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On this week’s show we look at the relegation battles in England and in Germany as well as having a new English for Football phrase.
For learners of English there are also:
- Worksheets and transcripts
- Vocabulary lists
- Online quizzes and crossword puzzles
- Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum
Transcript
Only five games remain in the Bundesliga and a real battle is developing in the basement to see who will be relegated this year. Five teams are currently locked in this battle hoping to avoid ending the season in one of the bottom three places.
By far the worst position, and everyonea€™s pick for relegation is FC Nuernberg. They had a strong season last year and actually won the German Cup. But now they are last, five points from safety, although they do have a game in hand.
Sitting above them, but also in the relegation places are two teams that were promoted last year. As in many leagues, newly promoted teams have a difficult time adjusting to the higher league. Duisburg, on 25 points, and Hansa Rostock on 27 points still have a chance, but Duisburg in particular will be disappointed with another home defeat this week.
Just outside the relegation places are Bielefeld and Cottbus. Bielefeld gained a valuable victory against Leverkusen midweek whilst Cottbus were hammered 5-0 by Schalke.
Safety is there for the team that takes its chances. My picks for relegation are: Nuernburg, Duisburg and Cottbus
Premier League
Damon: In the Premier League this season, Derby are the Championship team that came up and went straight back down again. In 2007 two second tier teams were promoted only to go straight back down again, Sheffield United and Watford. Will, Derby be joined by another recently promoted side? Sunderland, the Black cats, are looking safe in 14th place on 36 points, but Birmingham are just above the drop zone on 31 and are in real danger of being a Championship club again next year They have to hope that they stay above Fulham and Bolton, who both had good wins last week, and that Reading lose points, too.
On paper, Fulham, 27 points, could pick up some points if the sides they play in the last four games decide their priorities lie elsewhere. The London side play Liverpool this weekend, who will be thinking about the Champions League tie with Chelsea They also play Man City and Portsmouth away with the Manchester side with nothing to play for, and a Portsmouth side looking towards the FA Cup final. Their other game however is against Birmingham. That will beA a massive game for both clubs. There are a lot of ifs if they are to survive.
Bolton, on 29 points are in free fall. No Nicolas Anelka and Megson has not been able to recreate Allardycea€™s rugged, resilient side of last year. They also have some tough games against Tottenham and on the final day, Chelsea, to look forward to. Could their ex-striker, Anelka score and put them down? They need a win this weekend against Middlesbrough.
Above Fulham and Bolton are Birmingham and Reading. And I think it is the Midlands side, Birmingham, on 31 points, that have the toughest task in the run in. They have a huge derby game against Aston Villa this weekend, away – expect to see fireworks. They then host Liverpool before the crunch game against fellow-strugglers Fulham. Their last game against Blackburn at home could be a desperate affair.
My call? Derby, Fulham, and Bolton to go down on goal difference.
English for Football
In the bag means to be secure, to be safe. So if a title is in the bag it means we think there is no way a team can lose the title, they are certain to win. The origins or roots, of this meaning lie in another sport – baseball. At the start of the 20th century, the Giants were on a historic winning run and if they were leading in the ninth innings, the end of the game, they superstitiously carried the bag of balls off the field – the balls were in the bag and the Giants hoped the game was won. If we look around the leagues in Europe as the season comes to an end, the title is in the bag for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, and it looks like ita€™s in the bag for Manchester United in England.
