Serie A - More show to come on the final day in Italy

Juventus have already sewn up the title but the final day of the Serie A season could still have a sting in the tail as the champions look to complete the competition unbeaten while four teams battle for the Champions League qualifying place.

The calculators will be out as Udinese, Lazio, Napoli and Internazionale vie for third place while at the bottom, Genoa try to secure their place in the top flight for another season
Juventus, who have 81 points from 37 games, and AC Milan (77) have already grabbed Italy's two direct places in the Champions League group stage next season.
If Juventus avoid defeat against Atalanta they will become only the second team to win Serie A without losing a match, emulating Fabio Capello's AC Milan in 1991/92.
Perugia were unbeaten in 1978/79 but finished second in a league of 16 teams as opposed to the current 20.
The double is also a possibility for Juventus, who face Napoli in the Coppa Italia final on May 20.
The race to finish third and claim a place in the final round of the Champions League qualifiers has been complicated by the league's decision to use the head-to-head rule rather than goal difference if teams finish level on points.

Europa League - Falcao inspires Atletico to Europa crown

A stunning double from the Radamel Falcao helped Atletico Madrid stun Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in Bucharest and clinch their second Europa League crown in three years.

 

Falcao sparked the match into life in the seventh minute with a left-footed screamer from outside the Athletic box, and he added a second before half-time for what was his 12th goal in 15 Europa League matches with an empathic finish.
The prolific Colombian striker, who was denied a hat-trick by the woodwork, secured back-to-back Europa League successes after winning the tournament with FC Porto last season with Diego adding a third late on as the 2010 champions vanquished Marcelo Bielsa’s much-lauded side.
It was a stunning victory for Diego Simeone's side, with many of the Athletic players left to shed tears after a crushing defeat ended what has been an incredible European run.

Blackburn players chasing chicken on the Pitch

The sight of Yakubu chasing a chicken draped in a Blackburn Rovers flag around Wigan Athletic's penalty area almost symbolised the farce that has unfolded at Ewood Park under owners Venky's.
It was an incident that offered plenty of material for jokes at the expense of Blackburn and the Indian poultry group that has presided over relegation from the Premier League, confirmed by Monday's 1-0 defeat at Ewood Park.
And yet this is no laughing matter for Blackburn. There is sadness that one of the grand old institutions of English football is accompanied into the Championship by scenes of acrimony and protest that have marked the decline since Venky's completed a £43m takeover from the Jack Walker Trust in November 2010.
From being in trusted hands associated with the great local businessman and benefactor whose finances helped Blackburn win the Premier League in 1995, relegation comes under the stewardship of absentee owners with both a geographical and philosophical disconnection from supporters.

King Kenny hails `excellent' Reds

  

Carol overhead kick with Chelsea midfielder Romeo.   

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was delighted with his side's performance against Chelsea - their biggest league win of the season on their last outing of the campaign at Anfield.
The Reds cruised to a 4-1 victory, with a Michael Essien own goal and efforts from Jordan Henderson and Daniel Agger putting the hosts 3-0 up inside half an hour.
Stewart Downing hit the crossbar and also drove a penalty against the post before Ramires pulled one back just after the break. But Jonjo Shelvey restored the three-goal cushion with a long-range effort to leave Dalglish a happier man after a string of poor results at Anfield this term.
"It was an excellent performance," said the Scot. "It was one which has been seen a few times before here but the result hasn't been as positive as that.
"The pleasing thing is the performance was matched by the result and also the fact the supporters could go away from the final match of the season here with a smile on their faces.
"We are just pleased that we have given them a performance which gave them a bit of a smile on their face." What a way to end there poor home record in a grand style beating one of there ache Rival.

Premier League -Stoke sign new shirt deal

Tue, 08 May 2012

Stoke have signed a new three-year shirt sponsorship contract with bet365 which chief executive Tony Scholes believes can only help the club's future development.
The world's largest online gaming company is owned by the Coates family and Peter Coates is Potters chairman, but Scholes said they had chosen the best deal from a number of offers.
"This agreement with bet365 means that we have been able to maximise the international element of the club's exposure," said Scholes. "We received a number of offers from potential sponsors but bet365 were the highest bidders, arguably further underlining their commitment to the club."
Stoke have also reached a deal for Britannia, part of The Co-operative Bank, to become the club's official banking and community partner and also retain naming rights for the Britannia Stadium.
"This is a very exciting development for the football club which gives us every chance to continue progressing forward," added Scholes.
"We have the opportunity now to work closely with two very successful local companies on two different fronts."

Champions League - Euro Club Index: Everton above Liverpool

FA Cup runners-up Liverpool have fallen behind city rivals Everton in the latest Euro Club Index.

 

HOW IT WORKS
This season we will use the Hypercube Infostrada Euro Club Index, which scientifically analyses hundreds of thousands of matches from the top divisions in all European nations as well as Europa League and Champions League games.
The Index takes into account all matches played over an eight-year period but with recent results carrying more weight than older ones. The most recent result has 20 times more impact than a result of three years ago.
The performance of a league's teams in the Champions League and Europa League reflects the rise or fall of the sporting level in that league. So, for example, if English teams perform well in Europe, all Premier League teams receive a small bonus in their ECI score. The ranking and its predictive power are thus made even more accurate.