Ade Dazzles, Villa Stumble, and Chelsea Impress

Arsenal appears to be in a favorable position after their 1-1 draw with Villareal on Tuesday. The game was marred by plenty of pre-game talk coming from the Yellow Submarine. Robert Pires, among others, appeared to be almost certain that a repeat of the happenings of 2006 between the two clubs would not occur again. Marcos Senna wrote on his uefa.com blog that the Villareal players made a pact that, if granted another shot at Arsenal at a crucial stage in the Champions League again, they would not stutter. Senna, also the goalscorer on Tuesday at El Madrigal, might be regretting his optimistic post. I do applaud him for his well-written, English piece.
The Gunners and injuries look to be quite the tandem this season as knocks have infested the Emirates locker room. William Gallas, Manuel Almunia, and, this make me cringe, Gael Clichy; the comeback came at a costly price it seems.
Gallas: Out for the season
Clichy: < 2 weeks
Almunia: < 3 weeks
So now Lukasz Fabianski will get his chance. The young Pole is second to keeper Boruc from Celtic in the pecking order for the Polish national team. There were not too many dangerous chances lashed at Fabianski because Arsenal's second half performance was too much for Pellegrini's side.
Before I continue, may it be known that a Fox Soccer Channel commentator just pronounced 'Ajax' like "A-jacks" while referring to Shaktar Donestk's rode to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup. Shaktar leads Marseille 2-0 at the moment; Shaktar is not a place I would want Arsenal to draw in next season's Champions League, albeit if we qualify. I would definitely look into purchasing a Shaktar shirt though: orange, black, Nike, yes.
Arsenal will have quite the scar to mend in the back with injuries but there will be no problem on the attack. Eduardo and RVP have been considered to make an appearance at Wigan this Saturday. If you somehow missed Cesc and Ade's joint revival against Manchester City and Villreal this week, they will also be suited up for Saturday.
Here's an extremely tentative prediction for Saturday's starting eleven:
GK:Fabianski
RB:Sagna
CB:Toure
CB:Djourou - Despite his shaky play on Tuesday, Johann can have a big game if he's up for it
LB:Kieran Gibbs
CM:Cesc
CM:Denilson
Attacking:Arshavin
LM:Nasri
CF:Adebayor
CF:Bendtner


So I haven't written since a boy named Macheda did something most boys don't do. He scored a goal at the age of 17, against a solid side Villa put out, for Manchester United, in a crucial match, at Old Trafford. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, in the 93rd minute of the match. A product of Lazio's reserves, Macheda revitalized Manchester United's domestic form after losses to Liverpool and Fulham.
Here's a glance at the standings as of yet:
1. Manchester United P:30 Pts:68
2. Liverpool P:31 Pts:67
3. Chelsea P:31 Pts:64
4. Magic P:31 Pts:58
5.Villains P:31 Pts: 52
6.Everton P:31 Pts:51

Alan Shearer and Gareth Southgate are under pressure to say the least. It will be interesting to see what kind of fight the two former England greats have in them. Middlesbrough have Arsenal, Manchester United, and Aston Villa still to play. Newcastle have Liverpool and Aston Villa while Newcastle and Middlesbrough will face each other on May 9th. Depending on their form in the next few games, that match could be massive.
Chelsea's 3-1 victory at Anfield was significant. Rafa Benitez stated earlier this week that he believes Sir Alex would be wanting Liverpool to advance in the Champions League so their focus on the Premier League would diminish. If Rafa's cheeky assumption is accurate, then Liverpool will be treating every Premier League match from here on out as their last. The title race thickens as Champions League matches contribute.
Here are my predictions for the remainder of the Champions League:
Quarterfinals 2nd Leg
Arsenal 2-1 Villareal: Arsenal advance 3-2 on agg.
Porto 1-2 Manchester United: Manchester United advance 4-3 on agg.
Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool: Chelsea advance 5-1 on agg.
Bayern Munich 1-1 Barcelona: Barcelona advance 5-1 on agg.
Semifinals 1st Leg
Arsenal 2-1 Manchester United
Barcelona 3-1 Chelsea
Semifinals 2nd Leg
Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal: Arsenal win on penalties 4-2
Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona: Barcelona advance 4-2 on agg.
Final
Barcelona 2-3 Arsenal


Feel free to leave your comments, voice your opinions, and post your predictions. Have a great week and enjoy your football. Other than Arsenal's trip to the JJB, two matches that are must-sees are Villa hosting Everton and the London derby between West Ham and Tottenham.