With the King’s Cup in the bag, Barcelona look to complete the double this weekend, needing just a point at Real Mallorca on Sunday to secure their 19th league title.

Barcelona destroyed Athletic Bilbao 4-1 to win the King’s Cup on Wednesday and have the chance to make it two titles in five days with a draw at Mallorca and could even be crowned champions without playing should Real Madrid fail to defeat Villarreal on Saturday.

“If we become champions because Madrid slip-up, so much the better,” said captain Carles Puyol.

“If they don?t, we?ll go to Mallorca to win the game as we have done all season.”

Pep Guardiola?s side are eight points clear of Real with three games left so a point would be enough as they have a superior head-to-head record.

Barcelona looked set to win the championship in front of their own fans at Camp Nou last weekend but conceded two late goals in a 3-3 draw with Villarreal.

They now need a point to get the job done as they go for an historic treble, with the Champions League final against Manchester United on May 27 the final installment.

Real, beaten 3-0 by Valencia last time out, seem to be playing for pride alone, although some of their players are playing for their futures with a summer of change expected.

On Saturday the reigning champions travel to Villarreal, three points off fourth spot, who must win to maintain their Champions League push.

Real are poised to splash the cash to re-build their team and goalkeeper Iker Casillas has urged the club to raid Valencia for the Spanish trio of Juan Mata, David Villa and David Silva.

“I am not xenophobic but I simply think that players such as Villa, Mata and Silva would fit perfectly at a club like Real,” said Casillas.

Valencia are desperate to hang onto their star trio but will probably need the Champions League windfall to keep them and have a make-or-break match on Sunday at rivals Atletico Madrid.

League Next as Barca on Brink of Double … read more »

Manchester United face Arsenal at Old Trafford on Saturday determined to wrap up their third consecutive Premier League title at the first attempt.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side need a draw in either of their last two fixtures, against either Arsene Wenger’s team or Hull City on May 24, to win their 18th English title and the 11th of Ferguson’s reign.

A 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic on Wednesday evening has left United on the brink of the title and the match-winner from the JJB Stadium, midfielder Michael Carrick, is confident his side will generate a party atmosphere in the Theatre of Dreams.

“Obviously it now looks good for us,” Carrick said. “I think it’s only been done once before (by United), winning the title at home, so it would be great if we can do it again.

“But we?re not getting carried away, we?ve got to respect Arsenal for how good they are. We know we?ve still got a job to do.”

The encounter could be Carlos Tevez?s last opportunity to start a home match for United as his transfer wrangling continues to dominate events at Old Trafford.

Tevez is in contention to be picked ahead of Dimitar Berbatov in United’s starting XI after a superb substitute showing against Wigan and although his loan deal at United runs out this summer, Carrick would love to see him stay at Old Trafford.

“He?s a top player and the goals he?s contributed since he?s been here have often come at big times for us,” he said.

“We obviously don?t want to lose players, we?ve got a great squad and hopefully we can keep it together.”

A win against Arsenal would also be even sweeter for United because Saturday?s opponents won the Premier League themselves at Old Trafford back in 2002 with a 1-0 victory, a result that Arsenal?s fans continually remind United of whenever the two clubs meet.

United Aim to Make Final Point at Gunners´ Expense … read more »

Bayern Munich have recruited the football professor they were looking for, but new coach Louis van Gaal will be expected to get top marks from his first day in charge on July 1.

Since former trainer Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked after only ten months in charge, Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had been scouring the continent for a top-level, German-speaking coach to help re-establish Bayern in Europe.

The English media claimed Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger was approached, but there was little realistic chance of the Frenchman relinquishing control at the north London club.

Van Gaal led AZ Alkmaar to the Dutch championship and finally won the title on April 19, while just eight days later Klinsmann was sacked by Bayern following dismal results including an unacceptably early Champions League exit.

Barcelona’s 4-0 mauling of Bayern in Spain and subsequent quarter-final defeat was the beginning of the end for Klinsmann.

For Van Gaal, a Bundesliga title will be the minimum level of success expected next season with Bayern hungry for their first Champions League crown since 2001.

“FC Bayern is a dream club for me,” said Van Gaal who has been famously quoted as declaring: “I am the best” after guiding Alkmaar to the title.

But Van Gaal will be expected to prove just that and hit the ground running at a club where failure is not an option – Klinsmann was sacked with his side third in the league and contending for the title.

“There’s a completely different mindset here at Bayern,” admitted goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt who reached the Champions League semi-final with Bayer Leverkusen in 2002.

“The entire club is geared towards success, trophies are all that count. You’re expected to win the league and every match, you’re not allowed slip-ups.”

Having steered Ajax to the Champions League title in 1995, the fiery Van Gaal has a wealth of experience having led the giants from Amsterdam to consecutive Dutch titles between 1994, 1995 and 1996.

Under his steerage, players such as Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars developed into world stars.

In 1998 and 1999, he also won La Liga with Barcelona before taking charge of the Dutch national side in 2000, but failure to lead them to the World Cup finals in 2002 meant he was replaced by Dick Advocaat.

Bayern Expect Top Marks From Football Professor Van Gaal … read more »

Arsene Wenger has vowed to wreck Manchester United’s plans for a Premier League title party at Old Trafford on Saturday.

United need just a point from their lunchtime meeting with the Gunners to wrap up a third consecutive league triumph and equal Liverpool’s record of 18 English titles.

But Wenger insists his players will be determined to delay the celebrations and claim revenge for their Champions League semi-final defeat by United, which led many to question the Frenchman’s reliance on his homegrown youngsters.

“We have a very promising team who can deliver very soon,” Wenger claimed Thursday. “If you look at the statistics of the two teams, we have scored a similar amount of goals. In the passing quality in the final third and in the opposition half, we are as good as Manchester United.

“We have conceded more goals and that is where the difference lies; we have conceded 36, they have conceded 24, we have scored 64, they have scored 67.

“Offensively, I do not believe there is a difference. Defensively, there was a difference.”

Even if they lose to Arsenal, United will still be champions if they pick up a point at struggling Hull on the final day of the season or if Liverpool drop any points in their two remaining matches, away to West Brom and at home to Tottenham.

“It looks like it will be Manchester United, but we can still delay it,” Wenger added. “We have a point to prove, definitely.

“We want to play for our pride and be respected for who we are, that is people who love the game they play. We promised ourselves on January 1 we would give everything in every game until the end of the season.

“That is where we can show we are capable to do that.”

Despite his faith in his own squad, Wenger acknowledges that United deserve to be on top. “The 18-point gap (between United and Arsenal) is a reflection we have to take on the chin,” he said. “What people forget is that we were very far behind and we dropped too many points.

“Manchester United are world champions, European champions and will be champions of England. Everybody has to cope with that, not accept it and come back next year and beat them.”

Australia coach Pim Verbeek said Thursday he would wait until Mark Viduka decides his future with Newcastle United before deciding whether to include him in the squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers.

Verbeek said he was prepared to wait until just before he announces an expanded 25-man squad for Australia’s final qualifiers against Qatar, Bahrain and Japan.

Australia’s 2006 World Cup skipper comes off his contract with the English club at the end of this month, but said this week that he wanted to stay on with the Magpies.

Viduka hasn’t played for the Socceroos since the 2007 Asian Cup as he has largely battled injuries over the last year.

“We’ve spoken with him. He’s focusing entirely on his Newcastle job, he wants to keep them in the Premiership,” Verbeek told reporters in a teleconference here on Thursday.

“We won’t make any decision, he doesn’t want to make any decision.

“He has to find out if he wants to play another year. That’s one of the last decisions we are going to take.

“Mark is always on the list. The (Premier) League finishes on the 24th (of May), and it’s up to him.

“If he doesn’t want to play next season then it’s useless to take him for the June games so let’s wait for his decision and let’s wait for Newcastle.”

Verbeek said he would select a larger squad to cater for Australia’s three World Cup qualifiers, against Qatar in Doha on June 6, Bahrain in Sydney on June 10 and Japan in Melbourne on June 17.

The Socceroos need one point from their remaining three qualifiers to reach next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.