Weekend Top 25 Television Schedule

There is a full slate of games this weekend as every team in the WCR Top 25 takes the field. Of course, many of the games will be on a television or a broadband stream near you. There are two matchups among Top 25 teams this week as Barcelona travels to Madrid to take on Atletico while Fiorentina continues its string of tough opponents as it travels to Turin to face Juventus. I don’t have confirmation yet, but based on the schedules of the past few weeks, I suspect the Inter Milan / Napoli game will be on ESPN 360 on Sunday. As always, if you have any additional information to update the list below, please drop me a line or leave a comment.

Top Five Games of the Weekend:

1. Fiorentina at Juventus (Sunday, 9 am, FSC)
2. Barcelona at Atletico de Madrid (Saturday, 2pm, GolTV)
3. Bayern Munchen at Schalke 04 (Saturday, 9:30 am, GolTV)
4. Benfica at Sporting CP (Sunday, 3:30 pm, Setanta Broadband)
5. Aston Villa at Arsenal (Saturday, 10 am, FSC)

Saturday, March 1, 2008

2:30 am – Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seoul FC (FSC)
9:30 am – (13) Bayern Munchen at Schalke 04 (GolTV)
9:30 am – (5) Manchester United at Fulham (Setanta)
10:00 am – Aston Villa at (2) Arsenal (FSC)
10:00 am – (19) Rangers at Aberdeen
11:10 am – (12) Lyon at Lille
11:30 am – Borussia Dortmund at Werder Bremen (Delayed) (GolTV)
12:00 noon – Wigan Athletic at Manchester City (FSC)
2:00 pm – (7) Barcelona at (25) Atletico de Madrid (GolTV) (Two for one – By itself at 8:30 pm)
2:00 pm – (3) Real Madrid at Recreativo (GolTV) (Two for one – By itself at 3:00 pm, Sunday)
2:30 pm – Lazio at (15) AC Milan (FSC, ESPN 360)
2:45 pm – (11) Chelsea at West Ham (Delayed) (Setanta) (Live on Setanta Broadband at 10:00 am)
4:00 pm – Valencia at Espanyol (GolTV)
4:15 pm – (4) Porto at Boavista
4:30 pm – Blackburn Rovers at Newcastle United (Delayed) (FSC)
6:00 pm – Atlante at San Luis (Galavision)
6:00 pm – Tottenham at Birmingham City (Delayed) (Setanta)
6:05 pm – (18) Chivas de Guadalajara at Cruz Azul
6:15 pm – Atletico Nacional at Deportivo Cali (GolTV)
6:30 pm – (17) Lanus at Olimpo
7:45 pm – Sunderland at Derby County (Delayed) (Setanta)
8:00 pm – Veracruz at Necaxa (Galavision)
8:00 pm – Club America at Tigres (Telefutura)
8:00 pm – Parma at (6) AS Roma (Delayed) (FSC) (Live at Noon on FSE and ESPN 360)
12 midnight – Puebla at Atlas (Delayed) (Galavision)

Sunday, March 2, 2008

7:30 am – (16) Liverpool at Bolton Wanderers (Setanta)
8:30 am – (14) PSV Eindhoven at Utrecht
8:30 am – Excelsior at (22) Ajax
9:00 am – (1) Internazionale at Napoli
9:00 am – (23) Fiorentina at (8) Juventus (FSC)
11:00 am – Portsmouth at (24) Everton (FSC)
11:00 am – Eintracht Frankfurt at Hamburger (GolTV)
12 noon – Nice at St. Etienne (Setanta)
1:00 pm – Osasuna at (21) Villarreal (GolTV)
1:00 pm – Pachuca at Toluca (Univision)
2:30 pm – Genoa at Cagliari (FSC)
3:00 pm – Paris St. Germain at (20) Bordeaux (Setanta)
3:30 pm – (10) Benfica at Sporting CP (Setanta Broadband)
4:10 pm – (9) Sao Paulo at Mirassol
5:00 pm – Monterrey at Santos Laguna (FSE)
5:00 pm – San Martin at River Plate (FSC) (Live at 2:30 pm on FSE)
5:30 pm – Independiente Santa Fe at Quindio (GolTV)

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World

A little trivia – how many teams that are first-place in their domestic league won the opening game in the Champions League knockout round? Zero. As a matter of fact, only three second-place teams won, Barcelona, Roma and Fenerbahce. How does this affect the rankings? Well, it doesn’t . . . yet. The assumption that I’m going on is that since the round is a two-game series, they shouldn’t affect the rankings until both games have been played. This being the case, we will have to wait a few weeks before we see the Champions League games of this week reflected in the rankings.

It’ll be good when the Champions League does start affecting the rankings because there is definitely a log jam at the top. That’ll change in a couple of weeks, as described above. There is anything but a logjam in the second half of the charts as third- and fourth-place teams are continuing to move around in their domestic leagues.

This week is an off-week in European continental competitions, but the group stages in the Copa Libertadores (or whatever the corporate name of the competition is now) so that could keep you going if you have Fox Sports en Espanol. The match between Brazil’s Sao Paulo and Colombia’s Atletico Nacional should be particularly tasty.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs - February 25, 2008

1. Internazionale (Ita) (1) – A ten-man team played adequately against Liverpool for 85 minutes. Unfortunately, the game was a bit longer than that and Inter’s defense finished a little sketchily. Crespo guaranteed that Inter remained undefeated in Serie A over the weekend. This week, Inter plays twice, including the best mid-week game as they take on second-place AS Roma.

2. Arsenal (Eng) (2) – It’s difficult to keep Arsenal in this place, but at least it appears that this will be only temporary. After failing to take advantage of a home match against Milan in CL action, Arse could manage only a draw against Birmingham City, losing a great player in the process. Now, they have to fight off Manchester United by hosting an Aston Villa team that has been playing rather well as of late.

3. Real Madrid (Esp) (3) – Like the rest of the Top Five, Real failed to win its Champions League match this week. They followed up that loss with a loss to Getafe to turn their once insurmountable lead in the Primera Division into another nail-biter. They were actually talking about tie-breakers during the match. Need to turn it around against Recreativo de Huelva this weekend, but it’s beginning to look that Barca may just have too much to fight off.

4. Porto (Por) (4) – Lost to Schalke in CL action, but are still in good shape to advance. Unlike the three teams above them, they did manage a victory over the weekend in domestic action, however. This week sees Porto playing against Gil Vicente in Cup action and then cross-town Boavista in BWIN Liga action this weekend.

5. Manchester United (Eng) (5) – It appears at this rate that it’s just a matter of time before Manyoo takes over the top spot in the Premiership. They also managed a road draw in the Champions League, giving them a great chance to advance in that competition. Playing like a team that could soon top these charts. Take the next step this weekend against apparently relegation-bound Fulham.

6. Roma (Ita) (6) – What? Somebody in the top six won a Champions League match? It was Roma, defeating Real Madrid 2—1, though they will have a tough time maintaining that advantage on the road. Also managed to gain ground on Inter this weekend by defeating Fiorentina 1-0. It’s gotta get easier now, right? Nope. Play top-ranked Inter at midweek before hosting Parma over the weekend.

7. Barcelona (Esp) (7) – Like Manchester United, Barcelona looks to be a team destined to climb these charts. Defeated a good Celtic team in Glasgow in CL action and moved to within a few points of Real Madrid in La Liga by crushing Levante 5-1. Play Valencia in Copa del Rey action at midweek and then face a slumping Atletico de Madrid in domestic action this weekend.

8. Juventus (Ita) (8) – Too bad the cheating bastards don’t get to play in European action. Or maybe it’s good, since they couldn’t even beat Reggina this weekend. Still in third-place in Serie A, but that might start counting for less due to Inter’s troubles at Liverpool. Face Torino and a slumping Fiorentina this week in domestic action.

9. Sao Paulo (Bra) (9) – Finally get to work in Copa Libertadores action this week as they travel to Colombian to face Atletico Nacional. It won’t be an easy match. Grabbed a win and a draw in Paulista action this week and face Mirassol in that tournament over the weekend.

10. Benfica (Por) (10) – For all of you BWIN haters out there, and you are out there, rest assured that this overranking will be remedied after bonus points are given at the conclusion of the current Champions League round. In the meantime, Benfica managed to advance in the UEFA Cup. This week, they try to bounce back from a draw against Sporting Braga with a road trip to Lisbon to face Sporting CP.

11. Chelsea (Eng) (11) – Managed only a draw against Olympiakos, but that is probably enough in a road match in the Champions League. Also lost the Carling Cup final to Tottenham in what is essentially a world televised exhibition match, no offense. Return to Premiership action this weekend against West Ham. Can they also catch Arsenal?

12. Lyon (Fra) (12) – Did manage a draw against Manchester United in CL action, but that is unlikely to be good enough at home. Defeated Metz 2-0 in Ligue 1 action and travel to Lille this weekend.

13. Bayern Munchen (Ger) (13) – Avenged their draw at Aberdeen by crushing them 5-1 to advance in the UEFA Cup. Drew with Hamburger this weekend to extend its lead over Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga. Face 1860 Munchen in Cup action this week before a much-anticipated match against Schalke 04 this weekend.

14. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (15) – Finally a change!!! Advanced in the UEFA Cup by defeating Helsingborg before dismantling De Graafschap 4-1 over the weekend. Look to further cement its inevitable Eredevisie title when it faces Utrecht this weekend.

15. AC Milan (Ita) (20) – You knew it was just a matter of time before Milan took over fourth place from Fiorentina, which they did this weekend with a 2-1 victory over Palermo. Travel to Catania at midweek before hosting Lazio over the weekend in Serie A play.

16. Liverpool (Eng) (22) – Surprised me by defeating Inter 2-0 even if they did get significant help by an undeserved red card. Victory over ‘Boro puts them in fourth place in the Premiership, at least for now. Play Bolton Wanderers on the road this weekend in their attempt to keep that spot.

17. Lanus (Arg) (18) – Crushed Colon de Santa Fe 5-1 in the Clausura. Face Estudiantes in Copa Libertadores action before facing an easier opponent in Olimpo in Clausura action over the weekend.

18. Chivas de Guadalajara (Mex) (14) – Followed up impressive Copa Libertadores victory with draw against San Luis 2-2 in domestic action. Face Cruz Azul this weekend in what is always a fun match.

19. Rangers (Sco) – Advanced in the UEFA Cup against Panathinaikos on away goals and then maintained its Premier League lead by defeating Gretna 4-2. Face Scottish teams Hearts and Aberdeen, both on the road, this week.

20. Bordeaxux (19) (Fra) – Eliminated from the UEFA Cup at the hands of Belgian powerhouse (and how many are there of those) RSC Anderlecht before drawing 1-1 with Lille this weekend. Face Paris St. Germain this weekend as they continue to chase down Lyon in Ligue Un.

21. Villarreal (Esp) (25) – Bounced back from embarrassing exit from UEFA Cup by defeating Athletic de Bilbao 2-1. Won’t finish any higher than third in the Primera Division, but that would still be very impressive. Host Osasuna this weekend.

22. Ajax (Ned) (24) – Maintained second place in the Eredivisie by defeating NAC Breda 4-2. Face Excelsior this weekend as they look to maintain their hot streak.

23. Fiorentina (Ned) (16) – Advanced in the UEFA Cup, but have not been playing well against tough teams in Serie A. That could be a problem this week as they follow up a midweek match against Livorno by playing Juventus in Turin on Sunday.

24. Everton (Eng) (17) – This probably isn’t fair because they dropped to fifth-place in the Premiership largely because they don’t play until today against Manchester City. If they draw or lose, however, this position could be prescient. Host Portsmouth next weekend.

25. Atletico de Madrid (Esp) (NR) – Not sure how they returned to the ranking after being eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Bolton, but here they are. They can feel Sevilla hot on their heels in the Primera Division and host Barcelona this weekend, so this return trip to the rankings may be temporary.

Bubbling Under (Alphabetically): Boca Juniors (Arg), Celtic (Sco), Estudiantes (Arg), Fluminense (Bra), Werder Bremen (Ger)

Bubbling Farther Under, But Not As Bubbly: Sporting CP (Por), Sevilla (Esp), Santos (Bra), Bayer Leverkusen (Ger), Aston Villa (Eng)

Matches Between Top 25 Teams This Week:
27 February – (6) AS Roma at (1) Inter Milan
2 March – (7) Barcelona at (25) Atletico de Madrid
2 March – (23) Fiorentina at (8) Juventus

UEFA Cup Prediction Post Mortem

Now that the First Knockout Round of the UEFA Cup is over, it’s time to do a post-mortem on my predictions. (If you’ve come here for the most recent rankings or this weekend’s television schedule, click as appropriate.) For those of you who don’t recall, they were as follows:

Predictions for UEFA Cup Round of 32

Villarreal (Esp) over Zenit St. Petersburg (Rus)

Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) over Galatasaray (Tur)

AEK Athens (Gre) over Getafe (Esp)

Everton (Eng) over Brann (Nor)

Werder Bremen (Ger) over Sporting Braga (Por)

Bordeaux (Fra) over RSC Anderlecht (Bel)

PSV Eindhoven (Ned) over Helsingborg (Swe)

Marseille (Fra) over Spartak Moscow (Rus)

Rangers (Sco) over Panathinaikos (Gre)

Sporting CP (Por) over Basel 1893 (Sui)

Bayern Munchen (Ger) over Aberdeen (Sco)

Hamburger (Ger) over Zurich (Sui)

Fiorentina (Ita) over Rosenborg (Nor)

Atletico de Madrid (Esp) over Bolton Wanderers (Eng)

Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) over Slavia Prague (Czc)

Benfica (Por) over Nurnberg (Ger)


By my count, I finished 12-4. Let’s break these down into four categories:

Category 1: Picks that should have been easy and were: Everton, PSV Eindhoven, Marseille, Sporting CP, Bayern Munchen, Hamburger, Fiorentina, Tottenham Hotspur. I felt pretty comfortable with all of these based on the teams that were playing and the teams that they were playing against. I was 8-2 in matchups that I thought were pretty easy, but that’s still disappointing, because I should have been perfect on the easy matchups.

Category 2: Picks that were difficult, but I got right anyway: Bayer Leverkusen, Werder Bremen, Rangers, Benfica. I though all of these teams were going to win, but they were playing pretty tough competition and at least one of them (Werder Bremen) had been a little suspect as of late. Rangers and Benfica just squeaked by. Early losses would have been embarrassing, especially since Benfica is currently in the WCR Top Ten (deservedly or not).

Category 3: Picks that were difficult and I went the wrong way. Getafe and Bolton Wanderers. I hated to pick against the Spanish teams, but the Greek League teams had all been playing surprisingly well while Getafe had been mediocre at best. I also hate to pick against Premiership teams, but I expected a lot more from Atletico. I didn’t see the games, so there’s a limit to the commentary I can give, but they did disappoint me.

Category 4: Picks that should have been easy and I still screwed up: Anderlecht and Zenit St. Petersburg. I know that Belgium has a decent football tradition, especially Anderlecht, but Bordeaux had been playing so well and recently made its first appearance in the WCR Rankings. I have to admit I was surprised. And “surprised” doesn’t even begin to cover it with Villarreal. What a Jeckyl and Hyde team. They can look so good against Barcelona and then fall to an inferior (no offense) Russian team early in the UEFA Cup. Go figure.

Predictions for the next round will be posted on or around March 2. This has the makings of a great tournament.

Weekend Football Television Schedule

As most of you know, most of the best games taking place this week are being played during the week in the Champions League, Copa Libertadores or UEFA Cup, all of which are (or soon will be) playing right now on a television near you. Because of this, I’m sure many of you have quit your jobs and are waiting until this weekend to start deciding how you are going to feed your family. The good news is that the Champions League is off next week, so you can put off feeding your family until then and enjoy football all weekend. I’m sure your family won’t mind.

There’s only on Top 25 matchup this weekend, which takes place Sunday morning as Fiorentina risk their fourth-place spot at Roma, who is putting their second-place spot at risk. Don’t let that influence you to go out and get a job, however. There are still other (potentially) great games this weekend. Here are my top five (since I rank everything else):

5. Schalke 04 at Bayer Leverkusen
4. Santos Laguna at Club America
3. Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea
2. Hamburger at Bayern Munchen
1. Fiorentina at Roma

Times and stations for these games and many others are below. Enjoy:


Saturday, February 23, 2008

7:30 a.m. (2) Arsenal at Birmingham City (Setanta)
9:30 a.m. Werder Bremen at Eintracht Frankfurt (GolTV)
9:45 a.m. Middlesbrough at (22) Liverpool (Setanta)
10:00 a.m. West Ham United at Fulham (FSC)
11:30 a.m. Schalke 04 at Bayer Leverkusen (GolTV)
12 noon (5) Manchester United at Newcastle United (FSC)
12:15 p.m. Sunderland at Portsmouth (Delayed) (Setanta)
2:00 p.m. Recreativo de Huelva at Valencia (GolTV)
2:00 p.m. FC Metz at (12) Lyon
2:30 p.m. (8) Juventus at Reggina (FSC)
3:00 p.m. Pacos Ferreira at (4) Porto (Setanta Broadband)
4:00 p.m. Real Zaragoza at Sevilla (GolTV)
4:30 p.m. Derby at Wigan Athletic (Delayed) (FSC)
8:00 p.m. San Luis at (14) Chivas de Guadalajara (TeleFutura)
10:00 p.m. Tigres at Atlante (Galavision)

Sunday, February 24, 2008

6:30 a.m. (24) Ajax at NAC Breda (Setanta)
8:30 a.m. De Graafschap at (15) PSV Eindhoven
9:00 a.m. (16) Fiorentina at (6) AS Roma (FSC)
9:00 a.m. (1) Internazionale at Sampdoria
9:30 a.m. Tottenham vs. (11) Chelsea (Carling Cup Final) (Setanta)
10:00 a.m. Gretna at (23) Rangers
11:00 a.m. Bolton at Blackburn (FSC)
11:00 a.m. Hamburger at (13) Bayern Munchen (GolTV)
11:00 a.m. (25) Villarreal at Athletic Bilbao
1:00 p.m. Levante at (7) Barcelona (GolTV)
1:00 p.m. Necaxa at UNAM (Univision)
2:00 p.m. Noroeste at (9) Sao Paulo
2:15 p.m. (21) Sporting CP at Vitoria Setubal
2:30 p.m. Palermo at (20) AC Milan (FSC)
3:00 p.m. Getafe at (3) Real Madrid (GolTV)
3:00 p.m. Lille at (19) Bordeaux (Setanta)
3:00 p.m. Sporting Braga at (10) Benfica
5:00 p.m. San Lorenzo at River Plate (Delayed) (FSC)
5:00 p.m. Puebla at Monarcas (ESPND)
5:00 p.m. Santos Laguna at Club America (TeleFutura)
5:30 p.m. Santa Fe at Atletico Huila (GolTV)
7:00 p.m. Atlas at Monterrey (Delayed) (Galavision)

Champions League - Predictification

Well, all of the cool kids are doing it, if you consider Soccer by Ives and Soccer Source “cool kids” anyway, so I might as well do it too. My picks for the teams that will advance can be found in the polls to the left because I have to go with my rankings and all of the poll results agreed with my rankings. As far as the individual games this week, below are my picks.

In the words of the great philosopher David Letterman, this is an exhibition, not a competition, please, no wagering.

Tuesday, February 19

(4) Porto at Schalke 04
Schalke played well to advance, but Porto is not only stronger but have been playing very well recently. My pick: Porto 2 Schalke 04 1

(1) Internazionale at (22) Liverpool
Inter has been the cream of Europe the entire year. Liverpool has been disappointing, with the exception of the Champions League, and haven’t looked good as of late. My pick: Inter Milan 1 Liverpool 0

(3) Real Madrid at (6) AS Roma
Both teams are coming off of disappointing performances. Roma has been particularly sketchy as of late, coming close to losing its second-place spot in Serie A. Still, Real Madrid will not prosper playing the way it has played the past few weeks (7-0 victories, notwithstanding). My pick: Real Madrid 1 Roma 1.

(11) Chelsea at Olympiakos
Olympiakos surprised a lot of people by advancing to the knock-out round, eliminating Werder Bremen in the process. Chelsea is not at the top of the Premiership this year, but they are playing pretty well as of late and should advance. My pick: Chelsea 1 Olympiakos 0.

Wednesday, February 20

(7) Barcelona at Celtic
For a change, this game matches up two teams that are playing pretty well recently, particularly Celtic. My pick: Celtic 1 Barcelona 1

(5) Manchester United at (12) Lyon
Manchester United looked unbeatable this past weekend against Arsenal. Lyon not only looked beatable, they were beaten by Le Mans. I see this trend continuing. My pick: Manchester United 2 Lyon 1.

(20) AC Milan at (2) Arsenal
Was Arsenal’s butt-kicking an aberration or is Arsenal overrated? After failing to move into the top four in Serie A after a pair of draws last week, is Milan saving it for Arsenal or are they just not as good on the pitch as they are on paper? Lots of questions. Answers start tomorrow. My pick: Arsenal 2 AC Milan 0.

Sevilla at Fenerbahce
A battle of unranked teams takes place here. Sevilla, after a very rough start, has been playing very well recently and has begun to look like a legitimate challenger. Meanwhile, Fenerbahce has done well to get this far, but I think that this is as far as it gets. My pick: Sevilla 2 Fenerbahce 0.

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Welcome Chivas

A few big games this week in FA Cup and Serie A action. In both cases, the lower-ranked team defeated the higher ranked teams. How did it affect the rankings? Not all that much. WHY?!?!? Well, different reasons for each game. With respect to Manchester United’s manhandling of Arsenal, it was an FA Cup fixture and, frankly, domestic cup competitions just don’t factor in all that much in the rankings. Domestic tables are much more important and, if you want to send hate mail as to why Manchester United should be ranked above Arsenal, based on one game, please start it off by telling me that Manchester City should be ranked above United – at least that’ll be based on two games. In the other big match, Juventus defeated Roma 1-0, but Roma maintained second place in Serie A (even though it’s beginning to look very tenuous), so Roma remains a little ahead of Juventus.

The big mover (arriver?) in the rankings is Chivas de Guadalajara. WHY?!?!? Well, enough games have now been played in La Liga Mexicana Clausura to allow me to disregard the Apertura results, and Chivas has been dominant in the Clausura. The same is also true in Costa Rica, though no team from the Costa Rican league is close to qualifying for the Top 25. Next week, Chile reaches this point, but it is very unlikely that any Chilean team will approach the rankings this season because the league just isn’t ranked highly enough.

Most of the ranked teams play two games this week – an international tournament game at midweek and a domestic league game over the weekend. There are, of course, a handful of exceptions. What are they? Let’s find out.

World Club Top 25 – February 18, 2008

1. Internazionale (Ita) (1) – Go ahead and give them the Scudetta. They extended their lead in Serie A with yet another victory, this time over Livorno. Face struggling Liverpool in Champions League action tomorrow before facing Sampdoria over the weekend.

2. Arsenal (Eng) (2) – Yes, I know. They got mauled by Manchester United this weekend. I loved it!!! Nevertheless, they are still five points free in the Premiership. Face another team that didn’t look good this weekend in AC Milan in Champions League action and then look to extend their Premiership lead against Birmingham City.

3. Real Madrid (Esp) (3) – Do they want to win the Primera Division? They haven’t been playing like it recently, and didn’t against Real Betis. Face Roma, who is also struggling recently (isn’t everybody?) in the Champions League and Getafe over the weekend.

4. Porto (Por) (4) – Like Inter Milan, Porto keeps rolling, most recently against Maritimo. Face Schalke 04 in the CL in a favorable matchup and then face Pacos Ferreira in BWIN League action this weekend.

5. Manchester United (Eng) (5) – Unlikely to move up unless they catch Arsenal in the Premiership, which could be done based on what I saw this weekend. In another matchup of two teams coming off of losses, Manyoo play Lyon in the Champions League and then faces my beloved Toon on Saturday. It could get ugly.

6. Roma (Ita) (6) – Couldn’t stave off Juventus on the road this weekend but held onto second place in Serie A nevertheless. Tough matchup against Real Madrid in CL action and then host sixteenth-ranked Fiorentina on Sunday. What a stretch. They better pick it up or the season may be ruined very quickly.

7. Barcelona (Esp) (7) – What’s this? A CL team that actually won this weekend, beating Real Zaragoza 2-1. Face a tough Celtic team in the CL, but it’s a series they should win. Host Levante over the weekend in La Liga action.

8. Juventus (Ita) (8) – What a shame they’re a bunch of cheating bastards. Closed to within a point of Roma for second place in Serie A. Look to continue their form against Reggina this weekend.

9. Sao Paulo (Bra) (9) – Continuing to play in the Paulista League, with mixed results, as they prepare for Copa Libertadores action coming soon.

10. Benfica (Por) (10) – Continued their winning ways in the UEFA Cup against Nurnberg and against Naval. Go to Nuremburg for the UEFA Cup return leg and host fellow UEFA Cup participant Sporting Braga over the weekend.

11. Chelsea (Eng) (12) – Move back ahead of Lyon by virtue of Lyon’s stumble and their victory over somebody I’ve never seen before in the FA Cup. Face a surprising Olympiakos team in CL action and then face Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup final on Sunday.

12. Lyon (Fra) (11) – Like many CL teams this weekend, they lost. Tough CL matchup with Manchester United at midweek and then host Metz over the weekend as they look to stave off Bordeaux.

13. Bayern Munchen (Ger) (13) – After a surprising draw with Aberdeen, Luca Toni took it upon himself to slap Hannover around over the weekend. Attempt to avenge the Aberdeen draw on Thursday before what should be a great team against Hamburger in Bundesliga action on Sunday.

14. Chivas de Guadaljara (Mex) (NR) – First trip to the Top 25 as they dominate in La Liga Mexicana with fourteen points in six games, including a victory over Apertura powerhouse Santos Laguna at midweek. Saintly week this week as they face San Jose (Bolivia) in Copa Libertadores action and San Luis in domestic action this weekend.

15. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (14) – Looked good in UEFA Cup action and maintained its nine point lead in the Eredivisie by defeating Willem II. Face return match with Helsingborg on Thursday and De Graafschap in domestic action this weekend.

16. Fiorentina (Ita) (15) – Defeated Rosenborg in the UEFA Cup and, more importantly, held onto fourth place in Serie A by defeating Catania this weekend. It doesn’t get any easier, however, as they fact Roma in weekend Serie A action.

17. Everton (Eng) (16) – Defeated Brann 2-0 on the road in UEFA Cup action. They are now in great shape to advance on Thursday. Follow that up with a match against Manchester City on Monday.

18. Lanus (Arg) (17) – Defeated a good Danubio (Uruguay) team in Copa Libertadores action, but lost their opening game in the Argentine Clausura to Huracan. Try to reverse that result against Colon de Santa Fe this weekend.

19. Bordeaux (Fra) (NR) – Like Chivas, Bordeaux makes it’s first trip to the Top 25 by scoring a touchdown (no extra point though) this weekend and moving three points closer to Lyon in Ligue Un. Face Lille over the weekend as they try to work themselves even closer.

20. AC Milan (Ita) (19) – Blew a golden opportunity by drawing both games this week in Serie A action. Will try to do what they did last year, excel in CL action despite lackluster domestic season, as they play Arsenal at midweek and host Palermo over the weekend.

21. Sporting CP (Por) (NR) – Return to the Top 25 by returning to third place in the BWIN Liga. Face FC Basel again in UEFA Cup action on Thursday and play a decent Vitoria Setubal team on Sunday.

22. Liverpool (Eng) (20) – Really?!?!? What can I say. They’re embarrassed enough. They could go a long way towards redeeming themselves against top-ranked Internazionale tomorrow. Good luck. Return to Premiership action against ‘Boro this weekend.

23. Rangers (Sco) (22) – Beat Kilmarnock to retain the top spot in the Scottish Premiership. Will need to improve their game if they don’t want to be eliminated by Panathinaikos in the UEFA Cup. This weekend, face Gretna as they try to hold off a hot Celtic team.

24. Ajax (Ned) (NR) – Return to the rankings by returning to second place in the Eredivisie. Play NAC Breda as they continue their likely unsuccessful chase of PSV Eindhoven.

25. Villarreal (Esp) (21) – Could manage only a draw against Racing in Primera Division action as they decided, as did most of La Liga, that they didn’t want to be near the top of the standings. Need to overcome a 0-1 deficit to Zenit St. Petersburg in UEFA Cup action at midweek before taking on Atletic-beating Athletico de Bilbao this weekend.

Bubbling Under: Atletico de Madrid (Esp), Celtic (Sco), Fluminense (Bra), Santos (Bra), Werder Bremen (Ger)

Unranked Champions League Teams: (28) Celtic (Sco), (37) Sevilla (Esp), (55) Schalke 04 (Ger), (96) Olympiakos (Gre), (112) Fenerbahce (Tur)

Games Between Top 25 Teams This Week
19 February – (1) Internazionale at (22) Liverpool
19 February – (3) Real Madrid at (6) Roma
20 February – (20) AC Milan at (2) Arsenal
20 February – (5) Manchester United at (12) Lyon
24 February – (16) Fiorentina at (6) Roma

Football Weekend Television Schedule (and more) - February 16/17, 2008

It’s that time of the week again when we here at World Club Rankings (nearly) always publish the television schedule for games on American television this weekend. As (nearly) always, we’ve scanned both English-language (FSC, GolTV, Setanta) and Spanish-language (TeleFutura, Galavision, Azteca) networks to get all of the games that we can find. (As an aside, next week, WCR switches cable companies and begins subscribing to FSE and ESPNDeportes, so there may be even more info in future listings.)

Also, as (nearly) always, we post the games and times for every game for every team in the WCR Top 25, even if it’s not on American television. Perhaps you can hook up the satellite or go to your favorite pub and catch the action. Highlighted in that group this week, of course, is the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Manchester United. Frankly, and no offense to the many Anglophiles that view this board, I’m looking forward more to the Roma / Juventus matchup that follows it.

As (nearly) always, if you have any additional information regarding the televising of the following events, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line. Cheers.

Weekend Television Schedule – February 16/17, 2008

Saturday, February 16, 2008

9:30 a.m. Bayer Leverkusen at Karlsruhe (GolTV)
10:00 a.m. Barnsley at (20) Liverpool (FSC)
10:00 a.m. Hearts at (25) Celtic
11:10 a.m. (11) Lyon at Le Mans
11:30 a.m. Nurnberg at (24) Werder Bremen (Delayed) (GolTV)
12 noon Huddersfield at (12) Chelsea (Delayed) (FSC)
12 noon Livorno at (1) Internazionale
12:15 p.m. (2) Arsenal at (5) Manchester United
2:00 p.m. (3) Real Madrid at Real Betis (GolTV)
2:30 p.m. (6) Roma at (8) Juventus (FSC)
4:00 p.m. (7) Barcelona at Real Zaragoza (GolTV)
4:30 p.m. (19) AC Milan at Parma (Delayed) (FSC)
6:00 p.m. Pachuca at San Luis (Galavision)
6:00 p.m. Veracruz at Cruz Azul (Azteca)
6:15 p.m. Once Caldas at America de Cali (GolTV)
8:00 p.m. Monterrey at Monarcas (Azteca)
8:00 p.m. Chivas de Guadalajara at Tigres (TeleFutura)
10:00 p.m. Club America at Atlas (Delayed) (TeleFutura)
12 midnight Toluca at Necaxa (Dealyed) (Galavision)


Sunday, February 17, 2008

8:30 a.m. Vitesse at Feyenoord (Setanta)
9:00 a.m. (22) Rangers at Kilmarnock
9:00 a.m. Sampdoria at Genoa (FSC)
11:00 a.m. Plymouth at Preston North End (FSC)
11:00 a.m. (13) Bayern Munchen at Hannover 96 (GolTV)
11:00 a.m. Racing Santander at (22) Villarreal
12 noon Bordeaux at Monaco (Setanta)
1:00 p.m. Valencia at Getafe (GolTV)
1:00 p.m. Jaguares at UNAM (Univision)
1:30 p.m. (14) PSV Eindhoven at Willem II
2:00 p.m. (18) Heerenveen at Heracles Almelo
2:00 p.m. (9) Sao Paulo at Marilia
2:10 p.m. (17) Lanus at Huracan
2:15 p.m. (10) Benfica at Naval
2:30 p.m. Catania at (15) Fiorentina (Delayed) (FSC)
2:45 p.m. Paris St. Germain at Marseille (Setanta)
3:00 p.m. Athletico de Bilbao at (23) Atletico de Madrid (GolTV)
5:00 p.m. River Plate at Newell’s Old Boys (Delayed) (FSC)
5:00 p.m. Atlante at Santos Laguna (Azteca)
5:30 p.m. La Equidad at Millonarios (GolTV)

World Club Rankings Top 25

Not a great deal of change this week in the Top 25 as most of the teams that should have won, won. In fact, only three teams in the Top 25 managed to lose. Ajax and Espanyol are two of them. Their losses pushed them further down their respective league tables and out of the Top 25 completely. The other, of course, was Manchester United who fell to their cross-town rivals for the second time this season. Somehow, this loss did not affect them in the rankings, however, and they remain in the Top 5.

Last week, there were three games among Top 25 teams and they all ended up in draws – PSV/Heerenveen and Bayern/Werder each finished at 1-1 while Chelsea and Liverpool ended up in a scoreless tie. The main beneficiary of these results was Heerenveen, who managed to move up the Eredivisie table by virtue of an Ajax upset.

This week, there are two such matchups, and they both involve Top Eight teams on Saturday. In the FA Cup, the much anticipated match between Arsenal and Manchester United takes place. Also on Saturday, a battle between second-place Roma and third-place Juventus should provide fireworks just as bright. Will they result in any shakeup in the rankings next week? That’s getting ahead of ourselves. First, let’s look at the rankings for this week.

World Club Rankings Top 25 – February 11, 2008

1. Internazionale (Ita) (1) – Continued its Serie A dominance this weekend with a 2-0 victory over Catania. Are they getting help from the referees? A lot of people think so. Face Livorno on Saturday in an attempt to lengthen its lead as the second- and third-place teams face each other.

2. Arsenal (Eng) (2) – Defeated Blackburn 2-0 today to extend its Premiership lead. Face Manchester United in FA Cup action on Saturday.

3. Real Madrid (Esp) (3) – Which football is this? Scored a touchdown AND an extra point against Valladolid as they put the prior week’s upset behind them. Face Real Betis on Saturday before facing Roma in the Champion’s League.

4. Porto (Por) (4) – Defeated a Portuguese minnow to advance in the Portugal Cup on Sunday. Face Maritimo as they return to BWIN League action this coming weekend.

5. Manchester United (Eng) (5) – What can I say? Went down to Manchester City once again. Can’t say that it made me sad, though seeing Arsenal with an increased lead does. Yet again, though, both Chelsea and Liverpool failed to take advantage. Host Arsenal in FA Cup action on Saturday.

6. Roma (Ita) (6) – Like Real Madrid, got back on track by defeating Reggina 2-0. They better be back on track as their next two games are against Juventus on Saturday and then Real Madrid in Champions League action.

7. Barcelona (Esp) (7) – Manage only a 1-1 draw with Sevilla to fall even further off of the Primera Division lead. Face Real Zaragoza this week as they prepare for their Champions League draw with Celtic.

8. Juventus (Ita) (8) - Continued their winning ways of late by beating a good, but not great, Udinese team 2-1. Host AS Roma on Saturday in a battle for second place in Serie A.

9. Sao Paulo (Bra) (9) – Four points in two games this week in Paulista League action, including an impressive 3-2 defeat of Santos. Play only one game in the Paulista League this week and are inactive in Copa Libertadores action.

10. Benfica (Por) (10) – Defeated Pacos Ferreira to advance in the Portugal Cup this weekend. Play a potentially tough game against Nurnberg in UEFA Cup action this week (my pick: Benfica) before returning to BWIN League actions against Naval over the weekend.

11. Lyon (Fra) (12) – The first change from last week occurs here, as Lyon managed to beat Sochaux 4-1. Face Le Man over the weekend as they prepare for Manchester United in the Champions League.

12. Chelsea (Eng) (11) – Fall one notch after a scoreless draw at home against Liverpool. Just couldn’t take advantage of Manchester United’s stumble. Face Huddersfield Town in FA Cup action in a game we’ve all been waiting for . . .

13. Bayern Munchen (Ger) (13) – Held on to the top spot in the Bundesliga with a draw against second-place Werder Bremen. Face Aberdeen in UEFA Cup action this week before travelling to Hannover over the weekend.

14. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (14) – Actually extended its lead over Ajax (now third place) with a draw against red-hot SC Heerenveen. Face Helsingborg in UEFA Cup action this week and Willem II in Eredivisie action this weekend.

15. Fiorentina (Ita) (16) – Managed only a 2-2 draw against Atalanta this weekend as they start to fall into another slump. Barely hanging on to fourth place in Serie A over AC Milan and it will not last that long if they don’t pick it up quickly. Play Rosenborg in UEFA Cup action and host Catania on Sunday.

16. Everton (Eng) (23) – Back in fourth place in the Premiership by virtue of its defeat of Reading and Liverpool’s draw. Face Brann in UEFA Cup action and then get the weekend off to think about how nice it would be to still be alive in the FA Cup.

17. Lanus (Arg) (17) – Defeated Olmedo to advance to the group stage of the Copa Libertadores and then defeated Independiente in their opening Clausura match. Face a tough Danubio team from Uruguay in Copa Libertadores action this week and Huracan in Clausura action over the weekend.

18. Heerenveen (Ned) (24) – Big jump up by virtue of its draw on the road over PSV Eindhoven, which brought them up to second place in the Eredevisie. Yes, of course, Michael Bradley scored again. Face Heracles over the weekend.

19. AC Milan (Ita) (18) – Dropped a spot this week despite defeating Roma-killer Siena 1-0 this weekend. Have two matches this week against Livorno and Parma. Winning both will put them in fourth place in Serie A and shoot them considerably higher in the rankings.

20. Liverpool (Eng) (20) – A draw against Chelsea dropped them back to fifth place in the Premiership. Can’t do anything about it this week as they play Burnsley in the FA Cup and prepare for playing top-ranked Inter Milan in the Champions League.

21. Villarreal (Esp) (NR) – A victory this week coupled with an Espanyol defeat delivers the Yellow Submarine back into the rankings. Face Zenit St. Petersburg in UEFA Cup action this week and Racing Santander in La Liga action this weekend.

22. Rangers (Sco) (20) – Solidified top spot in the Scottish Premiership with a 2-0 defeat of Falkirk. Play a tough Panathinaikos team in UEFA Cup action and Kilmarnock in Scottish Premiership action this week.

23. Atletico de Madrid (Esp) (NR) – Another team that coupled a win with Espanyol’s loss to move up the Primera Division standings and return to the rankings. Play in the UEFA Cup match of the week against the Bolton Wanderers before hosting Athletic de Bilbao on Sunday.

24. Werder Bremen (Ger) (22) – Managed only a draw at home against rival Bayern Munchen, but held on to second place in the Bundesliga. Play Portuguese team Sporting Braga in the UEFA Cup this week and UEFA Cup competitor Nurnberg on Saturday.

25. Celtic (Sco) (NR) – Return to the rankings by virtue of an impressive victory over the weekend. Play Hearts this weekend as they prepare for Barcelona in Champions League action.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Ajax (Ned), Bordeaux (Fra), Fluminense (Bra), Santos (Bra), Sporting CP (Por)

Assorted other UEFA Cup teams: (59) Hamburger (Ger), (73) Tottenham Hotspur (Eng), (77) AEK Athens (Gre), (80) Galatasaray (Tur), (83) Panathinaikos (Gre)

Matches Between Top 25 Teams:
16 February – (2) Arsenal at (5) Manchester United (FA Cup)
16 February – (6) Roma at (8) Juventus

Fearless UEFA Cup Predictions

(Fearless because there are no repercussions.) I haven’t seen too many of these, so I thought I might as well go ahead and “boldly” predict the outcome of the upcoming UEFA Cup round. Several of the teams are in the current Weekly Top 25 so there should be some great matchups – eventually. As for now, none of the elite teams are in competition with each other. If they can keep themselves motivated, however, and play up to their potential, then from the quarterfinals on, this could be a fantastic tournament.

To be honest, I haven’t seen several of these teams play, e.g., teams from Scandanavia and Belgium. My picks are coming strictly from my most recent rankings, so I’m not picking (m)any upsets, but I figured I’d put them on the record anyway.

Predictions for UEFA Cup Round of 32

Villarreal (Esp) over Zenit St. Petersburg (Rus)
Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) over Galatasaray (Tur)
AEK Athens (Gre) over Getafe (Esp)
Everton (Eng) over Brann (Nor)
Werder Bremen (Ger) over Sporting Braga (Por)
Bordeaux (Fra) over RSC Anderlecht (Bel)
PSV Eindhoven (Ned) over Helsingborg (Swe)
Marseille (Fra) over Spartak Moscow (Rus)
Rangers (Sco) over Panathinaikos (Gre)
Sporting CP (Por) over Basel 1893 (Sui)
Bayern Munchen (Ger) over Aberdeen (Sco)
Hamburger (Ger) over Zurich (Sui)
Fiorentina (Ita) over Rosenborg (Nor)
Atletico de Madrid (Esp) over Bolton Wanderers (Eng)
Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) over Slavia Prague (Czc)
Benfica (Por) over Nurnberg (Ger)

Teams that wouldn’t surprise me to see pull off upsets: Galatasaray, Sporting Braga, Rosenborg, Getafe, Nurnberg.

Old News Roundup

As I’ve browsed through several football blogs this week, some stories have stuck out if, for no other reason, they appear to keep coming up time and time again on various blogs. Since too much has been written about them already, I figured that it was time to write about them once again, just to rehash what’s already been said.

In a never-ending quest to add features to the site, below are the top five stories of the week. Of course, as is required by the very nature of this site, they must be ranked, but unlike the Weekly Top 25, these rankings are completely arbitrary. Furthermore, I’m only going to do four stories instead of five, just ‘cause. I’ll also link you to others writing on the same story so you can read the ramblings of “reporters” as opposed to “some guy with time to kill while he sits on his couch watching a taped match between Costa Rica and Jamaica.”

4. Christian Gomez traded to Colorado

As a DC United fan, Christian Gomez has been one of my favorite players for the past few years. I suppose that I understand the reasons for letting him go, and I have high hopes for the 231 South Americans that are new to the team this year, but he will still be missed. Godspeed, Christian.

3. Cameroon and Egypt advance to Africa Cup of Nations Finals

Everything seemed to be going according to form and then the semifinals came along and the world was shocked. Okay, surprised. Nothing against Cameroon and Egypt, two very good teams, but I don’t think many expected the hosts to miss the finals in this competition. I have to say that I’m looking forward to the third-place game almost as much as I’m looking forward to the finals. Almost.

2. Premier League Hits The Road, Jack

Much has been written about the Premier League’s proposal to add a 39th game, to be played overseas. Many bloggers have been up in arms about this, but I don’t see it as a big deal. While I’d rather see the league maintain the 38-game, symmetrical schedule, I don’t think that having games played in other markets is a bad idea. The NFL and MLB do it to promote interest in the leagues in other countries. As somebody who would like to see more and better coverage of the EPL in this country, I hope the plan is adopted and hope it is successful in increasing interest in the sport here in the United States and elsewhere.

1. United States 2 Mexico 2

It appears there was a game this week between two border nations that have nothing but respect and admiration for each other and the result was a lovefest that left everybody feeling a little better about themselves and the world at large. Then there was the United States and Mexico, who faced off in Houston in front of over 70,000 fans – some of them even fans of the U.S. The high points had to be seeing Jozy Altidore lose his international-scoring virginity (juniors teams notwithstanding) and the play of Tim Howard, despite giving up two goals. Can’t we come up with a better term than “friendly” for these games? They are anything but.

Who do you love?

With ten days to go before the knockout stage of the European Champions’ League begins, there is not a lot of grey area in who you think is going advance. In six of the eight matchups, at least 75% of you share the same expectations. Neither of the other two are nail-biters, for that matter.

Seven of the eight teams that you are picking to advance are currently in the World Club Rankings Top 25. The lone exception is Sevilla, who is playing Fenerbahce in the Round of 16. (And playing Barcelona this weekend.)

Of course, the votes mean nothing and I’m sure that in at least of couple of instances our polls will prove as accurate as those predicting the outcome of the New Hampshire primary. Nevertheless, if you want to participate and haven’t had a chance yet, the choices are to your right.

Who do you love most so far?

83% Manchester United over Lyon
82% Barcelona over Celtic
82% Porto over Schalke 04
79% Sevilla over Fenerbahce
78% Chelsea over Olympiakos
75% Real Madrid over Roma
61% Arsenal over AC Milan
60% Inter Milan over Liverpool

Obviously, people like picking the favorites, but then they wouldn’t be favorites if people didn’t like picking them.

WCR Top 25 (and beyond) Weekend Television Schedule

It’s that time of the week again, so I’m posting the upcoming weekend television soccer schedules for several American networks. As always, I’ve also included games involving teams ranked in the current World Club Rankings Top 25 and humbly request that you send any additional information regarding schedules this way so I can update the list.

There are two major games this week, taking place at the same time. Thank Goodness for the dual-head DVR. On Sunday, at 11 am, Liverpool faces Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, while Werder Bremen travels to Munich to face Bayern. You can warm up with the Manchester derby and cool down with the opening of the Argentine Clausura in the afternoon. Should be a satisfying day all around.

Sorry about missing last week, but I was tremendously busy at work. I finally got around to posting the list on Friday, before noticing that a very similar list had just been posted on Soccer by Ives. And, beginning last week I believe, he started posting Setanta games as well, thus stealing even more of my thunder. (NEW-MAN!!!)

Never one to be outdone, or at least not without a fight, I’ve decided to expand the television list. In addition to FSC, GolTV and Setanta, I’m posting schedules from Spanish-language networks on American television. I’ve been watching several of them to reinforce what I’m learning in my Spanish class and I can now say that I was the first in my class to be able to translate mediocampo.

Enough of this.


Weekend Television Schedule (and other Top 25 games):

Saturday, February 9, 2008

7:30 a.m. Newcastle United at Aston Villa (Setanta)
9:30 a.m. Hamburger at Bayer Leverkusen (GolTV)
9:45 a.m. Wigan Athletic at Sunderland (Setanta)
10:00 a.m. Reading at (23) Everton (FSC)
10:00 a.m. Falkirk at (20) Rangers
11:30 a.m. Hertha Berlin at VfB Stuttgart (Delayed) (GolTV)
12:00 noon Tottenham Hotspur at Derby County (FSC)
12:15 p.m. Birmingham City at West Ham United (Delayed) (Setanta)
1:30 p.m. (24) Heerenveen at (14) PSV Eindhoven
2:00 p.m. Villarreal at Real Murcia (GolTV)
2:00 p.m. Sochaux at (12) Lyon
2:30 p.m. Reggina at (6) Roma (FSC)
4:00 p.m. Sevilla at (7) Barcelona (GolTV)
4:30 p.m. Portsmouth at Bolton Wanderers (Delayed) (FSC)
6:00 p.m. Puebla at Jaguares (FSE)
6:00 p.m. Toluca at San Luis (Galavision)
6:15 p.m. America de Cali at Independiente Santa Fe (GolTV)
8:00 p.m. Veracruz at Tigres (Galavision)
8:00 p.m. (16) Fiorentina at Atalanta (Delayed) (FSC)
10:00 p.m. Chivas de Guadalajara at Atlas (TeleFutura)
12 midnight Atlante at Monarcas (Galavision)


Sunday, February 10, 2008

6:30 a.m. (21) Ajax at Roda JC (Setanta)
8:30 a.m. Manchester City at (5) Manchester United (Setanta)
9:00 a.m. Siena at (18) AC Milan (FSC)
9:00 a.m. (8) Juventus at Udinese
10:30 a.m. (4) Porto at Sertanense
11:00 a.m. (15) Liverpool at (11) Chelsea (FSC)
11:00 a.m. (22) Werder Bremen at (13) Bayern Munchen (GolTV)
11:00 a.m. Recreativo de Huelva at (19) Espanyol
1:00 p.m. Monterrey at Pumas (Univision)
1:00 p.m. Valladolid at (3) Real Madrid (GolTV)
1:00 p.m. Santos at (9) Sao Paulo
2:10 p.m. Independiente at (17) Lanus
2:30 p.m. (1) Inter Milan at Catania (FSC)
3:00 p.m. Real Betis at Valencia (GolTV)
3:10 p.m. (25) Fluminense at Flamengo
3:45 p.m. Pacos Ferreira at (10) Benfica
5:00 p.m. Boca Juniors at Rosario Central (FSC)
5:00 p.m. Pachuca at Santos Laguna (Azteca)
5:00 p.m. Cruz Azul at Necaxa (Galavision)
5:30 p.m. Nacional at Once Caldas (GolTV)

World Club Rankings - Top 25 Clubs - Welcome Heerenveen

It was a topsy-turvy week at the top over the weekend as all four of the top four teams played and they managed a mere four points among them – three of those belonging to #1 Internazionale because of a blocked penalty kick late in the game. All of this wreaked a little havoc at the top of the rankings, which have been relatively settled in recent weeks.

Three other teams that combined for two points near the bottom of the table saw themselves removed from the rankings altogether. Sporting CP fell 1-0 to Os Belenenses and Villarreal and Atletico de Madrid could manage only draws in their Primera Division matches. Replacing them in the rankings are Espanyol, who has made periodic trips into the rankings throughout the year, and two newcomers – SC Heerenveen and Fluminense. Heerenveen, and American Michael Bradley , have been tearing things up in the Eredivisie as of late. We’ll see if that trend continues this weekend as they travel to play PSV Eindhoven.

Three big games this weekend matching up ranked teams. As mentioned above, (24) Heerenveen plays (14) PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie on Saturday. Sunday sees (15) Liverpool travel to London to face (11) Chelsea and (22) Werder Bremen travel to Munich to play (13) Bayern Munchen . Should be a great week.

World Club Rankings Top 25 – February 4, 2008

1. Internazionale (Ita) (1) – Advanced in the Coppa Italia by defeating Juventus in Turin before escaping with a 1-0 defeat of Empoli over the weekend. It would take a monumental drop for them to lose the Serie A title this year and a nearly-monumental drop to see them lose the top spot in the rankings any time soon. Travel to play Catania this weekend.

2. Arsenal (Eng) (6) – Just as they were starting to slip in the rankings, they pull off two big wins by a combined score of 6-1 and take over the top spot in the Premiership again. Don’t play again until Monday when they host the Blackburn Rovers.

3. Real Madrid (Esp) (3) – Should’ve taken over the number two spot this week, but couldn’t avoid being embarrassed by Almeria 0-2. Suddenly, that nine-point lead is down to six and you have to be concerned about Barcelona once again. Face Valladolid on Sunday. I predict an easy game, but I would’ve predicted that last week, too.

4. Porto (Por) (5) – Bounced back in the BWIN league to defeat Uniao Leiria 4-0 and extend its lead over Benfica. Portugal is the only major nation with cup action this week and Porto plays at Sertanense for the quarterfinals this week.

5. Manchester United (Eng) (2) – Some teams have issues with prosperity. Then again, some teams just have issues with Tottenham. It’s not the end of the world and Tottenswine has been playing very well recently. It doesn’t get much easier, however, as United looks to have some revenge on City this weekend.

6. Roma (Ita) (4) – Talk about issues with prosperity . . . Roma achieved its highest ranking of the season this week and celebrated by being embarrassed by Siena 3-0, although it did fight its way past Sampdoria to advance in the Coppa Italia. Any faint dreams they had of catching Internazionale must be crushed by now. Second place is still Roma’s though and they host Reggina this weekend in its quest to maintain that.

7. Barcelona (Esp) (7) – A pair of 1-0 wins over Villarreal and Osasuna this week allowed Barcelona to advance in the Copa del Rey and move within six points of Real Madrid in the Primera Division. Travel this weekend to play the always-tough, if not victorious, Sevilla.

8. Juventus (Ita) (8) – Just couldn’t catch a break this week. Eliminated from the Coppa Italia at midweek at the hands of Inter Milan and could manage only a 1-1 draw against Cagliari . That just ain’t gonna get it done. Travel to play Udinese this weekend who, like Juventus, is a tough team that has been playing well below the level it is capable of.

9. Sao Paulo (Bra) (9) – Yes, it’s just the Paulista League, but they did manage four points in two games this week. Two interesting games against quality competition this week as they face both Sao Caetano and Santos in Paulista league action.

10. Benfica (Por) (10) – Does my system favor Portuguese teams too much? Probably. Benfica is probably ranked too high after dropping points against Nacional this week, but Chelsea could help me out and displace them from the top ten if they could take advantage of the situation.

11. Chelsea (Eng) (11) – Fall to Pompey this weekend after squeaking past Reading at mid-week. It’s a shame that can’t do a better job of taking advantage of Manchester United’s weekend troubles. Great team, but they just don’t have the look of a championship team this season. Of course, that can still change as they host Liverpool in Premiership action this weekend.

12. Lyon (Fra) (12) – Beat Croix Savoie on Sunday. Do you care? Return to action in La Championnat this weekend when they face Sochaux.

13. Bayern Munchen (Ger) (13) – Successful return to competition this week as they advance in cup action and defeat Hansa Rostock to extend their lead in the Bundesliga. A clash of the titans (or the German equivalent of titans) takes place on Saturday as Bayern hosts Bremen .

14. PSV Eindhoven ( Ned ) (14) – Looked like the future Eredivisie champions this week as they handed 2-0 losses to both Ajax and AZ Alkmaar. It doesn’t get much easier this week as they host red-hot SC Heerenveen and Michael Bradley .

15. Liverpool (Eng) (19) – Jump up the rankings despite falling to West Ham at midweek by defeating Sunderland 3-0 on Saturday and taking back fourth place (effectively) from Everton to become the best team in town once again. Let’s see if they can keep it up at Stamford Bridge where they will face an opponent a tad tougher than Blunderland . . . or even West Ham.

16. Fiorentina (Ita) (15) – Eliminated from the Coppa Italia by Lazio and then fell over the weekend to AC Milan 0-1. Why didn’t they fall further? Still in fourth in Serie A , so they get some credit. If they want to keep that credit, they may have to beat Atalanta on Saturday.

17. Lanus (Arg) (17) – Lost this week in the Copa Libertadores , as did every other road team in the first leg of the qualifiers. They get a chance to redeem themselves in the second leg against CD Olmedo tomorrow night. Follow that up with their opening match of the Clausura, when they host the Copa Verano-winning Independiente.

18. AC Milan (Ita) (25) – A pair of victories this week move them within four points of fourth-placed Fiorentina, with a game in hand. Face Roma-crushing Siena at home on Sunday.

19. Espanyol (Esp) (NR) – Reclaim a spot in the rankings by virtue of passing Villarreal and Atletico de Madrid in the Primera Division standings. Will they keep their spot this time? First test is Sunday against Recreativo de Huelva .

20. Rangers (Sco) (21) – Scored a victory and draw this week in Cup action. Return to action in the Scottish Premiership this weekend against Falkirk .

21. Ajax ( Ned ) (20) – Dropped a spot in the rankings by losing to PSV, despite crushing Feyenoord over the weekend 3-0. Hopefully, they will receive a little bit of a break this week as they face Roda JC , though anything is possible on the road.

22. Werder Bremen (Ger) (22) – Eliminated in Cup action and then fell to late goals against Bochum . Probably should’ve dropped, but they are still in second place in the Bundesliga. Get a shot at redemption this weekend against Bayern Munchen .

23. Everton (Eng) (16) – Two games last week, two 0-0 draws. Look to rebound against Reading this weekend. Even if they don’t “rebound,” a goal would be nice.

24. SC Heerenveen ( Ned ) (NR) – A trip to third-place in the Eredivisie gives Heerenveen a trip into the Top 25 for the first time all season. It won’t be easy to maintain that position, though, as they must face PSV Eindhoven on the road on Saturday.

25. Fluminense (Bra) (NR) – For the first time this season, we have two Brazilian teams on the charts. Currently playing in the Carioca League as they warm up for the Copa Libertadores . This week’s matches include games against America RJ and Flamengo.

Bubbling Under (Alphabetically): Atletico de Madrid (Esp), Bayer Leverkusen (Ger), Celtic (Sco), Sporting CP (Por), Villarreal (Esp)

Numbers 101 - 105: DC United (USA), Mallorca (Esp), Herediano (CRC), Internacional (Bra), Valenciennes (Fra)

Games Between Top 25 Teams:

9 February - (24) SC Heerenveen at (14) PSV Eindhoven

10 February - (15) Liverpool at (11) Chelsea

10 February - (22) Werder Bremen at (13) Bayern Munchen