Thursday, March 1, 2012

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02.03. (Fri) 21:15 Benfica - Porto

fica vs Porto
Alvaro Pereira (FC Porto) vs Maxi Pereira (Benfica)
Panoramic


PROBABLE LINEUPS

BENFICA


Artur
Maxi Pereira, Garay, Luisao, Emerson
Javi Garcia
Gaitan, Witsel, Bruno Cesar
Cardozo, Aimar
PORTO

Helton
Maicon, Otamendi, Rolando, A. Pereira
Fernando
Moutinho, Lucho
Hulk, Janko, Djalma


Benfica coach Jorge Jesus has some last-minute concerns going into the match, as Ezequiel Garay finished Argentina's 3-1 victory against Switzerland with physical complaints. Rodrigo has not yet fully recovery from an ankle problem sustained in the club's 3-2 defeat against Zenit in the Champions League and his involvement in the match is still in doubt.

On the other hand, Jesus has received a considerable boost as Javi Garcia returns to the team after missing the last three matches because of injury.

Porto will be without defenders Danilo and Eliaquim Mangala, who sustained injuries in the first leg of the club's Europa League tie against Manchester City. Silvestre Varela is also unavailable after picking up a physical problem in Sunday's 2-0 victory against Feirense.

Coach Vitor Pereira has indicated that James Rodriguez is not at 100 per cent after playing 80 minutes in Colombia's 2-0 victory against Mexico in Miami, so the 20-year-old is in doubt for the match.

DID YOU KNOW

  • Benfica are Porto  have faced each other 221 times in official competitions: Benfica have won 82 times (37 per cent), Porto have won 85 times (38%), while 54 matches (25%) ended in stalemates.
  • The two clubs are currently tied at the top of the Portuguese Liga table, with Porto currently occupying first place due to goal difference.
  • Benfica's biggest victory in matches against Porto goes back to the 1942-43 season, a 12-2 win.
  • Porto's best result against Benfica was an 8-0 victory in 1932-33.
  • The match at the Estadio do Dragao in the first round of fixtures ended in a 2-2 draw.
  • Oscar Cardozo is Benfica's top scorer in the league with 14 goals, while James Rodriguez's is Porto's most prolific attacker with 10 strikes.
  • Hulk has not scored a single goal to date in 2012, after seven competitive matches.
Prediction
Editor's Prediction 
 
Benfica Benfica 1-1 Porto   

Ligue 1 Opta Facts - 3 - 4 March


Bordeaux - Nice
Nice are winless in their last 22 trips to Bordeaux in Ligue 1, suffering 20 defeats in the process.
Bordeaux are unbeaten in their last 12 Ligue 1 matches at their Chaban-Delmas stadium (six draws followed by six wins).
Bordeaux have not scored more than two goals in any of their last 19 home league matches.
Nice are winless in their last 18 away matches in Ligue 1, their last win on the road was back in February 2011.
Nice have the worst away record in Europe's Top Five leagues this season, having only collected three points from 12 away games.
Nice have yet to keep a clean sheet away from home in Ligue 1 this season.
All of Bordeaux's five goals at home in the league in 2012 have been scored in the first half of matches.
Jussie has scored in each of his last four starts for Bordeaux (in all competitions).

Caen - Brest
Caen are unbeaten in their last three encounters with Brest (in all competitions).
Brest have always scored in their seven previous Ligue 1 matches against Caen.
Brest have won their last two matches away to Caen in L1, but 19 years eloped between those wins.
Brest have the best defensive record in Ligue 1 this season (22 goals conceded) but no team has scored fewer goals than the outfit from Brittany (22).
Caen have only won once in their last seven home games (all competitions), suffering five defeats and a draw.
Brest have not won a single Ligue 1 match away from home this season (seven draws and five defeats), scoring a league-low four goals in the process.
Brest have only been in the lead for a total of 27 minutes away from home in this season's Ligue 1 (2.5% of the time).
Brest have not scored a single goal in their last four away matches in all competitions.

Dijon - Montpellier
Montpellier are enjoying their best ever season in the top flight at this stage of the competition.
Montpellier are Ligue 1's most in-form team in 2012, collecting 16 points out of a possible 18.
Dijon have lost all of their nine matches against the current top eight teams in L1 (nine goals scored and 26 conceded).
Montpellier have scored the most goals this season in Ligue 1 (48) while Dijon have shipped the most (44).
Since their return to top flight football in 2009/10, Montpellier have managed more 1-0 wins than any other team in Ligue 1 21).
Montpellier have only won once in five previous league trips to Dijon.
Montpellier will be without Ligue 1 top scorer Olivier Giroud for the second time this season.
The fixture between these sides earlier this season witnessed eight goals (Montpellier won 5-3).
Only Valenciennes have managed to keep a clean sheet at home to Montpellier in this season's Ligue 1.
Montpellier have only won one of their last four away matches in Ligue 1 (a 1-0 victory over Nice).

Lille - Auxerre
Lille have only collected 0.96 points per match against Auxerre in Ligue 1, their worst ratio against current Ligue 1 teams.
Auxerre have only won 10 of their last 50 Ligue 1 matches.
Lille have won just two of their six home league games this season against teams currently ranked in the bottom half of the table.
Auxerre have not won any of their last eight league matches, only Sochaux and Lorient are currently on worse runs.
Auxerre have not won a single away game in L1 this season (seven defeats and five draws).
In this season's L1, Lille have won the most points after trailing in matches (18) whilst Auxerre have dropped the most after leading (18).
11 of Lille's goals this season have been scored by defenders, a league-high figure.
Nolan Roux has scored three goals in two Ligue 1 appearances for Lille at their Stadium Nord.
Eden Hazard has scored in each of his last four home appearances for Lille.

Lorient - Rennes
Lorient have not won any of their last 10 Ligue 1 matches (losing their last three), equalling the worst run in the club's history.
Lorient have the worst win percentage in the history of Brittany derbies in Ligue 1 (25%).
Lorient have lost their two previous Brittany derbies this season, against Brest and Rennes, scoring once and conceding five goals.
Rennes have failed to score in four of their last five Ligue 1 away matches.
Lorient have the joint-best defensive record at home this season, along with Valenciennes (six goals conceded).
Lorient have only won three of their 15 matches against Rennes in L1, registering eight defeats and four draws.
Lorient have not scored a first-half goal in Ligue 1 since October 2011.
Lorient have the worst defensive record in Ligue 1 since the turn of the year, conceding 11 goals in six matches.
Lorient's Le Moustoir stadium has witnessed the fewest goals in Ligue 1 this season (19).

Marseille - Toulouse
For the first time since October 2011, Marseille are on a winless streak of three Ligue 1 matches.
Marseille have struck the woodwork four times in their last two L1 matches (twice against Valenciennes and twice against Brest).
Seven of the last eight Ligue 1 encounters between Marseille and Toulouse have ended as draws.
None of the last 10 competitive encounters between Toulouse and Marseille have produced a home win.
Didier Deschamps is unbeaten against Toulouse as a Ligue 1 manager, registering three wins and six draws.
Toulouse have only won once in their 21 previous Ligue 1 trips to Marseille's Vélodrome Stadium, with their solitary victory taking place in September 2007 (2-1).
Since joining Marseille, André Pierre Gignac has netted two goals in 139 minutes of league football against his former clubs.
Emmanuel Rivière has scored in three of his last four league starts.
Brandao has scored four goals in five competitive appearances against Toulouse.

Nancy - Lyon
Since matchday 19, Lyon have only picked up five points in seven Ligue 1 matches.
Lyon have won 12 of their last 13 matches against Nancy in Ligue 1, with the other ending as a draw.
Nancy have not won any of their last six home games against Lyon in L1, holding them to a draw once and losing five times.
Nancy have managed fewer home wins than any other side this season in Ligue 1 (two).
Nancy have lost their last three Ligue 1 matches, currently the joint-worst sequence in the league.
Lyon have lost seven of their last 10 away matches in Ligue 1.
Nancy have failed to score in their last four Ligue 1 games. Only Sochaux have fared worse this season (five games without scoring between matchdays 16 and 20).
Lyon have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight Ligue 1 matches, currently the worst such run.
Bafétimbi Gomis is the only player to have scored at least ten goals in each of the last six Ligue 1 seasons.

Paris SG - Ajaccio
PSG have not won any of their last three Ligue 1 matches (three draws) equalling their longest winless streak this season.
PSG are unbeaten in their last 14 matches in all competitions, their last defeat was back in December 2011 (v Salzburg in the Europa League).
Ajaccio have only kept one clean sheet in their last 18 away matches in Ligue 1.
One the two hat tricks Kevin Gameiro has scored in his Ligue 1 career came against Ajaccio last October.
Ajaccio are the last away team to score four goals at the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1, completing this feat in their last trip to Paris in May 2006.
24 of PSG's 44 L1 goals this season have been scored in the last fifteen minutes of each half.
Nene has won (four) and converted (seven) the most penalties in Ligue 1 this season.
Nene is Ligue 1's top scorer in 2012 with five goals.
Eduardo has scored four goals in six L1 matches with Ajaccio this season, averaging a goal every 128 minutes. Only Kevin Bérigaud (58) and PSG's Guillaume Hoarau (89) fare better.

St Etienne - Evian TG
St Etienne have won their three home league games in 2012, scoring nine goals and conceding two; they have not won four in a row at home since the 2006/07 season.
Evian TG have never won an away game in Ligue 1.
ETG have scored at least one goal in each of their last nine away games in Ligue 1, currently the longest such run.
ETG have conceded at least two goals in eight of their 13 away games in Ligue 1.
Kevin Bérigaud has scored three goals in 173 minutes in Ligue 1 this season, he boasts the best minutes per goal ratio in this season's French top flight.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored seven goals in his last eight competitive appearances for club and country.
Paris SG are the only visiting team to depart St Etienne's Geoffroy-Guichard stadium with a clean sheet in this season's Ligue 1.

Sochaux - Valenciennes
Sochaux have not won any of their last 12 L1 matches, equalling the worst such run in L1 this season (Ajaccio from match day six to 17).
Sochaux have only converted one of their last 95 shots in the league.
Valenciennes have conceded at least one goal in each of their last eight trips to Sochaux's Bonal stadium in Ligue 1, winning just once in the process.
Valenciennes have failed to keep a single clean sheet on the road in Ligue 1 this season.
Valenciennes are unbeaten in their last four Ligue 1 matches (three wins and one draw), their longest unbeaten sequence this season.
Mecha Bazdarevic has only won 20 of his 120 matches as a Ligue 1 manager (16.7%). The worst win percentage amongst current L1 managers.
Mamadou Samassa has scored twice in his last three league appearances, and on both occasions after coming off the substitutes' bench.

03.-04. 03.2012. NENAD DŽODIĆ (MONPELJE, FRANCUSKA 1) PRED 26.KOLO

Da je Lion pobedio, Nenad Džodić bi drugi put zaredom pogodio "celu" Francusku 1. Provereni "tipovac" promašio je samo keca na derbiju prethodnog kola, u kojem su Lion i PSŽ remizirali.
- Pari Sen Žermen sada mora da pobedi - nije se dvoumio Džodić oko fiksa kola. - Triput uzastopno je remizirao, pa smo ga posle mnogo vremena prestigli na tabeli. Neće mu biti lako sa Korzikancima, ali ne dovodim u pitanje njegov trijumf.
Još neki fiks?
- Sent Etjen je u odličnoj formi, a poznato je koliko je teško igrati pred nekoliko desetina hiljada njegovih navijača. Evian se, kao novajlija, dobro snalazi u eliti, ali na ovom meču sve je na strani domaćina.

MOJ TIP
Nansi - Lion X2
Dižon - Monpelje -
Lil - Okser 1X
ST. ETJEN - EVIAN 1
Marsej - Tuluz 12
Sošo - Valansjen 1
Bordo - Nica 1X
PSŽ - AJAČIO 1
Kaen - Brest 1X
Lorien - Ren X

Serie A Opta Facts - MD 26 03-04 March



Bologna - Novara
Bologna had the better of Novara in their last meeting back in October (2-0, goals by Gaston Ramírez and Robert Acquafresca); their previous game before this was in 1956.
Novara have already lost 10 times at Bologna, more than at any other Serie A ground in their history.
In fact, Bologna are unbeaten at home against Novara (10 wins and two draws, all between 1937 and 1956).
Last Sunday's defeat against Udinese ended Bologna's seven-game unbeaten run in Serie A (three wins and four draws).
Before conceding three goals against Udinese, Bologna had kept three consecutive clean sheets at the Dall'Ara.
Last Sunday's loss against Catania ended a three-game unbeaten run without conceding for Novara.
Novara have only managed to score more than two goals away from home once this season, in Verona against Chievo (2-2).
Novara have already conceded 10 headed goals - a Serie A league-high this season.
Seven different Bologna players have already been booked at least five times - a Serie A-record.

Fiorentina - Cesena
Cesena's last win against Fiorentina in Serie A came back in November 1987 (1-0 at the Manuzzi); since then, the Viola have notched up six wins and four draws against Cesena in the league.
Cesena have drawn more games against Fiorentina than against any other Serie A opponent so far (10).
Fiorentina are unbeaten against Cesena at home in the top-flight (eight wins and three draws).
Fiorentina have conceded just two goals in the last seven occasions they have hosted Cesena.
Fiorentina have lost their last three games (v Napoli, Bologna and Lazio), without scoring a single goal.
The Tuscans have scored two or more goals in four of their last six home games, however they have conceded at least once in the last five games at the Franchi.
Cesena have picked up just one point from their last six league games (their goalless draw at the San Paolo with Napoli).
They have also taken one point from their last six games on the road in this campaign.
Cesena have scored the fewest goals so far in Serie A (16); they are also the team who have scored the fewest after half-time (only six).
Stevan Jovetic has scored in seven of the last eight games in which Fiorentina have found the net.

Inter - Catania
Inter and Catania have not shared the points in their last 12 Serie A meetings: Inter lead by 10 wins to two.
Catania's two wins have come in the last four meetings
Over these last 12 meetings, Inter have always scored against the Sicilian side.
Inter have won 13 of their 14 games against Catania at the San Siro, with a draw completing the record.
However, only in four of their 14 visits to Inter's ground have Catania failed to score.
Inter have picked up just a point from their last six Serie A fixtures, and have lost the last four without scoring a single goal.
Inter are on a four-defeat run for the first time since 2004, while this is the first time since 1987 that the Nerazzurri haven's scored for four games in a row.
This is the first time Inter have lost 11 of their first 25 Serie A games in a season.
Inter have lost their last two games at home: the last time they lost three in a row at home was in 1955/56.
Catania have won three of their last four league games, and have lost just one of the last six.
Vincenzo Montella's side have scored in each of their last seven league games.
Last Saturday against Siena, Catania recorded their first away win, this after taking just two points from their previous five games on the road.
On the last five occasions Inter have scored this season, Diego Milito has netted at least a goal.

Juventus - Chievo
Chievo are unbeaten in their last four meetings against Juventus in the league: after Chievo's win in January 2010, these two sides have since shared three draws in a row.
However, Juventus have never lost at home against Chievo in Serie A (six wins and two draws).
The Old Lady have always scored at home against Chievo, while the Gialloblù have failed to score in four of their previous eight games at Juve's ground.
Juventus are the only side still unbeaten in the top five European leagues (13 wins and 11 draws).
However, the Bianconeri have drawn the most games so far in Serie A, including three of the last four.
Only Genoa have managed to score more than a single goal at Juve's ground so far this campaign (2-2 back in October).
Chievo have gone six games without a draw (three wins and three losses).
Chievo have won their last two games 1-0: the last time they kept three consecutive clean sheets was more than a year ago, between January and February 2011.
Davide Moscardelli has already scored four goals in this campaign, all in the last 20 minutes of play, including one against Cesena last Sunday.
Sergio Pellissier scored his only Serie A hat-trick in Turin against Juventus (3-3 in April 2009).

Lecce - Genoa
Lecce have won just once against Genoa in the top-flight, in their first meeting in Salento back in January 1990.
Since then, Genoa have won six times along with three draws, including a 0-0 in the reverse fixture.
Lecce have failed to score in three of their last four meetings with Genoa at home, taking only one point in the process.
Lecce have lost just one of their last eight games, collecting 15 points. They are joint-top of Serie A with Lazio in this timeframe.
Lecce are unbeaten in their last four games at home (two wins and as many draws).
Overall, the Giallorossi have lost seven games at home, more than any other side in this Serie A campaign.
Genoa are winless in the last four games: three losses followed by the last-gasp draw against Parma last Saturday, in which they came from 0-2 down.
Genoa are on a negative run of five consecutive defeats away from home, and have conceded 19 goals in the process.
The Grifoni have the worst defence in Serie A this season (46 goals conceded so far).
On the last five occasions Genoa have scored in the league, Rodrigo Palacio has been among the goal scorers.
Lecce have completed the most dribbles in this Serie A campaign (253) and Juan Guillermo Cuadrado is the player with the most successful dribbles (84).

Palermo - AC Milan
Palermo and Milan have not drawn any of their last nine meetings in the league: Palermo lead by five wins to four.
The Sicilians are unbeaten in their last five meetings at the Barbera against AC Milan: a goalless draw, followed by four consecutive wins.
Taking into account the Coppa Italia game played last May, Palermo are on a run of five cosecutive wins at home against the Rossoneri.
Palermo have alternated a home win to an away defeat over the last four matchdays of this campaign.
Palermo have scored in each of their last seven games, but also conceded in 11 of their last 12.
Palermo have won their last four home fixtures, scoring five goals in two of these (against Genoa and Lazio).
Palermo are the only side yet to draw at home in this campaign (10 wins, 2 losses so far).
Only Udinese (32) have picked up more points than Palermo (30) at home this season.
AC Milan, in contrast, have the most points (26), and the most goals scored (24) away from home.
The Rossoneri have won just two of their last five games, drawing two and losing one.
Away from home though, Massimiliano Allegri's side have won five of their last six games, losing only against Lazio.
Palermo have recorded the highest percentage of shots on target (50.2%), while AC Milan boast the best conversion ratio (16.8%).
Fabrizio Miccoli has been involved in 14 of Palermo's last 18 goals, scoring six and providing eight assists.

Parma - Napoli
Parma and Napoli have two wins each in their last four league meetings.
Napoli are unbeaten in their last three visits to Parma (two wins and a draw).
However, the Ducali have scored in each of their last 12 home games against Napoli in Serie A.
Parma have drawn four of their last six league games, winning one and losing the other.
Parma are unbeaten in their last seven games at the Tardini, but have been held to a draw in four of the last five.
Napoli are unbeaten in their last five fixtures, in which they haven't conceded a single goal: two goalless draw followed by three wins.
Napoli have the second best defence away from home: they have conceded just 11 goals away from the San Paolo.
Napoli have lost just one of their last seven games on the road, winning two.
Napoli have scored the most goals from open play so far in this Serie A season (32).
Parma have recorded the lowest average possession in Serie A (only 43.6%).
Ezequiel Lavezzi has scored four goals in Napoli's last three games in all competitions.
Sergio Floccari has scored five goals against Napoli, more than against any other Serie A opponent.

Roma - Lazio
This will be the 136th Capital derby in Serie A: Roma lead by 47 wins to 34, with 54 draws completing the record.
After winning five consecutive games against Lazio in Serie A and the Coppa Italia, Roma lost their last meeting 2-1 in the reverse fixture back in October.
The Giallorossi have scored in each of their last nine league fixtures against Lazio.
Totti & Co. are unbeaten in their last 13 Serie A derbies played as the host team: eight wins (including the last four meetings) and five draws.
Roma have not conceded in six of their last eight league games against Lazio as the host side, including the last three.
Luis Enrique's side have won just two of their last seven league games, losing three times.
However, at home the Giallorossi are unbeaten in their last seven (five wins).
Lazio have not shared the points in any of their last nine league games, winning five times and losing four.
The Biancocelesti have lost four of their last five league away games.
Seven of Roma's players have scored three or more goals in this campaign (a record in Serie A this season).
Fabio Borini has scored five of Roma's last seven league goals.
Francesco Totti has already scored eight goals in the Rome derby in Serie A, only Marco Delvecchio and Dino Da Costa have more (nine each).
Miroslav Klose has already scored 15 goals for Lazio this season in all competitions.

Siena - Cagliari
Cagliari have won just one of their last six meetings against Siena in the top-flight, the Tuscans winning three.
The Sardinians have not scored more than a single goal in their last seven meetings with Siena in Serie A.
Siena are still unbeaten at home against Cagliari in Serie A (three wins and three draws).
Siena have conceded just one goal in their last four games against Cagliari in Serie A.
Siena have recorded two wins and two losses in the last four matchdays.
The Tuscans have lost just one of their last six home games, winning three.
In these last six games at home, they have never conceded more than a goal (three in total).
Last Sunday's loss against Lecce ended a four game unbeaten run in the league for Cagliari.
The Sardinians are winless in five games away from home (three draws, two losses), and have scored just one goal in the process.
Cagliari have lost just two points from winning positions this term (a Serie A record), winning seven and drawing one of the eight games in which have held the lead.
Cagliari are the favourite opponents for both Emanuele Calaiò and Franco Brienza: both have already scored four goals against the Sardinians in the top-flight, more than against any other opponent.

Udinese - Atalanta
The last two Serie A games between these two sides have ended 0-0.
Over the last eight meetings against Udinese, Atalanta either didn't score (five times) or netted exactly three goals (three times).
These two sides have not drawn any of their last 11 meetings at the Friuli: the hosts lead by seven wins to four.
Udinese have scored in each of these last 11 home games against Atalanta.
Last Sunday against Bologna, Udinese got back to winning ways after three winless games (two losses and a draw).
Udinese would be top of the Serie A table, taking into account just home games, on 32 points.
Atalanta are unbeaten in their last four games (two wins and two draws).
However, away from home, Stefano Colantuono's side have won just one of their last eight games (1-0 against Cesena) and have lost three times.
Udinese have conceded just three goals in the first half - fewer than any other side so far in Serie A.
20 of Atalanta's 30 goals have been netted by Argentine players, the remaining ten by Italians.
Last Sunday, German Denis scored his first goals of 2012, and his second hat-trick in Serie A after one for Napoli against Reggina in October 2008.

La Liga Opta Facts - Week 26 - 3-5 March


Atlético de Bilbao v Real Sociedad
Athletic are unbeaten in their last seven matches at home to Real Sociedad in the league (W6 D1).
Athletic have scored in all but one of their last 19 league derbies with Erreala (0-2 last season).
The donostiarra have only won two of their last 12 meetings with Athletic in the top-flight (D3 L7).
Just eight of the 129 top-flight derbies between Real Sociedad and Athletic have ended goalless, seven of them in the 90s.
Bielsa's men are unbeaten in five home league games for the first time this season (W3 D2).
Montanier's side have scored in their last five league games for the first time this season.
Bielsa's Athletic have used the joint-fewest players in LigaBBVA this season (22).
Athletic have dropped the joint-most points in the final five minutes of league games this season (nine, level with Valencia).
The side from San Mamés have scored the most headed goals in LigaBBVA this season (16), seven more than any other side (Osasuna nine).
The guipuzcoanos have conceded the most goals in the opening 15 minutes of league games this season (8).
Fernando Llorente has made more fouls without being booked (41) than any other player in La Liga this season.

Barcelona v Sporting Gijón
Barcelona have won 12 of their last 14 league meetings with Sporting (D2).
Sporting have only won by four or more goals away from home on two occasions in Primera: one of them against Barça (4-0, 28/2/1987).
Sporting have only had fewer points than they do currently after 24 games in Primera on two occasions: in 53/54 and 97/98, when they finished last both times (assuming 3pts for a win).
Sporting are without a win in six in the league (D3 L3), and are just one game off equalling their poorest run in the league this season (first seven games without a win).
The culés are unbeaten in 30 straight league games at home (W27 D3), the club record is 67 without defeat (between 72/73 and 76/77).
The azulgrana have won their last nine at home to Sporting in the league (F28 A5).
Barcelona have scored the most first-half goals in the league this season (38), while Sporting have conceded the most in the second half (27).
The Asturians have lost none of the six games in which they have managed to score at least twice this season (W5 D1).
Leo Messi has been involved in eight of Barça's last 10 league goals at the Camp Nou (seven goals, one assist), and has scored more home goals (23) than any player in Europe's top five leagues this season (Ronaldo, 17).
Xavi (629) and Messi (627) have made more passes in the opposition half than any other player in Europe's top five leagues this season.

Getafe v Málaga
Getafe have only won one of their last seven league clashes with Málaga (D1 L5).
The azulones have won their last four league matches at home to Andalucian sides, keeping a clean sheet in each.
Málaga have won on four of their last eight league visits to Madrid sides (two vs Getafe, two vs Atlético).
The malagueños have never drawn at Getafe in Primera, their last draw in Madrid in the top-flight was in 01/02 (1-1 at Real Madrid, four wins and 18 defeats since).
Getafe are without a win in four league games (D2 L2), and their last three at home (D2 L1).
Málaga are on a run of five straight league defeats on the road: they have never lost six in a row as Málaga CF.
Luis García's side are the only team who are yet to win by more than a one-goal margin in LigaBBVA this season.
This game is a meeting of the side with the most yellow cards in La Liga this season, Getafe (89), and the side with the fewest, Málaga (40).
Miku has scored in both of his league meetings with Málaga, but is yet to be on the winning side against them (D1 L1).
Málaga are the only side against whom Pedro León has managed to score in more than one match in La Liga (two with Getafe, one with Real Valladolid).

Granada v Valencia
Granada have only failed to score in one of their 17 league meetings at home to Valencia.
The nazaríes have only lost one of their last 14 matches at home to Valencia in the top-flight (D4).
With Abel as manager, Granada have averaged two goals per game in the league and have won both of their matches at home.
Valencia have lost their last two league games: they have never lost three in a row with Unai Emery as coach.
Granada committed just one foul in the match between the sides earlier this season, the fewest by a side in a La Liga game this season.
Los Che have benefitted from the most opposition own goals in La Liga this season (four).
Granada's strikers are the lowest-scoring in La Liga this season (eight between them), while they have conceded the most goals to opposition midfielders (15).
Soldado has failed to score in five league games, his worst run this season.
Valencia have won the joint-most points thanks to goals scored in the last 15 minutes of league games this season (nine), but have dropped seven in this period.

Levante V Real Betis
Real Betis have scored on all five visits to Levante in Primera.
Failure to win this game would put Levante on their longest winless run ever at home in a single top-flight season (six games).
Betis are one of only two teams, with Granada, yet to draw on the road in La Liga this season.
Pepe Mel's side have won all four matches after opening the scoring on the road in the league this season, but have lost the eight after conceding first.
Six of the verdiblancos' last seven league goals have been scored by Spaniards.
Real Betis have picked up the most points thanks to goals scored in the last 10 minutes of league games this season (nine).
Only Real Madrid's substitutes (11) have scored more league goals this season than Betis' (seven).
Rubén Suárez's last six league goals have all been scored in the final 11 minutes of games, five of them in the 89th minute or later.
Iriney has made the most fouls in the league this season (60).
Levante are unbeaten when Farinós hasn't played in the league this season (W3 D2).

Mallorca v Osasuna
Mallorca are unbeaten in their last five games at home to Osasuna in the top flight (W4 D1).
The side from Navarre have won only two of their last 10 league meetings with Mallorca (D3 L5).
The bermellones have alternated between a win and a defeat in their last seven league games: they lost last time out.
Caparrós' men have won two consecutive league games at home for the first time this season.
Osasuna have won the joint-fewest games on the road in the league this season (1).
The side from Navarre have drawn the joint-most away games in the league this season (six, with Sevilla).
Osasuna's players have been sent off for receiving two yellow cards more often than any other side this season (five).
Osasuna and Mallorca have the lowest-scoring substitutes in La Liga this season (one each).
The islanders have dropped the most points after opening the scoring in Liga BBVA this season (20).
Osasuna have scored the highest proportion of their goals in the first half in the league this season (64%).
The rojillos have won none of the six league games in which either of Cejudo or Raúl García have not played this season (D4 L2).

Rayo Vallecano v Racing
The franjirrojos have won their last two top-flight games at home to Racing (F7 A2).
Racing have only won two of their last 10 top-flight clashes with Rayo (D4 L4).
Racing's only two wins at Vallecas in Primera ended with the same scoreline: 2-1 (95/96 and 99/00).
Rayo have lost the most league games at home this season (seven), while Racing have drawn the most games (12).
Every time that Rayo have played at home to Real Madrid in the league, they have gone on to lose their next game (12 times).
The cántabros are on a run of six league games without a win (D4 L2) and are the lowest-scoring side over the last four matchdays (two goals, level with Getafe and Atlético).
Javi Fuego is the only player in LigaBBVA this season to have both won a penalty and conceded one.
Michu has scored in all but one of Rayo's home wins in the league this season, aside from the 2-0 win over Málaga.

Real Madrid v Espanyol
Real Madrid have won their last six league meetings with Espanyol, without conceding a single goal.
At home, the merengues are unbeaten in their last 15 league clashes with the pericos (W13 D2), scoring at least twice in each game.
José Mourinho's side are on a run of nine straight league wins, averaging 3.3 goals per game.
Espanyol arrive at Madrid on a run of four games without a win in La Liga (D2 L2), one short of their poorest run this season (five games).
Espanyol have drawn their last three league games on the road, the club record for consecutive away draws is six between 71/72 and 72/73.
Last week against Rayo, Real Madrid equalled the record for most wins by a team in Primera after 24 games (21, Barcelona in 10/11 and Real in 60/61).
Only twice before has a side accrued more points after 24 games than Real Madrid this season (64, Barcelona picked up 65 in 10/11, while Real Madrid in 60/61 would have had 65 assuming 3pts/win).
20 of the 24 goals scored by Real Madrid in the league in 2012 have come at Chamartín.
Real Madrid have won 89% of their league games without Benzema playing in the league since his arrival (W17 D1 L1 - 79% with him playing).
Gonzalo Higuaín has failed to score in five consecutive league games for the first time since the 2007/08 season (10 games).

Real Zaragoza v Villarreal
Real Zaragoza have won none of their last six league meetings with Villarreal (D2 L4).
Zaragoza have won six of their 10 top-flight matches at La Romareda against Villarreal (D2 L2).
The "Yellow Submarine" have scored an average of two goals per game in their last 10 league meetings with Zaragoza.
Real Zaragoza are without a win in seven league games at home (D2 L5), and have picked up the fewest points at home in the league this season (nine).
Villarreal are the lowest-scoring side on the road in the league this season (five goals in 12 games).
In the meeting with Real Zaragoza earlier this season, Villarreal committed just three fouls, the second-fewest by a side in a single La Liga game this season.
Real Zaragoza are the only side in La Liga this season to have lost every game in which they have conceded the first goal (12).
Manolo Jiménez and Javier Aguirre have had exactly the same win % in LigaBBVA matches with Real Zaragoza this season: 12.5%.
Villarreal have scored the lowest proportion of headed goals in La Liga this season (8%, 2/25).
The maños are the only LigaBBVA side yet to score from outside the box this season.

Sevilla v Atlético Madrid
A win for Sevilla would see them rack up three consecutive league wins for the first time in a single campaign since November 2009.
Last time out Atlético lost their first league match under Diego Simeone (W3 D4 L1).
The Madrid side are without a win in four in the league (D3 L1), and conceded twice in their last game for the first time under Simeone.
The rojiblancos have only won on one of their last 16 visits to the Sánchez Pizjuán in all competitions (D5).
Atlético de Madrid have, after Barcelona (12), kept the most clean sheets in La Liga this season (11).
Since the arrival of Simeone, Atlético have committed the most fouls (172) and received the most yellow cards (33) in La Liga.
Sevilla have conceded the joint-most goals from outside the box in La Liga this season (8).
Atlético are the only side in Primera this season not to have won a single point thanks to goals scored in the last 10 minutes of games.
Atlético drew the only game in which none of Falcao, Diego or Godín played in the league this season (0-0 vs Osasuna).
Atlético have won on the two occasions that Álvarez Izquierdo was their referee at Sevilla (1-0 in 06/07 and 2-0 in 08/09).

03.-04. 03.2012. NENAD TOMOVIĆ (LEĆE, ITALIJA 1) PRED 26. KOLO

PALERMO - MILAN 2 - Milanezi će potvrditi prvo mesto. Imaju dodatni motiv, jer su u prošlom kolu drastično oštećeni protiv Juventusa. 
JUVENTUS - KJEVO 1 - Juve je u poteri za vodećim Milanom. Samo ga novi trijumf ostavlja u trci. Veliki je favorit.
PARMA - NAPOLI X2 - Napoli igra odlično, ali moguće je da će većina standardnih prvotimaca preskočiti ovaj duel zbog predstojećeg meča Lige šampiona.
ROMA - LACIO 12 - Veliki rimski derbi. Sevaće na sve strane. Ono u šta sam najsigurniji je da neće biti podele bodova.
BOLONJA - NOVARA 1 - Novara je već jednom nogom u drugoligaškoj konkurenciji, a kako igra, nema joj spasa. Bolonja gori pod nogama, i ima bolji tim.

Bundesliga Opta Facts - 2-5 March


Hertha BSC - Werder Bremen
Bremen have won eight of their last nine league encounters with Hertha (L1), including the last three.
The Berlin-based side have suffered more defeats against Werder than against any other team in the Bundesliga (31).
Hertha is the only team in the top-three tiers of German football to have lost every game in 2012. Hertha have also scored fewer goals (one) and conceded more (14) than any other team in the Bundesliga since the turn of the year. In total, Otto Rehhagel's men have gone 12 BL games without a win (D4, L8).
Berlin have suffered six consecutive defeats in the league. The last team to lose the first six games of the second half of the season was Hannover in 2009-10. The Reds actually lost the first seven games after the turn of the year back then, but managed to avoid relegation by the skin of their teeth finishing the campaign in 15th place.
Hertha have failed to score in any of their last four league games, but have never before gone five BL games without finding the back of the net.
Bremen have already hit the woodwork a league-high 15 times this season. Werder's Swedish striker Markus Rosenberg alone has hit the woodwork six times - more often than any other player and more often than the whole squads of seven of the 18 BL teams this term.
Hertha manager Otto Rehhagel will return to the Olympiastadion as an employee of the Old Lady for the first time in over 47 years. The last time Rehhagel represented Hertha in a BL game at Olympiastadion was still during his playing days and came exactly 17,101 days ago in May 1965, when he featured for Hertha in a 1-1 draw against Borussia Neunkirchen.
Rehhagel managed today's opponent Werder between April 1981 and June 1995 and won two league titles, two German Cups and the Cup Winners' Cup with Bremen. His counterpart Thomas Schaaf made 261 of his 262 BL appearances under his tutelage.
Werder players Philipp Bargfrede (23) and Predrag Stefanovic (21) both celebrate their birthday on the day of the game. There will be no reason to celebrate for Hertha midfielders Peter Niemeyer and Andreas Ottl or for Werder skipper Clemens Fritz who will all miss the game due to suspension.
Hertha's Brazilian attacking midfielder Raffael is set to make his 100th BL appearance while his Colombian teammate Adrian Ramos could feature in his 50th BL game.

Borussia Dortmund - 1. FSV Mainz 05
All of Dortmund's last four BL home games against Mainz have ended in a draw. Against no other current BL side have the reigning champions gone that long without a win on home soil.
Borussia have never lost a home game against FSV in the German top flight, though (W1, D4).
Borussia have registered their second-best ever points haul after 23 games in the Bundesliga (52 points) - the only campaign in which they had accrued more points after the same number of games was last season when Jürgen Klopp's men had won three points more than this term.
With their 3-1 win over Hannover last weekend Dortmund equalled the club record of seven straight wins in the top flight - a feat they have achieved three times before and last managed in late 2010. The last time Borussia dropped points in a league game came back in December when relegation-battlers Kaiserslautern held the champions to a 1-1 draw.
The Yellow Blacks are unbeaten in 17 league games (W14, D3) - currently by far the longest run of its kind in the Bundesliga. The champions' last league defeat came in mid-September when they lost 2-1 away at Hannover.
Mainz have gone 10 BL away games without a three-point haul (D7, L3). Their only win away from Coface Arena this term came in their first away game of the campaign when they won 2-1 at Freiburg. If they fail to win at Signal Iduna Park they would equal their negative club record of 11 consecutive winless away games set in 2004-05.
Robert Lewandowski is Dortmund's most prolific goal scorer in 31 years. 23 games into the season the Polish striker has already netted 16 goals. The last BVB player to match that haul was Manfred Burgsmüller, who had scored 19 goals after the same number of games back in 1980-81.
Mohamed Zidan has netted four goals in four games since his return to Mainz in January. The former BVB player also managed to score four goals in his first four games on his last return to FSV (The Egyptian is in his third stint with Mainz). The last time he rejoined the club he added to the aforementioned run by scoring a brace in his fifth game after his return.
Dortmund's first-choice goal-keeper Roman Weidenfeller is set to make his 250th BL appearance.
This game will see the only two gaffers who managed Mainz in the German top flight face each other. In fact, current FSV manager Thomas Tuchel (1.45) can boast a better points-per-game average than his predecessor Jürgen Klopp (1.13). If Dortmund beat Mainz, Jürgen Klopp would record his 100th win as manager in the German top flight.

SC Freiburg - FC Schalke 04
Freiburg have only won one of their last eight league encounters with Schalke (D2, L5) when they beat the Royal Blues 1-0 on the road in August 2008.
Freiburg have only enjoyed more wins over Kaiserslautern (10) in the Bundesliga than over Schalke (nine), though. Additionally, SCF have scored more goals against S04 than against any other team in the top flight (34).
New SCF manager Christian Streich has picked up all five points he has so far won with Freiburg at home. SCF have gone three home games without defeat for the first time in over a year.
In total, Freiburg have only enjoyed one win in their last 11 league games, though (D5, L5) when they beat fellow relegation-battlers Augsburg 1-0 back in January.
After 19 games Schalke were still level on points with then league-leaders Bayern, but the Royal Blues have only registered four points from their last four games and now find themselves eight points behind table-toppers Dortmund in fourth place.
S04 have only kept one clean sheet in their last 14 BL games away from Veltins Arena and have failed to shut their opponents out in any of their last six on the road.
Freiburg currently have the worst defensive record in the Bundesliga (51 goals conceded) and have already shipped one goal more this term than in the whole of last season.
Goals are all but guaranteed: Only Schalke's BL games (80) have seen more goals than Freiburg's this term (79).
Schalke have netted a joint league-high eight goals on the counter, while Freiburg have conceded more goals following opposition counter-attacks than any other team in the league (10).
S04 striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar failed to get his name on the score sheet in Schalke's 2-0 defeat at Bayern last weekend, but has already netted 33 goals in 35 games in all competitions in 2011-12 - more than any other BL player this term.

Hamburger SV - VfB Stuttgart
Only against record champions Bayern (52) have Stuttgart suffered more defeats in the German top flight than against Hamburg (41).
If Hamburg beat Stuttgart, they would pick up their 42nd victory over the Swabians in the Bundesliga - against no other team have the Redshorts won as many top-flight games (they have also won 41 against Frankfurt).
This will be the third meeting of the two sides this term. HSV won this season's first encounter with Stuttgart when they came back from 1-0 down to beat VfB 2-1 on the road. Back then it was the Redshorts' first win of the season and their first game after the sacking of former manager Michael Oenning.
However the Swabians avenged that defeat by eliminating the Redshorts from the German Cup when they beat Hamburg 2-1 in the Round of 16 in December and inflicted the first defeat on new HSV manager Thorsten Fink who had previously gone nine games unbeaten in all competitions after having taking charge of HSV in October.
Thorsten Fink's men have picked up more points on the road (16) than in front of their home crowd (11) and have gone four home games without a win.
Stuttgart, on the other hand, have gone seven league away games without picking up all three points (D2, L5). Only Mainz and Wolfsburg (10 games each) have currently gone longer without an away win.
Khalid Boulahrouz plied his trade with Hamburg between 2004 and 2006 (52 BL appearances, one goal). The defender joined Stuttgart in 2008.
Martin Harnik has scored more goals than any other player since the turn of the year and has netted as many as the whole HSV squad have chalked up during that period (seven).
Only three Austrian players have netted more goals in a single BL season than Martin Harnik has scored this term (13). The VfB striker only needs two more to equal the best-ever goal yield by an Austrian player (Andreas Herzog) in the German top flight.
Serdar Tasci could make his 150th BL appearance, while his Ivorian teammate Artur Boka is set to feature in his 100th game in the top tier of German football.

Hannover 96 - FC Augsburg
These two sides have previously only met in three competitive games and all of these three encounters have ended in draws (2-2, 1-1, 0-0).
Gladbach and Hannover are the only two sides in the league yet to lose a home game this term. The Reds have lost none of their last 12 BL home games (W7, D5) and could equal the club record for the most consecutive unbeaten home games in the top flight set in 1967-68 if they avoid defeat against Augsburg.
FCA enjoyed their biggest-ever BL win when they beat Hertha 3-0 last weekend and now find themselves outside the relegation zone for the first time since August.
Jos Luhukay's men have only taken two out of the available 21 points from their last seven games on the road and have only won one of their 12 BL away games this term (D4, L7).
13 different players have put their names on the score sheet for Augsburg - only leaders Dortmund have had goals from more different players (14) this campaign.
Thorsten Oehrl scored his first brace in the Bundesliga in Augsburg's 3-0 win over Hertha last week. The FCA striker allowed less than 100 seconds to elapse between his two goals - the fastest brace netted by any player in the Bundesliga this term.
Mame Diouf, who joined Hannover from Manchester United in January, has already scored two and assisted two in his so far six games in all competitions for the Reds. No other 96 player has registered as many "scorer points" since the turn of the year.
FCA gaffer Jos Luhukay oversaw his first-ever BL game as manager against Hannover. In November 2003 the Dutchman was caretaker manager at Köln following the sacking of Friedhelm Funkel and lost his first and only game in charge of the Billygoats 2-1 against Hannover.
Christian Pander is set to make his 100th BL appearance. With five assists to his name Pander is Hannover's best provider.
Having won 69.0% of his challenges Gibril Sankoh is currently the best duellist in the league. His teammate Sebatian Langkamp (68.7% duel success) is a close second in that ranking.

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - 1. FC Köln
Hoffenheim will host Köln for the second time this season. The Billygoats lost their first encounter in Sinsheim this term when they were beaten 2-1 by 1899 in the Second Round of the German Cup.
All of Hoffenheim's last six league home games have seen them share the spoils. If they draw with Köln they would equal the all-time BL record for the most consecutive draws at home set by Saarbrücken in 1977-78 and Köln in 1991-92.
Additionally, 1899 are unbeaten in nine league games on home soil (W2, D7) and could equal the club record of 10 consecutive unbeaten home games set in 2008-09.
Köln have lost six and won only one of their last seven league games.
Only three times in BL history had Köln accrued fewer points after 23 games than they have this term (24). Whenever the Billygoats had won fewer than 24 points after 23 games, they were relegated at the end of the season.
Köln have already conceded 45 goals this term - only in 1997-98 (50) and 2005-06 (50) had they shipped more goals after 23 games.
The Billygoats have failed to score more than one goal in any of their last eight league games. In eight of the previous 15 BL games they had netted at least twice.
Köln and Hoffenheim have both only scored two headed goals this term - fewer than any other team in the Bundesliga.
The Billygoats have contested the fewest (2566), Hoffenheim the most duels (3336) in the Bundesliga this season
1899 striker Srdjan Lakic netted his first two goals in the Bundesliga against Köln, but is yet to open his account in top flight this season.

1. FC Kaiserslautern - VfL Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg have won none of their 11 league outings at Kaiserslautern (D5, L6).
The Wolves won this season's first meeting with FCK 1-0 courtesy of a Ashkan Dejagah goal despite being reduced to 10 men shortly before half time.
The Wolves have suffered more defeats than Lautern this term, but have won nine points more than the Red Devils.
Lautern suffered their heaviest defeat of the season when they lost 4-0 away at Mainz last weekend and have now gone 13 league games without a win (D7, L6).
The Wolves have only won one of their last five BL games (D1, L3).
The Red Devils have only scored 16 goals after 23 games - the worst goals haul of any team in the top-three tiers of German football this season.
Wolfsburg have picked up a league-low four points from their so far 11 away games this term.
Lautern, on the other hand, have won none of their last six games at Betzenberg (D3, L3) and have netted a league-low eight goals at home this season.
The Wolves have lost nine and won none of their last 10 BL games on the road.
Patrick Helmes, who turned 28 two days before the match, made his first appearance since October in the Wolves' 2-1 defeat against Hoffenheim last weekend. The VfL striker netted the consolation goal for Wolfsburg in that game - it was his first strike since the opening day of the season.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen - FC Bayern München
Bayern are unbeaten in 14 BL games against Leverkusen (W11, D3). The last time they lost to Bayer in the league was back in August 2004 when they were beaten by B04 4-1 on the road.
Leverkusen's last win over Bayern came not that long ago, though. In March 2009 Leverkusen beat FCB 4-2 in the quarter-finals of the German Cup and eliminated the record champions from the competition.
Robin Dutt's men have enjoyed back-to-back wins in the league, but have so far not managed to win three consecutive BL games this term.
The last two meetings between these two sides at BayArena both ended in a 1-1 draw.
Leverkusen have won two and drawn one of their last three league games at BayArena, but have only kept one clean sheet in their last nine on home soil.
Bayern have gone five league games without defeat (W3, D2), keeping four clean sheets in the process.
Bayer manager Robin Dutt has lost all his five league encounters with Bayern and has only taken one point from the five BL meetings with his counterpart Jupp Heynckes.
FCB gaffer Jupp Heynckes managed Leverkusen between 2009 and 2011. Of all Bayer managers to have been in charge of the club for at least 10 games, he still boasts the second-best points-per-game average (1.87) - only current Club Brugge manager Christoph Daum has on average won more points per game with B04 in the German top flight (1.89).
Franck Ribery netted both of Bayern's goals in the record champion's 2-0 home win over Schalke last weekend. The Frenchman has already registered 10 goals and seven assists this term. The FCB winger has so far never chalked up more than 11 goals and 18 "scorer points" (goals + assists) in a single BL season.
B04 midfielder Lars Bender netted his first brace in the Bundesliga in Bayer's 2-0 win at Köln last week. The German international has now scored four goals this term - more than he netted in any of his previous two seasons in the Bundesliga.

1. FC Nürnberg - Borussia Mönchengladbach
Nürnberg have won more games against Gladbach than against any other team in the German top flight (20).
FCN have enjoyed 16 wins in their so far 26 BL home games against the Foals (D4, L6).
Dieter Hecking's men have gone three games without defeat (W2, D1) - a feat they only achieved for the second time this season. Their first run of three unbeaten games this term was ended by a 1-0 defeat away at Gladbach in September.
Borussia are unbeaten in seven games (W5, D2), keeping four clean sheets in the process.
Nürnberg have failed to score in eight of their last nine BL fixtures on a Sunday (W1, D3, L5), while Gladbach have won six of their last seven on that day of the week (L1), conceding only three goals in the process.
Nürnberg have kept four clean sheets in their last seven league games and have only conceded one first-half goal during that period.
Only in one of their last 33 league games have the Foals conceded more than one goal.
Nürnberg and Gladbach have both only conceded 91 shots on target - only title candidates Bayern (53) and Dortmund (75) have allowed their opponents fewer shots on target this term. Nürnberg (32) have shipped more than twice as many goals as Gladbach 14), though.
After a run of only one goal in 26 league games Foals striker Mike Hanke has now scored six goals in his last nine BL appearances. Against no team has the 28-year-old netted more goals in the Bundesliga than against Nürnberg (four).
Roman Neustädter is set to make his 50th BL appearance. He scored his first and so far only BL goal in Gladbach's 1-0 win at Nürnberg in January 2011.

Premier League Opta Facts - 3rd & 4th March


Liverpool v Arsenal
Six of the last nine Premier League games between Liverpool and Arsenal have ended as draws.
There have been six 90th minute or later goals scored in the last six league matches between Liverpool and Arsenal.
There have been three own goals and two penalties scored in the last five league meetings between the Reds and the Gunners.
There have been three red cards in the last three Premier League games between Arsenal and Liverpool.
If Arsenal avoid defeat, it will be the first time they have gone five consecutive league games without a loss away at Anfield.
Liverpool's victory at the Emirates back in August ended a run of eight Premier League games without a win for Liverpool against Arsenal.
This is Liverpool' joint-worst tally of points after 12 home matches of a season in the Premier League era (20).
The Reds are one of two teams who haven't lost a home league game this season, but they have drawn eight and won only four of their 12 matches at Anfield.
Arsenal have kept just three clean sheets in their last 20 Premier League away matches.
The Reds have the worst chance conversion rate of any team in the Premier League, scoring with just 8.6% of shots.

Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa
This will be the 11th meeting in all competitions between Blackburn and Aston Villa in the last two and a half seasons.
Morten Gamst Pedersen has scored three goals in the last three Premier League games between Rovers and Villa.
Gabriel Agbonlahor has scored four goals in his last six Premier League games against Blackburn.
Darren Bent has scored four goals in his last five Premier League games against Rovers.
Blackburn haven't drawn a Premier League game at Ewood Park this season (W4 L9).
Aston Villa have conceded the joint-most goals from corners (11) along with Bolton.
Emile Heskey has scored more Premier League goals against Blackburn than any other side (8).
Blackburn have gone 29 Premier League games without a clean sheet, just five games shy of the record of 34 set by West Brom.
Blackburn are one of six Premier League teams who have yet to win back to back Premier League home matches this season (along with Aston Villa)..
Villa have won just one of their last seven Premier League games, but have lost just one of their last seven away from home.

Manchester City v Bolton Wanderers
Manchester City have lost just one of the last 10 Premier League games against Bolton (W6 D3 L1) and won the last four in a row.
Ivan Klasnic has scored three goals in his last four appearances against Man City.
Carlos Tevez has scored four goals in five Premier League games for man City against Bolton.
Edin Dzeko has scored in each of his two Premier League games against Bolton.
Bolton have dropped just two points from winning positions this season, fewer than any other side.
City have conceded 79% of their goals in the second half of games this season, a higher percentage than any other side,
Bolton scored with two of their three shots on target when they met Manchester City at the Reebok Stadium.
Manchester City have won their last 18 Premier League home games and could equal the competition's longest ever run of home victories set by Manchester United.
If they win this match, City will also become the first top flight side to win their first 14 home games of the season since Newcastle United in 1906-07 who won their opening 18 matches on home soil.
Bolton have failed to score in three of their last four Premier League matches and each of the last three on the road.

Queens Park Rangers v Everton
Everton have won just one of their last six Premier League away games (W1 D3 L2).
QPR have scored the highest percentage of first half goals in the Premier League this season (56%).
Everton have scored the highest percentage of goals in the second half of games this season (73%).
QPR have dropped more points from winning positions than any other Premier League side (15) and 13 of those have come at Loftus Road.
QPR scored from their only shot on target when they won the reverse fixture against Everton back in August.
Rangers have won just one of their last 14 Premier League matches.
QPR have gone 17 Premier League games without a clean sheet,
Rangers have won one and lost five of their last six Premier League matches at Loftus Road.
Everton have scored just 11 goals in their last 12 league games and only more than once on one occasion in that run.
The Toffees have netted just four goals in their last six Premier League away games.

Stoke City v Norwich City
Stoke have scored just four goals since January 2nd, all of them headers and all from set pieces.
Tony Pulis' side have netted the highest proportion of goals from set pieces of any team in the top flight.
Stoke have conceded the highest proportion of first half goals of any team in the top flight (55%).
Only one of the last 14 league matches between Stoke and Norwich has ended as an away win.
There has been a red card in four of the last seven league meetings between Stoke and Norwich.
Stoke are unbeaten in their last six home games against Norwich, winning the last three in a row.
Norwich have scored more headed goals than any other Premier League club (14).
Stoke have scored with the highest percentage of headed goals this term, however (38%).
The Potters have posted the worst shooting accuracy in the Premier League, hitting the target with just 36% of attempts.
Norwich have lost just two of their last eight Premier League games (W4 D2 L2).

West Bromwich Albion v Chelsea
Chelsea have won 18 and lost none of the last 20 matches in all competitions against West Brom.
The Londoners have won all 11 Premier League meetings with the Baggies.
Didier Drogba has scored eight goals in eight Premier League games against West Brom, his joint-highest tally along with Arsenal against any opponent.
Drogba has scored 99 Premier League goals.
West Brom have only scored four goals in 11 Premier League meetings with Chelsea.
Chelsea have only won three of their last 11 Premier League games (W3 D6 L2).
West Brom have only ever once won three Premier League games in a row, back in September 2002.
Frank Lampard has scored 149 Premier League goals and could become only the sixth player to reach the 150 milestone.
West Brom have conceded the lowest percentage of goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season (23%).
West Brom have scored a league-high proportion of 21% of their goals in the opening 15 minutes of matches this season.

Wigan Athletic v Swansea City
Wigan have scored the highest percentage of goals from outside the box in the Premier League (35%).
Wigan have won just one of their last 11 Premier League matches (W1 D5 L5).
Roberto Martinez's side have won none of their last 11 Premier League home games (W0 D5 L6).
Gary Caldwell has conceded more penalties than any other player in the Premier League this season (4).
Ali Al-Habsi has saved 50% of the last 10 penalties he has faced in the Premier League (5/10).
Swansea have failed to score in their last four matches against Wigan in all competitions.
Since netting his first Premier League goal of the season at the start of October, only three players have scored more goals than Danny Graham in the Premier League (10).
Swansea have failed to score in seven of their Premier League away games, more than any other team.
Wigan have failed to score in five home matches, the joint-most in the top flight this season.
The Latics are at their most dangerous just before half-time, scoring a league high percentage of 39% of their goals in the 15 minutes leading up to half time and only Man City and Tottenham (10 each) have netted more than the nine Wigan have scored in this period.

Newcastle United v Sunderland
Sunderland have conceded the highest percentage of goals from headers (33%) of any team in the Premier League.
Sunderland have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 23 league matches against Newcastle.
Sunderland have had a player sent off in two of their last three Premier League games against Newcastle.
Shola Ameobi has scored six Premier League goals against Sunderland, at least twice as many as against any other opponent.
Newcastle have won eight, drawn five and lost just one of the last 14 Premier League games against Sunderland.
The Magpies have conceded the joint-most penalties this season (8), but the Black Cats are the only side not to score from the spot this season.
The Magpies have conceded a joint-high six goals from free kicks in the Premier League this season.
Danny Simpson has cleared more opposition shots off the goal-line than any other player in the top flight.
Sunderland haven't had three league defeats on the spin since April 2011.
Demba Ba has not gone three league starts without a goal since joining Newcastle.

Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Just 10% of the goals Wolves have shipped have come from headers, the lowest proportion in the top flight.
Wolves have recovered more points from losing positions than any other team in the Premier League (14).
Wolves netted their first goal from outside the box this season when Matt Jarvis scored last week against Newcastle, but have still netted the lowest proportion from long range of any team (3%).
In contrast, wolves have conceded the highest percentage of goals from outside the box (27%).
Wolves are the only team in the Premier League yet to score in the opening 15 minutes of a Premier League games this season.
Matt Jarvis and Kevin Doyle have both scored in that order in Wolves' last two away matches.
Jarvis and Doyle were also the scorers as Wolves beat Fulham 2-0 in the reverse fixture back in August.
Kevin Doyle has scored four goals in the Premier League against Fulham, his joint-highest tally versus any opponent (along with Spurs).
Fulham haven't won three Premier League games in a row since May 2008.
The Whites have won five and lost just one of their last seven Premier League games at Craven Cottage.

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United
Tottenham have drawn 99 games at White Hart Lane in Premier League history.
Spurs have scored the lowest percentage of goals from headers in the Premier League (4%).
Only Norwich (14) have scored more headed goals than Manchester United (12).
Tottenham have scored more goals in the opening 15 minutes than any other team (10).
Man Utd are one of two teams yet to concede any goals in the opening 15 minutes of a game.
Manchester United have recovered just two points from losing positions this season, a divisional low.
The Red Devils have posted the best conversion rate (20%) and shooting accuracy (53%) in the Premier League this season.
There were 23 shots on target in the reverse fixture between these two sides, more than in any other Premier League game this season.
Spurs have won none of their last 21 Premier League games against Man Utd (W0 D5 L16).
Tottenham have failed to score in 13 of their last 20 Premier League games against the Red Devils.
Wayne Rooney (who made his Premier League debut against Spurs) has netted six goals in his last seven league outings against Tottenham.
Ryan Giggs has scored more Premier League goals against Spurs than he has versus any other opponent (10).

SPL Opta Facts - 3-5 March


Aberdeen v Celtic
Aberdeen have taken just one point from their last 10 league meetings with Celtic.
The Dons have scored just one goal in their last five meetings with the Bhoys combined.
Celtic have only failed to score in one of their 24 visits to Aberdeen in the SPL.
Aberdeen have only won one of their last 17 league games at home to Celtic (D3 L13).
The Hoops have averaged three goals per game over their last eight league visits to Pittodrie.
There have been six red cards in the last seven SPL meetings between the sides.
The Dons are unbeaten in eight in the SPL, though six of these have been draws.
There have been just two goals scored in the last five league games at Pittodrie combined (two 1-0 home wins, three goalless draws).
Celtic have kept six consecutive clean sheets in the league, and have conceded only two goals in their last 14 matches.
The Bhoys have won their last 17 SPL games, the second-longest run ever in the competition (the record is 25 matches, set by Celtic in February 2004).

Dunfermline v Motherwell
The Pars have won only one of their last seven SPL matches at home to Motherwell (D3 L3).
Motherwell have won five of their last six league clashes with Dunfermline.
Dunfermline have taken just two points from the last 21 available in the SPL.
The Pars have won only two of their last 25 SPL matches.
Dunfermline are yet to win at home in the league this season.
Motherwell have scored just one goal in their last five league away games combined, managing only two draws in this run.
The Steelmen are without a win in five away from home in the SPL: prior to this run they had won seven of nine this season.

Hibernian v St Mirren
Hibs have lost just one of their last five league meetings with the Buddies (W3 D1).
Hibernian are without a win in their last two at home to St Mirren in the SPL (D1 L1).
Hibs have bagged three goals in each of their last two league games.
The Easter Road outfit have won only one of their 19 league games on home soil in the last year.
St Mirren have drawn their last four league games.
The Buddies are without a win in their last seven SPL matches on the road (D4 L3).
Hibernian and St Mirren have dropped the joint-most points from winning positions in the SPL this season (18).

Kilmarnock v St Johnstone
Kilmarnock are without a win in their last four league meetings with the Saints (D2 L2).
St Johnstone are unbeaten on their last three SPL trips to Rugby Park (W2 D1).
The Saints have never failed to score in 12 SPL visits to Kilmarnock.
Kilmarnock have shipped seven goals in their last two league games combined.
Killie have won only one of their last seven league games (D3 L3).
Kilmarnock have only failed to score in one of their last 11 league matches at Rugby Park (0-3 vs Dunfermline).
St Johnstone have only lost two of their last 16 SPL games on the road.

Rangers v Hearts
Hearts have only won one of their 28 SPL games at Ibrox (D5 L22).
The Jambos have netted just six goals in their last 11 league meetings with Rangers combined, and never more than once in a game in this period.
Rangers have only lost one of their last 12 league meetings with Hearts (W8 D3).
Rangers have only won one of their last three league games at home (D1 L1).
The Gers have scored exactly four goals in three of their last four SPL matches.
Sone Aluko has scored three goals in his last four league appearances.
Hearts have scored just one goal in their last five league games combined (D1 L4).
The Jambos have won only one of their last eight SPL matches on the road, failing to score in six.
Rangers have scored the fewest goals from outside the box in the SPL this season (four).

Dundee United v Inverness CT
United have won their last four league meetings with Caley Thistle.
Caley Thistle have only failed to score on one of their 12 SPL visits to Tannadice.
United have kept three consecutive clean sheets in the league for the first time since March 2008.
The Terrors have only once before kept four consecutive shut-outs in the SPL (August-September 2007).
United are unbeaten in five in the SPL, their best run this season.
Caley Thistle are without a win in their last four in the league, their poorest run since August 2011.
Dundee United have picked up more points from losing positions than any other SPL side this season (12).