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Not long to go now in the Premier League, so it’s a good chance to check out where the runners and riders are – who’s on their way up and who’s on their way down. Vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

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Twelve games remain in the Premier League and it now looks as if it is a two-horse race between Chelsea and holders Manchester United for the title. The London side currently lead by two points but they have just been held to a draw by relegation-threatened Hull City and of course the allegations over their captain John Terry may undermine them further. United have suddenly hit form and with players returning after injury and Wayne Rooney in their side they will feel that they have the experience to win the title yet again. If they were to do so it would be their fourth in a row – a feat that has never been done before – it would also give the club a record 19th league title which would upset their Lancashire rivals Liverpool no end. What of Liverpool? Well, they currently lie in 5th place, 14 points behind the leaders but it is not the title they are challenging for but rather the much-coveted 4th spot, which would guarantee Champions League football next season. If the Reds were not to make it then the financial repercussions could be extremely damaging indeed, something which would not affect one of their rivals for that Champions League spot Manchester City.

Mega-rich City don’t need to be in the Champions League for the cash, they just want to be able to play with the big boys and be taken seriously next year. They lie in 6th place 1 point behind my team Tottenham who are in 4th with 42 points. This time last year Spurs were flirting with relegation so the turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable. Most fans still don’t think they can maintain their challenge but rather than worry about the chasing pack – including Aston Villa – it might be worth focusing on the third place currently filled by rivals Arsenal. Yes, they are 7 points clear but they have just received a thumping from Manchester United, face leaders Chelsea this weekend, are struggling in front of goal and have lost confidence in defence.

So, who is going to win it? I am going for Manchester United first, Chelsea second, Manchester City third and Tottenham to finish in the  top four. Now that would throw the cat amongst the pigeons!

It would indeed! But what about at the foot of the table? Which teams are struggling and in danger of the drop? It looks as the south-coast side, Portsmouth, FA Cup winners in 2008 but financial car crash this year, have already booked their place on next year’s Championship, the second division of English football, as they have been stuck at the bottom since , well, pretty much the start of the season. They have 15 points and only four wins and despite new owners, – their fourth this season – you could put your house on them being relegated. But they may be able to salvage something as they are in the 5th round of the FA Cup where they take on rivals Southampton.

But who will join them? Burnley sit 5 points above them in 19th and there are five teams within two points. Any kind of win in the remaining games is going to be like gold for Burnley, Hull, Wolves, Bolton, West Ham and Wigan. These look the likely candidates to fill the final two relegation spots. Two of those came up last year, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers and my feeling is that Wolves will be going straight back down. While Burnley have been poor recently they have the faint hope that their form at Turf Moor may return to see them safe – they’ve only lost twice in 11 games.

That leaves one more team to join Pompey and Wolves. West Ham seem to have steadied the ship with new money and new players and Bolton have shown in their 3-3 draw against Manchester City and even the 4-2 loss against Arsenal that they have a side that should do enough. So Wigan or Hull. For me, it’s Hull City, who escaped relegation last season by the skin of their teeth. Phil Brown’s side are often hard to beat, but with no win in 10 they may find it hard to pick up enough points to save themselves. Portsmouth, Wolves and Hull to go down.

Vocabulary

a two-horse race: a competition between two teams, only these two teams are likely to win

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On this week’s show we focus on the premier League in England. There are 12 games to go and it’s becoming clearer who are title contenders and who are looking at the drop. Remember you can also:

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 Print This Post | Subscribe: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

News from a top-of-the-table clash in the Premier League, the Africa Cup of Nations, an old footballing rivalry that has flared into life again over recent years, plus a shocking decision from one of the World’s footballing confederations. Vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

The Good

Congratulations to Egypt who won their third Africa Cup of Nations in a row – the first country to ever achieve this feat and which means that they get to keep the trophy. The Pharoahs have not lost in 19 Africa Cup of Nations matches which is a record, they won all 6 of their matches in Angola this time round including a fantastic victory over the Ivory Coast, scored more goals than anyone else, beat their fierce rivals Algeria in the semi-finals and had the tournament’s leading scorer in Gedo. I wonder would they have swapped it all for a place in the World Cup this summer?

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 Print This Post | Subscribe: Predictions

Well, this week we focus all our attention on the Premier League. Games at the top that could decide whether it’s a two-horse or still a three-horse race for the title, key games in the race for the Champions League fourth spot, and of course we don’t neglect the battles at the basement! Our guest this week is Theo, a Liverpool fan. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Current Scores: DB 101 | DF 101 | Guest 90

were our former Icelandic owners and now our current bosses intentions to win the Championship within seven years or the Champions League? Our bi-annual dalliance with relegation is confusing me. Exciting as this is, i’m finding it difficult to summon any enthusiasm. Deeds please.

In this week’s poll we ask which team you think will be La Liga champions this season. The answers to the quiz on La Liga appear at the foot of the post.

La Liga Quiz results

1. Which team has won most La Liga titles?
b. Real Madrid

2. Which was the last team apart from Barcelona or Real Madrid to win La Liga?
c. Valencia

3. Three teams have never been relegated from the top division in Spain. Real Madrid and Barcelona are two of them – who is the other team?
b. Athletic Bilbao

4. Which current La Liga side play at San Mamés
b. Athletic Bilbao

5. What is the Pichichi
a. The award for the top scorer in the league

6. Who was the top scorer in La Liga last season?
b. Diego Forlán