1StSportCorner

The Coca-Cola Standings at 19

2008-10-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

P W D L F A Pts
1 Wolverhampton 11 8 1 2 26 14 25
2 Birmingham 11 7 3 1 14 7 24
3 Reading 11 6 2 3 27 13 20
4 Cardiff 11 4 6 1 13 9 18
5 Sheff Wed 11 5 3 3 13 18 18
6 Sheff Utd 11 5 2 4 15 8 17
7 QPR 11 5 2 4 13 12 17
8 Preston 11 5 2 4 14 15 17
9 Bristol City 11 4 4 3 14 12 16
10 Derby 11 4 4 3 12 11 16
11 Swansea 11 4 4 3 14 15 16
12 Burnley 11 4 4 3 14 16 16
13 Plymouth 11 4 3 4 15 13 15
14 Crystal Palac 11 4 3 4 13 11 15
15 Coventry 11 4 3 4 13 12 15
16 Watford 11 4 2 5 16 16 14
17 Blackpool 11 3 5 3 8 10 14
18 Ipswich 11 3 4 4 16 13 13
19 Charlton 11 4 1 6 12 14 13
20 Southampton 11 3 2 6 11 18 11
21 Norwich 11 2 4 5 8 13 10
22 Barnsley 11 2 2 7 8 15 8
23 Doncaster 11 2 2 7 5 17 8
24 Nottm Forest 11 1 2 8 8 20 5

Barclays Premier League Standings at 20 October 2008

2008-10-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

P W D L F A Pts
1 Chelsea 8 6 2 0 19 3 20
2 Liverpool 8 6 2 0 13 6 20
3 Hull 8 5 2 1 11 11 17
4 Arsenal 8 5 1 2 16 6 16
5 Man Utd 7 4 2 1 12 4 14
6 Aston Villa 8 4 2 2 12 10 14
7 Portsmouth 8 4 1 3 9 13 13
8 West Ham 8 4 0 4 14 14 12
9 Blackburn 8 3 2 3 8 14 11
10 Man City 8 3 1 4 20 14 1
11 West Brom 8 3 1 4 7 11 10
12 Sunderland 8 2 3 3 7 9 9
13 Middlesbroug 8 3 0 5 7 14 9
14 Wigan 8 2 2 4 11 9 8
15 Bolton 8 2 2 4 8 10 8
16 Everton 8 2 2 4 12 18 8
17 Fulham 7 2 1 4 5 7 7
18 Stoke 8 2 1 5 10 15 7
19 Newcastle 8 1 3 4 9 15 6
20 Tottenham 8 0 2 6 5 12 2

Champions League - Tables

2008-10-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

Group A

P W D L F A Pts
Chelsea 2 1 1 0 4 0 4
CFR Cluj 2 1 1 0 2 1 4
Roma 2 1 0 1 4 3 3
Bordeaux 2 0 0 2 1 7 0

Group B

Anorthosis 2 1 1 0 3 1 4
Inter 2 1 1 0 3 1 4
Werder Bremen 2 0 2 0 1 1 2
Panathinaikos 2 0 0 2 1 5 0

Group C
P W D L F A Pts
Barcelona 2 2 0 0 5 2 6
Shakhtar Donetsk 2 1 0 1 3 3 3
Basle 2 1 0 1 3 3 3
Sporting Lisbon 2 0 0 2 1 4 0

Group D

Atletico Madrid 2 2 0 0 5 1 6
Liverpool 2 2 0 0 5 2 6
Marseille 2 0 0 2 2 4 0
PSV Eindhoven 2 0 0 2 1 6 0

Group E
P W D L F A Pts
Manchester United 2 1 1 0 3 0 4
Villarreal 2 1 1 0 1 0 4
Celtic 2 0 1 1 0 1 1
AAB Aalborg 2 0 1 1 0 3 1

Group F

Bayern Munich 2 1 1 0 2 1 4
Fiorentina 2 0 2 0 2 2 2
Lyon 2 0 2 0 3 3 2
Steaua Bucharest 2 0 1 1 0 1 1

Group G
P W D L F A Pts
Arsenal 2 1 1 0 5 1 4
Porto 2 1 0 1 3 5 3
Dynamo Kiev 2 0 2 0 1 1 2
Fenerbahce 2 0 1 1 1 3 1

Group H

Real Madrid 2 2 0 0 4 1 6
Juventus 2 1 1 0 3 2 4
BATE 2 0 1 1 2 4 1

Dutch KPN Eredivisie

2008-10-23T07:53:00.001-07:00

Den Haag 2-0 Volendam
Ajax 1-0 Groningen
FC Twente 2-0 Heracles
NAC Breda 2-1 PSV
Roda 2-2 Heerenveen
Nijmegen 3-1 Vitesse
De Grafsch'p 0-2 Alkmaar
Willem II 1-0 Feyenoord
Sparta 1-0 Utrecht

Italian Serie A

2008-10-23T07:52:00.001-07:00

Fiorentina 3-0 Reggina
Napoli 2-1 Juventus
Bologna 3-1 Lazio
Roma 0-4 Inter
Lecce 2-2 Udinese
Torino 0-1 Cagliari
Milan 3-0 Sampdoria
Genoa 1-0 Siena
Catania 2-0 Palermo
Chievo 1-1 Atalanta

Mourinho: I'll return to England

2008-10-23T07:44:00.004-07:00

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had announced that he wants to return to coach in
the Premier League when his deal with Inter Milan expires. The Portuguese coach watched
his side return to the top of Serie A with a 4-0 thumping of Roma, and then revealed his wish to come back to England. Mourinho's contract with Inter is due to expire after the 2010-2011 season, and he said: "I have a contract with Inter, but when it finishes I will definitely return to the Premier League. "I am in love with the English league, I like it a lot. I think that's what I want to do after Inter. I'll definitely return. "Everyone says that I want to go to Spain, that I want to be the coach of my national team. It's not true. I want to return to England after Inter Milan." The 45-year-old led Chelsea to back-to-back Premiership titles before leaving in September last year following a bust-up with owner Roman Abramovich.

Spanish La Liga

2008-10-23T07:44:00.003-07:00

Atletico 1-2 Real Madrid
Espanyol 0-0 Villarreal
Valladolid 1-1 Recreativo
Gijon 2-1 Osasuna
Betis 3-0 Mallorca
Malaga 2-1 Getafe
Valencia 4-0 Numancia
Santander 0-0 Deportivo
Bilbao 0-1 Barcelona
Almeria 0-1 Sevilla

Polish Elekstraklasa

2008-10-23T07:44:00.001-07:00

Odra 1-1 Jagiellonia
KSP Polonia 1-1 Cracovia
Slask 2-1 Arka
LKS Lodz 0-0 Legia
Wisla Krakow 2-0 Piast Gliwice
Bytom 1-2 Belchatow
Lechia Sun Gornik Zabrze
Ruch Sun Lech Poznan

German Bundesliga scores

2008-10-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

Bochum 2-2 M'gladbach
Cologne 1-0 Cottbus
Hanover 2-5 Hoffenheim
Hertha 2-1 Stuttgart
Wolfsburg 4-1 Arminia
Bremen 3-3 Dortmund
Karlsruhe 0-1 Bayern
Frankfurt 0-2 Leverkusen
Hamburg 1-1 Schalke

World Cup 2010 - European qualifying

2008-10-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Group 1

P W D L F A Pts

Denmark 3 2 1 0 6 2 7
Hungary 4 2 1 1 4 2 7
Portugal 4 1 2 1 6 3 5
Albania 4 1 2 1 3 2 5
Sweden 3 1 2 0 2 1 5
Malta 4 0 0 4 0 11 0

Group 2

P W D L F A Pts

Greece 4 3 0 1 9 2 9
Israel 4 2 2 0 8 5 8
Switzerland 4 2 1 1 7 6 7
Latvia 4 1 1 2 4 7 4
Luxembourg 4 1 1 2 3 7 4
Moldova 4 0 1 3 2 7 1

Group 3

P W D L F A Pts

Slovakia 4 3 0 1 8 5 9
Poland 4 2 1 1 6 4 7
Slovenia 4 2 1 1 5 3 7
Northern Ireland4 1 1 2 5 4 4
Czech Republic 3 1 1 1 2 2 4
San Marino 3 0 0 3 1 9 0

Group 4

P W D L F A Pts

Germany 4 3 1 0 12 4 10
Russia 3 2 0 1 6 3 6
Wales 4 2 0 2 4 3 6
Finland 3 1 1 1 4 6 4
Azerbaijan 3 0 1 2 0 2 1
Liechtenstein 3 0 1 2 0 8 1

Group 5

P W D L F A Pts

Spain 4 4 0 0 10 1 12
Turkey 4 2 2 0 5 2 8
Belgium 4 2 1 1 7 5 7
Bosnia 4 2 0 2 12 4 6
Estonia 4 0 1 3 2 13 1
Armenia 4 0 0 4 1 12 0

Group 6

P W D L F A Pts

England 4 4 0 0 14 3 12
Croatia 4 2 1 1 8 4 7
Ukraine 3 2 1 0 4 1 7
Belarus 3 1 0 2 4 5 3
Kazakhstan 4 1 0 3 5 11 3
Andorra 4 0 0 4 1 12 0

Group 7

P W D L F A Pts

Serbia 4 3 0 1 9 3 9
Lithuania 4 3 0 1 6 3 9
Austria 4 1 1 2 5 7 4
Romania 3 1 1 1 3 5 4
France 3 1 1 1 5 6 4
Faroe Islands 4 0 1 3 1 5 1

Group 8

P W D L F A Pts

Italy 4 3 1 0 6 2 10
Rep of Ireland3 2 1 0 3 1 7
Bulgaria 3 0 3 0 2 2 3
Montenegro 3 0 2 1 3 4 2
Georgia 4 0 2 2 2 5 2
Cyprus 3 0 1 2 2 4 1

Group 9

P W D L F A Pts

Holland 3 3 0 0 5 1 9
Scotland 3 1 1 1 2 2 4
Iceland 4 1 1 2 4 6 4
Macedonia 3 1 0 2 2 3 3
Norway 3 0 2 1 2 3 2

Steaua v Lyon

2008-10-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

Steaua Bucharest boss Marius Lacatus has an almost fully- fit squad to choose from as the Romanians host Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday. Bit-part defender Ifeanyi Emeghara is the only absentee of note for Steaua, who are yet to score a goal in two Group F matches to date. French champions Lyon welcome back Italy left-back Fabio Grosso, who is fit and available along with Kader Keita and Cesar Delgado. But Mathieu Bodmer and John Mensah miss out after joining an injury list which still features Francois Clerc and striker Sidney Govou.

Porto v Dynamo Kiev

2008-10-23T07:25:00.001-07:00

Porto boss Jesualdo Ferreira brings back the big guns for Tuesday's Champions League Group G clash with Dynamo Kiev at the Estadio Dragao. Key midfielders Raul Meireles and Lucho Gonzalez are among six players who return having been rested for the domestic cup tie against Sertanense. Fredy Guarin, Bruno Alves, Cristian Rodriguez and Cristian Sapunaru are also back in the 18-man squad as the hosts aim to bounce back from a 4-0 drubbing at Arsenal in their last European fixture. Dynamo take a 22-man squad to Portugal as they aim for a first win of the campaign. Yuri Semin's side come into the game on the back of a 5-0 victory over FC Zorya in the Ukrainian league, and the coach is spoilt for choice in the striking department. Ismael Bangoura and Artem Milevsky will hope to continue their partnership, with Maksim Shatskikh another option.

Bayern v Fiorentina

2008-10-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

Bayern striker Luca Toni could miss the Group F Champions League clash with former club Fiorentina on Tuesday because of bruised ribs. Toni moved from the Italian club in 2007 and scored 24 goals last term but has just three goals so far this season and is unlikely to be risked.
Miroslav Klose hurt his calf in the 1-0 win over Karlsruhe at the weekend, while Franck
Ribery was also substitutedbut both are expected to play. Fiorentina are likely to include Adrian Mutu, who has missed his side's past two Serie A fixtures after suffering a recurrence of an elbow injury.

Zenit v BATE Borisov

2008-10-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

The visitors welcome back defender Anri Khagush, who missed the 2-2 draw at Juventus following his sending-off at Real Madrid in BATE's opener back in September. Teenage midfielder Maksim Zhavnerchik is unlikely to feature because of an ongoing dispute with his manager.

Together Toon give Taylor hope

2008-10-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hometown hero Steven Taylor believes Newcastle's new-found "siege mentality" can yield a first home win in the league since August when Manchester City visit Tyneside on Monday. The Geordie defender's goal sparked a revival at Everton which saw Joe Kinnear's first game end in a 2-2 draw. And Taylor is putting the renewed spirit at St James's Park down to the influence of the caretaker manager. "The lads had been feeling a bit sorry for themselves," said the England U21 captain. "But it has been fantastic since Joe Kinnear came in - he has come to the club and lifted us all. "There is a bit of a siege mentality going on. We are all looking ahead to Man City and taking all of the confidence we have built up into that game. "We are long overdue a home win in this one. We showed the fighting spirit at Everton and now we want to see more of it. We have a good chance."

Micah sets sights on England

2008-10-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

Micah Richards has underlined his determination to win back a place in the England team and play in the World Cup finals. The Manchester City defender has not played under Fabio Capello, his last appearance for his country being in the 3-2 defeat to Croatia at Wembley stadium 12 months ago. "I'd played 11 games, been constantly hyped in the media and I thought I had a good chance of keeping my place," Richards told The Guardian. "Then I got an injury and ever since then I don't know why it is, but I can't get back in to the picture. I do believe I should be in the squad."

Heskey eager for Anfield return

2008-10-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

Wigan striker Emile Heskey has admitted that "a move to Liverpool would be lovely". The 30-year-old, who earned his 50th cap for England in this week's World Cup qualifier against Belarus, left Anfield four years ago after playing over 100 games for the club but appears keen
to return. "Everyone wants to play in Europe at the highest level," said Heskey. "A move to
Liverpool would be lovely. "Everyone knows that I'm in the last year of my contract so speculation is bound to happen. You just have to take it with a pinch of salt and and carry on playing. "I am just going to keep my options open and give my all for Wigan," added Heskey, who is likely to lead the Latics' line against the Reds in Saturday's Premier League encounter. "In my position I can afford to do that. I've been in putting in some good performances and people appreciate that."

Bruce issues Heskey warning

2008-10-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Wigan manager Steve Bruce believes Emile Heskey may risk missing out on playing for England at the next World Cup if he leaves the JJB. The revitalised hitman has admitted he would be tempted by a return to Anfield next summer, when his contract at Wigan is due to expire.
But Bruce cautioned: "What he has to remember of course is that if he goes to Liverpool or wherever, is he going to play week-in, week-out? "The big thing Emile will have on his mind is to be in condition in 18 months to go to the World Cup. Why not stay here and do that?"That is the conversation I will be having with him. I haven't given up hope of keeping him here and neither has the chairman, to be fair.

Bruce ponders shuffle of pack

2008-10-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Maynor Figueroa and Wilson Palacios only arrived back on Friday morning having featured in Honduras 1-0 midweek defeat to Jamaica in Kingston. Bruce will also run the rule over midfield tyro Jason Koumas and defender Paul Scharner before finally deciding on his starting line-up.

Fuller set for Stoke bench duty

2008-10-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

Stoke boss Tony Pulis will give a late check to striker Ricardo Fuller, who has returned from international duty with Jamaica, ahead of Sunday's Sky Live clash with lowly Tottenham. Mamady Sidibe is on standby to start, while Abdoulaye Faye will undergo a late fitness test on a niggling groin strain. Winger Liam Lawrence is still indisposed with a sprained ankle and defender Andrew Davies (knee) has suffered a setback in his recuperation. Tottenham boss Juande Ramos will make a late decision on Roman Pavlyuchenko's fitness ahead of the trip to the Britannia Stadium.Winger Liam Lawrence is still indisposed with a sprained ankle and defender Andrew Davies (knee) has suffered a setback in his recuperation. Tottenham boss Juande Ramos will make a late decision on Roman Pavlyuchenko's fitness ahead of the trip to the Britannia Stadium.

Pulis has faith in Senegal trio

2008-10-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

Stoke boss Tony Pulis insists the club's Senegalese players are keen to put their World Cup heartache behind them and focus on helping the Potters climb up the table. Salif Diao, Abdoulaye Faye and Ibrahima Sonko witnessed the angry scenes after Senegal's 1-1 draw with Gambia. This result ended their hopes of qualification and furious fans set fire to the football federation headquarters afterwards, but Pulis feels the trio are mentally ready to face Tottenham on Sunday. He said: "They are all fine. The three of them were down in the dumps when they got back. "But I'm sure they will put that experience behind them now and give their best for Stoke City at the weekend. Faye returned to the club with a slight hamstring injury, but Pulis is confident he will be fit. "The chances of Abdoulaye being fit are more with us than against us," he said.

Barclays Premier League - Sat 18 Oct Latest

2008-10-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

MIDDLESBROUGH 0-2 CHELSEA
Kalou 14
Belletti 51

Palace duo set to face Tykes

2008-10-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Crystal Palace are likely to have defenders Matt Lawrence and Paddy McCarthy fit for the Sky Live Championship showdown with Barnsley on Saturday. Lawrence has had a pain- killing injection on his groin injury, while McCarthy should play despite dislocating a shoulder only two weeks ago. The game is likely to come too soon for striker Alan Lee (hamstring), while neither
Calvin Andrew nor James Scowcroft is ready to return. Barnsley make the trip to south London without centre-half Darren Moore, who is banned following his sending-off at Doncaster this month. Simon Davey is expected to switch Stephen Foster inside, with Bobby Hassell a candidate to come in at right-back. Davey also has midfielder Hugo Colace fit following an ankle injury, while winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce should feature despite a busy fortnight on international duty with Jamaica.

Petrov to miss Newcastle clash

2008-10-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

Newcastle striker Michael Owen has been ruled out of Monday's Premier League clash against Manchester City after suffering a groin strain. The Magpies, however, could be boosted by the return of Habib Beye (Achilles) and Jonas Gutierrez (fractured collarbone), who are both fit. Striker Obafemi Martins (knee) is rated at 50-50, but Joey Barton is still suspended and Mark Viduka (Achilles) and Alan Smith (stress fracture) are both on the injury list. Manchester City winger Martin Petrov will miss the away clash against Newcastle after picking up knee ligament damage. Petrov faces a spell on the sidelines after sustaining the injury while on international duty with Bulgaria, and defender Pablo Zabaleta also is ruled out through suspension. Robinho suffered a minor knock during Brazil's match agains Colombia, but he has been passed fit to play.

FA: No decision on Cup base

2008-10-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Football Association has denied reports it has already identified England's training camp for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. The national governing body has insisted the priority is still ensuring that Fabio Capello's side qualify for the finals after missing out on Euro 2008.
An FA statement read: "Further to a newspaper report, the FA can confirm that no hotel or
training camp has been chosen or identified as the preferred base for the England team.
"At this stage the team management want the focus to centre on each qualifying match as we play it. "We fully understand there is a long way to go in the qualifying group. However, like all other countries we have to plan ahead, so we are ready. "When the team management do visit South Africa, we will provide numerous options to consider. They would need to factor in altitude and climate."

City must cope without Petrov

2008-10-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Striker Obafemi Martins (knee) is rated at 50-50, but Joey Barton is still suspended and Mark Viduka (Achilles) and Alan Smith (stress fracture) are both on the injury list. Manchester City winger Martin Petrov will miss the away clash against Newcastle after picking up knee ligament damage. Petrov faces a spell on the sidelines after sustaining the injury while on international duty with Bulgaria, and defender Pablo Zabaleta also is ruled out through suspension. Robinho suffered a minor knock during Brazil's match against Colombia, but is expected to take his place.

Inverness CT 0-1 Celtic

2008-10-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

Inverness CT 0-2 Celtic
S Brown 47
G Loovens 64
I Black 27 M Crosas 39
S Brown 44
Referee: I Brines

Inverness CT M Fraser, R Tokely, P McGuire (J Duff 53), G Munro, R Hastings, D Cowie, R Duncan, I Black, D Imrie, R McBain, G Wood Subs not used R Esson, L Djebi-Zadi, B Wilson, A Rooney, Z Sutherland, I Vigurs Celtic A Boruc, G Caldwell (M Wilson 63), S McManus, G Loovens, L Naylor, A McGeady, S Brown, M Crosas, B Robson, S McDonald (C Sheridan 63), S Maloney Subs not used M Brown, P Hartley, P McCourt, S Nakamura, D O'Dea

Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea

2008-10-18T14:04:00.001-07:00

Middlesbrough R Turnbull, J Grounds, D Wheater, C Riggott, A Taylor, J Aliadiere, M Shawky, G O'Neil, A Johnson, S Downing, Mido Substitutes B Jones, D Digard, M Emnes, A Alves, J Bennett, J Johnson, J Walker Chelsea C Cudicini, J Bosingwa, J Terry, Alex, W Bridge, J Belletti, F Lampard, Mikel, S Kalou, N Anelka, F Malouda Substitutes H Hilario, B Ivanovic, S Sinclair, P Ferreira, Deco, M Mancienne, M Stoch

Middlesbrough 0-3 Chelsea
S Kalou 13, 52
J Belletti 50

G O'Neil 24 Referee: P Dowd

Bruce ponders shuffle of pack

2008-10-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

Maynor Figueroa and Wilson Palacios only arrived back on Friday morning having featuredin Honduras 1-0 midweek defeat to Jamaica in Kingston. Bruce will also run the rule over midfield tyro Jason Koumas and defender Paul Scharner before finally deciding on his starting line-up.