing the Danish Cup final, Horsens qualified for the Europa League Qualifications. Here, they were set up against Sporting Lisbon from Portugal. The first match in Horsens ended in a deserved 1-1 draw, but Danes were sent home from Lisbon with a 5-0 loss. Despite, being out of the qualifications, Bjerregaard sees it as a great experience, bot for him and the club as well as the city of Horsens.

If you ask Bjerregaard, this season wasn't the last with European football in Horsens. In fact, the talent has only seen progress and development since he joined the team in the 1. Division days. The talent dreams of one day to play abroad – and it doesn’t really matter where – but for now he is in Horsens. Coach Johnny Mølby is also keen to keep his talent:

The last match André Bjerregaard played was against Aalborg last Thursday. Here, the winger contributed to the teams comeback from 2-0, by scoring Horsens first goal. The next mission for the talent will be tomorrow against Odense BK.

Barcelona is looking to sign Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero from Manchester City (Daily Mirror) - Probability: Low

Tony Pulis is plotting a move for Portsmouth superteen Jed Wallace in order to bring him to Stoke (Daily Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Manchester United are ready to let Antionio Valencia, Nani, Anderson and Javier Hernandez go this summer (Goal.com) - Probability: High

The Gunners are interested in the Chelsea teenager Nathaniel Chalobah (Daily Express) - Probability: Low

They are also keeping an eye on Birmingham superteen Koby Arthur, along with Chelsea and Manchester City (Daily Express) - Probability: Medium

John Terry could bve on his way to Turkish Fenerbahce (Daily Mail) - Probability: Low

West Ham, Fulham and Chelsea are all battling for the signature of Wilfried Bony (London Evening Standard) - Probability: High

Roberto Di Matteo is named as an opportunity for the Schalke manager job (Suddeutche.de) - Probability: High

AC Milan is targeting Nemanja Vidic as one of their summer moves (Metro) - Probability: Low

Crystal Palace goal-machine Glenn Murray is on the short list in Fulham (Daily Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Swansea and Liverpool are both chasing Swansea City defender Ashley Williams (Daily Mail) - Probability: High

Arsenal is ready to sell Gervinho to Galatasaray in order to fund a move for Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes (Daily Mail) - Probability: Low

AVB is ready to fight Liverpool for the signature of Blackpool winger Thomas Ince (Daily Star) - Probability: Low

Nicklas Bendtner's drunk driving has already lost him a lot of respect from Danish fans, but now he has also lost his status as Denmark's striker number 1.

His name is Andreas Cornelius; he's 20 years-old and total opposite of Nicklas Bendtner, keeps both feets on the ground. Last Friday he scored his first goal for Denmark and was an important player in the 3-0 win against the Czech Republic. Denmark only managed to get a draw against Bulgaria tonight, but Cornelius performed well once again. The young talent provoked a penalty on which Agger scored.

With Bendtner away from the national team for the next five months, Cornelius has taken his chance and shown football Europe why Arsenal is keeping an eye on him. In fact, Cornelius has much the same stature as Bendtner; high, strong physic and great with the head. Furthermore, the young striker is capable of scoring with both feet. On the negative side, he is not the fastest or has the best agility.

However, there are a couple of other future prospects of the Danish national team that can take over where Cornelius is lacking. Victor Fischer has got his breakthrough in Ajax this season and will develop into a key player for the Dutch and for Denmark within a couple of years. The forces of the Ajax striker are definitely his agility and pace, along with a great shot.

While Victor Fischer already is playing in a European top club, a couple of Superliga talents could be heading the same way. In Aalborg, a 21-year old striker named Nicklas Helenius is almost ready to take the next step. I'm sure that, by the end of next summer, he will be playing in either English, German or Dutch football. The striker ended last season as topscorer in the Danish Superliga and is a vital part of Aalborg's offence. However, it may be time for him to travel abroad, and Aalborg is in need of money.

In Brøndby, as well, is there a future prospect for the national team. Given his debut against the Czech Republic on Friday, Simon Makienok is the direct replacement for Cornelius. The striker is a typical target man, with a good height and physic, and is capable of holding the ball until his team mates can assist him. And like Cornelius, the striker keeps both feet on the ground and waits for his chance to shine.

Bendtner is "banned" from playing for Denmark a for a couple of months. However, there is no doubt Morten Olsen will allow him back on the team - if he finds a club to play for. At the moment, Bendtner should only be focussed on finding a new club - and not drinking and driving - as his position on the national team is under threat. In the future, we might see a Denmark team without Nicklas Bendtner; we have other options now.

"He is a type of back that matches our way of playing, with his attacking mind and pace. He is also great in 1 one 1 situations, so he has most of the abilities that we like for our left back," Frederiksen says.

"I waited for my chance; I think I was on the bench for 27 matches before given my debut, so it was really great. Both physically and mentally everything just went faster, but I did well.”

“I try to be a part of the attacking play as much as possible, and as much as the coach allows me," Laursen says.

“What is exiting about our team is that we have players that have not reached their top level yet so players as Ryan or Youssuf Poulsen will develop from playing on a higher level. I believe that he will be able to do it well in the Superliga,” he says.

The German attacking force Lukas Podolski has been out with an ankle injury since the Bayern Munich match last week and will be sidelined for the rest of March. The same matters for Jack Wilshere while Bacary Sagna is sidelined with a knee injury.

Bans: 0

ASTON VILLA

Injuries: 8

Marc Albrighton, Darren Bent and Chris Herd are all sidelined with foot injuries. While Albrighton and Bent will be out for the rest of this month, Herd is out for the rest of the season. Nathan Baker sustained a head wound against QPR on the 16/2, and there is currently no news about him. Karim El Ahmadi is out with an ankle injury, and is set to return by the end of this month while Gary Gardner is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. There is no return date of Stilian Petrov who is critically ill.

Bans: 0

CHELSEA FC

Injuries: 3

Gary Cahill sustained a knock against West Ham in the weekend, and has been pulled out of the England squad to face San Marino. However, he should be available for Chelsea's match against Southampton. David Luiz also sustained a knock against West Ham; there is no return date of the defender. Oriol Romeu has undergone a sugery following his knee injury and will probably not be in action more this season.

Bans: 0

EVERTON FC

Injuries: 3

Tony Hibbert has been sidelined with a calf injury since December and is still out for a couple of weeks. Goalie Tim Howard has been struggling with a back injury but could return early April. Phil Jagielka is the last player on the injury list suffering from an ankle injury.

Bans: 2

Marouane Fellaini is serving a 2 match ban after receiving his tenth booking of the season. Steven Pienaar will also be out against Stoke City after receiving a red card last week.

FULHAM FC

Injuries: 3

Fulham's Mahamadou Diarra is still out with a knee injury, but is set to return by the end of this month. The same matters for Kerim Frei who is in lack of match fitness while Neil Etheridge is out with a leg injury.

Bans: 0

LIVERPOOL FC

Injuries: 6

Liverpool is facing Aston Villa in their next match, and can be lucky to have both veteran Jamie Carragher and goalkeeper José Reina back. The two players are both rated doubtful. Meanwhile, both John Flanagan and Martin Kelly are sidelined with knee injuries while Fabio Borini is out with a shoulder dislocation. Furthermore, Joe Allen will probably not be playing more this season due to an injury.

Bans: 0

MANCHESTER CITY

Injuries: 5

Sergio Aguero and Micah Richards are both out with knee injuries and not available for the rest of the month. Manchester City is also without Vincent Kompany due to a hamstring injury and Jack Rodwell due to an injured hamstring.

Bans: 0

MANCHESTER UNITED

Injuries: 4

Phil Jones, Nani and Paul Scholes are all expected to start training next week, but is still a couple of week's from returning to the pitch. Darren Fletcher is out for the rest of the season due to his illness.

Bans: 0

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Injuries: 8

Just as, he had recovered from an injury, Hatem Ben Arfa ran into a new one. The French will be out for the rest of the season as he will have to undergo surgery due to a hamstring injury. Fabricio Coloccini is also out, and is a couple of week's from returning from a back injury. Goalkeeper Tim Krul is expected to be out for the rest of the month due to an ankle injury while Massadio Haidara, Ryan Taylor and Haris Vuckic are out with knee injuries. On the bright side, both Mathieu Debuchy and Yohan Cabaye are close to returning from their injuries.

Bans: 0

NORWICH CITY

Injuries: 4

Norwich's Anthony Pilkington is out for this month due to a hamstring injury while John Ruddy is suffering from a thigh injury. Both Alexander Tettey and Andrew Surman are sidelined with knee injuries.

Bans: 1

Mark Bunn is serving a 1 match ban after receiving a red card against Sunderland.

QUEENS PARK RANGERS

Injuries: 4

Tal Ben Haim, Robert Green and Armand Traore are all doubtful for the match against Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Bobby Zamora is out with an illness.

Bans: 0

READING FC

Injuries: 4

Goalkeeper Adam Federici is still out with an ankle injury and will be sidelined for the rest of this month. The same matters for Danny Guthrie, suffering from a knee injury, and Jimmy Kébé, sidelined with a groin injury. Jason Roberts is set to miss the rest of the season due to a surgery on a hip injury.

Bans: 0

SOUTHAMPTON FC

Injuries: 2

Both Daniel Fox and Jos Hooiveld are dubtful for Southampton's match against Chelsea, due to a knock.

Bans: 0

STOKE CITY

Injuries: 1

Glenn Whelan was forced off at half-time against West Brom in the weekend and is rated doubtful for the match against Everton.

Bans: 0

SUNDERLAND AFC

Injuries: 3

Wes Brown and Lee Cattermole are both sidelined with knee injuries while Carlos Cuéllar is out with a knock.

Bans: 0

SWANSEA CITY

Injuries: 4

Kemy Aguestien is out with a thigh injury for the rest of this month along with Chico. While Darnel Situ is out for the season with an Achilles injury, Neil Taylor played 45 minutes for the Swansea reserves this weekend.

Bans: 0

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Injuries: 4

Younes Kaboul and Sandro are both out with knee injuries, probably for the rest of the season. Both Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon are doubtful for the Swansea match due to hamstring injuries.

Bans: 0

WEST BROMWICH ALBION

Injuries: 5

Zoltán Gera and George Thorne are sidelined with knee injuries and not in play for the weekend's match against Stoke. Meanwhile, Graham Dorrans, James Morrison and Steven Reid are all rated doubtful for the same match.

Bans: 0

WEST HAM UNITED

Injuries: 4

The Hammers are without Joe Cole and Daniel Potts while Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan both are rated doubtful for the next match.

Bans: 0

WIGAN ATHLETIC

Injuries: 4

Ryo Miyachi is set to undergo surgery on an ankle injury and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. The same matters for Michael Politt due to a thigh injury, and Iván Ramis due to a knee injury. Ben Watson is also out with a shin injury.

Bans: 0

Only Manchester City can live up to the German standards with £275 as their cheapest price. What is most remarkable is the price of £67 for a season ticket in Bayern Munich, considering their success in both the domestic league and in Europe. Meanwhile, Arsenal is the most expensive club to follow with the cheapest season ticket price of £985.

Despite the critic of the season ticket prices, numbers from football365.com shows that the average attendance is higher for the five Premier League clubs compared with the Bundesliga top 5. Only Premier League’s number 2, Manchester City and number 4, Tottenham Hotspur are lacking in spectators compared with the Bundesliga’s 2. Dortmund and 4. Frankfurt. The numbers also reveal that despite having the highest season ticket prices, Arsenal holds the same average attendance as Schalke, almost £300 cheaper than the Londoners.

With this on the table, the question is now if the English Premier League will have to lower their ticket prices to keep a distance to the German Bundesliga. As the figures show, the German clubs are not far from presenting a better average attendance than the Premier League clubs, and a price regulation might be the only change for the Premier League to remain as the best league in the world.

Czech Republic is 3rd in the World Cup Qualification Group B with five points after their first three matches, and a goalscorer of +2. Czechoslovakia has so far scored three goals; one by Jan Rezek, Tomas Pekhart and Theodor Gebre Selassie. The last match that the nation played was a friendly against Turkey, which they lost 2-0. The Czechs will need a win against Denmark as Bulgaria (2nd) is meeting Malta, a match which they are expected to win.

Denmark has not played as many fans hoped before the start of the World Cup Qualification. The Danes are currently positioned 5th in the Group as will have to win against both Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Malta if they will have any hopes of playing in Brazil next summer. So far, Denmark only has two points on their account and a goalscorer of -2. The last match that the Danes played was against Makedonia which they lost 3-0.

The last four matches between the two nations have ended in  draws as we have to go back to 2004 to find that latest win. Back then, Czech Republic won 3-0.

Cech

Selassie - Kadlec - Sivok - Limbersky

Rosicky - Plasil

Jiracek             -             Darida 

Pekhart - Tecl

___________________________________________

Cornelius

Eriksen - Jørgensen - Rommedahl

 

Stokholm - Zimling

Wass - Agger - Kjær - Jacobsen

Schmeichel

What to expect from this match?

Both teams need a victory in this match. However, Denmark is probably in more need than the Czechs. As mentioned before, Denmark will have to win against the Czech Republic, Malta and Armenia is they want to play in Brazil next summer. However, the dream might already be crushed on Friday as the Czech seems to a big mouthful for the Danes as 45% of the players are playing in the Danish league.

The Czech Republic has played well so far in the Qualification, and against a Danish team with lack of routine they can make severe damage. Despite Denmark has to get a result in this match, we might see them rather playing rather defensive while the Czech will have a commanding role.

What are the odds?

At the moment, Bwin is the only bookmaker with odds ready for the match, according to oddschecker.com. A Denmark win gives a 3/5 while a draw pays back 11/5. You can make quite a win if you put you money on Czech Republic with the odds 17/5.

Since last year, we have kept an eye on one of the Mensah brothers - Jeff Mensah. Today, we include his brother Kevin Mensah in our Keep an eye on archive.

Kevin Niclas Mensah is the oldest of the two brothers, spending his entire career in Viborg FF where he also played during his youth years. Since his breakthrough in Viborg's youth department as well as in the Danish youth national teams, he has been considered as one of the greatest talents in Denmark. In 2005, several SAS-Liga clubs (Superliga today), was interested in the midfielder, but Kevin decided to stay in Viborg.

“At the time, Viborg was playing in the Superliga, so I didn’t feel it would be any different playing for one of the other teams," Mensah says.

The player does nor regret staying in Viborg, despite the club has been playing in the Danish 1. Divison the last couple of years. In fact, he enjoys playing in Viborg:

”Viborg is a great club with a lot of great people around it. We [the players] is getting along well, and within the last couple of years it has become more competitive. The competitive spirit in the squad has improved, which makes it more attractive for other players to join. We know we are getting better; it is a club in development and with ambitions and talent to at some point play in the Superliga.”

In 2007, Mensah's talent was discovered outside Denmarks boundaries as both Arsenal and Newcastle invited him for a trial. He joined Arsenal in Italy where they played a youth tournament against Inter, Vicenza and Cheivo. The team made it to the final, where the Dane played fulltime - unfortunately Arsenal lost 1-0. The experience was positive for Mensah:

"I was playing with some real talented players; one of them was Jack Wilshere, one of the 10th best midfielders in the world today. Of course, it is great to have played with a guy like him, but it is not something I think about in my every day.”

However, it stayed with the trial and Mensah is still to be found in Viborg where coach Ove Christensen is more than happy to have him.  The coach describes Mensah as a technical strong and talent players in his squad. Furthermore, he tells that the talent is one of the fastest in the squad.

Kevin Mensah had his debut in 2009 against Næstved in the Danish 1. Division, but long before that he had been included in the squad for a match against Aalborg in the Superliga. Despite his debut came in the 1. Division, the talent remembers the match with great pleasure:

“I was so proud; suddenly, everyone I know from this city saw me, a young guy on the pitch. As I remember I did well and despite losing the players and the fans welcomed me well,“ he says.

In Viborg Kevin has his younger brother Jeff in whom he finds strong support. According to Kevin, the two Mensah brothers are capable getting them best out of each other as well as seeing each others faults. However, the oldest of the two brother's doesn't hope that they will play together for the rest of their career's.

“I hope not; I hope both of us can take the next step. We are two individuals with separate patches and separate ambitions for our lives. However, it would be great to play together again as we do now, later in out career.”

Coach Ove Christensen is also happy to have the two brothers on his team: “It is a pleasure to have those two guys as Jeff has the same genes as Kevin. Jeff is also a happy and positive guy and has some physical and technical abilities. They are much the same, and both have some tactical things to learn. It is two guys that you can only like, and they are great ambassadors for the club.”

The Superliga club FC Nordsjælland invited Mensah for a trial in 2011, but Mensah returned to Viborg where he is ready to stay. At the moment,  Viborg is in a position to be promoted for the Superliga next season, why Mensah doesn't see any point in changing club. Instead, he would like to fulfill his potential in his current club.

However, he acknowledge that if he had played in a Superliga club he probably would have played more for the Danish youth national teams. However, injuries have also had an impact on the talents career, but he now feels that he has put the injuries behind him. In fact, one of his goals is to play for the Danish national team in the future. Mensah also has another possibility as he has Ghanian blood running through his veins. Unfortunately for Ghana, Mensah laughs and says:

"I've never considered playing Ghana!" 

No one knows when Alex Ferguson will retire, but not a day goes by without rumours about his possible replacement. Great Dane Football Blog gives you 5 likely replacements.

5. Ryan Giggs

2. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

3. Pep Guardiola

2. Jürgen Klopp

1. Jose Mourinho