"Unpredictable" has quickly become an understatement when discussing the early birds from across the pond. Though the Japanese sit only one place off the bottom of the table, they have recently proven that you never know quite what to expect when you face them on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, the Japanese humbled the Black stars to the tune of 3-0.  At that point the Black stars were top of the table, and the result came as a shock to most.  Last week, the Japanese looked like a completely different side as they flopped to a 5-0 defeat at the hands of DaAn.

This week, the Shane boys will set their alarm clocks for the crack of dawn, and head out to XinZhuang to try their luck against the Japanese. Shane will be boosted by a great showing last week, which saw them lose to the Animals by the slimmest of margins.  Should Alex Daly and company be able to replicate that performance this Sunday and should the Japanese field the same diabolical eleven that they did last week, a blowout must surely be on the cards.

The following fixture sees two sides floundering in the wrong half of the table, take to the pitch in search of a precious three points.  Last week was the Lion's worst performance in recent memory.  With only nine men on the pitch they surrendered a 2-0 half-time lead and eventually lost 6-2 to the Eagles.  Lions captain Andy Rooney will surely figure a match against the Celts is the perfect remedy for his side's recent struggles.  It would be a hard job for anyone to argue with this opinion as well, as in their last match, the Celts were hammered 5-0 by Carnegies.  If the Lions can convince eleven players to show up this week, a relatively easy three points seems to be the only possible outcome.

Sunday's third kick off features two in-form sides looking to build upon their recent results.  The Eagles, who are unbeaten in their last three matches, could move up to fouth spot with a win. Victory on Sunday would also leave them only one point behind their opponents on the day, DaAn, with a game in hand. The lads in powder blue will also be brimming with confidence though, as they come off of a trouncing of the Japanese a week ago.  After scoring a hat trick last week, it seems as though "Eduardo Award" candidate, Steve Reymond, might finally be rounding into form. If this is in fact the case, the Eagles back line could be in for a very exhausting ninety minutes.

The weekend's finale pitts two sides, separated in the table by a mere two points, against eachother in a battle that could see the winner move into the top four.  For both Carnegies and TFC the day of July 26, 2009 remains an important date in their respective clubs recent histories.  For TFC, that date, now well over a month ago, remains the last time the club tasted victory.  After losing by forfeit to DaAn and by one goal to the Animals in their last two matches, coach David will be looking for a return to early season form.  As for Carnegies, July 26th is the last time the men in orange suffered a defeat. Carnegies' manager and massive yogurt fan, Craig Schofield, will surely have a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes time to take to the pitch this coming Sunday.

Carl's Picks

Shane 2-1 JFC

Lions 4-0 Celts

Eagles 2-2 DaAn

Carnegies 3-1 TFC