Learn English Through Football Podcast

Welcome everyone to the football podcast for learners of English. On this week's show we'll be looking back at some of the big football news from the past week and of course looking atA the World Cup qualifiers. We also have some new football language to explain, including 'glancing header', we also have a quiz question for you to ponder, and we finish with some predictions.A (Damon = DB). Learn English Through Football Podcast: World Cup Qualifiers November 2016 Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Podcast FAQ Transcript of the show DB: You're listening to languagecaster.com's football language podcast. Welcome everyone to the show for all fans of football who wish to learn more about the language of the beautiful game. My name is DamonA and I am talking to you from a sunny Tokyo where I'm looking forward to catching up with the week's World Cup qualifiers.A Damian is in Spain enjoying himself, so today it's just me listeners! Line up It's World Cup qualifiers so we're going to take a lookA at a few games at the end of the show. We will have our good, the bad and the ugly section, withA some of the footballing stories this week, a football phrase or two, includingA a glancing header, and a quiz question. OK, let's start with our good, the bad and the ugly section. Damon, what was good for you this week? Good Good for Brazil as they put in a performance against Argentina that helps ease the pain of the 7-1 defeat suffered in the World Cup against Germany. The Brazilians were playing at Belo Horizonte, the scene of their thrashing by the German side, but the outcome this time was much happier. A 3-0 victory over their fierce rivals puts Brazil top of the CONMEBOL qualifying table on 24 points and Argentina, strugglingA inA 6th, outside theA automatic qualifying places.A Bad And bad? Well, it was obviously bad for Argentina, but in another World Cup qualifying game featuring two massive rivals, Scotland were thumped, also 3-0, by England. This is the oldest international fixture, and when theA teams clash it is always a big game. This is theA first time the two sides have been in the same World Cup qualifying groups and Scotland came in to the game under pressure with only one win, a draw and a big defeat, to Slovakia. England, by contrast, were top of the table with seven points. The 3-0 defeat is bad for Scotland's qualifying hopes but also bad for Gordon Strachan, their manager, who looks as though he will be show the door, or fired, A at some point soon. Ugly Finally, ugly. Staying with the World Cup qualifiers, an ugly incident in the Romania versus Poland match saw flares thrown on the pitch:A one burning a while into the net of one goal and anotherA exploding near Polish captain, Robert Lewandowski. The game was suspended for a long period before it resumed with Poland running out 3-0 winners. There was also trouble in the stands to round off an ugly night for organisers of the match. Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com. And that was in Hindi. Now, we're looking for the message, 'You are listening to languagecaster.com' in another language, so, if you are interested in sending on your recording you can do so by emailing here us at [email protected]. Quiz question Right, before our football language section here is this week's quiz question. Can you name the last three Golden Boot winners from the competition, that'sA the World Cup - that is, which players scored the most goals in the last three World Cups - in 2014, 2010, and 2006. Just to jog your memory the Golden Boot winner in 2002 was Ronaldo, with eight goals. We'll have the answer at the end of the show. And if you'd like to ask a quiz question, drop us a line here at languagecaser.com. Right, next up we take a look at some of the football language from the week. Football Language:A aA Glancing header OK. Next let's look at a couple of football phrases. And first, is glancing header. In the England versus Scotland game on Friday, there were three headers scored, and the first by Daniel Sturridge was a glancing header.A To glance is a verb that means to have a quick look, but to glance off something means to hit something at a shallow, or narrow, angle and bounce off. A glancing header is when the player slightly touches the ball, changing its direction only a little. Especially at close range, a glancing header maintains the speed of the ball and can wrong foot the goalkeeper and defence. Football Language: a Winning streak Second is a phrase connected with a game IA have mentioned today. The phrase is winning streak, and it means winningA a number of games in a row, or on the trot. For example, if you win three games in a row, it is a winning streak of three games. If you win five games on the trot, it can be described as a five-game wi

2016-17 North London Derby: This weekend sees Arsenal taking on rivals Tottenham in a top of the table clash...

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This week we take a look at the 2018 World Cup qualifiers and focus on the phrases 'caretaker manager' and 'comprehensive victory'

Do you love football? Do you want to improve your English skills? Languagecaster's podcast has three sections: a review of the footballing news, football language explained, and our predictions battle - this week's games discussed are Hull City versus Chelsea, West Ham hosting Middlesbrough, and the stand out fixture - Tottenham Hotspur taking on unbeaten Manchester City.

Welcome to the podcast for English language learners who love football. In this week's podcast we look back at some of the big stories from the football week in our good, the bad and the ugly section, while we'll also be looking at some of the football language from the past week and of course we'll be looking ahead to the big games this weekend in our predictions battle - including Arsenal against Chelsea and Manchester United hosting Leicester City. You can read the transcript for the show in our post below (Damian = DF, Damon = DB). Learn English Through Football Podcast: Arsenal vs Chelsea and Man Utd vs Leicester Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Podcast FAQ Transcript of the show DF: You're listening to languagecaster's football podcast. Hello everyone, my name is Damian and I'm here in London where it is a beautiful September Saturday. Damon, how are things there in Tokyo? DB: A Hi Damian. Rain, rain and more rain here. So... so much so that my last two football games, one in the league and one in a cup competition have been called off! DF: Oh no, the games have been cancelled - that doesn't sound good at all. DB: Nope. Anyway, how about you Damian? I noticed from our instagram account that you were at the London Stadium watching West Ham this week? DF: Yes, that's right. I live very near the stadium here in east London so my brother, who is a West Ham fan, and I along with some friends went down to see the Hammers - that's West Ham's nickname of course - and they were playing against League Two side Accrington Stanley in the EFL Cup, which of course used to be known as the League Cup. Now, tickets for the game were much cheaper than usual - we paid only 10 pounds. DB:A So League Two actually means the fourth division or tier, right? DF: Yes, so we've got the Premier, then the Championship, then League One and then League Two. DB: Weird DF: Anyway... yes, I know it is weird isn't it, yes. So, although the underdogs from Accrington put up a brave fight the Premier League side ran out winners with a beautiful free-kick from their star player Dimitri Payet in the last minute. And West Ham will play London rivals Chelsea in the next round which will be fun, while of course our teams Damon - Liverpool and Tottenham - will face each other in the next round as well after both teams won convincingly in the same competition. What do you think of the next 'languagecaster derby'? DB:A The languagecaster derby! Well, the last one was a draw but that was at Tottenham's ground. I'm hoping home advantage and you fielding some of your reserves will see the Reds through to the quarters. DF: Yes, you could be right there. Anyway, Damon, what do we have on today's podcast? Line up and Quiz DB: Well, we will be taking a look back at some of the big football stories from the week and then after that we'll take a look at one or two of the football words and phrases that emerged from the football world this week - including 'an eye for goal' and 'to host' and then, of course, we'll finish with our look ahead to the big games from the Premier League in our predictions competition - Man United-Leicester looks an interesting game but perhaps the biggest match this weekend sees Arsenal hosting Chelsea - a London derby between two fierce rivals. DF: Yes indeed and don't forget that you can read the transcript for this week's football language podcast by coming along to our site here at languagecaster.com and opening up our latest podcast post. DB: That's right and we hope that the transcript helps with both learners and teachers of English. Now before we start our football review we have another football question for youA listeners. This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of Arsene Wenger taking over at Arsenal - so he became their new manager in 1996. We want to know how many times has he won the league title with Arsenal in that 20 year period. I know it is a painful question for you Damian as a Tottenham fan but we'll have the answer at the end of the show. DF: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com. Next up it's the good, the bad and the ugly section. So Damon what was good in the football world this week? Good DB: Well it was good for both Brazil and Ukraine at the Paralympics in Rio. The former won the 5-a-side tournament beating Iran and Brazil therefore retain their crown. Remember the 5-a-side game is for the visually impaired. In the 7-a-side game for athletes with cerebral palsy Ukraine won the gold defeating Iran in that final - poor Iran though, making both finals but losing in both. How about bad Damian? Bad DF: Well, despite an away win in the EFL Cup againstA Northampton, it has not been a good week for Manchester United as they suffered their second Premier League defeat in a

Welcome to the podcast for English language learners who love football. In this week's podcast - our sixth of the season - we look back at some of the big stories from the football week in our good, the bad and the ugly section, while we'll also be looking at some of the football language from the past week and of course we'll be looking ahead to the big games this weekend in our predictions battle - including Chelsea versus Liverpool and Hull City against Arsenal. You can read the transcript for the show in our post below (Damian = DF, Damon = DB). Learn English Through Football Podcast: Champions League and Europa League Game 1 Review Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Podcast FAQ Transcript of the show DF: You're listening to languagecaster's football podcast. Hello everyone, my name is Damian and I'm back here in a very wet and windy London after a short holiday in Ireland and hopefully Damon is there in Tokyo. Hello Damon, how are things there in Japan? DB: Well, over here in Japan they are also very wet but not so windy - just a little bit cloudy. Now, you've just come back from Ireland and I'm wondering... was there any football action over there? DF: Yes there was Damon, lots and lots of football there was an Irish team playing in the Europa League which we'll be talking about later on in the show... DB: Yep... DF: ... and Irish TV shows lots of European and English football so... if you follow us on instagram you'll see that I've been watching lots of football from ... pubs in... over the last few days... DB: Brilliant! DF: How about you Damon, have you been watching any football? DB: Just a little bit ... just a few Champions League games and so on but I'm looking forward to this weekend's football which, again, we'll talk about later on in the show. DF: Yes indeed. So, Damon, what do we have on today's podcast? Line up and Quiz DB: Well, we will be looking back at some of the big football stories in our good, the bad and ugly section soon. And after that we'll take a look at some of the language that emerged from the football world this week and then we'll finish be looking ahead to the big games taking place this weekend in the Premier League in our predictions competition. DF: Great stuff but before that Damon, we have a football question for our listeners. The first games in the Champions and Europa Leagues took place this week and we want to know how many goals the English sides scored in total - that's from both the Champions and Europa Leagues. And we'll have the answer at the end of the show. DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com and next up it's the good, the bad and the ugly section. And Damian what was good? Good DF: Well, it was a good week for Irish side Dundalk as they managed to earn an away point in Holland in their first ever appearance in the Europa League. Remarkably, the League of Ireland side scored an equaliser in the last minute of the match against AZ Alkmaar and this after their captain had been sent off for two yellow card offences. Now, their group also includes Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC - they're from Israel - and Zenit St Petersburg from Russia so they should really have no chance at all of qualification but as we all know in football anything can happen. How about bad Damon? Bad DB: Well, talking about the Champions League it was a bad night for Scottish football when their representatives in the Champions League, Celtic, were humiliated 7-0 by Barcelona in the first of their group C games. Now Messi scored in the 3rd minute and went on to complete his hat-trick, Suarez bagged a brace and Iniesta and Neymar completed the scoring against a Celtic side that were completely outplayed. With Manchester City also in their group the best the Scottish side can hope for is (a) third-place finish to qualify for the Europa League but after this defeat even that looks beyond them. What about ugly Damian? Ugly DF: Well, it was not a good night at all for Polish side Legia Warsaw as they were thrashed 0-6 at home by Dortmund - also in the Champions League - and they will also face a UEFA charge after the behaviour of their fans on the night, which included using pepper spray against stewards and singing racist chants - though the club do deny this last charge. Pretty ugly scenes indeed. DB: Next up we are going to take a look at some of the football language from the week. Football Language - Clinical DF: Yes, now we are going to talk about the adjective 'clinical' which is often used to describe a team's performance in football. The basic meaning here is related to how efficient a team is with respect to their performance and particularly in front of goal - so we often use this adjective with the word 'finishing' - 'clinical finishing'. Now, in th

Our fifth podcast of the season for English language learners who love football features the Manchester derby, while we take a look at some of the language that emerged from some of the big games from the World Cup qualifiers last week.

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase 'soft penalty'.

2018 World Cup Qualifiers in Europe: It's the fourth podcast of the season and this weekend sees domestic leagues in Europe taking a break...

It's the thirdA podcast of the new season and this week we take a look at some language from the big games, including 'last ditch defending' and 'give the green light to'. We also look back at some of the good, the bad and the ugly from this week's football - including a small Lancashire club, while we also feature some of the big games from the Premier League in our predictions battle - including Damian's team Tottenham taking on Damon's team Liverpool. You can check out the transcript for the show in the post below (Damian = DF, Damon = DB). 2016-17 Learn English Through Football Podcast: Week 3A - Spurs v Liverpool Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Podcast FAQ Transcript of the show DF: You're listening to languagecaster's football podcast DF: Hello football lovers everywhere. If you also want to improve your English language skills, youa€™ve come to the right place! My name is Damian, and this is week 3 of the 2016-17 football season and today on our football language podcast we will be reviewing some of the football news, introducing some football phrases and taking a look at the Premier League games coming up this weekend. Now, in here London the weather here has recently been really really hot - I wonder what it is like in Tokyo, where Damon is hopefully there at the end of the line. Damon, how are you doing? DB: Hi there Damian. Yep, good to hear from you. Well, over here I'm doing well after a battering by a couple of typhoons, Tokyo is now sunny, hot and humid - the sun is good, the rest is not! Now, ita€™s been an interesting week of football with Brazil becoming Olympic mena€™s football champions for the first time after a penalty win over Germany, the qualifying rounds for the Champions League have finished and the draw has already taken place - a nice draw for the English sides - and the transfer deadline approaches, thata€™s the 1st of September. Damian, talking about the Olympics, does the football competition mean much? DF: I think for fans in Brazil it most definitely did; though we should remember it is mainly an under 23 tournament, I 'm not sure I'd actually say that in Brazil.. I am not sure either that it means that much for fans here in Britain however. How about in Japan, is it a big competition there? DB: Well, yeah, I think it is a bigger over in Japan than perhaps in Europe. It's seen as a big scalp if you can do well in that tournament, I think,A in Japan. Line up &A Quiz DF: Now, wea€™re going to start our show this week with our good the bad and ugly section, with three news stories from the beautiful game this week. But before that, we have a quick question for our listeners: which two countries have won the mena€™s tournament at the summer Olympics three times - the answer is at the end of the show. Now, Damon, what was good this week? Good DB: Well, of course congratulations go to Brazil for winning the Olympic gold but I think that this week the a€˜gooda€™ should go to Accrington Stanley, a fourth-tier club in the English league who beat Premier League side Burnley in the English Football League Cup 1-0 to go through to the third round where they are going to face West Ham at the former UK Olympic Stadium. Not bad for the tiny side from Accrington. Now, what about bad? Bad DF: Well, it was a bad day at the office for four-time European Champions Ajax, as they were thumped 5-2 over two legs by the Russian team Rostov and they crashed out of the Champions LeagueA in the qualifying round. The Dutch outfit were hammered 4-1 in the away leg and A Rostov, appearing for the first time in the tournament, will be looking forward to the group stage draw! How about ugly Damon. What was ugly this week in football? Ugly DB: The future isA looking ugly for Joe Hart, England's first choiceA keeper, at Manchester City as Pep Guardiola has demoted him to the bench and seems to A be showing him the door, as Barcelona keeper, Bravo, flies in for talks of a transfer. The City shot stopper has been at the club for 10 years, but Pep does not seem impressed with his skills with the ball at his feet. A potentially big call for the new manager, as Hart is popular among the fans, but it looks like it is good bye for Joe. Last ditch defending DF: Right, let's take a look at some football phrases and language shall we? DB: Good idea. Can I start with 'last ditch defending'? DF: Of course, be my guest. DB: OK, well this phrase is connected with warfare. A ditch is a defensive position, a trench or a hole in the ground, which stops attackers crossing a defending armya€™s lines. The last ditch is the final obstacle to stop an attack. In football last ditch defending, therefore, means desperate defence. Defenders will throw themselves in front of shots, slide in front of attackers and do anything to stop conceding a goa

It's the second podcast of the new season and this week we take a look at some of the language from the big games this week

It's our first podcast of the new season and we take a look at some of the big games in the Premier League this weekend, check out an English for football phrase - this week it's dig deep

Euro 2016 Final France vs Portugal: wyv6xb6e On todaya€™s learning English through football podcast we will be looking ahead to that game and also ...

The Euro 2016 competition is well underway and it is time to take a look at the last of the groups. Group F. In this group areA Austria,A Hungary,A Iceland, andA Portugal,A and ita۪s hard to pick a clear favourite. Listen to the report by clicking below, while explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the bottom of the post. Euro 2016 Preview - GroupA F [TABLE=490] Portugal Top ranked in EuropeA Portugal are the bookies favourites to top this group, just above Austria, and with Christiano Ronaldo, CR7, in their ranks, they will always be a threat, particularly if they make it to the knock out stages. Last time out, they went to the semis, to be beaten by Spain who went on to be champions. They haveA a strong defence with Carvalho, Pepe and Alves, but theyA will rely on CR7 to provide the magic. Austria Quietly confidentA The Austrians are many peoplea۪s dark horses for the tournament and as they are ranked 10th in the FIFA world rankings they cana۪t be dismissed. They are well organised and can be deadly on the break,A withA ArnautovicA andA Janko both a dangerA A They qualified top of their group and will prove tricky opponents for all in group F. Hungary UnderdogsA Hungary may struggle to get out of the group. It has been many years since the glory days of the Magic Magyars ofA the 1950sand this is the first time since 1986 that they have appeared in a major tournament. Their Habsburg derby agains Austria in the opener should be an intriguing tie. look out forA Tamas Priskin, who could be a handful up front. Iceland Minnows?A Iceland have done amazingly well to get to the final stages of the competition. With a population of only 330,000, they are by far the smallest nation taking part, a true Euro minnow, and their cold, rugged country is not one usually associated with football. They will be many fans second team in this tournament and may be the surprise package in this group.A Eidur Gudjohnsen, aA veteran striker at 37, will be hoping his experience can help the IcelandicA team progress. Prediction This one really is too close to call. Portugal should top the group, but expect Austria to push them hard. Iceland could shock many by grabbing third, which would mean Hungary missing out. Let us know which countries you think will qualify by posting a comment below. You can also play in our Euro 2016 predictions competition - click here for more information Vocabulary ranks:A (in this context) team, squad on the break:A counter-attacking; attacking quickly from defence tricky opponents: difficult/dangerous opposition a handful:A difficult to control; difficult to keep quiet surprise package:A a team that surprises a lot of people If you want to know more about a particular area of football language leave a comment below. You can also subscribe here to receive our selection of football clich̩s and of course you can check out our huge list of football vocabulary here.

On this week's learning English through football podcast take a look at some of the language being used at the start of the Euros - the 2016 European Championships taking place in France.

The European Championships have finally startedA and we continueA our series of previews, spotlightingA Group E, may pundits' group of death.A This group has Belgium, Sweden, the Republic of Ireland, and Italy. Listen to the report by clicking below, while explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the bottom of the post. Euro 2016 Preview - GroupA E [TABLE=489] Belgium [perfectpullquote align="left" cite="" link="" color="#16989D" class="" size="24"]Top ranked in Europe[/perfectpullquote] TheA Red Devils are a side packed with talent - deA Bruyne, Courtois, Hazard, Lukaku - andA if allA fire on all cylinders, Belgium will go a long way in the tournament. They are strong in all areas, and the only doubt is whether they can play as a team, rather than a collection of individual stars. In the 2014 World Cup, they reached the quarter finals, but this was seen as a disappointment. Their coach, Marc Wilmots, will be hoping to improve on thatA last eight finish. Italy [perfectpullquote align="right" cite="" link="" color="#16989D" class="" size="24"]Tournement team[/perfectpullquote] The Italian side have a proud tradition of performing well in the big tournaments. Form goes out the window when the Azzurri compete, and they are always well organised. They go in to this competition arguably light up top, but with a strong defence featuring Buffon between the sticks, and in front of him, Bonnuci,A Barzagli andA Chiellini - all from Juventus. This solid platform shouldA make them difficult to break down. The coach, Conte, will alsoA want to end his tenure on a high. Republic of Ireland [perfectpullquote align="right" cite="" link="" color="#16989D" class="" size="24"]Underdogs[/perfectpullquote]. Few expect Ireland to get out of this group, but with group E likely to be tight, the Boys in Green will be hoping hey can pull off one top result and bag three points from somewhere. A result like the 1-0 defeat of Germany in qualifying, which saw them secure the third qualifying place. They will hope to avoid the embarrassment of the last Euros, which saw them concede nine goals in three games and only find the net once. In Martin O'Neill they have an experienced coach, but he may struggle to keep them in with a shout. Sweden [perfectpullquote align="left" cite="" link="" color="#16989D" class="" size="24"]A one man side?[/perfectpullquote]All eyes with be on Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Sweden's star player, who will most likely be playing in his last major international tournament. Without theA 34-year old, Sweden look a bit pedestrian, andA Sweden's opponents will be keen to mark him out of the game.A Kim Kallstrom, playing at Grasshoper, is anotherA experienced player that Sweden will hope canA shield the back four - theA defence itself looks reliable - and start attacking moves. Sweden may progress under the radar and once in theA knockout stages, who knows? Prediction A lot will hinge on the Sweden v Republic of Ireland game. AA win for either would mean the loser facing an uphill battle to qualify. Expect to see Belgium and Italy come one two and Sweden to pip Ireland to the third spot. Let us know which countries you think will qualify by posting a comment below. You can also play in our Euro 2016 predictions competition - click here for more information Vocabulary packed with:A Full of fire on all cylinders :A Perform strongly; play as well as they can form goes out the window: Previous results are not relevant; you can ignore recent resultsA light up top:A With a weakA attack; with few star forwards between the sticks:A In goal; between the posts bag three points:A Win three points; get three points be in with a shout: have a chance pedestrian: ordinary; slow under the radar: quietly; without fanfare; not making a fuss; unnoticed If you want to know more about a particular area of football language leave a comment below. You can also subscribe here to receive our selection of football clichés and of course you can check out our huge list of football vocabulary here.

The European Championships are about to start and so today in our series of previews we focus on Group D which includes current holders Spain, dark horses Turkey and Croatia as well as the Czech Republic.

We continue with our preview of the European Championship taking place in France by looking at Group C which includes favourites Germany, dark horses Poland, Ukraine and outsiders Northern Ireland.

Euro 2016 Preview - Group B: With the 2016 European Championships about to start we continue with our preview by focusing on Group B which includes England, Russia, Slovakia and Wales.

Today's listening practice looks at group A with hosts France, Romania, Albania and Switzerland.

2016 Copa América Centenario: It's 100 years since the founding of the South American football federation CONMEBOL and so to celebrate this...

This week's English for football phrase is 'CONMEBOL', which is the name of the South American football organisation.

On this week's learning English through football podcast we look back at the 2016 Champions League final that took place in Milan between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid and which saw Real win their 11th European Cup/Champions League title in dramatic circumstances.

2016 Champions League Preview: This weekend in Milan sees the final of the Champions League between two rivals from Madrid: Atlético and Real

This week's English for football phrase is 'ride their luck'. The 'their' in this phrase refers to the football team being described. 'Their' could be substituted by 'his' of...

On this week's listening report we preview all seven matches and even offer a prediction or two!

This week's weekly football post explains the phrase ball to hand.

For languagecaster's main listening report this week we take a look at the two big European cup competitions: the Champions League and the Europa League. For the finale of the European football season in May, the two EUFA competitions are held in the same week, and we compare the money, the format, the winners and theA history of these tournaments. Listening Report: Big European Cup Competitions The two tournaments' histories The Champions League is a muchA moreA prestigious tournament than the Europa League, and it started back in 1955 as the EuropeanA Champion Club's Cup, or more simply the European Cup. It was a simple knock out competition then, played over two legs, and only the champions from each country took part. In 1992 it was re-branded as the Champions League, group stages were introduced and since then the number of teams from each country taking part has expanded. From 2015, five from someA countriesA canA enter. The Europa League was created out of two older competitions,A the UEFA Cup, startedA in 1971, and the Cup Winners Cup, founded in 1960.A The Cup Winners Cup, as its name suggests, was for teams who had won a domestic cup, while the UEFA Cup was for teams finishing in the positions behind the winners. In 1999 these two competitions merged so that cup winners, runners-up, and even teams who had a good 'fair play' record entered. Since 2009, it has been known as the Europa League. Winners The most successful clubs in the Champions League are Real Madrid, with 10 titles, followed by Milan on seven, and Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, each on five. The current champions are Barcelona. In the Europa League the clubs with the most wins are Sevilla, with four trophies, and Juventus, Liverpool and Inter with three. The current champions are Sevilla. Format The format for the Champions League is quite straightforward. There are 22 teams who enterA the group stages directly and 10 that come through qualifying rounds.A Each national association that qualifies, can sendA between 1A and 4 teams.A This is based on how successful each nation is over the previous five years. The 32 teams are seeded and play the groupA stage with the topA two in each group going through to the knockout phase, which is played over two legs. In the Europa League, basically each nation in Europe has three teams in the competition, based on which team won the domestic cup and where they finished in the league. In 2015 102 teams started the qualifying rounds with 48 making it to the group stages. The teams finishing first and second in this stage (24 of them) are joined by eight teams from the Champions League groups stages, who finished third in their groups, making 32 teams. From this stage, it is a knockout competition with home and away ties. Money The prize money for the Champions League dwarfs that for the Europa League. The Champions League winners in 2016 can expect to receive 15 million euros compared to 6.5 million for the Europa League winners. The Champions League teams also receive much more money through TV deals than those taking part in the Europa League. Vocabulary prestigious: having respect and admiration; being important a leg: a match; a tie; a game (used with first leg, second leg, two legs...) fair play: a team that respects the rules of the games, is polite, does not cheat or complain displays fair paly current: at present; now; nowadays straightforward: simple, clear, easy seeded: given a higher status in a tournament to dwarf (something): to make something seem much smaller Check out our glossary of footballing phrases here If you have any suggestions, contact us at [email protected]

This week's weekly football post explains the phrase three-peat. Find out more about this phrase by reading the transcript below. You can also find many more examples of soccer vocabulary by going to our football cliches page here and our huge football glossary here. Subscribe: Weekly Football Phrase Three-peat For this week's English for football phrase, we explain the term three-peat. The term uses the verb to repeat and adds the number three. To repeat, means to do again, and adding three means to do something three times. Originally used in American sports, it is now used in football to describe a time when a team wins something, a title, a cup, three times in a row.A Another way of saying this would be 'to win three on the bounce', but as this is also used to talk about winning league games, it doesn't have exactly the same meaningA as three-peat, which would only be used to talk about winning a trophy of some sort. Example:Kevin Gameiro bagged a brace and Mariano completed the scoring after Eduardo da Silva equalised on the stroke of half-time as Sevilla moved a step closer to a three-peat. (fourfourtwo.com) Example: Bayern celebrates three-peat (Headline) If you have any suggestions for words or phrases from football that you would like explained, let us know by contacting us here. While you are on our site, why not check out the glossary page too, for hundreds more football words and phrases.

This week's English for football phrase is 'drop points' and is used in football to describe when a team does not win all three points...

[print_link] | Subscribe: Main Listening Report It's Champions League semi final second legs this week, and on this listening report we take a look at the history and design of the four teams' crests or shirt badges. The four teams are Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich. Listening Report: CL Football Crests The symbol worn, usually on the left hand side of the shirt is known as a club crest or badge. In this report we look at the histories behind the crests of Spanish sides Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, English club Manchester City, and the German outfit, Bayern Munich. Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, better known to English speakers as Real Madrid, were founded in 1902, and their crest has remained remarkably similar in design since then. Initially, the badge simply had the three letters, M C F, standing for Madrid Club de Footbal. A circle was added a few years later in the first redesign, and later in the 1920, the club became connected with the King and the royal family and adopted the crown symbol. The blue sash was initially maroon, to represent the colours of the lions on Castilla's coat of arms. Castilla is the area of Spain in which Madrid is situated. The crown was removed at one time, between 1931 and 1941, when the Spanish Civil War occurred, but was reinstated after the conflict ended. Atlético Madrid Atlético Madrid's crest borrows the bear and the 'strawberry' (or Madrono) tree from Madrid's coat of arms. The fruit from this tree is particularly attractive to bears, who can become drunk on the fermented berries. The seven stars reference the Big Dipper, Ursa Major, and the red and white stripes are, of course the colours of the shirt. However, the original badge was a circle with a ball inside and the letters C A, Club Atletico. The design was blue and white, the same colours as Atletic Bilbao's at the time, as the side was formed by three Basque men in 1903, who borrowed their home town club's colours - perhaps that is why they still retain some blue in the design. Manchester City This club's modern badge was redesigned significantly in the 1970s. It has an eagle, which is a symbol of the city of Manchester, a shield with a ship, a symbol of the Manchester Ship canal, and three stripes, which represent the three rivers running though the city. There are also three golden stars, which have no meaning. Usually clubs add stars to their crests to indicate some major achievement but this is not the case with Manchester City. Bayern Munich Founded in 1900, before World War Two, the crest for Bayern Munich, like many clubs, was simple lettering F C B M in blue, but from the 1960s the modern day badge began to take shape. It borrowed the red and white circle with the clubs name from the post-war era and added the blue and white design in the middle, which represents Bavaria. Vocabulary crest: badge, symbol sash: a diagonal stripe coat of arms: symbol usually representing a town or city to take shape: evolve; develop A podcast is like a radio show that you can hear on your computer or your mp3 player (e.g. an i-pod). There are different ways of listening to our football podcasts: Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Click download on any of our podcast posts to save to your computer Podcast FAQ

This week's weekly football post explains the verb phrase to kill the ball. Find out more about this phrase by reading the transcript below. You can also find many more examples of soccer vocabulary by going to our football cliches page here and our huge football glossary here. Subscribe: Weekly Football Phrase (to) Kill the Ball This week's English for football phrase uses the verb 'to kill'. usually this means to murder, to take someone's life, but in football it is used to describe the action of controlling the ball. If a player receives the ball and kills the ball, it means that the ball stops moving, the ball is perfectly under control near the player's feet. Often this verb phrase is used when there is a cross that is in the air and a player takes the ball down to the ground with perfect control, the player kills the ball. Example: The ball dropped from high, inside the centre circle where Saúl, standing alone, brought it down coolly, killing it first and breathing life into it next.. (guardian.co.uk) Example: De Jong's rugged, over-the-top challenge left Nagbe writhing in agony and triggered a prolonged melee between players from both sides. De Jong escaped with a caution. (abc.net.au) If you have any suggestions for words or phrases from football that you would like explained, let us know by contacting us here. While you are on our site, why not check out the glossary page too, for hundreds more football words and phrases.

This week's weekly football phrase is goA over the top. Find out more about this phrase by reading the transcript below. You can also find many more examples of soccer vocabulary by going to our football cliches page here and our huge football glossary here. Subscribe: Weekly Football Phrase (to) Go over the top The verb phrase to go over the top, is used to describe a dangerous tackle. In this kind of tackle, a player tackles the opponent not the ball - the foot goes over the top of the ball and into the otherA players shin or ankle.A This kind of tackle can cause a bad injury. If a player commits this kind of tackle, they often receive a red card. OtherA ways to describe going over the top are a studs up challenge or a leg breaker. To go over the top. Example:The Ghanaian's studs raked into Hamann just below the knee as he went over the top for a loose ball and Hamann did not hide his disappointment afterwards. "That is the worst tackle I have ever received," he said. (lfchistory.net) Example: De Jong's rugged, over-the-top challenge left Nagbe writhing in agony and triggered a prolonged melee between players from both sides. De Jong escaped with a caution.A (abc.net.au) If you have any suggestions for words or phrases from football that you would like explained, let us know by contacting us here. While you are on our site, why not check out the glossary page too, for hundreds more football words and phrases.

[print_link] | Subscribe: Main Listening Report | Follow @languagecaster// For this week's listening report we take a look at the race for the PL (premier League) title. This season has been a topsy turvy one and a shock is on the cards as Leicester lead the pack going into the final five games. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link above and you can read the transcript below with key vocabulary explained at the bottom of the post. Listening Report: The Race for the PL Title The Favourites: LeicesterA City Incredibly, Leicester City are top of the league with a sevenA point cushion overA Tottenham. Last year, they just escaped relegation to the Championship, but have gatecrashed the top of the league this year with a strong defence, a potent attack, and a great team spirit. They have shown great resilience over the past month, and haven't conceded a goal since early March. Their run in is not easy, and the games against Manchester United and Chelsea away will be tough, but Ranieri's team have held their nerve so far. Played 33 games and have 72 points.A Conclusion: Champions. The otherA surprise package,A Tottenham Leicester being top of the league has stolen a bit of Tottenham's thunder, but they have also surprised everyone with their strong season.A No team has scored more than Spurs, and no team has a better goal difference than the north London team. They are six points ahead of bitter rivals, Arsenal, and in their last game comprehensively dismantled Manchester United 3-0. Compared to Leicester, their remaining games are a little easier on paper, but a London derby against Chelsea could dent their chances. They cannot drop points if they want to win the league. They need Leicester to slip up - more than once. Conclusion:A a close second. Outsiders:A Arsenal The London side are in the top four again, but yet again have failed to really push for the title. The Gunners are an incredibly inconsistent team, blowing hot and cold, and leaving their fans wondering whether Wenger has run his course. TheyA have a game in hand over Spurs in second, but even winning that means they would be 10 points behind the Foxes at the top.A Their last game of the season is against Manchester City, and it is possible that City could leapfrog Arsenal into third with a win if Arsenal drop points over the coming weeks.A Conclusion: No chance of the league and fourthA withA Wenger to go. Vocabulary Topsy turvy:A confusing; surprising (be) on the cards:A if something is on the cards it might happene, there is a chance it will occur (to) lead the pack:A be in 1st place ahead of rivals (a) cushion:A a safety margin; a points gapA between one team and the teams behind (to) gatecrash:A to go to a party without being invited; in this context, Leicester have taken top spot, above stronger teams that are usually in the top four (to) concede:A to allow; to let happen (to) hold your nerve:: to keep calm; to not panic; to continue as you were before (to) steal (someone's) thunder:A to overshadow;to do something that takes attention away from what someone else has done (to) run (a/someone's) course: to fall; to drop down (to) dismantle:A to take apart; to destroy; to beat easily (to) dent their chances:A redue their chance of winning the league (to) blow hot and cold:A to be great sometmies and then bad the next time; be inconsitant (to) run your course;A to come to the end of your time the Foxes: Leicester City's nickname (to) leapfrog: the jump ahead; to go above in the division/table

What is the meaning of the verb to 'toe poke' in football? Find out more about this phrase by reading the transcript below. You can also find many more examples of soccer vocabulary by going to our football cliches page here and our huge football glossary here. Subscribe: Weekly Football Phrase Toe Poke This week's English for footballA phrase is the verb 'to toe-poke'. This verb describes a kind of shot, or less often a pass. The ball is hit hard with the end of the boot, with the toes. Shooting like this gives a lot of power and the ball travels straight. Players often toe-poke the ball when they have to shoot quickly. It is a direct way to hit the ball and can be very accurate. The phrase is also sometimes used as a noun, a toe-poke. Example: Divock Origi offered the Kop hope three minutes after the restart as he toe-poked the ball through the keeper's legs to make it 2-1 on the night. (theweek.co.uk) Example:anolo Gabbiadini toe-poked Hamsika€™s long ball from midfield just over on the volley. (thenational.ae) If you have any suggestions for words or phrases from football that you would like explained, let us know by contacting us here. While you are on our site, why not check out the glossary page too, for hundreds more football words and phrases.

This week's English for football is the phrase 'to break down a defence'

The four first leg matches of this season's 2016 Champions League quarter-finals have all taken place and so on this week's listening practice report we take a look back at what happened and a look forward to next week's second leg games. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link above, and you can also read the transcript of the report (below). There are also explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) at the end of the post. Subscribe to our listening reports Listening Practice: 2016 Champions League Quarter-finals Barcelona - Atlético Madrid (2-1) The home side had faced questions about their recent form but they bounced back in the first leg match at home against rivals Atlético. The Madrid side had gone one up in the first half when former Liverpool star Fernando Torres finished off a great move. However, Torres turned from hero to villain later in the half when he was sent off for a second yellow card. Another former Liverpool star, Luis Suarez, then scored a brace for the home side in the second half as they eventually broke down the ten men Atlético. My tip: This will be a huge game in Madrid next week, remember that the home side only need a 1-0 win to make it through and that no team has retained the Champions League/European Cup since Milan in the 1990s so I am going for Atlético to defeat the current holders to make the last four. VfL Wolfsburg - Real Madrid (2-0) Undoubtedly the shock of the round so far with no one tipping the German side to defeat Madrid, particularly as Los Blancos had defeated Barcelona the previous weekend. Yes, the German side may have been gifted a soft penalty but they looked more like a team than their Spanish opponents who will be without French striker Benzema for the return leg next Tuesday. Madrid have the players, home advantage and the history to overturn a two-goal deficit but Wolfsburg, with Julian Drexler pulling the strings, will be dangerous on the counter attack. My tip: Madrid to win on the night but Wolfsburg to shock everyone and progress to the semi-finals. Paris Saint-Germain - Manchester City (2-2) City will be thankful that they managed to get out of Paris with a draw and two away goals after being outplayed for much of the first leg. PSG missed many chances including a penalty and a clear one-on-one from Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic but City will be heartened by their battling display and the fact that both Yaya Toure and captain Vincent Kompany may return for the second leg. Paris will also be hopeful that they can replicate their recent away form in England having beaten Chelsea 2-1 a month ago. My tip: There will be lots of goals and I think City will scrape through. Bayern Munich - Benfica (1-0) Few gave the Portuguese side any chance of making it through to the last four before the game so when Bayern midfielder Vidal scored within the first two minutes it looked all over for Benfica. But they battled bravely, particularly their goalkeeper, and had huge slices of luck as Bayern missed a host of chances and the Portuguese could even have scored one themselves. Home advantage will be a big plus for them next week but surely now that they will have to come out and play in search of a goal will allow the Germans to catch them on the break. My tip: Bayern to win on the night and progress to the semi-final. What do you think will happen in next week's second legs? Let us know by posting a comment below. Vocabulary had gone one up: They scored the first goal hero to villain: First he did something great then something stupid broke down: Opened up the defence, managed to get through tipping: Predicting, choosing Los Blancos: The nickname for Real Madrid gifted a soft penalty: A soft penalty is one which sometimes would not have been awarded. Gifted suggests that the referee awarded the penalty as a gift or a favour. the return leg: The second leg (game) to overturn: To come from behind deficit: Here how many goals that they are losing by (a two-goal deficit means they are losing by two goals e.g. 2-0 or 3-1). pulling the strings: Organising the team one-on-one: When a player only has the keeper to beat be heartened: Encouraged replicate: Copy scrape through: Just about win through huge slices of luck: A lot of luck a host of: A lot of to catch them on the break: To play counter-attacking football Links Listen to Languagecaster.com's football podcast There are different ways of listening to our football podcasts: Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Click download on any of our podcast posts to save to your computer Podcast FAQ

For this week's English for football phrase we talk about the noun, a hatful. Find out more about this phrase by reading the transcript below. You can also find many more examples of soccer vocabulary by going to our football cliches page here and our huge football glossary here. Subscribe: Weekly Football Phrase (a) Hatful There are several words in football that describe the number of goals a player scores. Two goals scored by one player is a brace, three goals by the same player is a hatrick, originally a term from cricket, but what if a player scores more. There is a noun that is used to describe scoring a lot of goals, and that is hatful. While it doesn't indicate exactly how many goals, if a player scored four or five goals, you could say they scored a hatful. More commonly the noun is used to describe a teams overall goal scoring, as it is rare for a single player to score more than three goals. One way to imagine the meaning of this word is to think of a hat as a container full of objects, for example money. Performers, such as magicians, after a show pass their hat around the audience asking for money. If it was a great show, they would receive a Hatful of coins. Example: West Ham's Andy Carroll must score a hatful to make England Euros squad warns boss Bilic. (Headline, The Mirror) Example: Suarez has scored a hatful of beautiful free kicks throughout his career, mostly for Liverpool, but hea€™s sure to add many more wearing a Barcelona shirt. (Article) If you have any suggestions for words or phrases from football that you would like explained, let us know by contacting us here. While you are on our site, why not check out the glossary page too, for hundreds more football words and phrases.

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