Below are player ratings (on a scale of 1 to 10) for Bayern Munich 1-1 (3-4 on penalties) Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final on May 19, 2012.

Bayern Munich

Neuer – 9 – Made some saves in the shoot-out and converted one as well

Tymoschuk – 6

Boateng – 6

Contento – 6

Lahm – 6.5

Kroos – 6

Schweinsteiger – 6

Ribery – 6.5

Robben – 7

Gomez – 6

Muller – 8 – Headed a goal late in the second half

Olic – 5

van Buyten – 5

Chelsea

Cech (Man of the Match) – 9.5 – Made some crucial saves especially during the penalty kicks

Luiz – 6

Cahill – 6

Cole – 6

Bosingwa – 6

Lampard – 7

Mikel Obi – 5.5

Bertrand – 5

Kalou – 5.5

Drogba – 8.5 – Scored from header just before stoppage time and converted winning penalty kick

Mata – 6

Malouda – 5.5

Torres – 6

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West Ham have returned to the English Premier League with a 2-1 win over Blackpool in the English Championship promotion playoff final. Heading into this match, West Ham were the clear favorites and initially it appeared that Blackpool was no match.

The Hammers took a 1-0 lead with a 35th minute Carlton Cole goal but the lead was short-lived. Three minutes after halftime, Blackpool’s Paul Ince scored the equalizer to make it 1-1. The match remained tied at 1-1 for most of the second half and extra time seemed imminent.

Fortunately for West Ham, Ricardo Vaz Te put them back on top with an 87th minute. The goal proved to be the difference as the final whistle sounded a few moments later and West Ham would be playing in the EPL for the 2012-13 season.

West Ham had been in the EPL for many seasons before relegation in 2010. They finished the regular season with four wins in six matches to finish in third place and only two points behind second place Southampton. In the first round of the promotion playoff West Ham crushed Cardiff 5-0 (3-0 and 2-0) on aggregate.

The promotion playoffs continue in the Football League with League One and League Two to be played on the weekend of May 26-27.

Teams

Blackpool (4-2-3-1): Gilks; Eardley, Evatt, Crainey; Martinez (Dicko 90), Ferguson; Ince, Dobbie (Bednar 90), M. Phillips; K. Phillips (Sylvestre 71).

Substitutes not used: Southern, Cathcart.

West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Green; Demel (Faubert 57); Tomkins, Reid, Taylor; O’Neill (McCartney 53), Noble; Collison, Nolan, Vaz Te; Cole.

Substitutes not used: Maynard, Henderson, Lansbury.

Goals

Match Stats

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Below are television listings for the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea on Saturday, May 19, 2012.

North/South America

FOX (USA), ESPN (Brazil), Rogers Sportsnet (Canada), Fox Sports (various South America/Central America countries)

Europe/Africa

ITV (UK), Sky Sports 1 (UK), NTV (Russia), Sky Sport 1 (Germany/Italy), RAI 1 (Italy), TF1 (France), TVE La Primera (Spain), RTE Two (Ireland), Al Jazeera Sport (Middle East/Northern Africa), TV6 (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), TV3 (Sweden), TV2 (Hungary), Viasat (Norway), SuperSport (Africa)

Asia/Pacific

TEN Sports (India), Fuji TV (Japan), ESPN Star Sports (Korea/SE Asia), ESPN (Australia/China)

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Below are predictions for the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea on Saturday, May 19, 2012.

Score

Bayern Munich 2-1 Chelsea – Bayern have the home advantage and have been very impressive in the Champions League this season. This combined with missing several key players due to suspensions will be more than enough to give Bayern their fifth Champions League/European Cup. Some are expecting a comfortable win for Bayern but Chelsea should make it a very competitive match and possibly force extra time.

Goalscorers

Bayern – Mario Gomez, Arjen Robben

Chelsea – Didier Drogba

Man of the Match

Mario Gomez

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The top club competition in the world comes to an end with Bayern Munich hosting Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final. The match will take place at the Allianz Arena which is the home stadium of Bayern Munich.

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo

‘Cahill and David Luiz trained the whole week so we are very hopeful, and Malouda will join the group today. We brought two players from the B list just in case, Nathaniel Chalobah and Todd Kane.

‘I will wait until the last session tonight to see and reassess all my players. Then tonight I will make my final decisions about the team selection.’

‘I don’t know what the future will hold but we can win it and we have to have the confidence and belief to do so.

‘I think the players deserve it. The players have done tremendously well and the whole club, and the supporters, would deserve it.

‘I do believe our players have all the qualities you need to win this competition those qualities have taken us to this event here and I am very positive and very confident. ‘

‘They have the best defence in the league, you can’t just take one game to summarise Bayern. They’ve had a very good season and our approach has to be the correct one for ourselves to be able to beat them.

‘They are playing in their stadium so they know the environment, pitch, dressing room,’ he said. ‘Our players are highly motivated and will be positive. We will try to make the best of the game tomorrow and try to win it.

‘I think there are suspended players on both teams and if you make it to a final then you have two good teams. Bayern Munich has great players and strengths we are aware of, and are playing at home which could be a slight advantage for them but we have excellent players on our team and I think we have just the same chances as Bayern.’

‘Frank has been amazing. He has risen to the occasion when we needed him. In the Nou Camp he was outstanding, he led the group, and he is a natural leader. You might not always look at him like that but when you need him the man is there, he is a proper man.’

Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes

“It’s a historic chance for us.”

“We know every blade of grass here. We must try and maintain our Champions League tradition.”

“Both teams will go for the win. Of course, they’ll try and keep it tight, but they’ll definitely attack and won’t just shut up shop.”

Betting Odds

Bayern Munich win – 4/5

Draw (after 90 minutes) – 3/1

Chelsea win – 16/5

Bayern Munich Road To The Final

Round of 16

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Chelsea’s Road To The Final

Round of 16

Quarter finals

Semi-finals

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As the European season comes to an end, it’s inevitable that transfer rumors will start to surface. With MLS continuing to show signs of improvement, more and more European based player are making the jump overseas. This summer’s list of possible transfers includes several Serie A players such as Alessandro Nesta, Alessandro Del Pieri, and Clarence Seedorf.

Alessandro Nesta

The AC Milan star has already publicly stated his interest in MLS and would attract interest from several teams. The chances of a move happening seem very likely but it all depends on if he receives offers from the Middle East or other places that could offer a higher wage.

Alessandro Del Piero

The rumors of Del Piero moving to Major League Soccer have been around for seasons but could actually happen this season. The Italian is playing his last season with Juventus but could still definitely provide something for many teams. It’s not too clear if a move will happen but and could likely depend on which clubs are interested.

Clarence Seedorf

Seedorf will likely not return to AC Milan and could be targeted by several MLS teams. He has been linked with Brazilian side Botofogo but a move to his native Netherlands or MLS are also possibilities. At this point, it’s only speculation on where Seedorf will be playing next season.

Didier Drogba

He’s still a productive striker at Chelsea but is now 34. There’s a good chance he won’t return to Stamford Bridge as his contract expires this summer. Drogba could excel in MLS but it will likely take a team offering a significant contract.

Michael Ballack

The German is nearing the end of his career and will be a free agent in the summer. Ballack’s agent has stated the New York Red Bulls has a possible destination. A move seems very likely this summer but he could remain in Germany as well.

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Chivas USA acquired Philadelphia’s Danny Califf and NY’s Juan Agudelo in trades made on Thursday, May 17, 2012. Califf, returned to MLS when Philadelphia joined the league after several seasons playing in Denmark. Agudelo, who still considered by many to be a key part to the future of the USA National Team, only had played in four matches (one start) this season. Both players have international experience playing for the USA.

Below are parts the press releases on both trades. First is Califf.

CARSON, Calif.(Thursday, May 17, 2012) – Chivas USA has acquired defender Danny Califf in a trade with the Philadelphia Union, in exchange for midfielder Michael Lahoud and allocation money. Califf will be available for selection this weekend as Chivas USA take on the LA Galaxy in the first leg of the SuperClásico on Saturday, May 19, at 7:30 pm (PT) at The Home Depot Center. The match’s live television broadcast will be on ESPN 2 for English and ESPN Deportes for Spanish, and Radio through KWKW 1330 AM (locally).

Califf, a veteran from California was signed by the Union on January 21, 2010 after rights were previously acquired from Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland on December 3, 2009. He has appeared in four matches, all as a starter for the Union in this 2012 season. The Red-and-White have traded midfielder Michael Lahoud, who appeared in 23 games (17 starts) in 2011, for Chivas USA, and has two appearances so far in 2012. Per League and team policy, details of the contract were not revealed.

And here’s Agudelo

CARSON, Calif.(Thursday, May 17, 2012) – Chivas USA has acquired forward Juan Agudelo in a trade with the New York Red Bulls, in exchange for Goat’s defender Heath Pearce and allocation money. Agudelo will be available for selection this weekend as Chivas USA take on the LA Galaxy in the first leg of the SuperClásico on Saturday, May 19, at 7:30 pm (PT) at The Home Depot Center. The match’s live television broadcast will be on ESPN 2 for English and ESPN Deportes for Spanish, and Radio through KWKW 1330 AM (locally).

Agudelo, 19, a product of the Red Bulls Academy, is in his second professional season. He has appeared in 33 matches including 13 as a starter, scoring 6 goals with the Red Bulls. The Red-and-White have traded away defender Heath Pearce, who appeared in 40 games (39 starts) during his tenure with Chivas USA. Per League and team policy, details of the contract were not revealed.

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David Bevan from The Seventy Two (http://www.theseventytwo.com) recaps the English Championship season and previews the upcoming promotion playoff final between West Ham United and Blackpool. You can follow The Seventy Two on twitter @The72Football

The 90th Minute Podcast – Episode 22 Featuring David Bevan

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Former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is the early favorite, according to the oddmakers, to take over at Anfield. AVB was sacked at Chelsea during the season but still considered by many to be a top notch manager. Other favorites at Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers who are both currently managing other EPL teams. Both managers would likely be candidates for the especially Martinez who was able to lead Wigan to a great finish to avoid relegation.

The odds for betting sites are below and are through Wednesday, May 16, 2012.

SkyBet

AVB – 2/1

Martinez – 3/1

Rodgers – 6/1

Benitez – 13/2

Capello – 10/1

Bet365

AVB – 9/4

Martinez – 7/2

Rodgers – 11/2

Benitez – 8/1

Capello – 12/1

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