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Swansea’s unbeaten record at the Liberty Stadium will come under extreme threat on Saturday evening as they prepare to host Premier League champions Manchester United.

Brendan Rodgers side have won three and drawn two of their five games at home but will face arguably their toughest test of the season so far when Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devil’s come to town. The Swans have enjoyed a sterling campaign so far confounding the critics who tipped them to rock bottom and struggling to compete in the top flight. It couldn’t be any different though as the club have matched up to some of the leagues biggest clubs narrowly losing away at Arsenal and Chelsea whilst securing a memorable 0-0 draw against Liverpool at Anfield before the international break. It’s their form at the Liberty Stadium that has been most impressive though with 11 of their 13 coming on home soil whilst the defence has been breached just the once on their own patch. Welsh international’s Ashley Williams and Neil Taylor have been consistent members of the back four alongside Spanish full back Angel Rangel putting in some exceptional displays and the trio will relish coming up against the likes of Wayne Rooney and co. It’s not just in defence that the Swans have impressed with the likes of Scott Sinclair, Joe Allen and Nathan Dyer being peppered with plaudits after their tremendous start to life in the Premier League. Rodgers has implemented a fluid, passing philosophy that plays to his sides strengths with the pace of Dyer and Sinclair down the flanks allowing them to exploit teams on the counter attack. Record signing Danny Graham has also played his part with four goals in his last five whilst at the other end Dutch keeper Michael Vorm has performed numerous heroics between the sticks including a wonder save at the death against Liverpool last time out.

Swansea’s resolve to maintain their strong home record will certainly be put to the test against a United side who are unbeaten on their travels and are still spoiling after their derby day humiliation at the end of October. That 6-1 thrashing at the hands of rivals City has been followed by a run of four wins in all competitions as they look to salvage a title challenge that already looks a lost cause. Pegging back their noisy neighbours is an unenviable task with the Blues building up a telling five point lead at the summit but if there is anyone that can do it’s Ferguson. The Scot celebrated 25-year’s in charge of the club two weeks ago seeing a stand at Old Trafford named in his honour before watching his side labour to a 1-0 win over Sunderland. Despite winning their last four performances have hardly been inspiring with their last two Premier League victories coming in the shape of 1-0 wins. It’s always said that churning out results regardless of how your team is playing is the hallmark of champions and its those hard fought wins that could be the difference at the end of the season. However Ferguson will certainly be demanding a better display from his side as they make the long trip to Wales to take on the mid-table Swans. Injuries to several key players may force the United boss into rejigging his side with Javier Hernandez expected to be partnered with Rooney up front with the England striker searching for his first league goal since scoring against Chelsea in mid-September.

Swansea – 10th

Last Five

Drew 0-0 v Liverpool (A), Won 3-1 v Bolton (H), Drew 2-2 v Wolves (A), Lost 3-1 v Norwich (A), Won 2-0 v Stoke (H)

Potential Starting X11

1. M. Vorm 22. R. Angel 2. A. Williams 16. G. Monk [C] 3. N. Taylor 27. M. Gower 24. J. Allen 7. L. Britton 12. N. Dyer 11. S. Sinclair 10. D. Graham*

Injury News

No new injury worries for Rodgers with Alan Tate the only long-term absentee. The Swans boss could have striker Stephen Dobbie and on-loan defender Steven Caulker back although it’s thought both will have to make do with a place on the bench.

Key Player

Danny Graham – A slow start to his career in Wales had some fans querying the clubs decision to splash £3.5 million on the former Watford man but four in his last five have dampened fears over his ability to cope in the Premier League. He’s looked deadly in front of goal during the past month but his striking aptitude will be put through a thorough examination against United.

Match Fact

This will be the first meeting between the sides at the Liberty Stadium with the Swans desperate to protect an unbeaten run at their former ground the Vetch field. They’ve won six and drawn two of the eight games since coming up against United for the first time in 1931.

Manchester United −2nd

Last Five

Won 1-0 v Sunderland (H), Won 2-0 v Otelul Galati (H), Won 1-0 v Everton (A), Won 3-0 v Aldershot (A), Lost 6-1 v Manchester City (H)

Potential Starting X11

1. D. de Gea 4. P. Jones 15. N. Vidic [C] 6. J. Evans 3. P. Evra 25. A. Valencia 24. D. Fletcher 16. M. Carrick 17. Nani 14. J. Hernandez 10. W. Rooney*

Injury News

Ferguson has a treatment room full of key players with Danny Wellbeck and Michael Owen ruled out after picking up injuries this week. Tom Cleverley is also struggling with a foot injury whilst defender Chris Smalling could return in a few weeks from an ankle problem.

Key Player

Wayne Rooney – Whilst the goals may have dried up for Rooney his influence on the field continues to grown for United. The England man has been deployed in central midfield in recent weeks with Ferguson desperate to inject some creativity into his engine room. It worked wonderfully with Rooney given time and space to display his god given talents on the ball but expect to see him back in his natural position and in the hunt for goals this week.

Match Fact

United’s record at Swansea is a shocking one having failed to register a single victory in eight attempts. However the last meeting between the sides before Saturday’s encounter ended in the Red Devil’s favour as they ran out 2-1 winners at Old Trafford back in 1983.

Last Time at the Vetch Field

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Division One (old) 18th December 1982

Swansea City 0-0 Manchester United

Attendance:  15,748

Referee: Unknown

PREDICTION

Swansea’s strong home form will certainly stand them in good stead against United who are still licking their deep wounds after the thrashing they received from City. Their form on the road has been superb and the way they ground out a 1-0 in their last away trip at Everton is a measure of the Red Devil’s resolve. However they come up against a Swans side playing without fear and confidence in front of their own fans. The visitors will need their big hitters all firing if they are to overcome Rodgers’ side who will be going all out to provide the Premier League with shock win this weekend.

Score: 1-1

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Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o believes Saturday’s Milan derby will not determine the eventual winner of the Serie A title.AC Milan have led the way for much of the 2010-11 campaign, but Massimiliano Allegri’s men have stumbled in recent weeks and were held to a 1-1 draw at home by bottom side Bari on March 13 before slumping to a 1-0 defeat at Palermo.

Inter, meanwhile, endured a difficult start to their campaign under former manager Rafael Benitez, but since he was replaced by Leonardo in December, the reigning Italian and European champions have gone from strength to strength.

Their league record since the Brazilian took over has been impressive, with 12 wins, two losses and a draw seeing them sitting just two points behind Milan with eight games remaining.

Eto’o has been a key man for Inter this season, with 19 league goals – including four in his last four Serie A games – and he feels that with seven games left after Saturday’s crunch fixture, there are still some twists left in the tale.

“The derby is a game that can change the course of the championship for just one week,” Eto’o told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“After the game there will be another seven matches to go and only the last four rounds will decide who wins it.”

“But it all depends on Milan because they are first at the minute. If they win all of their remaining games then they will take the title.”

“They are the favourites, the favourites are always the team who are first.”

Milan will go into the game without the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but the former Barcelona player is happy with another absent striker for the league leaders, Filippo Inzaghi, who misses out with a knee injury.

“It’s good that my great friend Pippo Inzaghi isn’t available,” he said.

“He’s one of the best centre-forwards in the world, one who hurts you when you least expect it.”

Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva is being linked with a return to the Premiership this summer. It is hardly surprising as he has shown that he clearly still has what it takes to play at the highest level, especially as he is still first choice for the Brazilian national team who have many talented midfielders. As Gilberto is still performing at a high standard despite being 33-years-old, one has to as did he make a mistake in moving to Greece two years ago?

Gilberto started every single one of Brazil’s games in the World Cup and still looked the part.  The fact that a move to Panathinaikos, where he plays in much more inferior league to the rest of Europe hasn’t prevented him from representing Brazil must be a real testament to his ability. Yet had he decided to move to a more illustrious club instead of Panathinaikos then he could have potentially won more prestigious major honours in stronger leagues. Juventus were heavily linked with a move for the Brazilian midfielder in his last season at the club and given that they probably wouldn’t have said no to his services, then perhaps he should have given some real thought to a move there, instead of seeing out the last two years in Greece. It appears that his form at the World Cup has alerted clubs back in England to make a move for the towering Brazilian and provide him with one last hurrah in one of Europe’s top leagues.

Let’s be honest Gilberto probably made the move to Athens for the extra zeros on the end of his pay check however that is his own choice if he wants to do that, but shouldn’t he of at least waited until he couldn’t handle the demands of a top league anymore? Here is a player, who for years was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premiership when he played for Arsenal, he was unsung hero and Arsenal fans knew just how much he mattered to the team. In fact even after he left there were wide spread suggestions that the Gunners were missing his influence. He is a very elegant defensive midfielder and twice went 45 games or more without receiving a booking whilst playing for Arsenal.

Now the likes of Liverpool, Everton, Blackburn and Fulham have all believed to have been showing an interest in Gilberto Silva. It is believed that he wouldn’t cost too much either due to the financial problems in Greece having a bearing on Panathinaikos. If any of those clubs could obtain him for a small fee then he would be a fantastic signing, as he would bring a lot of experience to the teams and would give them a reliable and uncompromising presence in the midfield.

Do you think Gilberto Silva has wasted two years of his career?

Message me on Twitter with your thoughts

*

Click on image below to see the Argentinean babes at the World Cup

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Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has been released from the Netherlands international squad, as Arsene Wenger pleaded with the nation to give the attacker time to rest.

The on-form striker played for his country in their 0-0 draw with Switzerland on Friday night, but the Gunners’ boss was reluctant for his main man to feature against Germany on Tuesday due to a fear that the forward would become fatigued.

After speaking with Holland coach Bert van Marwijk however, it has been agreed that Van Persie will return to England and play no part in the friendly on Tuesday.

“Arsene asked me if I could leave Robin out of both games,” Van Marwijk told reporters.

“I had a good meeting with Wenger and we reached an agreement he would only play on Friday. After that we would send him back.

“I won’t use Robin against the Germans.

“Robin is at the limit according to various measurements – for that reason we have decided to give him a rest,” the national selector concluded.

Van Persie is currently the top goalscorer in the Premier League, and has been a key reason for Arsenal’s revival over the last six weeks.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Inter Milan stole a Champions League quarter-finals berth with a thrilling 3-2 win at Bayern Munich on Tuesday.The defending European champions played the way champions tend to when up against it, reeling in a 2-1 deficit at the break to secure their trip to the last eight on away goals.But it was heartbreak for Bayern, who won the first leg at the San Siro 1-0 and seemed to have exacted their revenge for last season’s loss in the Champions League final, only for Goran Pandev to strike a stunning winner in the 88th minute.With their domestic campaign lost to Borussia Dortmund and the DFB Cup gone, Bayern’s painful exit ensures manager Louis van Gaal will depart on a low note at season’s end.Inter could not have asked for a better start at the Allianz Arena than the one Samuel Eto’o handed them, the prolific Cameroon striker stealing through Bayern’s napping defence and sliding his shot underneath goalkeeper Thomas Kraft in just the fourth minute.But the early blow galvanised Bayern, who responded with a flurry of chances that should have given the hosts a comfortable advantage at the break.Inter custodian Julio Cesar, whose dreadful error gifted Bayern their winner at the San Siro, made another howler when he allowed Arjen Robben’s fierce effort to bounce off his chest and into the path of Mario Gomez.The dangerous striker ran back with the flighted ball and deftly lobbed it over Cesar’s head, restoring Bayern’s advantage in the 21st minute. Another Inter error, this time from defender Lucio, handed Bayern their second 10 minutes later.The Brazilian stopper got an inadvertent touch to Robben’s pass in search of Gomez, knocking the ball free for Thomas Mueller to chip a shot over the onrushing Cesar.Gomez produced the first threat on goal after the interval with a stinging volley that Cesar acrobatically knocked clear.The tie was cast wide moments later as Wesley Sneijder drew Inter within a goal of the last eight, skidding a long-range strike into the far corner following Eto’o’s assist.Inter pressed for the crucial away goal, leaving Bayern’s defence scrambling on several occasions as Sneijder and Eto’o went close.But in the end it was Macedonian striker Pandev who fired the Italian champions into the quarter-finals.The winning goal owed much to the good work of the omnipresent Eto’o, who stole his way around Holger Badstuber and whipped a pass into space for Pandev to slam the ball into the net.The goal prompted wild celebrations at the Inter touchline, with boss Leonardo overcome with joy as his resurrection of the Italian giants reaches greater heights.

All too often footballers are criticised for their lavish lifestyles, exalted statuses and ‘detachment from reality’. The frequently negative nature of newspaper stories concerning footballers’ private lives serve to reinforce public perceptions of the men worshipped as heroes. However, every so often, one will hear a truly touching story which proves that not all footballers are bad eggs. Having arrived in South Africa as a late replacement for injured England captain Rio Ferdinand, Spurs defender Michael Dawson has admirably used the trip to the World Cup as an opportunity to visit a South African orphan that he has been sponsoring.

The visit was born out of the association between Dawson’s club, Spurs, and SOS Children, the world’s largest orphan charity. Under the arrangement, the entirety of Spurs’ first team squad and management team currently sponsor an orphaned child in South Africa, China or Haiti. In addition to this, Spurs have funded the construction of an orphan house in Rustenberg (affectionately known as the ‘Tottenham Hotspur House’), with the development of said house financed by money raised through players’ fines.

Speaking of the scheme, legendary Spurs defender Gary Mabbutt said, “I’ve been lucky enough to go and see the Spurs House in Rustenburg. It was an incredible experience, very humbling and the work they do at SOS is amazing. The players and management team have all got involved and we’d love supporters to do the same.”

With nearly 150million orphaned children worldwide, the work of Spurs and their staff has certainly helped to bring welcome attention to a worthy and needy cause. Given the global attraction of English football, Premier League players enjoy hero status across the world, and it is refreshing to see Spurs’ players make good use of their positions of power.

Although most Premier League clubs will involve themselves in charitable work, it would be great to see other clubs follow Spurs’ initiative and support charity in similarly enterprising ways.

Find out more about SOS Children at http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/

Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/zarifrasul

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**

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Manchester United winger Nani has targeted a win in the derby against Manchester City, and hopes to continue his good track record against the Etihad Stadium outfit.

The Portuguese trickster has put in a number of excellent performances against Roberto Mancini’s team over the last number of seasons, and with City flying high this term, hopes to heap misery on them come Sunday at Old Trafford.

“I scored a good goal against City last season when we beat them at Old Trafford and I feel confident I will score against them again,” the wideman told Mirror Football.

“City have a fantastic team, with fantastic players. They play a lot of good stuff, so it will be difficult to play against them.

“But we should not forget – we are Manchester United. When we play at home, it’s very difficult to beat us and we will try to do our best to win the game again.

“All players want to play in these games and my confidence is high. I feel comfortable in these sort of games. I like the pressure these games bring.

“I’ve been working hard and waiting for these big games because I believe I have the quality and mentality to play in them,” he concluded.

City are two points ahead of United at the top of the Premier League standings ahead of the fixture, with both also winning in Europe in midweek.

By Gareth McKnight

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Spartak Moscow came from behind to beat Basel while Twente returned from Russia with a win as the Europa League’s round of 32 got underway.Spartak Moscow needed a late strike from Jano Ananidze to earn a 3-2 win in the first leg of their tie against the reigning Switzerland champions, with the Georgian teenager completing an unlikely revival after his side went into the half-time break 2-0 down.Strikers Alexander Frei and Marco Streller had put the Swiss side on track for victory at St Jakob Park in Basel, but the hosts were denied by second-half goals from Dmitri Kombarov and Artem Dzyuba and substitute Ananidze’s heroics.Late goals from winger Sidney Sam all but booked Bayer Leverkusen’s last 16 spot in their 4-0 win over Metalist.The Bundesliga’s second-placed club went ahead in the 22nd minute in Ukraine via Eren Derdiyok before Gonzalo Rondon Castro doubled their lead after 72 minutes.Metalist – third in the Ukrainian Premier League – might still have held out some hope of recovery in the second leg before Sam struck an injury time brace to give Leverkusen a formidable lead in the tie.FC Twente scored two late goals of their own to secure a handy buffer over Rubin Kazan heading to their second leg of their tie, with the Eredivisie champions returning from their tricky trip to Russia with a 2-0 victory.Twente went ahead in the 77th minute when Luuk de Jong headed home a Theo Janssen cross, with Peter Wisgerhof tapping home the rebound from de Jong’s shot after 88 minutes to ice the result.Ajax secured a 3-0 away win over Anderlecht in Brussels to take a commanding lead into their second leg.Toby Alderweireld gave the visitors the lead in the 32nd minute, but the Belgian club had the ideal chance to equalise when referee Gianluca Rocchi pointed to the spot.But Polish defender Marcin Wasilewski failed to convert the 55th-minute chance, and Ajax made them pay by doubling their lead four minutes later through highly rated Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen.Morocco striker Mounir El Hamdaoui topped off the victory with a goal in the 68th minute.Benfica fought back late in their first leg to gain the ascendancy over Stuttgart with a 2-1 victory at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica.The Bundesliga strugglers took the lead in the 21st minute when former Werder Bremen midfielder Martin Harnik found the back of the net with his superb lob over Benfica goalkeeper Roberto.But a brace from Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo – one goal of which came from a neat turn-and-finish – helped the Portuguese side take the lead into their second leg in Germany.Lech Poznan defied a snowy pitch to inflict a 1-0 defeat on Sporting Braga at Stadion Miejski in Poland.Artoms Rudnevs got behind the Portuguese club’s defence to slide the winner through the snow and Brazilian goalkeeper Artur’s legs.Dynamo Kiev thrashed Turkish opponents Besiktas 4-1 in Istanbul to set up their tie for the taking.Ognjen Vukojevic put the Ukrainian club in front in the 27th minute, but Besiktas equalised ten minutes later via Portugal winger Ricardo Quaresma. Former AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko put the visitors ahead five minutes after the break, and Atanda Yussuf made it 3-1 after 56 minutes.Oleg Husyev converted a 90th-minute penalty to give his side another valuable goal, with Quaresma compounding his side’s woes through his dismissal for a second yellow card.Paris Saint-Germain scored late to steal a 2-2 draw against Belarusian club BATE Borisov in Minsk.The hosts led in the 16th minute when Renan found the back of the net, but Mevlut Erdinc equalised on the half-hour mark.Borisov’s Mikhail Gordeychuk looked to have stolen victory with his 81st-minute goal, but veteran striker Peguy Luyindula netted with one minute of normal time remaining to give the French club the edge on away goals heading into the final leg.Spanish club Villarreal held Napoli to a scoreless draw at the Stadio San Paolo, but not before Salvatore Aronica was sent off in the 90th minute for the Italian side.Chilean midfielder Matias Fernandez headed home late to deny Rangers victory at Ibrox, cancelling out Steven Whittaker’s opener for the Scots and ensuring the match finished 1-1.Liverpool held Sparta Prague to a 0-0 stalemate at Generali Arena.Young Boys fought back from an early deficit to record a 2-1 victory over Zenit St Petersburg at Stade de Suisse.Nicolas Lombaerts put the visitors ahead on 20 minutes and the Russian club maintained their lead to the break.But the Swiss side fought back almost immediately after half-time, with Senad Lulic restoring parity in the 46th minute.The match was destined for a draw until Zambian striker Emmanuel Mayuka scored a 90th-minute winner to give Young Boys the edge heading into the second leg.Czech Tomas Necid scored the only goal in CSKA Moscow’s 1-0 victory over PAOK.Fredy Guarin stabbed home an 85th-minute winner in Porto’s 2-1 triumph over Sevilla at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Spain.PSV Eindhoven turned their tie with Lille on its head with two late goals at the Stadium Nord Lille Metropole to force a 2-2 draw.Lille led 2-0 after 31 minutes, but goals in quick succession from Wilfred Bouma (83rd minute) and Ola Toivonen (84th) saw the Dutch side rescue the game.

Former Scunthorpe United striker Martin Paterson has penned a three-year contract with Burnley.

The 23-year-old still had two years left on his previous Clarets deal left but will now stay at Turf Moor until 2013.

The Northern Ireland international moved to Burnley from Scunthorpe two years ago for £1million since when he has found the net 23 times in 83 appearances for the club.

Clarets boss Brian Laws moved quickly to tie Paterson down to a long-term deal after selling Steven Fletcher to Wolves on Thursday and is also resigned to losing veteran forward Robbie Blake this summer.

The Burnley manager said:"It's absolutely marvellous to see the likes of Martin signing a new, improved contract.

"We feel he is a major player and the fact he is extending his contract now shows he has ambition to help this club back into the Premier League.

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"It is a reward for the season he had. Even though he was injured for a good part, Martin certainly made an impact and we want him to be here and nowhere else."

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Manchester City maintained their impressive start to the season with a hard fought victory at the Etihad Stadium.

Second half goals from Mario Balotelli and James Milner ensured a 2-0 victory against a resilient Everton side who made it tough for Roberto Mancini’s men. You can understand the nervousness of the home crowd, given the Toffees have won on their last four visits, but their patience was rewarded when the impressive Balotelli’s deflected shot made its way past Tim Howard.

The visitors certainly played their part; however their lack of potency in the final third was clearly evident and they were unable to breach the City backline. David Moyes was clearly upset with some of the decisions awarded by Howard Webb; but it wasn’t Everton’s day compounded by injury to Tim Cahill.

The breaking of the deadlock galvanised City and they went close on numerous occasions to double his advantage before James Milner finally sealed the win finishing off a wonderful pass from the impressive David Silva.

The result puts City top of the table temporarily and the professional performance clearly pleased Roberto Mancini at the final whistle.

Are you in the money tonight? Have you become a millionaire? The Results are in…

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