There wasn’t a ton going on in the past week, but there was enough to make life, and the Top 25 interesting. In the only matchup of Top 25 teams last week, Liverpool completed the humbling of Inter Milan, who had been at the top of these charts the entire season until last week. In the UEFA Cup, the English were ousted, while Zenit St. Petersburg and Getafe continued their unlikely runs. The group stage of the Copa Libertadores neared the half-way point, with a full slate of games this week taking the tournament there and beyond. Roma made AC Milan’s dream of returning to the Champions League next year even more unlikely as Fiorentina continues to prosper against lesser opponents in Serie A.
Now that the relatively quiet weekend is behind us, we can look ahead to the upcoming week – and what a week it should be. Of course, the brightest spotlight will be focused on the Isles as Manchester United hosts Liverpool and Arsenal faces its cross-town rival Chelsea. As if that wasn’t enough to make for a great Sunday, Inter Milan will host Juventus. To get warmed up for all of this, Ajax and PSV Eindhoven will finally try to get a match in, if the policemen are no longer on strike, that is. And, as alluded to earlier, there should be some great Copa Libertadores matches throughout the week as Boca Juniors goes to Chile to play Colo Colo and Sao Paulo goes to Paraguay to play Sportivo Luqueno. Finally, the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup come to a head in the next few days. Go DC United!!!!
World Club Rankings Top 25 – March 17, 2008
1. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – Not only does Manyoo retain the top spot, it officially regained the top spot in the Premiership with a 1-0 win over Derby County. Plays a make-up game against Bolton on Wednesday and then hosts Liverpool on Sunday in a game that should help Liverpool fade back into fifth place.
2. Arsenal (Eng) (2) – Well, it was just a matter of time, wasn’t it. Too bad Arsenal can’t play AC Milan all the time, since they found the going against Middlesbrough a little tougher, drawing 1-1. And it doesn’t get a lot easier, seeing as they have to travel across town and face Chelsea on Sunday. On top of that, they drew an English team in the Champions League, and we’ve seen how tough a time they’ve been having with them recently.
3. Roma (Ita) (3) – Defeated AC Milan 2-1 in the game of the weekend to keep pace with Inter Milan, who is looking more and more catchable as the season winds down. Unfortunately, caught the toughest draw of the Champions League quarterfinals, but if there’s anybody up to the task against Manchester United, it should be Roma, who has already eliminated Real Madrid. Two Serie A games this week as they play cross-town rival Lazio on Wednesday and host Empoli on Saturday.
4. Barcelona (Esp) (4) – Just can’t seem to get over the hump in La Liga. Real Madrid opens the door for them, they let Almeria slam it in their face. It looks like it’ll be long over before Messi returns. Travel to Valencia this week for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semis and host Valladolid in domestic action this weekend.
5. Chelsea (Eng) (5) – Playing as well as anybody in Britain right now, defeating Derby 6-1 and Sunderland 1-0 this week. Two more games this week, and they should be a lot tougher, as they face London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal. Chelsea may be on their way to second-place the way they (and Arsenal) are currently playing.
6. Internazionale (Ita) (6) – Back to their winning ways in Serie A, defeating Palermo 2-1 after being eliminated from European action by Liverpool. Now that they no longer have the European distraction, they should be able to focus on winning another scudetto. They will get to test that theory this week against Genoa and Juventus.
7. Real Madrid (Esp) (8) – How did they move up this week following a 1-0 loss to Deportivo La Coruna this weekend? I don’t know. The rankings are confusing sometimes. Fortunately for Real, Barcelona stumbled as well, so Real Madrid is still sitting pretty in La Primera Division. Host Valencia in La Liga action this week, having already been eliminated from the Copa del Rey.
8. Liverpool (Eng) (7) – Finished off the series against Inter Milan with a victory at the San Siro. Followed that up with a 2-1 victory over Reading to solidify fourth place in the Premiership. Much tougher matchup this weekend as they go to Old Trafford to see what the Number One team in the world has in store for them.
9. Porto (Por) (9) – Knocked off Leixoes 2-1 to extend its lead in the bwinLiga. Porto gets this week off, so I don’t expect their position will change much next week, either.
10. Sao Paulo (Bra) (10) – Just missing out from being top in their Copa Libertadores group, which would move them up a few notches. Rough time this weekend in the Paulista League, falling to Palmeiras 4-1. Travel to Paraguay to face Sportivo Luqueno in Libertadores action on Thursday before meeting Guarani this weekend.
11. Lyon (Fra) (15) – Moved up a little bit this week as many of the 11-15 group from last week stumbled. Lyon, on the other hand, crushed Monaco 3-0. Two games this week as Lyon hosts Sochaux in Cup action at midweek and Paris St.-Germain over the weekend.
12. Benfica (Por) (12) – Yes, I know they’re overrated. This will end next year when the 2004 European stats drop out of the rankings. For now, Benfica benefits from being second in the bwinLiga, despite managing only a draw against Maritimo and being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Getafe. They are guaranteed to fare better this week as they are idle.
13. Juventus (Ita) (17) – The Cheating Bastards, as they are affectionately known in this blog, got past Napoli 1-0 this weekend as they rest in third place in Serie A. They play two games on the road this week, first at Empoli and this weekend against Inter Milan, which promises to be fun, if not great.
14. Bayern Munchen (Ger) (11) – Hitting upon hard times. Lost to Anderlecht, though that doesn’t hurt them since it was a meaningless game. On the other hand, losing to Energie Cottbus 2-0 is a little painful. And it doesn’t get easier any time soon as they play Wolfsburg at midweek in DFB Pokal action before hosting Hamburger-beaters Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
15. Velez Sarsfield (Arg) (NR) – I haven’t seen them play yet, but they get props for leading the pack in the young Argentine Clausura. Their game against San Lorenzo set for this weekend was cancelled due to tragedy, but their season picks up again on Sunday against River Plate in what is sure to be a great game.
16. Boca Juniors (Arg) (16) – Well, it appears that the Argentine floodgates have opened. Managed only a goalless draw against Huracan yesterday, but still have to be one of the favorites in the Clausura. Travel to Chile to play Colo Colo on Thursday before hosting Colon de Santa Fe over the weekend.
17. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (19) – Despite scoring a loss and a draw this week, PSV managed to advance in the UEFA Cup over Tottenham. Biggest match of midweek takes place at home on Wednesday as PSV hosts Ajax. Host Groningen on Sunday.
18. Santos (Bra) (14) – Took home a pair of victories in Paulista League action. Face Guaratingueta in that league this weekend, but not before they travel to Bolivia to play San Jose in Copa Libertadores action.
19. Ajax (Ned) (24) – Beat Willem II Tiburg like a dirty rug to move two points closer to Wednesday’s opponent, PSV. Follow that match up with an away match against Twente on Sunday.
20. Everton (Eng) (23) – Defeated Fiorentina 2-0 this week, but it wasn’t enough to advance in the UEFA Cup. Everton was shut down by Fulhamerica 1-0 on Sunday, hurting their chances for Champions League qualification. Host West Ham United this weekend, as fourth-place Liverpool faces much tougher competition.
21. Fiorentina (Ita) (NR) – 2-0 loss to Tottenham was enough to squeak past Everton in the UEFA Cup. Another victory this weekend allows them to put more space between them and AC Milan for Italy’s final Champions League spot. Two Serie A games this week, traveling to play Napoli at midweek and hosting Lazio over the weekend.
22. Fenerbahce (Tur) (21) – Did their part to keep up with the teams at the top of the Turkish Ligi with a 4-1 victory over Konyaspor. Victories over weaker opponents need to continue this weekend when they host Kasimpasa.
23. Bordeaux (Fra) (25) – Defeated Strasbourg 3-0 to keep pace with Lyon, though time is becoming short. Two matches for Bordeaux this week as they host Lille in Cup action and Valenciennes in Ligue Un action this weekend.
24. Deportivo Saprissa (Crc) (20) - See how they’re slipping? Thought it was just a matter of time. 2-1 loss on the road against Atlante isn’t that bad a result, however, and if they get into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, they may be in the rankings for a while. Also, they defeated their primary domestic competition in Alajuelense. Host Perez Zeledon over the weekend, but the return leg against Atlante will be the big match.
25. Villarreal (Esp) (NR) – Return to the charts, where they most certainly belong, with another victory shoring up their Champions League spot. (I still can’t figure out what happened to them in the UEFA Cup.) Play on the road this weekend against Levante.
Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Cruzeiro (Bra), La Equidad (Col), Nacional (Uru), River Plate (Uru), Schalke 04 (Ger)
Next Five European: (32) Rangers (Sco), (33) AC Milan (Ita), (34) Hamburger (Ger), (35) Atletico de Madrid (Esp), (38) Bayer Leverkusen (Ger)
Games Between Top 25 Teams This Week:
19 March – (19) Ajax at (17) PSV Eindhoven
23 March – (8) Liverpool at (1) Manchester United
23 March – (2) Arsenal at (5) Chelsea
23 March – (13) Juventus at (6) Inter Milan
Now that the relatively quiet weekend is behind us, we can look ahead to the upcoming week – and what a week it should be. Of course, the brightest spotlight will be focused on the Isles as Manchester United hosts Liverpool and Arsenal faces its cross-town rival Chelsea. As if that wasn’t enough to make for a great Sunday, Inter Milan will host Juventus. To get warmed up for all of this, Ajax and PSV Eindhoven will finally try to get a match in, if the policemen are no longer on strike, that is. And, as alluded to earlier, there should be some great Copa Libertadores matches throughout the week as Boca Juniors goes to Chile to play Colo Colo and Sao Paulo goes to Paraguay to play Sportivo Luqueno. Finally, the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup come to a head in the next few days. Go DC United!!!!
World Club Rankings Top 25 – March 17, 2008
1. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – Not only does Manyoo retain the top spot, it officially regained the top spot in the Premiership with a 1-0 win over Derby County. Plays a make-up game against Bolton on Wednesday and then hosts Liverpool on Sunday in a game that should help Liverpool fade back into fifth place.
2. Arsenal (Eng) (2) – Well, it was just a matter of time, wasn’t it. Too bad Arsenal can’t play AC Milan all the time, since they found the going against Middlesbrough a little tougher, drawing 1-1. And it doesn’t get a lot easier, seeing as they have to travel across town and face Chelsea on Sunday. On top of that, they drew an English team in the Champions League, and we’ve seen how tough a time they’ve been having with them recently.
3. Roma (Ita) (3) – Defeated AC Milan 2-1 in the game of the weekend to keep pace with Inter Milan, who is looking more and more catchable as the season winds down. Unfortunately, caught the toughest draw of the Champions League quarterfinals, but if there’s anybody up to the task against Manchester United, it should be Roma, who has already eliminated Real Madrid. Two Serie A games this week as they play cross-town rival Lazio on Wednesday and host Empoli on Saturday.
4. Barcelona (Esp) (4) – Just can’t seem to get over the hump in La Liga. Real Madrid opens the door for them, they let Almeria slam it in their face. It looks like it’ll be long over before Messi returns. Travel to Valencia this week for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semis and host Valladolid in domestic action this weekend.
5. Chelsea (Eng) (5) – Playing as well as anybody in Britain right now, defeating Derby 6-1 and Sunderland 1-0 this week. Two more games this week, and they should be a lot tougher, as they face London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal. Chelsea may be on their way to second-place the way they (and Arsenal) are currently playing.
6. Internazionale (Ita) (6) – Back to their winning ways in Serie A, defeating Palermo 2-1 after being eliminated from European action by Liverpool. Now that they no longer have the European distraction, they should be able to focus on winning another scudetto. They will get to test that theory this week against Genoa and Juventus.
7. Real Madrid (Esp) (8) – How did they move up this week following a 1-0 loss to Deportivo La Coruna this weekend? I don’t know. The rankings are confusing sometimes. Fortunately for Real, Barcelona stumbled as well, so Real Madrid is still sitting pretty in La Primera Division. Host Valencia in La Liga action this week, having already been eliminated from the Copa del Rey.
8. Liverpool (Eng) (7) – Finished off the series against Inter Milan with a victory at the San Siro. Followed that up with a 2-1 victory over Reading to solidify fourth place in the Premiership. Much tougher matchup this weekend as they go to Old Trafford to see what the Number One team in the world has in store for them.
9. Porto (Por) (9) – Knocked off Leixoes 2-1 to extend its lead in the bwinLiga. Porto gets this week off, so I don’t expect their position will change much next week, either.
10. Sao Paulo (Bra) (10) – Just missing out from being top in their Copa Libertadores group, which would move them up a few notches. Rough time this weekend in the Paulista League, falling to Palmeiras 4-1. Travel to Paraguay to face Sportivo Luqueno in Libertadores action on Thursday before meeting Guarani this weekend.
11. Lyon (Fra) (15) – Moved up a little bit this week as many of the 11-15 group from last week stumbled. Lyon, on the other hand, crushed Monaco 3-0. Two games this week as Lyon hosts Sochaux in Cup action at midweek and Paris St.-Germain over the weekend.
12. Benfica (Por) (12) – Yes, I know they’re overrated. This will end next year when the 2004 European stats drop out of the rankings. For now, Benfica benefits from being second in the bwinLiga, despite managing only a draw against Maritimo and being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Getafe. They are guaranteed to fare better this week as they are idle.
13. Juventus (Ita) (17) – The Cheating Bastards, as they are affectionately known in this blog, got past Napoli 1-0 this weekend as they rest in third place in Serie A. They play two games on the road this week, first at Empoli and this weekend against Inter Milan, which promises to be fun, if not great.
14. Bayern Munchen (Ger) (11) – Hitting upon hard times. Lost to Anderlecht, though that doesn’t hurt them since it was a meaningless game. On the other hand, losing to Energie Cottbus 2-0 is a little painful. And it doesn’t get easier any time soon as they play Wolfsburg at midweek in DFB Pokal action before hosting Hamburger-beaters Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
15. Velez Sarsfield (Arg) (NR) – I haven’t seen them play yet, but they get props for leading the pack in the young Argentine Clausura. Their game against San Lorenzo set for this weekend was cancelled due to tragedy, but their season picks up again on Sunday against River Plate in what is sure to be a great game.
16. Boca Juniors (Arg) (16) – Well, it appears that the Argentine floodgates have opened. Managed only a goalless draw against Huracan yesterday, but still have to be one of the favorites in the Clausura. Travel to Chile to play Colo Colo on Thursday before hosting Colon de Santa Fe over the weekend.
17. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (19) – Despite scoring a loss and a draw this week, PSV managed to advance in the UEFA Cup over Tottenham. Biggest match of midweek takes place at home on Wednesday as PSV hosts Ajax. Host Groningen on Sunday.
18. Santos (Bra) (14) – Took home a pair of victories in Paulista League action. Face Guaratingueta in that league this weekend, but not before they travel to Bolivia to play San Jose in Copa Libertadores action.
19. Ajax (Ned) (24) – Beat Willem II Tiburg like a dirty rug to move two points closer to Wednesday’s opponent, PSV. Follow that match up with an away match against Twente on Sunday.
20. Everton (Eng) (23) – Defeated Fiorentina 2-0 this week, but it wasn’t enough to advance in the UEFA Cup. Everton was shut down by Fulhamerica 1-0 on Sunday, hurting their chances for Champions League qualification. Host West Ham United this weekend, as fourth-place Liverpool faces much tougher competition.
21. Fiorentina (Ita) (NR) – 2-0 loss to Tottenham was enough to squeak past Everton in the UEFA Cup. Another victory this weekend allows them to put more space between them and AC Milan for Italy’s final Champions League spot. Two Serie A games this week, traveling to play Napoli at midweek and hosting Lazio over the weekend.
22. Fenerbahce (Tur) (21) – Did their part to keep up with the teams at the top of the Turkish Ligi with a 4-1 victory over Konyaspor. Victories over weaker opponents need to continue this weekend when they host Kasimpasa.
23. Bordeaux (Fra) (25) – Defeated Strasbourg 3-0 to keep pace with Lyon, though time is becoming short. Two matches for Bordeaux this week as they host Lille in Cup action and Valenciennes in Ligue Un action this weekend.
24. Deportivo Saprissa (Crc) (20) - See how they’re slipping? Thought it was just a matter of time. 2-1 loss on the road against Atlante isn’t that bad a result, however, and if they get into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, they may be in the rankings for a while. Also, they defeated their primary domestic competition in Alajuelense. Host Perez Zeledon over the weekend, but the return leg against Atlante will be the big match.
25. Villarreal (Esp) (NR) – Return to the charts, where they most certainly belong, with another victory shoring up their Champions League spot. (I still can’t figure out what happened to them in the UEFA Cup.) Play on the road this weekend against Levante.
Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Cruzeiro (Bra), La Equidad (Col), Nacional (Uru), River Plate (Uru), Schalke 04 (Ger)
Next Five European: (32) Rangers (Sco), (33) AC Milan (Ita), (34) Hamburger (Ger), (35) Atletico de Madrid (Esp), (38) Bayer Leverkusen (Ger)
Games Between Top 25 Teams This Week:
19 March – (19) Ajax at (17) PSV Eindhoven
23 March – (8) Liverpool at (1) Manchester United
23 March – (2) Arsenal at (5) Chelsea
23 March – (13) Juventus at (6) Inter Milan
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1 comments:
All the saprissa game information is available in either nacion.com or saprissa.co.cr.... only down side is that its in spanish. I could translete them if u want
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