Chelsea are in world top ten, says Big Phil
‘Big’ Phil Scolari has said his Chelsea outfit are among the ten best teams in the world in the run-up to tonight’s (Tuesday, November 4th) match with Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
Ahead of the Blues trip to the Stadio Olimpico, Roma coach Luciano Spalleti suggested that the visitors are “the best side in the world” at present.
Scolari brushed aside the suggestion, saying that although he would be reluctant to give them the title of the planet’s best team they are in the top ten.
He said: “We are one of the best teams in the world, we are not the best, but we are very good.
“We need to reach more finals and win more finals to say we are better than last season, we cannot say that now.”
Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack are all out injured, but striker Didier Drogba could figure.
Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Roma at Stamford Bridge last month was the first time the two teams have met since the Blues’ 4-1 aggregate win in the first round of the 1965 Fairs Cup.
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Kinnear looks for defensive improvement
Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear has spoken of his team’s need to improve defensively ahead of tonight’s game with Aston Villa.
The interim manager is well aware of the Magpies record in recent matches - they had conceded at least two goals in seven games leading up to the 2-1 win over West Brom.
Team Talk quoted Kinnear as saying of the win over the West Midlanders: “While they did score we ended that unwanted run.”
Fabricio Colocinni was bought from Deportivo La Coruna for the purpose of shoring up Newcastle’s backline and despite a patchy start to his Premier League career, Kinnear is confident that the ex-AC Milan player has the pedigree to perform.
Kinnear commented: “I see all the qualities he has in training every day. He’s quick, he reads the game well, he’s strong in the air, and he has all the qualities of a top-class player.”
Newcastle could welcome back frontman Michael Owen and midfielder Nicky Butt, with the pair reported to be overcoming injuries which kept them out of the West Brom match.
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Jenas: We believe under Harry
Jermaine Jenas has insisted his Tottenham Hotspur side are full of confidence ahead of Saturday’s visit from Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The Spurs midfielder is happy to highlight the mood change at White Hart Lane since new boss Harry Redknapp’s sudden arrival at the club.
“We have got a big game at home to Liverpool and if we can win that it will be a great end to a good week,” Jenas said.
Continuing: “You can feel it while you are out on the pitch. You can feel the belief coming back in us, knowing that we can get these results now.”
Spurs seem to be on an upward curve at present, having secured their first win against Bolton less than 24 hours after Redknapp was given the reigns, before launching a heroic comeback to hold local rivals Arsenal to a dramatic 4-4 draw.
However, the leaky Spurs backline could have to contend with one of Europe’s finest strikers against the Reds, with Fernando Torres reportedly close to returning from a hamstring injury.
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Tigers confident ahead of OT visit
Hull City manager Phil Brown insists his team are still confident ahead of their trip to play Manchester United on Saturday (October 31st) despite suffering a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea on Wednesday (October 29th).
The Tigers had been sitting pretty at second place in the Premier League season after winning four-in-a-row, but were brought back down to earth with a bump against the Blues.
However, Brown believes the thrashing has not dented his side’s confidence ahead of a visit to play domestic and European champions United.
He told Sky Sports: “We go to Old Trafford with confidence intact but we’ve got to minimise the mistakes that we’ve made tonight and maximise the performance.
“We know that if we bring our best game to the table then we can get something.”
The last league game between the two sides was played in 1975, when United beat Hull 2-0 in the old Second Division.
Manchester City were the last team to enjoy an away win at United’s headquarters in the league when they snatched a 2-1 victory in February.
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Focus, Wenger tells Arsenal before derby
Concentration will be the key for Arsenal in tonight’s derby match against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, according to Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners boss knows his team beat Spurs 2-1 in the corresponding fixture last season, but the memory of a 6-2 aggregate drubbing in the Carling Cup semi-final will no doubt still linger.
Ahead of the Premier League game, Wenger has called on his troops to kick on at an important time of the season.
He commented: “We want now to go from strength to strength - we have come back to an interesting position in the league and we are highly convinced that it will be down to our strengths more than anything else.”
Substitutes for the weekend win against West Ham Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor are likely to be called into action for the hosts, while midfielder Denilson could return from injury.
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Barton set to start against Brom
Newcastle United’s Premier League match with West Brom tonight (Tuesday, October 28th) looks set to be the stage for Joey Barton’s first game back after completing a six-game ban handed out by the FA.
Barton will be hoping for a supportive reception at St James’ Park after enraging Sunderland fans with his badge-kissing antics as a substitute at the weekend.
Magpies manager Joe Kinnear says that he believes all-action midfielder Barton is worthy of a place in Newcastle’s first 11.
He said: “I am being criticised for bringing Joey back, but I have got to do the best I possibly can with the squad I have.
“I am not going to listen to people or pay lip-service to anybody. I am playing Joey Barton because he is a good player.”
The hosts look likely to miss ex-England pair Michael Owen and Nicky Butt, but will be boosted by the return of pacy winger Jonas Gutierrez from injury.
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Magpies desperate for West Brom win
Nicky Butt has stressed the importance of his Newcastle United side taking all three points from the upcoming match against West Brom.
Interim manager Joe Kinnear appeared to have steady the ship on Tyneside after the Magpies went unbeaten for two Premier League games.
But after the blow of a 2-1 defeat in the local derby against Sunderland at the weekend tough-tackling midfielder Butt has picked out Tuesday’s (October 28th) game against West Brom as a big opportunity to start the climb out of the relegation zone.
“It is a rollercoaster ride, however, as it is every year here. We need to get some consistency and start playing as we should be playing.
“Tuesday is a must win game now. The longer you are in there the more desperate you get.”
Newcastle did the league double over West Brom in the 2005/06 season - the Baggies last campaign in the top flight - winning 3-0 both home and away.
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Villa host Dutch giants
Aston Villa’s Martin O’Neill has emphasised the importance of European football to Aston Villa ahead of the visit of Dutch giants Ajax.
The Irishman is well aware that Villa fans yearn to see their side up against the continent’s best, with 1982’s European Cup triumph still treasured.
O’Neill, with a fully-fit squad to choose from bar defender Wilfred Bouma, says he hopes that the Midlanders can continue to qualify to play in continental competition.
He said: “It is a big occasion for us. I am hoping this is the start of some really decent European nights for the forseeable future - not just this year but something that we want to bring to the club long-term.”
With ten goals between them already this season, Villa’s John Carew and Gabby Agbonlahor will be a threat to an Ajax defence which has conceded nine times away from home already this season domestically.
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Benitez pays respect to Spanish opponents
Atletico Madrid stand in the way of Liverpool’s quest to keep their 100 per cent record in the Champions League group stage.
Reds boss Rafa Benitez is wary of the threat posed by the team from Spain’s capital, who have also registered two wins out of two.
Benitez, who will be without frontline striker Fernando Torres for the game, believes that Atletico will be a force to be reckoned with, despite their patchy league form.
He said: “The team is good and they have good players. It will be difficult regardless of whether they lost games with Real Madrid and Barcelona because they are both big teams too.
“The Champions League is extra motivation for all the players. It will be a massive game, for sure.”
Liverpool, who reached the semi-finals of the competition last season, will be facing an Atletico side which last made the knock-out stages in 1997.
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Ronaldo may miss Celtic game
Cristiano Ronaldo may be absent from the Manchester United line-up for tonight’s (Tuesday, October 21st) fixture against Celtic at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese winger is said by United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to be short of the fitness level which would allow him to play two games in the space of a week.
United faced Celtic in the Champions League group stages two seasons ago, winning their home match 3-2 but going down 1-0 in Glasgow.
Speaking to United Review, Celtic manager and former Red Devil Gordon Strachan said of his team’s chances: “They’ll know exactly how hard getting a result is going to be and what the games will be like. Still, these players will also know that it’s possible to win.”
Ferguson is said to be toying with the idea of fielding all three of his front-line strikers - Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez - against the Scottish Premier League leaders.
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