Here are some of the stories we should be looking out for today in Sport…
Can Bayern extend their Lead?
Can Bayern go eight points clear? (Sports Illustrated)
Bayern Munich could go eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga today with a win over Hamburg. Munich scraped a draw last weekend against Hertha Berlin thanks to a late goal from goal threat Robert Lewandowski. Can he come to their rescue again against relegation threatened Hamburg. Should Hamburg get a miraculous victory they could move outside the relegation zone.
However Leipzig will hope to keep the pressure up on the Bavarians and close the gap as they host 7th place Koln. Leipzig picked up an important three points away to Borussia Monchengladbach. Should they lose today and Bayern win the title could be over. A must win game for Leipzig is needed.
Six Nations Returns
The rugby SIx Nations is back this weekend as Scotland host Wales and France travel to Ireland. Who will keep up the pressure on England, who are currently two points clear on Ireland. Let’s find out!
Raonic v Del Potro
Milos Raonic (Toronto Sun)
Milos Raonic and Juan Martin Del Potro will do battle in the semi-finals in Delray Beach. Raonic picked up an all important victory over Kyle Edmund last night, while Del Potro edged out defending champion Querrey. Can Del Potro tame the Canadian robot that is Raonic? We will find out!
Prediction: Del Potro in three sets, Wales win and Bayern 3-1 victory.
Ruch prove too much for a weary Legia (Andrzej Grygiel)
Legia Warsaw proved that the Europa League will be a distraction to their Ekstraklasa campaign as they were taken apart by bottom placed Ruch Chorzow 3-1 in a poor display.
The away side took the lead through a wonderful free-kick from Patryk Lipski after 14 minutes to go 1-0 ahead. Later in the half Legia had their chances with Guilherme having a shot saved Libor Hrdlicka. These saves from the 31 year old goalkeeper would prove pivotal as after 42 minutes Maciej Urbanczyk scored a worldie to make it 2-0. The second half saw the side in blue start it as they ended the third after taking a 3-0 lead through Jaroslaw Niezgoda. The away side however were reduced down to 10 men after Adam Pazio was sent off for a punch on Artur Jedrzejczyk. Legia provided a late consolation goal through Miroslav Radovic with six minutes to spare. It was not enough as third placed Legia fell to a 3-1 defeat.
This was a humiliating defeat for Legia which proved they do not have the squad to compete in Europe and compete for the title at the same time. In midweek they held Ajax to a 0-0 draw, and will hope for better success in Holland on Thursday. However this proved they do not have the squad to compete in both competitions as they lacked creativity to create those important chances. They missed the chance to go two points behind Lechia Gdansk.
For Ruch Chorzow it was a much needed win who have struggled with transfer and points deductions. They scored two world class goals that are good enough to win goal of the season in any league. The win for Lipski and Co lifts them off the bottom of the league, four points off safety.
Jagiellonia Firing
Jagiellonia Bialystok were firing on all cylinders on Friday evening as they blasted five past a poor Gornik Leczna. Two goals from star man Konstantin Vassiljev were the pick of the goals in a 5-0 win. Some beautiful passing allowed them to outsmart and pummel their opposition. For Gornik Leczna, despite a game in-hand I fear for them, they look poor defensively and should get relegated at the end of the season. It’s now about accumulating the most points heading into the championship and relegation play-offs for both teams.
Controversy on the Controversialist
Termalica grab controversial draw. (Adam Warzawa)
This site is called the Controversialist after all! There was controversy in Nieciecza after Bruk-Bet Termalica held Lechia Gdansk to a 1-1 draw. In a match full of momentum swings, Slawomir Peszko had thought he gave Gdansk the winner in the 73rd minute. However in stoppage time the referee gave Termalica a controversial penalty after Mario Maloca ‘handled’ the ball. In my opinion it was no way a penalty in a million years! It was given and Valdislavs Gutkovits converted to give the hosts a late point. Lechia Gdansk’s lead has been narrowed down to the one point.
This Weekend’s Other Talking Points
Poznan keep up the pressure, as Piast feel the heat!- Lech Poznan continued up their title chase with another 3-0 win, this time over Piast Gliwice. Radoslaw Majewski scored two of the goals to ensure Lech Poznan go level on points with Legia Warsaw.
Zaglebie edge Arka Gydnia- A 54th minute penalty from Filip Starzynski gave the three points to Lubin over Gdynia. They move into fifth.
Pogon and Cracovia left Frustrated- Pogon Szczecin and Cracovia were left frustrated after a 1-1 draw left both teams’ ambitions into nowhere. Main men Krzysztof Piatek and Adam Fraczczak were the goal scorers
Korona Kielce Impressive- Korona looked like the real deal on Saturday after a 4-2 win over Wisla Plock. Two goals from Jakub Kielb secured the win to boost the home team’s championship group.
Slask Wroclaw end six match to do Krakow double!- Finally my team Slask Wroclaw ended six matches without a win with a 1-0 win over Wisla Krakow. A 79th minute winner from Joan Angel Roman put Slask Wroclaw back into contention of a championship group place.
Finally….Here is the league table
Finally here is the league table after 22 games…. See you all next week!
This is a big game, for the fans, the players and the manager. So which Arsenal will turn up against an inspired Hull City today? Let’s preview….
Arsenal are coming off the back of a 3-1 humiliating defeat to Chelsea in a shambolic performance against the league leaders. A controversial goal from Marcos Alonso, which led to a concussed Hector Bellerin, plus goals from Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas were enough to grab the three points for the leaders, who are now 12 points above Arsenal. We are now in third and in danger of not being in the champions league next season, as we are producing spineless, gutless and humiliating performances week after week. It all starts with the manager who is not motivating the players and producing the wrong team selection week after week. We had pace but the wrong kind of pace, why was Danny Welbeck not in the team? What does Mesut Ozil have to do to not start a game? Where was Lucas Perez? Also ridiculously awful performances from Petr Cech and Francis Coquelin completed the embarrassing defeat. Remember Arsene Wenger gets paid 8.9 million a year to manage this team who produce the same diabolical results season after season. Anyway I have to try and preview this match after back to back defeats…
What Can We Expect From Hull City Today?
Since Marco Silva has arrived at Hull City they have picked up victories over Manchester United in the EFL Cup and Liverpool in the Premier League. After a poor start to the season under Mike Phelan, they have picked up form and currently sit in 18th with 20 points, one point of the relegation zone. They are expected to play a 4-2-3-1, formation similar to Arsenal with Alfred N’Diaye and Abel Hernandez expected to play a critical role. Marco Silva has a good record against Arsenal as he has already beaten them with Olympiakos at the Emirates Stadium, 3-2 in 2015 in the champions league. Hull should be playing with some serious threat today which should concern Arsenal fans and should be dangerous.
The Controversialist 