Year: 2008

UEFA Cup 2008-09 Group Stages draw

The draw for the group stages of the 2008-09 UEFA Cup has been made, and we have some excellent fixtures within.

Portsmouth, in their debut season in Europe, will get a chance to play AC Milan at Fratton Park. Pompey are in Group E along with Herenveen, Braga and Wolfsburg.

There are eight groups in all, and 3 teams from each group qualify for the next round. They will be joined by the eight third placed teams in each Champions League group.

Group A :-

Schalke ( Germany)
Paris St.Germain ( France)
Manchester City ( England)
Racing Santander ( Spain)
FC Twente ( Netherlands)

Group B :-

Benfica ( Portugal)
Olympiakos ( Greece)
Galatasaray ( Turkey)
Hertha Berlin ( Germany)
Metalist Kharkiv ( Ukraine)

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England 14th in latest FIFA Rankings

In FIFA’s latest rankings, England have climbed up one place from fifteenth to fourteenth thanks to their wins over Croatia and Andorra. Brazil have moved up two places to fourth, while the Netherlands and Croatia have fallen down one place to fifth and sixth respectively.

The top three remain unchanged- Spain, Italy and Germany. However Spain have managed to extend their lead over the Italians- they have 1643 points to Italy’s 1365.

Scotland lost 156 points as they fell to 26th, a drop of 10 places.

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Improve your football skills

It is no secret that the beautiful game is the most widely played sport in the world. It takes little effort to play football- all you need is a ball, and some willing blokes. The rules are basic- try and find the back of the opponent’s net, and prevent them from scoring.

What separates the average footballer from the Ronaldos amd the Messis ? The answer is simple-training. Many people may be naturally talented at football, but unless you hone your talent over a consistent period of time, you’ll never reach the level of top footballers. This holds true for every sport, and not just soccer.

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