TWITTER QUIZ: Thursday, 28 February

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Who am I? I am one of a world record 12 players from my country to have collected 100+ caps. And I am my country’s record holder.

Today’s answer: Cobi Jones

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @ali_brookman

4 – @ByrneSupremacy

3 – @marcobinnekamp_

2 – @alfro_j

1 – @Aashu_Salotra

Weekly standings:

11 – @sportzeloot

11 – @marcobinnekamp_

7 – @G_o_s_h_a

6 – @alfro_j

5 – @ali_brookman

4 – @ByrneSupremacy

3 – @___10___

3 – @DimJeTong

3 – @BasVGN

2 – @gordonberry

2 – @Jasper_

1 – @JuaniiMueller

1 – @Datenmann

1 – @Aashu_Salotra

TWITTER QUIZ: Wednesday, 27 February

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Who am I? I am Austria’s most capped player and the only one to have represented my country on more than 100 occasions.

Today’s answer: Andreas Herzog

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @G_o_s_h_a

4 – @marcobinnekamp_

3 – @BasVGN

2 – @Jasper_

1 – @sportzeloot

Weekly standings:

11 – @sportzeloot

8 – @marcobinnekamp_

7 – @G_o_s_h_a

4 – @alfro_j

3 – @___10___

3 – @DimJeTong

3 – @BasVGN

2 – @gordonberry

2 – @Jasper_

1 – @JuaniiMueller

1 – @Datenmann

REVIEW: Real Madrid reach Copa del Rey final for record 38th time

FOOTBALL – On Tuesday, Real Madrid reached the Copa del Rey final for a record breaking 38th time, by beating FC Barcelona 3-1 at Camp Nou.

> Barcelona had last suffered such a big defeat at Camp Nou on 11 September 2010, losing 2-0 to Hércules CF in La Liga.

> Real scored 3 goals at Camp Nou for the first time in 5 years, since drawing 3-3 at Barcelona on 10 March 2007 in La Liga.

> Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice tonight. He beat Lionel Messi to become the first player to score in 6 successive Clásicos away from home.

> Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored more goals than Lionel Messi in all competitions in 2013 (16 vs 15 goals).

> Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score two successive braces in El Clasico away matches.

> FC Barcelona have now conceded the opening goal in 5 of the 6 matches they played in the month of February.

TWITTER QUIZ: Tuesday, 26 February

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Who am I? I played in four successive World Cups, in my last captaining my country to a fourth place finish in front of a home crowd.

Today’s answer: Hong Myung-Bo

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @sportzeloot

4 – @marcobinnekamp_

3 – @DimJeTong

2 – @gordonberry

1 – @Datenmann

Weekly standings:

10 – @sportzeloot

4 – @alfro_j

4 – @marcobinnekamp_

3 – @___10___

3 – @DimJeTong

2 – @G_o_s_h_a

2 – @gordonberry

1 – @JuaniiMueller

1 – @Datenmann

TWITTER QUIZ: Monday, 25 February

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Who am I? Was a legendary striker for my country, sporting long blonde locks in my prime. Top scored for ‘El Tri’ at 1998 World Cup.

Today’s answer: Luís Hernández

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @sportzeloot

4 – @alfro_j

3 – @___10___

2 – @G_o_s_h_a

1 – @JuaniiMueller

Weekly standings:

5 – @sportzeloot

4 – @alfro_j

3 – @___10___

2 – @G_o_s_h_a

1 – @JuaniiMueller

PREVIEW: La Liga Matchday 25

FOOTBALL – The following are some key facts and figures on a selected assortment of matches in the La Liga this weekend. The matches we have looked into are Deportivo La Coruña – Real Madrid and FC Barcelona – Sevilla FC.

 

Deportivo La Coruña – Real Madrid (Saturday 23 February, 20:00 CET)

> Real have won only one of their last 19 visits to Depor, a 3-1 win in January 2010.

> Depor have lost five Liga matches in a row. Only time they recorded a longer streak was in Apr 1967 – Oct 1968 (seven matches).
> Depor will record their fewest total points after 25 Liga matches as they cannot overtake the 20 points from 25 matches from 1964/65. They now have 16 from 24 matches.

> Cristiano Ronaldo has scored six Liga goals against Depor, but all goals came in home matches. Three of these goals were penalties.
> Ronald’s efficiency rate from shots to goals in La Liga this season is 19.7%. Messi leads La liga at 38.1% (players with 10+ goals).

FC Barcelona – Sevilla FC (Saturday 23 February, 22:00 CET)

> Sevilla have not scored in their last four visits to Camp Nou, currently their longest scoring drought in away matches vs a Liga club.
> Barcelona last lost a home Liga match vs Sevilla in Dec 2002 (0-3). Carles Puyol and Xavi played for Barcelona in this match. José Antonio Reyes came on for Sevilla.

> Lionel Messi has scored in La Liga against all clubs this season except Sevilla and Celta de Vigo.
> Messi is on 37 goals after 24 Liga matches. Last year he had 28 after 25 matches (Ronaldo had 30 after 25 matches last season).
> The record for most league goals in a top flight season in ESP, GER, ITA, ENG is 60 set by Dixie Dean (Everton) in 1927/1928.

PREVIEW: Premier League Matchday 27

FOOTBALL – The following are some key facts and figures on a selected assortment of matches in the Premier League this weekend. The matches we have looked into are Arsenal – Aston Villa, Queens Park Rangers – Manchester United and Manchester City – Chelsea.

Arsenal – Aston Villa (Saturday 23 February, 16:00 CET)

> Arsenal are unbeaten in their last four matches against Aston Villa in all competitions, since a 2-1 defeat in the PL in May 2011 when Darren Bent scored both of Villa’s goals, and Robin van Persie netted for Arsenal.

> Arsene Wenger has only won more PL matches as manager against Everton (23) and Blackburn Rovers (18), than he has against Aston Villa (17). He has also won 17 against West Ham United.

> This will be Arsenal’s 400th PL home match. They have won 253 (63%), drawn 95, and lost 51.

> Mikel Arteta has committed 53 fouls in the PL this season, the equal-most alongside Everton’s Marouane Fellaini.
> Lukas Podolski has been substituted in 19 of his 21 PL starts for the club this season.

Queens Park Rangers – Manchester United (Saturday 23 February, 16:00 CET)

> QPR have lost each of the last three PL meetings. They haven’t picked up a point since March 1996 when they drew 1-1. Denis Irwin scored an own goal and Eric Cantona scored a last-minute equaliser.

> Harry Redknapp hasn’t won any of his last 11 PL matches against Manchester United, since his Portsmouth side won 2-1 at home in August 2007. In total, he has won three of 32 career PL matches against them (21 defeats).

> United have 65 points from 26 PL matches this season – they have never had more at this stage of a PL season. Only Chelsea (2004-05 and 2005-06) have had as many points at this stage of a PL season, and went on to win the title in both seasons.
> Only three clubs in top flight history have had a better record after 26 league matches – Tottenham (68) in 1960-61, Liverpool (66) in 1987-88 and Chelsea (66) in 2005-06. All won the title that season.

> Robin van Persie is the PL top scorer with 19 goals this season. He can become the sixth different player to score 20 goals in a single PL season for United after Ruud van Nistelrooy (4 times), Wayne Rooney (2 times), Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov and Dwight Yorke.

Manchester City – Chelsea (Sunday 24 February, 14:30 CET)

> Manchester City have won their last three PL matches against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium, since a 3-1 defeat in September 2008. Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka scored for Chelsea, Robinho netted for City.

> City are winless in their last three PL matches. They last went four without victory between September and November 2009, when they were on a run of seven consecutive PL draws under Mark Hughes.

> Rafael Benitez is unbeaten in his last 11 PL matches against Manchester City, drawing the last four. His only defeat in 13 PL matches against them was 1-0 away in April 2005. His first ever PL win came against them – Liverpool’s 2-1 home victory in August 2004.

> Chelsea have 49 points from 26 PL matches this season, three more than they had at the same stage last season (46).

> Fernando Torres has scored three goals in nine PL matches against Manchester City, and has been unable to score in his last six against them.

PREVIEW: Bundesliga Matchday 23

FOOTBALL – The following are some key facts and figures on a selected assortment of matches in the Bundesliga this weekend. The matches we have looked into are Bayern München – Werder Bremen, Schalke 04 – Fortuna Düsseldorf and Borussia Mönchengladbach – Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern München – Werder Bremen (Saturday 23 February, 15:30 CET)

> In nine of 13 away games at Bayern during this century, Bremen took at least one point (4-5-4). Despite this, Bayern remained unbeaten in their last eight Bundesliga home and away matches against them (5-3-0). Bayern won the last three.
> Home and away, Bremen have beaten Bayern 26 times in Bundesliga history. This is more often than any other Bundesliga team.

> Bayern have played 33 official matches this season, winning 27, drawing four and losing only two. They have not lost since October 28, 2012 (1-2 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen).
> Bayern have 57 points. They are the first side in 50 Bundesliga years to reach this number after 22 matches.
> Bayern have conceded only seven Bundesliga goals so far, crushing the previous record (Werder Bremen 1987/1988, VfB Stuttgart 2003/2004) by three goals. During their full season record of 21 conceded goals (2007/2008), Bayern conceded 11 after 22.

Schalke 04 – Fortuna Düsseldorf (Saturday 23 February, 18:30 CET)

> Schalke host Düsseldorf for the first time in the Bundesliga since May, 1997 (0-1 Düsseldorf win). Schalke have not won at home against Düsseldorf since a 4-2 in April, 1987 (two draws, one loss since).

> Schalke’s season is a tale of two halves. They collected a solid 23 points in their first 11 Bundesliga matches (7-2-2), but followed up with only seven in the next 11 (1-4-6).

> Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jefferson Farfán are Schalke’s top scorers with five goals. Only 1. FC Nürnberg (Sebastian Polter 4), Greuther Fürth (Zoltan Stieber 3) and Hoffenheim (Joselu, Kevin Volland 4) have top scorers with fewer goals.
> From 2004/2005 on, Schalke always had at least one player with 10 or more goals in a Bundesliga season.

> Düsseldorf have achieved no fewer than eight clean sheets in the BL this season. Only Bayern München (16) and SC Freiburg (9) more.

Borussia Mönchengladbach – Borussia Dortmund (Sunday 24 February, 15:30 CET)

> After two championship seasons, Dortmund are looking to finish in second place. Dortmund have never finished in the top-two in three consecutive Bundesliga seasons.
> Five-time Bundesliga champions Dortmund twice finished second in the Bundesliga – behind 1860 München in 1965/1966 and behind VfB Stuttgart in 1991/1992. 
> Dortmund have won 19 official matches this season. In 17 of these, they scored more than one goal (exceptions: 0-1 at Ajax, 1-0 vs Man City, both CL). In 14 winless encounters, they only had five multiple goal performances.
> Dortmund have reached the 50 goals mark in the 22nd match round. Only once, they managed to score 50 goals earlier – in the first Bundesliga season 1963/1964 (round 17).
> Dortmund are the only Bundesliga team with four players on seven or more goals this season – Robert Lewandowski 14, Marco Reus 11, Jakub Blaszczykowski 9, Mario Götze 7.

PREVIEW: Serie A Matchday 26

FOOTBALL – The following are some key facts and figures on a selected assortment of matches in the Serie A this weekend. The matches we have looked into are Juventus – Siena, Internazionale – AC Milan and Udinese – Napoli.

 

Juventus – Siena (Sunday 24 February, 15:00 CET)

> Juventus hosted Siena seven times before in Serie A. Juve are unbeaten in these meetings, winning five and drawing two.
> Home and away, Siena have won only once against Juve. In May 2008 they beat Juventus 1-0. Juve defender Paolo De Ceglie played for Siena that day.
> Out of the last 3 matches Siena collected 1 point more than Juventus (7 and 6).
> Juve have conceded fewest goals (17) of all Serie A clubs this season. Looking at the top-3 Italian leagues, only Prima Divisione B (level 3) leaders Latina have conceded fewer: 16.
> Juventus have kept most clean sheets this Serie A season: 11, of which eight at home. Opponents Siena are ranked second with 10 clean sheets (3 in away matches).

Internazionale – AC Milan  (Sunday 24 February, 20:45 CET)

> Antonio Cassano has scored in Inter’s last three Serie A matches. 
> Cassano can become the fifth player to score for both Milan clubs in the derby (Enrico Candiani, Giuseppe Meazza, Ronaldo, Zlaatan Ibrahimovic). In April 2011 Cassano converted a penalty for AC Milan in a 3-0 league win over Inter.
> Inter are unbeaten in their last 10 Serie A home matches, after they lost their first two of this season
> Former Inter player Mario Balotelli has scored four goals in his first three matches for AC Milan. He can become the first player to score five goals in his first four Serie A matches for AC Milan, since Andri Shevchenko in 1999.
> Balotelli can become the first player to score in four consecutive league matches for AC Milan, since Bierhoff in 1998. Bierhoff achieved this in his first four Serie A matches for Milan.

Udinese – Napoli (Monday 25 February, 19:00 CET)

> Udinese have won 11 of their 30 home matches against Napoli in Serie A, losing four.
> Udinese have lost only one of their last 12 home matches against Napoli. In September 2007 Napoli beat Udinese 5-0 at Stadio Friuli. This is Udinese’s equal second biggest home defeat in Serie A.
> Last season this match ended in 2-2. Udinese took a 2-0 lead with goals by Giampiero Pinzi and Antonio Di Natale, but two goals of Edinson Cavani in the last 10 minutes gave Napoli the draw.
> Udinese have lost only one match at home this season, their first home match of the season against Juventus in September: 1-4. 
> Napoli are unbeaten in their last 8 Serie A matches (5W – 3D).

TWITTER QUIZ: Friday, 22 February

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Which self-appointed nickname by this week’s association quiz answer is also the name of a group of the world’s largest economies?

Today’s answer: G8

Association quiz answer: Paul Gascoigne, also known as G8. Played for clubs as Newcastle United, Rangers and Lazio and was once caught in a famous photograph with hard man Vinnie Jones.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @marcobinnekamp_

4 – @JoostNederpelt

3 – @pablomartinsalg

2 – @sleekydamian101

Only four correct answers provided within the hour.

Weekly final standings:

@marcobinnekamp_ wins tiebreaker by providing fastest association quiz answer

16 – @marcobinnekamp_ (8 bonus points via association quiz)

16 – @JoostNederpelt (6 bonus points via association quiz)

14 – @G_o_s_h_a (8 bonus points via association quiz)

12 – @Yusuf_Official (8 bonus points via association quiz)

12 – @sportzeloot (8 bonus points via association quiz)

11 – @evadl (6 bonus points via association quiz)

9 – @TijmenL (6 bonus points via association quiz)

8 – @Marie-Thérèse (8 bonus points via association quiz)

8 – @DimJeTong (6 bonus points via association quiz)

6 – @jonathondhowe (6 bonus points via association quiz)

6 – @babeljaro (6 bonus points via association quiz)

6 – @Mute Joe (6 bonus points via association quiz)

5 – @sheeshkebab

5 – @max_vdheijden

4 – @poirot986

4 – @shivamLM

3 – @PeterD_1996

3 – @pablomartinsalg

2 – @faisal_jamal88

2 – @rami_k91

2 – @sleekydamian101

2 – @skinchenko27 (2 bonus points via association quiz)

1 – @Kevin_Scheepers

1 – @JurrVanWessem