England take many advantages into this game; Fabio Capello is an experienced manager who has built rapport and confidence and who has some of the best players in their respective positions in the world: Rooney as striker, Ashley Cole and John Terry in defence and the famous Gerrard/Lampard midfield pairing.

They are favourites to win their group which also contains Algeria and Slovenia but please don’t forget they are only six places above their American cousins in the FIFA world rankings.

Therefore, I believe this game will not be the stroll in the park that many English pundits are predicting. Team USA have bettered England by making this their sixth consecutive World Cup apperance and have improved exponentionally under Bob Bradley. They knocked out Spain (surely contenders this year) and went two goals up against Brazil in last year’s Confederations Cup before buckling in the second half of the final and losing 3-2.

The Yanks believe they are in with a shot this year and I think they’ll easily finish second in the group to England’s rampant Three Lions.

Seventeen of the American team ply their trade in Europe and that proves they now take Soccerball almost as seriously as the rest of the world. However, they still have some catching up to do; 15 of their 23 are playing in their first World Cup and the only US players anywhere close to making the England squad would be Everton’s Goalkeeper Tim Howard and former Everton team-mate Landon Donovan.

Players to watch

Marauding midfielder Landon Donovan has the mantle to score as he knows that, despite both having good seasons, strikers Herculez Gomez (Puebla) and Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy) won’t rattle England’s back four. I would give Buddle the nod over Jozy Altidore as he impressed against Australia, scoring twice.

Tim Howard is a good keeper (who states his Tourettes slows down time, making him an expert penalty-stopper) so I believe England will have to create quite a few chances to beat him. Also keep an eye on Fulham’s Clint Dempsey – a capable midfielder with an eye for goal. Team USA’s progression into the next round is dependant on his and Donovan’s midfield performances.

It goes without saying that Wayne Rooney is the major threat in front of goal but every outfield player sporting the Three Lions is dangerous enough to score. Ashley Cole has come back from a broken ankle (courtesy of a Landon Donovan tackle) to have a fine second half of the season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him score in the group stages. Glen Johnson gets forward brilliantly well from right back, but sometimes to the detriment of his defending. Oh and sit and watch Peter Crouch win every header (if he hopefully plays ahead of lumbering yet still highly-effective target man Emile Heskey) but possibly be yellow-carded as referees don’t understand the way he jumps. The England team pretty much picks itself save for the the goalkeeper and therein lies Fabio Capello’s only dilemma. Does he stick with error-prone veteran David James, plump for exciting prospect Joe Hart or go for the safe option in the pedestrian Robert Green. In my opinion it should be the youngster Hart.

Though they’ve denied it in the press, Team USA will be under strict orders to target Rooney, who’s temper flaired in a friendly warm-up match. Their two central defenders will kick him off the park yet if he stays calm, as the prophecy says, the chosen one could win England the World Cup. The Americans will rely heavily on set-pieces and training ground moves as they know they cannot out-pass or out-think England so expect a goal from a free-kick.

Two days prior to this game, the news is that England players had to be “reigned in” during training today. They want this more than anything and truly believe they are the first in a generation with the talent and brawn to bring the Jules Rimet trophy home.

And so do I.

That said, we always make a nervy start to World Cup campaigns, drawing games we should win at a canter so I expect a close game to begin with until Team USA equalise but firmly believe England will run out 2-1 winners after a better second half. Odds of 15.00 with Unibet.

After an exciting but goal-less first leg in which Millwall had the ball in the back of the net and had two good penalty shouts turned down, Huddersfield’s Terriers travel to South London’s infamous Lion’s New Den for the chance to play Swindon at Wembley.

Both have had good seasons, with little to seperate them when playing the likes of Leeds, Norwich and Charlton although Huddersfield will be thanking their lucky stars that Southampton started the season on -10 points as they would have edged them out and into seventh place.

Both won their home games against each other and, interestingly, they have both won 16 and drawn 6 of their 38 meetings. But Kenny Jackett is relying on Millwall’s play off yester-years to turn the advantage his way. They certainly have the experience but Millwall fans must feel jinxed; they have never gone up through the play offs in five attempts. They lost to Scunthorpe in last year’s play offs but I feel this is their year.

They had such a good season that had Leeds not won their final game of the season they would have clinched automatic promotion, and for me (with home advantage) they have to be favourites in this game. Millwall were by far the better team at The Galpharm on Saturday showing lots of fight and a determination not to concede; it could be argued they were unlucky not to win but they just need to be as ruthless in front of goal as they are at the back.

The inclusion of fit-again attacking duo Shaun Batt and Danny Schofield who both missed the first leg may provide that ruthlessness but Chris Hackett again misses out. For Huddersfield, defender Tom Clarke was injured in the first tie and left the stadium on crutches so Robbie Williams (no, not that Robbie Williams!) is expected to come in, with Lee Peltier deputising at right-back. On-loan Manchester United midfielder Danny Drinkwater, who came close with a free-kick is also a doubt.

I cannot see Millwall not scoring, they ran out rampant 3-1 winners at home to Huddersfield in the league this season and I predict the same 3-1 home win tonight. Odds of 19.5 over at Betfair.

Seconds out… it’s round two of the League One Play Offs as Swindon travel to The Valley for a chance to play at Wembley and possibly make the lucrative Championship.

Danny Wilson’s side has a slim 2-1 lead from their home game although veteran Deon Burton’s header got a vital goal back after Charlie Austin and Darren Ward had put Swindon in the driving seat. Burton’s goal upset Swindon’s momentum and no more goals were to be had for either side although Vincent Pericard hit the post in the dying seconds. It could have been a very different outcome if Swindon hadn’t wasted at least three good first-half chances.

Charlton’s veterans Deon Burton, Christian Dailly, Nicky Bailey and Sam Sodje mean they have experience on their side but Danny Wilson has alot of Play Off experience.

Again Charlie Austin and Billy Paynter are the ones to watch out for but I can’t see this second leg being the fast-paced, exciting game the first leg was. Charlton need to score and I can see them doing it. They have been practising penalties (though Phil Parkinson has instructed his players not to chip the ball after Leicester tried something too clever) and if given the chance would quite happily accept extra time and penalties.

Therefore I see a 2-1 win to Charlton, and them wining on penalties.

Right, ok… Straight to the point; no beating around the bush. Chelsea will win this game; they have practically already won the F.A. Cup, so they have won the double for the first time in their history. Roman Abramovich’s investment has finally paid off; Chelsea are officially a Superclub.

How can I be so sure? Did you see Chelsea categorically thump Wigan last Sunday? They are a team on a high; buzzing with excitement and sweating confidence. Didier Drogba, so desperate for a goal scored a late hat-trick to nick the Golden Boot from Wayne Rooney. Everybody was so thrilled with Rooney’s season that they simply overlooked Drogba’s season… Ok Wigan are not a great side (and they had 10 men for a large portion) but they didn’t play that badly, it was just Chelsea played to such a high standard that 8-0 could become commonplace if they keep improving.

At the other end of the table, Portsmouth (who would have been relegated without their 9 point deduction) have somehow made it to the final and that is to their and Manager Avram Grant’s credit. On the way they dispatched Coventry, Sunderland, Southampton, Birmingham City and, surprisingly, former Manager Harry Redknapp’s impressive Spurs.

However, none of that will matter when Saturday comes, Chelsea will destroy Pompey, not another 8-0 but I wouldn’t be surprised if they put four or five passed David James. He is a great shot-stoppper but it’s his defence that let him down.

For Chelsea, Lampard has hit a rich vein of form (just in time for the World Cup!) Drogba is the hardest striker on the planet to defend against (he also does his fair share of defending) John Terry is back in training and should lead his team out but my player of this half of the season is Malouda. His intelligence, vision and diagonal running will confuse, frustrate and overpower poor Pompey. If you fancy a gamble then wager a small amount on Malouda to score first at 7.00 with Ladbrokes.

If Portsmouth pull off a win it will be nothing short of a miracle, but even on Wembley’s dodgy pitch, my money is on over 2.5 goals at 1.70 with Unibet.

Manager Dave Jones has asked Bluebirds fans to turn Cardiff City Stadium into a hell-hole with a cauldron of noise to intimidate Leicester and there are no better fans to do do just that. Premier League football would be welcome throughout South Wales and the estimated £90 million paycheque would eliminate Cardiff’s tax bill and debts.

The Bluebirds take a one goal advantage into the home leg of this tie thanks to Peter Whittingham’s exquisit 78th minute free kick. Cardiff play a swift, attacking style but its their off the ball work rate that impresses me. They closed Leicester down very well meaning they created very little but the Foxes will welcome back striker Steven Howard after suspension, who may create more. The biggest threat was Martyn Waghorn’s inswinging corners before Leicester had a clear-cut penalty denied and Matty Fryatt should have scored late on in a one-on-one with keeper David Marshall who saved well with his legs.

Cardiff already have some players capable of playing top-flight football; namely Peter Whittingham, Jay Bothroyd, Michael Chopra and perhaps Chris Burke who scored 56 goals between them while the same cannot be said of Leicester’s squad. Inseperable on points, it was their superior goal difference that sealed fourth place for Cardiff.

Nigel Worthington has worked wonders at The Walkers Stadium, taking them from League One to the brink of the Premiership but to get there his team will have to attack and will want to win in 90 minutes so expect a fierce game played at breakneck speed and for Cardiff to counter-attack when Leicester expose themselves (which they will) I believe the Foxes will score but ultimately The Bluebirds will be singing their way to Wembley to face Blackpool or Forest.

Cardiff to win at 1.94 with Betfair

So just as you thought the season was over with Chelsea’s emphatic 8-0 drubbing of Wigan we go into the second leg of a match that could decide who Chelsea give their next footballing lesson to (after they beat Portsmouth to raise the F.A. Cup, that is)

The first game at Bloomfield Road was played at a blistering pace. Chris Cohen opened the scoring with a sublime curling shot from the 18 yard line and Forest looked the stronger team for much of the game.

The home fans erupted just thirteen minutes later when Keith Southern preyed on Forest’s defensive frailties and poked in Ian Evatt’s cross. Forest continued to force an equaliser with Dexter Blackstock hitting the woodwork yet Ian Holloway’s plucky Blackpool take a slender 2-1 lead to the City Ground thanks to James Perch bringing down DJ Campbell resulting in Charlie Adam’s converted penalty.

However Billy Davies must feel that the advantage lies with his team as they play this second leg at home, where they have won 18 of their 23 home games. Conversely, Blackpool have only won 6 of their away games begging the question how they finished in 6th place but luckily for The Seasiders away goals do not count so Forest will have to score twice in order to win. Score once and they face extra time and the dreaded penatly shoot-out.

Looking at the stats, Nottingham Forest score an average of two goals at home compared to Blackpool’s one goal per game on the road. With that in mind I think Ian Holloway’s scrappy underdogs will take the game to extra time but sadly lose to a fitter, more experienced, more rotated and more rested team in front of almost three times as many supporters on a less dog-eared pitch. Good luck to Blackpool but I fear Forest will be just too strong for them, especially over 120 minutes.

Nottingham Forest to win 3-1 in extra time (4-3 on aggregate) odds of 17.5 with Betfair.

What looked a meaningless game became a must win game for Arsenal since Tottenham Hotspur are breathing down their necks just two points behind. As a Gooner I have to congratulate Harry Redknapp’s fine job at Spurs but having our north London rivals finish ahead of us is unthinkable; we would never hear the end of it.

The reason Spurs are so close is that Arsenal’s camp has been plagued by injuries. Robin van Persie out for most of the season, Cesc Fabregas, Manuel Almunia, Alex Song, Andrey Arshavin, Tomas Rosicky, Johan Djourou, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, Thomas Vermaelen, William Gallas, Nicklas Bentdner, Denilson and now Gael Clichy have all spent more than their fair share of time with Physio Colin Lewin.

Arsene Wenger stated there is a small chance that Clichy could be fit and Vela will make way for a fit-again Arshavin. The new David “Calamity” James, Fabianski will most likely start in goal, though God knows why Wenger prefers him to Vito Mannone. At least he (and David James) know the backpass rule. An inspired display between the sticks from Mannone and a van Persie goal were all that separated these teams at Craven Cottage.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is keeping his eyes firmly on the Europa Cup Final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday and so will probably do Arsenal a favour by fielding a weakened team. Bobby Zamora (Achilles) and Damien Duff (leg) will not feature and I hazard a guess that Clint Dempsey and Danny Murphy may be rested.

Arsenal have been on a downer since Lionel Messi demolished them at the Nou Camp then losing to Wigan after being 2-0 up with ten minutes to go, drawing 0-0 with Man City and then losing to Blackburn last week.
Roll on the arrival of Maroune Chamakh!

Fulham are not the physical team like Blackburn who targeted, frustrated and out-muscled Fabianski but maybe they should take a leaf out of their book. It worked and Wenger was furious at Allardyce’s tactics.

A draw would do for Arsenal (so long as Spurs don’t win by ten goals!) but I think the weakened Fulham team and Arshavin back will lead to a slim Arsenal win with Robin van Persie scoring first. Good odds of 4.00 from Betfair.

All this afternoon’s Premiership games kick off at four o’clock so no team has an advantage of knowing their fate before any other. Man United are obviously hoping Wigan Athletic can do them a favour by beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and, exciting prospect as it is, that just will not happen.

It’s very unlike United to have to rely on another team to help them out but that has been their season. Sir Alex stated that one bad week cost them and yes, defeat to Chelsea and Bayern Munich and drawing with Blackburn did them no favours but the problems run deeper than that…

Like Liverpool’s reliance on two players; Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, this season Manchester United have almost become a one-man team. Wayne Rooney was correctly voted PFA player of the year for scoring 34 goals but without him the rest of the team’s performances have been lacking all season. Nani deserves a mention as most improved player but is still no match for Christiano Ronaldo. I guess Valencia has done okay too… Patrice Evra has been an immense defender this season but the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sun have been largely anonymous. Darron Gibson has stepped up well.

Anyway, back to the match; Tony Pulis is set to name an unchanged starting XI to the one that beat Fulham so The Red Devils wil have their work cut out with Etherington on the left wing and a strong defence featuring Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Higginbotham. Don’t forget that Delap’s long throw-ins are as effective as corners and cause havoc for any defence.

An unlikely win for Stoke would propel them to a top ten finish, no mean feat considering they recently capitulated at Stamford Bridge conceding seven goals amid reports Tony Pulis had lost his dressing room. Many pundits have named them relegation contenders for the last two seasons but they have done well to stay well out of the bottom three.

Fergie will name a strong team to bow out of the season on a high in front of the Old Trafford faithful. Expect Rooney to bag a goal and Manchester United to run out 2-0 winners. 6.50 over at Ladbrokes.

Who would have thought that the Premiership would have gone right to the wire on the last day of the season? And who would have thought that Wigan could have a say in deciding who wins? Not me, that’s for sure…

Truth be told I didn’t think Carlo Ancelotti had it in him to match Jose Mourinho and win the league. Manchester United have under-performed this season with only a few players doing well, most notably Patrice Evra who gets better and better with age and of course, Wayne Rooney who’s goals have kept them in the title-race.

So back to the game in hand… Chelsea look set to name the same team that won 2-0 at Liverpool, without Ricardo Carvalho, Jose Bosingwa, Michael Essien and John Mikel Obi. Ancelotti has them playing more attacking, more flowing and more exciting football than Mourinho’s 1-0 bus parking tactics. Frank Lampard has hit the 20 goal mark for the hundred and fiftieth season in a row, Florent Malouda has matured into a great player, Didier Drogba is possibly the hardest striker to defend against in world football, Ashley Cole is still the best left back in the country and John Terry is still hard as nails. This is the team that scored seven goals on three occasions this season and that’s before Frank Ribery possibly joins them.

That said, one of the few teams to beat them was Wigan, a team that has also beaten Liverpool, Arsenal and Villa. With a little investment and a few decent signings, Roberto Martinez could turn them into a half decent team; you know the kind of team that doesn’t concede nine goals in one match.

Chris Kirkland’s finger injury means Vladimir Stojkovic will keep goal, while the best news for Wigan fans is that woeful defender Titus Bramble is out with a foot problem. Winger and rumoured Arsenal target Charles N’Zogbia could return after recovering from an ankle injury.

Manchester United will be looking for a Wigan win and the Latics will not roll over like dogs, they will fight to the final whistle but they do not travel well while Chelsea are virtually unstopable at Stamford Bridge. I predict a nervy, high-octane match with plenty of drama but expect Chelsea to win 3-0 and be crowned Champions by tea-time. Unibet have odds of 7.50

Talk about top versus bottom; this is a crucial game for both teams. I hope I’ve calculated this correctly but if Leeds lose to Bristol Rovers, Charlton fail to beat Oldham and Millwall draw with Swindon AND Huddersfield Town score five goals then they could be automatically promoted in second place.

Stranger things have happened – they put six past Stockport County, six past Wycombe and seven past Brighton earlier in the season… Rhodes and Robinson have 39 goals between them and along with Pilkington always cause trouble.

At the other end of the spectrum, Exeter are on the brink of League Two football again and they may recall Marcus Stewart for this crucial match. Stockport, Wycombe and Southend are already relegated but the last relegation spot is realistically between five teams; Tranmere, Exeter, Hartlepool, Gillingham and Leyton Orient. For me the last two should be safe but you never can be sure.

The form guide states that Huddersfield, under Lee Clarke have won seven of their last nine games so must be favourites against an abysmal Exeter side. They have done well finding the strength for two draws against Hartlepool and Charlton but they will be given a lesson at St James’ Park and will hope that Tranmere don’t win to ensure League One survival.

It’s in front of goal that the Grecian’s have problems… Their top two scorers Harley and Stansfield have 9 and 8 goals in all competitions between them, so I can’t see any other result than a Huddersfireld win.

Unibet are offering odds of 16.0 on a 2-0 win to Huddersfield.