Saturday, October 23, 2010

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23-10-2010 22:00 Valencia - Mallorca

Midweek Disappointment

Valencia lost the leadership of La Primera Division last weekend as they slipped to a defeat against Barcelona on Saturday evening and then suffered a further set-back in midweek when they failed to overcome Rangers in the Champions League, leaving them in need of a victory against the Glasgow club in a fortnight to kick-start their European campaign.

Coach Unai Emery certainly wasn’t happy with what his side produced during the 1-1 draw in Scotland. “I could say the draw was a fair result but you have to be self critical,” he told The Sun. “The truth is we didn't expect Rangers would create as many chances as they did.

“We did a bit better against them in the second half but Rangers still created chances. They hurt us. But we did get a draw and have the chance to put it right at the Mestalla.”

Los Che cannot afford to look ahead immediately to that fixture. They are in the thick of a four-way battle for the leadership of the Spanish league and home fixtures against Mallorca and Zaragoza over the course of the next fortnight give them a very real chance to stay right at the sharp end for the time being.

If Valencia are to become a genuine third force in the long haul, it is matches such as this they have to ensure they win.

Ready To Rebound

 
It’s not often that Mallorca lose at the ONO Estadi, but they slumped to a surprising defeat at the venue against Espanyol last weekend. The Balearic Islanders rarely got into top gear against their Barcelona-based opponents and deserved the defeat, which leaves them on eight points, away from the bottom three by only a couple of marks.

Coach Michael Laudrup has pinpointed an improvement in the club’s away form as the biggest difference he can immediately make. Els Barralets were imperious on their own soil last term, but their dreadful performances on the road cost them the chance to seriously make an impression on the top four.

Having suffered the blow of being knocked-back from the Europa League this season due to the messy state of their finances, which have also forced them to lose several of last term’s best performers, a scrap towards the foot of the table is more likely this term. That doesn’t mean that they will accept defeats against the likes of Espanyol lightly.

“We are really angry to have lost to Espanyol, as this wasn’t expected. We have to take the mistakes we made and learn from them before the next match,” goalkeeper Duda Aoute fumed to the media at the start of the week.

It’s not been an entirely negative week for Laudrup’s men, as they have secured contract extensions for Kevin Garcia and Emilio Ensue. Mallorca will now want to cause a real stir by registering a win at the Mestalla, however unlikely to odds suggest it is.

TEAM NEWS

Valencia

Marius Stankevicius was ineligible in midweek and comes back into contention for the weekend’s fixture, but Joaquin, Miguel and Sofiane Feghouli are all expected to sit out once again due to physical complaints. No fresh worries have yet been voiced after the midweek Rangers clash.

Mallorca

Michael Laudrup has been focussing especially on his offence in training over the last week. The Dane will be delighted that he has a full panel of players available for this fixture.


Prediction
With Mallorca’s away form questionable at present, Valencia should have the strength to pick up three points. Their midweek exploits may make victory a little hard to come by for los Che, but they should be powerful enough to get there in the end.

Valencia 1-0 Mallorca

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23-10-2010 20:45 Fiorentina - Bari

Bottom Of the Pile

Fiorentina were considered a top four challenging side in Serie A at the start of the season but the Viola are far from breaking into a Champions League spot at the moment.

Four defeats and two draws in seven league fixtures have dragged the Viola to the foot of the table with just five points. Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic is under massive pressure to resurrect his side’s fortunes and although the Viola have stressed that the Serbian’s job is not under any threat, things could change very soon.

Nevertheless, Fiorentina midfielder and captain Riccardo Montolivo, who missed last weekend’s defeat to Sampdoria, has urged his team to restore lost pride and says, "We are disappointed. But we don't have any fear.

"The team is behind Mihajlovic and our coach is the least responsible for this situation. We know how important Saturday's game against Bari is.

"We are all aware of our strength but we have to prove it when it matters. I ask the fans to remain close to us and help us in this difficult time.''

The Struggle Continues

Bari were last season’s surprise package in 2009-10 but they have been far from impressive this time around. At the moment the Galletti are 14th in the table with eight points from seven matches.

Last weekend Bari went down 2-0 to Serie A leaders Lazio and coach Giampiero Ventura knows that they will have to bounce back on Saturday and try to collect maximum points from their trip to Florence.

He explains, "When you don't get any points, some worries start to creep in. It seemed the season was going to be a breeze, but it isn't so.

"The league seems to be more competitive than with respect to last year.''

However, Bari have yet to win away from home in the league and have lost two of their three matches on their travels.


TEAM NEWS


Fiorentina
Jovetic, D’Agostino and Zanetti are out while Mutu is still suspended. The Viola will line up in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Ljajic playing just behind striker Gilardino.

Bari
Romero and Raggi are out injured. Bari are likely to use a flat 4-4-2 shape with Barreto and Castillo as their main strikers.



Prediction
Fiorentina will not lose this game and with a little bit of luck they will just edge Bari and carve out a narrow victory.

Fiorentina 1-0 Bari

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23-10-2010 18:30 West Ham United - Newcastle United

You're Avram A Laugh!

The Hammers yet again find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle after last season's struggle to stay up, although before the campaign kicked off they wold have loved to be placed one position below Liverpool. Sadly that still means they are bottom of the Premier League.

Having said that, Grant's side are on their best run without defeat for 18 months - unbeaten in their last four Premier League games, their longest sequence without loss for since April 2009.

Home form remains a problem though, with eight goals conceded and just six scored in the last six games, with the Hammers not hitting more than one a game at Upton Park.

One For Sorrow

The Magpies aren't faring much better, sitting four places and just two points above the hosts, and have not tasted victory since their impressive League Cup win at Stamford Bridge in September.

Most of the attention has been off the pitch at St James' Park, with the furour surrounding Hatem Ben Arfa's leg break and then star striker Andy Carroll having to pitch up with captain Kevin Nolan as part of his bail conditions after being arrested for assault.

Expect goals on Saturday as while West Ham have conceded more at home than they have scored, so have Chris Hughton's Newcastle, knocking in 10 but seeing 11 go the other way.


TEAM NEWS

West Ham United
Defender Manuel da Costa is available to face Newcastle despite being arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on Thursday.

The 24-year-old was bailed pending further inquiries after an alleged attack at a night club in Ilford.

Meanwhile, Hammers boss Avram Grant has Matthew Upson pushing for a recall, after he missed the 1-1 draw at Wolves with a neck strain, but Jack Collison and Thomas Hitzlsperger are long-term absentees.

Probable starting XI: Green; Jacobsen, Ben-Haim, Upson, Gabbidon; Dyer, Parker, Noble; Obinna, Piquionne, Boa Morte.


Newcastle United
Hatem Ben Arfa is still missing with a broken leg sustained at Manchester City and will be for some time.

Meanwhile manager Chris Hughton also has Steve Harper (broken collar bone), Dan Gosling (cruciate knee ligaments), Danny Simpson (ankle) and Steven Taylor (shoulder) all unavailable.

Captain Kevin Nolan missed the draw with Wigan last week but could be in line for a recall.

Probable starting XI: Krul; Perch, Williamson, Coloccini, Enrique; Routledge, Tiote, Barton, Gutierrez; Nolan, Carroll.


Prediction
Both teams will be desperate for three points but may have to settle for one in what could prove a high scoring encounter. The Hammers ave only kept one clean league sheet all season while Newcastle have been involved in home goals fests. Expect action at both ends.

West Ham 2-2 Newcastle