Good morning all. There is a full slate of games on tap today in Europe, with only Germany among the major leagues still on break.
While the top EPL matches have already been played, there are plenty of other matches on display, including a can't-miss showdown between AC Milan and Fiorentina (FSC, 2:30pm).
If you will be watching today's matches, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Here is a list of all of today's matches on TV:
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10am- Setanta USA- Manchester United at Bolton
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10am- FSC- Stoke City at Chelsea
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12:15pm- Setanta USA- Wolves at Bristol City
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12:30pm- FSC- Arsenal at Hull City
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2pm- GolTV- Deportivo La Coruna at Barcelona
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2:30pm- GolTV- Fiorentina at AC Milan
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2:55pm- Setanta- Bordeaux at Nantes
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4:30pm- FSC- Reggina at Siena
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5pm- Setanta USA- Newcastle at Blackburn
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6pm- Telemundo- Puebla at Monterrey
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6:45pm- Setanta USA- Aston Villa at Sunderland
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8pm- FSC- Wigan at Manchester City
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8pm- Telemundo- Cruz Azul at CD Guadalajara
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8:30pm- Setanta USA- Manchester United at Bolton (replay)
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10pm- Telefutura- Necaxa at Pumas
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11pm- FSC- San Lorenzo at Boca Juniors
Enjoy the action.
Crazy Sunday. Fulham crapped the bed, Inter Milan and Celtic both got stomped, and Real Madrid just went down a goal to Osasuna
Frank Lampard it my hero!
Hi Ives,
Miss your top weekend games feature. Please bring it back. Saw a couple of Mexican league games yesterday. Puebla looked awful and looks like they’ll get relegated barring a turnaround. Chivas and Cruz Azul played a very entertaining match if not always well played. Some great goals regardless.
That Chelsea game was awesome. Just goes to show you what happens when you try planting 11 players behind the ball, Stoke. I’m glad you lost. I hope you lose again with your negative tactics and boot-ball mentality. Your manager should be ashamed of himself. Your players should be ashamed of themselves. Your fans should be ashamed of you. I’m glad the Football Gods punished you for trying to ruin the beautiful game.
Alves has been a monster out there but i think the extent to which it shows is exaggerated because the reason Barca is having 70 percent possession games is because their attack is so godlike and overwhelming that the other team has to get 10-11 players behind the ball just to avoid getting scored on. and when the other team gets it, there is nobody to pass it to up the field, and even if there is its a simple take away by 3 or 4 barca defenders who throw it back into attack.
they key to beating Barca is having a very good organized defense and beating them on the counterattack, they’re defense has not really been tested in a while now and if they have a weakness its getting too many people forward.
It’s a good point, what other fullback in the world is up there assisting goals with backheels and no-look, outside of the foot , guided missile passes?
Yeah. He’s been injured though. Missed 2 weeks because of it and still getting back into form. He’s definitely a first choice CB next to Puyol even though Pique has really come on as of late. Marquez improved a lot from last season and is usually the one who starts the movements from the back (I hate the guy but he’s one of the best passing CB’s in the game). Then they get Milito back next month. Their depth is just absurd.
Interestingly enough, Alves is probably the most singular player on the squad (yeah, that includes Messi who is as of right now the best in the world, 2008 and Cristiano be damned). They’re deep everywhere but Alves is their one crazy attacking ninja fullback. Seriously, this guy has to be the best fullback of the moment. He’s played the most minutes in the whole team (more than GK Valdes) and probably covers more ground than anybody else per game. Simply the best pure athlete in Barcelona right now.
Hector – I hadn’t noticed but you’re right, Rafa Marquez is spending more time on the bench of late, looks like he got in 4 out of their last 9 since Nov and was subbed out twice when he did play…
Good, Barca deserved their 5 spot, and both Henry and Eto’o are smiling with braces (ba-dum-ching!). I’d like to apologize for calling them a machine before, when clearly they are a work of art when they play like this.
Did anyone see Gooch’s own goal today? I saw him on the wrong side of the scoreline but haven’t seen a highlight. I also saw that Gourcuff scored again. I feel bad that I was rooting for Roma to be the 2nd team out of that Champion’s League group, and now wish that Bordeaux was in the knock out round, I didn’t really catch on to what I was missing until it was over.
As far as weird moment of today, did anyone catch the lone goal (Pato in the 7th) in the Milan – Fior match? Beckham stole that goal with a quick kick and hustle while it looked like some of the defenders were still arguing the refs call. He also almost scored in the first half on a nice shot, but faded badly after half time. People who think Serie A is mediocre and whiny will have a field day with this one, and not a great day for Goldenballs but he did kind of will the deciding goal on an ugly day.
Parkhurst got called into Camp Cupcake
I know things in the US are more EPL centered what with the common language and all but if anybody wants to know what good football is, watch Barcelona this season. They’ll probably start getting the love they deserve if they continue their torrid form in the CL but as of right now they are right there with the old Barca Dream Team of the early 90’s and the late 80’s AC Milan teams. Simply incredible. That team is just a machine.
The beauty of the Barca 4-3-3 with the team keeping possession at least 70% of the game, the forwards working like defensive mids to recover the ball when its lost, Xavi pulling the strings, Dani Alves imitating Roberto Carlos at his best, Messi doing his best Maradona…. Its just beautiful. When you can bring Andres Iniesta, Alex Hleb, Bojan Kirkic, or Rafa Marquez off the bench for a particular game, you know its pretty ridiculous.
Barca 5-0 vs Depor. Is there any other team in this planet playing at the same level as the cules? What a joy to watch! I am in awe and feel so lucky to be able to enjoy such display of beautiful football.
Can’t really remember the last time I tuned into Fox Sports. GOLTV is enough for me.
Cheers
Beckham is not looking strong for Milan. Particularly in 2nd half…passess, crosses and fitness not quite there.
Messi is the best player in the world right now. I see him winning the Ballon d’or and FIFA Player of the Year Award next year with David Villa/Samuel Eto’o coming close.
Messi is so overrated. He misses an even more wide open chance.
(Just Kidding)
My god this game is so… unfair. Are these teams in the same league?
Goal Barca! This one goes to Henry, who’s really been great this year.
I’d like to see 5 goals here, which seems doable, we’re only in the 31st (Messi just misses!)
Arsenal got a late goal by the sub Bendtner on a nice give and go with RVP. To bad VP should have been whistled for offsides on the give part. Good game in the 2nd half, and Hull will be disappointed. And suddenly the darlings of the start of the season have won exactly once in league since Oct. Gulp.
Meanwhile in Spain, the unstoppable Barca machine is up early over Deportivo on a Messi goal.
http://theoffsiderules.blogspot.com/2009/01/baby-bradley-scores-on-field-of-course.html
Bradley scored a sweet goal in a friendly with Borussia Monchengladbach. really a good goal
Goal Arsenal! Nasri with a nice finish on a quick breaking attack to put Arse back up 2-1 82nd.
I just started an update complaining that Hull looked DOA when they get a goal from Daniel Cousin. The former Rangers striker connects on a cross and heads home nicely. If you want to lay blame, Clichy just stood around and let Mendy have all the time in the world time hit his cross.
Goal Hull!!!
2nd half just kicked off on Hull-Arse, with the Arse up 1-0 in a pretty terrible game. The only goal was scored by Adebayor of a cross from Van Persie, moments after RVP had a sweet free kick deflected on to the bar. And that’s all you really need to know from this game so far.
I see Miami/Vancouver for 2011 and Portlans/St.Louis in 2013 and the league capping itself at 20 teams
The 2nd New York team could play in USL.
Damnnnnnn. Chelsea was supposed to lose and so was Man U.
Torres, score a hat trick monday. You have 2
Dang it Stoke!! Lost points in the fight to stay up.
Holy crap!!!! The last 20 mins of the Chelsea game was pretty good. Lampard is just a machine. He won that game for the blues in more ways in just that goal.
Ahhh!!!!! Whats an arsenal fan gotta do to see some damn points dropped!!!!!
Lampard with a spectacular strike in the 93rd. Scolari lives another day.
They’re both out of a job 😛
And just like that, Belletti with a gorgeous run onto a far post header. Lame free kick from 19 by chelski, drove it like ronaldo’s Ferrari.
We only need 4 strikers for the World Cup. Altidore and Donovan up top with Cooper/Davies both on the bench. Davies is best as super-sub i think and Cooper could double for Altidore.
But we have our strikeforce. Still a work in progress, but they are coming along.
Hey, what do George W. Bush and Luis Felipe Scolari have in common?
We have a pool of just 6 strikers for WC qualifying : Donovan, Altidore, Cooper, Davies, EJ, Ching.
Donovan- busy with BM loan but is coming into great form.
Altidore- on the bench for Villarreal but has shown some brillance on the pitch when he has played for them.
Cooper- Off season for Dallas. He is a work in progress. A few more games and he should be up to caliber.
Davies- Same as Cooper. Several more games and they can be brillany for qualifying.
EJ- Complete failure. But he could play a game if any of the above were out.
Ching- Can score goals against T&T and Honduras, but best as super-sub during qualifying.
What in the world is wrong with Cheslsea???
Chelsea down 1-0 thanks to a goal from Delap for Stoke. Come on Stoke, cram in another goal.
Man U keeps failing chances against Bolton. I hope Liverpool is watching. They need to cream Everton to keep their consistent lead as no.1
That’s good to hear. Hopefully Cooper moves on to a club in France or Spain come summer. Could move for like £3million. I’m sure Davies is worth just the same amount.
More of our players should head to France.
Sochaux wants Davies already, but Hammarby is reluctant to let him go. Maybe they’re hoping Davies plays well in the first three months of the season and raises his asking price.
The word on Cooper from his coach is that he is staying with FC Dallas but not sure if that means for the season or just summer?
If Davies stays in Sweden and keeps scoring like he did last season, I bet he will move to France or Germany in the summer.
Lions,
Kljestan is heading to Celtic on trial.
the other 3 are staying put as of now.
DMB is not on the bench
With Kljestan heading to Celtic or a team in the Netherlands? And Gooch heading to PSG or Standard Liege this sumer, i have to ask when is Charlie Davies moving to Holland or Germany and is Kenny Cooper likely to move to a European club this month or come summer?
Edu is a future Rangers star, i’m sure of it. The 2nd half of the season will reveal that. But he might just be lucky as a super-sub for a while.
I hope Beasley fights for his place, but if not, he can head to Spain or France or back to Holland. He can make it anywhere in Europe, just has to bring his A game.
Is Beas on the bench for Rangers?
EJ might get a chance today, better not blow it. If he scored a goal, he could at least brag about that for 3mins.
I see that EJ and Edu both are on their respective benches today.
Man U must lose. 😀 Liverpool better have Torres score a hat trick tomorrow. They have to win every game, no more draws are acceptable.