Chances gone at the gates

Ghalaa was un-placed, finding a clear dislike for the soft conditions. Very disappointing, but still one to watch on good to firm ground.

The latest football news look like Fabregas is on his way to Barcelona. At least that would shut up some of the class-less Barcelona players and staff who've been endlessly muttering the "Cesc wants home" song for the past 2 years. This is bad news for Arsenal. Well, it's good news for the club's coffers and possibly for the executives' bonuses, just like it's been for selling Henry, Vieira, Adebayor, Anelka, Petit, Overmars in the past, but it's really bad news for their Cup or title aspirations. All of the above-cited, besides Anelka, were past their prime when Wenger dumped them. The difference is that Fabregas has been the Gunners' heart-beat for the past years and is getting better and better. His exit sends the wrong signal to the team about the priorities of the club; money or cups?

It used to be confined to the likes of Ajax and Porto, which are great hotbeds for nurturing young stars, who are then sold to bigger clubs (like Arsenal) once they've shown their superiority in the lesser Dutch and Portuguese leagues. Arsenal seem to be heading in their direction.

With Nasri also rumoured to wanting out, this is not looking good for the Londoners. Arsenal seem to have lost any chance before the season has started. The odds are good that the drought is about to continue.

Arsenal to go through

Just finished watching the tied game between Man Utd and Valencia. As usual, I cannot thank the draw-no-bet option enough, and it really saves grief when the team you've punted on cannot find that winning goal. So the recommendation on Man Utd as draw-no-bet, ends into a voided bet, which is always better than a losing one. Valencia scored from another Michael Carrick mistake in a European game (Utd fans will surely remember the game against Munich last year), and I wonder if his place is still secure in the Devils' midfield. What looks more or less certain is that the No 2 keeper Kuszczak is on his way out since Amos was selected to start the game.

Tomorrow Wednesday, Arsenal have to beat Partizan Belgrade to be sure to go through. I have no qualms that they will do it. They are in good form (Nasri particularly has been impressing me lately) and I expect them to win this game. Obviously the stakes are too high for Wenger to field too young a team, so I expect him to have a strong line-up even if they are playing lowly opposition. An Arsenal win is the recommendation.

Win: Arsenal