Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:18 — 3.9MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Blubrry | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | Youtube Music | RSS | More
The Champions League is at the quarter-final stage and so the languagecaster team review the first-leg games and preview the second-leg matches. On this week’s show we also ask where David Beckham is in Beckham Watch as well as looking at another new expression in English for Football
For learners of English there are also:
- Worksheets and transcripts
- Vocabulary lists
- Online quizzes and crossword puzzles
- Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum
Transcripts
Schalke-Barcelona
Damon: Okay, we are on the streets of Tokyo, in Ginza, on a beautiful spring afternoon and I’ve found a German fan. Schalke in the Champions League, what do you think of the first leg?
Hans: Too much respect, we showed them too much respect. Schalke should have won, Barcelona were lucky, they won ugly.
Damon: What do you think the score’s going to be in the second leg?
Hans: Here’s my call. Barcelona will not win. It may be a draw or Schalke will win but Barcelona cannot win the second leg.
Damon: Okay, so overall, who do you think is the favourite for the Champions League?
Hans: Manchester United.
Damon: Thank you very much.
Fenerbahce-Chelsea
Damian: Few would have predicted that Turkish side Fenerbahce would still be in the competition at this stage but after coming back to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the first leg, they have every right to dream of making the semi-finals. With neither Avram Grant from Chelsea nor Zico from Fenerbahce renowned as a tactical genius, this game may come down to courage and bottle, which might favour the Turkish side as they are riding on an emotional crest of a wave. But I still think that Chelsea will be too strong for them and they’ll progress to play their Champions League nemesis Liverpool in the semi final. Can they make it this time? Yes, I think they will but they are going to lose out in the final to Manchester United.
Liverpool- Arsenal
Damon: Well, what do I think of the first leg between Liverpool and Arsenal? Well, it was at Arsenal and I was very pleased at the end of that game, 1-1 with an away goal, fantastic for Liverpool and we were lucky to get away with it. I think the referee who didn’t call a penalty for Arsenal was pretty fair all through the night for 50-50 challenges so that wasn’t the only reason it wasn’t given, but we were very lucky. As for the return leg, well, it’s at Anfield but I’m nervous because Arsenal really did play well. They should have beaten us at The Emirates, however, I think Liverpool will come out a little bit stronger at Anfield and may nick an early goal and deflate Arsenal and go on to qualify for the semis. Overall winner? Well, if we beat Arsenal we may go all the way but the smart money is on Manchester United.
Manchester United-Roma
Brendan: I thought Man United played quite well and it’s a great result, I think the result as better than the performance. 2-0 away from home should set them up to beat the Italians in the second leg. It’s very unlikely that Man United will concede two goals and also I suppose and more encouragingly for us United fans is the form of the team, since they have played Liverpool, they have stepped it up a gear and this augurs well for the rest of the competition. I think Barcelona will come through the other semi-final setting up a mouthwatering semi-final between Barcelona and Man United and I think in the other legs it’s going to be Chelsea against Liverpool, a repeat of two previous Champions League semi-finals. My tip for the final is an all-English one between Chelsea and Man United and I think Alex Ferguson will be smiling in Roman Abramovic’s Moscow come May, with United beating Chelsea 2-1 in the final.
