Liverpool out for revenge
With millions of rands in TAB add-ins and carryovers boosting various TAB Soccer Pools this week, bettors will have as much to play for as Liverpool and Real Madrid, who clash tonight in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16.
By Mark Gleeson
A massive week awaits both Liverpool and Real Madrid, not least because of their clash tonight in the Champions League.
The knockout round first-leg tie at Anfield is a re-run of last year’s final where Liverpool lost a disappointing decider in Paris, overshadowed by the horrid scenes of supporters being teargassed outside the stadium.
Real, who are fresh from winning the Club World Cup in Morocco, follow up tonight’s cup tie with a derby clash on Saturday against Atletico Madrid.
Real are still some way behind Barcelona in the Spanish title race, lying second but eight points adrift. Carlo Ancelotti’s team can ill afford to slip up against their neighbours, who are battling themselves to ensure a top-four finish and return to the Champions League next season after being bundled out early in this year’s competition.
Liverpool’s poor run in recent weeks is well documented but there has been a potential revival in their last two games with a derby win over Everton and then Saturday’s impressive triumph away at Newcastle United.
In the Premier League, they next come up against Crystal Palace away on Saturday. Any trip to Selhurst Park is always difficult for visiting teams.
This weekend also sees the Soweto derby as a beleaguered Kaizer Chiefs take on Orlando Pirates at Soccer City. Pirates will be without suspended coach Jose Riveiro but Chiefs look to be in much more dire straits after letting a lead slip on Sunday at home to Lamontville Golden Arrows and losing 3-2. They have now lost as many games as they have won in the league this season and actually have a negative goal difference.
Sunday will see the first piece of silverware in the English season handed out as Manchester United and Newcastle United contest the League Cup final at Wembley. It has been a dream season for long-suffering Newcastle fans, whose side sit among the league frontrunners plus are in a final for the first time since 1990. On that occasion goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes saw Manchester United beat them in the FA Cup.
In the Bundesliga there is a three-way tie at the top of the table with champions Bayern Munich joined on 43 points by Borussia Dortmund and upstarts Union Berlin. Bayern host Union on Sunday under immense pressure after losing to Borussia Mönchengladbach at the weekend.