22
May

Psychic animals picking Champions League winner

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The animals are at it again. Nelly the Elephant has triumphantly declared that Bayern Munich will defeat Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final. This isn’t Nelly’s first rodeo, she correctly predicted 4 of the 5 Germany matches in the Euro 2012 tournament, and she hopes to get back on track with her Bayern Munich selection.

Some other animals are not as optimistic about Bayern’s chances.

Walter the Orangutan has selected the underdog Dortmund side to come out victorious, though Walter is from a Dortmund zoo so he may be a bit biased. Joining Walter on the Dortmund bandwagon are a pair of otters in Aue Favor Dortmund as well as a tapir in Leipzig zoo.

In England, Nicholas the Llama correctly predicted both an FA Cup and Champions League victory for Chelsea last year.

All of these animals just hope to live up to the legend of Paul the Octopus:

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During the 2010 World Cup, Paul the Octopus correctly predicted all seven of Germany’s matches, as well as correctly choosing Spain to defeat Netherlands in the final.

Paul unfortunately died of natural causes in 2010, but he had become so legendary in his native Germany that a golden statue was erected in his honor.

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22
May

Trecker’s Travels, Day Fourteen: All quiet

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Photo: Jamie Trecker / FOX Soccer

By Jamie Trecker

LONDON - The city is quiet, pummeled into depression by a spring that has been anything but spring-like. The markets that line Camden Town and London Bridge, selling summer dresses and tank tops, have been despairing of takers. Most of their time has been spent sitting about, smoking cigarettes and swearing baroquely.

The Germans are coming, or so the papers tell us each morning. The problem is, they aren’t here yet, and when they get here, it’s unclear exactly what they will do. For reasons known only to UEFA, the Champions League fan fest won’t open until Thursday, and it is about as far from Wembley as one can get – it’s across London in Stratford. And news about the tournament? Well, once suspects that since no English team is in it, the less said the better.

In Trafalgar Square, across from the National Gallery, one of the viewing boards was just being put up. But there was little hint of any of this in Wednesday’s papers. The news was of Tony Pulis’ departure, Wayne Rooney’s curious choice for a baby name and the tale of Manchester City’s latest foray abroad. (The Sun, never one to miss a chance to put the boot in, had Frank Lampard doing just that in an “exclusive” interview about Rafa Benitez. Go on, Frank!)

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Photo: Jamie Trecker / FOX Soccer

The fact is, London doesn’t seem very cheery about the prospect of this Champions League final. We heard tales of how 200,000 fans were going to descend on the city – and then little else. Did they not come? One enterprising vendor set up a stall with Germany’s national treat, the currywurst, only to find that at high noon, he was left reading the newspaper with a lot of left-over sausages. He and his cart had vanished by the time I returned this afternoon.

It all feels a bit anticlimactic. And yet, there is a game even further under the radar.

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13
May

Hi Jack! Guardiola keeps tabs on WIlshere

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There’s plenty going on in the transfer world at the moment, especially at the Manchester clubs, but one interesting line has surfaced from the Emirates. Pep Guardiola will take charge of Bayern Munich in the summer and has made Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere a long-term target. Does he have a chance? Click here for more on this and the latest gossip from the UK media. 

8
May

Wayne’s World to shift towards Europe?

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Although the papers are dominated by Sir Alex Ferguson and speculation, which has turned out to be true, that he has decided to retire at the end of the season, one story has slipped under the radar. Wayne Rooney has reportedly told some of his United teammates that he wants to join a European powerhouse. Click here for this and more gossip from the UK media.

4
May

Dortmund fans won’t be forgiving Mario Gotze any time soon

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During Saturday’s Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich — the club that Gotze will join this summer — fans made their feelings clear. They’re hurt, and they’re angry.

The 20-year-old is a product of Dortmund’s youth academy, and when the news broke that he would move to Bayern this summer, fans were understandably shocked and enraged.

If the rising star can help deliver the Champions League title in May, perhaps that will make the pain of him signing with their biggest rivals sting a little bit less? Possibly, but even if BVB fans can find it in their hearts to temporarily forgive, they’ll never forget.

4
May

King David wanted by European giant

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David Luiz’s stunning season with Chelsea has not gone unnoticed by Barcelona, so recently humiliated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The Catalans are desperate to find a center-back to replace ageing defender Carles Puyol. Luiz can also play in midfield and scores spectacular long-range goals too. When was the last time Barca scored one of those? Click here for this and more rumors about Edinson Cavani and Robert Lewandowski.

3
May

On the bright side…

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Talk about looking through rose-colored glasses.

After suffering an embarrassing 7-0 aggregate loss in the Champions League semifinals to FC Bayern Munich, Barcelona is looking on the bright side.

One of the top stories on the club’s official website yesterday was headlined: “Barca rule Champions League possession.”

The story starts by noting that Barcelona led the competition in possession and passes this season, which, quite obviously, didn’t translate to the one stat that truly matters: goals.
If you learned one thing this week, let it be this: possession isn’t everything.
 
3
May

Trecker’s Travels, Day Two: Hello Wembley!

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Photo: Jamie Trecker / FOX Soccer

By Jamie Trecker

LONDON, ENGLAND

Wembley Stadium will turn seven later on this year. For a toddler, it’s getting quite a workout. Over the next several weeks, London’s iconic stadium will host the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals and then the Football League promotion playoffs – the richest game in all of soccer.

On Thursday, we were invited to an FA program shoot (you’ll see it on May 25) that will show off some of the stadium’s history and legacy. One of the most surprising things about it is how vibrant a venue it is outside of game days. During our taping, Wembley was crawling with tours, so many that the guides had to call in reinforcements and extend hours. It should come as no surprise that many of these visitors spoke German.

One thing that those visitors got to see – and did not know it – was the Champions League trophy itself. It’s kept in a silver gig crate up in the FA’s office on the fourth floor, and two young men carry it down to you. As we had the trophy outside, next to Bobby Moore’s statue, for security purposes we asked the tour group leaders to tell the visitors it was a replica. But, I can tell you now, that if you were a visitor between 2:30 and 3:30 on Thursday, you saw the real thing. Special congratulations to the enterprising little boy who went up and touched it.

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3
May

C’mon Marco, oldest trick in the book!

Robert Lewandowski tripped Marco Reus on a warm-up lap at Dortmund training camp earlier this season in a classic display of trolling by the Pole. 

With Dortmund’s sights set on the Champions League final against Bayern in a few weeks’ time, Lewandowski will look to trip up the Munich defense next. Dante, Boateng, Lahm: you’ve been warned.