Aliadiere to Middlesbrough: report

Player: Jeremie Aliadiere
From: Arsenal
To: Middlesbrough
Fee: Free

Middlesbrough confirmed the signing of Arsenal midfielder-cum-striker Aliadiere.

"We tried to sign him in January but were thwarted by Arsenal's injuries," said Boro chief executive Keith Lamb.

"He fits perfectly with the sort of player we are trying to bring in."

Aliadiere joined Arsenal when he was 16, and spent loan spells at West Ham, Celtic and Wolves. Lamb also denied that Boro are interested in bringing Chelsea defender Geremi back to the Teesside.

Real win title

Real Madrid claimed a record 30th Spanish title after coming back from 1-0 down to beat Real Mallorca 3-1.

They finished on 76 points along with bitter rivals Barcelona, who won 5-1 against Gimnastic de Tarragona, but beat the Catalan giants on a better head-to-head record.

"To win we had to suffer. We always seem to have to suffer for our victories, but I'm very happy," said Real coach Fabio Capello.

The victory also sent David Beckham away to Los Angeles with a league championship medal although the former England skipper was substituted before the end of the game. This was Beckham's first trophy win at Real.

Real went unbeaten over their last 12 games of the season and, after lying third in mid-March, they clawed back a five-point advantage from both Barcelona and Sevilla.

It was a nail-biting finish. Real were behind in the 17th minute, and then stayed behind until the 68th minute, in the process losing out Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham to injury and watching the scoreboard inform them about the trashing that fellow title chasers Barcelona were dishing out to Gimnastic.

Reyes, however, got the equaliser in the 68th minute, 3 minutes after coming in for injured Beckham.

Nine minutes from time, Real finally got their noses in front when the ball glanced off an unlucky Angelos Bassinas after Moya had pushed a Mahamadou Diarra header onto his team mate.

To cap Real's night to remember, Reyes scored a 3rd goal 2 minutes later.

Nani injury scare for Sir Alex

Manchester United's new Portuguese signing, Nani, whom they bought for 25-million-pounds, was stretchered off in Portugal's 4-0 win against Israel in the under-21 Championship.

Nani looked to have damaged his ankle after a crude challenge from behind by an Israel defender which left him in a heap.

This is Portugal's last game as they finished third in the group behind Netherlands and Belgium.

After spending all that money, it would not be pleasant for Sir Alex Ferguson if Nani suffers a long-term injury without even kicking a ball for Manchester United.

Gudjohnsen to Man United?

After Manchester United's interest in Eidur Gudjohnsen of Barcelona seemed to be of no use after the player's father said that he had had no talks with them, Gudjohnsen himself has spoken out that he would like to join Man United.

Gudjohnsen said that, in Barcelona, with all the other big names like Eto'o, Messi and Ronaldinho, he was often left on the bench, and therefore wanted to leave to a club which needed some strikers and would play in the UEFA Champions League, and that Manchester United would be the perfect fit.

Barcelona had bought Gudjohnsen from Chelsea for 8-million-dollars last season. It is estimated that United will exceed that amount by 1 or 2 million dollars.

Gudjohnsen would be a useful addition for the Old Trafford outfit, who are presently looking for a striker. With Sir Alex Ferguson ready to spend lots of money in this transfer period, Gudjohnsen is only one of many rumoured to be joining Man U. The list also includes fellow Barcelona teammate Samuel Eto'o, Dimitar Berbatov and Alberto Gilardino.

Ben Haim to Chelsea: report

Player: Tal Ben Haim
From: Bolton Wanderers
To: Chelsea
Fee: Free

Chelsea completed their third free signing of the summer transfer period after the signing of Sidwell and Pizarro. Ben Haim, who can play both as centre-back and right-back, put pen to paper and signed a four-year-deal at Chelsea.

After the Blues' defensive crisis last season, having another centre-back will help manager Jose Mourinho feel more secure about his defense.

Ben Haim said: "I feel fantastic to be part of that amazing club. If you ask every player, they want to play for Chelsea, for that team. It's one of the best teams in the world so I'm very happy to be part of that.

"I don't like to talk too much about myself but I can guarantee that I give 100% and hopefully I don't disappoint anybody, especially myself. 'I'm sure that everything will be okay and I'm waiting to start."

Capello future undecided

For much of the season, rumours spread that Real Madrid were looking towards Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho to replace their under-fire coach, Fabio Capello. Now, things have changed, with Real making a strong push towards the title towards the end of the season, and Jose Mourinho set to stay on at Chelsea despite differences with owner Roman Abrahamovic.

However, Spanish media reports suggest that securing the La Liga title on Sunday might not be enough for the Real Madrid coach to stay on at the club. Capello's relationship with Real owner Ramon Calderon remains strained despite a meeting that ended "cordially" according to a Real statement.

The statement went on to say that any decision regarding Capello's future would be taken after the weekend.

Gilberto-Trezeguet Swap Likely

Arsenal and Juventus are expected to swap David Trezeguet and Gilberto Silva.

It is no secret that Trezeguet wants out of Juventus, and speculation is rife that his preferred destination is Arsenal, where he would be united with fellow French striker Thierry Henry to recreate the attacking duo of AS Monaco.

This combination would undoubtedly appeal to Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger, who would have no hesitation in trading away Gilberto Silva, who acted as captain during the final phases of last season.

However, Arsenal will probably face opposition from Liverpool and Valencia, who are also looking for Trezeguet.

Mechiot to Wigan: report

Player: Mario Melchiot
From: Rennes
To: Wigan Athletic
Fee: Free

Mario Melchiot, former Chelsea and Birmingham defender, signed for English Premier League club Wigan Athletic earlier today. Melchiot was an everpresent for French club Rennes last year, helping them to fourth place finish and a UEFA Cup spot.

Latics boss Chris Hutchings said: 'Mario is someone we've been keen on for some time. He's an experienced and versatile player and he's another real quality addition to the squad.'

Newcastle sign Barton

Newcastle, under Sam Allardyce, signed Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton for 5.8-million-dollars, beating West Ham United to the player who had had an altercation with fellow players and therefore was leaving the club.

Allardyce back to Bolton

Big Sam, Sam Allardyce, who resigned as manager of Bolton on the last weekend of the season, and then joined Newcastle United, will travel to the home of his former club in his first Premier League match with his new club.

Sam Allardyce spent 8 hugely successful years at Bolton. He started when they were in the second division of English football, and when he was done, they were favourites for a UEFA Cup or maybe even a Champions League spot.

It's sod's law, isn't it," Allardyce said with a smile after the 2007/08 fixtures were revealed on Thursday.

"It will be very interesting to go back to the Reebok Stadium and I look forward to it.

"I wasn't dreading it, I had nearly eight fantastic years there. They will be right up for trying to beat me so we'll see what we do when we get there.

"I would hope for a pretty good reception there after we finished the last four years seventh, eighth, sixth and eighth, qualifying for Europe twice. I think I left them in a very healthy and profitable state.

"At Newcastle we are hoping to build a side to start the season well. Bolton in the first game is a good start, then Villa at home, Middlesbrough, our local rivals, then I think to Wigan which is not too bad. So the start of the fixtures is reasonably good."

Sheva to Milan?

Chelsea's striker Andriy Shevchenko, bought from AC Milan for 30-million-pounds, might be on his way back to his old club, AC Milan, according to Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi.

The Ukraine forward has been repeatedly linked with a return to the Rossoneri club over the last six months following a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge.

The European champions are rumoured to be looking for Eto'o or Henry, but Berlusconi's heart is set on Shevchenko.

"I like Eto'o, he is young, but I am a romantic and I prefer Shevchenko," said Berlusconi.

Shevchenko will probably not come unless Chelsea allow him to, but that is pretty unlikely. Berlusconi, however, contradicted this by saying,"The last time I spoke to Galliani, which was a couple of days ago, the probability of Shevchenko returning to Milan was 80%. Had that percentage gone down, I'm sure Galliani would have told me."

Real and Barca neck-to-neck for last day

The eternal rivals, Real Madrid and Barcelona, are still neck-to-neck on the final day of the Spanish Primera Liga, with the former leading on a better head-to-head record.

Real failed to win last weekend, but Barca could only manage a 2-2 draw against city rivals Espanyol, which meant that the two sides were still level on points. Sevilla, who are still in the race, are two points behind them, and have to hope that both of them fail to win if they have a chance of taking the title and the 2nd part of their attempted treble.

However, it seems more likely that one of the two top teams in the Spanish Liga will take the title. Real and Barca have never been away from the Spanish first division. If Barca do not win, they will be trophiless for a season for the first time since 1941, whereas Real have not won any trophies for a while.

Fingers crossed to see who wins ...

Lennon ruled out of matches

19-year-old Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon has officially been ruled out, a scan confirmed. The winger had been injured in the England B match against Albania , which England won 3-1. This means that he will be ruled out of England's friendly against Brazil at Wembley, and also the much more crucial match against Estonia at Turinn. This makes it even more likely that David Beckham, who was recalled by Steve McClaren on Saturday, will play both the matches.

Lennon has everything a left-winger needs - pace, power and pin-point crossing abilities. He looks set to be the Arjen Robben or Ryan Giggs of England. This could be a big blow as he suits striker Peter Crouch, and without him, Crouch would be weaker.

Celtic win double

Celtic defeated Dunfermline 1-0 owing to a late goal by Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe in front of 50,000 people at Hampden Park in the Scottish Cup final. Having won the Scottish Premier League already, Celtic ensured that they won a domestic double. They had earlier been knocked out in the first knockout round of the Champions League by champions AC Milan.

It was Perrier-Doumbe's first goal for his side, and it came at the 85th minute of normal time. Dunfermline had earlier been relegated, and were desperate to end a 40-year-old wait for the Scottish Cup. Neil Lennon, Celtic captain, ended his career on a high by lifting the trophy.

Celtic manager Stratchan felt that they deserved the win.

Barca in talks with Henry

Spanish Primera Liga champions Barcelona are in talks with Arsenal captain and star French striker Theirry Henry, according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, which quoted what it called a reliable Barca source saying that they were in talks with Henry.

If the French striker, who has already sworn the rest of his career to Arsenal, does go to Barca, it will be for a huge transfer fee, and will add to the club's already formidable offensive players.

Lionel Messi is extremely promising and Sameul Eto'o and Ronaldinho have already proven themselves as brilliant players with a great eye for goal. Adding Henry to this list would probably make Barca invincible offensively. The only other superstars they would lack then are Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba.

However, Henry has repeatedly said asserted his desire to remain at Arsenal, so it does not seem likely.

Arsenal suffered at the end of the season due to Henry's injury, and failed to score on several occasions, a highly unusual predicament for the club that was undefeated in the Premiership in the 2003-04 season. They went without any trophies again, two years in a row. They lost in the League Cup finals to Chelsea, lost in the 5th round of the FA Cup, finished 4th in the league, and were knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16.

Wales vs. New Zealand: 2-2

Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy equalised for Wales twice in an international friendly where all the goals were scored in the first half. Bellamy had earlier revealed that he was feeling disappointed after Liverpool's loss to Milan in the Champions League leading to a season without any trophies for the Reds. He appears to have put that behind him with a good performance against New Zealand.

New Zealand striker Shane Smeltz also scored two goals for his country in front of a small crowd of 7,000. He opened the scoring after just 2 minutes, but Bellamy cancelled it out after 18 minutes. Smeltz's second goal after 24 minutes was also cancelled out by Bellamy, who equalised again in the 38th minute.

Chelsea ranked in UEFA top eight

Chelsea is a top-seeded UEFA club now for the next season's Champions League. This long-due status will ensure that Chelsea won't face another top seeded club next season in the group stages of the Champions League like they faced Barcelona (2007) and Liverpool (2006), both of whom were the champions when Chelsea faced them. Chelsea climbed from 14th to 7th in the ratings, and are now tied with bitter Premiership rivals Manchester United at that spot.

This was no surprise following another great season for Chelsea where they won the Carling Cup and the FA Cup, finished second in the league and were knocked out of the Champions League on penalties in the semifinal stage.

The current UEFA ratings for the top 8 are: 1 AC Milan; 2 Barcelona; 3 Liverpool; 4 Inter Milan; 5 Arsenal; 6 Real Madrid; 7 Chelsea, Manchester United.

Chelsea are the only club in the top eight who have not yet won a Champions League title.

Hreidarsson to Portsmouth: transfer report

Player: Hermann Hreidarsson
From: Charlton Athletic
To: Portsmouth
Fee : Free

32-year-old Icelander Hermann Hreidarsson exercised a clause in his contract allowing him to leave Charlton on a free transfer if they were relegated to become Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp's next big free signing.

Redknapp had only two days ago signed Distin, the highly rated French centreback for free on a three-year-contract. Now, he has further strengthened his defensive ranks with Hreidarrson.

Redknapp told the club's website: "I've always liked Hermann. I tried to buy him before and I'm delighted he's now here at Portsmouth.

"He's got great experience at Premier League level, he's big, quick, very good in the air and a good competitor. He can play at left-back and in the centre of defence so he gives us plenty of options."

The Charlton defender is rumoured to be the first of many Charlton players leaving the Addicks after the side got relegated to the second division, along with Sheffield United and Watford, in spite of a spirited fightback by the team towards the end of the season.

Portsmouth, meanwhile, had a brilliant start to the season, and after the first 10 games, were third only behind Manchester United and Chelsea, but threw it away towards the end, failing to reach a UEFA Cup spot. They finished at 54 points in 9th place, 2 points behind Bolton, who took the last European spot. With these additions, it does look as if Harry Redknapp's side is trying to join the ranks of Tottenham Hotspur, who finished fifth and are looking to break into the top four, and depose Arsenal or Liverpool, who both went without any trophies this season.

Distin to Portsmouth:Transfer report

Player: Sylvain Distin
From: Manchester City
To: Portsmouth
Fee: Free


29-year-old defender Sylvain Distin has left Manchester City and joined Portsmouth on a free transfer. The highly rated French centreback signed a three-year contract with the club, claiming that he needed a "fresh challenge". This was not the first time Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has tried to sign Distin. Last season, however, Distin opted to see out the last year of his contract at Manchester City.

Redknapp had beaten off bids from several sides, including Liverpool, who came up with a late bid, to sign Distin. His relief was imminent.

Redknapp said: "Thankfully we struck an agreement with Sylvain and I am really pleased we've got him.

"Last year when we showed an interest in him his price was five million so to get him for free has got to be great business for the club.

"I have been an admirer for a long time. He's a fantastic player, left-sided and good in the air and very powerful."

Distin said it had been a tough decision to leave the club.

"I was five years at Manchester City and made a lot of friends there. But you have got to have ambition and for me that means trying to push for Europe. Portsmouth are capable of doing that, more than capable, and that's why I am here.

"When you are on a free transfer you are going to get a lot of offers but this is the one I wanted to take."

Distin added: "Harry Redknapp was a big influence. I like the way his team plays and this is definitely a club on the way up."

Fabianski to Arsenal:transfer report

Player : Luis Fabianski
From: Legia Warsaw
To: Arsenal
Fee: Undisclosed


Poland goal keeper Luis Fabianski has completed his transfer to Arsenal after signing a lifetime contract with the Gunners. Fabianski is only 22 years old, and is regarded by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as "a fine prospect for the future." Fabianski found a place in the Polish World Cup team and has played four matches for his country. He was voted the best keeper in the Polish League for the past two years.

He will be competing with veteran German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann for a spot in Arsenal's first team. Lehmann, 37, wanted a 3-year contract extension, but the club initially only offered him a one year deal, leading to speculation that Wenger plans to replace him with someone. Fabianski is well-suited for the role.

In Fabianski's words: "I am delighted to be joining Arsenal. They are a great club with many world class players and I am really looking forward to meeting my new team mates.

"Arsenal is one of the biggest and best clubs in Europe and I hope that I can help the team win trophies in the future."

Stuttgart miss out on double

Nurnberg defeated Bundesliga champions Stuttgart 3-2 in the German Cup final to destroy Stuttgart's double dream. Stuttgart's loss was similar to the losses of Serie A and English Premier League champions Inter Milan and Manchester United in their cup finals. Inter lost 7-4 on aggregate to second-placed AS Roma in their cup final while Manchester United were edged out by second-placed Chelsea, who scored 26 minutes into extra time to gain a small measure of revenge for Manchester United taking away their title.

It was an entertaining affair with Stuttgart leading after 20 minutes through Jeronimo Baretto Cacau. Nurnberg equalised 7 minutes later and went on to take a 2-1 lead a couple of minutes after the break.

Never to be undone, Stuttgart's Pavel Pardo converted a penalty 10 minutes before full time. Full time turned into extra time, and 19 minutes into extra time, Kristiansen gave Nurnberg the lead. Nurnberg held on for a nail-biting 10 minutes to take the cup.

Deschamps resigns at Juve

Juventus manager Didier Deschamps resigned as manager only hours after leading them to the Serie B title. The former France captain watched his team beat Mantova 2-0 to take the title.

A statement on the club's website read, "Juventus Football Club and Didier Deschamps have mutually terminated their contractual relationship that gave them both satisfaction, enthusiasm and success.

"The coach and the club have recognised that the conditions necessary to continue their relationship with the same satisfaction are lacking, and therefore have decided to amicably separate."

There are differences between the club and the coach, who wants more money to spend after promoting Juventus who were relegated due to their role in the Calciopoli scandal .

It is rumoured that Italian World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi might take charge of Juventus, while Didier Deschamps is reported to be a target of Olympique Lyonnais, the French Ligue 1 champions, whose own boss Gerard Houllier took charge of his final game on Saturday.

Real and Barca still neck-to-neck

Both Real Mardrid and Barcelona won their penultimate home games to the season to remain level on points with two rounds of matches to go in the Spanish Primera Liga. With Valencia's 2-3 loss to Villareal taking them out of the title race mathematically, it is almost certain now that one of these sides will win the coveted title.

Barcelona had earlier been knocked out of the Kings Cup in the semifinals by Getafe, who stunningly overturned a 5-2 first leg deficit by thrashing the La Liga champions 4-0 in the second leg. Barca, however, managed to get a small measure of revenge on Getafe, beating them 1-0 thanks to a Ronaldinho goal after just 2 minutes. Barca looked like scoring many more times, but they failed to do so.

Ronaldinho, however, was sent off after 39 minutes, for kicking an opposition player on his leg as retaliation due to a foul that was done on him. This is worrying for Barca as it most probably would result in his suspension for the final two games of the season.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-1, with Sergio Ramos giving them the lead after 29 minutes. Deportivo equalised through Joan Capdevilla in the 56th minute, but Raul scored just two minutes later to make it 2-1 by heading in a pinpoint cross from David Beckham, who celebrated his return to the England squad with another brilliant performance. The England midfielder is enjoying some great form at the moment.

Real scored a third in the 76th minute with Ruud van Nistelrooy, bought in this season from Manchester United, slotting home his 23rd goal of the season.

The title race is still on as Real keep their lead on a better head-to-head record.

Sheffield United's Woes

At the midpoint of the season, Sheffield United looked to be playing well in their opening season. A streak of bad matches, however, ended in their relegation from the Premiership after spending only a season in it on 1 less goal difference.

On the last day, it was a three-way battle between Sheffield United, Wigan Athletic and West Ham United. Sheffield United had 16th position with 38 points, leading West Ham on goal difference and Wigan by 3 points. They also had control over their destiny as they faced Wigan and avoiding defeat would mean that Wigan were relegated. Moreover, even if they lost, West Ham faced champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, and looked very unlikely to win.

However, events unfolded completely differently, with West Ham, due to an amazing amount of luck, beating Manchester United, and Sheffield losing to Wigan 2-1 at home despite dominating the game for long periods and rattling the woodwork. In the end, however, they were tied on points with Wigan, and had -23 goal difference while Wigan had -22, allowing Wigan to avoid the drop.

Neil Warnock, Sheffield United manager, resigned at the end of the season. The club, however, has still not given up. It has launched an appeal in court against the controversial signing of Carlos Tevez by West Ham United. Carlos Tevez was not owned completely by West Ham, with a third party also owning partial rights. West Ham were given a fine of 9 million pounds. Sheffield, however, claimed that West Ham should have been docked 10 points for it, and have appealed for it in court.

Tevez played a crucial role in West Ham's fightback to avoid the drop, scoring 7 goals in the last 10 matches.

Championship playoff final: preview

With Sunderland and Birmingham, who both were relegated last season, getting promoted after just a season in the 2nd division, it is upto West Bromwich Albion to see if, for the first time ever, the three teams that were relegated in a season from the Premiership can get promoted back up the next season. West Brom face Derby County, who finished 7 points ahead of them in the table, in the Championship playoff final at Wembley.

With the two sides being evenly matched, it is going to go down to which club has the greater desire to win. The winner will get an estimated $100 million increase in revenue next season. One of these clubs will take the final spot in the Premiership.

The three sides which made the drop to the second division are Watford, Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United. Watford and Sheffield United were relegated after just one season in the Premiership. The other team to be promoted last season, Reading, finished comfortably in 8th place, one short of a UEFA Cup spot.

The match will also be the final match for veteran referee Graham Poll, who will be ending will 26-year-long career after the match.

Transfer Report:Sidwell to Chelsea

Player:Steve Sidwell
From:Reading
To: Chelsea
Fee: Free


Chelsea secured their first signing of the season when Steve Sidwell declined his former club Reading's offer of a 4-year 25,000-pound-a-week deal, and signed a contract with Chelsea, whom he will officially join on July 1st, when his contract at Reading expires.

Sidwell was very promising for Reading in the first season, and was one of the reasons why Reading defied expectations of relegation, instead finishing in 8th position, one spot away from a UEFA Cup spot. He plays the role of a defensive midfielder, and is seen at Chelsea as an apt replacement for 34-year-old Frenchman Claude Makelele, who used to occupy the position.

Sidwell only scored 4 goals in 35 games, but the former Arsenal player promised much in the season. Sidwell is 24 years old, and will be seen by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho as a good prospect for years to come.

Malaysian FA urges Man Utd rethink

After Manchester United played safe and avoided a controversy with the AFC by refusing to play , the Malaysian Football Association has again appealed to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to rethink the decision and allow Manchester United to play.

With 2007 being "Visit Malaysia" year, and Man United's huge fan base in the region, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmad Bawadi, wanted the match to be played at Kuala Lumpur to attract tourists.

The reason for the controversy is that the AFC said that no matches could be played in July due to the Asian Cup which will be hosted in Malaysia. That no other matches should be played during the Cup is part of the contract the Malaysian FA had signed as hosts of the tournament.

Manchester United cannot play the match on any day other then July 27th as they have a friendly match against Inter Milan at Old Trafford on August 1st, and then the season-opening community shield against Chelsea on the 5th of August.

Real and Barca in for a nail-biting tussle

Bitter rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona are locked in an amazing tussle in the La Liga. The two eternal rivals, who have spent all their time in the La Liga's first division, are tied on points, with Real leading on a better head-to-head record with three games to go. Real host Deportivo La Coruna and Barca host cup antagonists Getafe this weekend.

Getafe had beaten Barca 4-0 in the second leg of their cup final, stunning all by overturning a 5-2 first leg deficit. Soon after the loss, Barca were held to a draw and conceded the lead to Real Madrid. Last weekend, however, they beat Atletico Madrid 6-0 and Real managed a last-gasp winner by Roberto Carlos to beat Recreativo Huelva.

Valencia are finishing the season on a high, but taking the La Liga title is virtually impossible owing to trailing the leaders by 4 points with 3 games to go. They face Villareal at home.

Sevilla, who won the UEFA Cup on penalties to remain on course for a treble, are two points behind Real and Barca, and will not be giving up the title quest as yet. They will, however, have a tough opposition in Real Zaragoza.

Serie A - Relegation Battle

After the ending of a dramatic season in the English Premier League, with a dramatic relegation battle between Wigan Athletic and Sheffield United, the stage is set for an even more dramatic relegation battle in Serie A. This is a 5 team battle to avoid the one remaining relegation spot.

Chievo Verona	37	9	12	16	38	46	-8	39
Parma	37	9	12	16	38	55	-17	39
Catania Calcio	37	9	11	17	44	68	-24	38
Reggina	37	11	15	11	50	50	0	37
Siena	37	8	14	15	33	44	-11	37
Messina	37	5	11	21	34	65	-31	26
Ascoli	37	4	12	21	34	66	-32	24

This table is the bottom portion of the Serie A table. With Ascoli and Messina already relegated, Siena, Reggina, Catania, Parma and Chievo are involved in a thrilling battle to avoid the dreaded 18th spot and the drop to Serie B that accompanies it. Only two points separate these five sides, and Catania, the sole team on 38 points, take on Chievo in a tense tussle.

Reggina will hope that AC Milan will take it easy on them after winning the UEFA Champions League. Reggina was deducted 15 points for their role in the Calciopoli scandal . Siena entertain third placed Rome club Lazio while Empoli is Parma's opponent on the last day.

Judging by the overall picture, Siena seem most likely to fail, but the beauty of these relegation battles lies in the fact that they defy all logical expectations, so expect anything.

England squad for upcoming matches

England has upcoming matches against Brazil and Estonia. The former is a friendly at Wembley, winning which would undoubtedly give England confidence. The latter is a totally different story - England's EURO 2008 can best be described as delicate, and losing this would make it virtually impossible for them to qualify, a predicament which is sure to take away Steve McClaren's job.

England squad for the friendly international against Brazil, at Wembley, on June 1 and the Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia, in Tallinn, on June 6:

Goalkeepers:

Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Scott Carson (Liverpool), Robert Green (West Ham)

Defenders:

Phil Neville (Everton), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), John Terry (Chelsea), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Man Utd), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Ledley King (Tottenham), Nicky Shorey (Reading)

Midfielders:

David Beckham (Real Madrid), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), David Bentley (Blackburn), Michael Carrick (Man Utd), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Kieron Dyer (Newcastle)

Forwards:

Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Alan Smith (Man Utd), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)

Wayne Rooney is out due to suspension, so a lot will hinge on the weak-looking forwards. Owen and Smith have only played for a month after suffering long injuries, while Crouch and Defoe have looked good in their recent club matches. None of them, however, can really be relied on to score consistently.

Looking at the midfielders, England look strong especially with the return of David Beckham. Lampard and Gerrard are also almost certain to play, with Gerrard probably taking up the right of midfield. The left flank will probably be taken by either Chelsea's Joe Cole or Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing.

With John Terry and Rio Ferdinand being virtually permanently fixed as the centrebacks, the only decisions McClaren will have to make are the left and right backs. With Ashley Cole injured, his Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge is a strong favourite for leftback.

Beckham Recalled

After being out of the England team since the 2006 World Cup, where he captained the side to the quarterfinals, scoring his trademark free kicks along the way, Real Madrid midfielder, David Beckham, former Manchester United captain, who is heading to Los Angeles Galaxy next season, was recalled by England manager Steve McClaren for their upcoming matches against Brazil and Estonia.

The match against Brazil is a friendly, the first international match to be played at the new Wembley after the FA Cup final and the promotion playoffs. The match against Estonia, however, is a crucial EURO 2008 qualifier for England after their poor run in recent matches. They need to win almost all of their remaining two games to finish in one of the two qualification spots in their group.

"We've got a very big game coming up," McClaren said. "We need to win and I have to pick a squad capable of doing that. That's why I've included David.

"I've looked at David over recent months and since Christmas his form has been very good. I think he can help us win against Estonia.

"As time has gone on I felt we needed experience for the Estonia game. David provides that and he's in very good form. The team needs that.

"It is my decision and it is the decision I think is best for England to produce a winning team that the fans can be proud of."

McClaren had marked his arrival as manager by dumping David Beckham. Now, as the stakes are rising, he appears to have finally made what is doubtless the right decision.

McClaren happy with Owen; Lennon limps off

Michael Owen was injured for almost a year due to the injury sustained in last year's World Cup. The Newcastle United striker is now fit, and looked to be improving in the last few games of the season for his club. He also took part in the match against Albania for England B, and, although failing to net a goal, put in what McClaren called a "promising performance".

His greatest opportunity was in the ninth minute when Lennon's cross found him 9 yards from goal. He edged it just wide. However, he set up Stewart Downing for England's second goal.

Tottenham's Aaron Lennon, who had a good season for his club, which secured 5th place in the Premier League, limped off after just 9 minutes because of an ankle injury. The seriousness of the injury is not yet known.

England B defeat Albania 3-1 -- report

Alan Smith scored once and Stewart Downing twice as England easily defeated Albania. Manchester United striker, Smith, opened the scoring after 34 minutes by slotting the ball low into the net. Middlesbrough midfielder Stewart Downing, described by many pundits as "a player with real potential" added to Smith's goal 3 minutes later. Albania pulled a goal back through Besart Berisha in the 44th to take the score to 2-1 at half-time, but England never let go of control, and Downing added another goal to his tally 13 minutes after the break.

This was mostly a trial match with manager Steve McClaren not playing anyone - except for Smith from Manchester United - from the big three clubs - Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.

England's position in the Euro 2008 qualifiers does not look good, and hopefully the good performances by Downing, Smith and Owen will hold good for England in their qualifiers.

What this blog is about

Hey, people ... this blog is going to be about football ..... not as any supporter of any team or anything ... just about the latest news around club football!!