The Easter holiday fixture list in England has, on many occasions, proved to be a turning point in the title race. With the second leg of the Champions League quarter finals set for Tuesday and Wednesday, all three English teams left in the competition as well as Spurs will only play one Premiership game this weekend. In all twelve teams face double headers.
The top game has Chelsea facing Spurs for the fourth time this season and the previous three have been excellent games. These clubs are second and third in the top flight's "form" table and Chelsea are looking for an eighth straight league win while Spurs are trying for a sixth successive Premiership victory.
Manchester City and Fulham play each other Monday and by the time the full time whistle is blown either of these clubs could be safe for another year. On Friday Fulham plays Everton at Goodison in a match up that has seen the home club win every time over the 11 premiership encounters. Also on Friday, City have a massive six-pointer with a Charlton side that has generated momentum over the last month.
Other games that catch the eye over the next three days include; Reading v Liverpool (Saturday); Bolton vs. Everton (Monday); Charlton vs. Reading (Monday); Portsmouth v Man Utd (Saturday); Arsenal v West Ham (Saturday); and Newcastle v Arsenal (Monday). The Scottish League plays one more round before the split although there looks to be precious little to decide.
The Championship continues to be beat it’s elder cousin the Premiership in terms of competitiveness and uncertainty. The pick of the games is Sunderland vs. Wolverhampton.
In the Bundesliga it is case of the top versus the bottom with Schalke 04 playing every football fan’s favouritre abbreviation Borussia M'gladbach. M‘Gladbach fans cannot blame their defense for their present predicament – they have only let in 33. Goals at the other end have been the problem – only 22 - and their away form has been atrocious with only 5 points gained on the road. M‘Gladbach also have a tough run-in. They still have to play in form Hamburg, 7th place Hannover, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, before finishing off against relegation rivals Mainz and Bochum.
Empoli are the surprise packet in Serie A this season and this Saturday they travel to the San Siro with a lead of one point over Milan. Founded in 1920 this is only their 7th season in Serie A and last season was their best ever finish – 11th and 45 points. Empoli have already equaled their best-ever points total and still have 9 games left. Top scorer is Luca Saudati with 9 goals and he is a man who fits the description of having had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus – 13 different moves between clubs and this is his 4th spell with Empoli. He started his career with Milan.
In Spain the biggest game would appear to be Real Zaragoza versus Barcelona. Of the last 17 games between these two Barcelona has won 8 and drawn 4. Zaragoza has already beaten beat Barcelona this year 1-0. The win came at the Nou Camp in the Copa Del Rey but they lost 2-1 at home and were knocked out. Zaragoza have only lost twice at home this season – back to back in December to Osasuna and Valencia.
Their top scorer Diego Milito with 11 goals - last season he had 15 - was with Genoa when they won Serie B but they were refused promotion because they were caught match fixing. He then moved to Real Zaragoza to replace David Villa when he moved to Valencia and it now looks that Milito may move again this summer – perhaps even to Barcelona.
Last but certainly not least the MLS get underway this weekend. While the media attention has been on the Beckham signing and others such as Blanco the fact is we are going to see neither of these players before mid-season. This weekend expansion club Toronto FC takes a first bow at the Home Depot Centre where they will face Chivas.
Easter,
the time of year when EPL managers whine about having to play twice in three days.
Bring back the good old days when you played three times in four days!
And can anyone tell me why Easter Monday is not a holiday in the US?
There are no religious holidays that are recognized as a national holiday in the US...unless you count Christmas, which may not count as religious in these over-commercial times.
Sometimes, in Massachusetts (and Maine) Easter Monday is a holiday but not because of Easter, rather because of a state holiday called Patriots' Day which honors the Battle of Lexington and Concord to start the Revolutionary War. Maine is included because it was part of Massachusetts until 1820. Patriots' Day is also the day of the running of the Boston Marathon. Unfortunately for me, this year Easter is a week before Patriots' Day.
I have no idea, RINGO. I'm a graduate student, but I do work part-time and the place I work at is only open from 9-1pm today ('Good Friday'). Regular hours on Monday though.
I look forward to Real Zaragoza v Barcelona, too. If it's live on TV, I'll definitely have it on. Chelsea v Spurs sounds better than Reading v Liverpool-- the fixture that initially caught my eye.
Ringo, the reason Easter is not a holiday in the US stems back from the founding of the republic. First, the early colonists (esp. the Puritans, Quakers, etc.) did not believe in making holidays of important religious occasions. They thought it blasphemous. Christmas was not a national holiday in the US until the 19th century. And many people (religious and secular) back then objected when it was made into a holiday.
Second, the ideology of the founding fathers and the colonists of the day favored a very very strict barrier between religion and the state. Any hint whatsoever of anything that smacked of combining state approval of anything religious was vehemently opposed-that's because of their experiences in Europe where religion and the state were so closely intertwined.
My family emigrated from Brazil to the US in the 60s and we've always been frustrated that the US doesn't have Easter as a holiday--in Brazil, Good Friday and part of the following week after Easter are paid holidays. But at least most employers are flexible to allow you a day or two off.
Well, here in Canada, technically, Easter Monday is not really a holiday, depending on who you are working for. If you work for a government department in Canada, the government or a crown corporation in Canada, you most likely are to get the Easter Monday off. On the other hand, if you work in the private sector (banking, restaurant, stores) etc., Easter Monday is not a holiday.
Back to soccer, the title race in Spain is one of the best in any league that I can remember. Barca just hasn't woken up yet; they need to do the business because Sevilla and Valencia are doing the business.
it was torture watching arsenal play.they could have been 5 up by 6 minutes.it illustrates the need for an out and out striker and a goal scoring wide man.surely questions have to be raised about wenger's tatics and l feel ..#### !!!!! WENGER
And thanks for the Easter Monday explanations,iv`e learnt some new stuff!
Henry14,you and Gunner44 are really funny when Arsenal lose,along with Arseblog,but when you start winning again(as you will next year),I dont think you will be as amusing!!
I couldn't agree with you more. It's funny when they've got nothing to win for, they always find a question to ask Bobby.
Speaking of the Gunners, they could ended up losing fourth spot to Bolton. The Gunners have a game in hand and two points more points, it would be tough. Though they meet next weekend at Emirates Stadium. And if West Ham can beat them home, then who knows Bolton might be able to do it.
footie fan
I think Arsenal will just hold on to fourth place,Bolton are just not consistent enough to overtake them.
Everton are coming on strong,but I think it`s too late for them.
But how can Arsenal beat Man Utd.twice and lose to West Ham twice?
And speaking of Bobby,his silence has been deafening!
It wasn't just the Man U loss today. West Ham and Charlton have actually opened up the title race as well giving themselves hope. Bolton and Everton's resurgence too, getting them close to Arsenal. Now these five plus Sheff Utd have something to play for in their run-in games:
Chelsea
18 April at West Ham *
22 April: at Newcastle (tough game)
28 April v Bolton *
6 May: at Arsenal *
9 May: v Man Utd *
13 May: v Everton *
Man Utd
17 April v Sheff Utd *
21 April: v Middlesbro'
28 April at Everton *
5 May: at Man City (derby)
9 May: at Chelsea *
13 May: v West Ham *
It could be that in the final game, Everton could beat Chelsea for a UCL spot, West Ham could beat Utd to stay in the premiership, and Chelsea or Man Utd could win the EPL.
Last edited by LosAngelesChelseaFan on April 7th at 3:11 PM.
Immense victory for Zaragoza today. Victor Fernandez, manager of the club, has created a powerhouse: they have a dynamic, creative strike force and a solid defence. Ugh, quality performance...I'm green with envy.
Meanwhile, important 1-0 win for relegation-threatened Athletic Bilbao against a Valencia side resting key players. Fantastic goal by Gabilondo.
Valencia rested Villa, Miguel, Canizares, Albelda, and Roberto Ayala.
Atleti don't have a good record at Villareal, so a draw or win would be a a fantastic result. They need it to keep UEFA hopes alive. They're struggling at the moment-- last week's home draw against Mallorca was extremely disappointing and disheartening. Upwards & onwards...here's hoping for a positive result tomorrow.
Ringo, you're kidding, right?
If Sevilla and Real Madrid can win tomorrow, three great teams fighting for first place. But, Barcelona have an easier schedule than Sevilla and Real Madrid. Also, Sevilla and Real have to play each other, so someone is going to walk away without points or both could. I think it's Barcelona's title to lose.
Great day for Milan. Convincing win against a very competent Empoli side. Milan are now only a point behind Palermo for fourth, still with a game in hand. Palermo visit Inter next week, while Milan are at Messina. It'll be interesting to see if Inter will be willing to do their cousins any favors. Hopefully they can now carry this high over to Munich on Wednesday.
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