Learn English Through Football Podcast

The Premier League is getting ready for it's sixth round of games. Too soon to name a winner? Who's going down? Has it been an exciting start to the season. This week languagecaster.com asks some Premier League fans what they think. We also: Review the news in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue the predictions battle in the predictions competition For learners of English check out our new Football Language Resources page with: ** New Feature ** Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, technical terms, cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists

The Champions League group games started this week and languagecaster takes a look at how teams from la Liga and the Premier League fared. For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources with: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists ** NEW ** Football language glossary Transcript Damian - The Spanish Teams Spanish teams usually feature among the favourites at the start of every Champions League campaign, even though they've only provided one winner in the past six years: Barcelona in 2006. And the Catalan side will be hoping for a repeat performance this year. Though few in Spain think they have the necessary tools to do so. This is surprising when you think their team boasts such Xabi, Iniesta, Eto'o and Messi. Yet there are doubts about their coach and former star, 'Pep' Guardiola, due to his lack of experience. A 3-1 victory over a weak Portuguese side Sporting eased some of the pressure after a poor start to La Liga. And they should qualify from a group that also includes Shaktar and Swiss team Basle. Real Madrid also started with a comfortable home victory 2-0 against Belarus side Bate, but they know there are tougher tests ahead in the form of Italian giants Juventus and UEFA Cup holders Zenit St. Petersburg. Madrid failed to make the knock out round last season, and another failure to do so could cost their manager, Bernd Schuster, his job. He relies on a strong Dutch presence in his team, with Robben, Sneijder, van der Vaart, and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Though injuries are never too far away from those players. If they get through the group they may well go all the way. One team that won't go all the way but will have lots of fun is Atlético Madrid, back in the Champions league after an eleven year absence. They are wonderful going forward, with the likes of Diego Forlán, Luis Garcia, Portuguese winger Simão, and the Argentinian star 'Kun' Agüero, but defensively they are suspect. And they are frustratingly inconsistent. They started this season's campaign with a tremendous 3-0 away victory against Dutch side PSV, but regular watchers of 'Atléti' know that they could well lose the home leg by the same score. Group qualification at best. Villarreal deservedly finshed second in last year's La Liga race and they've started off this season's Champions League by battling for a nil nil draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United. Cilean coach Pellegrino has a good mixture of South American and local players and their short passing game will frustrate many teams this season. They will surely qualify from a group that includes Aalborg from Denmark and Celtic from Scotland. Villarreal could well be the dark horses in this year's competition. Damon - The English sides While Spanish teams may be thought of as favourites at the start of the Champions League English teams have dominated the last four with 9 out of the 16 semi-finalists being English teams. The same faces are here again at the start of the 2008/09 campaign, 2005 winners Liverpool, losing finalists from 2006 and 2008 Arsenal and Chelsea, and the current champions Manchester United. Both Liverpool and Chelsea, the English teams with perhaps the most consistent recent record in the Champions league, both got off to good starts. Liverpool played away to Olympic Marseille, a team they are familiar with from last year. They didn't match their 4-0 destruction of the French team this year, but neither did they lose - painful memories of losing to Marseille at Anfield remain on Merseyside. Thanks to their inspirational star Gerrard, who scored two goals,A they overcame a skillful and stubborn Marseille 2-1. They will be glad of the away victory but will have an eye on Atletico Madrid who blasted out of the blocks with a 3-0 victory away at Dutch champions PSV. This group is not the easiest but Liverpool should progress. Chelsea, also facing French opposition, continued their impressive league form with a 4-0 home victory over Bordeaux. While the players must have been happy with the solid win, their Italian coach, Scolari was less than impressed criticising his side for giving away the ball too much - perhaps the Chelsea players felt sorry for their opponents and wanted to give the a chance. This group looks a breeze for the Blues, especially given that Roma, the big name on paper, were upset by minnows Cluj 2-1 at home. Expect Chelsea to win this group at a canter. The other two English clubs didn't have such an easy time, and this perhaps reflects their erratic European form of recent years. Remember it was only two years ago that Manchester United failed to get out of their group. And the team from the North West of England were given a stern test at home by Villarreal. Both sides didn't field their strongest sides from the start and Manchester United found it tough going and should have been behind by the 60 minute after a beautiful move by

The group stages are under way already in the Champions league. Barely have the seasons started in the European leagues and the big money competition is underway. In this show Damon and damian reflect on the Spanish and English team's start to the campaign. We also: Review the news in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue the predictions battle in the predictions competition For learners of English check out our new Football Language Resources page with: ** New Feature ** Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, technical terms, cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists

This week's English for football phrase is 'to park the bus'.

England thrash Croatia 4-1, while Germany and Ireland both gain 4 points away from home in the recent World Cup qualifiers. On this week's show you can hear what some of their fans thought about these performances. Languagecaster.com also brings you another English for Football phrase. For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources with: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists ** NEW ** Football language glossary Transcript Germany Damon: OK Hans, thanks for talking to us. You are a German fan what did you think of Germany's two performances? Hans: Well, the first game was against Liechtenstein away which was a six-nil win. I guess we should really beat Liechtenstein so I am pretty happy with that, six-nil is good, very good. D: What about the Finland game? Hans: Finland, three all in Finland, the German coach said it was a point won rather than points lost so he should know what he's talking about but the main point there was the ... the weak defence on both sides, but especially the German defence looked pretty average I think. DB: Who would you say then were your key players? Hans: In the Finland game it's obviously Klose he scored a hat-trick and three times Germany were behind and three times he got them back on level terms. In the Liechtenstein game, Podolski was the player to score the most goals and do very well. But I think really the defence is the area that needs the most attention and that was were most of the question marks are being put. So, for key players, I think defenders are the key players at the moment for Germany. DB: And are you confident of progressing from your group, your World Cup qualifying group? Hans: The tough game will be against Russia and I am confident, yes, Germany always qualify but it won't be easy as Finland have shown. DB: Thank you very much. England DB: Hi Paul. Paul: Hi there DB: Thanks for talking to us today, you're an England fan. What did you think of England's two performances? Paul: It was very Jeckyl and Hyde. I thought the first one was typical modern England really, we laboured to a two-nil victory against a very weak team so I was obviously disappointed but expected something like that. And then the second one was unbelievable, unbelievable. It was ... it reminded me of the five-one against Germany I thought it was a fantastic performance because Croatia were ranked the fifth best, the fifth best team in the word whereas England were about fifteen or something, so I thought that was ... it's got my expectations sky high. DB: And so who are the key players, do you think, for England? Paul: I think it was a team effort for once. I think that normally England teams seem to be a load of stars thrown together, not playing ... who've never met before but this time it seemed that it was more of a team effort. Obviously 'trio' Walcott did very well and I think the midfield played well and obviously very strong at the back and Rooney had a good performance as well so that was great. DB: So are you confident England will get out of their group and qualify for the World Cup? Paul: I think so. I think so. I think the most difficult game was the, the away game in Croatia. The other teams in the group: the Ukraine and Belarus shouldn't trouble England too much, so yes, I'm hopeful. DB: Thank you very much. Ireland Damian: So Ireland had two away games in the World Cup qualifying section. They picked up four points, what do you think? Brendan: I think I'm happy with the four points. Two away games to start your campaign can always be tricky. The first game was made a little bit easier because it was played in a neutral venue even though it was an away game against Georgia. Ireland picked up three points there with a competent performance. Against Montenegro, they scored, they picked up a point as well. So, I think all in all most Irish fans are pretty happy with the opening two games for Trapattonni. DF: Which players do you think actually played well for Ireland over those two games? Brendan: I think the big bonus for all Irish fans was Steven Reid. Steven Reid has been a player who's been knocking on the door since the World Cup finals of 2002 but he's been dogged with injuries. But finally he has had a run in the Irish team in the last three or four games and he's proved his worth by playing in the centre of midfield. He's also ... Trappatonni's also decided to play Stoke City reserve, a guy called Glenn Whelan, as he calls him his holder, the guy he says maybe like Gattuso for Italy which might be a stretch of the imagination but he's done a good job. So, the central midfield pairing of Steven Reid and Glenn Whelan has certainly given Ireland a base to work from and also, of course, Richard Dunne at the back has been, has been great in both games as well. DF: Now you've mentioned Trappatonni, what's the feeling in Ireland about Trappat

On this week's show we review the World Cup qualifiers by asking fans from Germany, England and Ireland their viewpoints on last week's matches. We also: Review the news in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue the predictions battle in the predictions competition For learners of English check out our new Football Language Resources page with: ** New Feature ** Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, technical terms, cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists

This week languagecaster.com introduces the football phrase 'squeaky-bum time' which is used in football to describe a tense...

And they're off... in Europe at least. Most of the globe have started World Cup qualifying, but this weekend sees the teams from Europe start their campaigns to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa. As well as asking three fans what they think of their team's chances we also: Review the news in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue the predictions battle in the predictions competition For learners of English check out our new Football Language Resources page with: ** New Feature ** Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, technical terms, cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists

It's World Cup qualifier week and European teams get their campaigns off to a start, while there's also action across the globe in Asia and South America. Languagecaster.com also brings you another English for Football phrase. For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources with: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists ** NEW ** Football language glossary Transcript Italy DF: European World Cup qualifiers are starting again this weekend and of course Italy are the World champions, the current World Cup holders, and we have an Italian fan here, Massimo who is going to tell us a little bit about his teama€™s chances. Massimo, how are you? Massimo: Hi Damian, fine, how are you? DF: Good, Ia€™m good, looking forward to football this weekend, yes. Now, of course Italy are the World Cup holders and what do you think of their chances of qualifying for South Africa for 2010? M: Well, I think, I hope, but I think definitely that Italy have good chance to go on. DF: OK, so in your group what rivals do you have? M: Well, you knowa€¦ Italy is in the group with Bulgaria, Ireland and Cyprus. Definitely I think to be honest, the best of the groupa€¦ DF: You should get through. M: Yes. DF: So which of those teams, Bulgaria, Ireland, Cyprus are you most afraid of? M: Well, Ireland for sure, yes. They are a very good team and they have also one of the best manager from Italy too. Ita€™s Trappattoni. DF: Of coursea€¦ M: Hea€™s one of the best of Italy DF: Yes, ita€™s going to be an interesting game that one a€¦ M: Yes. DF: Now, speaking of managers, Italy have a new manager, can you tell us a little bit about him? M: Ita€™s Lippi again, hopefully, as we already did in a€¦ two years ago, we won the World Cup thanks to him and we hope to repeat this. DF: Most people in Italy are happy with his appointment? M: Yes, yes, yes, no, no most people want, I mean hea€™s a€¦the World Cup winner so definitely people are happy, yes. DF: So what about key player, which player do you think is indispensable from the team? M: Well, it could be strange but I think that Cannavarro is the key man of the, of the team even if hea€™s a defender. But without him I think that the defence is rubbish. DF: Really? M: Yes. DF: Alright, thanks very much and good luck. M: Thank you. Hungary DF: Wea€™ve got a Hungarian football fan who is going to tell us a little bit about his teama€™s chances for qualifying. Adam. Adam: Well, I think since we have Sweden, Portugal and Denmark in our group we will not have much chance to qualify. DF: Thata€™s a pretty tough group, isna€™t it? A: Yes, it is. DF: So which of those three teams do you think will be your directa€¦ kind of rival? Which team do you think you could challenge? A: Probably Denmark I think. DF: In your team, which are the key players that we should look out for Hungary? A: I think we have really just one key player, ita€™s Gera Zoltan, he plays for Fulham and hea€™s very, very good. DF: Yes, he is, hea€™s one of their best players? Now, what about your manager? Do we know anything about the manager? A: Yes, we have now a new manager since this summer and hea€™s called Erwin Koeman and hea€™s the brother of Ronald Koeman, probably we will do gooda€¦ DF: OK, and most people in Hungary would support him? A: Yes, yes. DF: Thata€™s good, so this weekend you playa€¦? A: Against Denmark. DF: What do you think? What are your chances? A: I can think of a draw so I hope. DF: Ok, good luck. A: Thanks. Brazil DF: Now of course, World Cup qualifiers take place in South America as well and we have Marcelo here who is a Brazilian fan and wea€™re going to ask him about his countrya€™s chances of qualifying for the World Cup. Marcelo, can you tell us about the situation Brazil are in at the moment, where are they in the qualifying campaign? Marcelo: Of course, if you see our position now, ita€™s not a good position but we have the tradition and we have good players and I believe Brazil will have his place in the World Cup. DF: Now of course Brazil have qualified for every final. M: Yes, yes, ita€™s tradition we are in all World Cups. DF: Now at the moment you are in fifth position and this weekend youa€™re playing against Chile is that right? M: Yes. DF: Tough game? M: Yes, yes, but I hope we will win. DF: OK, now which other countries are your biggest rivals at the moment in the South American group? M: Of course, Argentina and now Paraguay. DF: So Paraguay are top? M: Yes, yes but Argentina is, I believe, the best team now in South America. DF: Now of course we know many of the Brazilian stars are playing in Europe, what are the players are the key players for you for Brazil? M: I believe the key players are Kaka and Ronaldinhoa€¦ if they are well, we will be well. DF: OK, now your manager at the moment is Dunga, yes? M: Yes. DF: Whata€™s the feeling about the manager at the moment in Brazil? M: Personally I dona€™t like him and I believe he doesna€™t have experience and his position

In this weeks Learners" Podcast we take a look at the groups in the Champions League and highlight some of the teams and their chances. There is also another English for Football phrase. For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources with: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists ** NEW ** Football language glossary Transcript Here's an early season teaser for you. What do Romania's CFR Cluj Napoca, Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta, Swiss team FC Basle, Denmark's AAB Aalburg and BATE Borisov of Belarus all have in common? Well, along with 27 other sides they are all taking part in the group stages of the 2008-2009 Champions League. While good to see some new teams taking part, it will be an almighty shock if any of those mentioned get through to the knock-out stage never mind win the title. Generally the top teams have few problems in progressing to the last 16 and this year it should be no different. Or will it? Holders Manchester United face a tricky group as they have been drawn with Celtic from Scotland and Spanish side Villareal who reached the semi finals in 2006. Indeed, the last time these two sides were drawn together Manchester United were knocked out. How about last year's runners-up Chelsea? Well, they will fancy their chances as they have Roma, Bordeaux and Romanian side Cluj Napoca. London rivals Arsenal will also hope to progress, though they will have to work hard away from home - at Fenerbahce, Porto and Dynamo Kiev. 2005 winners Liverpool play Marseilles, Dutch champions PSV and Fernando Torres' former side Atletico Madrid who are back in the Champions League for the first time in more than a decade. Barcelona should have little difficulty in beating the likes of Shaktar Donetsk, FC Basle and Sporting Lisbon but their Spanish rivals Real Madrid are in the toughest group of them all as they have to play UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg and Italian powerhouse, Juventus. What of the other favoured teams? Well, it should be fairly straightforward for Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan as they play Greek team Panathinaikos, little Famagusta from Cyprus and Werder Bremen while Bayern Munich have a trickier task in Romania's Steau Bucharest, Fiorentina and French Champions Lyon. It is almost impossible to predict a winner at this stage but I can safely say it won't be one of the five underdogs mentioned at the start of the report.

The Champions League group stage draw has been made and languagecaster.com take a look at what this means for the teams. We also: Review the news in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football And start the predictions battle in the predictions competition For learners of English check out our new Football Language Resources page with: ** New Feature ** Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, technical terms, cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists

Subscribe: Weekly Football Phrase Every week during the 2007-08 season, the languagecaster team explain a football phrase or cliché for learners of English who love the sport. Click on the link below to hear the word or phrase and you can also read the transcript below that. You can find many more examples by going to our football phrase page here football clichés here and our huge football glossary here. A To be in with a shout mp3 Transcript This week's English for Football is to be in with a shout and it means to have a chance of doing well in something even though you may not be expected to do so. In football we use this expression to describe a situation when, for example, a team has fallen behind the leaders or may be losing in a match but people still think they may have a chance of catching up or winning. Avram Grant, the Chelsea manager, said that his team were still in with a shout of winning the League despite being 7 points behind the leaders. I wonder if any of the non-league teams in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup are in with a shout of going through?

This week languagecaster asks a fan from Hull City about his teama€™s chances in the Premier League.

This week languagecaster continues to ask fans about their team's chances in the Premier League. We also feature the men's and women's Olympic finals. We also: Review the news in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football And start the predictions battle in the predictions competition For learners of English check out our new Football Language Resources page with: ** New Feature ** Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, technical terms, cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists

Welcome back! On this week's show we take a look at the start of the Premier League season as well as having a new English for Football phrase. For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources with: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists ** NEW ** Football language glossary Click here for the transcript

Languagecaster is back after the summer break with a look at the upcoming Premier League. Will it be the same old story with Chelsea and Manchester United battling it out at the top or will a dark horse sneak up on the rails. We ask fans what they think about their team's chances. We also: Review the news in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football Present our new poll And start the predictions battle in the predictions competition For learners of English check out our new Football Language Resources page with: ** New Feature ** Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, technical terms, cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists

The last in our summer podcasts looks back at the Euro 2008 Championships and asks some of our footballing 'experts' what they thought were the best and worst moments of the tournament. In addition, we also reveal the winner of the summer predictions battle. Languagecaster will be back with a new set of weekly podcasts in August for the start of the European football season.

Euro 2008 Semi finals: So it's Spain and Germany in the final of Euro 2008. History against flair. In today's show we focus on these two...

Euro 2008 quarter finals: Turkey and Germany win dramatic quarter finals to set up a semi final that few would have predicted...

2008 Summer Podcast 4 - Euro 2008: Euro 2008 is a week old and Greece join the co-hosts in exiting the competition.

Euro 2008 is a week old and already hosts Switzerland are out, Portugal and Croatia are through to the quarter

Euro 2008 Week 1: On this show we ask three fans for their predictions and see if they match our other listeners and readers' opinions

2008 European Championship Preview: We look back at the history of the European Championships as well as focusing on this year's version...

2008 End of Season Review

The languagecaster season is over! But of course, there is plenty more football being played. Join us again in June for our Euro 2008 Summer Podcasts. On this week's show we review the year. We also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football Find out where David Beckham is in Beckham Watch And continue the weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

2008 Premier League Review: The Premier League is over and on this week's show we ask some fans what they ...

The Premier League is over and on this week's show we ask some fans what they thought of their team's performance during the season. The predictions battle also goes down to the wire with only two points separating Damon from Damian. We also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football Find out where David Beckham is in Beckham Watch And continue the weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show we focus on the last 8 of the Copa Libertadores, the Premier League as well as having a new English for Football phrase. For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcript The Copa Libertadores is down to the quarter-finals after last week's eight games that saw plenty of goals, lots of controversy, many red cards and some improbable comebacks. Holders Boca Juniors, despite being written off by many - including myself, are through after beating Brazilian side Cruzeiro 2-1in Belo Horizonte and once again the Riqueleme-inspired side will be challenging for the title. With Lanus going out to Mexican side Atlas and Estudiantes falling to Ecuador's Quito there will only be one other Argentinian side in the last eight and that is San Lorenzo who made it after a remarkable 2-2 draw against River Plate. Holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg, San Lorenzo found themselves 2-0 down and two men down with an hour gone yet fought back to draw 2-2 and knock out their more illustrious rivals who were jeered from the pitch by their furious supporters after the match. But that comeback was nothing compared to the one that Mexican side America pulled off against Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo. Having won 4-2 away from home, the Brazilian side was odds-on favourite to qualify yet they ended up being thrashed 3-0 and crashing out of the competition. In the quarter finals America will play Santos, while Brazil are guaranteed at least one semi-finalist with the Sao Paulo - Fluminense match up. Boca will play Atlas while underdogs Quito face San Lorenzo. Though Mexican and Ecuadorian fans may beg to differ, I am going for two Argentinian and two Brazilian teams in the semi finals. *** Yeah, it's quite a nervy time for Manr United fans at the moment because this league really should have been put to bed before now. Man United had three away games: Chelsea; Blackburn and Middlesbrough to secure a win, which I think would have guaranteed them the title. They failed to do it, two points from nine, and now it's all or nothing on the final game against Wigan, who themselves are in good form. Prior to Steve Bruce' arrival, they hadn't taken a point off any of the top four since their return to the Premiership but they've now drawn with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with Liverpool at Anfield and at home to Arsenal earlier in the year. So this isn't a gimmee for Man united and of course a draw for Man United mightn't be enough because I think Chelsea will definitely take care of Bolton at home ... at Stamford Bridge. So, nervy time I think obviously the early goal is important and if Man United can get that perhaps Alex Ferguson will be celebrating his tenth title. But my overriding emotion would be one of nervousness. *** While the fans of Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United will be nervously cheering their teams on as they battle it out for the title at the top of the league, supporters of Reading and Fulham will be equally anxious as their teams fight for survival at the foot of the table. Reading travel to Pride Park to face Derby, now officially the worst Premier League team ever with only 11 points, hoping that the pride has been knocked out of the Rams and they roll over, preferably allowing the Royals an 8-0 victory. Goals are important as Reading are 6 goals behind Fulham on goal difference with the same points. Fulham are also on the road, all the way to the south coast where they face FA Cup finalists, Portsmouth. They will also be travelling with hope: they will be praying that Portsmouth have their eyes on the FA Cup final and that their players will not be willing to charge into tackles and run all day. Portsmouth don't have anything else to play for, as their chance of a place in the UEFA Cup via the league went with a 2-0 loss to Middlesbrough. It really is squeaky-bum time for Fulham fans, but I think they must be safe. They've had a great run recently with 3 victories out of five. On the other hand, Reading are in free-fall without a win in six. But wait a minute what about Birmingham?Mathematically they can still do it if both reading and Fulham lose. Sorry, I can't see it. Reading, Birmingham and dreadful Derby to go down.

This week's show reviews the games from the Copa Libertadores last 16 and focuses on the end of the Premier League season with the title race still on and relegation threatened clubs facing squeaky bum time. We also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football Find out where David Beckham is in Beckham Watch And continue the weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show we focus on the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores, as well as having a new English for Football phrase. For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcript That was Marcino scoring in Flamengo's comfortable 4-2 away victory against Mexican side America in the first leg of the last 16 of the South American club championship, the Copa Libertadores. Despite being one of the biggest clubs on the continent, with a reputed 40 million supporters within Brazil, Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo has only ever won the Copa Libertadores once before, when Zico fired them to the 1981 title. This lack of success for Brazil's top team may seem rather strange but unlike the European Champions League which has become an almost closed affair between the top clubs from Spain, Italy and England, the beauty of the Copa Libertadores is that any of the teams involved feel they have a real chance to win it. The four other Brazilian clubs in the last 16 were relatively happy after the first leg matches with Fluminense winning away at Colombia's Nacional, Santos beating surprise package Cucuta (also from Colombia), 2005 winners Sao Paulo drawing 0-0 away at Uruguay's Nacional and Cruzeiro only going down 2-1 away at the current champions, Boca Juniors. Boca have dominated the tournament in recent years with four victories since 2000 but despite the inclusion of Palermo and Riqueleme, they have struggled this season and will do well to make it to the final again. With Lanus losing at home to Mexican side Guadalajara and Estudiantes going down 2-0 away in Ecuador, Argentinian teams did not fare too well though they are guaranteed one side in the last eight with the winner of the River Plate San Lorenzo match. So who will win this year's title? Brazilian teams will feature and Sao Paulo are many people's favourites again. Or will another Argentinian side take over the mantle from Boca, perhaps San Lorenzo in their centenary year? Maybe a surprise package, as in 2002 when Paraguay's Olimpia won the title? Perhaps this year it is the turn of Liga de Quito from Ecuador, which would re-ignite the debate on playing at altitude, or how about a first-time Mexican winner? No, I am not going to go for any of those but rather I have a feeling that Flamengo can go all the way this year and emulate the golden team of '81.

This week's show looks back at the Champions League semi-finals in Europe and focuses on the South American version, the Copa Libertadores, as it reaches the last 16. We also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football Find out where David Beckham is in Beckham Watch And continue the weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show we look at the semi-finals in the Champions League with three fans from England as well as having a new English for Football phrase. For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcript Liverpool fan Damon: OK, so Ia€™ve got a Liverpool fan here. What did you think about the result against Chelsea? Tim: Well, um, of course, very disappointing to lose a goal - an own goal - with, like, literally ten seconds left of the game. So, quite disappointed really. Damon: Which players stood out for you? Tim: Well, in terms of standing out in my memory, ita€™s going to hard to forget Riisea€™s contribution to the game. Um, how someone could try to head a ball that was ankle high off the ground for that last touch of the game. But, uh, on the positive side, I thought Dirk Kuyt was fantastic for us. He was tirelessly running as always, and he got an important goal. And I think hea€™s a good sportsman as well. He could have gone down, Makelele challenged him roughly from behind in the box. He could have gone for the penalty, but he thought a€˜No, Ia€™m going to go for a goal. And he scored, so great play. Damon: And what about the return leg? Tim: Well, youa€™d, I mean, youa€™d have to say Chelsea are favourites, I mean, they can grind out a nil-nil like anyone (no-one) can. And um, but I do think we have a chance. I think Torres didna€™t score any goals, I think hea€™s owed a goal by now, and Liverpool are owed a goal at Stamford Bridge. We havena€™t scored there for years, so I think therea€™ll be goals in the game... Manchester United fan Damon: OK Paul, youa€™re a Manchester United fan. What did you think of the game, uh, last night. Paul: Well, um, I thought it was a good game, um, as a United fan, um, I thought Barcelona had most of the game, so I think theya€™ll be a little disappointed they didna€™t win, but of course United had their chances as well, and especially the penalty, so, all in all I think ita€™s... Ia€™m reasonably happy with the result. I mean we didna€™t win, but then didna€™t sound like we deserved to. Damon. Was there any stand out moment, or stand out player for you in the game last night? From either team. Paul: Um of course the moment that sticks in my mind is the penalty. And, uh, ita€™s not like Ronaldo to miss them. hea€™s uh... I remember watching him put two past the Arsenal keeper just a week or so ago. So I was expecting him to get it in, and uh, obviously that was the big moment. Damon. OK, and next week is the return leg at Old Trafford. What do you think? Paul: Pretty confident. I think wea€™ll, uh, I think wea€™ll beat a€˜em. And I think that Chelsea will win in the other game, and ita€™ll be Damon: I didna€™t ask you that... Paul: And Liverpool will lose... Chelsea fan Damon: So, Ia€™ve got a Chelsea fan here. What did you think about the game midweek? Simon: Um, well, there are politer words that I can think of. Um, basically, I thought Chelsea were very lucky to get away with a 1-1 draw. Um, but my rationale is that you know it comes around, you get a bit of luck in these sort of games and thata€™s what you need at this stage of the tournement. So, I think, uh, Liverpool, are, Liverpool are still not out of it though. Damon: Any stand out players for your team? Simon: Uh, not really, I thought we were very average, um, working hard. Carvalho covering for Terry I think was probably one of my picks. But overall Cech, uh, you have to pick Cech. he made the key saves of the game. Particularly at the end, uh, when Torres and Gerrard both had very good shots on target, uh, it proved to be the difference. Damon: And, uh, next week the return leg. whata€™s your call? Simon: Um, my hunch is that ita€™s going to be as close as the first one, obviously home advantage does make a difference at all levels. I think it might be 1-1 and Chelsea win on penalties because ita€™s at home.

This week's show features the three English teams in the Champions League semi-finals - we ask some fans for their reactions to the games. We also - Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show we look at the relegation battles in England and in Germany as well as having a new English for Football phrase. For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcript Only five games remain in the Bundesliga and a real battle is developing in the basement to see who will be relegated this year. Five teams are currently locked in this battle hoping to avoid ending the season in one of the bottom three places. By far the worst position, and everyonea€™s pick for relegation is FC Nuernberg. They had a strong season last year and actually won the German Cup. But now they are last, five points from safety, although they do have a game in hand. Sitting above them, but also in the relegation places are two teams that were promoted last year. As in many leagues, newly promoted teams have a difficult time adjusting to the higher league. Duisburg, on 25 points, and Hansa Rostock on 27 points still have a chance, but Duisburg in particular will be disappointed with another home defeat this week. Just outside the relegation places are Bielefeld and Cottbus. Bielefeld gained a valuable victory against Leverkusen midweek whilst Cottbus were hammered 5-0 by Schalke. Safety is there for the team that takes its chances. My picks for relegation are: Nuernburg, Duisburg and Cottbus Premier League Damon: In the Premier League this season, Derby are the Championship team that came up and went straight back down again. In 2007 two second tier teams were promoted only to go straight back down again, Sheffield United and Watford. Will, Derby be joined by another recently promoted side? Sunderland, the Black cats, are looking safe in 14th place on 36 points, but Birmingham are just above the drop zone on 31 and are in real danger of being a Championship club again next year They have to hope that they stay above Fulham and Bolton, who both had good wins last week, and that Reading lose points, too. On paper, Fulham, 27 points, could pick up some points if the sides they play in the last four games decide their priorities lie elsewhere. The London side play Liverpool this weekend, who will be thinking about the Champions League tie with Chelsea They also play Man City and Portsmouth away with the Manchester side with nothing to play for, and a Portsmouth side looking towards the FA Cup final. Their other game however is against Birmingham. That will beA a massive game for both clubs. There are a lot of ifs if they are to survive. Bolton, on 29 points are in free fall. No Nicolas Anelka and Megson has not been able to recreate Allardycea€™s rugged, resilient side of last year. They also have some tough games against Tottenham and on the final day, Chelsea, to look forward to. Could their ex-striker, Anelka score and put them down? They need a win this weekend against Middlesbrough. Above Fulham and Bolton are Birmingham and Reading. And I think it is the Midlands side, Birmingham, on 31 points, that have the toughest task in the run in. They have a huge derby game against Aston Villa this weekend, away - expect to see fireworks. They then host Liverpool before the crunch game against fellow-strugglers Fulham. Their last game against Blackburn at home could be a desperate affair. My call? Derby, Fulham, and Bolton to go down on goal difference. English for Football In the bag means to be secure, to be safe. So if a title is in the bag it means we think there is no way a team can lose the title, they are certain to win. The origins or roots, of this meaning lie in another sport - baseball. At the start of the 20th century, the Giants were on a historic winning run and if they were leading in the ninth innings, the end of the game, they superstitiously carried the bag of balls off the field - the balls were in the bag and the Giants hoped the game was won. If we look around the leagues in Europe as the season comes to an end, the title is in the bag for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, and it looks like ita€™s in the bag for Manchester United in England.

This week's show features the battles at the foot of the table in the English Premier league and the German Bundesliga. We also look forward to the Champions League semi-final first legs and Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Continue the David Beckham update in Beckham Watch Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show, we look at the teams that are struggling at the bottom of the tables in Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A. We also have anotehr English for Football phrase for you to check out. For more English practice try our... Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcripts The relegation Battles in La Liga and Serie A When we talk about La Liga here on languagecaster we usually focus on the battle for the title but on this week's report we look at the bottom of the table to find out which teams are desperately battling to avoid the drop. Now, way back in September I asked three Spanish football experts to predict which teams would struggle this year in La Liga and here is what they said. DF: My final question, which team do you think will not do very well in La Liga this year? Which team maybe will go down? Pim: I think Mallorca is going to go down this year because they have a weak team Pablo: Murcia ... ita€™s the first time in La Liga. Jon: I think that Valladolid and maybe Murcia. So Murcia, Valladolid and Mallorca were all tipped to go down but let's have a look at the current standings to see if our experts really know what they are talking about. Levante are rooted to the bottom with only 19 points but the club has been plagued by financial and board room difficulties all season so no real surprise there. Ten points ahead of them are Murcia who look as if they will join Levante in the second division next season. But who will go down with them? Well, as we have heard at the start of the show the biggest surprise is Real Zaragoza who, despite finishing 6th last year, find themselves three points adrift in the relegation zone. They have only 7 games to save their season but with only 7 points separating the next seven clubs, including Deportivo, Getafe and Valencia , it is all to play for. So, My tip to join Murcia and Levante? I am going for Zaragoza to avoid the drop with Recreativo de Huelva slipping into La Segunda for next year. Thanks Damian, And what about Serie A, who is going to slip into Seria B this season? Well first of all we have to remember that some big teams came up last year - Juventus and Napoli, and they were joined by Genoa. This is what an Italian fan had to say at the start of the season. Fan: This year it could be something like Genoa and possibly Napoli - I hope napoli is going to go down. Well, it looks as though he got that wrong with both genoa and Napoli sitting comfortable in the top half of Serie A. He also tipped AC Milan for the title. Well, we all make mistakes. So what is the situation at the moment. Well, ita€™s quite an a€˜excitinga€™ relegation battle. Wea€™ve got Reggina bottom on 27 points, but no fewer than six teams within five points. But wea€™ve got three teams on 29, just two above the Calabrain team, Reggina. They are Cagliari, Empoli and Livorno. The Sardinian team, Cagliari are showing some fight, losing just one of the last five to AC Milan. Considering they have also drawn with big teams Roma and Sampdoria, Ia€™m tipping them to escape the drop. Cagliari meet Livorno in a crucial encounter, and I expect Livorno to continue their dismal form and lose to their relegation rivals. And what about Empoli? They could be in trouble as in the last six games they meet three teams from the drop zone. It will be difficult to get points. On the other hand, Parma have a tough run in on paper - Juve, Fiorentina, Inter - but the Italian league is notorious for strange results at the end of the season. In Serie B next season - Reggina, Livorno and Empoli. Next week languagecaster takes a look at relegation battles in the Bundesliga and the Premier League in England.

In this week's we look at the relegation battles in La Liga and Seria A. Who is going to lose millions by being relegated? We also... Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Continue the David Beckham update in Beckham Watch Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

The Champions League is at the quarter-final stage and so the languagecaster team review the first-leg games and preview the second-leg matches. On this week's show we also ask where David Beckham is in Beckham Watch as well as looking at another new expression in English for Football For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcripts Schalke-Barcelona Damon: Okay, we are on the streets of Tokyo, in Ginza, on a beautiful spring afternoon and I've found a German fan. Schalke in the Champions League, what do you think of the first leg? Hans: Too much respect, we showed them too much respect. Schalke should have won, Barcelona were lucky, they won ugly. Damon: What do you think the score's going to be in the second leg? Hans: Here's my call. Barcelona will not win. It may be a draw or Schalke will win but Barcelona cannot win the second leg. Damon: Okay, so overall, who do you think is the favourite for the Champions League? Hans: Manchester United. Damon: Thank you very much. Fenerbahce-Chelsea Damian: Few would have predicted that Turkish side Fenerbahce would still be in the competition at this stage but after coming back to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the first leg, they have every right to dream of making the semi-finals. With neither Avram Grant from Chelsea nor Zico from Fenerbahce renowned as a tactical genius, this game may come down to courage and bottle, which might favour the Turkish side as they are riding on an emotional crest of a wave. But I still think that Chelsea will be too strong for them and they'll progress to play their Champions League nemesis Liverpool in the semi final. Can they make it this time? Yes, I think they will but they are going to lose out in the final to Manchester United. Liverpool- Arsenal Damon: Well, what do I think of the first leg between Liverpool and Arsenal? Well, it was at Arsenal and I was very pleased at the end of that game, 1-1 with an away goal, fantastic for Liverpool and we were lucky to get away with it. I think the referee who didn't call a penalty for Arsenal was pretty fair all through the night for 50-50 challenges so that wasn't the only reason it wasn't given, but we were very lucky. As for the return leg, well, it's at Anfield but I'm nervous because Arsenal really did play well. They should have beaten us at The Emirates, however, I think Liverpool will come out a little bit stronger at Anfield and may nick an early goal and deflate Arsenal and go on to qualify for the semis. Overall winner? Well, if we beat Arsenal we may go all the way but the smart money is on Manchester United. Manchester United-Roma Brendan: I thought Man United played quite well and it's a great result, I think the result as better than the performance. 2-0 away from home should set them up to beat the Italians in the second leg. It's very unlikely that Man United will concede two goals and also I suppose and more encouragingly for us United fans is the form of the team, since they have played Liverpool, they have stepped it up a gear and this augurs well for the rest of the competition. I think Barcelona will come through the other semi-final setting up a mouthwatering semi-final between Barcelona and Man United and I think in the other legs it's going to be Chelsea against Liverpool, a repeat of two previous Champions League semi-finals. My tip for the final is an all-English one between Chelsea and Man United and I think Alex Ferguson will be smiling in Roman Abramovic's Moscow come May, with United beating Chelsea 2-1 in the final.

The Champions League quarter-finals are taking place and the languagecaster team review the first leg games and look forward to the second leg matches. We also focus on the FA Cup semi-finals in England as well as all the usual favourites. Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Continue the David Beckham update in Beckham Watch Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

The next World Cup maybe in 2010, but qualifiers are already being played around the world with some big games in Asia. This weekend also sees the return of Major League Soccer and David Beckham's second season. In addition on this week's pod we: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a new Vox Pops topic Continue the David Beckham update in Beckham Watch Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

While most of the world were playing friendly matches, there were also some World Cup qualifiers taking place - especially in Asia. On this week's show we also look at another new expression in English for Football For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcripts There may have been a host of meaningless international friendlies this week, sorry Mr Beckham, but there was plenty of football around the world that actually counted for something. Like qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Three teams that are ranked 202 and bottom of the FIFA rankings were all in action in the CONCACAF region qualifiers this week. It does not look as if they will be moving up either after Aruba lost 0-1 to 8-man Antigua, Montserrat lost 1-7 to Suriname and the US Virgin Islands were thrashed 0-10 by Grenada. Well, that's that for another four years then, I suppose. There were also ten games in the five Asian groups with goals, cards and shocks a plenty. The three powerhouses of the region, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Korea were not able to muster a win between them, though at least South Korea managed to pick up a point, after a scoreless draw against their neighbours, North Korea, in a match played in Shanghai due to a dispute over flags and anthems. Saudi Arabia were thrashed 0-3 by Uzbekistan but the biggest shock was three-time Asian Champions Japan's 0-1 defeat away in Bahrain. They will surely qualify for the next round as the top two make it but the poor performance has put the coach Okada under intense pressure. At least he was not forced to resign unlike the Thai manager who quit after his team, albeit unluckily, lost 0-1 at home to an extremely cynical Omani team. How about the group of death? Well, Asian champions Iraq are bottom with no points after another defeat, this time away at Qatar, while an under-strength Australia ground out a scoreless draw with China thanks mainly to Mark Schwarzer's last-minute penalty save. So, with the top two in each group to qualify and four matches to be played in June there is still lots to play for, though teams like Japan, Thailand, Iran, Iraq and China can ill-afford another slip up or else they will be joining the likes of Montserrat and Aruba in preparing for the Brazil World Cup of 2014.

There are 9 games to go in the Italian and Spanish leagues and on this week's show the languagecaster team asks which teams will become champions. There is also another new expression in English for Football For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcripts One thing is for certain. This yeara€™s Serie A title race is a lot more exciting than last yeara€™s. Last year Inter finished over twenty points ahead of Roma, who were followed by Lazio and then AC Milan. How is it looking this year with nine games to go? At first glance, not much has changed. Inter are top followed by Roma: same as last year. AC Milan are fifth, one off the fourth they secured last year. However, there are a few big differences this time round. The first is Juventus. Yes, the Old Lady is back in town after playing last year in the second tier of Italian football. Led by Ranieri, Juve look to have secured at least a place in the qualifying round for the Champions League and seem set to push on next year to really challenge for the title. Evidence of this can be found in their desire to sign Brazilian star, Diego, from Werder Bremen. They are only five points behind Roma in second, but even a win at Inter this weekend wouldna€™t be enough to finish top -second would be a fantastic finish for them though. The second big change this year is the points difference at the top. As I mentioned, last year Inter Milan finished 22 points ahead of their nearest rivals. At this stage the gap is eight points. Still a wide margin, but not impossible to close, especially so when you think Inter have only won two of their last eight in all competitions. During that run, they lost twice to Liverpool and had their first defeat in the League away at Napoli. They could lose it, but they wona€™t. Inter will still finish top, but will reflect on another lost chance in Europe. As often seems to happen the Champions of each country are not the Champions of Europe. The final difference this season is the fact that Fiorentina and Sampdoria are really pushing hard for places in the Champions League at the expense of AC Milan. While Fiorentinaa€™s latest form has been a bit patchy - their goal scorer Mutu has been out injured and they had a tough two legs in the UEFA Cup against Everton, Sampdoria have really hit form winning the last three. they also face Cagliari and Empoli in the next two games - matches they should win. AC Milan could be playing in the UEFA Cup next year. Milan may have to rely on Roma, Napoli and Juve to take points off Sampdoria in the final three matches. My call for the top four places - Inter, Roma, Juve and Sampdoria. Now unlike the Italian League the Spanish League is a very different affair from last year when there was a three horse race right down to the last game of the season which Fabio Capello's Real Madrid eventually won. This year the madridistas are again top of the standings and despite not playing particularly well find themselves 7 points clear with nine games remaining. But the goals have dried up and so have the exciting performances from Robinho, Schneider and Guti. With Robben and Van Nistelroy also out injured it is somewhat lucky for Madrid that their rivals Barcelona are also struggling with their form. Without a win in four league games and dumped out of the King's Cup by Valencia has meant that Barca have been unable to capitalise on Madrid's stuttering performances. One team that might however is Villareal who find themselves only two points behind the Catalans having beaten them at the Nou Camp a couple of weeks ago. It is unlikely they will challenge for the league but they may be able to catch the free falling Barcelona. Behind these three teams there is a real battle going on for the final Champions League spot with Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Espanyol and surprise package Racing Santander all separated by only three points. So, what are my tips for La Liga? Champions Madrid, Barcelona second followed by Villareal and Sevilla.

There are 9 games to go in the Italian and Spanish leagues and on this week's show the languagecaster team asks which teams will become champions. In addition: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Continue the David Beckham update in Beckham Watch Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show the languagecaster team ask our expert, 'Who will win the Bundesliga title?'. There is also a new English for football phrase and a transcript for the reports below as well as the following links for language learners. Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcript Hello and welcome again to the Bundesliga on languagecaster.com. My name is Hans and being a passionate Bundesliga supporter I want to share with you whata€™s happening at the top of the Bundesliga right now with eleven games to go a€˜till the end of the season. Just to fill you in, in Germany the top five teams at the end of the season get a place in Europe: the top two go to the Champions League, the third place gets a play-off position, and fourth and fifth play in the UEFA Cup. So whata€™s happening at the moment in the Bundesliga? Well, at the moment, there are seven teams battling it out for places in Europe and for the Championship of Germany. I will take you through these teams backwards. In seventh place is Karlsruhe. A very small club who is playing well beyond its ability at the moment. Everybody is enjoying their games, and Karlsruhe in seventh place are playing beautifully. Above them in sixth, is Stuttgart, the current champions. They are in hot form at the moment with four wins in the last four games. In fifth place and fourth place we have two teams from the Rhur - Shalke and Bayer Leverkuson. These two teams seem to spend every year battling out for fourth or third position. Leverkuson have just qualified for the next round of the UEFA Cup, and of course Shalke is in the next round of the Champions League. In third position is Hamburg. They have been very strong this year and with forty-two points so far they areA looking very good for a place in Europe. They are just behind Werder Bremen in second place who have forty-three points. But unfortunately for all these teams, seven points clear at the top is Bayern Munich, Bayern Munchen, and it seems to all at theA moment that no-one will win the trophy except for Bayern. Talk in Germany has been that Werder Bremen have lost the Championship. Just a few games ago they were sitting level with Bayern, but, particularly last weekend when they were beaten 6-3 by Stuttgart they have lost momentum. And at the same time they seem to have lost all their defence. So, ita€™s Bayern Munchen to win this year.

It's the run-in to the end of the season. Who is going to win? Who is going to fail? Our experts give their roundups of the Bundesliga and the Premier League. In addition the languagecaster team: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Continue the David Beckham update in Beckham Watch Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show the languagecaster team look at the UEFA Cup as well as having a new English for Football phrase. There is a transcript for the reports below as well as the following links for language learners.

On this week's show Damian and Damon look back at the Champions League and review the UEFA Cup and ask why this competition is in decline.

A On this week's show the languagecaster team take a look at the career of Ronaldo of Brazil and AC Milan, and introduce anotherA English for Football phrase. There is a transcript A for the reports below as well as the following links for language learners. Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers inA fansa€™ forumTranscriptSadly, the Champions League second leg tie between Arsenal and AC Milan will not feature Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima - or as everyone knows him, Ronaldo. This isna€™t the Christian Ronaldo of Manchester United, who is being mentioned as a potential great, but THE Ronaldo already recognised as one of the greatest players of the last 15 years, and perhaps of all time. Ita€™s the Brazilian Ronaldo of Cruzeiro, PSV, Barca, Inter, Real Madrid and now of AC Milan. Ita€™s the Ronaldo who won the Golden Boot with eight goals in the 2002 World Cup and a winners medal along with being voted the best player in the 1998 tournament.It wasna€™t the first or last time it was decided that Ronaldo was the best. Hea€™s won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times in 1996, a€˜97 and 2002. That puts him alongside Zidane as the only player to win the award three times. But of course it wasna€™t collecting awards and medals that makes him famous, makes many believe he deserves a mention along with the all time greats such as Pele, Maradonna, Best, Cruijff, Puskas. It was scoring goals with devastating pace and power, being able to take on defenders with not just speed but technique and incredible balance.Listen to these statistics.At Cruzeiro: played 13 scored 12PSV: played 46 scored 42Barcelona 34 goals in 37 appearancesAt Inter 49 goals in 69 games.Real Madrid: played 127 scored 83And nine from 16 at AC MilanAt international level for Brazil, 62 from 97 games.Amazing! Truly a goal scoring machineA A And all that despite a crisis in his career in 1998 when he performed below par at the World Cup and was clearly mentally not ready for the final where he was a huge disappointment. The next year he injured his right knee badly and it was to be nearly two years before he fully recovered. But he did recover and stormed back onto the World stage outshining David Beckham in the World Cup in Korea and Japan. However, this latest injury, a ruptured tendon in his left knee, has many commentators wondering if he can make a come back. he had seemed set to regain some of his past sharpness partnering Pato up front for AC Milan, and at 31, age is on his side, but you have to wonder if the hunger will still be there for a player who was already been on the Brazilian team bench in a world cup at 17.A It would be a sad way to hang up his 9 shirt, but if he doesna€™t come back, he will be remembered as one of the greatest strikers... ever.A

On this week's show Damian and Damon review the career of one of the world's great strikers - Ronaldo.

On this week's show the languagecaster team focus on the Champions League knock-out stage We ask where David BeckhamA isA in our weekly Beckham WatchA and also have another expression forA English for Football. There is a transcript A for the reports below as well as the following links for language learners. Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers inA fansa€™ forumTranscriptYes, spring is here and the Champions league is back. Holders Milan will be hoping to retain the mostprestigious trophy in European club football for the 8th time but 15 other teams still stand in their way.A A The shadow boxing of the group stages is over and it is now do or die as the last 16 teams from 9 different countries battle it out to see which of them reaches the final in Moscow in May.A England has most representatives left in the competition with four, followed by Spain and Italy with three each and it is from this pool of teams that most people's choice of champions comes from.A Champions League heavyweights Milan, Madrid and Liverpool are among the favourites again, while teams such as Manchester United, Barcelona and Inter will also figure heavily among experts' tips.A While they have previously won the Cup, these clubs feel they should have won it more often and this hunger may be enough to push them all the way this year.A A How about the dark horses? Maybe former champions Porto or Celtic can reclaim their former gloriesA or perhaps it is finally Lyon's turn after so many years of coming close. The outsiders have to be Greek side Olympiakos and Turkey's first ever representatives at this stage, Fenerbahce, but in a knock-out competition anything can happen.A A After the first leg was played this week the ties are all finely balanced though Barcelona's victory at Celtic gives them a clear edge and Chelsea and Milan will be also be satisfied with their scoreless draws away from home. Sevilla, Madrid, Manchester United and Porto all have away goals to play with in the return legs and will also be confident of qualifying for the last eight. Hoping to join them will be Liverpool after a 2-0 home victory against Serie A leaders Inter Milan.A A We asked some off Languagecaster's regular pundits who they thought would be champions and which team might be the dark horses.A DB:OK, so who are your favourites for the Champions League this year?Hans: I think there are two this year, Manchester United and Barcelona.DB: OK, you've got to pick one of those, who's going to win?Hans: Barcelona.DB: Any dark horses?Hans: I think FC Porto are the dark horse but they've got to get past Schalke.A Ben: I have a feeling that Chelsea from England are going to do ok this year, so I think they could go all the way to Moscow and potentially win it.DF: How about dark horses?Ben: It could be a long shot, you know, 'cos they're playing Man United in this round but if Lyon can somehow squeeze past United I think they've got a couple of, you know, really bright sparks for the future, in particular, Benzema and I think, you know, they could really make a name for themselves in this tournament.A DB: OK, so who are your favourites for the Champions League?Paul: Well, this year I think it's going to be an English team that are going to win. Last year England showed ... that the top sides in England had real quality when they took three of the four semi-fianl places and I think this year an English team will do it.DB: OK, if you had to choose one English team, who would it be?Paul: I'd go for Chelsea.DB: Any dark horse?Paul: Let me think, I'd go for, perhaps a Spanish team maybe Sevilla.DB: OK, thanks.TranscriptA