Monday, March 7, 2011

Watch Barcelona vs Arsenal Live Streaming UEFA Champions League

Barcelona

VS

Arsenal



Date/Time: Mar 8, 2011, 08:45pm(GMT)
Competition: UEFA Champions League
Live/Repeat: Live
Venue:Camp Nou, Barcelona (Barcelona)

LIVE STREAMING LINK HERE.

Guardiola on the offensive against Arsenal


Josep Guardiola promised FC Barcelona "will attack" as they bid to undo a 2-1 deficit against Arsenal FC, whose manager Arsène Wenger raised eyebrows with his squad selection.

With FC Barcelona trailing 2-1 from the first leg of their round of 16 tie in London, coach Josep Guardiola promised absolute commitment from his side in the return fixture against Arsenal FC, while visiting manager Arsène Wenger kept the world guessing about his Camp Nou team selection.

Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach
[Nicklas] Bendtner is a quality player, so is [Marouane] Chamakh, and [Robin] van Persie is also a great player. They are all good. It'll be a match with very little space in the middle and a bit more down the wings; we will have to attack carefully because Arsenal can strike on the counter.

Arsenal aren't a mentally fragile side. They are competing at the top of the table for their league title and every season they do well in the Champions League. The fact that they are at the top every season means they are a good team. When they win a first major trophy they will realise they are strong enough to win more. We will attack – you can rest assured that we will try to win and do all we can. Our target is what we have to do to beat them, that's the only important thing in this kind of match.

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager
I trust [Jack] Wilshere because he's good enough to play and I know when a player deserves to play or not, and that's the case with Wilshere.

For us it is the next game, and we have had a very strong run and we have done very well. It's our next game and we want to stay in the competition. If you ask any player, he will give his life to win this match. Both sides have similar philosophies and both want to win trying to play good football. For us one of the problems is to get away from Barcelona's pressure and we shall see how we can do that.

Team news
Barcelona
With Gerard Piqué suspended and Carles Puyol injured, Barcelona will be fielding an unfamiliar central defensive pairing, though Guardiola did not reveal who they would be. Andrés Iniesta is within a booking of a match ban.

Arsenal
Wenger surprised everyone by including Robin van Persie (knee) in his team, though the player will undergo further tests before it is decided whether he will play. Emmanuel Eboué misses the next match if booked, while Alex Song (knee) and Theo Walcott (ankle sprain) are out, with Wenger saying: "Walcott is at home and will watch it on TV, and hopefully he will watch us win."

Latest results
Saturday: Barcelona 1-0 Real Zaragoza
(Keita 43)
Barcelona stretched their unbeaten run at the Camp Nou to 20 matches in all competitions. They have won 18 since the 2-0 defeat by Hércules CF on 11 September.

Saturday: Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland AFC
Arsenal stretched their unbeaten league run to 11 matches (seven wins, four draws). Wenger's side are yet to concede in the opening 15 minutes of a league game this season.

Did you know?
Arsenal have won the first leg at home on 15 occasions in UEFA competition, and gone on win the tie no less than 14 times. However, their sole defeat came in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals when a 2-1 home win against Spanish opponents – Valencia CF – preceded a 1-0 away reverse.

Watch Shakhtar Donetsk vs AS Roma Live Streaming UEFA Champions League


Shakhtar Donetsk

VS

AS Roma



Date/Time: Mar 8, 2011, 08:45pm(GMT)
Competition: UEFA Champions League
Live/Repeat: Live
Venue:Donbass Arena (Donets'k)

LIVE STREAMING LINK HERE.

Wily Shakhtar seek to hold Roma in check


Mircea Lucescu feels FC Shakhtar Donetsk have "enough experience" to hold on to a 3-2 lead as AS Roma come to Ukraine bidding to dazzle under new boss Vincenzo Montella.

Mircea Lucescu said FC Shakhtar Donetsk are "ready to fight" to defend their 3-2 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first-leg lead at home against AS Roma, but Vincenzo Montella believes his side have "the ambition and the ability" to prevail in his first European game as coach.

Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar coach
The team are well prepared, we are ready to fight. The players gave their all in our latest training session and everyone is ready to play apart from Olexandr Kucher. The pitch is in excellent condition. In the past we had problems and had to play at the RSC Olimpiyskiy, but everything is very well now.

Since Vincenzo Montella's appointment Roma have changed their style. I have a feeling that the days of Luciano Spalletti are returning. We are familiar with their attacking style of play because we played against Roma five years ago in the Champions League group stage. The absence of Marco Cassetti and Jérémy Menez through suspension will not weaken Roma: they have enough top-class players to replace them.

It's very important for us to win tomorrow. Our opponents naturally want revenge, but Shakhtar have enough experience to get a proper result. We need to qualify and after that we will think about what comes next. It's too early to speak about it right now.

Vincenzo Montella, Roma coach
We have come to Donetsk with the ambition and the ability to win. Right now all of us are completely focused on Shakhtar. We will start our preparations for the derby match against [S.S.] Lazio after the Champions League game.

Shakhtar are a well-organised team. We have all had a chance to assess them from their performance in Rome. We have to make the game difficult for them. It is very important to not let them play the way they want to. I am very optimistic about our chances to win here. Roma have great potential, but we must all pull together if we are to win.

It is very important for me to achieve a unity of purpose in the team. I have a lot of enthusiasm and am trying to live up to this role. I have a good understanding with [captain] Francesco Totti. He listens to my advice and does everything I tell him to do.

Team news
Shakhtar
Fernandinho is back in action after recovering from a broken leg, but Kucher is out with a knee problem. Dmytro Chygrinskiy, Olexiy Gay, Luiz Adriano and Răzvan Raţ are within a booking of a one-match ban.

Roma
Menez and Marco Cassetti are serving one-match suspensions. Adriano has not played since dislocating his shoulder in January, while
Simone Perrotta misses the next match if he receives a card in Donetsk.

Latest results
Thursday: FC Sevastopol 0-1 Shakhtar
(Luiz Adriano 90+6)
Lucescu's side prevailed in their first Ukrainian Premier League fixture since 28 November, and have now won their last 13 competitive matches, and 28 of their 31 fixtures this term. Shakhtar have won all 15 of their home games this season, and 18 in a row at home in all competitions.

Friday: US Lecce 1-2 Roma
(Giacomazzi 75; Vučinić 32, Pizarro 90pen)
David Pizarro's first goal since 14 March 2010 earned Roma's seventh win in 19 away games this season. Of the 39 Serie A goals the Giallorossi have conceded this season, 25 have come in the last half-hour of games.

Did you know?
Shakhtar have gone through on the five previous occasions they won the first leg of a European tie away from home, including in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round when a 3-2 victory at Boavista FC was followed by a 1-1 draw in Ukraine.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Watch Liverpool vs Manchester United Live Streaming

Liverpool


Manchester United



Date/Time: Mar 6, 2011, 7:30pm(GMT+6:00)
Competition: England Premier League
Live/Repeat: Live
Venue:Anfield Road (Liverpool)

LIVE STREAMING LINK.

Liverpool vs Manchester United: Fergie Better Not Play Mind Games On Us – Kenny

Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson is known as an expert of mind games. But despite his expertise, Liverpool coach Kenny Dalglish has warned him not to play against the Reds ahead of Sunday’s match.
Kenny Dalglish doesn't want to give in to Ferguson's mental powers ahead of Sunday's big game.
Kenny Dalglish doesn't want to give in to Ferguson's mental powers ahead of Sunday's big game.

“We've both been a long time out of short trousers. It will have to be a good one to catch us out,” Dalglish told The Sun as he referred to Fergie.

“He has used psychology before in the pre-amble to matches. But he will only get sparring practice if he tries it on us.”

The Andy Carroll factor may have a great influence ahead of Sunday’s Liverpool vs Manchester United encounter in the English Premier League.

With a bit of irony, Kenny Dalglish repeated what he had told The Sun on Thursday concerning the inclusion of Carroll in the lineup:

“I am sure Fergie would love to know whether Andy will be involved on Sunday. But we don't know yet. So if he does he's a better guy than us!”

Liverpool are moving closer to a top 4 finish but there is still a lot of job left to do with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea appearing as great challengers. In the meantime, the Merseyside Reds could also dent Manchester United’s English Premier League title hopes.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Watch Chelsea vs Manchester United Live Streaming English Premier League

Chelsea


Manchester United


Date/Time: Mar 2, 2011, 1:45am(GMT+6:00)
Competition: England Premier League
Live/Repeat: Live
Venue:Stamford Bridge (London)


Chelsea are aiming to beat Manchester United at all cost on home soil on Tuesday. But Red Devils defender Chris Smalling has warned the Blues of Man United’s goal scoring forces.
Chris Smalling is not afraid of Chelsea and he could be included in Manchester United's starting XI for Tuesday's game.
Chris Smalling is not afraid of Chelsea and he could be included in Manchester United's starting XI for Tuesday's game.


The 21-year-old defender is looking forward to Tuesday’s big showdown against Chelsea at the Bridge with a lot of confidence. The player, who displayed a brilliant performance for the Red Devils against Wigan Athletic last weekend, could be named to face the Blues in London as well.

Following his departure from Fulham, Chris Smalling stands a great opportunity to develop at the very top level and win a trophy as early as this season. In the English Premier League, Manchester United are 4 points clear of second-placed Arsenal while Chelsea are 15 points behind them in 5th position.

As of now, statistics are truly in favour of the Red Devils who have scored more than 60 goals in 27 games – with the last 4 of those coming against Wigan last Saturday. According to Chris Smalling, Manchester United’s goal machine will work itself out one more time against Chelsea on Tuesday.

“We’ve got such a good squad and they’ve got world class strikers like we have too,” Smalling told TalkSPORT.

“But, whoever we face, we will be ready. We’re off the back of a couple of clean sheets and we’ll be confident to let our boys at the front pull them [Chelsea] apart.”

Manchester United have Dimitar Berbatov leading the goals scoring chart with 19 goals whereas Nani and Wayne Rooney have made the most assists in the English Premier League this season. Meanwhile, no Chelsea player is among the 5 top scorers and assists leaders at the moment.

Chelsea vs Manchester United


Date: Wednesday, 2 Mar 2011
Time: 01:45 ( Asia/Dhaka )
Competition: England Premier League
Live/Repeat: Live
Venue: Stamford Bridge (London)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Spot-fixing controversy - ICC satisfied with spot-fixing verdict - Lorgat

February 6, 2011

Haroon Lorgat addresses the media in the aftermath of the Delhi fiasco, New Delhi, December 28, 2009
The bans on the three cricketers should act as a strong check against corruption, says Haroon Lorgat

The ICC is "satisfied" with the verdict and punishments handed out to three Pakistan players on Saturday on charges of spot-fixing during the Lord's Test last summer. A three-member tribunal found Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir guilty of offences under article 2 of the ICC's anti-corruption code and banned them for 10, 7 and 5 years respectively. Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief executive, hoped that as a result of the ICC's investigation and the subsequent hearing, the game's image would improve.

In the aftermath of the sanctions, questions were raised over why no life bans were handed out to any of the players, which would've been the maximum sanction for the relevant charges. The ICC's legal team is also believed to have pushed for those.

The tribunal also included the possibility of suspended sentences in the cases of Butt and Asif, of 5 and 2 years respectively, which means they could be out for as few as five years. Considering the ages of a couple of the players - Butt is 26 and Amir just 18 - in theory, they could return after serving their bans, though that remains a considerably distant prospect, especially given that they still have to deal with a criminal case in the UK.

"My first reaction is one of sadness at the fact that we had to go through such an ordeal but I am satisfied we have concluded it," Lorgat said at a press conference in Doha. "I'm also satisfied that the sanctions delivered are severe enough to send out a clear message that the ICC will not stop short at anything to prosecute any player found wanting in this area of corruption. I don't believe the sentences are lenient by any stretch of the imagination."

Lorgat added that he thought the sentences "will make it extremely difficult for them to return to the Test format. It is at the prime of their careers that they are faced with punishment. I don't want to speculate what may happen in future."

The tribunal's statement raised a couple of questions - answers to which will no doubt come if and when the full judgment appears. The recommendation to the ICC of a change in certain aspects of the code and sanctions left Amir and Butt - as seen in the statement of their lawyers - feeling that they could have received lower punishments than they did had the code allowed it. The implication, Amir's lawyer Shahid Karim felt, was a change to that code might benefit Amir.

But Lorgat said the ICC wasn't bound to the recommendation to change, only to consider it. "We would be open-minded to all recommendations put forward. This particular code was substantially rewritten and came into effect in October 2009. This is the first instance we have of provisionally suspending players and working through a case so whatever learnings come out of it we will consider. As far as I understand, it is not binding from a legal perspective."

The other broad concern has been the programme of education prescribed to Butt and Asif has been left under the auspices of the PCB, an administration that has only recently been given warnings by the ICC to put its house in order. But the emergence of the ICC's Pakistan task team (PTT), believes Lorgat, should help matters. "The PCB has made remarkable strides in the last few months in supporting the zero tolerance approach we espouse. We will do everything possible to support them, working together with them through the PTT."

The ICC's role in the investigation, Lorgat said, proved their seriousness in protecting the game's integrity. "It's a fact that this is a kind of incident we don't want to see in the game, but equally, with the speed with which we have got to this point, the hope is that people realised we are serious about maintaining our integrity and we will do everything to protect that. I hope as a result of what has transpired yesterday the image of the game has improved."

Saturday, February 5, 2011

The spot-fixing scandal - Butt out for 10 years, Asif 7 and Amir 5

February 5, 2011


Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir
The ICC has taken unprecedented action against the three players

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been banned for 10, 7 and 5 years respectively after an ICC tribunal found them guilty of spot-fixing stemming from the Lord's Test against England last year. The sanctions against Butt and Asif have five and two years suspended, which means that the trio cannot play any official, sanctioned cricket, international or domestic, for a minimum of five years, until September 2015.

The suspended sentences on Butt and Asif have been made conditional on their making no further breaches of the code and participating in an anti-corruption education programme, under the auspices of the PCB.

Butt, who was captain during the series in England, received the maximum sentence but one charge against him - of batting out a maiden over during the Oval Test - was dismissed. However, he was found to have not disclosed an approach by Majeed that he should bat the maiden over. The other charges that were upheld relate to the subsequent Lord's Test, where Amir and Asif were found to have bowled deliberate no-balls and Butt was penalized for being party to that. Amir will appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration Sports, but the other two players have not yet said whether they will.

The announcement on Saturday evening followed a day of deliberations in Doha between the three-man tribunal - comprising the head Michael Beloff QC, Sharad Rao and Justice Albie Sachs - the players and their legal teams and the ICC's lawyers. The three players began the day requesting the tribunal for a deferral of any verdict, in light of the statement on Friday by the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that the players might also face criminal charges relating to the Lord's Test as the result of a separate investigation carried out by British police. The players, who continued to maintain their innocence, argued that a judgment today by the tribunal could be prejudicial to any criminal trial in the UK, but the request was rejected.

The length of the sentences may be considered surprising to the extent that at least one life ban had been predicted beforehand. Now, in theory, the 26-year-old Butt could return after five years if he complies with the conditions of the verdict. Amir, who will only turn 19 in April, could also conceivably harbour hopes of a return, though in practical terms a five-year gap from any competitive cricket makes the prospect of a return that much more difficult. The situation is most bleak for Asif, who will be 33 by the time the minimum five years are up.

It must also be noted that not until the full judgment is released will the picture become fully clear, especially with regards to the nature of the rehabilitation programme they must undertake and the role the PCB will have in that. The tribunal asked the ICC to publish the full judgment as soon as possible and it is expected to happen tomorrow. The question, however, of whether or not the full judgment may be deemed prejudicial to any criminal proceedings in the UK still looms.

A member of the ICC legal team told ESPNcricinfo that it is "very happy with the fact that the players were convicted." But given that the governing body was pushing for maximum sanctions, there will be at least a tinge of disappointment within the governing body.

The tribunal also recommended that the ICC make "certain changes to the code with a view to providing flexibility in relation to minimum sentences in exceptional circumstances." The lawyers of Butt and Amir later said that the tribunal would've given lower punishments had their hands not "been tied" to the code's range of sanctions.

News of the World, the tabloid that broke the spot-fixing story this summer, released a statement of its own, saying that "it is now clear to everyone in the game that corruption will not be tolerated," and added that it will continue to assist the police in any way it can.

A number of Pakistani fans waited outside the Qatar Financial Centre, some for the entire nine-hour duration of the proceedings, and gave vociferous support to the players when they eventually came out. Amir, in fact, was mobbed and had to return inside the building briefly.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Australia have an outside chance, says Steve Waugh



Six World Cup winning captains at an event in Mumbai, Mumbai, February 2, 2011
Six World Cup winning captains get together at an event in Mumbai

Steve Waugh, who led Australia to victory in the 1999 World Cup, has said Australia are in with a chance to defend their World Cup crown despite inconsistent results since the start of 2010. He claimed India and Sri Lanka will be strong contenders but didn't rule out Ricky Ponting's team. "Australia have an outside chance because they have matchwinners," Waugh said at an event in Mumbai. "I don't think this is a weaker Australian side.

"It's tough decision (to predict a winner). There are seven sides capable of winning but the side that has the momentum going into the quarter-final will be good. India are the slight favourites, as they know the conditions well and will have fantastic support. Sri Lanka have a very good chance too."

It might come as no surprise for Waugh to back the defending champions on a day when Australia pulled off their highest chase in ODIs, against England in Sydney. Australia had pocketed the seven-game series last week, and their dominant form in the ODIs after a humiliating Ashes drubbing only made Waugh confident about his countrymen. "Australia are still ranked No.1 in the world. In [Shaun] Tait, [Mitchell] Johnson and [Brett] Lee, they have the potential matchwinners. Their batsmen are also on top. Ricky is coming back from injury. Australian players are best when faced with adversity," Waugh said.

Austrlia's winning percentage in 2010 in ODIs had taken a beating: of the 25 matches played, spread over seven series, they won 16 and lost eight including the series defeat to Sri Lanka at home. But the return to form of seniors like Michael Clarke and Lee, along with the matchwinning capabilities of Shane Watson, makes Australia a dangerous opponent. Waugh, a two-time World Cup winner including one as captain in 1999, said Lee would be the lynchpin for Australia. Lee returned for the England series after sitting out from October 2009 due to lingering elbow injury. But Lee has not compromised on pace and so far is the highest wicket-taker in the series with 11 wickets at an average of 24 in the six matches. "Lee will be my impact player. He has amazing resilience, he is bowling back at 150kph and he loves touring India" Waugh said.

In the two World Cups held in the subcontinent (1987 and '96), Australia have won 12 of the 15 matches they've played.