Champions League Final Prediction

On May 27th the two teams that are regarded as the two best club teams in the world will square off for the Champions League title in Rome. English Premier League's Manchester United looks to become the first team to repeat as champions since the format was changed from European Cup to Champions League for the 1992-1993 season. They are also the first team since Italian Serie A's Juventus in 1997 to return to the title game after winning the previous season. Spanish La Liga soon-to-be champions Barcelona will be back in the title for the 2nd time in 4 years; the first in which they defeated England's Arsenal for the title.

One of the major things to look for in this game will be United's game plan for attacking Barca down the sidelines. With both outside backs suspended due to cards it will surely be a makeshift defense for Barcelona. RB Dani Alves was given his 2nd yellow of the semi-final round in the 1st half at Stamford Bridge in Barcelona's 1-1 draw. In the same game LB Eric Abidal was given what appeared to be a phantom red card when Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka tripped over his own feet on a run towards the box. Do-it-all defender Rafa Marquez will also be out due to a knee injury suffered earlier in the tournament. Center back and team captain Carlos Puyol will return from his suspension and should be a big help towards solidifying the back. Gerard Pique has probably been the best defender throughout for Barca and defensive midfielder Yaya Toure was able to step into a defensive role admirably last game.

The reason that this presents such a problem for Barcelona is because United will use Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to push up wide as well as players like Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra who make runs down the sidelines. Having inexperienced defenders out there may present a long night for the Barcelona faithful.

Holding midfielder Darren Fletcher will miss the final for Manchester United after receiving a red card for tackling Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas in the box late in United's 4-1 semi-final win at Old Trafford. Defender Wes Brown and midfielder Owen Hargreaves will also miss the final due to injuries; although they hadn't played at all during the tournament because the injuries were obtained early in the season.

One of the big bright spots for Barcelona will be the return of forward Thierry Henry to the starting lineup. Henry missed the second leg of the semi-final vs Chelsea due to a knee injury. At full strength, Barcelona is probably the most explosive offensive team in the world. Playing with 3 midfielders and 3 forwards gives Barca a lot of firepower to wield. My pick for the starting 11 is Victor Valdes, Girard Pique, Carlos Puyol, Yaya Toure, Sylvinho, Seydou Keita, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o, and Lionel Messi.

United has a lot of depth they can work with in their midfield and forward positions so I'm not sure who Sir Alex Ferguson will choose to start. It has been said that Sir Alex has promised playing time to midfielder Park Ji-Sung after he missed the 2008 final. My pick for the starting 11 will be Edwin Van Der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, John O'Shea, Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Park Ji-Sung, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Dimitar Berbatov.

Due to United's ability to create with so many different players and Barcelona's absence of their two outside backs I will have to pick United to win their back-to-back titles. I am a huge Barcelona fan, they are my favorite team along with Arsenal (I just love Thierry Henry), so it kills me to pick against them. It just seems the cards are stacked against them in this one but I wouldn't be more happy to be proved wrong. There will be some great matchups in this game though. A lot of debate has been going on over who is the best player in the world: Messi or Ronaldo. That debate could be put to rest that very night at the Stadio Olimpico.

Countdown of my All-Time Favorite Soccer Players

The Last Two Players of the Countdown: Edgar Davids





And: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Countdown of my All-Time Favorite Soccer Players

Eighth: The REAL Ronaldo

Countdown of my All-Time Favorite Soccer Players

Seventh: Ruud van Nistelrooy

Countdown of my All-Time Favorite Soccer Players

Sixth: Kaka

Countdown of my All-Time Favorite Soccer Players

SFifth: Lionel Messi

Countdown of my All-Time Favorite Soccer Players

Fourth: Ronaldinho

Countdown of my All-Time Favorite Soccer Players

Third: Zinedine Zidane

Countdown of my All-Time Favorite Soccer Players

Second: Thierry Henry

Countdown of my All-Time Favorite Soccer Players

A countdown of my Top 10 favorite soccer players, in no particular order. Posted from today through Wednesday. Here's the first: Steven Gerrard

Man Utd Extend Lead in EPL

Manchester United produced another one of those thrilling, magical and devastating comebacks to haul themselves to a 5-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur and surely to an 18th league championship.

An upset looked in the cards at the interval with Spurs 2-0 up thanks to an opportunistic strike from Darren Bent and a neat control and finish from Luka Modric.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp accused referee Howard Webb of making a "terrible mistake'' that robbed his team of victory over Manchester United and made it increasingly likely the Premier League title will remain at Old Trafford.

5 Second half goals lifted the Red Devils to victory. Big name players step up at big times. Ronaldo opened up scoring with a penalty shot in early second half, less than 10 minutes later Wayne Rooney tied it up and seconds after that Ronaldo's 2nd goal put Utd. ahead for good. One more by Rooney and the 5th by new-comer Dimitar Berbatov helped Old Trafford celebrate today.

Andrei Arshavin proving his worth

When Arsenal acquired Russian forward Andrei Arshavin from Zenit Saint Petersburg there was a lot of speculation as to whether or not he could perform in the EPL. Arshavin burst onto the seen at the European Championship in the summer of 2008. He led Russia through the group stage and into the semi-finals. After that he was a very hot commodity. Arsenal was fortunate enough to acquire the 27 year old and it took some time for him to fit in on the young Gunners squad. Arshavin had scored 2 goals in the first 7 games before erupting yesterday in a huge game at Anfield vs Liverpool. Arshavin found the back of the net 4 times in Arsenals 4-4 draw with the home Reds. Although Arsenal, one of the youngest team in the EPL, is in 4th place and doesnt't have a shot at the league title this was a big game for them. Liverpool is sitting atop the table, tied with Manchester United. The Reds needed a win at home in order to give themselves a little breathing room but the new Gunner Arshavin would not let that happen. This performance gives me a lot of hope for the future as I am an Arsenal fan. With Arshavin coming into his own, the Emirates faithful have a lot to look forward to in the coming years. With proven, though young, players like Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Cesc Fabregas mixing in with up-and-coming stars like Theo Walcott, Samir Nasri, and Emmanuel Eboue there is a very, very bright future for the north London squad.