Hunting season

Dmitry LONGICH

MATCH TOUR

Chelsea - Middlesbrough. On Saturday, the “Stamford Bridge” will be awarded by the main hunter for the favorites of the Premier League - “Middlesbrough”. Already this season, the Riverside team tied with Arsenal twice, took points from Liverpool and beat Chelsea, who suffered from them in the last championship. Gareth Southgate at the end of 2006 decisively broke with the Maclaren past and began to build a new, attacking team game. The result is impressive - in the new year there are already three wins, two draws and not a single loss. Chelsea, having coped with the nerves and waiting for the captain to return, has no right not to spoil the opponent’s statistics - the time for misfires has passed.

UNEXPECTED INTrigue

Reading - Aston Villa. Behind the seemingly discreet poster of the chronologically first match of the tour lies a pretty intrigue of the unpredictable confrontation of very interesting clubs. Reading, having overcome acrophobia, is already eager for Europe. Steve Koppel's team won four of their last five matches, scoring 15 goals in them. And this despite the fact that the main scorer Kevin Doyle is injured. His role is now coolly played by Leroy Lita, a native of Congo and a player of the English youth. Aston Villa also updated the attack, but did it consciously. A pair of newcomers, Carew - Young, have already managed to mark their debut goals and change the vector of the tournament movement of the team. A direct clash of attacking resources is ready to give the fans a bright quality, and the tour - an unexpected decoration.

DO NOT LOSE FROM THE VIEW

Ben Foster proves that true talent can be shown in a hopelessly weak club. The goalkeeper of “Watford”, who worked tirelessly in the “frame” all season, made his debut on Wednesday with the national team. Perhaps it was Foster who would become the solution to the English goalkeeper’s problem that had fallen on edge and would soon take the number 1 position not only in the national team, but also in Manchester United, to which it belongs.

IMPORTANT WORDS

"This is indeed the largest and most important sport in the world, and it is the most important club in the most important sport in the world," - Americans George Gillette and Tom Hicks , who so far speak on British soil exclusively with slogans, a chorus about football and just acquired them to Liverpool.

BEAUTIFUL NUMBERS

The match against Manchester City will be for Portsmouth goalkeeper David James the 120th in a row in the Premier League. At the same time, as part of his current rival, the goalkeeper spent exactly 100 games. James also has 140 dry matches in the English championship, and he could not miss in just two meetings to break David Seaman's record.

RADING - ASTON VILLA

February 10th . The Madeiysk Stadium, 15.45.

Judge : Mark Clattenburg (Tyne and Wyre).

Injuries : Mate, Sonco / Delaney, Sutton, Samuel.

Disqualifications : no.

Reading (Sport Today version): Hahnemann - Marty, Bickey, Ingimarsson, Shorey - Little, Sidwell, Harper, Hunt - Lita, Doyle.

Aston Villa (Sport Today version): Sorensen - Bardsley, Melberg, G. Cahill, Bouma - Agbonlahor, Petrov, McKann, Barry - Young, Carew.

Last five matches : + = + + + / = - + - +

First round match : 1: 2.

Quotes William Hill : victory of "Reading" - 1.95, draw - 3.1, victory of "Aston Villa" - 3.5.

Broadcast : NTV-Plus Football, 15.40 (direct).

Chelsea - Middlesbrough

February 10th . Stamford Bridge, 6 p.m.

Judge : Chris Foy (Merseyside).

Injuries : D. Cole, E. Cole, Bridge, Ballack / Hoot, Bates, Cattermole.

Disqualifications : no.

Chelsea (Sport Today version): Czech - Jeremy, Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira - Essien, Makelele, Lampard, Robben - Shevchenko, Drogba.

Middlesbrough (Sport Today version): Schwarzer - Abel Xavier, Woodgate, Pogatets, E. Taylor - Morrison, Boateng, Arch, Downing - Viduka, Yakubu.

Last five matches : = + - + + / + + + = =

First round match : 1: 2.

Quotes William Hill : the victory of Chelsea - 1.22, the draw - 4.8, the victory of Middlesbrough - 10.0.

Broadcast : RTR-Sport, 0.40 (record).

Everton - Blackburn

February 10th . Goodison Park, 6 p.m.

Judge : Rob Styles (Hampshire).

Injuries : Boyle, McFadden / Reed, Savage, Oyer, Derbyshire, Pedersen.

Disqualifications : Osman / Warnock.

Everton (Sport Today version): Howard - Hibbert, Yobo, Stubbs, Lescott - Arteta, Neville, Carsley, Cahill - Anichebe, Johnson.

Blackburn (Sport Today version): Friedel - Emerton, Anshaw, Samba, Nelson - Dunn, Moken, Tugai, Bentley - Roberts, McCarthy.

Last five matches : + - = + = / - + - - +

First round match : 1: 1.

Quotes William Hill : the victory of Everton - 2.0, the draw - 3.1, the victory of Blackburn - 3.3.

MANCHESTER UNITED - CHARLTON

February 10th . Old Trafford, 6 p.m.

Judge : Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).

Injuries : van der Sar, O'Shea / D. Bent, Gibbs, L. Young, E. Reed.

Disqualifications : no / El-Karkuri.

Manchester United (Sport Today version): Kushchak - Neville, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra - Park Ji Sung, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs - Rooney, Larsson.

"Charlton" (version of "Sport Today"): Carson - Sankof, Diavara, Hreidarsson, Thatcher - Rommedal, Faye, B. Hughes, Holland, Thomas - M. Bent.

Last five matches : = + - + + / - - + = -

First round match : 3-0.

Quotes William Hill : victory for Manchester United - 1.14, draw - 5.5, victory for Charlton - 15.0.

Broadcast : NTV-Plus Football, 17.55 (direct).

NEWcastle Liverpool

February 10th . Saint James Park, 6 p.m.

Judge : Mark Halsey (Lancashire).

Injuries : N'Zogbia, C. Moore, Ameobi, Owen, Ramage, Given, Krul, Emre, Carr / Kewell, Luis Garcia.

Disqualifications : no / Xabi Alonso.

Newcastle (Sport Today version): Harper - S. Taylor, Bramble, Onieva, Babayaro - Milner, Parker, Butt, Duff - Dyer - Martins.

Liverpool (Sport Today version): Reina - Finnan, Agger, Hyyupä, Riise - Pennant, Gerrard, Carragher - Bellamy, Kate - Crouch.

Last five matches : = + = + - / + + + + =

First round match : 0: 2.

Quotes William Hill : Newcastle victory - 3.75, draw - 3.2, victory of Liverpool - 1.83.

Broadcast : NTV-Plus Football, 19.50 (record).

SHEFFIELD United - TOTTENHAM

February 10th . The Brammell Lane, 6 p.m.

Judge : Martin Atkinson (Yorkshire).

Injuries : Bennet, Kilgallone / Dervit, Bernard, L. King.

Disqualifications : Gillespie / Gali.

Sheffield United (Sport Today version): Kenny - Kozlak, Lucetti, Morgan, Armstrong - Montgomery, Tonj, Jagelka, S. Quinn - Stead, Hals.

Tottenham Hotspur (Sport Today version): Robinson - Shimbonda, Dawson, Ricardo Rocha, Lee Yoon Pio - Lennon, Huddlestone, Jenas, Malbranck - Berbatov, R. Keen.

Last five matches : - = - + - / - = - = -

First round match : 0: 2.

Quotes William Hill : Sheffield United victory - 2.5, draw - 3.1, Tottenham victory - 2.5.

WEST HAM - WATFORD

February 10th . Upton Park, 18.00.

Judge : Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).

Injuries : Boyer, Ashton, Collins, E. Ferdinand, Neill, Gabbidon, Upson / M. King, Carlisle, Chambers.

Disqualifications : no.

West Ham (Sport Today version): Carroll - Spector, Davenport, Daily, McCartney - Benayoun, Reo-Cocker, Kouache, Boa Morte - Zamora, Harwood.

"Watford" (version of "Sport today"): Foster - Maryappa, Demerit, Mackay, Stuart - Smith, Bangura, Francis, McNamey - Henderson, Boise.

Last five matches : - = = - - / - - + - -

First round match : 1: 1.

Quotes William Hill : victory of West Ham - 1.8, draw - 3.3, victory of Watford - 3.75.

PORTSMOUTH - MANCHESTER CITY

February 10th . Fratton Park, 20.15.

Judge : Mike Dean (Wirral).

Injuries : Stefanovich, Primus / Dikov, Mills, Sinclair, Onuoha.

Disqualifications : no.

"Portsmouth" (version of "Sport Today"): James - Pamaro, Johnson, Campbell, Traore - O'Neill, Pedro Mendes, M. Taylor, Lauren - Canu, Mwaruwari.

Manchester City (Sport Today version): Isaksson - Richards, Disten, R. Dunne, Jordan - Trabelsi, Dabo, Barton, Beasley - Wassell, Corradi.

Last five matches : = = - = - / + + = - -

First round match : 0-0.

Quotes William Hill : Portsmouth win - 1.8, draw - 3.1, Manchester City win - 4.0.

BOLTON - FULHAM

February 11th . The Stamford Bridge, 16.30.

Judge : Howard Webb (Yorkshire).

Injuries : O'Brien, C. Davis, Fortune / Ballard, Elrich, Elliott, Pambridge.

Disqualifications : none / Bocanegra.

“Bolton” (version of “Sport Today”): Yaaskelainen - Hunt, Meite, Dian Faye, Ben Haim - Ivan Campo, Speed, Nolan - Yannakopoulos, Diouf - Anelka.

“Fulham” (version of “Sport Today”): Niemi - Rosenor, Knight, J. Pearce, Cedrew - Foltz, Brown, Buba Diop, S. Davis - Montella, McBride.

Last five matches : - = - = + / = = = - +

First round match : 1: 1.

Quotes William Hill : the victory of “Bolton” - 1.66, the draw - 3.1, the victory of “Fulham” - 5.0.

Broadcast : RTR-Sport, 2.40 (recording).

ARSENAL - WIGAN

February 11th . Emirates Stadium, 19.00.

Judge : Dermot Gallagher (Oxfordshire).

Injuries : Gallas, Van Persie, Gleb, Diabi / Sharner, de Zeuv.

Disqualifications : Senderos / no.

Arsenal (Sport Today version): Lehmann - Ebouet, Kolo Toure, Jura, Clichy - Walcott, Fabregas, Gilberto Silva, Rosicky - Henry, Adebayor.

“Wigan” (version of “Sport Today”): Kirkland - Boyce, Unsworth, R. Taylor, Baines - Valencia, Landzat, Skoko, Folan - McCulloch, Heskey.

Last five matches : - + + + = / - - - - +

First round match : 1-0.

Quotes William Hill: the victory of Arsenal - 1.22, the draw - 4.8, the victory of Wigan - 10.0.

Broadcast : NTV-Plus Football, 18.55 (direct).

NOTE : match start time is Moscow time.

TOURNAMENT TABLE

SNIPERS: Drogba (Chelsea), Cristiano Ronaldo (Man. United) - 15, Van Persie (Arsenal), Yakubu (Middlesbrough) - 11, Doyle (Reading), McCarthy (Blackburn), Henry (Arsenal), Rooney (Man. United), Lampard ( Chelsea) - 10, Kanu (Portsmouth), Kate (Liverpool), Martins (Newcastle) - 9.

02.21. Everton - Tottenham Hotline (postponed match of the 25th round). Watford - Wigan (interrupted match of the 21st round). 28th round. 02.24. Charlton - West Ham. Fulham - Manchester United. Liverpool - Sheffield United. Middlesbrough - Reading. Watford - Everton. 02/25. Blackburn - Portsmouth. Tottenham Hotspur - Bolton. Wigan - Newcastle.

English accent
Dmitry Navoshi conference on English football