Football clockwatch: Premier League, Africa Cup of Nations and more – as it happened!
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Version 0 of 1. 5.51pm GMT17:51 FT: Congo 2-4 DR Congo So, DR Congo rally spectacularly against their neighbours, and progress, deservedly in the end, to the semi-finals. That’s about it from me. Don’t forget to join Nick Miller for Chelsea v Man City, which is well underway. Thanks for reading. Bye! Updated at 5.52pm GMT 5.49pm GMT17:49 GOAL! Congo 2-4 DR Congo (Mbokani) A second goal for Mbokani, a fourth for DR Congo, and that’s the game. Not a bad second half, this. 5.43pm GMT17:43 An awful waste from Yannick Bolasie, who has two team-mates wide open alongside him in a counter attack, but scuffs a low shot into the goalkeeper’s arms. That would have been that. Updated at 5.43pm GMT 5.41pm GMT17:41 Just over five minutes of normal time for Congo to find an equaliser. Their defence may have crumbled spectacularly, but they’ve continued to cause problems going forward. The winner will play either Ivory Coast or Algeria in the semi-finals, by the way. 5.39pm GMT17:39 GOAL! Congo 2-3 DR Congo (Kimuaki) The comeback is complete. Substitute Kimuaki flicks the ball in from a set piece, and from 2-0 down, DR Congo lead! 5.33pm GMT17:33 GOAL! Congo 2-2 DR Congo (Bokila) And there it is. DR Congo have attacked relentlessly since going 2-0 down, and now they’re level. It’s Bokila with the goal, smashing the ball into the roof of the net at the second attempt. 5.31pm GMT17:31 Match reports ahoy Why not catch up on today’s top-flight games while we await DRC’s inevitable equaliser? The match reports from all six 3pm games are in... Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Man Utd 3-1 Leicester Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton Sunderland 2-0 Burnley Stoke 3-1 QPR West Brom 0-3 Tottenham 5.26pm GMT17:26 A quick results round-up: it finished Dundee United 2-1 Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup semi-final, Marseille 1-0 Evian in Ligue 1, and Sheffield Utd 2-0 Swindon in, well, League 1. And here’s the last word on Jon Walters: 5.23pm GMT17:23 GOAL! Congo 2-1 DR Congo (Mbokani) DR Congo pour forward, and from Bolasie’s low cross, Mbokani scores! This game has exploded into life... 5.20pm GMT17:20 GOAL! Congo 2-0 DR Congo (Bifouma) Thiévy Bifouma, once of West Brom, tucks away a rebound after DR Congo’s defence gets in a muddle. Moments ago, DR Congo hit the bar from a free kick, but it looks like their neighbours will progress to the semi-finals... 5.14pm GMT17:14 All happening in the Congo derby now, as DRC’s Yannick Bolasie goes down in the box – but no penalty is given! And that’s not to mention the scenes in the stands... 5.13pm GMT17:13 GOAL! Congo 1-0 DR Congo (Dore) A breakthrough in Bata – and it’s the underdogs who lead! DRC fall asleep from a free-kick, and Ferebory Dore is on hand to flick the ball home. Updated at 5.17pm GMT 5.10pm GMT17:10 Here’s the upper echelons of the Premier League table. Note Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool limbering up for a frantic assault on fourth place. 5.07pm GMT17:07 In League One, it finished Crawley 2-1 Preston and Crewe 0-5 MK Dons. That means MK Dons are top of League One as it stands. In League Two, Shrewsbury and Burton both earned 1-0 wins, against Newport and Bury; they both jump above Wycombe, who drew 0-0 with Portsmouth. In La Liga, it finished Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad. You can see all today’s live scores and results right here. 5.01pm GMT17:01 Championship full-times Birmingham 0-0 Norwich Blackburn 2-1 Fulham Blackpool 1-0 Brighton Bolton 2-2 Wolves Cardiff 0-2 Derby Charlton 1-1 Rotherham Ipswich 0-0 Wigan Nottingham Forest 0-1 Millwall Reading 2-0 Sheffield Weds 4.59pm GMT16:59 Premier League results Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Man Utd 3-1 Leicester Stoke City 3-1 QPR Sunderland 2-0 Burnley West Brom 0-3 Spurs Updated at 5.08pm GMT 4.57pm GMT16:57 FT: Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton Romelu Lukaku’s second-minute goal is enough to give Everton an entirely welcome three points. 4.56pm GMT16:56 FT: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Liverpool leapfrog West Ham with a comfortable home win - Raheem Sterling and the returning Daniel Sturridge with the goals. 4.55pm GMT16:55 Late goals galore in the Championship - it’s Bolton 2-2 Wolves and Charlton 1-1 Rotherham. In League One, Sheffield United lead Swindon 1-0, in a game that kicked off twenty minutes late. 4.54pm GMT16:54 FT: Sunderland 2-0 Burnley A good day for Sunderland; they’re the only team in the bottom eight to win, thanks to goals from Connor Wickham and Jermain Defoe. 4.53pm GMT16:53 FT: West Brom 0-3 Tottenham Spurs swat aside West Brom, with Harry Kane scoring twice and Christian Eriksen notching another free-kick. 4.52pm GMT16:52 GOAL! Stoke 3-1 QPR (Walters) After soaking up pressure for most of the second half, Stoke score on the break – and Walters gets his hat-trick! Not bad for a fat lad... Updated at 4.58pm GMT 4.51pm GMT16:51 FT: Manchester United 3-1 Leicester United are up to third after putting Leicester in their place, with RVP, Falcao and, uh, Wes Morgan scoring for the hosts. Updated at 5.01pm GMT 4.50pm GMT16:50 Everton still lead through Romelu Lukaku’s second-minute goal, despite a deluge from Palace in the second half. At the Britannia, QPR are denied again – Bobby Zamora’s header is deflected behind by Marc Muniesa. It’s half time in the Congo derby - it’s Congo 0-0 DR Congo, with Bokila missing a couple of presentable chances for DRC. 4.46pm GMT16:46 Here’s Mark Turner with the latest from the City Ground: If there has been a worse game of Association Football played in the 21st century to date, it was played without my knowledge. Since Mark e-mailed, Millwall have scored. It’s Forest 0-1 Millwall. At the Valley, it’s Charlton 1-0 Rotherham, and in League One, bottom club Crawley lead Preston 2-1. Updated at 4.47pm GMT 4.44pm GMT16:44 Scenes at Hampden, where Dundee United now lead Aberdeen 2-1; Nadir Ciftci with the goal. In the Championship, bottom club Blackpool lead Brighton 1-0 through Jamie O’Hara’s free-kick. There’s another Premier League game on at 5.30, by the way. Join Nick Miller for Chelsea v Man City... 4.41pm GMT16:41 Eurogoals It’s Marseille 1-0 Evian, thanks to a penalty from another husky professional, André-Pierre Gignac. It’s also Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad, Karim Benzema notching his second. Updated at 4.48pm GMT 4.38pm GMT16:38 GOAL! Manchester United 3-1 Leicester (Wasilewski) The 5-3 is still on, as Marcin Wasilewski gets Leicester on the scoresheet at Old Trafford. 4.37pm GMT16:37 GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 West Ham (Sturridge) Guess who’s back. Coutinho is the creator again, this time picking out Sturridge, who drives the ball inside the near post. Updated at 4.52pm GMT 4.35pm GMT16:35 Just two goals in the second half of the top-flight games so far, with enough excitement in the first half for everyone. It’s goalless in Bata, with both teams knocking the ball around nicely without creating much in the way of chances. Meanwhile, Alec McAulay stands up for poor Jon Walters: “Walters is not portly: he is husky.” 4.29pm GMT16:29 A bad day for all other English centre-forwards now, as Danny Sturridge makes his return from injury. He’s on in place of Lazar Markovic. Two quick goals at Ewood Park, as Jordan Rhodes puts Blackburn two goals clear, before Ross McCormack makes it Blackburn 2-1 Fulham. A decent game at the Ricoh Arena, where it’s currently Coventry 2-2 Rochdale. 4.25pm GMT16:25 So, as far as English forwards go, a good day for Kane and Defoe - but not so much for Andy Carroll, who has been replaced by Carlton Cole at Anfield. Nor Danny Ings, who has gone off at Sunderland. At Old Trafford, RVP’s day is over – he’s replaced by Paddy McNair. 4.22pm GMT16:22 GOAL! West Brom 0-3 Tottenham (Kane penalty) ...and Harry Kane scores, sending Foster the wrong way. Game over! Updated at 4.32pm GMT 4.21pm GMT16:21 Penalty to Spurs! A flick from Eriksen strikes Joleon Lescott on the shoulder, and Kevin Friend gives the penalty. Harry Kane will take it... 4.19pm GMT16:19 A good day for League Two’s strugglers - Tranmere, Hartlepool and Dagenham & Redbridge all lead, against Exeter, Plymouth and Cheltenham respectively. So, not such a good day for the West Country. David Moyes won’t be getting another La Liga scalp today - Bale, who looked offside, squares to Benzema, and it’s Real Madrid 3-1 Real Sociedad. Dundee United have equalised against Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup semi-final, and in Ligue 1, it’s Marseille 0-0 Evian at half time. 4.13pm GMT16:13 A scrappy start to the Congo derby, with DR Congo, playing in their white away strip, shading possession. Congo, who won Group A to get here, are in their traditional dark red. Speaking of kits, here’s Tim Smith: Looking at the two rather portly chaps at Stoke v QPR (Walters and Dunne) tells me all I need to know about horizontal vs. vertical stripes. Updated at 4.13pm GMT 4.10pm GMT16:10 GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 West Ham (Sterling) The hosts make the breakthrough at Anfield, with Raheem Sterling finishing after a terrific pass from Coutinho. All the top-flight 3pm games have seen at least one goal. Updated at 4.23pm GMT 4.07pm GMT16:07 Harry Redknapp has thrown on Bobby Zamora for Karl Henry at half-time – he’ll go up top alongside Charlie Austin. At Hampden Park, it’s Dundee United 0-1 Aberdeen, Donervon Daniels giving the Dons the lead. 4.05pm GMT16:05 We’re back Manchester United played Leicester at their own game in the first half, scoring three times from just three shots on target - just as Leicester scored with all five attempts on goal in the return game. No such efficiency at Anfield, with Moreno the latest to fire wide. Updated at 4.05pm GMT 4.02pm GMT16:02 We’re underway in front of a meagre crowd in Bata, as Congo face DR Congo for a place in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals. From Equatorial Guinea to Glasgow, where Simon McMahon has the latest: 0-0 at Hampden, though United lost the HT penalty shoot out 4-0. I reckon that’s a good omen though ... Penalties at half-time? It beats drawing lots, I guess. 4.00pm GMT16:00 Give it a couple of years, and we’ll see Harry Kane shooting wide at the Bernabéu, with Martin Odegaard angrily berating him for not passing. 3.55pm GMT15:55 Here’s David Lomax: Thinking of Reece Oxford, I wonder if it will be this season or next that we see the first Premier League player born this century. Oxford was born on 16th December, 1998, when B*Witched were riding high in the charts. When he was born, Opal Fruits were already called Starburst. That’s how young he is. 3.53pm GMT15:53 Championship half-time scores Birmingham 0-0 Norwich Blackburn 1-0 Fulham Blackpool 0-0 Brighton Bolton 2-1 Wolves Cardiff 0-2 Derby Charlton 0-0 Rotherham Ipswich 0-0 Wigan Nottingham Forest 0-0 Millwall Reading 2-0 Sheffield Weds Updated at 4.03pm GMT 3.51pm GMT15:51 Premier League half-time scores Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton Liverpool 0-0 West Ham Man Utd 3-0 Leicester Stoke City 2-1 QPR Sunderland 2-0 Burnley West Brom 0-2 Spurs Updated at 4.57pm GMT 3.48pm GMT15:48 Lazar Markovic has missed a sitter for Liverpool, while Raheem Sterling goes down in the area, but it’s not a penalty. Reading 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff 0-2 Derby in the Championship, which has seen just seven goals in the nine 3pm kick-offs. 3.45pm GMT15:45 GOAL! Manchester United 3-0 Leicester (Morgan OG) A heavy dose of payback for Leicester today - this time, it’s Wes Morgan heading into his own net, after Blind flicked on Rooney’s corner. What a season Morgan’s had - my alternative player of the year. Updated at 3.47pm GMT 3.44pm GMT15:44 The only goalless Premier League game is at Anfield, where the hosts are struggling to get anything going - Lucas’ long range shot is the latest to barely test Adrian. In Madrid, Gareth Bale sees his shot deflected wide, with James well placed for a pass. 3.41pm GMT15:41 At the Bernabéu, it’s 2-1 to Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos first to the ball after Benzema’s shot was saved. In the Championship, it’s Reading 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday. Meanwhile, here’s the latest from Bata, with 20 minutes to kick-off: Updated at 3.51pm GMT 3.37pm GMT15:37 GOAL! Stoke 2-1 QPR (Kranjcar) Unlikely comeback alert, as Nico Kranjcar pulls one back for QPR with their first attack. 3.36pm GMT15:36 GOAL! Sunderland 2-0 Burnley (Defoe) It’s Premier League Goal No.125 for Jermain Defoe, and his first for Sunderland, as he turns in Patrick van Aanholt’s cross. Updated at 3.48pm GMT 3.34pm GMT15:34 GOAL! Stoke 2-0 QPR (Walters) It looks like 11 defeats from 11 away games for Redknapp’s Rangers, with Jon Walters getting his second after being set up by Stephen Ireland. Still, deadline day on Monday... 3.32pm GMT15:32 GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Leicester (Falcao) Schwarzer can only parry Di Maria’s speculator, and Falcao is on hand to mop up. Leicester are two goals down against United, which is exactly how they like it. Updated at 3.55pm GMT 3.31pm GMT15:31 Hugo Lloris has kept Spurs’ two-goal cushion intact, saving from Morrison and Yacob in quick succession. In League One, it’s Crewe 0-2 MK Dons, Peterborough 1-0 Yeovil and Leyton Orient 0-2 Scunthorpe. 3.28pm GMT15:28 GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Leicester (Van Persie) It had been a quiet start for the hosts at Old Trafford, but no longer - Daley Blind steals the ball from Kramaric in midfield, before dinking the ball to compatriot Robin van Persie, who belts the ball home on the volley. The striker looks offside, but the goal stands. Updated at 3.39pm GMT 3.26pm GMT15:26 David Moyes was relying on Mexican striker Carlos Vela to give his team an attacking outlet today. Sadly for Moyes, he’s gone off injured - replaced by Agirretxe. In the Championship, Derby have now taken the lead at Cardiff, with Scott Malone turning Jamie Ward’s cross into his own net, while Zach Clough equalises for Bolton with a free kick... and then gives the Trotters the lead with his second! Nice work. Updated at 3.26pm GMT 3.23pm GMT15:23 GOAL! Stoke 1-0 QPR (Walters) Goals flying in around the Premier League - Stoke get in on the act, with Jon Walters capitalising on some slapstick QPR defending to put the Potters in front. Updated at 3.36pm GMT 3.21pm GMT15:21 GOAL! Sunderland 1-0 Burnley (Wickham) Seconds after Pantilimon comes close to spilling a long ball into the net, Sunderland have the lead. It’s Conor Wickham with the goal, finishing off a counter attack with a header from Johnson’s cross. Updated at 3.23pm GMT 3.18pm GMT15:18 Penalty shout at Anfield, where Lallana’s shot hits Winston Reid. The home fans cry handball, but Andre Marriner waves it away. In League One, MK Dons lead Crewe 1-0 thanks to Devante Cole, son of Andrew, on loan from Man City. In the Championship, it’s Blackburn 1-0 Fulham. 3.15pm GMT15:15 GOAL! West Brom 0-2 Tottenham (Kane) Harry Kane gets his 19th goal of the season with a powerful finish inside the area. Spurs have raced out of the traps here. Updated at 3.31pm GMT 3.14pm GMT15:14 Only one goal in the Championship so far, and it’s come at the Macron Stadium, where Nouha Dicko has made it Bolton 0-1 Wolves. Derby had a penalty at Cardiff, but Chris Martin went and missed it, the big galoot. In League Two, it’s bottom club Hartlepool 1-0 Plymouth, while in League One, Cup Magic is being torn asunder – it’s Bradford 0-1 Colchester. 3.07pm GMT15:07 GOAL! West Brom 0-1 Tottenham (Eriksen) Earlier than usual, but a superb free-kick from Tottenham’s go-to guy Christian Eriksen has given the visitors the lead. Updated at 3.22pm GMT 3.06pm GMT15:06 Scenes at the Bernabéu, as Real Sociedad take the lead in the first minute through Aritz, before James Rodriguez tucks away the equaliser after three minutes. It’s 1-1. 3.04pm GMT15:04 GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton (Lukaku) A goal that goes against pretty much every pre-match prediction, as Speroni parries Steven Naismith’s cross against Lukaku in the first minute. Updated at 3.17pm GMT 3.02pm GMT15:02 Peep, peep, peep, peep That’s the sound of games getting underway all over the country, including at Anfield. Keep an eye on the West Ham bench, where 16-year-old Reece Oxford would become the youngest ever Premier League footballer, should he come on. 3.00pm GMT15:00 2.48pm GMT14:48 Full-time scores It finished Hull 0-3 Newcastle, while in the Championship, the early kick-offs finished Brentford 0-1 Middlesbrough, and Huddersfield 1-2 Leeds United. Updated at 2.51pm GMT 2.46pm GMT14:46 Team news from Spain – with Cristiano Ronaldo suspended, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema lead the line, with a rare start for Illarramendi in midfield. David Moyes’ line-up looks a touch defensive, and who can blame him? Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; James, Illarramendi, Kroos, Isco; Benzema, Bale Subs: Navas, Coentrao, Khedira, Chicharito, Arbeloa, Nacho, Jese Real Sociedad: Rulli; Yuri, Inigo, Mikel, A Elustondo; G Elustondo, Granero; Prieto, Pardo, Canales; Vela Subs: Zubikarai, Bergara, Finnbogason, Agirretxe, Castro, Zaldua, De la Bella 2.35pm GMT14:35 It is, of course, semi-final weekend in the Scottish League Cup. Here’s Simon McMahon: Afternoon Niall. Just arrived at Hampden for today’s Scottish League Cup semi-final between Dundee United and Aberdeen. Good crowd expected, lovely day, COME ON UNITED!!!!! The other semi-final takes place tomorrow. Yes, that one. Updated at 2.35pm GMT 2.30pm GMT14:30 The Carver Effect It’s Hull 0-3 Newcastle, and every goal has been a peach. The mood among the home fans can be summed up as follows: they’ve all left. Updated at 2.32pm GMT 2.26pm GMT14:26 And finally, the team sheets are in at the Hawthorns and Britannia Stadium. Callum McManaman, the latest player to flee the sinking ship at Wigan, gets a first start for West Brom, while fellow January arrival Phillip Wollscheid starts for Stoke. Great English striking hopes Harry Kane and Charlie Austin both start for Spurs and QPR. West Brom v Tottenham West Brom: Foster, Wisdom, McAuley, Dawson, Lescott, McManaman, Yacob, Morrison, Brunt, Berahino, Anichebe. Subs: Baird, Gardner, Ideye, Pocognoli, Dorrans, Sessegnon, Rose. Tottenham: Lloris, Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose, Dembele, Mason, Lamela, Paulinho, Eriksen, Kane. Subs: Soldado, Vorm, Dier, Townsend, Chadli, Stambouli, Davies. Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire) Stoke City v QPR Stoke: Begovic, Bardsley, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Wilson, Whelan, Nzonzi, Arnautovic, Ireland, Moses, Walters. Subs: Muniesa, Adam, Diouf, Cameron, Sidwell, Butland, Crouch. QPR: Green, Isla, Onuoha, Dunne, Hill, Vargas, Barton, Kranjcar, Henry, Fer, Austin. Subs: Caulker, Phillips, McCarthy, Yun, Hoilett, Zamora, Zarate. Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral) 2.20pm GMT14:20 Liverpool v West Ham Daniel Sturridge is on the bench for Liverpool, but there’s no place for Steven Gerrard or Mario Balotelli in the matchday squad. Brendan Rodgers hasn’t picked a nominal centre-forward, instead squeezing Lallana, Sterling, Coutinho and Markovic into the eleven. For West Ham, Downing and Carroll both start against their former club. Liverpool: Mignolet, Skrtel, Can, Sakho, Markovic, Henderson, Lucas, Moreno, Lallana, Sterling, Coutinho. Subs: Johnson, Lambert, Sturridge, Allen, Borini, Ibe, Ward. West Ham: Adrian, O’Brien, Collins, Reid, Cresswell, Song, Amalfitano, Nolan, Downing, Valencia, Carroll. Subs: Jarvis, Demel, Jaaskelainen, Poyet, Cole, Oxford, Noble. Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands) 2.14pm GMT14:14 Crystal Palace v Everton Yaya Sanogo, Marouane Chamakh and Dwight Gayle all start for Palace, with new arrival Jordon Mutch on the bench. For Everton, Ross Barkley only makes the bench after some shoddy recent performances. Crystal Palace: Speroni, Kelly, Dann, Delaney, Ward, Puncheon, McArthur, Ledley, Sanogo, Chamakh, Gayle. Subs: Mariappa, Hangeland, Campbell, Zaha, Hennessey, Murray, Mutch. Everton: Robles, Coleman, Jagielka, Stones, Baines, McGeady, Barry, Besic, Mirallas, Naismith, Lukaku. Subs: Gibson, Oviedo, Kone, Distin, Barkley, Alcaraz, Griffiths. Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire) Sunderland v Burnley Sunderland: Pantilimon, Reveillere, Vergini, O’Shea, Van Aanholt, Bridcutt, Johnson, Larsson, Gomez, Wickham, Defoe. Subs: Jones, Fletcher, Graham, Alvarez, Coates, Giaccherini, Mannone. Burnley: Heaton, Trippier, Keane, Shackell, Mee, Boyd, Marney, Jones, Arfield, Barnes, Ings. Subs: Duff, Wallace, Vokes, Kightly, Reid, Jutkiewicz, Gilks. Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire) 2.09pm GMT14:09 Team news Starting at Old Trafford, where Rooney, Di Maria, Van Persie and Falcao all start, and there’s also a starting spot for the off-colour Adnan Januzaj. For the visitors, record signing Andrej Kramaric and top scorer Leo Ulloa both start, and Ritchie de Laet, formerly of United, is among those charged with repelling the hosts’ all-star attack today. Man Utd v Leicester Man Utd: De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Rojo, Shaw, Blind, Rooney, Januzaj, Di Maria, van Persie, Falcao. Subs: Mata, Smalling, Ander Herrera, Fellaini, Valdes, McNair, Wilson. Leicester: Schwarzer, Simpson, Wasilewski, Morgan, De Laet, Vardy, Drinkwater, King, Schlupp, Ulloa, Kramaric. Subs: Konchesky, Upson, Hammond, Albrighton, Hamer, Cambiasso, Nugent. Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire) Updated at 2.56pm GMT 1.44pm GMT13:44 It’s half-time at the KC Stadium, where Rémy Cabella has brought his FIFA 15 form to reality, giving the visitors the lead with a fine strike. Join Nick Miller for the second half of that one. In the Championship, it’s currently Brentford 0-1 Middlesbrough and Huddersfield 1-1 Leeds United. 1.36pm GMT13:36 Other business There’s plenty of action away from the Premier League – and you won’t find a bigger game anywhere than in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, where the Republic of Congo face the Democratic Republic of Congo in what everyone is calling, um, the Congo derby. That match, the first Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final, kicks off at 4pm. Be sure to read Nick Ames’ excellent interview with Republic of Congo coach, Claude LeRoy, before it does. The two nations have been rivals for centuries, not least in the fashion stakes. Both Brazzaville and Kinshasa, the respective capital cities, claim to be the home of the impossibly fashionable sapeurs – so expect a well turned out crowd today. Highlights in the Championship include Cardiff v Derby, Ipswich v Wigan and Birmingham v Norwich, while in League One, Cup kings Sheffield United host leaders Swindon, and bottom club Crawley face promotion-chasing Preston. In League Two, leaders Wycombe host still-in-League-Two Portsmouth, and Shrewsbury visit Newport. In La Liga, David Moyes will continue his quest to stick it to everyone who ever doubted him as Real Sociedad face Real Madrid at the (soon to be) Abu Dhabi Bernabéu. Finally, in France, there’s a three-way title race going on between PSG, Lyon and Marseille - we’ll see if the latter can get back on form against lowly Evian. Anything I’ve missed? Get in touch... Updated at 1.36pm GMT 1.04pm GMT13:04 Preamble Good afternoon. What with Frank Lampard practicing his best apology dance in the mirror, and David Meyler checking the KC’s corridors for the spectre of Alan Pardew, the ghosts of football past are everywhere today - and the Premier League’s 3pm games are no different. Manchester United welcome bottom club Leicester, who benefitted from perhaps the most disastrous defensive performance Louis van Gaal has overseen (and there’s been some competition). The Foxes won 5-3, the only time this season they’ve scored more than 2 goals in a league game. Will United concede less than 5 today? We’re about to find out. Liverpool, having squeezed all their problems into a Mario Balotelli shaped package, are second in the form table, and back in the Champions League chase. The ghosts of mediocrity return to Anfield today - both in the form of West Ham, who beat the Reds 3-1 earlier this season, and Messrs Carroll and Downing, the latter having been supernaturally transformed from a shiftless wide man to a central playmaker. With Roberto Martínez waking up to a relegation scrap, there are easier assignments to rebuild Everton’s confidence than a trip to Selhurst Park - particularly given that, at Goodison Park, they handed Neil Warnock his first league win in September. For Spurs, it’s a similarly tough task - having lost in North London to West Brom already this season, they now have to exact revenge on a team that’s since swapped Alan Irvine for Tony Pulis. Top-flight gun for hire Mark Hughes has more awkward dates on his fixture list than most; today, his Stoke team welcome QPR, an arrant mess under his stewardship, and an arrant mess now. Finally, Sunderland and Burnley will set out to avoid the soul-sapping 0-0 draw they conjured up last time – and will probably fail. There’s also action in the Africa Cup of Nations, up and down the Football League, and across the continent. Stick around – team news will start rolling in from 2pm. Updated at 1.07pm GMT 1.00pm GMT13:00 Good afternoon. Niall will be here shortly. The 3pm kick-offs in the Premier League are as follows: Crystal Palace v Everton Liverpool v West Ham United Manchester United v Leicester City Stoke City v QPR Sunderland v Burnley West Bromwich Albion v Tottenham Hotspur Among the 3pm starts, we find Liverpool hosting West Ham, and Steven Gerrard’s 700th game for the club - providing he plays. Brendan Rodgers has been buttering up his departing captain this week: Asked if he regretted Gerrard’s summer departure, the Liverpool manager said: “Very much so. I made it clear to Steven I wanted him to stay for as long as I am here but it wasn’t to be. He’s had a tough decision to make as much about life as football. “If he wants to move into coaching or management once he sees his time finishing as a player, then I can point him in the right direction and help with that. I have done the dirty work and it is certainly a different story being a manager. “I speak regularly with Garry Monk who is in his first job in management and what you feel as a player you feel 50 times more as a manager. “If that was the route Steven wanted to go down and wanted to come in here to learn, then that door is always open. We will remain in contact when he moves on because he is a wonderful man.” You can read more here. Updated at 1.06pm GMT |