Busy New Yr 4 Babayaro, YAK •As FA Cup takes centre stage
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Busy New Yr 4 Babayaro, YAK •As FA Cup takes centre stage
Busy New Year for Babayaro, Aiyegbeni •As FA Cup takes centre stage
The New Year will begin as the old one ended in England: on a busy, exciting note. After savouring the Boxing Day menu of Premiership football and the year-ending fixtures of last Sunday, soccer fans in the capital of the game are in for a fare of FA Cup action in only the third and fourth days of 2004.
Nigeria’s Celestine Babayaro, Austin Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, and Yakubu Aiyegbeni are expected in action for their respective clubs.
It’s the third round of the prestigious competition and the fixtures for today and tomorrow throw together a mixed bag of Premiership front-runners and a smattering of lower league sides as 64 teams jostle for fourth round tickets and upsets are guaranteed.
Obviously, the most attractive ties are the ones pitting Premiership sides against one another and there are five of such high profile match ups.
Premier League leaders Manchester United face a tricky trip to Villa Park tomorrow where they come up against in-form Aston Villa. United have not had it good in the FA Cup in recent years and boss Alex Ferguson has declared this as the year to repeat the feat of 1999 when they won the terrific treble of the FA Cup, the league and the Champions League.
The league champions are no doubt in good form having won every game since the loss to Chelsea weeks ago but Ferguson’s penchant for fielding watered down teams for cup games could be United’s undoing.
United are surely the stronger of the sides but this is the FA Cup where upsets become the norm rather than the exception and David O’Leary’s cause can only be helped if Sir Alex decides to rest his star players as the Scotsman is wont to do.
In other all Premiership third round ties, cup holders Arsenal are guests of Leeds United at Elland Road today. The Gunners, who should feature Egales star, Nwankwo Kanu as some point, will be wary of the Premiership strugglers as they seek to retain their title. It was the same Leeds, struggling for Premier League survival as they are now, who ended Arsenal’s league title dreams with a 3-2 defeat at Highbury as the season was winding down.
Last year’s finalists Southampton, who lost the final 1-0 to Arsenal and were beaten with the same scoreline by the Gunners in the last game of the year on Monday, have a huge mountain to climb to get to last year’s height as they host faltering Newcastle who are still smarting from a home loss to Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.
Newcastle should be rubbing shoulders with the top teams in the league and contending for the title but with the apparently unbridgeable gap between the top three and the rest of the league, the FA Cup is the only door open to the Geordies for silverware this season.
Underachieving Manchester City, seeking unsuccessfully to emerge from the overbearing shadows of neighbours Manchester United, host Leicester City at the magnificent City of Manchester Stadium today, while the game between Birmingham and Blackburn Rovers at Saint Andrew’s rounds off the fixtures among the big boys.
In games involving Nigerian players, Celestine Babayaro’s Chelsea are guests of first division Watford at Vicarage Road. Babayaro has become a fringe player at Stamford Bridge this season following the arrival of the aptly-named England left back, Wayne Bridge, from Southampton in the summer but the Nigerian could be given a rare start considering the opposition.
Watford had a strong run in the competition last season, the former top league campaigners getting to the latter stages before coming unstuck.
Nigeria captain Austin Okocha has an opportunity to begin the New Year brightly as he leads Bolton Wanderers on a visit to lower division Tranmere Rovers for a place in the fourth round.
Okocha has been the livewire of the improved Bolton this season, the Nigerian midfielder running the show in the middle of the pack and inspiring his colleagues to impressive performances in the league. Okocha has failed to back his brilliant showings with goals this season and the visit to Tranmere is the perfect opportunity to open the year with one of his trademark strikes.
With Okocha set to join up with his Super Eagles colleagues next week despite the vehement protestations of Bolton boss Sam Allardyce, winning and ensuring his side remain in the competition when he returns from national duty will be his chief motivation.
Portsmouth, with powerful Nigerian striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni leading the attack, host second division Blackpool in what should be an easy tie. But the FA Cup is unpredictable and the Premiership strugglers have to watch it. Pompey have not had a smooth sail in the top flight lately and Aiyegbeni, who has fired blanks for weeks, will be out to vent his frustrations on the smaller team.
Third division Macclesfield Town, with Nigeria right back Abbey George starring, are away at fellow third division Swansea while Ogbonna Kanu’s Peterborough, also in the third division, are guests of first division Coventry City today. EAGLES MATERIALS
The New Year will begin as the old one ended in England: on a busy, exciting note. After savouring the Boxing Day menu of Premiership football and the year-ending fixtures of last Sunday, soccer fans in the capital of the game are in for a fare of FA Cup action in only the third and fourth days of 2004.
Nigeria’s Celestine Babayaro, Austin Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, and Yakubu Aiyegbeni are expected in action for their respective clubs.
It’s the third round of the prestigious competition and the fixtures for today and tomorrow throw together a mixed bag of Premiership front-runners and a smattering of lower league sides as 64 teams jostle for fourth round tickets and upsets are guaranteed.
Obviously, the most attractive ties are the ones pitting Premiership sides against one another and there are five of such high profile match ups.
Premier League leaders Manchester United face a tricky trip to Villa Park tomorrow where they come up against in-form Aston Villa. United have not had it good in the FA Cup in recent years and boss Alex Ferguson has declared this as the year to repeat the feat of 1999 when they won the terrific treble of the FA Cup, the league and the Champions League.
The league champions are no doubt in good form having won every game since the loss to Chelsea weeks ago but Ferguson’s penchant for fielding watered down teams for cup games could be United’s undoing.
United are surely the stronger of the sides but this is the FA Cup where upsets become the norm rather than the exception and David O’Leary’s cause can only be helped if Sir Alex decides to rest his star players as the Scotsman is wont to do.
In other all Premiership third round ties, cup holders Arsenal are guests of Leeds United at Elland Road today. The Gunners, who should feature Egales star, Nwankwo Kanu as some point, will be wary of the Premiership strugglers as they seek to retain their title. It was the same Leeds, struggling for Premier League survival as they are now, who ended Arsenal’s league title dreams with a 3-2 defeat at Highbury as the season was winding down.
Last year’s finalists Southampton, who lost the final 1-0 to Arsenal and were beaten with the same scoreline by the Gunners in the last game of the year on Monday, have a huge mountain to climb to get to last year’s height as they host faltering Newcastle who are still smarting from a home loss to Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.
Newcastle should be rubbing shoulders with the top teams in the league and contending for the title but with the apparently unbridgeable gap between the top three and the rest of the league, the FA Cup is the only door open to the Geordies for silverware this season.
Underachieving Manchester City, seeking unsuccessfully to emerge from the overbearing shadows of neighbours Manchester United, host Leicester City at the magnificent City of Manchester Stadium today, while the game between Birmingham and Blackburn Rovers at Saint Andrew’s rounds off the fixtures among the big boys.
In games involving Nigerian players, Celestine Babayaro’s Chelsea are guests of first division Watford at Vicarage Road. Babayaro has become a fringe player at Stamford Bridge this season following the arrival of the aptly-named England left back, Wayne Bridge, from Southampton in the summer but the Nigerian could be given a rare start considering the opposition.
Watford had a strong run in the competition last season, the former top league campaigners getting to the latter stages before coming unstuck.
Nigeria captain Austin Okocha has an opportunity to begin the New Year brightly as he leads Bolton Wanderers on a visit to lower division Tranmere Rovers for a place in the fourth round.
Okocha has been the livewire of the improved Bolton this season, the Nigerian midfielder running the show in the middle of the pack and inspiring his colleagues to impressive performances in the league. Okocha has failed to back his brilliant showings with goals this season and the visit to Tranmere is the perfect opportunity to open the year with one of his trademark strikes.
With Okocha set to join up with his Super Eagles colleagues next week despite the vehement protestations of Bolton boss Sam Allardyce, winning and ensuring his side remain in the competition when he returns from national duty will be his chief motivation.
Portsmouth, with powerful Nigerian striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni leading the attack, host second division Blackpool in what should be an easy tie. But the FA Cup is unpredictable and the Premiership strugglers have to watch it. Pompey have not had a smooth sail in the top flight lately and Aiyegbeni, who has fired blanks for weeks, will be out to vent his frustrations on the smaller team.
Third division Macclesfield Town, with Nigeria right back Abbey George starring, are away at fellow third division Swansea while Ogbonna Kanu’s Peterborough, also in the third division, are guests of first division Coventry City today. EAGLES MATERIALS