Arsène Wenger says that Robin van Persie has qualities similar to Lionel Messi

Van Persie has scored 26 goals in 31 games this year while not being a conventional centre-forward. “On that front, I see similarities positional-wise with Messi,” Wenger said. “He comes deep and likes to turn up in attack as well. Don’t make me make a comparison with Messi but just positional-wise he doesn’t play like a real centre-forward.”
Wenger praised Van Persie’s maturity, something he hopes to accelerate further having awarded him the captaincy, and hailed the Dutchman as a “super-talent technically”, and no one who witnessed this performance, and the technique shown in claiming those two goals, would argue with that.

Today matches

Premier League
Time	Match
13:45	Manchester City - Everton
16:00	Newcastle United - Blackburn Rovers
16:00	Wigan Athletic - Tottenham Hotspur
16:00	Liverpool - Wolverhampton Wanderers
16:00	Chelsea - Swansea City
16:00	Arsenal - Bolton Wanderers
16:00	West Bromwich Albion - Fulham
18:30	Stoke City - Manchester

La Liga
Time	Match
18:00	Sevilla FC - Valencia CF
18:00	Athletic Bilbao - Villarreal CF
20:00	Real Madrid - Rayo Vallecano
22:00	FC Barcelona - Atlético Madrid

Serie A
Time	Match
18:00	Bologna - Internazionale
20:45	Napoli - Fiorentina
20:45	AC Milan - Cesena

Bundesliga
Time	Match
15:30	Schalke 04 - SC Freiburg
15:30	FSV Mainz 05 - Borussia Dortmund
15:30	VfL Wolfsburg - 1. FC Kaiserslautern
15:30	Borussia Mönchengladbach - 1. FC Nürnberg
15:30	FC Augsburg - Hannover 96
18:30	Bayern Munich - Bayer Leverkusen

Ligue 1
Time	Match
18:00	Toulouse FC - AS Nancy
19:00	OGC Nice - Dijon FCO
19:00	Olympique Lyon - Girondins Bordeaux
19:00	Valenciennes - Olympique Marseille
19:00	Lille OSC - FC Lorient
19:00	Évian Thonon Gaillard FC - Caen
21:00	Montpellier HSC - Paris Saint-Germain

Liverpool: Reds Travel to Brighton in Carling Cup Action

Liverpool was handed a cold, harsh dose of reality on Sunday when they lost 4-0 at Tottenham. Both the scoreline and the manner of defeat reminded everyone associated with the club just how much work there is to be done if the Reds are to hit their target of a top-four finish in the English Premier League.

Captain Steve Gerrard is expected to return from a six-month injury layoff, though it is uncertain how much he will play. New signings Craig Bellamy and Sebastian Coates should make their debuts in the starting 11. 

The Reds look to advance to the next round in their quest for silverware.

Villas-Boas takes complaints to ref chief

Andre Villas-Boas has revealed he had complained to referees' chief Mike Riley about the performance of the officials in Chelsea's Barclays Premier League defeat at Manchester United.

Villas-Boas was still smarting on Tuesday afternoon by the manner of what was his first loss in charge of the Blues and his first defeat in a league game for 17 months.

Chelsea fell 2-0 behind at Old Trafford on Sunday to goals which replays showed should not have stood as both scorers had been offside, with United eventually running out 3-1 winners.

Villas-Boas said: "Very, very unhappy with a poor performance from the referees, which in the end had a decisive role in the result, and I don't take it very, very lightly.

"You expect the linesman to do his job. I already went further ahead with the situation by speaking to the correct people.

"We all feel very, very down when the referee had such an impact on the result."

Rib fracture sidelines Daniel Agger

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger could be out for up to four weeks after fracturing a rib in Sunday's 4-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at Tottenham.

The Denmark international sustained the injury when he fell heavily in the first half and had to be substituted before half-time.

However, there are contrasting reports on the extent of the injury.

"Daniel has got a fractured rib, so he's struggling a bit," manager Kenny Dalglish told liverpoolfc.tv.

However, the version offered by Agger's agent Per Steffensen differs slightly.

"It's the worst possible news. He has broken two ribs, and Must keep still for four weeks," Steffensen told sporten.tv2.dk.

Gilardino suffers knee blow

Fiorentina striker Alberto Gilardino has been ruled out for up to six weeks with a knee injury, his club confirmed.

The Italy international collided with Udinese goalkeeper Samir Handanovic during La Viola's 2-0 defeat at the weekend, appearing to twist his left knee.

His club confirmed an injury which, while likely to keep him out until early November, is not as serious as initially feared.

"Fiorentina announced that the diagnostic tests have shown a tibial plateau microfracture associated with a stress on the joint capsule and medial collateral ligament of the knee," the club said.
"The prognosis for return to competition is five to six weeks."

Vicente Del Bosque: Barcelona's Pep Guardiola would make a good Spain boss

The Catalan club's coach has had a massively succesful three-year stint in management, and has been backed to make the step up to international level

The former Real Madrid trainer led his nation to glory at the World Cup in 2010, and has ensured the Spaniards will compete in Euro 2012.
Despite this, when asked about a possible replacement when he decides to step down, the 60-year-old touted the Catalans' man in charge.
"Pep Guardiola has a way of being and the spirit to be the coach, as well as solid preparation and experience," he told AS.
"There are others who are also well prepared. In Spain there are very good, exciting coaches."
With qualification to the tournament in Ukraine and Poland already assured, Del Bosque is eyeing up potential rivals for the title of European champions.
"We are in line with 2008 and 2010, but have tough opponents coming in 2012, [such] as Holland, Germany, England and Portugal, which have great teams," he stated.
The Salamanca-born man has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, and has admitted that it is difficult to know who to pick.
"I get more and more headaches concerning midfielders and defenders. We have nine or ten top-class midfielders to divide into three or four places.
"Leaving out the likes of Cesc [Fabregas], [David] Silva and Xabi Alonso is not easy. Javi Martinez and Sergio Busquets we have tested as central defenders. But we have gone against their preferences.
"I have spoken to both and I told them that they will be in the national team for many years to come, and it is good to test their qualities wherever needed. They are not unhappy," he concluded.

Manchester United v. Chelsea: Preview and Prediction

Table leaders Manchester United will take on third-place Chelsea on Sunday in a battle for the top spot in the English Premier League. United are coming off a disappointing 1-1 draw at the hands of SL Benfica, in which they were somewhat lucky to get one point. On the other hand, Chelsea FC are coming off of 2-0 home win against Bayer Leverkusen. Despite not playing that well in the match, the Blues found a way to get the full three points in their first UEFA Champions League fixture of 2011-12.

United’s last battle with Chelsea at Old Trafford surely left a bitter taste for the Blues, who saw their hopes of a back-to-back Premier League titles essentially evaporate in a 2-1 defeat. Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping for more of the same from his Red Devils, but new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is the one standing in his way.
Player to Watch for Chelsea: Juan Mata
Spanish winger Juan Mata has already shown that he has what it takes to tear apart Premier League defences. The former Valencia midfielder has scored in two out of three games for  the Blues, including earlier this week in the Champions League. He is the in-form man at the moment for Villas-Boas. Can he pick apart United’s defence at Old Trafford? Surely, but he’s going to need  help from the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres to pull it off.
Player to Watch for Manchester United: David de Gea
David de Gea is once again United’s player to watch this Sunday. The Spanish U-21 international will be hoping for back-to-back clean-sheets for the first time in his short United career. If the pressure wasn’t  on De Gea before, it surely is now. After Anders Lindegaard’s fine performance at Benfica in the Champions League, De Gea needs to show Sir Alex Ferguson that he is United’s first-team keeper.
Prediction: In an evening matched game you can’t go against United, especially at Old Trafford. 2-1 Red Devils.

Premier League - Gerrard set to miss Spurs game

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish insists the club are taking a common sense approach to Steven Gerrard's long-awaited return from injury.

It seems the captain is unlikely to be ready to face Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday but could be brought back for his first appearance since March in the Carling Cup tie at Brighton on Wednesday. The England midfielder has not featured since having a groin operation six months ago.

"Steven is progressing very well, Martin Kelly is back training and Fabio (Aurelio) is close to coming back to joining us also," said the Scot. "We will pick and choose when it is best suited for Steven, whichever games suits him best. We will analyse his recovery and how the progress is; we will do the same for Martin Kelly as we will do for Steven."
"We will just see what is right for Steven. There is no rush from us or from him because it has to be common sense. Everyone who is asked to play will be fit enough to play."
Dalglish's only real injury concern is defender Glen Johnson, who made his first appearance of the season as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat at Stoke on Saturday only to suffer a recurrence of a hamstring problem which he sustained in the Reds' final friendly at home to Valencia over a month ago.
Suggestions are the England defender could be out for another four weeks but Dalglish said they were still waiting for medical reports to determine the extent of the injury.
"We've only got Glen Johnson (injured) really. We are just waiting for some tests to come back and wait for the results," he added.
In the wake of that Stoke defeat Dalglish voiced his frustration at a number of decisions which he believes have gone against his side this season. He met Mike Riley, general manager of Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, on Monday and felt it had been a useful exercise.
"Everyone can speak to Mike Riley. He was coming here any way so it never made any difference," said the Reds boss. "He is very approachable and will speak to any manager who wants to speak with him. It is not as if we've had any preferential treatment. Mike will visit all the clubs and so he should, we should all work together.
"We want to continue treating them (referees) with respect and dignity and I don't think we have failed on that point. They say it evens itself out over the season - so we've got a lot to look forward to I think. But decisions are going to go against us in the future, they are going to go against everyone at some stage."

Villas-Boas must help Chelsea evolve

Andre Villas-Boas has certainly got off to a decent start as Chelsea manager. While the two Manchester clubs have been grabbing all the headlines with various demolition jobs, the Blues have snuck quietly under the radar.  

While they have not matched United and City in terms of thrills, they are still for the most part getting the results. Indeed, they were the only British side to win in Europe this week, and would be level on points at the top of the Premier League were it not for that opening-day draw at Stoke.
But the trip to Old Trafford will undoubtedly be the biggest test of his career in England so far, and Villas-Boas has to be decisive. Will he put a great show of faith in Daniel Sturridge and start him or stick with Fernando Torres? Does he have the courage in his convictions to drop Frank Lampard for the second game in a row?
Although Torres is not the same player who once terrorised United, he should still have enough experience to keep his place ahead of the younger, quicker Sturridge. But Chelsea do need some degree of pace in their team if they are going to try and get something away to the champions, and that could mean Lampard making way for Raul Meireles. The new signing from Liverpool is not exactly the quickest himself, but to play with Lampard at this stage of his career is to accept that your midfield will lack energy and pace.
Villas-Boas has already shown he can make big decisions as and when he sees fit, such as when he substituted Salomon Kalou against West Brom after just 35 minutes, or when he has benched Torres and Lampard.
Omitting those two stars was down to resting them for the subsequent games, but he needs to start reshaping this Chelsea team sooner or later.
The Porto team he guided to such great success last season was a joy to behold, full of speed and attacking intent. It will not be possible for him to make that happen overnight at Stamford Bridge, but it is surely why Roman Abramovich pushed so hard to get him. It would be odd for the Russian to pay such a huge amount of money in compensation for a manager if he is not going to let him do things his way. What is the point in spending £13.5 million if he just wants a puppet in the dugout for him to manipulate?
No Chelsea manager has deviated too far away from the template laid down by Jose Mourinho, and for good reason. It has brought in a certain amount of success since his departure, just not as much as Abramovich would have liked given the resources he has pumped into the club.
That is why Villas-Boas is here, to bring the trophies to the club but also to win them in the right way. There must only be so long the club's benefactor can keep patience with watching his obscenely expensive team grind out efficient victories, especially when he looks at the amazing transformation in Manchester City since the start of the season.
As I said earlier in the week, it is far too early to write the title race off as an all-Manchester affair. Chelsea will still have a big say in the destination of the trophy this season. But it looks like they will gradually get left behind if they fail to evolve.

Premier League - Fabregas: I did not slate Arsenal

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has denied giving an interview in which he was quoted as saying it was "hard to see" former club Arsenal winning the Barclays Premier League or Champions League "in the near future".

The Spain international, who returned to his boyhood club this summer, was reported to have told 'Sport' magazine that uncertainty over the Gunners' short-term goals played a part in his decision to leave.
However, the 24-year-old took to his Twitter account to deny ever making such comments. He posted: "Id never speak 1 bad word abt AFC, here there's once more prove that so many people put in newspaper wtv they want and its not professional."
He continued: "I want Arsenal to be successful as much as every single fan. Thats not why i left, it was never in my mind. AFC made me who i am today.
"And nobody will ever change that. I never gave any interview away since my press conference at my presentation and there i just said the truth and what came out of my heart. Great words abt this great football club cause that just what they deserve: success and trophies.
"People can h8 me 4 leaving or remember that i gave my all for the club. But me talking 1 bad word or saying smthng against AFC will not seen."
Fabregas was quoted by 'Sport' magazine as having said: "I want to be in a club that is able to win the big titles year after year and I don't see that kind of future for Arsenal.
"I still have many feelings for Arsenal, but I fear that they won't be able to push the other big clubs in England away.
"If you look at the team this season I can't see them finishing in front of teams like Manchester United or [Manchester] City, or Chelsea. There's just too big a difference between the squads.
"I respect that Arsenal don't have the same financial opportunities as the others, but it was part of my decision to leave that I find it hard to see Arsenal winning the Premier League or Champions League in the near future."