Few teams can boast of not losing at home in over six straight months, and Real Madrid is among them. Over half a year has passed since the Whites were defeated by Valencia in the Santiago Bernabéu on 23 March, but eleven teams since then have an entered and left virtually empty-handed. read more
I was looking over the Coca Cola Championship table, checking whether my local team—Charlton Athletic—still stood a realistic chance of promotion to the Premiership this season when the idea struck. Imagine if there were playoffs in the Premiership for the last Champions League spot...The system of playoffs operates in the six different tiers directly beneath the Premier League. This is where, at the end of the season, the teams finishing in third to sixth place get to play against each other in a knockout-style competition to eventually decide which team joins the Premiership; alongside the teams that finished in first and second.For this system to work in the main league, the current format would have to change dramatically. It would mean fourth place no longer guarantees you the chance to qualify for the Champions League, but it only enters you into the playoffs against the teams that finished seventh, sixth, and fifth. To use last season's standings as an example, this would be Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa, and Blackburn.Giving anyone of those four teams the opportunity to compete for the chance to enter Europe's elite competition can only be a good thing for English football. It would make the league more interesting, as teams finishing higher up know it not only gives them their UEFA Cup slots but the chance to get into the Champions League for real if they finish higher than seventh.Imagine it; the competition would be fierce. The financial opportuni read more
The Azzurri have arrived in Sofia Friday, around 8:00pm local time. The players were greeted by the usual groups of photographers, camera crew, and even a small group of Italian supporters, who will no doubt be present on the stands of Levski Stadium tomorrow, as Bulgaria host Italy for the South Africa 2010 World Cup qualifiers.One day before the match, let’s take a look at this much anticipated footy showdown, especially by the local population as Bulgaria await to encounter the reigning World Champions...Italy.Goalkeepers: Amelia (Palermo), Curci (Siena), De Sanctis (Galatasaray) Defenders: Bonera (Milan), F.Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Chiellini (Juventus), Dossena (Liverpool), Gamberini (Fiorentina), Santacroce (Napoli), Zambrotta (Milan)Midfielders: Aquilani (Roma), De Rossi (Roma), Gattuso (Milan), Maggio (Napoli), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Nocerino (Palermo), Perrotta (Roma)Forwards: Di Natale (Udinese), Gilardino (Fiorentina), Pepe (Udinese), G.Rossi (Villareal), Toni (Bayern).In Azzurri news, let’s start with some bad ones. Compared to the original Azzurri call-ups, manager Lippi will have to do without Juventus keeper Gigi Buffon and midfielder Mauro Camoranesi, both injured for a period of at least 30-50 days (word is, Buffon will make his return in the early days of December, while Camoranesi should be back a little sooner). To replace Buffon, Lippi called up Siena keeper Gianluca Curci, while the most likely starter on Saturday will probably be Marco Amel read more
hot-football-news.info is the best source for fresh news about football. We monitor all important sources and deliver to you all the information about this fabulous game.