Learn English Through Football Podcast

'Maybe it's the pressure?' suggested England manager Fabio Cappello after England's dismal draw with Algeria, so on this World Cup podcast we take a look at the pressure of playing in the most important sporting event in the world. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts - we have lots of World Cup resources too. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at [email protected]. Contact UsA Forum Glossary World Cup Resources http://gty.im/102461785 Transcript Damon: Well, obviously bad for England, terrible in fact but worse for Rooney. He was out of the game completely and at the end of the match ranted at the England fans sarcastically saying 'it's nice to hear your fans booing'. It was a miracle that the booing hadn't started earlier, England's performance definitely deserved it and up until the end the England fans could be heard supporting their team above the din of the vuvuzela - at least they did their bit. Poor play and an even worse attitude from Wayne Rooney. Damian: Well, that was Damon's take on the Algeria - England scoreless draw, which left fans here in the UK scratching their heads and wondering why players such as Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard have not performed for the country like they do for their clubs. Manager Fabio Capello puts it all down to pressure - the inability to cope with it is causing the team to malfunction. Surely, these well-paid players are used to it - they play in the Champions League and are under close scrutiny from the media throughout their regular domestic season and therein lies the crux of the matter. The World Cup is simply not a regular tournament. Fans who may not have watched any games during the year - or even know what football is - become experts over night fuelled by the media's agenda. Suddenly everyone has an opinion and, thanks to the wall-to-wall coverage here, is also a master tactician. Rooney has since apologised for his outburst, something which French striker Nicolas Anelka refused to do to his manager, Raymond Domenech after a half-time tirade in the defeat against Mexico. The French Sports minister, Roselyne Bachelot reckoned that, "The very high pressure weighing on Les Bleus does not authorise any form of slip-up.' A bit late for that then as the rest of the French team will be following Anelka home very shortly. Another team going home early is Cameroon, many people's tips as the dark horses of the tournament but with reports of in-fighting among players and huge pressure on manager Paul Le Guen the Indomitable Lions have been well beaten and are out of the competition. Other teams that will have to face up to huge pressure over the next few days are Spain who lost their first game to Switzerland, Germany who unthinkably face elimination after losing and missing a penalty against Serbia and Brazil manager Dunga who is not only expected to win the World Cup but to do so in style. Now, that's pressure.

Jabulani

To be out of their depth

Today's World Cup phrase of the day is the expression to be out of their hands.

World Cup phrase of the day is 'to blow wide open'

Good and Bad from Week 1: The 2010 World Cup is a week old and we look at some of the highs and lows of the tournament by...

Every day during the World Cup, the languagecaster team will be explaining a football phrase or cliché connected to this summer's tournament. Click on the link below to hear the word or phrase and you can also read the transcript. You can find many more examples by going to our football clichés here and our huge football glossary here. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments then please email us at: [email protected]. Contact UsA Forum Glossary World Cup Resources http://gty.im/102146686 Listen Here Today's World Cup phrase of the day is delivery which in football means a pass that usually comes from a set-piece. You will often hear commentators or fans talking about a side needing to have good delivery from set-plays in order to trouble an opponent, while the opposite of this is poor delivery. In today's Group A game between hosts South Africa and Uruguay the South American striker Diego Forlán gave an excellent display, scoring two goals and producing high-quality deliveries that troubled the 'Bafana Bafana' defence throughout the match. Delivery.

World Cup Phrase of the Day: Group of Death

World Cup Phrase of the Day: To Take the Game to

World Cup 2010 Podcast 2: England vs The Media In this podcast, Damian reflects on the media reaction to England's first game against the USA

World Cup Phrase of the Day: A Howler!

A set-piece: It's day 2 of the World Cup and already we've seen some great goals in the tournament that have come from set-pieces

The World Cup is finally here and languagecaster kicks off its World Cup coverage with a look at the teams we think will do well and not so well. We also discuss those teams we think may cause a surprise or two and predict which players will feature in the Golden Boot race. Remember you can also: Check out a new football expression in World Cup English for Football Follow the predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts

Can you remember the uproar over the Vuvuzela in the 2010 World Cup? With the African Cup of Nations kicking off in South Africa this weekend we thought we'd revisit Bafana Bafana's favorite.

On this, the final podcast of the year, we take a look back at some of the highs and lows of the European football season. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

[print_link] | Subscribe: Main Report Each week on languagecaster's podcast we feature a main report and on this week's show we review the football season in Europe. You can listen to the report by clicking above and can read the transcript below. Explanations of vocabulary in bold appears at the foot of the post. You can also post a comment telling us what you thought were the best and worst moments of the season. Review of the 2009-10 Season It has been the season of the double, the treble and the bubble, that is English football's hegemony, finally being burst. For the first time in 7 years no English side competed in the Champions League final, many of the Premier League's teams are all massively in the red, while one of its members, Portsmouth, went into administration due to its inability to pay off its debts. But this financial downturn is not restricted to England with Spain's La Liga clubs also massively in debt - more than a billion Euros worth of debt in fact. Way back at the start of this season in August we asked whether La Liga had become more powerful than the Premier League but maybe we should have looked elsewhere. Italy's Serie A has hardly re-invented itself into a thriving league - attendances are not increasing, stadia are crumbling and TV deals are not as lucrative as before - but they produced the team of the season in Internazionale, ironically without any Italians in its regular starting line up. So, without further ado, here are the best, the worst and the most horrible of the 2009-10 season. 2009-10 Season: The Best Love him or loathe him, you cannot ignore Jose Mourinho. He took over two years ago at Inter with one main aim - to win the Champions League, something no manager had done at this club since 1965. They had been the best team in Italy for the past 5 years but were not really taken seriously by the pundits who claimed that the Interistas did not have the character to go beyond the second round. Of course, Jose takes much of the credit for infusing the team with some steel but Inter fans can also look at the transfer deal of the season which saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic move to Barcelona in exchange for Champions League supremo, Samuel Eto'o and cash. That cash bought Brazilian captain Lucio from Bayern Munich, Dutch midfield maestro Wesley Schneider from Real Madrid and Diego Milito from Genoa who all had magnificent seasons for Inter as they won the domestic double and then crowned their season off with that Champions League victory the club had so desired. A measure of Inter's achievement is the fact that they beat the best of England, Spain and Germany on their way to the Champions League title. German side Bayern lost in the final but had a magnificent domestic season eventually winning the Bundesliga title rather comfortably after a shaky start that had seen their Dutch manager Van Gaal threatened with the sack. Unlike Jose, his football philosophy is based on attack and with Frenchman Ribery on one side and Dutchman Robben on the other, the Germans knew only one way to play and to emphasise this they demolished Werder Bremen 4-0 in the German Cup final. After having won 6 titles last season, there was only one way for Barcelona to go and that was down. However, it would be wrong to say that their season was a poor one, after all they won La Liga with a record-breaking points tally of 99 - only dropping 15 points, remarkable indeed. That they won the title on the last day of the season is testament to rivals Real Madrid who pushed them all the way but just fell short, something that could also describe Manchester United's performance in England this season. Attempting to win the title for a record 4th successive time, their over-reliance on Wayne Rooney left them short of options and ultimately points. So well done to Chelsea who won their 4th ever title by scoring more goals than anyone else, playing some great football on the way and yet why is it that no one really likes them? Much of our focus during the season is on these four big European leagues but we should also say well done to Marseille for winning their first French title in 19 years, to Rangers for winning in Scotland, to Benfica for winning in Portugal, to Steve McClaren's FC Twente for winning in Holland but perhaps the biggest surprise was in Turkey where Bursaspor won their first ever title. Congratulations all. 2009-10 Season: The Worst OK, he was not the worst player of the season and indeed he scored a very respectable 26 goals but he joined Real Madrid to win trophies, something which he did not manage to do. He was, however, sent off twice, missed important games through injury and demonstrated his lack of team play in the defeat against Barcelona. A poor season then for the man with the ridiculous nickname, Cristiano Ronaldo. Other big names to have suffered this season included John Terry who lost the England captaincy for his off-the-field transgre

[print_link] | Subscribe: English Football Phrase Each week we explain a soccer phrase or cliché on our weekly languagecaster podcast. You can find many more examples by going to our football phrase page here and football clichés here. Listen Here This week we look at the phrase to play down. This phrasal verb combining the verb 'play' and the preposition 'down' is combined when you want to say something is not as important as it appears. Usually, the object follows the phrasal verb, as in - Cesc Fabregas played down rumours that he will leave Arsenal for Barcelona. Or, Fernando Torres has played down reports that he is not going to sign a new contract for Liverpool.A The two players want people to believe gossip and stories about them are not accurate. As we can see, to play down in football is often combined with the words reports and rumours. To play down.

This week's podcast looks at the stats behind Inter and Bayern's road to the Champions League final. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

[print_link] | Subscribe: Main Report Each week on languagecaster's podcast we feature a main report and on this week's show we take a look at Bayern Munich and Inter's chances in the CL - three football fans also give us their views. You can listen to the report by clicking above and can read the transcript below. Explanations of vocabulary in bold appears at the foot of the post. So, the grand finale to the European football season sees Serie A's Inter taking on the Bundesliga's Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in the Bernabeu in Madrid - and like last year when Barcelona beat Manchester United , it is a battle between Champions as both teams have wrapped up their domestic titles. What makes this clash more interesting is the fact that both teams are chasing trebles - the domestic title, the most prestigious national cup trophy and to be crowned European Champions. there is also the added spice of the opposing managers: on the one side, Van Gaal, ex-coach of Barcelona, and on the other, Mourinho, Van Gaal's interpreter at Barcelona - teacher vs pupil. But let's take a look at how the two teams got to the finals. Goals: Bayern scored 21 and conceded 13 to Inter's 15 scored and 9 let in. Shots: Bayern averaged 6.5 shots on target a match compared to Inter's 5. Possession: Again Bayern come out on top here with an average of 34 minutes of possession to Inter's 27. Fouls: This is one part of the game where Inter come out on top - they averaged 15 fouls a game to Bayern's 13. Opposition: Looking at the teams they two faced on their way to the final you have to say Inter faced some tougher matches - they beat Chelsea, CSKA Moscow and many people's 'Best Team in the World', Barcelona, in the knockout stages. This compares to Bayern who needed a bit of luck to get past Fiorentina and Manchester United, before beating Lyon. All in all, it looks too close to call, making this a great game for the neutral. Let's here what three neautral fans think. Vocabulary wrap up: complete, bring to a close, finish clash: big game, battle added spice (extra spice): an extra dimension, something that makes an argument or confrontation more interesting concede: allow, admit (in football, to allow a goal) come out on top: win, be victorious too close to call: to difficult to predict, impossible to decide on a winner

This week's English for football phrase is to score a brace.

Winning the Double: To commemorate Chelsea and Bayern Munich's domestic doubles on this week's podcast we look at what it means to win a double and feature some of the most successful double-winning sides in football.

The Double: Each week on languagecaster's podcast we feature a main report and on this week's show we explain 'the Double': when a team wins the domestic league and cup. You can listen to the report by clicking above and can read the transcript below. Explanations of vocabulary in bold appear at the foot of the post.If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at [email protected]. Contact UsA Forum Glossary [paypal-donation] What is a Double? Very simply to do the double means that a team wins both the league title and the main domestic cup in the same season; so, for example, in England this would mean winning the Premier League and the FA Cup - quite a feat indeed. To win a double, a team has to demonstrate all the traits of a champion - abundant skill, strong character, lots of concentration, good organisation and team work but in order to win the cup then other factors like luck are also necessary. England http://gty.im/1447134726 When I was young, few people ever thought they would see another double-winning side again. When Tottenham won it in 1961 it was the first time it had been done since Aston Villa in 1897. Then when Arsenal became only the fourth side to do it in 1971 (Preston had won the double in 1889) we all thought that was that. Teams had to play more games in a season and their focus was firmly on winning international tournaments rather than domestic trophies. However, since Arsenal's triumph in 1971 it has occurred on 7 more occasions, including this season after Chelsea's win against Portsmouth in the FA Cup. Arsenal have won the double on three occasions, the last being in 2002, while Manchester United have also won it three times: in 1994, 1996 and in their treble-winning season of 1999. The only other club to have won a double in England is Liverpool when they managed it in 1986. There have been many near-misses, demonstrating just how difficult it is to complete the double, with teams either losing the cup final after becoming champions or just missing out in the league but then going on to win the cup. Liverpool, for example, won the League and the European Cup in 1977 but surprisingly lost to rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final that season, while Leeds lost out on three separate occasions in 7 years between 1965 and 1972. Indeed the Yorkshire side managed to complete a 'double horror' twice, that is, losing the FA Cup final and coming second in the league. Europe http://gty.im/99583093 Bayern Munich have just completed their 8th domestic double in Germany demonstrating their dominance at home - the third time in four years they have done this, indeed only three other clubs have managed to do the double in Germany, Stuttgart, Koln and Werder Bremen in 2004. The double is not so common in Italy - which may be partly due to the lack of interest in the Coppa Italia - but Inter Milan have a chance of winning their second ever double this season which would bring them alongside Juventus as the most successful double-winning team in Italian football. In Spain, you might be surprised to hear that Athletic Bilbao have actually won five doubles - the last coming in 1984, while the last of Barca's five came last year when, of course, they won everything they played for. So which club in Europe holds the record for most doubles? Well, Ajax have 7 Dutch doubles, Bayern have one more, while Benfica have nine Portuguese doubles. All impressive, but Greek side Olympiakos have manged to do the double on an amazing 14 occasions and Rangers have managed it 18 times in Scotland yet neither of them are the most successful double-winning sides - that honour goes to Northern Ireland's Linfield who have unbelievably managed it on 21 occasions. Trebles, Quadruples and More When we speak of a treble we usually refer to a double plus the European Cup / Champions League and, as you can imagine, very few clubs have managed to do that. We have already mentioned Manchester United in 1999 and Barcelona last season but only 3 other teams in Europe have succeeded in doing the treble: Dutch sides Ajax in 1972 and PSV Eindhoven in 1988 and Scottish team Celtic who did it in 1967. In fact, Celtic became the first ever side to win a quadruple that year as they also won the Scottish League Cup to go with their treble. But as we have already mentioned Barcelona went two better last season when they won all six trophies they participated in. The Copa del Rey and La Liga constituted a domestic double. The Catalan side turned it into a treble when they beat Manchester United in the Champions League final and then made it six trophies with the FIFA Club World Cup, the European Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup. Surely that can never be emulated? Vocabulary domestic: The competition at home; not international competitions quite a feat indeed: Something that is very difficult to do the traits: Characteristics (of a team) near-misses: To

This week's English for football phrase is goal poacher.

On this week's podcast we focus on Germany and their World cup pedigree. They will certainly be a force again in this year's World cup in South Africa. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

This week's English for football phrase is 'there is so much at stake'. At stake means to be at issue, to be at risk, or to be the important topic.

[print_link] | Subscribe: Main Report Each week on languagecaster's podcast we feature a main report and on this week's show we continue with our World Cup series of reports spotlighting countries that will be taking part in the biggest soccer competition in the world in South Africa in June - Germany. To most football fans around the world, Germany is one of the less popular nations to support. Indeed, when neutrals watch games it is often a common goal to see Germany get beaten. At club football level this has proven to be quite easy in recent years. But at the World Cup Germany has continually performed at an surprisingly high level. With three world cup victories in 1954, 1974 & 1990 and another four final appearances; only Brazil can boast a superior record. And what makes these statistics more interesting is that Germany often seem to enter the World Cup without a host of stars and with losses rather than victories in the group stages It was in 1954 when German footballing legend was first written. Known as the a€œMiracle in Berna€ Germany defeated the mighty Hungarian side against all odds, and so set in motion decades of success on the field. For Germany, such victories went a long way to helping the wider population regain confidence and once again feel proud of German achievement. Through the early 70a€™s, around household names such as Beckenbauer, Mueller and Maier, into the 80a€™s with Breitner and then the nineties with Klinsmann and Matthaeus, Germany enjoyed more than their fair share of glory. And unsurprisingly one of the steadying influences of these eras is that between 1950 and 1990 Germany only had four different coaches. But this year might be different. Here is a challenge: How many German players can you name? Apart from Ballack, and perhaps Podolski and Klose, many people struggle to recognize the names on the team sheet. Currently most of the team play in the Bundesliga. Moreover, many of the team are young talents rather than established stars. The job of moulding these players belongs to the coach Jogi Loew, who also has no known managerial experience. There is experience in the team, but more than this what Germany rely on is mental strength, Teamgeist and a never say die attitude. And Germany will again be hard to beat in South Africa. Germany will open their world cup campaign against Australia. Vocabulary a common goal: a shared wish or hope; something that a group of people all want to do a host: many; a lot against all the odds: surprisingly; achieving something despite lots of problems household names: famous people: well-known people steadying: calming; bringing confidence struggle to (do): find it difficult to (do); find it hard to (do) moulding: shaping; developing never say die attitude: never giving up; fighting until the end

On this week's podcast we interview a Mexican fan who tells us all about his country's chances at the 2010 South Africa World Cup. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

[print_link] | Subscribe: Main Report Each week on languagecaster's podcast we feature a main report and on this week's show we continue with our World Cup countdown by taking a look at Mexico's chances in the tournament. We ask our Mexican football expert Juan Pablo Camargo how he thinks Mexico will fare this summer. You can listen to the report by clicking above and can read the transcript below. Introduction Continuing with our preview of the South Africa World Cup we have an interview with our Mexican football expert Juan Pablo Camargo in which he tells us all about his country's chances at the World Cup. He focuses on coach Javier Aguirre, discusses some of the players to watch out for, gives us an overall tournament prediction and he starts off by talking about Mexico's chances of getting past the first round. Group Stage Juan Pablo: We are in Group A with South Africa, France and Uruguay. Damian: What do you think? JP: I think it's a tough ... group, not because of France because of South Africa, they're playing home and Mexico usually behaves weirdly in the World Cup so they might panic... they might freak out of playing the first game of the World Cup but I think we are definitely going to make the second round. DF: OK, so you think their chances of qualifying are pretty good? JP: Yes, Uruguay qualified like, against ... they didn't qualify in the South America ... play-off they had to play Costa Rica in CONCACAF to get a spot and historically Mexico always beats Uruguay. And also against France I'm not that worried because in the last three or four World Cups in the group ... in the group stage, Mexico has always played well against the big teams like Italy and the Netherlands. We haven't lost games against the big teams in the last three World Cups. The Manager DF: Can you tell us something about the manager of your team? Who's the manager of the Mexican national team? JP: The manager is Javier Aguirre. He was the manager in Korea/Japan World Cup and then he went to Spain to Atlético de Madrid he.. ah no, first he went to Osasuna and he got Osasuna in the Champions League for the first time in history and then he went to Atlético de Madrid and also he got Atlético de Madrid again in the Champions League spot and then he has to basically come back to Mexico and save the Mexican team who was really close to not qualify to the World Cup. DF: Of course you had Sven Goran Eriksson, didn't you as your manager. How was that seen in Mexico? JP: That was a weird experience. We think that they... he just went to steal money there and the team did terrible and there's also like... politics in Mexican football are really, really hard so I think a lot of players just basically boycott... Eriksson because there's this belief in Mexico that the Mexican manager should be a Mexican because to do a good thing we need someone who understands our leagues so... The Players DF: So which players should we keep an eye out for in the World Cup? Which Mexican players will be starring for you? JP: You should always keep an eye on Rafael Márquez from Barcelona even though he doesn't really play well in the Mexican team but he scored against Argentina in the last World Cup so I think he will be doing well. We should also keep an eye on the Mexican players that were playing in the Premier League like Carlos Vela, he's not even starting for Arsenal but he's pretty good when he plays in the Mexican squad. Also Giovani dos Santos who was playing in Tottenham and then he went to Galatasaray but he's a young star - he used to play in Barcelona. And now we have a ... my friends from Mexico told me we have this new star called (Javier) "Chicharito" Hernández, he's from Chivas so he's scoring pretty... he's scoring in the league a lot and in friendly matches so I think... I hope he's going to be like ... a big player. Never, never forget about Cuauhtémoc Blanco, he's old but he's always like the driving power of the team and he has a lot of experience and he's like ...other teams respect him so he's gonna' do well too. DF: I must admit I didn't think he was still playing, he's playing in America... in North America yes? JP: Yes, he's playing in Chicago Fire but in the break... actually in the break, he's in a break now so he has to go and play in the second division team in Mexico to be active but now he's, like, more mature so I think he... he's definitely is a very important part of the team. Prediction DF: Now if Mexico don't win the World Cup which team do you think will win the World Cup? JP: I might go for Spain but I think Spain ... also tend to freak out in the last minute so I don't know, I think it's going to be again ... again between Italy, Brazil and the usual teams because I think the competition just helps you to do that, like

Weekly football phrase for learners of English: Spirit of the Game

On this week's show we preview the second legs of the Champions League semi-finals which are beautifully poised after last week's matches. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

Each week on languagecaster's podcast we feature a main report and on this week's show we feature the Champions League semi-finals. You can listen to the report and read the transcript below. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at [email protected]. The second legs of the two semi-finals of the Champions League take place this week with both ties so delicately poised that football pundits are at a loss to predict a winner. Anyway, that has never stopped languagecaster before so here we go with a preview of the two games and of course our predictions! When this season's competition kicked off at the end of June, few would have predicted that the semi-finals would have four teams from four different countries taking part - none of them from England. Such was the domination of Premier League clubs that last season's defeat of Manchester United in the final was simply seen as a blip. So, when the 76 teams from 52 different countries entered the competition way back in June of last year, it was yet again expected that Premier League sides would be challenging for the Europe's top club tournament. But with Barcelona destroying Arsenal and Manchester United falling to Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage, for the first time in five years there will be no team from the Premier League in the final, which this year will take place in Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu on May 22nd - the first ever time there will be a Saturday final. It will also be a tough night for Madrid fans for not only are their side unable to add to their record haul of nine titles but they may have to watch their dreaded rivals Barcelona retain the trophy on their home turf. And if it's not the Catalan side, then they may well be haunted by one of two players that the Madrid team let go last summer for not being good enough: Wesley Schneider from Inter Milan and Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben. So, who is your money on to reach the 55th European Cup final Barcelona vs Inter Milan http://gty.im/98577034 Can there be a more mouth-watering tie than this? The aesthetically-pleasing Barcelona against the physically imposing and tactically astute Inter Milan. Their manager Jose Mourinho has dramatically changed the mentality of the side that, though domestically strong, were never seen as real threats in European competition. Now this has changed and there is a sense that this could be Inter's year to finally win back the trophy they last held 45 years ago. They hold a 3-1 lead after some controversial decisions went their way in the San Siro last week and are seen as slight favourites by the bookmakers. Barca need at least a 2-0 victory and despite Mourinho's claims to the contrary they can never be written off particularly with Xavi and Messi in their team. they are also owed a big game by Ibrahimovic who was particularly disappointing in Milan. I think Inter will score but Barcelona will simply score more and eventually run out winners - maybe 4-1 after extra time. Lyon vs Bayern Munich Now Bayern are strong favourites to make it through to their eighth final after a 1-0 home victory over Lyon in their first leg match. Lyon were poor and for long periods of the game were outplayed by the Germans even when they had a man advantage - that was thanks to Franck Ribéry's red card. When their captain Jeremy Toulalan was also dismissed soon after, the momentum swung back in Bayern's favour and thanks to another wonder strike from Dutch star Arjen Robben they have the edge in this semi-final. But Bayern have a poor away record in Europe, they're missing Ribéry and surely Lyon cannot play so badly again, this means that I am going for a shock Lyon win to become the first French side to make the final since Monaco 6 years ago. Vocabulary delicately poised: Perfectly balanced; difficult to predict football pundits: Football experts - journalists are at a loss : Do not know how to explain something; clueless a blip: A small mistake, something unusual haul: Collection (of titles) dreaded rivals: Hated rivals; the team that your team dislikes the most; most feared opponents be haunted: scared who is your money on : Which team do you think will win? (Betting term) a more mouth-watering tie: A 'delicious' game; a match that everyone wants to see dismissed: To be sent off; to receive a red card

This week's English for football phrase is 'to press'. This phrase has two meanings in football. First, in attack, to press for a goal, or to press for a winner is one common way the phrase is used. It means that one team is trying very hard to score, they are using more players than usual to attack and may be taking a risk with their defence.

On this week's show we spotlight World Cup hopefuls, England, as well as reviewing Tottenham's win over Arsenal and looking ahead to some great derbies taking place this weekend. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Plus our English for football archive Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

A weekly soccer phrase for learners of English: make your debut

[print_link] | Subscribe: Main Report Each week on languagecaster's podcast we feature a main report and on this week's show we spotlight England in our look at countries taking part in the 2010 World cup in South Africa. You can listen to the report by clicking above and can read the transcript below. England, the home of such icons of football as the FA cup, Wembley stadium and David Beckham, is the largest and most populous country in the United Kingdom. It is also the UK's most successful nation in the World Cup: it won the competition in 1966, reached the semi-finals in 1990, and has got as far as the quarter-finals on six occasions. It is also, of course, the country which gave football to the world, and for many years felt no need to compete with other countries in the FIFA organized tournament. When it did finally choose to join the competition in 1950, the professionals of England were given a rude shock when the upstarts from the USA completed the "miracle on grass" and beat the self-appointed best team in the World 1-0 in Brazil. Ever since then England fans have experienced many more disappointments in the Cup, usually after failures in penalty shoot-outs. England today is a very multi-cultural society, with inhabitants who can trace their roots back to all four corners of the globe. This is especially true in the top-tier of its football league. The English Premier League (EPL) now attracts many of the top players from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, and matches from the EPL are broadcast back to millions of TVs in the same regions. Top teams from the league, such as Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are also household names around the world and have recently become dominant in European competitions. But where has this influx of foreign players and success in Europe left the national game in England? Well two years ago, England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, which resulted in the manager, Steve McClaren, losing his job. The FA turned to a foreign coach for the second time to take charge of the national team. Fabio Cappello cracked down on discipline and revitalized the team. England went on to win 9 out of 10 games in its World Cup qualifying group, scoring a hatful of goals along the way. Under the Italian's tenure, Rooney has blossomed as a striker, and Cappello has also brought about improved performances from the likes of Lennon, Milner and Walcott in wide positions, and Gerrard in midfield who had previously struggled to match his club form for country. So how well will the current team perform this summer in the World Cup in South Africa? On paper, it has been drawn in a relatively easy group, facing the USA, Algeria and Slovenia in the first round. Even if the US can repeat the shock of 60 years ago, England should still get through to the knock-out stages where they could face a stiffer challenge from the likes Germany, Serbia or Ghana. Even so, expectations for further progress will remain high with many home fans and pundits alike predicting a semi-final place at the least. Whether they can manage this will greatly depend on weaknesses in the goalkeeping position and left side not being over-exposed, and of course better luck at scoring from the penalty spot. Vocabulary icon: symbol, hero, famous thing to compete with: to play against upstart: youngster who dares to challenge an older person; (in this case) a team with no long history playing against a team with a lot of history; cheeky all four corners: everywhere, all places, a wide area influx: a large number of people entering a country; stream of people; flood of people turn to: look for help, ask someone for help, choose crack down on: be strict; be severe; don't allow any bad behaviour; stop a hatful: a lot; many to blossom: to grow; to develop; to mature stiffer: more difficult; a bigger challenge

2010 El Clasico: A free listening report with transcript on football for learners of English who love soccer: this week el clasico

On this week's show we preview el clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona as well as taking a look back at the Champions League quarter-finals and a look forward to the FA Cup semi-finals. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

This week's English for football phrase is 'to take out' - what does it mean in soccer?

On this week's show we spotlight the quarter final games in the Champions League. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

This week's English for football phrase is to pledge your future.

2010 Champions League quarter final - which teams are going through?

On this week's show we feature an interview with an expert on Mexican football, Juan Pablo Camargo, who tells us all about the Primera División de México. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

Subscribe: Main Report Each week on languagecaster's podcast we feature a main report and on this week's show we have an interview with an expert on Mexican football, Juan Pablo Camargo, who tells us all about the Primera División de México. You can listen to the report by clicking above. The Mexican League DF: Now for this week's main report we have a special guest interview with top Mexican football blogger Juan Pablo Camargo and is going to tell us all about the Mexican League. We met recently down by the River Thames here in London and I started by asking him about the structure of the Mexican league which often looks rather confusing to outsiders. Juan Pablo: I think to understand the league you should think about it as maybe the North American leagues of baseball, no, or even American football I think that's the most useful. Because we are divided in groups and we don't play ... for example in England you play for points and the one who has more points in the end wins. So in Mexico you just play and then you qualify to the play-offs. The first two teams of each group or three teams qualify to the play-offs and then in the play-off you can be a champion even though you qualified in the eighth place. DF: So the eighth best team could be the supreme champion of Mexican football for example? JP: It happens a lot actually. We have two tournaments a year - apertura and clausura - and we play from August to December and you can be champion there and then you can start again in January and be the champion in June. DF: So this particular structure is similar to Argentina or other countries in South America? JP: They copied the two leagues from Argentina because we used to have the one whole ... the one whole year league... with play-offs. DF: OK, how are the groups organised? Is it geographical? JP: Er... no, randomly weird Mexican federation criteria. DF: I mean, what's the feeling of Mexican football fans, are they happy with the structure? JP: We're happy with the structure because the league is not that competitive so the play-offs make it pretty fun. But basically you don't care about the league in the regular season and you start caring in the... in the play-offs, so that's fun. But we think that really affects, like, our level of competition internationally because teams are just lazy all year long. DF: Interesting. Now obviously you are a Pumas fan, what are the big teams in Mexican club football? Can you tell us a little bit about the big teams in Mexico and maybe some of the rivalries that they enjoy? JP: Sadly, the biggest team is Guadalajara, Chivas, they are the most popular team. They are from the second biggest city in Mexico and the thing... the fact is that they are popular because they have this ... philosophy of just having Mexican players in the team so people in Mexico feels that they are supporting ... feel that they are supporting Mexico if they support Chivas. And the second big team is América who is like the arch-rival from Guadalajara so that is the classic, it's like the Barcelona- Real Madrid should be that. In the last years, they have like, used that a lot for marketing so they have played a lot of friendly matches between them so I think it's lost its soul but that's the big rivalry. Then the third one, the biggest one would be Cruz Azul from Mexico City too and the fourth one in popularity would be Pumas. So, between Pumas and Cruz Azul there is also a big rivalry but between these whole four it's the biggest rivalry in all football like Pumas fans hate América fans and those are really even dangerous games. The other big, big rivalry is in the north, in Monterrey, we have two teams, Monterrey and Tigres, who are from the university, so that's one of the biggest rivalries there too. DF: Fantastic. Now how is the league going this season? Who is doing well and who is doing not so well? JP: As this week, it's ... Monterrey is in the first place, Chivas was doing amazing actually this year and they're in second place but they were unbeaten in the first six, seven games. So Chivas is going pretty well and actually the big teams are in the first eight now, Pumas is in fourth, Cruz Azul is in seventh, America is in eight. But again, like, in two weeks maybe another team can just start winning and be the champions - it's not a guarantee to be in the top spot in Mexico. DF: When will the play-offs start? JP: The play-offs start in mid-May, I think, and they run for three weeks because it's just quarter-finals, semi-final and finals. DF: OK, so you're confident that your team UNAM will be there? JP: Definitely, UNAM will be there. DF: And do you think they can win the whole thing? JP: They are playing way better than last year. Last year they ended up in the last place but the year before... the tournament before that they were champions so basically they have the same team as last time th

What is the meaning of 'break the deadlock'? We look at the phrase 'break the deadlock' which is used when talking about draws in football.

On this week's show we feature Ligue 1. We take a look at some background to the season, the contenders for the title, the relegation situation and French clubs in Europe. Remember you can also: Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

English Football Phrase: To Thump A Team

[print_link] | Subscribe: Main Report This week we take a look at France's Ligue 1. You can listen to the report by clicking above while vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post. Background There are 20 teams in Ligue 1 and the current title holders are Bordeaux, who halted Olympique Lyonnais' record run of seven straight titles victories last year. Every year, three teams are relegated and three promoted, and this year Lens, Montpellier and Boulogne replaced Caen, Nantes and le Havre. The contenders Currently, there are six teams withing three points of each other at the top of Ligue 1, making the run-in to the season a very exciting one. Champions, Bordeaux are in pole position on 53 points and a game in hand over their rivals. But the club from the south west of France have only managed to pick up one win in six games and have lost momentum. A team with momentum is Auxerre in third place on 51 points with five wins in six, including a win over leaders Bordeaux. they sit one point behind surprise package Montpellier, newly relegated and impressing everyone with their confident attacking style. can they overhaul Bordeaux and stop the Champions adding to their six titles, or will they fade and let more established clubs like Lyon and Marseilles in fifth and sixth respectively contest for the title? last year's fourth place finishers Lille sit in fourth place at this stage of the season on 51 points and have been solid performers in recent seasons and will be hoping to qualify for the Champions League at least this season. At the bottom At the foot of the table it looks a lot clearer. Grenoble, just south east of Lyon and St Etienne, look doomed to go down. They have just 14 points, 15 points from safety. And probably joining them will be Le Mans on 21 points, and Boulogne on 20. Le mans may hold out some hope that St Etienne, 7 points ahead of them will slip up again and drop further and that the team from the centre of France can win its game in hand to further close the gap, but it doesn't look promising. These three teams will most likely be playing in Ligue 2 next season. Europe This season has been a good one for French clubs, but not outstanding. They have two representatives left in the Champions League quarter final stages - Lyon and Bordeaux. Lyon of course stunned European giants Real Madrid 2-1 on aggregate showing that money doesn't always buy success, and they shouldn't fear anyone. However, history says bet against them progressing as they've appeared 11 times in the Champions League but have never got further than the quarter final stage. Bordeaux booked their place in the last eight with a 3-1 aggregate win over Olympiacos. On paper, not as impressive as Lyon's victory, but like Lyon, they won both legs of the tie. Their one worry could be losing focus in the league by concentrating on Europe. While the two clubs have done well to get this far, I don't expect them to make it through to the semi finals. In the Europa League things were looking quite good until this week when Ligue 1's last representatives, Lille and Marseille were knocked out by Liverpool and Benfica respectively. So overall better than last year, but only a semi-final place in the Champions League would really make people sit up and take note. And whose going to win the league? For football romantics, a Montpellier win would be great, but I think it will be back to back wins for Bordeaux. Vocabulary current: at the present time, reigning the run in: the final stretch, the last part, nearly the end surprise package: an unexpectedly strong team solid performers: consistent, not outstanding/fantastic, but regularly good slip up: make a mistake, fail book a place: win in a competition so that you go through to the next round sit up and take note: take seriously, be interested in

On this week's free football podcast for learners of English we talk about the 1950 World Cup in Brazil

[print_link] | Subscribe: Main Report Continuing our World Cup countdown we feature one of the most dramatic tournaments to have taken place, the 1950 World Cup in Brazil in this week's main report. You can listen to the report by clicking above while vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post. Background The 1950 World Cup was the first tournament to be held after the Second World War and as much of Europe's infrastructure had been destroyed, FIFA turned to Brazil to host the fourth World Cup. Before the competition had even started there was drama with many teams pulling out for a variety of reasons: Argentina didn't go because they were in dispute with their neighbours Brazil, Scotland had qualified by coming second in their group behind England but refused to travel as they were not British champions. Turkey pulled out and then so did their replacements, France, while India withdrew because they were not allowed to play barefoot. Austria felt their team was too young while Germany were banned from international competition leaving a total of 13 teams to participate. Group Stages Rather bizarrely the 13 teams were divided into 4 groups, two of which contained 4 teams, one with three and one group comprised only Uruguay and Bolivia with the Uruguayans easily qualifying. The hosts found themselves in the same group as Mexico, Switzerland and Yugoslavia and despite only drawing with the Swiss managed to make it to the final stage. Sweden also made it there after knocking out Italy which may have seemed a surprise but the Italian side had been badly depleted after an air crash in 1949 had killed all of the Torino squad, a squad that had dominated Italian football and indeed made up the bulk of the national side. England, making their first ever appearance in a World Cup, were expected to qualify from their group but succumbed to one of the most embarrassing defeats in their history when they lost 0-1 to the USA. So unthinkable was this defeat that many back home thought there had been a misprint in their newspapers on reading about Joe Gaetjens' goal. The Final Stage FIFA had decided that there would be no final match in this competition but instead there was a group play-off between the final four teams. The hosts Brazil thrashed Sweden 7-1 and then trounced Spain 6-1 meaning that they only needed a draw against their South American neighbours from Uruguay who had beaten Spain but drawn with Sweden. The whole of Brazil was confident of victory with the mayor of Rio de Janeiro proclaiming the team as world champions before the game had even kicked off and newspapers already preparing front page headlines describing the Brazilians as champions. Approximately 200.000 people crammed into the newly built Maracana Stadium to watch this coronation and when Brazil went 1-0 up it seemed that everyone's belief had been correct. But with 30 minutes remaining Uruguayan star Schiaffino scored and then 20 minutes later the unthinkable happened - Gigghia beat Brazilian keeper Barbosa at the near post to snatch an unlikely victory for Uruguay. They had won their second World Cup and left Brazil stunned. Vocabulary to host: To hold the tournament, the place where the competition takes place pulling out: To withdraw, to not play for a reason were in dispute with: To not have friendly relations with (arguing with) to play barefoot: To play football without football boots Rather bizarrely: Strangely, seemingly no reason for the decision comprised: Made up of The hosts: The country where the competition takes place (Brazil) depleted: To have been weakened made up the bulk of : To have supplied most of the national team from one club (Torino). succumbed to: To lose out to thrashed: To be badly beaten trounced: To be badly beaten crammed into: Packed into, too many people in one place to snatch an unlikely victory: To win when no one expected it, snatch suggests stole the victory!

English football expression: To be cagey is when, you do not give a clear answer, or make a firm decision.