Sport

City at home after European games

ENGLISH PREMIER League champions Manchester City have been handed an inadvertent boost in their bid to retain their title following…

Tue Jun 19 2012 - 01:00

ENGLISH PREMIER League champions Manchester City have been handed an inadvertent boost in their bid to retain their title following the publication of next season’s fixtures.

Roberto Mancini’s side will play five of their six matches immediately after Champions League games at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is unlikely to be impressed, however, with five away matches scheduled for his team following European ties.

These include trips to north-west rivals Liverpool, Newcastle, Champions League winners Chelsea and Aston Villa ahead of, on December 8th, the Manchester derby at the Etihad.

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Chelsea also have five matches at home post-Champions League games, while Arsenal’s six games have an equal split.

Manchester City’s Community Shield encounter with FA Cup winners Chelsea on August 12th will kick-off at 1.30pm at Villa Park as Wembley is unavailable due to its status as an Olympic venue.

Rangers were left off next season’s fixture list on Monday pending a decision on whether to readmit the 54-times champions to the Scottish Premier League (SPL) after their parent company went into liquidation.

Rangers were also told they face disciplinary charges relating to allegations they made unauthorised payments to players outside of their contracts.

Rangers were replaced by an anonymous “Club 12” when the fixtures for 2012-13 were published. The season kicks off on the first weekend in August when Kilmarnock host “Club 12”.

Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner has been banned for one match and fined €100,000 for revealing the logo of a betting company on his underpants while celebrating a goal at Euro 2012. He will be suspended for the opening match of Denmark’s 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Arsenal have reached a deal with Montpellier for striker Olivier Giroud. It’s believed the London side have agreed to meet the release clause in Giroud’s Montpellier contract, which has been reported to be up to €16 million.

QPR have announced the signings of defender Ryan Nelsen from Tottenham and striker Andrew Johnson from Fulham on free transfers yesterday.