Learn English Through Football

Lots of big Premier League games taking place this weekend with three huge derbies in London, Liverpool and Manchester. We look back at those games in our weekly predictions competition and also explain some new words and phrases from the week in football. There is also a quiz and for those who wish to practise their English, there is a transcript below to help with reading and listening. If you have questions or comments, email us at: admin@languagecaster.com (Damian = DF).
Football Language Podcast: Merseyside and Manchester Derbies


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Transcript of the show
DF: You are listening to Languagecaster’s football-language podcast. Hello and welcome to the podcast for all football fans and for those interested in improving their English. My name is Damian and I am here in London on a wintry Sunday evening after a weekend of some wonderful football action.
Line up
DF: Now, regular listeners to the show will know that our other presenter Damon, who is based over in Japan, is normally with us but this weekend it’s just myself as he’s busy in Tokyo – I wonder did he get a chance to see his favourite team Liverpool play in the Merseyside derby earlier on today. We’ll be talking about that game as well as the Manchester derby in our predictions section of the podcast a little later on in the show. Before that we will look back at some of the football news from the week in the good, the bad and the ugly and then we will have our weekly quiz question and we will also explain some football language expressions from the week, including the phrase ‘head-to-head record‘ which some of you may have heard or seen in some reports from the Champions League games this week.
You’re listening to languagecaster.com (Japanese)
DF: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com and that message was in Japanese. Now, if anyone would like to send us the message ‘You are listening to languagecaster.com’ in their language that would be great!
Right, let’s start by looking back at some of the good, the bad and the uglyfrom last week’s football action.
Good
DF: Well, it was good for all five English sides in the Champions League after Liverpool’s 7-0 thrashing of Spartak Moscow in mid-week meant that all five of them qualified for the knock-out stages of this season‘s Champions League. This is the first time that all five teams from one country has made it through to the last 16 so there is a really good chance that one of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool or Tottenham could be winners next May.
Bad
Now for bad, Crystal Palace were awarded a last-minute penalty in their Premier League game against Bournemouth yesterday with the score at 2-2. Regular penalty taker, Luka Milivojević, had already scored once from the spot earlier in the game; but this time Palace striker Chri...