Real Madrid will have to implement a more belligerent stance than they did in the Bernabeu, though they will not switch their team about in too great a fashion for this encounter. Mesut Ozil must be given a more critical role, while Emmanuel Adebayor should be deployed in attack to unsettle the home defense with his physical attributes.

Jose Mourinho will not be in the dugout following his dismissal last week, while Pepe and Sergio Ramos are both banned, posing troubles to the defensive unit. Midfielders Sami Khedira and Fernando Gago are injured.

It is worth commenting on the fact that Barcelona will have some serious injury apprehensions ahead of the second-leg of the Champions League semi-final, before mentioning the pride excitement, belligerence and stupidity of El Clasico matches. Eric Abidal, French left back is unavailable following surgery, while Skipper Carles Puyol is out. Real Madrid need to collect at least two goals against the Barca side cannot afford to be left lacking at the back. However, Andres Iniesta is likely to make an appropriate come back.

The internet sportsbooks betting sites have Barcelona as favorites. In the betting picks, Barcelona is 7/10 and Real Madrid is 21/5.

Barcelona failed to deal with Arsenal squad’s cross from the right. In-form Gael Clichy made full use of this opportunity by firing superbly lofted ball down the left channel. However, Barcelona played brilliantly in the first half. In the 26th minute, came the first goal. David Villa continued onside slot it into the back of the net, with Arsenal’s defense sound asleep.

Prior to this match, Barcelona was never beaten by Arsenal. David Villa scored a goal in the 26th minute. A goal by Lionel Messi was disallowed as well. On 78th minute, Robin van Persie, on the field with great pace, scored a goal from the narrowest of angles to make it 1-1. The goal that resulted in Arsenal victory came from Ashravin in the 83 rd minute. His header killed off the match for Barca. Arsenal’s remarkable comeback was aided by Szczesny, who had been smart to save a couple of solid Barca chances.

At the weekend, record of sixteen straight victories in La Liga for Barcelona was broken. In this season, this was their second significant defeat. Barcelona had been in best of forms and was alleged to be the current best squad in the world.

David Villa claims that it was unfortunate that Barcelona lost to Arsenal in their UEFA Champions League clash. He felt that Pep Guardiola’s side was the one, which with a first-leg lead should have headed home.

On 8th March, Barcelona will play against the Gunners and they will be looking to overturn a 2-1 deficit. Villa believes that his team should have made more opportunities to score in London. He is confident that Barca will book their place in the quarterfinals, succeeding over the course of the two-legged tie.

Meanwhile, Arsenal next game is with Leyton Orient in the FA cup match. The Gunners will be full of confidence after beating Barca. The best betting odds on Arsenal FC is 33/100 and Leyton Orient is 9/1, as on various betting sites.

Referee Dougie McDonald resigned and his boss, Hugh Dallas, has been sacked, while category one officials went on strike on Saturday.

Following an investigation by chief executive Stewart Regan, SFA head of referee development Dallas left on Friday, after the former World Cup official was accused of sending an e-mail deemed to be offensive about the Pope.

That came a day before category one referees went on strike. Foreign officials at Scottish Premier League games and the postponement of all other senior fixtures, after complains about criticism of recent performances and decisions.

McDonald retired from refereeing due to mounting pressure on the question why on 17 October; he overturned his own decision to award Celtic a penalty against Dundee United.

FIFA refs’ boss Cumming said, “Dougie McDonald is one situation. But, before Dougie McDonald, you also have the Willie Collum thing a few weeks earlier. That was the time when you wanted someone to come out and say this has gone too far. Celtic had to be addressed face on, but what’s happened is that people go round in circles not mentioning Celtic, but Celtic were the prime movers in what has happened in the last few months.”

Seeking clarification of a penalty awarded by Collum to Rangers, Celtic had written to the SFA. Cumming believes it was then that the governing body had to act.

Cumming added, “This crisis could have been avoided with some earlier support from the SFA”. He also admitted that McDonald’s departure was inevitable.

Frank McGarvey, former Celtic striker urged Celtic supporters to end claims bias against their club and reduce the pressure on officials.

He said, “It’s time for Celtic fans to move on for the sake of Scottish football. People at Celtic should be talking about how they will win the league, not about conspiracies. There are no conspiracies. I’ve been there. I played for Celtic at Ibrox when we were 2-0 down at half time and got two penalties in the second half, when one of our players hadn’t been touched.

He added, “I always thought that decisions evened themselves out over the course of the season and, if anything, the big teams got the calls against the smaller teams.”

In the heat of the media spotlight immediately after games, the managers should be banned from criticizing referees, believes McGarvey. He also believes that it would be better if referees should be willing to publicly explain controversial decisions.

As Liverpool stumbled from the start, opening the season with two wins and two defeats, the doubters were proven correct almost from the start. As Liverpool faltered in the UEFA Champions League group stages and the Carling Cup early on, their struggles were not limited to the Premier League only. Arsenal eliminated Liverpool in the fourth round of the Carling Cup, and a three match winless streak in the Champions League that featured two defeats and a draw ensured their elimination from Europe’s most prestigious club competition. When Liverpool were eliminated from the FA Cup in the third round by Football League Championship side Reading, their season bottomed out in January. These dismal performances reduced Liverpool’s soccer betting online odds.

However, as the Reds thrived in the second tier UEFA Europa League and made a push to retain their spot in the top four of the Premier League, it appeared as though they might salvage their season late on. In the end however, the Reds were eliminated by Spanish side Atletico Madrid in the semifinals of the Europa League and suffered a worse fate in the Premier League. The form that Manchester City and Tottenham had down the stretch, Liverpool simply couldn’t maintain that consistent form. The Reds ended their season meagerly with a 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea and a 0-0 draw away to Hull City, leaving Tottenham to take their place in the top four.

With 23 points off the pace set by Chelsea and seven points behind fourth place Tottenham, the Liverpool finished seventh place in the Premier League standings. By virtue of Portsmouth ineligibility, the Reds will appear next season in the UEFA Europa League, a far cry from their annual appearances in the Champions League.

In the Western Conference, the San Jose Earthquakes enter the month of May with three wins. This lands the Earthquakes in a position at the bottom three of the Western Conference table.

On Saturday, May 8, the New York Red Bulls will travel to San Jose to take on the Earthquakes. Buck Shaw Stadium is expected to have a large crowd, perhaps even filling the stadium’s capacity of more than 10,000 seats. At 7:00 PM Pacific Time (10:00 PM Eastern Time), the referee will blow the whistle to initiate the kickoff for this interesting clash.

So who exactly is the favorite to win this match? well, all of the statistics point to New York. Consistency has been the pattern for the Red Bulls, who’ve scored two goals in each of their last four games. Meanwhile, the Earthquakes had some tough losses this season, as they’ve conceded three goals in several matches. Heading into the game, New York seems better offensively and defensively, and a draw is an unlikely result. New York’s leading striker Juan Pablo Angel is expected to increase his scoring stats, as he already has four goals for the season. Earthquake’s Chris Wondolowski will have to be on top of his attacking game to match Angel’s firepower.