27-11-2010 - 22:00 Atletico Madrid - Espanyol

Start Climbing

Though Atletico Madrid might have been expected to be in the running for the top four spots as the halfway stage of the campaign approaches, the same cannot necessarily be said of Espanyol, who are outperforming pre-season expectations approaching Saturday night’s big match in the Spanish capital.

For a period los Rojiblancos dropped off the pace of their rivals, suffering a disappointing three match winless period that included encounters against rivals Real Madrid and Villarreal. But they seem to have since come out of their slump, overcoming Osasuna at home and blasting Real Sociedad, a side who had previously been so good at home, 4-2.

“There is a great merit in what we have done, and I have a feeling we won creating less errors,” a contented Quique Sanchez Flores explained to the press after the emphatic win in the Basque Lands last weekend. “Now, we must quickly climb up and obtain a Champions League position.”

At present Atleti lie sixth, but victory on Saturday night could take them as high as fourth. With a busy period of the season approaching with Europa League and Copa del Rey commitments to consider, los Colchoneros will be eager to make as much early ground as possible, and in front of their passionate home support will certainly be aiming for maximum points.

Dark Horses

After seasons of relative mid-table mediocrity, Espanyol finally find themselves challenging for a European berth again. Not only are Mauricio Pochettino’s men on the fringes of the Champions League race, they are also in a strong position to claim a Europa League berth as the top seven in Spain’s top flight threaten to break away.

A fortnight ago a 0-0 draw against Racing Santander threatened to halt the momentum of the Barcelona club, but instead that seemed to inspire them last weekend against a dangerous Hercules side, who were swept to one side 3-0. Verdu opened the scoring after 15 minutes, but it required a couple of late penalties from Pablo Osvaldo and Luis Garcia to really add some gloss.

“It would be nice to say that the goal is Europe, because the first target are the 42 points of permanence,” Luis Garcia, a veteran of Espanyol’s UEFA Cup final appearance of 2007 explained to Marca. “It doesn’t bother me a lot that no-one talks about our club. We should give far greater importance for all people who follow us. The fans are happy.”

Espanyol may have been impressive at home over the course of the campaign, winning all six of their fixtures at the Cornella-El Prat, but on the road they have shown significant flaws, earning only four of their 24 points outside their Catalan home. Anything against Atleti should therefore be taken as a bonus.

TEAM NEWS

Atletico

Diego Godin continues his rehabilitation following a kidney operation, while Sergio Asenjo is still taking steps towards the first team after suffering a long-term injury last term.

Youngster Borja Gonzalez is involved again after picking up a serious injury in May, but he faces a challenge to become Atleti’s third striker ahead of Diego Castro.

Filipe has been tipped to start this game at left-back.

Espanyol

Victor Ruiz is very unlikely to feature, having failed to train at full pace all week. Aldo Duscher and David Garcia are both doubtful, but Ivan de la Pena, Ernesto Galan and Felipe Mattioni are all ruled out.

Prediction

Espanyol’s weaknesses this season have generally been exposed away from home, while it is at the Vicente Calderon that confident Atletico Madrid have most thrived. Quique Sanchez Flores’ side have to be the favourites for this match and will win by a couple of goals.

Atletico Madrid 2-0 Espanyol

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27-11-2010 - 20:45 Juventus - Fiorentina

Rejuvenated And Resurrected

Juventus were on the verge of being in shambles at the start of the season and there were talks of yet another disappointing campaign. The arrival of Luigi Del Neri as the coach was hailed as a brilliant decision on the part of the Bianconeri board but initial results threatened to further wither the Old Lady.

However, Del Neri has repaired the damage and rejuvenated Juventus, who are currently perched on the fourth spot in the league standings and have mustered 23 points from 13 matches. Even more encouragingly perhaps, the Fidanzata d'Italia have not lost a competitive fixture since late September and defeated Genoa 2-0 last weekend.

With just six points separating them from league leaders Milan, Juventus have returned to the Scudetto race but they have to continue to improve. The Turin-based side are trying to temper talks of winning the Serie A title but they must be keen to launch a rally especially given that the likes of Inter and Lazio are dropping points while Roma are recovering from early season slow pace.

Resuming The Hate

Fiorentina love to hate Juventus and the Viola fans consider Italy's most successful club as their most fierce rivals. Interestingly, the Juve supporters do not reciprocate the same feelings of hate but that doesn't stop the Florentines to stop loathing them.

Indeed, on Saturday evening the Gigliati supporters will resume their hatred of Juve and will pass it on to their players. The match is massively important historically but is equally significant in terms of the current league standings. Sinisa Mihajlovic's side have recovered from a poor run of results in the beginning of the campaign and are now four points above the relegation zone in 13th place with 15 points.

Winning in Turin would be tough for the former Italian champions as they have yet to register an away victory in the league in 2010-11. Fiorentina have taken just two points from their six matches on the road and have also lost their last two on the trot away from the Artemio Franchi. But this is a game in which the players will be fired up and it could just click for the former European Cup finalists.

TEAM NEWS

Juventus

Buffon, Legrottaglie, Rinaudo, Grygera, De Ceglie, Martinez and Amauri are out of the fixture because of injuries. Del Neri will deploy his favoured 4-4-2 formation that will have Iaquinta and Quagliarella as the two strikers. Sissoko and Felipe Melo will be the two defensive midfielders in a double-pivot system.

Fiorentina

Frey, Montolivo, Jovetic, Zanetti, Mutu and Natali will miss the trip to Turin as they are injured while Kroldrup and Gulan are suspended. Gilardino will be the lone striker upfront in a 4-2-3-1 system.

Prediction

Juventus are unbeaten for weeks now and have also looked strong at home. Even though this will be a very fierce match, the Bianconeri will be the favourites as they have a superior squad. However, Juve have shown vulnerability at the back and are likely to concede a goal.

Juventus 3-1 Fiorentina

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27-11-2010 - 18:00 Sampdoria - Milan

Back To Winning Ways

Sampdoria appeared to be struggling without talisman Antonio Cassano as they went four competitive matches without a win and failed to score in any one of them. Things appeared to be bleak for the Blucerchiati but last weekend they bounced back in enthralling style as they won 3-2 against Lecce at the Via del Mare.

Italy international striker Giampaolo Pazzini turned on the style in Lecce as he scored a brilliant hat-trick, finding the winner just two minutes from normal time. The win lifted Samp to eighth in the league standings on 19 points from 13 matches, just one behind Italian and European champions Inter, who are sixth.

However, Domenico Di Carlo's side will have to maintain that momentum if they want to enhance their chances of finishing in a European spot at the end of the season. On Saturday evening Samp welcome league leaders and in-form Milan and will have to be especially careful about how they approach the game. Samp have already lost at the Marassi in the league and have won just twice, so in no way will they head into this game as favourites.

Consolidating The Lead

Milan have been going from strength to strength in Serie A as they still lead the table. Last weekend's narrow 1-0 win against Fiorentina thanks to an ingenious goal from star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic coupled with results elsewhere saw the Rossoneri maintain pole position as they are three points clear of Lazio on 29 points from 13 matches.

The victory over the Viola at San Siro was the former Italian and European champions' fourth league win in a row and eighth in nine games. Massimiliano Allegri's side stretched their imperious league form to Europe too in midweek as they qualified for the first knockout stage of the Champions League with an easy 2-0 win against Auxerre in France, with Ibrahimovic and Ronaldinho etching their respective names on the scoresheet.

A win in Genoa for Milan is very much probable especially given that they have won four of their six league matches on the road. The Diavolo are also the joint second top scorer in the division and with Ibra in red-hot form and the defence too starting to look more compact, they will be confident of at least maintaining their three-point advantage at the top of the table.

TEAM NEWS

Sampdoria

Zauri, Semioli, Palombo, Padalino and Obiang are out injured for the home side. Pazzini and Marilungo will be the two strikers in a flat 4-4-2 formation.

Milan

Pato, Inzaghi, Oddo, Pirlo and Antonini are unavailable for the trip to Genoa because of injuries. Robinho could start alongside Ibrahimovic in attack in a 4-3-1-2 system that will see Ronaldinho relegated to the bench.

Prediction

Milan will be the favourites for this fixture as they are in red-hot form but Sampdoria will be fired up after their win last weekend. This promises to be an enthralling match but don't expect too many goals. A win for the Rossoneri is likely but one suspects that Samp may just craft a draw.

Sampdoria 1-1 Milan

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27-11-2010 - 18:00 Zaragoza - Villarreal

Build From The Back

Javier Aguirre is searching for his first victory as Zaragoza coach, though it will not be easy to come by at La Romareda this weekend, when third placed Villarreal visit on Saturday.

The Mexican coach only took over as los Manos’ boss little over a week ago, and in his dugout debut for the Aragon club would have watched with a fair degree of content as his side held out for a 1-1 draw against Getafe, despite being depleted to 10 men because of Leo Ponzio’s dismissal. Nicolas Bertolo had Zaragoza ahead at half-time, but Adrian Colunga responded from the spot just after the restart.

Aguirre, however, was not entirely impressed with what he saw. “Getafe were superior,” he explained to the media after the game. “I think the point rescued by my players was only achieved with effort and great attitude. In football we could not elaborate. Getafe were superior in possession.

Indicating that he will “first try to organise [the team] from back to front” shows that the coach craves some kind of defensive stability from his men. Aguirre believes that 19 goals conceded after 12 matches is too great a tally, though better this ratio against a dangerous offensive side at the weekend will not be easy.

Zaragoza may have only achieved one win in league play to date all season, but the Yellow Submarine are a team vulnerable on the road, and Aguirre will be keen for his players to provide a good showing in his home debut.

Racing For Bronze

If Villarreal had any lingering pretensions that they could keep pace with Barcelona and Real Madrid over the course of the campaign, they have been obliterated over the last couple of matches, which have seen the Yellow Submarine earn just one point in six and watch the two superpowers of the Spanish game go almost three wins clear.

Juan Carlos Garrido’s side have come up against some of the best Spain has to offer over the last fortnight, but they fell short against Barcelona in Camp Nou and were forced to work hard to wrestle a home point from Valencia – only the second time under the charge of their present coach that they’ve failed to win at home.

“All we can do is keep going at our own pace and fight our own battle. We have to keep working towards our objective of a Champions League place,” Marcos Senna was quoted as saying on FIFA’s official website, clearly giving up hope of getting back onto the coattails of the big two.

At present, the club from El Madrigal are almost entirely reliant on their home form, which is a dangerous game to play over the course of the season. On the road, they’ve mustered only eight of their 24 points, so they will be on high alert on Saturday evening, when they have the opportunity to strike the first blow in the race for third spot.

With Garrido signing a new three-year deal this week, things are clearly in a stable state at El Madrigal.

TEAM NEWS

Zaragoza

Italian defender Maurizio Lanzaro and midfielder Ander Herrera won’t be aligned for this fixture due to injury problems. Angel Lafita should feature from the outset, however.

Leo Ponzio is suspended after last weekend’s dismissal.

Villarreal

Juan Capdevila will be missing for three weeks due to a sprained ankle. Joan Oriol will take his spot.

Borja Valero is suspended.

Prediction

Villarreal’s poor form away from home combined with the determination of Zaragoza to pick up a point in their first home match under Javier Aguirre adds up to a potential shock result. Winning the game may prove too much for the hosts, but it’s not out of the question that they could earn a draw.

Zaragoza 1-1 Villarreal

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27-11-2010 - 16:00 Stoke City - Manchester City

On a positive run

Stoke City have hit a purple patch of form, and are currently on a run of three consecutive victories. The wins over Birmingham City, Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion mark their best run in the Premier League to date.

The positive form is all the more significant when one takes a look slightly further into the past, as the three victories come on the back of five consecutive defeats in all competitions.

The win over Birmingham came in an exciting manner for the neutrals, as the Potters surrendered a two-goal lead only for Dean Whitehead to score late on and secure the three points. Liverpool came to visit the Britannia Stadium on a solid unbeaten run of six games in all competitions, and fall they did to a 2-0 result.

And if that wasn’t enough, Tony Pulis’ men travelled away from home to the Hawthorns and heaped more woe on a West Bromwich Albion side that have failed to register a victory for some time now.

Add to all this the fact that Roberto Mancini’s men lost at the Britannia Stadium last month - in a League Cup encounter - and it’s easy to understand why confidence will not be a problem for the home side.

City looking for momentum

The Eastlands club haven’t lost any of their last four games, but have been subject to a fair amount of criticism of late.

A 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion was a comeback after having lost three games on the trot, which saw manager Roberto Mancini’s future become the subject of intense speculation. And it also gave rise to the notion that the club rely heavily on skipper Carlos Tevez, who has been at the forefront of the team’s rise in standing this term.

After beating the Baggies, City were unable to find the back of the net against arch-rivals Manchester United and Birmingham City, which led to former Inter boss taking further criticism; particularly for the tactics he employed during the game against Sir Alex Ferguson’s charges.

However, all that was needed was a trip to Craven Cottage and a thumping 4-1 victory to silence the critics’ tongues. But a similar style of free flowing attacking football – and perhaps a similar result - will have to be in the offing if City are to redeem themselves in the eyes of their naysayers.

But Stoke are no pushovers, particularly in their own backyard. That they have won four of their home games so far - with only Chelsea and United having won more - is evidence of the task that lies ahead for the visitors.

A faltering performance may see Mancini come under the scanner all over again, but the right result should see him breathe easily for the moment.

TEAM NEWS

Stoke City

Mamady Sidibe (calf) is sidelined for this encounter, while Salif Diao has been reported to be a doubt.

There appears to be some positive news for the Potters ahead of this fixture, as Jermaine Pennant (hamstring) has a chance of recovering in time. The former Liverpool midfielder sustained an injury during the recent 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion, as the club feared that he was set for a lengthy lay-off.

Tuncay is expected to be the replacement if Pennant doesn’t return to fitness in time.

Possible starting XI: Begovic; Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Collins; Pennant, Whitehead, Delap, Etherington; Jones, Fuller.

Manchester City

Jerome Boateng, Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards are expected to be fit for this encounter after falling prey to minor injuries during their international outings. But none of the three players will likely make the starting line-up.

Gareth Barry (ankle) is expected to miss out, while Pablo Zabaleta is suspended. However, Mario Balotelli returns after serving a three-match ban.

Possible starting XI: Hart; Boyata, K Toure, Kompany, Kolarov; Yaya Toure, De Jong, Milner; Silva, Balotelli, Tevez.

Prediction

Stoke are strong at home and are on a strong run, and it appears as though they could hold City to a stalemate.

Stoke 1-1 Man City

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27-11-2010 - 13:45 Aston Villa - Arsenal

From Top To Bottom

A win for the away side would see them go top of the table, at least for a few hours, and could leave Villa in danger of dropping into the relegation zone.

Villa have won just two Premier League games, and a poor one in eight, since former Liverpool boss Houllier took over in October and were well beaten by Blackburn last weekend.

That wobbly run of form should give Arsenal even more confidence of picking up three points at a ground that they have been unbeaten at since 1998, while the Gunners also top the Premier League's away table this campaign with 14 points from seven trips on the road.

A Very Civil French War

Houllier faces his compatriot in the opposite dugout for the first time since 2004, when he was still in charge at Liverpool.

The long-serving Wenger marginally had the edge over the former manager of the French national side in their previous Premier League clashes, picking up four wins in comparison to his friend's three.

Houllier's Liverpool drew against Arsenal more times – five – than they beat their London rivals, and the two sides played out two scoreless draws in that time, while Wenger has not been beaten in the league by his compatriot in their last six meetings.

But the Reds of Merseyside pipped their more celebrated attacking opponents in goals scored from their league meetings, 15 to 14, giving Villa fans reason to be confident.

As will another historical moment: arguably Houllier's finest hour in English football came as his Liverpool side added their second trophy of a treble-winning 2001 season by defeating Wenger in a controversial FA Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in which Stephane Henchoz at least twice handled in the box before Michael Owen – a reported January target for the Midlands side – popped up with two late goals as Arsenal looked set to cruise to victory.

TEAM NEWS

Aston Villa

Gerard Houllier is in the midst of an injury crisis with no less than 10 players either out long-term or serious doubts ahead of the game, including young winger Marc Albrighton, who will not be back until mid-December after suffering from appendicitis.

37-year-old Robert Pires may feature against his former club after coming off the bench in the defeat at Ewood Park last weekend.

Nigel Reo-Coker may return from his knee injury to ease a midfield crisis with Steve Sidwell, Stilian Petrov and Fabian Delph all long-term absentees, while Carlos Cuellar will face a fitness test to determine whether he is able to feature after straining a calf muscle.

Possible starting XI: Friedel; L Young, Collins, Dunne, Warnock; Pires, Ireland, Bannan, Downing; A Young; Agbonlahor.

Arsenal

Cesc Fabregas’ injury in defeat to Braga could not have come at a worse time for Arsene Wenger as his side are desperate to bounce back from two successive defeats in a week if they are to keep the pressure on Chelsea and Manchester United.

Arsenal will also be without Emmanuel Eboue, who picked up a serious knee injury in Portugal on Tuesday and may not figure again this year.

Gael Clichy and Abou Diaby remain doubts with back and ankle injuries respectively, so Tomas Rosicky is likely to fill one of the midfield slots.

Possible starting XI: Fabianski; Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Gibbs; Wilshere, Denilson, Rosicky; Walcott, Chamakh, Nasri.

Prediction

Neither side go into this one on the best run of form, so perhaps history provides the best clue as to how Saturday's tie will pan out, and with Wenger having the upper hand and sensing that his side could go top with victory, expect the away side to come away with three points.

Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal

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26-11-2010 MIODRAG KRIVOKAPIĆ, TRENER U SELTIKU (ŠKOTSKA)

U ovom kolu Rendžers nije favorit na gostovanju Dandi Junajtedu. Prvo, “rendžeri” će biti umorni od meča Lige šampiona sa Mančester Junajtedom, drugo teren Dandija je mali, domaćin se odlično snalazi na njemu, pa je svakom gostu izuzetno teško da tamo pobedi, makar se on zvao i Rendžers.

Dandi J. - Rendžers 12

Moj Seltik je favorit protiv Invernesa, a pobedu kod kuće trebalo bi da zabeleži i Hibernijan, kojeg od pre nekoliko kola predvodi novi trener.

SELTIK – INVERNES 1

HIBERNIJAN – ST. DŽONSTON 1

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26-11-2010 DUŠKO SAVANOVIĆ (VALENSIJA) PROGNOZIRA ŠPANSKU LIGU

Čini mi se da možda nema potrebe da previše objašnjavam zašto da igrate dvojku na moju Valensiju. Jači smo, u usponu forme, došao nam je trener Svetislav Pešić i imamo veliki motiv da pobeđujemo. 

LAGUN ARO – VALENSIJA 2 –

Kec, naravno. Gosti imaju sasvim korektnu ekipu, ali nemaju šta da traže u Malagi protiv, za njih, prejake Unikahe. 

UNIKAHA – VALJADOLID 1 

Barselona je uvek favorit, ovo je kec „kao kuća“. Verovatno i sa hendikepom. 

BARSELONA – MANRESA 1

Kaha je fantastična ekipa, kod kuće je dobila i Barsu, pa ne vidim čemu Menorka može da se nada na ovom gostovanju.  

KAHA LABORAL – MENORKA 1

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27.-28. 11.2010. Bets Of The Week

27.11.2010. (Saturday) 

13:45 Aston Villa - Arsenal

The match with the biggest draw bias this week is Aston Villa v Arsenal.

The record of teams of Aston Villa's grade when playing at home to teams of Arsenal's grade reads H5 D5 A1. Aston Villa's recent home record against teams of Arsenal's grading is W1 D5 L1.

Arsenal's recent away record against teams of Aston Villas grading is W2 D1 L1. Head to Head recent record at Villa Park reads Aston Villa 0 Draw 3 Arsenal 2.

Aston Villa have drawn 4 of their last 5 home matches. Arsenal have drawn 1 of their last 5 away matches.

Remember, you only need one draw in three to come off to turn a profit.

Tip: Aston Villa v Arsenal Draw @ 3.25 

15:30 Hamburger SV - Stuttgart

You can’t help feeling the odds on Hamburg are too good to be true here. HSV are in a decent form, but not really lucky of late, thus winning just once in their last five games. Stuttgart, on the other hand, are inconsistent, as their weird record of being in the relegation zone with positive goal difference shows.

Still, their away form is pretty much straightforward, with just two points from six fixtures, and last week they were beaten at home by Koln, albeit not without poor refereeing decisions that went against them.

Hamburg are clearly a superior team, playing better football, and enjoying a very good home record against Stuttgart with three successive wins (and seven wins out of nine in the last decade). What’s more, coach Armin Veh will be delighted to beat the visitors, whom he led to a sensational Bundesliga title in 2007 before being unceremoniously sacked two years ago.

Tips: Hamburg to win (2.10). Stuttgart’s tendency to waste away leads makes “Hamburg to win from behind” (8.00) a curious option for pure gamblers

16:00 Everton - West Bromwich Albion

West Brom are a side very much on the slide, since their defeat at Blackpool they have picked up just one point from their last five games. Add to that the fact they don’t have a very good record at Goodison Park having not won their since a League Cup victory in the 1980-81 season, they have also lost on six of their last seven visits in league and cup.

Everton however, despite currently being on the same points total as their visitors, have lost just once in their last nine matches, drawing five and winning three. Tim Cahill has scored in three of Everton’s last four games and four of his seven goals this season have been at Goodison.

Tip: Tim Cahill to score at anytime @ 2.40/ Everton half-time/full-time @ 2.15

16:00 Queens Park Rangers - Cardiff City

Top of the table QPR are unbeaten in the Championship but they have drawn six of their last eight games while at the same time the Bluebirds have won four of last five away. Cardiff have got themselves into a more commanding position this season, mostly because of the the signing of Craig Bellamy and of course the goals of Jay Bothroyd, Peter Whittingham, Seyi Olofinjana and Michael Chopra.

Jay Bothroyd in particular having recently won his first international cap for England is certainly in great goalscoring form and he should be backed to score anytime! Rangers defence should expect to face its toughest test yet....a defence that worth mentioning is conceding only 0.3 goals on average per home game while it was 14 games since they shipped two goals. I definitely expect a tight game with the draw a big runner therefore i will side myself with the away side on the asian handicap, either half or quarter ball.

Tip: Cardiff (+0.5) @ 1.77 

28.11.2010. (Sunday)

19:00 Athletic Bilbao - Osasuna

San Mames has been a fortress this season for Athletic Bilbao. Their high octane approach and extraordinary spirit make it very difficult for any opponents and they've won four out of five of their last home games with their only blemish being a defeat to Barcelona.

The Basques have been one of the more profitable teams for me in Spain as you are guaranteed a good run for your money when they welcome teams to Bilbao. Fernando Llorente has been in excellent form scoring nine goals so far this season and keep an eye out for Iker Muniain, a very gifted teenager who plays wide on the left.

Osasuna are poor on their travels and have lost four out of the last five away from home. They are similar to Bilbao in that they generate most of their points at home. Both are physical and direct sides so it won't be a match for the faint hearted but I'll be backing Bilbao to win.

Tip: Athletic Bilbao to win @ 1.70

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