Were Champions League matches fixed?

 

Four men have been charged in Germany for allegedly fixing Champions League and Europa League fixtures.

According to reports from the BBC, up to 300 matches in 15 countries are being investigated, with German police looking at 250 suspects.
However, the majority of the games involved are at the lower leagues of nine European countries, with only a few involving major European domestic matches.

Carragher: Sale good for Liverpool

Veteran defender Jamie Carragher is encouraged by news that Liverpool's takeover will be complete soon.

Club chairman Martin Broughton expects the £300million sale of the club to be completed "in about a week" to New England Sports Ventures, the owners of the Boston Red Sox baseball team.
While current owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have said they will contest the sale, there is a feeling that the final step needed for the deal to go through i.e. ratification by the Premier League, will happen sometime this week.
In comments quoted by Liverpool's official website, Carragher said:"Everyone knows it'll be a good thing for the club.
"Hopefully it will be sorted sooner rather than later and we can start looking forward on the pitch and start improving results, which is what we need to do."Liverpool have endured their worst ever start in the Premier League and are currently 18th in table.

Davies gets shock England call

Bolton striker Kevin Davies has been picked by England, a week after he admitted he has given up on representing his country.

Fabio Capello's squad for the Euro 2012 qualifier with Montenegro at Wembley next Tuesday is littered with surprises, and includes recalls for Joe Cole, Robert Green, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Aaron Lennon.
But it is the inclusion of 33-year-old Davies that will raise the biggest eyebrow as England look to maintain their 100% start to Group G.

Frank Lampard to miss crucial Chelsea & England matches

Frank Lampard will miss key Chelsea and England matches as he continues to recuperate from hernia surgery. The 32-year-old has not played for his club in a month and Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Lampard will miss at least the next two weeks. That period includes matches against Marseille, Arsenal and England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro. "He can't play on Tuesday. We need to have more time than we expected for his rest," said Ancelotti. "In a few days there will be an international break and he will be ready for the first game after the break. "He didn't play with us so I don't think he is able to play for the national team."

Rooney should face Valencia

Manchester United assistant boss Mike Phelan has confirmed Wayne Rooney should be fit for Wednesday's trip to Valencia.

Rooney was substituted half-an-hour from the end of the 2-2 draw with Bolton at the Reebok Stadium and Phelan confirmed afterwards the United striker was still being troubled by a niggling ankle injury.
That might explain why Rooney was so ineffective, and why he still has not scored a goal in open play for the Red Devils this season.

Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Man United

Michael Owen rescued a point for Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson's men twice had to come from behind against Bolton.

Owen nodded home Nani's free-kick 16 minutes from time to ensure United did not join the other victims on a weekend of shock defeats.
Yet it was hardly a pleasing outcome for Ferguson, who would have hoped for better once Nani levelled Zat Knight's early effort but instead saw his team fall behind again thanks to Martin Petrov.
As United have now conceded nine goals in five league games and trail leaders Chelsea by three points, it was not the best of weekends for them, nor an out-of-sorts Wayne Rooney, who was replaced by Federico Macheda half-an-hour from the end.

Arsenal 2-3 West Brom

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admitted his side had been poor against and did not deserve anything out of the game.

The Gunners went down 3-2 against West Brom at home in one of the shock results of the season.
"We were poor and we got a poor result," said Wenger. "We were poor everywhere, at the back, up front and in the middle of the park.
"We had an off day and were not good enough to win the game. I believe the concentration that gives you the sharpness was not there today.

Premier League Saturday Review

It was a terrible week for London sides, bar West Ham, as Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all crashed to defeats.

Manchester City ended Chelsea's 100% record in the Barclays Premier League this season with a 1-0 win over the table-toppers and champions at Eastlands.
A largely uninspiring early kick-off was settled by City captain Carlos Tevez, who drove at the Chelsea defence before unleashing a 20-yard strike which beat Petr Cech just before the hour mark.

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"Chelsea fear Man City emergence"

According to ex-Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, his old teammates are on "red alert" over Manchester City.

The England star, now at Eastlands, is still in contact with players at Stamford Bridge, and believes that Carlo Ancelotti's men feel genuniely threatened by the emergence of Manchester City.
The 28-year-old winger said in quotes referenced by the Sun: "I stay in touch with everyone at Chelsea, all the lads I played with anyway.
"They know that last year we had them on the back foot so they are really starting to take a lot of notice of City.

Media focus on Rooney

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson wishes the cameras would turn off and allow Wayne Rooney to play football.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Wayne Rooney's performances are suffering because the striker is struggling to deal with the attention he is receiving from the media.
The England forward has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after allegations regarding his private life appeared in tabloid newspapers and has been a long way from replicating the form that saw him score 34 goals last season.

Newcastle stop Chelsea dream in Carling Cup

Chelsea 3-4 Newcastle

Newcastle's Shola Ameobi sent 10-man Chelsea crashing out of the Carling Cup with a 90th-minute winner at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea, who lost Salomon Kalou and Yossi Benayoun through injury, had taken a sixth-minute lead through young left-back Patrick Van Aanholt only for United to storm back and lead at the interval thanks to goals from Nile Ranger and Ryan Taylor.
Shola Ameobi made it 3-1 to United four minutes after the re-start but two goals from Nicolas Anelka (69, 86) looked to have taken the tie into extra-time.

Carling Cup Wednesday Review

Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City crashed out of the Carling Cup on Wednesday while holders Manchester United are through.

Abdul Osman stroked home a penalty to hand npower League Two Northampton a famous Carling Cup triumph at Anfield and heap more woe upon Liverpool's new boss Roy Hodgson.
Osman's strike which capped a 4-2 spot-kick win for the Cobblers sent boos cascading around Anfield on a night when Hodgson's men had been lucky to take the game into extra-time at all.

Scunthorpe 2-5 Man United

Carling Cup holders Manchester United did not let absent boss Sir Alex Ferguson down as they beat Scunthorpe 5-2 at Glanford Park.

Ferguson reportedly chose to watch Champions League opponents Valencia instead, leaving Mike Phelan in charge, and there was plenty for the assistant manager to think about as Scunthorpe were rewarded for their terrific start by Josh Wright's superb 19th-minute strike.
But it took only four minutes for Darron Gibson to level and they were ahead before half-time through Chris Smalling.

Hodgson sorry for Reds shocker

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has apologised to fans for their Carling Cup exit at the hands of npower League Two side Northampton.

Hodgson fielded an understrength side which still included first-team regulars like Daniel Agger, David Ngog, Ryan Babel and Lucas Leiva and went ahead when Milan Jovanovic scored his first goal for the club in the ninth minute.
However, the Cobblers hit back 10 minutes into the second half through Billy McKay and Michael Jacobs' goal in extra-time appeared to have done enough until Ngog spared Liverpool's blushes four minutes from the end.

Ribery ruled out for four weeks

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has been ruled out for four weeks after damaging ankle ligaments against Hoffenheim.

The 27-year-old France international suffered the injury in creating Bayern's equaliser during their 2-1 win and will now miss their Champions League games against Basle and FC Cluj as well as Bundesliga appointments against Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Hannover.
He could return in time for the meeting with Hamburg on October 22.

Fergie ready to blood youngsters

Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced his youngsters will benefit from Wednesday's Carling Cup exposure at Scunthorpe.

Even if Manchester United end up on the wrong end of a shock.
United head to Glanford Park as Carling Cup holders, having disposed of Aston Villa at Wembley last season.
As they also defeated Tottenham in the showpiece 12 months earlier, it is clearly a piece of silverware Ferguson has begun to like, despite his tendency to use the competition to give the younger members of his squad a chance to shine.
Against the glory can be balanced unexpected defeats to Coventry and Southend. Yet even on those dismal days, Ferguson found reasons to be positive.
"The Carling Cup has served us well over the last few seasons," Ferguson told www.manutd.com.
"It allows me to keep everybody happy in terms of giving them games and reaching the last two finals has obvious advantages.
"But, in retrospect, going out in the early rounds - like we did against Coventry and Southend - are good experiences, too, even if we would always prefer to win."

Ancelotti puts faith in Chelsea tyros

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed he will include four of the club's talented youngsters against Newcastle.

The Blues play the Magpies in Wednesday night's Carling Cup third-round tie at Stamford Bridge.
Defender Jeffrey Bruma, midfielder Gael Kakuta, striker Daniel Sturridge and full-back Patrick van Aanholt will all start against the Magpies.
"It is a good experience for them to play this kind of game," said Ancelotti.
"They are involved this season more compared to last season and when there is an opportunity I want to give them the opportunity to play and show their quality.
"Sturridge played in the Champions League, Kakuta played two games, Bruma played in the last game against Blackpool and they will get more opportunities to play.

Serie A player strike called off

A strike by Serie A players, which would have halted top-flight football in Italy this weekend, has been called off.

The players' union (AIC) announced earlier this month they would strike on September 25 and 26 in protest against the Italian league, who have not renewed the collective bargaining agreement which expired in June.
However, the Lega Serie A and the AIC have met in Rome to discuss the collective agreement, and ways to avoid the strike.
An agreement has been reached on six of the eight points that had been under dispute, but two areas remain to be resolved and the parties will meet again on November 30.

Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal (aet)

 

Samir Nasri scored two penalties in extra-time as Arsenal knocked Tottenham out with a 4-1 victory at White Hart Lane.

Teenager Henri Lansbury - one of eight changes made by manager Arsene Wenger, who was serving a one-match touchline ban - swept the visitors ahead from close range after 15 minutes.
Robbie Keane, who came on at half-time, scored an equaliser three minutes after the restart to level for a much-changed Spurs side, which saw Brazilian midfielder Sandro make his debut.