The Football Association look set to make an example of Manchester City striker, Emanuel Adebayor. Adebayor was involved in two incidents in City’s win against Arsenal at the weekend that could warrant a four match suspension should the FA decide to impose it.

Firstly, the player was seen to stamp directly on Robin Van Persie’s face which left the Dutch international with two large gashes down the side of his cheek. It is likely that if the referee had seen the clash then he would have issued a straight red card. Secondly, when Adebayor scored he ran to the Arsenal fans to celebrate in front of them, which caused one fan to become seriously injured.

FA Chief Executive, Ian Watmore, said: “I was at the game so I saw it with my own eyes. I was pretty unimpressed because the problems between the Arsenal fans and Adebayor are well documented but he still ran the whole length of the field to celebrate.”

Adebayor’s actions are also said to have annoyed Manchester City boss, Mark Hughes. Hughes has said in recent weeks that he is getting fed up of having to continuously defend the club’s image while they try to make progress.

Hughes has attracted a lot of praise for this but it may also be the case that he decides to call Adebayor into his office and speak to him privately about what went on. The point is that Hughes is trying to make the best out of a hostile situation and defend claims that any thing his side achieves will be tainted because of the money that has put them where they are.

The most likely outcome of the FA review is that Adebayor will miss the next three games that Manchester City play. His defence to the stamp on Van Persie quite clearly does not hold up and it is simply a case of how long the FA will ban him for.

The point remains that he would be well advised to not travel to the Emirates for his own safety. When Sol Campbell returned to White Hart Lane a few years ago after just joining Arsenal, a brick was through straight through the window of the team bus and just missed his face, proving what the passion of English fans can sometimes drive them to.

The FA decision is likely to be announced later this week but it will be interesting to see how developments pan out.

The reported departure from Arsenal of striker, Emanuel Adebayor, to AC Milan now looks a step closer as the Italian club have failed to land a number of their other targets. Adebayor was linked with a big move to Milan only a month or two ago and wouldn’t hesitate at moving because it has been clear that Arsenal are quite far behind other sides at the moment.

In some respects the deal would mirror the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United to Real Madrid, the Arsenal front man was heavily linked to Milan last summer but he decided to stay on for another year. However, in Ronaldo’s case this was down to the manager’s persuasion, in Adebayor’s case it may have just been down to the fact that a deal could not be officially put together in time.

He would be a good signing for Milan who have also just lost Kaka to Real Madrid. For someone so big and tall, Adebayor seems to have a brilliant touch and score beautiful goals from awkward situations and at important times. This is what has made him one of the most sought after strikers in the world when a lot of high profile stars are going between clubs for millions of pounds.

However, Milan should not try and get their hopes up too much because there are rumours flying around in England that it is only a matter of days before Chelsea make an approach for the striker. It was after all Carlo Ancelotti that wanted to take him to Milan in the first place and he clearly admires his skill and technique as a player.

Adebayor may also prefer a move to England as he would not have to settle down again in another country and learn a new language. Chelsea also need to make bigger changes to their squad and someone that could come in and compliment the likes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka would definitely be considered.

History has also shown us that loyalty is not such a brilliant thing any more in football. The whole saga of Ashley Cole moving from Arsenal to Chelsea could be copied and it has been clear ever since that move was completed that Cole has won more haters than admirers. However, Adebayor should not be too worried about this and he has to think about what is best for him and his football future.

Either of these clubs would provide him with a better opportunity of success on the European scene but the slower paced football of the Italian league could well help him develop as a player and even extend his career by one or two seasons. Chelsea would probably be the most likely move if bids were put in from both parties but this link is purely just speculation at this moment in time, where as Milan have actually tried to sign him before and if they put in another bid it could be an old link that comes good for a very under rated player.

When two English sides face each other in any competition other than the Premier League it always brings up elements of the game that we all love. The aggression, the passion, the desire and the entertainment, these are all virtues that the Champions League quarter-final between Manchester United and Arsenal on Wednesday promises to deliver.

United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, clearly wants the Champions League more than anything else, despite having won the competition twice already. Having just been knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton, United will have a renewed fire to go out and dominate this tie from the first minute to the 180th.

Arsenal go into this tie with massive injury problems. Both Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas are out and the combination of Emanuel Adebayor and Robin Van Persie up front are unlikely to play together. This no doubt will satisfy United fans but it places an incredible pressure on the rest of the Arsenal squad in what will be a huge atmosphere.

The current European Champions have only kept one clean sheet in their last seven games and are under huge pressure. United are going through a rough patch, of that there is no question. They have started to play better football but the Premier League game against Tottenham on Saturday showed they are still vulnerable in areas.

They benefit from the defensive pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, both likely to start the game, who are clearly the best partnership that Sir Alex can offer forward.

The other massive blow to Arsenal is the fact that Andrey Arshavin will be cup-tied, this is a player just starting to justify why Arsene Wenger paid £17 million for his services, he would also have been one of the first names to go down on the team sheet.

It is looking like Arsenal will have to field a much more make shift team than United, placing pressure on their skipper, Cesc Fabregas. Regardless of who Arsene Wenger picks to play in the tie, Arsenal have to consolidate and keep United out. If the big occasion gets to one or two of the less experienced Arsenal players then United could effectively kill off the tie in the first leg.

United will be buoyed by the win they gained over Porto in Portugal, becoming the first English team to win there. This is accompanied by the fact that effectively their reserve side kept out the attack of Everton in the FA Cup semi-final, until eventually being defeated by a penalty shoot-out.

This match is very difficult to call. All of the odds are stacked firmly in Manchester United’s favour but Arsene Wenger is not a stupid man and if he gets his team and tactics right it could be a lot more difficult for United to get through.
One thing is for sure though, it will be one hell of a game.