A busy period in the football calendar sees the African Cup of Nations final take place this weekend, as well as the transfer window closing. There has also been some big football news this week with an explosive Manchester derby, the England captain facing up to another scandal, the Argentinian Clausura about to begin and I went to see Tottenham beat Fulham at White Hart Lane! On this week’s podcast we turn our attention to the Spanish League as it reaches the half way mark and we offer some predictions on how we see La Liga finishing this season. We also have another English for football phrase and predictions. Come along to the site at languagecaster.com to read more.

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PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is Arsenal v Manchester United

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FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

This week in our look at English phrases used in football we focus on ‘to take to the cleaners‘. The original meaning of this expression is to take all of somebody’s money, usually by tricking or cheating them. They have no money, they are stripped clean of money, they are cleaned out of money – therefore the phrase, to take to the cleaners. In a football context, it is used to mean defeat or beat a team, or to dominate a player. The image is of a team or a player that has been stripped naked or bare of its or their skill, they look vulnerable, they have been taken to the cleaners. This week, Martin O’Neill, Premier League side Aston Villa’s coach, said that his player, Ashley Young, had taken Arsenal’s left back to the cleaners, meaning he had completed dominated the Arsenal defender.

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

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This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

Which of the following Spanish teams have not won the league title?

a. Villareal
b. Sevilla
c. Real Betis
d. Deportivo

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘Which German state (Länder), or region, has won the most titles and is therefore the most successful in the Bundesliga?’ The answer was Bavaria with 34 titles thanks mainly to the 21 titles Bayern Munich have won.
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