Overview of 'Match of the Day' Season 39

Episode 1 - 11th August 2002: FA Community Shield: Arsenal v Liverpool

Release Date: 2002-08-11

Highlights of today's FA Community Shield, the traditional opener to the English football season. As Arsenal won both the Premiership and the FA Cup last season, it is Premiership runners-up Liverpool whom they faced at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Episode 2 - 14th August 2002: Uefa Champions League: Zalaegerszeg v Manchester United

Release Date: 2002-08-14

Manchester United travel to Hungary for this Uefa Champions' League third qualifying round first-leg match, as they look to make amends for last season's disappointments.

Episode 3 - 27th August 2002: Uefa Champions League: Manchester United v Zalaegerszeg

Release Date: 2002-08-27

Coverage from Old Trafford of this Uefa Champions' League third qualifying round second-leg. After their shock injury-time defeat by this Hungarian side in the first leg, Manchester United will be taking no chances tonight. Failure to qualify for the Champions' League would be a major embarrassment, and Alex Ferguson will want to deploy some of his biggest weapons to ensure their one-goal deficit is overturned.

Episode 4 - 30th August 2002: Uefa Super Cup: Real Madrid v Feyenoord

Release Date: 2002-08-30

Last season's Champions' League winners, Real Madrid, take on the Uefa Cup holders from the Netherlands, Feyenoord, in the annual European Super Cup final at Monaco's Stade Louis II. Madrid will start as favourites, with their glittering squad that includes the world's most expensive footballer, French midfield maestro Zinedine Zidane. But Liverpool showed last season, when beating Bayern Munich, that the Uefa Cup winners are not necessarily the poor relations in this fixture.

Episode 5 - 7th September 2002: International Friendly: England v Portugal

Release Date: 2002-09-07

Gary Lineker introduces highlights of England's friendly against Portugal at Villa Park.

Episode 6 - 6th October 2002: Celtic v Rangers

Release Date: 2002-10-06

Coverage from Celtic Park of the first of this season's Old Firm battles between the two Glasgow titans. Derbies between the two clubs are always something to savour and once again Celtic and Rangers are setting the pace in the Scottish Premier League. Aberdeen were the last team, in the 1984/5 season, to break the two teams' title stranglehold.

Episode 7 - 12th October 2002: Euro 2004 Qualifier

Release Date: 2002-10-12

Coverage of the opening game in England's campaign to qualify for Euro 2004. In the first of two matches England will play within four days, Sven-Goran Eriksson's men will be aiming for maximum points in this Group Seven clash against a team they have never played before and which lost 0-3 to Turkey in their own opening match. Formerly part of the old Czechoslovakia national side, Slovakia do not have a great record against stronger international sides while England must win their group to be assured of an automatic place at the tournament finals in Portugal.

Episode 8 - 16th October 2002: Euro 2004 Qualifier

Release Date: 2002-10-16

England v Macedonia. Coverage of the second match this week in England's campaign to qualify for the Euro finals in Portugal. After Saturday's trip to Slovakia all eyes will now be focused on St Mary's Stadium, Southampton. It's the first ever meeting between the two teams and Sven-Goran Eriksson will be anxious to secure full points tonight to keep England on course to win Group Seven and avoid a repeat of their Euro 2000 campaign - where they had to endure a tense two-leg play-off with Scotland. Macedonia's qualifying hopes hit a setback last month when they were held to a 1-1 draw by unheralded Liechtenstein. In today's other matches involving British teams, Wales faced a tough test at the Millennium Stadium as they looked for a win against Italy, the Euro 2000 runners-up, while in Group Six Northern Ireland look for a first-time win over the Ukraine at Windsor Park.

Episode 9 - 31st October 2002: Uefa Cup: Celtic v Blackburn Rovers

Release Date: 2002-10-31

Coverage from Celtic Park of the Uefa Cup second-round, first-leg clash between Celtic and Blackburn Rovers - a true Battle of Britain. Martin O'Neill 's Celtic have dominated the Scottish Premier League during the past couple of seasons but have yet to translate this into success on the European stage. After breezing through the first round of this tournament against Lithuanian outfit FK Suduva , they are certain to face a far tougher test against Blackburn, a side managed by Graham Souness - the former boss of their fierce Glasgow rivals, Rangers.

Episode 10 - 14th November 2002: Uefa Cup: Blackburn Rovers v Celtic

Release Date: 2002-11-14

Coverage from Ewood Park of the Uefa Cup second-round, second-leg encounter. Blackburn strikers Dwight Yorke and Damien Duff will hope to capitalise on homeground advantage after their good form in the first leg at Celtic came to nothing, with Henrik Larsson shooting the Scottish champions to victory with five minutes to go. Plus highlights from Loftus Road as Fulham take on Croatian side Dynamo Zagreb.

Episode 11 - 17th November 2002: FA Cup First Round

Release Date: 2002-11-17

Highlights of today's matches in the first round of the FA Cup, including news of any upsets.

Episode 12 - 17th November 2002: FA Cup First Round

Release Date: 2002-11-17

Forest Green Rovers v Exeter City. Coverage from The Lawn, Gloucestershire, of this intriguing first-round FA Cup tie. History shows that non-league teams can be notoriously tricky FA Cup opponents, and this could prove an especially tough proposition for Exeter, who are currently languishing near the foot of Division Three.

Episode 13 - 27th November 2002: FA Cup First Round Replays

Release Date: 2002-11-27

Non-league sides tackle teams from divisions two and three in a roundup of replays from the FA Cup first round.

Episode 14 - 7th December 2002: Rangers v Celtic

Release Date: 2002-12-07

Coverage of the second Old Firm clash of the season, with Ibrox this time hosting the famous derby. The last league meeting of these two was a memorable affair, with Chris Sutton's late goal for Celtic salvaging a 3-3 draw in October. Victory for either side would be a big step towards the league title.

Episode 15 - 7th December 2002: FA Cup Second Round

Release Date: 2002-12-07

FA Cup second-round highlights.

Episode 16 - 8th December 2002: FA Cup Second Round

Release Date: 2002-12-08

Oxford United v Swlndon Town. Coverage of today's FA Cup second-round game as division three Oxford Utd take on division two Swindon. Ian Atkins 's men have had mixed fortunes in the third division and advanced to the second round of the FA Cup only after a hard-fought 1-0 away victory over Dover, climaxing with a stunning close-range goal from 34-year-old former Manchester City player David Oldfield. Swindon had an equally tough time dispatching fellow second-division team Huddersfield, with captain Andy Gumey securing a 1-0 score after the tie looked to be heading for a replay.

Episode 17 - 12th December 2002: Uefa Cup

Release Date: 2002-12-12

Liverpool v Vitesse Arnhem. Coverage from Anfield of this Uefa Cup third-round, second-leg match. Gerard Houllier 's men - winners of the Cup in 2001-were forced into settling for a place in the competition after their Champions' League dreams died, after their valiant comeback to force a 3-3 draw in Basle last month failed to see them progress beyond the group stages.

Episode 18 - 18th December 2002: FA Cup Second Round Replays

Release Date: 2002-12-18

FA Cup second-round replay action. With the big clubs entering in round three, motivation is high for minnows to earn a money-spinning clash.

Episode 19 - 4th January 2003: FA Cup Third Round

Release Date: 2003-01-04

Highlights from today's FA Cup third-round action.

Episode 20 - 5th January 2003: FA Cup Third Round

Release Date: 2003-01-05

Manchester City v Liverpool. Two Premiership teams come face-to-face at Maine Road for this FA Cup third-round tie. Cup holders Liverpool beat City on their way to the title last season, but City's subsequent promotion to the Premiership under Anfield hero Kevin Keegan will mean a hard-fought battle.

Episode 21 - 15th January 2003: FA Cup Third Round Replays

Release Date: 2003-01-15

Will any of the lower-division and non-league sides be celebrating acts of "giant-killing" this evening?

Episode 22 - 25th January 2003: FA Cup Fourth Round

Release Date: 2003-01-25

Highlights from today's key FA Cup fourth-round matches, plus a roundup of all the goals.

Episode 23 - 26th January 2003: FA Cup Fourth Round

Release Date: 2003-01-26

Manchester Utd v West Ham Utd. An all-Premiership battle for a place in the last 16 of the FA Cup in this fourth-round clash from Old Trafford. This was becoming something of a bogey fixture for Alex Ferguson's side, who, as cup holders, were sunk two years ago and again defeated in the league the next season. But the most recent meeting saw the Red Devils cruise to a 3-0 win.

Episode 24 - 26th January 2003: FA Cup Fourth Round

Release Date: 2003-01-26

Shrewsbury Town v Chelsea. The second of today's FA Cup fourth-round ties is this intriguing fixture from Gay Meadow in which the Third Division giant-killers try their luck against three-times cup winners Chelsea. Claudio Ranieri 's team will be anxious to avoid the same fate as the last cup visitors to this ground - Everton were thwarted by a double strike from experienced forward Nigel Jemson. Will the Londoners' squad, boasting world-class quality in every department, prove a bridge too far for the Shrews?

Episode 25 - 5th February 2003: FA Cup Fourth Round Replays

Release Date: 2003-02-05

Highlights of the fourth-round replays in the FA Cup. At this stage last season, Chelsea v West Ham was the only tie that required a replay, and the Blues went on to snatch a 3-2 win.

Episode 26 - 12th February 2003: International Friendly

Release Date: 2003-02-12

Highlights of England's friendly against Australia at West Ham's Boleyn Ground, hosted by Gary Lineker. Sven-Goran Eriksson will be hoping the team can secure their first win since their World Cup victory over Denmark last June.

Episode 27 - 15th February 2003: FA Cup Fifth Round: Manchester United v Arsenal

Release Date: 2003-02-15

The biggest FA Cup fifth-round tie in years awaits as United face Arsenal at Old Trafford. The Reds looked awesome in the last round, demolishing West Ham with a display that saw Giggs and Van Nistelrooy both net twice. Defending champions Arsenal also racked up the goals in their last cup match - putting five past Farnborough.

Episode 28 - 15th February 2003: FA Cup Fifth Round

Release Date: 2003-02-15

Highlights from today's key FA Cup fifth-round matches.

Episode 29 - 16th February 2003: FA Cup Fifth Round: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Rochdale

Release Date: 2003-02-16

This FA Cup fifth-round tie sees the Third Division giant-killers pit their skills against one of the top teams in the First Division at Molineux.

Episode 30 - 26th February 2003: FA Cup Fifth Round Replays

Release Date: 2003-02-26

FA Cup fifth-round replay highlights.

Episode 31 - 27th February 2003: Uefa Cup

Release Date: 2003-02-27

Liverpool v Auxerre. Coverage from Anfield as Liverpool face French side Auxerre in the crunch second leg of this fourth-round Uefa Cup tie.

Episode 32 - 8th March 2003: Scottish Premier League

Release Date: 2003-03-08

Celtic v Rangers. Coverage from Celtic Park of this season's third Old Firm league clash. The previous two games have seen 11 goals, the first ending 3-3 and the next won 3-2 by Rangers.

Episode 33 - 8th March 2003: FA Cup Sixth Round: Arsenal v Chelsea

Release Date: 2003-03-08

Coverage of the stand-out tie from the FA Cup quarter-finals between these two London giants at Highbury, a rerun of last year's final. Chelsea will be especially keen to avenge their 2-0 defeat last May.

Episode 34 - 9th March 2003: FA Cup Sixth Round: Watford v Burnley

Release Date: 2003-03-09

Coverage from Vicarage Road of the FA Cup quarter-final between Watford and Burnley.

Episode 35 - 9th March 2003: FA Cup Sixth Round

Release Date: 2003-03-09

Highlights from this weekend's sixth-round FA Cup ties.

Episode 36 - 13th March 2003: Uefa Cup

Release Date: 2003-03-13

Celtic v Liverpool. Coverage from Celtic Park, Glasgow, of this mouth watering all-British Uefa Cup quarter-final.

Episode 37 - 20th March 2003: Uefa Cup

Release Date: 2003-03-20

Liverpool v Celtic. Anfield hosts the second leg of this all-British Uefa Cup quarter-final match between two footballing greats.

Episode 38 - 25th March 2003: FA Cup Sixth Round Replay

Release Date: 2003-03-25

Highlights from Stamford Bridge of tonight's Chelsea v Arsenal FA Cup sixth-round replay, the winners of which will face Sheffield United in the semi-finals. The initial encounter at Highbury ended in a 2-2 draw.

Episode 39 - 29th March 2003: Euro 2004 Qualifier

Release Date: 2003-03-29

Liechtenstein v England. Coverage from Vaduz of the first of England's two crucial Euro 2004 qualifiers this week.

Episode 40 - 2nd April 2003: Euro 2004 Qualifier

Release Date: 2003-04-02

England v Turkey. The Stadium of Light in Sunderland plays host to the most important game yet in England's campaign to qualify for next year's European championships.

Episode 41 - 10th April 2003: Uefa Cup

Release Date: 2003-04-10

Celtic v Boavista. Live coverage of the first leg of the Uefa Cup semi-final between Celtic and Boavista of Portugal. Once again Celtic Park will be packed to the rafters with 60,000 fans, as Martin O'Neill 's men enjoy their first European semi-final since 1974

Episode 42 - 13th April 2003: FA Cup Semi-Final 1

Release Date: 2003-04-13

Sheffield United v Arsenal. Coverage from Old Trafford of the first of today's FA Cup semi-finals.

Episode 43 - 13th April 2003: FA Cup Semi-Final 2

Release Date: 2003-04-13

Highlights of today's second FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park between Southampton and Watford, who will be hoping to be the first club outside the top flight to reach the final since the formation of the Premiership. But they will have to be at their best to repel Gordon Strachan's on-form Southampton side.

Episode 44 - 24th April 2003: Uefa Cup

Release Date: 2003-04-24

Boavista v Celtic. Coverage of the second leg of this Uefa Cup semi-final from the Estadio do Bessa in Porto, Portugal.

Episode 45 - 27th April 2003

Release Date: 2003-04-27

Rangers v Celtic. Coverage from Ibrox of the season's final Old Firm league meeting. In terms of SPL clashes, the score this season is 1-1 (with one draw) but Rangers defeated their city rivals 1-0 in their last meeting, which brought them the League Cup.

Episode 46 - 5th May 2003: Women's FA Cup Final: Fulham Ladies v Charlton

Release Date: 2003-05-05

Cup holders Fulham Ladies return to Selhurst Park looking to retain the women's FA Cup title they won against Doncaster Belles last year. In this year's final they face Charlton, who beat their London rivals Arsenal 1-0 in the semi-finals.

Episode 47 - 17th May 2003: FA Cup Final: Arsenal v Southampton

Release Date: 2003-05-17

Coverage from Cardiff's Millennium Stadium of the 131st FA Cup final, where the holders from north London are taking on the south-coast underdogs.

Episode 48 - 21st May 2003: Uefa Cup Final: Celtic v FC Porto

Release Date: 2003-05-21

Coverage from the Estadio Olimpico in Seville, where treble-chasing Portuguese titans FC Porto stand between Martin O'Neill's Celtic side and their first European silverware since 1967.

Episode 49 - 22nd May 2003: International Friendly

Release Date: 2003-05-22

Highlights of today's friendly in Durban between South Africa and England, which offered a chance for Sven-Goran Eriksson to assess his players' form ahead of next month's Euro 2004 qualifier with Slovakia.

Episode 50 - 3rd June 2003: International Friendly

Release Date: 2003-06-03

Highlights of England's friendly with Serbia and Montenegro from Leicester City's Walkers Stadium. Presented by one-time Leicester player Gary Lineker, with guest Alan Hansen.

Episode 51 - 11th June 2003: Euro 2004 Qualifier

Release Date: 2003-06-11

England v Slovakia. Coverage from Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium of this crucial Euro 2004 qualifier. Boosted by their 2-0 win over Turkey in April, Sven-Goran Eriksson 's men know a win tonight will keep their bid for a place in next year's finals right on course. However, they will have to do without suspended skipper David Beckham , placing more pressure on the likes of Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard to control the midfield and feed the strikers. At the other end, England's defence will have to keep a close eye on striker Szilard Nemeth , who scored against England in Slovakia's 2-1 defeat in October and will be playing on his home ground.