In opposition to Manchester United, Chelsea just earned a huge win and now they have to keep the momentum going. The win in opposition to Manchester should ease some of the talk about Chelsea falling apart. Chelsea has vaulted in to contention, as an effect. They can’t overlook a dangerous Blackpool team though.

Chelsea is a -333 favorite to win the match and Blackpool is a +900 underdog in Soccer Betting Odds.

With having dangerous scorers in Didier Drogba and Flourent Malouda, Chelsea has been a dangerous offensive team. They also have Fernando Torres, who is still trying to break in with Chelsea, although he is always a threat to score. Chelsea is tough to beat, with Peter Cech in goal. By allowing just one goal in the 2-1 victory, Cech looked very strong against Manchester United.

In the English Premier League, Blackpool has had an up and down season. In the standings they are currently tied for 13th and they have had some strong wins and some shaky losses. They are not an easy out for any team though. For this team DJ Campbell and Charlie Adam have been the leading scorers. When those two play well the offense clicks. For this team Goaltending has been an issue. Even though Richard Kingston has had his share of struggles, he has established himself as the regular goalie.

To Wolverhampton, Blackpool is coming off of a 4-0 loss. During a tough stretch for them, the defense has been a weakness. Earlier this year they also lost 4-0 to Chelsea. Since then of course, a lot has changed for both teams. It seems that the Chelsea have weathered their bad stretch though it doesn’t look like Blackpool has done the same. For Blackpool a draw in this contest would be a huge achievement whereas for Chelsea it would be a crushing blow.

Manchester United will head into tomorrow’s fight with Wigan at the DW Stadium. Chelsea’s John Terry asserts that under the stress of securing the Premier League, Manchester United might collapse in the match against his team, Chelsea. Terry’s remarks on United have been dismissed by Sir Alex Ferguson. The triumph against Wigan will grant 15-point lead over the champions.

On Tuesday, Chelsea will be facing Ferguson’s team at Stamford Bridge. This match will be of immense magnitude for the former team to stand any possibility of holding on to their title. As per various sports betting odds websites Chelsea are 5/4 and Manchester United are 12/5. This week, Terry has tried to augment the pressure on United.

On Terry’s comments, Ferguson said that Terry’s team is free to try various things from their side and his team will try out too. He added that it is not easy for Chelsea to come back from that kind of points deficit. He had earlier said that a team who is more consistent in the league would be entitled for the title and this is the reason why he stressed on the fact that momentum should be unremitting and attain consistency.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes that there are just couple of teams who will lock horns in a straight shoot-out for the Premier League title and they are Manchester United and Arsenal.

Over the Gunners, United currently hold a one-point advantage, although Gunners have played a game more. In recent weeks, the two sides having pulled away from the chasing pack. Reigning champions Chelsea pursue United by 12 points, Manchester City are now eight points adrift of the pinnacle.

As per Ferguson, Arsenal are United’s only pragmatic competitors for a record 19th title and the season is now following a familiar pattern of two teams fighting it out for the crown. This season, United have won just three times on their travels and Fergie admits this record is not good enough. They would like to progress it in the Tuesday’s forthcoming match against old competitor Chelsea.

On Tuesday, Feb. 15, Newcastle United will battle against Birmingham in EPL action. In the top five of the standings, the match features a pair of teams that find themselves out of contention for a coveted spot. This contest figures to be intense though. While Birmingham is in 16^th, Newcastle is in 10th place. Between the two teams this will be the first meeting this season.

Closer to match time Soccer Premiership odds will be available for this matchup.

The goalie for Birmingham is Ben Foster, who has allowed 33 goals in his 23 starts. Foster has hardly been the problem even as that’s not great. Birmingham has struggled offensively. With just five goals, Craig Gardner leads the team. Birmingham has scored an EPL low 24 goals as a team. In this match that could be a serious problem.

Since switching to Steve Harper in goal Newcastle has been solid.  Harper has allowed 13 goals in 11 games. Over Tim Krul that is a marked improvement. Newcastle is led by Kevin Nolan and Andrew Carroll offensively.  On the season they each have at least ten goals.  What gives Newcastle a major offensive edge is the scoring threats on them.

On paper Newcastle is the better team and they now have better goaltending and more offense. They can’t overlook Birmingham though. In some big games Birmingham has played well. Against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City, they have managed draws. Against Chelsea they also have a win. They will have a shot to get the win if Birmingham can play like they did in those games against Newcastle. To their advantage, playing at home should also work.

On Friday, forward Jeff Cunningham signed a multi-year contract with the Columbus Crew, returning to the team for which he played his first seven seasons in Major League Soccer.

In 12 appearances for the U.S. national team, Cunningham has one goal. In November 2009, he scored in an exhibition against Denmark. In league history, the 34-year-old has 132 MLS goals, which is the second highest and behind Jaime Moreno’s total. From 1998-04, his 62 league goals for Columbus are tied for first with Brian McBride. Last month, Cunningham’s 2011 option was declined by Dallas. In 2009, Cunningham led MLS with 17 goals.

In the 1998 College Draft, Cunningham was drafted by the Crew, playing a reserve role behind Brian McBride and Stern John. After John’s departure to England, he became a more regular starter, going on to start a total of 112 games in his first stint with the Crew. After the 2004 season, he left the team after having contributed 70 goals and 56 assists in all competitions.

With the No. 9 pick in the 1998 MLS draft, the Crew originally selected Cunningham. He played his first seven MLS seasons. Cunningham has played for Colorado, Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC and Dallas, since leaving Columbus. Cunningham is just one goal behind the retired Jaime Moreno for tops in the MLS record book. Cunningham has 132 career MLS goals.

Cunningham said in a statement that he is really excited to return to the club where he started his professional career. He added that when he was in a Crew jersey, he scored the first goal of his career and his 100th at Crew Stadium [while with FC Dallas]. He said that the Crew Stadium has always been special to me and it is only fitting for him that he breaks all-time scoring record in black and gold.

Michel Platini has warned that if Europe’s biggest clubs do not comply with Uefa’s new financial fair play rules, then they will have to “face the music”. Financial problems affecting European clubs are getting worse, as shown by the latest figures.

Spending on player wages is increasing at a faster rate than income and it is up almost 10 per cent.

Under their new rules, from the 2014/15 season, clubs will face possible bans from European competition if they spend more than they earn in the three years previous. To all clubs that qualify for UEFA competitions across Europe’s 53 football nations, the rules which will apply. By ensuring that a club does not repeatedly spend more than it generates, the rules are designed to create a more level playing field.

For spiraling spending and saddling clubs, skyrocketing wages have been blamed with financial troubles, for years. In a study of English Premier League clubs between 2005 and 2009 it was found in a study that the amount the teams spent on salaries explained 85% of the total variation in league position.

UEFA’s complex new financial fair play rules are due to apply from the 2012 financial year, which broadly demands that clubs break even, with sanctions likely to be enforced two to three years later. According to Infantino, if the rules were applied now, from this season’s European League and Champions League 11 clubs would “potentially” have been excluded.

UEFA President Michel Platini said that there would be no blacklisting of clubs or “finger pointing”. However, he underlined that the forthcoming rules would be crucial for soccer’s future, which already appear to be reining in transfer by some debt-laden big clubs. He added that even though the problem is a complicated one, it is vital for the future of football.

Clubs in England are facing the greatest difficulty to abide by the rules, with recent €145 million losses for Manchester City, even though owners are also allowed to inject €15 million a year into their club.

Speaking at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, Platini said that leading Italian clubs also face problems; even then, the European governing body would not hesitate to take action.

In a big game between highly ranked teams in the English Premier League, Manchester City will clash with Blackpool. In the league standings, Manchester City has climbed in to second place. In their first year in the top division for now, Blackpool has pulled a few surprises. In the standings they currently sit eighth.

For this matchup Soccer Betting Odds are not yet available.

Richard Kingston has been solid for Blackpool, since taking over in goal. Including two shutouts he has won three of his five starts in EPL play. Blackpool isn’t as prolific as other EPL teams offensively. Leading with five goals, three players are tied for the team. With 54 shots on goal Charlie Adam leads the team.

All season, Manchester City has been strong. Joe Hart has allowed just sixteen goals in twenty starts and has been the star of the team. This season, Hart has kept Manchester City in almost every game. On offense Carlos Tevez is the dominant force and he has twelve goals. Compare to the total of any other player on the team that number is more than twice. To go with his goal total Tevez has 66 shots on goal. Through him the Manchester City offense runs.

As the Manchester City owns a victory in opposition to Chelsea and a draw against Manchester United, all season they have been solid. Earlier in the season they also scored a 3-2 win over Blackpool. So far this season Blackpool has been surprising. Already they have won a surprising seven games. They have struggled against the top teams in the league so far in spite of their progress.

Kingston has given them new life on defense yet. The team that breaks through first should be able to hang on for the victory as this game features two of the better defensive teams in the league.

Chelsea will battle against Manchester United when two of the biggest teams in the English Premier League clash. With each winning three times since the 2004-2005 seasons, both these two clubs have won the past six EPL championships. Following their 1-0 win over Arsenal, Manchester United at present sits atop the EPL. Even though Chelsea is only three points out of first, they have slipped to fourth place. In soccer betting online the odds for this match not yet posted.

For Chelsea goalie Peter Cech has had a stunning season in goal. He has yielded a mere twelve goals in seventeen starts. Chelsea will be in every game with Cech in goal. Chelsea has scored 31 goals offensively. After Manchester that is the second highest total. With a combined fifteen goals Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda lead the Chelsea offense. Drogba is the leader on the Chelsea attack as he leads the club in shots on goal.

On the season Edwin van der Sar has given up sixteen goals for the Manchester United. Even though he has been strong all season, he isn’t quite as solid as Cech. With 36 goals offensively Manchester leads the EPL. With eleven goals Dimitar Berbatov leads the clubs. When it comes to shots on goal, nine players on the team are in the double digits.

This season Manchester United has yet to lose a game. Even though Chelsea has cooled lately they got off to a hot start. In their last five EPL games they have two losses and three draws. For this team that is not the usual standard. On their way to edging Manchester by one point for the title Chelsea swept both meetings last season. The team who manages to gain any offensive advantage this contest should go to that team. One goal might be enough to secure a victory with the strong goalies on both sides.

On Monday, two of the biggest teams in the English Premier League will face each other when Manchester United hosts Arsenal. At the top of the EPL standings the two teams sit one point apart. On the season Arsenal has ten wins and two draws. Manchester United has not lost a game yet this year and has eight wins and seven draws. In the league, these are the two highest scoring teams.

Arsenals are on a two game winning streak heading in to this game and have played well lately. Since taking over goaltending duties, Goalie Lukasz Fabianski has been strong. In ten starts he has given up eleven goals. With eight goals, the potent Arsenal offense is led by Samir Nasri. With at least twenty shots on goal Arsenal has five players.

Goalie Edwin van der Sar’s strong work on which Manchester relies. In his fifteen starts, he has given up sixteen goals. The squad has more goals than any other team offensively in the EPL. On the season Dimitar Berbatov has a remarkable eleven goals whereas with 61 shots on goal Nani leads the team. Even though this is still a hot team, their last match against Blackpool was postponed.

These two teams can score with the best of them as this is a big competition in the EPL. One goal might be enough as getting an edge will be tough for either team and also they feature strong goaltending. In league play this year this is the first meeting between these two teams. Manchester scored five goals between the games and swept both meetings last year. Even though they are fully capable of pulling out a win it will be tough playing on the road and Arsenal is much better this year.

Major League Soccer has added two new teams. The Whitecaps, located in Vancouver, and the Timbers, located in Portland. Vancouver becomes the second Canadian soccer club in MLS.

The two teams recently took steps in building their squads by means of the expansion draft.

The first overall selection was made by the Timbers. The chose midfielder Dax McCarthy of FC Dallas. He would later be traded to DC United in exchange for midfielder/defender Rodney Wallace.

Timber general manager Gavin Wilkinson said this about Wallace, “Rodney is a young, yet proven MLS player who again gives us great versatility with his ability to play several positions.” Portland would make a trade with New York for Jeremy Hall. Hall was a college team mate of Rodney Wallace.
They would go on to draft two members if the US national team, but both players plan to play overseas next year, nor in the MLS.

Vancouver chose Sanna Nvassi of the Seattle Sounders as their first pick. Atiba Harris would be their next selection.

The expansion draft consisted of players on the 16 clubs in the MLS. Each club could protect eleven players but all other players were available to the two expansion teams.

When Arsenal hosts Tottenham, they will look to move to the top of the Premier League standings. For fifth place in the EPL, Tottenham is looking for separation as they sit in a three way tie. While Tottenham is looking for their second straight win, Arsenal is looking for their third straight EPL. Arsenal is also a favorite choice of the online soccer betting fans.

While allowing seventeen, Tottenham has scored eighteen goals this season. Since taking over the starting job from Carlo Cudicini, Gomes has allowed thirteen goals. On the season he has 31 saves. Even though Gomes offers an upgrade at the position, Goaltending has been erratic at times for Tottenham. The team should get help with the return of striker Jermain Defoe even though Rafael Van der Vaart leads the team with five goals. To lead the team, Van der Vaart has 47 shots on goal.

From Lukasz Fabianski, Arsenal has gotten strong goalie play. He has been remarkably strong since taking over the starting job as he has allowed just five goals in seven starts. Arsenal has one of the most potent attacks in the league and has scored 26 goals. Even though Arsenal spreads the ball around, Marouane Chamakh leads the team with five goals. Alex Song and Samir Nasri add a lot of scoring punch. On goal for Arsenal Four different players have at least 25 shots.

Last season, the two teams split their meetings. While losing 2-1 on the road, Arsenal won their home game 3-0. Arsenal should use the home crowd to their advantage as they have a clear advantage on offense and defense. Tottenham is a team that can’t be taken lightly, however. In to this game they have played well in the Champions League and will look to carry that momentum.