Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich Preview

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Real Madrid. Bayern Munich. 14 European Titles combined. 56 Domestic League Titles combined. 2 legendary clubs. 1 goal. Whenever two of the biggest clubs in Europe get together, it is a dazzling event. It becomes monumental when a berth in the Champions League Final is at stake.

Gareth Bale may not be a go, thanks to a nasty flu bug.

Despite all the glamour that is attached to these two sides, questions abound. Especially for Real Madrid. Gareth Bale, who was the hero for Real Madrid in their Copa del Rey final victory against Barcelona, suddenly went down with the flu during training. The Welsh International and former Tottenham star, is a breathtaking player on his best day, and if he can’t make the lineup, it could be a major blow for Real Madrid.

All signs point to Cristiano Ronaldo being in the lineup for Real Madrid.

The other question…

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Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea Preview

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The semifinals of the UEFA Champions League kickoff in Madrid, where Atletico Madrid and Chelsea square off. Both teams are coming off thrilling climaxes in the quarterfinal stage. Atletico held off Spanish rivals Barcelona, while Chelsea overcame a 3-1 deficit to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain.

Both sides are heavily involved in the title chases of their respective leagues. Atletico sit atop of the La Liga table, four points clear of second place Barcelona, and six points clear of third place Real Madrid. Chelsea sit second in the English Premier League, five points adrift of Liverpool.

Both teams will need to fight off the distractions of their domestic leagues, but both will have to be aware of the lineups they put out, as they try to balance out playing time for their squads. This could become a battle of attrition.

The most intriguing figure in this tie could very well be Diego…

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25 Years Later: The Hillsborough Disaster Deserves To Be Remembered

The Hillsborough disaster occurred on April 15th, 1989 at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England during the semi-finals for the Football Association (FA) semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham. This disaster occurred shortly before the game was supposed to kick off, when a human crush in the Leppings Lane end of the stadium — the west end — occurred. 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives, and another 766 were injured.

Hillsborough Stadium had suffered from a crush in the Leppings Lane end in 1981 that injured 38 people, broken bones were the most serious injuries reported, and that crush resulted in the dividing of the end into three separate “pens” for spectators to stand in.

There was another reported crush in 1988 too, but nothing was done about it by the City of Sheffield or by Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Continue Reading->

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Liverpool Tops City. Takes Control Of The Premier League

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The biggest league game in Merseyside in the last 20 years, was nothing short of a classic. With the silver anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster two days away, Liverpool recorded a stirring 3-2 result over challengers Manchester City, to take a 7 point lead over the Sky Blues, and remain in top spot of the table of the English Premier League.

Before the match started, Liverpool legends Kenny Daglish and Ian Rush were presented a wreath from Manchester City legends Mike Summerbee, Joe Corrigan and Tony Book that was shaped with the number 96, the amount of lives lost at Hillsborough. After a minute of silence, the crowd came to life and Liverpool fed off the passionate and rousing support from the Liverpool faithful.

With Liverpool attacking the famed Kop end in the first half, Raheem Sterling found the back of the net in the sixth minute, making Vincent Kompany…

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007 Reasons Why Liverpool Will Win It’s First Premiership Crown in 2014

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The English Premier League doesn’t have a playoff system to determine its champion. The team that accrues the most points during the regular season wins that crown. Having said that, Saturday’s visit to Anfield by Manchester City to take on current league leader Liverpool could be the next best thing to a playoff.

This year’s EPL campaign is headed for one of the most spectacular finishes in its 22-year history. Four points separate Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man City for the top three spots respectively, the race for the fourth Champions League spot sees Arsenal and Everton with a single point between them, and the race for the spots being contested by the pair of points separating Tottenham Hotspur and the post-Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United.

Man City and their gargantuan payroll seems to be the favorites of the British football punditry; the perception being that expenditure has given them the…

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More Information Comes To Light About the Portland Timbers’ Ticket Policies

Yesterday, I published an article about the Emerald City Supporters’ allegations that the Timbers charged the supporters group $45 tickets for a $27 ticket. That article was based on several tweets from the supporter group’s official Twitter account, and the picture they posted which clearly showed a $27 ticket.

The increased ticket price was actually the result of several factors that are a the way that the Timbers handle ticket sales to supporter group from opposing teams.

According to several people, the opposing supporter groups are put in section 223 and according to Portland’s official website tickets in that section have a base price of $25-$35. After that base price, there is a processing fee that ranges from $3.50 to $7 per ticket…depending on where you are sitting. And on top of that, according to this redditor, there is also a $10 fee for big games — like a rivalry: Continue Reading->

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The Portland Timbers Allegedly Overcharged Seattle Sounders FC Fans for Tickets

The last match between the Seattle Sounders FC and the Portland Timbers saw the Sounders overcome a three goal deficit, thanks to Clint Dempsey’s hat trick, to finish the match with a 4-4 draw. Dempsey’s hat trick has easily dominated the story lines regarding that match, and rightfully so. But there was a much smaller story that is getting ignored, and that’s the fact that the Timbers allegedly charged the Emerald City Supporters — an independent Sounders FC fan club – $45 for a $27 ticket: 

Continue Reading->

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Manchester United vs Bayern Munich Preview

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Two of the most glamorous teams in Europe will clash in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Manchester United and Bayern Munich have a rich history of success, as well as memorable meetings between the two sides.

However, both teams seem to be heading in opposite directions. Manchester United have struggled in the English Premier League, sitting in 7th place in the table. If that position holds, the Red Devils would not qualify for European Football on any level for the first time since 1989.

Bayern Munich, on the other hand, have already wrapped up the Bundesliga title, with a record seven games to spare. Die Roten could pull off a second straight treble, as they are in the semifinals of the DFB-Pokal (The German Cup) as well as gunning for their second straight Champions League title.

The history is well documented. United defeated Bayern 2-1 in a thrilling…

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SBM Exclusive: New Rules

For fans of Bill Maher and his HBO program Real Time with Bill Maher, you should be familiar with the New Rules concept he does at the end of each show. Maher does a terrific job at skewering politicians, pop culture and the general nonsense on this planet while getting good laughs in the process.  By no means am I as smart as Mr. Maher but I thought it would be novel to bring the concept of New Rules to the world of sport. Here’s some examples of what I think need to be New Rules in the world of sport.

New Rules: Part 8

New Rules: Part 7

New Rules: Part 6

New Rules: Part 5

New Rules: Part 4

New Rules: Part 3

New Rules: Part 2

New Rules: Part 1

Stay tuned…there’s more to come.

Mission Impossible For Arsenal

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There are many challenges to overcome for any club that wants to win the Champions League. The best slay the dragon, while the mere mortals go off quietly in a whimper. For Arsenal, their history is filled with whimpering. The North London club has never won Europe’s biggest prize, despite coming close in 2006, when they reached the finals only to lose to Barcelona.

In 2014, the Gunners face a daunting task. Down 2-0, Arsenal must travel to Allianz Arena where the defending European Champions Bayern Munich await them. It is one thing to face a 2-0 deficit. It is completely another when the best team in Europe holds that two goal edge. Especially when away goals matter so much in this competition.

The first leg back on February 19, was a controversial affair as Arsenal keeper Wojiech Szczesny was sent off in the 37th minute after he tripped Arjen…

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