The FA Cup is down to four sides. Contrary to early-season projections, they're not Arsenal, Liverpool Stadiennes, CSKA Kensington, and the Manchester Buccaneers. Instead, the four sides are Portsmouth (I), Barnsley (II), Westbromwich (II), and Cardiff (II). It's the first time none of the current top four has been in the semi-finals since 1987, when the line-up was Coventry, Leeds, Tottenham, Watford. We also note there have been just six replays in the last 61 ties of the competition, a record low.

The first two of these sides have never appeared in a full UEFA competition (with the possible exception of the Anglo-Italian or the British Cups). Under the rules negotiated between England's FA and the FAW, Welsh sides can only enter Europe through FAW contests, thus ensuring that Cardiff can't qualify through the FA Cup. (Or, thanks to UEFA's rejection of Welsh sides competing in the English league, any contest). Only Westbromwich has a full European pedigree.

In 1966, Westbrom was seeded to the second round of the Fairs Cup (subsequently the UEFA), easily beat DOS Utrecht, but was soundly beaten by Bologna. In 1968, the side made the Cup-Winners' Cup, beat Brugge on away goals and Dinamo Bucharest handily, but lost the quarter-final by the only goal to Dunfermline. The next appearance was in the 1978 UEFA Cup: Galatasaray, Braga, and Valencia proved little opposition, but Red Star Belgrade proved just too difficult in the last eight. It was all downhill from there: 1979's contest say a heavy defeat by Carl Zeiss Jena of the GDR, and 1981 a loss in both legs to Grasshoppers Zürich.

The most remarkable fact about Westbromwich's appearances in Europe is that in eleven contests, the side has always been drawn to play away in the first leg, at an improbability factor of 2¹¹.

The draw for the semi-finals pits Barnsley against Cardiff, and Westbromwich against Portsmouth. The FA has not confirmed venues for these ties; given the fixture list for 5 April, and the fact that Aston Villa is playing at home, we assume they will take place at the Coventry Arena and either White Hart Lane or Stamford Bridge.

The other results

League matches in England saw Arsenal draw 0:0 at Wigan; the result allows the Buccaneers a chance to take top spot if they can beat Bolton. A major surprise in Spain, as Barcelona fall 2:1 to Villarreal; Real Madrid had their expected win, but Atlético lost to Bilbao. France's match of the week ended in a 4:2 win for Lyon over Bordeaux, the defending champions are now six points clear of their only realistic rivals. Germany's match of the day turned out to be Stuttgart -v- Werder Bremen, which ended in a tennis score, Stuttgart winning 6:3. Finally, the Dutch match of the week-end had a most tiresome result, the police struck in Amsterdam forcing the postponement of the Ajax - PSV tie. The same thing happened during the reverse fixture last year, and Ajax are asking the police to pay the cost of re-arranging the tie.

On-the-pitch upsets

53 Barnsley - CSKA Kensington 1:0
41 Manchester Buccaneers - Portsmouth 0:1
40 Guimares - Sporting Lisbon 2:0
38 Siena - Fiorentina 1:0
37 Middlesbrough - Cardiff 0:2
35 Barcelona - Villarreal 1:2
34 Real Zaragosa - Atlético Madrid 2:1
33 VfB Stuttgart - Werden Bremen SV 6:3
33 Rennes - Paris Saint Germain 2:0
33 Charlton Athletic - Preston North End 1:2
31 Sheffield Wednesday - Queen's Park Rangers 2:1
31 Coventry City - Norwich City 1:0

19 Wigan Athletic - Arsenal 0:0
15 Nurnberg - Hamburger SV 0:0

The Rest of Europe

Austria GRA 800 152.5 0 0.00 AWI 752 121.7 0 0.00 RAP 743 131.5 0 0.00 Belgium LIE 920 124.9 39 0.31 AND 872 103.7 12 0.12 BRU 836 132.8 -44 -0.33 WRG 780 117.1 53 0.45 BEV* 513 190.0 0 0.00 Bulgaria CSS 943 138.4 -27 -0.20 LSF 839 130.7 0 0.00 LIT 758 144.8 30 0.21 Switzerland BAS 1006 107.7 -62 -0.58 ZUR 873 113.9 102 0.90 GRZ 814 122.5 -15 -0.12 THU 643 120.3 -97 -0.81 Czechia SLP 963 110.8 -15 -0.14 LIB 902 137.9 42 0.30 PRG 870 114.9 28 0.24 BLV 844 121.4 0 0.00 TEP 730 130.4 -79 -0.61 Denmark COP 929 115.0 0 0.00 ODE 874 134.9 0 0.00 AAL 859 146.5 0 0.00 BRO 854 148.1 0 0.00 Greece OLY 1131 97.9 -24 -0.25 PAN 1048 99.0 -17 -0.17 AEK 889 99.2 -79 -0.80 PAO 869 112.1 59 0.53 LAR 831 118.7 98 0.83 ASS 823 108.5 -32 -0.29 PIO 805 102.2 9 0.09 AIG* 535 178.4 0 0.00 Croatia DZA 769 154.3 0 0.00 Israel HTA 913 123.4 95 0.77 MPT 870 146.9 -71 -0.48 MHA 856 137.0 -53 -0.39 Netherlands PSV 1100 94.2 46 0.49 AJX 1088 110.8 -15 -0.14 HEE 961 116.8 14 0.12 FEY 926 116.8 -27 -0.23 AZA 903 105.5 -12 -0.11 UTR 839 126.6 76 0.60 Norway ROS 909 120.7 -57 -0.47 TRO 859 160.6 0 0.00 BRN 812 133.2 -44 -0.33 VIK 744 159.0 0 0.00 VRG 679 153.3 0 0.00 Poland WIS 832 200.0 0 0.00 Portugal PTO 1120 102.9 -6 -0.06 SLS 1048 97.7 -6 -0.06 BEN 1004 95.3 -16 -0.17 GUI 918 133.4 89 0.67 BRG 905 105.0 -39 -0.37 Romania RBU 1030 152.5 0 0.00 STE 873 132.6 0 0.00 DIB 866 143.7 0 0.00 Serbia CRV 800 128.8 36 0.28 PBG 656 154.6 -54 -0.35 Russia SPM 977 110.9 17 0.15 ZSP 960 105.5 44 0.42 LOK 935 119.6 -44 -0.37 CSK 909 124.6 0 0.00 Sweden HEL 892 134.2 -58 -0.43 ELF 762 159.9 0 0.00 HAL 647 187.5 0 0.00 Slovakia ART 682 180.1 0 0.00 Turkey FEN 1087 102.0 -61 -0.60 BES 1032 110.6 41 0.37 GAL 926 105.9 42 0.40 GEN 697 138.4 -16 -0.12 Ukraine KYV 950 120.5 38 0.32 SHA 926 120.3 0 0.00 DNI 873 140.7 -54 -0.38

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The bad juju of Gretna continues, now their rented pitch at Motherwell is all chewed up and unusable until April, and the side will play their next two games at Livingston. There is a slightly serious point here: not only are Gretna at risk of defaulting on their campaign, but Motherwell will also have to play their games at neutral venues. There's also a significant danger that the league side won't be finished by the Cup Final at the end of May. Rangers, for instance, have three games to fit in before the league splits, and precisely one free mid-week to play them in. If only the SFA had allowed Rangers and Hibs to play their replay against the national side in February.

Upsets

45 Fulham - Everton 1:0
44 Cottbus - Bayern München 2:0
38 West Bromwich Albion - Leicester City 1:4
35 Dep. la Coruna - Real Madrid 1:0
35 Cagliari - Torino 3:0
34 Manchester City - Tottenham Hotspur 2:1
33 Bristol City - Plymouth Argyle 1:2
31 West Ham United - Blackburn Rovers 2:1
31 Werder Bremen - Wolfsburg 0:1
31 Reggina - Siena 4:0
18 Arsenal - Middlesbrough 1:1
17 Rangers - Dundee Utd 1:1

A bad week for three English sides: not only do Everton, Bolton, and Tottenham all crash out of the UEFA Cup, but they also lose their domestic matches in upsets. Bayern's loss throws a lifebelt to their Bundesliga rivals, but Werder completely failed to take up their chanceWestbrom's defeat gives hope to the rest of Division II, but Real Madrid are miles clear of all their rivals. Rangers did manage to win the League Cup, beating Dundee Utd. on kicks from the penalty mark.

First XXII

01 -- INT   1255   83.3
02 -- MUN   1230   83.0
03 -- CHE   1228   81.4
04 +3 ROM   1220   77.6
05 -1 BAR   1206   77.2
06 +4 SEV   1160   76.2
07 re LIV   1159   77.7
08 -2 ANL   1158   78.5
09 +4 VIL   1152   77.0
10 -2 OLY   1131   99.4
11 -6 RMD   1127   77.9
12 +9 LYN   1125   79.2
13 ne GET   1122   71.6
14 -2 PTO   1120  104.4
15 +7 HAM   1108   79.5
16 +1 JVE   1103   84.5
17 ne POR   1100   81.0
18 -9 BAY   1098   83.9
19 re BYL   1089   79.9
20 ne AJX   1088  112.2
21 -10FEN   1087  103.4
22 ne EVE   1086   75.2

Movements are from 6 February. Liverpool's had a good month overall; losing to Barnsley, but beating Inter Milan home and away. Lyon has a draw against the Bucs, and a win against top domestic rivals Bordeaux. Out of the top 22 go Atlético (14-30), Espanyol (15-28), AC Milan (16-26), Schalke 04 (18-29), PSV (19-27), and Bordeaux (20-23).

Monte Carlo Model

01 +5 Roma
02 -1 Internazionale
03 -1 CSKA Kensington
04 +1 Manchester Buccaneers
05 -1 Barcelona
06 +4 Porto
07 -- Real Madrid
08 +5 Sevilla
09 -6 Arsenal
10 re Liverpool Stadiennes
11 -- Olympiakos
12 -3 Fenebaçhe
13 +7 Lyon
14 ne Sporting Lisbon
15 +3 Villarreal
16 +1 Ajax
17 ne Getafe
18 -2 Juventus
19 ne Bayer Leverkusen
20 re Hamburg
21 -13Bayern München
22 -10Panathanaikos

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Very quickly through the upsets:

40 Murcia - Espanyol 4:0
39 Aston Villa - Sunderland 0:1
38 Valenciennes - Bordeaux 3:1
37 Inter - Juventus 1:2
36 Auxerre - St.Etienne 1:3
33 Sevilla - Atl.Madrid 1:2
33 Athl.Bilbao - Getafe 1:0
32 Rennes - Lens 3:1
32 Marseille - Sochaux 0:1
31 Real Madrid - Valencia 2:3
31 Osasuna - Betis 0:1
31 Nice - Lorient 1:2
30 Tottenham Hotspur - Portsmouth 2:0
15 Bielefeld - Werder Bremen 1:1

Big noises as relegation candidates in Spain and England win; high-flyers in France and Italy are knocked off. It's an unusual week: no upsets at all in England II, just one in Germany and Italy, but half the programmes in France and Spain ended in surprises.

Division II

STK   830   74.6  -13  -0.17
SFU   818   73.1   49   0.67
HUL   815   73.5   36   0.49
WBA   812   74.7  - 8  -0.11
WAT   811   75.1  - 1  -0.01
CDF   798   73.9   20   0.27
BRC   793   75.7  -11  -0.15
CPL   790   73.9    8   0.11
PNE   785   73.5   49   0.67
IPS   775   75.5   22   0.29
WLV   769   73.4   16   0.22
CHA   768   74.2  -65  -0.88
PLY   768   73.5   22   0.30
QPR   759   74.3   12   0.16
BAN   747   73.8   11   0.15
BNL   735   73.9  - 5  -0.07
SFW   724   74.9   50   0.67
BPL   712   75.5   23   0.30
NOR   692   74.7  -39  -0.52
LEI   688   74.0  - 5  -0.07
SOT   686   73.3  -37  -0.50
COV   676   73.1  -10  -0.14
CCR   605   74.7  -48  -0.64
SCU   602   78.0  - 6  -0.08

LEE (III)   681   118.1  -11  -0.09
SEN (III)   676   108.5  - 4  -0.04
MIL (III)   640   109.4   44   0.40
LUT (III)   639   106.9  -38  -0.36
CRW (III)   582   129.9   14   0.11
BRI (III)   541   127.9    0   0.00

Changes are against 12 February. A very good month for Sheffield Utd, though their early-season form means they're probably going to have to be content with a play-off place. Preston were relegation candidates at the turn of the year, now looking more likely to go out of the division at the top end. On the other hand, Charlton have fallen away, and Colchester look set to be falling down.

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Congratulations to Paris St. Germain, winners of the French League Cup after beating Lens 2:1 in Sunday's final. The side now joins such luminaries as Tottenham, Carquefou, Spartak Moscow, Inter Riga, Llansantffreid, Werder Bremen, and Westbromwich Albion in the UEFA Cup next season. (Some listed sides may not appear.)

We also note the victory of Franchise FC over Rimsby in the Football League Trophy. The side won the match at Wembley Building Site by two blocked toilets and a roof stanchion to some falling masonry.

Upsets

42 Werder Bremen - Duisburg 1:2
41 AEK - Olympiakos 4:0
40 Tottenham Hotspur - Newcastle United 1:4
40 Betis - Barcelona 3:2
37 Birmingham City - Manchester City 3:1
36 AC Milan - Atalanta 1:2
34 Coventry City - Plymouth Argyle 3:1
33 Getafe - Osasuna 0:2
32 Udinese - Fiorentina 3:1
32 Sunderland - West Ham United 2:1
32 Hearts - Dundee Utd 1:0
32 Bayer Leverkusen - Eintracht Frankfurt 0:2
31 Motherwell - Hibs 1:0
18 Hamburger SV - Bielefeld 1:1
18 Cagliari - Roma 1:1
17 Nurnberg - Bayern Munchen 1:1

Werder may have left it just a little too late to renew hostilities with Alamenia Aachen, but the side is certainly playing like the Intertoto Cup would represent an achievement. Surprises in Greece, as AEK records its first win over decent opposition in a long time, and in England, as Newcastle has only its second win in two months. Three of the sides in European League action to-night suffered surprises - Barcelona lost, Roma and Schalke 04 drew, and only the Buccaneers conspired to win. No shocks in Scotland - Rangers won to become champions-elect, and Gretna's loss ensures that the side changes division before the clocks go forward, as it did in '05 and '06.

League 1

LYN  1152   78.5   71   0.90
BDX  1071   77.9  -19  -0.24
MAR  1012   74.8  -52  -0.70
NCY  1011   81.3   28   0.34
PSG   982   78.5  -4   -0.05
SCX   980   80.3   71   0.88
AUX   979   78.8  -17  -0.22
LEM   979   79.4  -19  -0.24
LIL   974   80.8   7    0.09
NIC   970   81.8  -57  -0.70
REN   968   79.5   86   1.08
LEN   961   79.0  -63  -0.80
LOR   959   78.7  -44  -0.56
VCN   934   80.7   10   0.12
CAE   925   82.3  -34  -0.41
TOU   903   80.3   20   0.25
MON   894   80.7  -62  -0.77
SET   877   82.3  -53  -0.64
MTZ   876   82.6   16   0.19
STR   874   84.0  -42  -0.50

NTS (II)   987   117.7   67   0.57
SED (II)   901   115.1  - 7  -0.06
TRY (II)   861   125.7  -36  -0.29

This month - since 19 February - could be re-titled How Lyon Got Its Groove Back. A victory over Bordeaux, and four wins over lesser opposition, means the side is champions-elect once more. And, as last season, there's an almighty ruck for the runner-up places, and to avoid relegation, with sides packed in tighter than sardines in a can. Though Metz have had a good month here, they're miles adrift in the league, with PSG and Toulouse occupying the other trapdoors. Nantes and Le Havre are looking certainties to make the top flight next season; Troyes may yet join them.

Division A

RAN  1058   78.9   20   0.25
CEL   949   80.9  -46  -0.57
ABD   843   76.4    5   0.07
DDU   809   79.6   10   0.13
HBS   798   79.5   17   0.21
HRT   777   80.5   53   0.66
FAL   775   80.6  - 6  -0.07
MTW   774   80.4  -18  -0.22
STM   714   79.0  -23  -0.29
KLM   684   83.3   42   0.50
ICT   656   81.4  -102 -1.25
GRE   562   91.5  - 5  -0.05

LVG (II)   605   131.7  -3  -0.02
DNF (II)   586   126.6   2   0.02

Well, it does look as though the last Edinburgh derby will take place, and that it will take place in the top half of the division, something that looked most unlikely in January. The main topic this month has been Inverness's plummet away from top-six contention towards tenth place. Hamilton Academicals and Dundee are the sides most likely to take the vacant place in the top flight next season. We will decide what to do with Gretna as and when the Scottish League decides on the matter; the precedent of Grazer AK is to keep the side on the listings for a season, but this will not be possible if they drop out of the League 42.

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Portsmouth has booked a place in Europe; the side beat Westbromwich 1:0 in a boring semi-final held at a boring building site. Their opponents in the FA Cup Final will be Cardiff, 1:0 winners over Barnsley in an even more boring semi-final. Cardiff are not entitled to take a place in Europe via the English system, for they are a Welsh side. Not that this stops Sepp Blatter, who has promised to rip up the rule-book if Cardiff win the cup in May.

Elsewhere, Porto has won the Portugese Superleague, a result that was never really in doubt from the start of the season. They'll join Zenit St. Petersburg, Rangers, and the Manchester Buccaneers in next year's European League.

Upsets

41 Palermo - Juventus 3:2
39 Colchester United - Ipswich Town 2:0
39 Celtic - Motherwell 0:1
37 Marseille - Lyon 3:1
36 Southampton - Bristol City 2:0
36 Eintracht Frankfurt - N¨rnberg 1:3
36 Arminia Bielefeld - Karlsruhe 1:0
34 St. Etienne - Le Mans 4:1
32 Stuttgart - Hamburg 1:0
32 Racing Santander - D.La Coruna 1:3
32 Norwich City - Burnley 2:0
32 Catania - SSC Napoli 3:0
31 Torino - Empoli 0:1
31 Borussia Dortmund - Bayer Leverkusen 2:1
30 Sevilla - Villarreal 2:0
21 Middlesbrough - Manchester United 2:2
16 Dundee Utd - Rangers 3:3

Surprises in Scotland, where Celtic lost and Rangers drew. A surprise defeat for Juventus, and Stuttgart show the form that gave them the 1. Bundesliga championship last year by beating Hamburg. Bristol City's loss might cost them automatic promotion to Division I. Ligue 1 is slightly more open than it was after Marseille beat Lyon. So Lyon lost to Marseille, and Marseille lost to Carquefou... how many steps until we reach Notre Dame?

Division I

MUN  1259   81.1   18   0.22
CHE  1223   79.5  -13  -0.16
LIV  1160   76.2   57   0.75
ANL  1151   77.3  -21  -0.27
POR  1096   81.6   32   0.39
EVE  1071   77.3  -21  -0.27
TOT  1048   73.9  -27  -0.37
BLK  1022   81.6  -11  -0.13
AVL  1008   82.9  -43  -0.52
MCY   947   80.9  -43  -0.53
WHM   935   79.7  -65  -0.82
NWC   932   81.6   43   0.53
SUN   914   84.6   47   0.56
MID   912   81.5  -16  -0.20
WIG   906   83.4   34   0.41
REA   892   82.1   45   0.55
BOL   865   78.2  -46  -0.59
BIR   841   84.6   17   0.20
FUL   812   84.7  - 2  -0.02
DER   678   88.0    0   0.00

Changes are against 26 February, since when Liverpool has beaten Internazionale again. Portsmouth's success in the cup keeps them ahead of the other European challengers, while Newcastle and Sunderland have pulled themselves out of relegation danger. Derby's form this year has been so poor that one draw is enough to cover the multitude of losses.

1. Bundesliga

BAY  1128   79.9  -11  -0.14
HAM  1069   80.1  -31  -0.39
SNV  1069   80.1  -20  -0.25
WLF  1044   81.9   36   0.44
STT  1037   85.1   43   0.51
WER  1016   79.7  -53  -0.66
BYL  1012   78.0  -80  -1.03
BDO   998   82.9    2   0.02
EIN   996   86.0   22   0.26
BOC   958   86.1   13   0.15
HAN   952   86.0  -12  -0.14
KRR   947   88.1  -36  -0.41
COT   919   89.3   47   0.53
NUR   911   83.1   31   0.37
BIE   866   88.9   64   0.72
HER   861   87.3  -29  -0.33
HRS   838   90.8  -52  -0.57
DUI   811   92.7   10   0.11

MAI (II)  1012   135.3   0   0.00
AAA (II)   847   128.7  -4  -0.03
BMO (II)   816   128.0   4   0.03

Main story here has been the dives by Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen towards the 2. Bundesliga. They won't get there, it just feels like it. Bielefeld has had a good month, and may yet have done enough to survive. Monchengladbach should bounce back, and the third slot is between four sides, but it's the irresistable rise of Hoffenheim that's looking to attract attention. The side was playing in the fifth-level Nordbaden regional league as recently as 2000, when they received a massive injection of funds from a software magnate. Since then, the side has risen like a rocket through the ranks - promotion from Baden-Wüttenburg in 2001, then five seasons in the Regionalliga Nord - during which there were serious plans to merge with other clubs in the area - before making 2. Bundesliga for this term, and it's looking like first-time promotion to the top flight. Comparisons are going to be drawn with the rise and rise and rise of clubs like Chievo and Gretna. Er.

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Scotland has been at the forefront of moves to prevent the cup runner-up from competing in Europe when they lose to the league winner (or other European League entrant). We can see their point: last year's entrants Gretna (promoted from III to II) were knocked out by Derry City, this year's team Dunfermline (relegated from I to II) also fell in the qualifiers, and now Queen of the South (certain to stay in II) have beaten Aberdeen to probably take a place in Europe. Rangers are certain of a European League place; they beat Partick on Sunday and will now play St Johnstone (II and not moving) for a spot in the final. Either way, Scotland's cup entrant - for the third season in a row - will come from Division B. The top teams are playing with one hand tied behind their backs, and this is stopping Scottish sides from taking their rightful place at Europe's top table.

43 Hamburg  - Duisburg 0:1
42 Queen of the South - Aberdeen 4:3
39 Betis - Levante 0:1
38 Reggina - Sampdoria 1:0
35 Almeria - Villarreal 1:0
34 Luton Town - Brighton & Hove Albion 1:2
34 Karlsruhe - Hansa Rostock 1:2
32 Reading - Fulham 0:2
31 Preston North End - Barnsley 1:2
31 Bolton Wanderers - West Ham United 1:0
30 Werder Bremen - Schalke 04 5:1
20 CSKA Kensington - Wigan 1:1
15 Birmingham City - Everton 1:1

Elsewhere, CSKA's draw is a vital twist in the English race, giving the Buccaneers a surely impregnable margin. Werder returned to winning ways, and consigned Schalke's coach to the history books. The big upset wasn't even the end of Karlsruhe's dream, or Fulham's first away win since the Ryder Cup, but Hamburg losing to relegation-threatened Duisburg.

Primera Division

BAR   1180   74.6  -47  -0.63
SEV   1155   77.1   30   0.39
RMD   1134   78.5  -16  -0.20
VIL   1132   78.2   11   0.14
SAN   1107   75.9   20   0.26
AMD   1089   77.2   10   0.13
GET   1087   70.4   10   0.14
DEP   1085   80.9   62   0.77
MAL   1076   78.0   20   0.26
ALM   1066   83.4    1   0.01
ABL   1059   78.8   49   0.62
HEU   1040   80.8    9   0.11
OSA   1039   80.3   18   0.22
VAL   1039   75.8  -28  -0.37
BET   1018   81.1    5   0.06
VDD   1008   82.2   14   0.17
ESP    995   79.9  -71  -0.89
ZAR    968   80.1  -14  -0.17
RMC    916   84.7   11   0.13
LEV    895   83.7  -27  -0.32

MGA (II)  1014   127.4   0   0.00
SOC (II)  1001   120.4  -8  -0.07
CAD (II)   995   132.8   0   0.00
CVG (II)   941   117.1   7   0.06
TAR (II)   913   122.9   0   0.00
ALA (II)   795   124.1   0   0.00

Though Real Madrid are nine points clear of Barcelona at the top, with six to play, it's Barcelona who head our tables, courtesy of their success in Europe. Seville has also impressed this calendar year. At the foot, Levante look doomed, Real Murcia should join them. Numancia are in pole position to come up from the Segunda, with Malaga (MGA) likely to join them. There's a chance that Tarragon (TAR) may drop to the third level.

Serie A

INT  1227   82.4  - 2  -0.02
ROM  1181   75.7  - 6  -0.08
JVE  1106   84.1   28   0.33
FIO  1074   72.3  -21  -0.29
ACM  1047   75.9  -50  -0.66
SAM  1035   79.3   34   0.43
LAZ  1024   76.8   19   0.25
UDI  1012   77.7   36   0.46
GNA   995   82.0   27   0.33
SIE   969   80.3   21   0.26
NAP   952   80.8   24   0.30
PAL   946   78.8  -14  -0.18
ATL   936   79.2  -29  -0.37
REG   927   79.9   15   0.19
CAG   920   80.5   55   0.68
PAR   906   81.8  - 2  -0.02
TOR   903   79.2  -55  -0.69
EMP   894   81.1  -10  -0.12
CAT   890   77.8  - 4  -0.05
LVO   863   80.2  -50  -0.62

CHI (II)  1022   128.7   45   0.35
ASC (II)   769   122.7  -20  -0.16
MES (II)   765   128.7  -24  -0.19

It's between Inter and Roma for the title; they're 14 and 10 clear of Juventus with five matches to go. Note how the Italian sides are more evenly matched than the Spanish - 9 sides rise in Italy, compared to 14 in Spain. AC's decline continues, and the side is not assured of UEFA Cup football next season. Five points cover the bottom seven sides, and we wouldn't care to pick which three of the six sides disputing the top of Serie B will join us next season.

This mid-week is a domestic week: a full programme in 1. Bundesliga, cup matches in Italy, Spain, and France (including Carquefou hosting Paris St Germain, a match you won't be able to see on UK television) and catch-up games in England and Scotland.

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Beginning with the week-end's upsets.

43 Scunthorpe United - Cardiff City 3:2
39 Levante - Getafe  3:1
37 Catania - Lazio 1:0
36 Manchester City - Portsmouth 3:1
35 Nürnberg - Wolfsburg 1:0
34 Nice - Monaco 0:2
33 Seville - Almeria  1:4
32 Real Zaragosa - Recreativo de Huelva 3:0
32 Lens - Sochaux  3:2
32 Atletico Madrid - Real Betis  1:3
31 Barnsley - Leicester City 0:1
30 St. Etienne - Lorient  1:0
30 Marseille - Lille 1:3
26 St Johnstone - Rangers 0:0
20 AS Roma - Livorno 1:1
17 Blackburn Rovers - Manchester United 1:1

We'll begin with the German cup final, which Bayern won, only after extra time against Borussia Dortmund. In the one 1. Bundesliga match of the week-end, Nürnburg eased their relegation fears and just about ended Wolfsburg's hopes for the UEFA Cup. The relegation battle in England is becoming interesting; Derby are long gone, Fulham look set to join them, but many sides are still looking nervously at that last spot: Birmingham currently occupy it, and lost 5:1 to city rivals Aston Villa. It's a sign of how far Paris St. Germain has fallen that their 3:0 loss at Caen is not a surprise. Queen of the South qualified for Europe on Sunday, though St Johnstone did their best to make them work for it by taking Rangers to kicks from the penalty mark in their cup semi-final. Finally, there were titles for PSV Eindhovan, Standard Liege, and Rapid Vienna.

The Rest of Europe

Austria
GRA   800   158.4    0   0.00
RAP   786   130.9   43   0.33
AWI   715   123.1  -37  -0.30

Belgium
LIE   962   124.3   42   0.34
AND   890   105.6   18   0.17
BRU   874   131.3   38   0.29
WRG   749   119.1  -31  -0.26
BEV   513   194.7    0   0.00

Bulgaria
CSS   943   144.9    0   0.00
LIT   819   134.2   61   0.45
LSF   787   125.3  -52  -0.42

Switzerland
BAS  1013   107.7    7   0.06
ZUR   869   115.7  - 4  -0.03
GRZ   838   110.7   24   0.22
THU   612   119.6  -31  -0.26

Czechia
SLP   980   109.6   17   0.16
PRG   906   112.9   36   0.32
BLV   853   117.6    9   0.08
LIB   812   128.3  -90  -0.70
TEP   730   137.2    0   0.00

Denmark
COP   924   117.1  - 5  -0.04
ODE   909   120.3   35   0.29
AAL   905   134.7   46   0.34
BRO   764   134.5  -90  -0.67

Greece
OLY  1098   102.1  -33  -0.32
PAN  1072   102.6   24   0.23
AEK   948    99.1   59   0.60
LAR   852   111.3   21   0.19
ASS   815   105.6  - 8  -0.08
PAO   805   109.3  -64  -0.59
PIO   793   108.0  -12  -0.11
AIG   535   183.5    0   0.00

Croatia
DZA   769   160.2    0   0.00

Israel
HTA   913   130.6    0   0.00
MPT   868   142.3  - 2  -0.01
MHA   858   134.8    2   0.01

Netherlands
AJX  1107   110.1   19   0.17
PSV  1050    92.1  -50  -0.54
FEY   981   114.4   55   0.48
HEE   937   119.1  -24  -0.20
AZA   874   106.6  -29  -0.27
UTR   816   121.1  -23  -0.19

Norway
ROS   885   123.7  -24  -0.19
VIK   827   153.1   83   0.54
TRO   819   145.8  -40  -0.27
BRN   812   139.9    0   0.00
VRG   680   142.9    1   0.01

Poland
WIS   832   200.0    0   0.00

Portugal
PTO  1139   107.3   19   0.18
SLS  1071    91.7   23   0.25
BEN   950    95.3  -54  -0.57
GUI   918   140.1    0   0.00
BRG   887   109.4  -18  -0.16

Romania
RBU  1030   158.4    0   0.00
STE   873   139.3    0   0.00
DIB   866   150.0    0   0.00

Serbia
CRV   743   129.2  -57  -0.44
PBG   736   149.3   80   0.54

Russia
ZSP  1001    99.2   41   0.41
SPM   979   114.2    2   0.02
LOK   932   120.4  - 3  -0.02
CSK   912   124.3    3   0.02

Sweden
HEL   868   135.6  -24  -0.18
ELF   762   165.5    0   0.00
HAL   694   178.0   47   0.26

Slovakia
ART   682   185.1    0   0.00

Turkey
FEN  1127    99.7   40   0.40
BES  1004   113.7  -28  -0.25
GAL   890   104.1  -36  -0.35
GEN   757   124.6   60   0.48

Ukraine
SHA   959   121.5   33   0.27
KYV   950   127.9    0   0.00
DNI   830   137.3  -43  -0.31

Greatest gainers were AEK Athens, following three wins in domestic competition; Viking Stavanger and Partisan Belgrade, both beating two home sides; and Gencebirligi, one big win for a lowly-ranked side. PSV may have won their league, but also left European competition this month, as did Benfica. PAOK Salonica, Brondby, and Slovan Liberec all lost to much lower opposition.

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The calendar for next season has been published. The Football League will run from 9 August to 2 May; Division I will play from 16 August to 23 May. The second round of the Cup drifts back to 29 November, allowing a round of the Vase, Trophy, and Conference Shield before Christmas. There will be matches on Fri 26 and Sun 28 December, but none on 1 January. The Cup reaches the last eight on 7 March, but international commitments and Easter mean that the semis don't take place until 18 April, and the final's not until 30 May, a week after the play-off finals for the League. It's the latest grand final date, beating the final of the weather-hit 1963 season (25 May) and the 1982 replay (27 May).

Meanwhile, reaction has been pouring in to the SFA's decision to publish a Schedule A and a Schedule B, depending on whether Rangers make the UEFA Cup final. We think this is a brilliant move, not only because it means Rangers don't have to play six games in one day, but also because it reminds us of the days when the Radio Times would list different television schedules depending on how the second round of the World Cup was divvied up, only to find that they'd gone for some completely different split altogether. Dion Fanning in the Independant on Sunday proposes even more radical alterations.

Upsets

41 Galarasaray - Fenebahce 1:0
38 Watford - Scunthorpe United 0:1
37 Manchester City - Fulham 2:3
36 Genoa - Empoli 0:1
34 Norwich City - Queen's Park Rangers 3:0
33 Valladolid - Almeria 1:0
32 St Mirren - Falkirk 1:0
32 D.La Coruna - Barcelona 2:0
32 Celtic - Rangers 3:2
21 Birmingham City - Liverpool 2:2
15 Murcia - Sevilla 0:0

The titles in Spain (Real Madrid) and Germany (Bayern München) are decided, barring some of the biggest shocks in history. Not so in England, where a late penalty gave CSKA Kensington a 2:1 victory over the Buccaneers, putting the sides level on points, though the side from Trafford has a far superior goal difference. Scotland's also open: Celtic enjoys a 5-point lead over Rangers, but has played three more games. Finally, the lack of games from France and Germany in the upset list is not down to laziness, but because there were no upsets: six draws in the nine 1. Bundesliga games rather put paid to shocks there.

Europe's First and Second XI

Changes from 18 March.

01 +2 CHE	1251	77.2
02 -- MUN	1249	78.1
03 -2 INT	1228	82.1
04 -- ROM	1180	76.9
05 +2 LIV	1179	75.9
06 +5 RMD	1164	78.6
07 -2 BAR	1158	74.2
08 +1 VIL	1158	78.5
09 +5 PTO	1153	105.6
10 +8 BAY	1145	76.1
11 +5 JVE	1139	82.2
12 -4 ANL	1133	78.4
13 -7 SEV	1124	78
14 -2 LYN	1124	79
15 ne DEP	1123	80.5
16 +4 AJX	1107	111.5
17 ne MAL	1103	78.4
18 -8 OLY	1098	103.6
19 re BDX	1092	77.6
20 +1 FEN	1085	98.7
21 ne FIO	1081	72.1
22 ne SAN	1075	76.3

Out of the top 22 go Getafe (13-33), Hamburg (15-47), Portsmouth (17-23), Bayer Leverkusen (19-44), and Everton (22-34).

The national averages, taking the top five sides:

en	1176.8
es	1151.6
it	1127
de	1058
fr	1057.6
gr	950.8
sc	892.8

Neither Portugal nor the Netherlands has five sides with RDs below 120; no other nation has five sides in the ranking.

Monte Carlo Model

01 +3 Manchester Buccaneers
02 +1 CSKA Kensington
03 -1 Internazionale
04 -3 Roma
05 +2 Real Madrid
06 -1 Barcelona
07 +3 Liverpool Stadiennes
08 +7 Villarreal
09 -3 Porto
10 +6 Ajax
11 +7 Juventus
12 +9 Bayern München
13 ne Deportivo la Coruna
14 -5 Arsenal
15 -4 Olympiakos
16 -3 Lyon
17 -5 Fenebahçe
18 -10Sevilla
19 -5 Sporting Lisbon
20 +2 Panathanaikos
21 ne Mallorca
22 ne Almeria

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Final day of action in Divisions II to IV, and we've the end-of-season tables there. Westbromwich and Stoke won the automatic play-off places, with the unfamiliar quartet of Bristol City, Hull, Crystal Palace, and Watford vying for the last place. Spare a thought for Wolves, denied on goal difference by just one goal. Scunthorpe and Colchester were relegated some weeks ago, with Leicester joining them on the final day. From Division III, Swansea are joined by Nottingham Forest, with Doncaster, Carlisle, Southend, and Leeds making the play-offs. The relegated sides are Luton, Port Vale, Gillingham, and Bournemouth. Division IV was resolved some little time ago, Franchise, Peterborough, and Hereford are automatically up, Rochdale, Stockport, Darlington, and Wycombe play-off, and Wrexham and Mansfield drop out of the league, with Aldershot '92 replacing one of them.

This week-end's upsets

40 Middlesbrough - Portsmouth 2:0
39 Siena - Juventus 1:0
39 Duisburg - Bayer Leverkusen 3:2
38 Southampton - Sheffield United 3:2
38 AC Milan - Internazionale 2:1
37 Cagliari - Fiorentina 2:1
36 Real Zaragossa - Deportivo La Coruna 1:0
35 Parma - Genoa 1:0
33 Aston Villa - Wigan Athletic 0:2
33 Arminia Bielefeld - Bochum 2:0
32 Torino - Napoli 2:1
32 Ipswich Town - Hull City 1:0
31 Lazio - Palermo 1:2
31 Hertha Berlin - Karlsruhe  3:1
15 Hibernian - Rangers 0:0

Portsmouth's loss just about ends their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Cup through the league, but they've still got a very real chance of winning the FA Cup. A week of surprises in Italy, topped by defeats for Juventus and Internazionale; the net result is that AC Berlusconi is back in the top four and heading towards the European League. Southampton needed a win to save themselves, Sheffield United a win to preserve their play-off chances, and the Saints pulled off the biggest upset in the city for almost two and a half days. Wigan's win means they're safe from relegation, while Fulham beat Birmingham to clamber out of the drop zone. Rangers's draw means they're now seven points behind Celtic, who have benefitted from very dodgy refereeing decisions in the last two matches, and have played three more games than Rangers. For the second week running, Ligue 1 ran without a single upset.

Division II

WBA   851   74.1   39   0.53 -- prom
STK   833   77.1    3   0.04 -- prom
SFU   826   74.7    8   0.11
CPL   824   76.3   34   0.45 -- play
HUL   820   75.4    5   0.07 -- play
CDF   799   73.0    1   0.01
WLV   797   74.0   28   0.38
IPS   786   75.8   11   0.15
BRC   773   77.1  -20  -0.26 -- play
PNE   762   75.6  -23  -0.30
WAT   749   75.8  -62  -0.82 -- play
QPR   747   76.3  -12  -0.16
CHA   746   76.0  -22  -0.29
SFW   738   74.4   14   0.19
PLY   736   75.6  -32  -0.42
BAN   730   73.6  -17  -0.23
BNL   724   76.0  -11  -0.14
SOT   714   76.3   28   0.37
BPL   698   76.9  -14  -0.18
LEI   695   76.3    7   0.09 -- rel
NOR   682   76.7  -10  -0.13
COV   678   74.8    2   0.03
SCU   638   79.6   36   0.45 -- rel
CCR   605   77.3    0   0.00 -- rel

SEN (III)   714   103.6   38   0.37 -- play
LEE (III)   700   112.2   19   0.17 -- play
LUT (III)   625   102.7  -14  -0.14 -- rel
MIL (III)   610   109.2  -30  -0.27
BRI (III)   579   113.9   38   0.33
CRW (III)   522   118.5  -60  -0.51

Sheffield United's run came a little too late to secure their play-off place, and included a better run in the league than many other sides - with the exception of Westbromwich, it seems that it paid to be knocked out early and concentrate on the league. Greatest exponents of this were Leeds, beaten by Hereford in the round of 256, and overcoming their 15-point deduction (upheld by an appeal panel last week) to take the last play-off place. Were Division III decided only by matters on the field, Crewe and Luton would both have been relegated.

We'll confirm the new team codes in about three weeks, once all the promoted teams in Europe are known.

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Trouble in Portugal, where three clubs have been found guilty of fixing matches back in the 2003-4 season. They include Porto, champions that season and this, who have been fined €300 000, and docked six points from this season's total. It's worth remembering that Porto also won the European League in that season, and it's not clear if UEFA will uphold the AC Berlusconi precedent and throw Porto out of next year's contest.

Upsets

40 Birmingham City - Blackburn Rovers 4:1
38 Portsmouth - Fulham 0:1
37 Napoli - AC Milan 3:1
36 Hearts - Kilmarnock 0:2
33 Cottbus - Hamburg 2:0
31 Udinese - Cagliari 0:2
30 Middlesbrough - Manchester City (EIGHT) 8:1

20 CSKA Kensington - Bolton Wanderers 1:1
15 Internazionale - Siena 2:2

So, Manchester Buccaneers beat Wigan, CSKA could only draw with Bolton, allowing the Bucs to win the Division I title. All three sides in relegation contention won, so Fulham stay up, and Reading and Birmingham join Derby in relegation.

No surprises in Spain or Germany, where things are just about settled. No shocks in France, where Lyon go into the final day leading Bordeaux, and a battle-royal for the last UEFA Cup spot. Strasbourg were relegated this week, and Toulouse and PSG are still battling to avoid that embarrassing fate.

The big shocks came in Italy. Internazionale and Juventus drew, Roma were uncertain in beating Atlanta, and AC Berlusconi suffered a reverse to Napoli, allowing Fiorentina first dibs on the European League spot. AC to be next season's Bayern, anyone?

Division I

MUN  1271   78.5   12   0.15
CHE  1241   77.5   18   0.23
LIV  1199   75.6   39   0.52
ANL  1153   79.2    2   0.03
EVE  1050   78.6  -21  -0.27
TOT  1034   76.3  -14  -0.18
POR  1019   80.6  -77  -0.96
BLK  1001   82.9  -21  -0.25
AVL   996   82.4  -12  -0.15
REA   951   82.3   59   0.72
WIG   946   83.6   40   0.48
BOL   940   79.5   75   0.94
NWC   934   81.6    2   0.02
MCY   933   81.0  -14  -0.17
MID   928   80.9   16   0.20
WHM   913   81.0  -22  -0.27
FUL   906   84.0   94   1.12
SUN   874   83.0  -40  -0.48
BIR   865   84.5   24   0.28
DER   648   89.8  -30  -0.33

Were Reading too good to go down? Their form was consistent throughout the season, but the side dropped just too many points to their relegation rivals for their own good. Spot the tremendous gulf in class between the top four and the rest, and the value of good runs in cups for Tottenham (winners of the League Cup), Everton (like Spurs, big in Europe), and - in spite of their woeful late season form - Portsmouth (the last non-league side in the FA Cup). Derby will come into next season's Division II as the bottom side.

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