Rafael was sent off in Manchester United's game against Bayern Munich, only five minutes into the second half. United lost the qualification eventually and playing with 10 men was definitely a factor. Was the referee right to send off Rafael?
Some of the favorites were knocked out in the previous round, the last 16 clashes look like this:
Aston Villa vs Burnley F.C.
Birmingham City vs Brentford
Ipswich Town vs Northampton Town
Leicester City vs West Bromwich Albion
Manchester United vs Wolverhampton
Newcastle United vs Arsenal
West Ham United vs Stoke City
Wigan Athletic FC vs Swansea City
Which of the top five favorites will win the cup? Feel free to add other options in the comments.
Premier League leaders Manchester United will welcome Aston Villa to Old Trafford on Tuesday but the Red Devils will surely be looking to grab the three points and consolidate their leadership. Both sides are coming from back to back league wins, Manchester United won 3-2 at Blackpool and 5-0 at home against Birmingham while Aston Villa were reborn after signing Darren Bent and beat both Manchester City (at home) and Wigan (away).
Manchester United will travel to Turkey for the fourth Champions League group game seeking a win that would put them in a great position to qualify. On the other hand Bursaspor are bottom of the group table with no points out of the first three games and they will surely be determined to change that.
Livepool and Manchester United will both be looking to return to winning ways when they will meet at Anfield Road on Sunday as Liverpool were beaten 3-1 by West Ham last week while Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat at rivals Chelsea. Liverpool are in 6th place before the game and only a win could keep their slim chances of grabbing a top four spot at the end of the season while Manchester United are still top of the table but a defeat could see second placed Arsenal coming just one point behind the Red Devils.
Alex Ferguson's men will have to beat Rangers in the Champions League to wash away the bitterness of the 3-3 draw in Everton where they conceded no less than two goals during injury time. Will Rooney and co. manage to grab the win?
It should have been ruled out, that's an obvious foul!
Nah, the referee made the right decision.
Birmingham City snatched a point last night against Manchester United thanks to a late goal from Lee Bowyer. Sir Alex Ferguson claims that is should have been ruled out since Zigic committed a foul that led to the goal. Watch the video and have your say!
Wayne Rooney insists that a winter break could be beneficial to the national team and to the players as well. "Towards the end of the season the intensity in some of the games which is normally there is missing. It's a long season with the intensity the games are played at. It is only fair on players that there is a break." Rooney believes a break is especially important in England because of the pace of the game: "It's great, especially as a forward when the game is end to end and the game opens up. But it's only in England where you see the game that quick."
They can't claw back 10 points, with Torres or without!
Chelsea are in 4th place, 10 points behind leaders Manchester United, but the arrival of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres might boost their chances of defending the title. What do you think?
