Championship Opta Facts - January 15th

Statistics and facts to help your football betting are available every week at Sta Sam Ti Reko  courtesy of Opta Sportsdata, Europe's leading provider of sports performance statistics.

Swansea City v Crystal Palace
Three of the last four league meetings between these sides have been won by the away team, with the other finishing as a draw.
Swansea striker Shefki Kuqi has scored in his last two appearances in this fixture, scoring for Palace in 2009 and for the Swans last season. The Finn also netted against the Eagles during his loan spell at Derby County earlier this season.
The Swans have only found the net more than once in one of their last nine league games at the Liberty Stadium, but have still picked up 15 points in this run.
Palace have won none of their last seven away games in the Championship.

Bristol City v Middlesbrough
Three of the last four meetings between these sides have finished with a scoreline of 2-1 (Bristol City victorious twice and Boro on one occasion.)
Boro have won just once at Ashton Gate in the league since 1976; a run that stretches nine games.
The Robins are undefeated in their last eight league matches at Ashton Gate, keeping a clean sheet in five of these matches.
Middlesbrough have lost 0-1 five times in the Championship this season, more than any other side (joint with Sheffield United).

Burnley v Queens Park Rangers
Burnley are unbeaten in their last six clashes with the R’s in all competitions, winning four and drawing two.
The Clarets have won seven of the last eight meetings between the sides at Turf Moor in all competitions.
Burnley haven’t kept a single clean sheet in their last seven home league games, conceding 15 goals in the process.
The R’s have won just one of their last seven league away games; a 2-0 victory at Coventry on December 28.

Coventry City v Sheffield Utd
There have been no draws in the last eight meetings between these sides in Coventry.
There has been a total of just one booking in the last three clashes between these sides.
Coventry have failed to win any of their last six league games, drawing two and losing four.
Micky Adams goes into this match with one of his former clubs knowing his Blades side have lost their last four away matches

Doncaster Rovers v Reading
The Royals have won all five of their trips to Doncaster since losing 5-7 in South Yorkshire in 1982.
There were 10 goals in the two meetings between the sides in 2010, yet no single player scored more than once.
Rovers have won four and drawn one of their last five league games at the Keepmoat Stadium.
Reading have only lost one of their last 10 league games, although six of the remaining nine ended in draws.

Hull City v Barnsley
Barnsley have won eight of their last 11 trips to Hull City.
Four of the last five clashes between these two sides at Hull have each seen three goals scored, while there were five scored in the other.
No side has taken more points from their last 10 league games than the Tigers (19 - the joint-most with Norwich).
The Tykes have only kept one away clean sheet all season; that came in a 0-0 draw at Scunthorpe in late September.

Leeds United v Scunthorpe United
Leeds have won six of their last seven meetings with Scunthorpe, including their last four, and were last beaten by the Iron in 1984.
Scunthorpe have only ever won once at Elland Road, winning 4-1 in the old Division Two in December 1961.
Leeds midfielder Jonny Howson netted a hat-trick in this season's reverse fixture.
The Iron have only drawn two of their 23 league games so far this campaign. No other side has drawn fewer than four.

Millwall v Ipswich Town
Ipswich have already defeated the Lions twice this season, including a 2-1 victory at the New Den in the League Cup.
Millwall defender Alan Dunne has been booked in his last four appearances against the Tractor Boys.
The Lions have won their last three home league games, scoring eight goals without reply.
Millwall have only conceded four goals in their last 10 league games, keeping six clean sheets in the process.
Ipswich have won just one of their last nine league matches, losing seven of them.

Norwich City v Cardiff City
The Canaries have won six of their last seven meetings with Cardiff at Carrow Road.
There has only been one draw in the last 12 clashes between these sides.
Norwich have won five of their last seven league matches, losing just one.
The Bluebirds have lost their last four away games in the Championship.

Nottingham Forest v Portsmouth
Pompey have won their last six meetings with Forest in all competitions including a 2-1 victory at Fratton Park in this season's reverse fixture.
There have been no draws in any of the last 14 clashes between Forest and Portsmouth.
Forest are still undefeated at home in the Championship this season.
Pompey have conceded exactly three goals in each of their last three Championship encounters.

Preston North End v Leicester City
Leicester have scored exactly one goal in six of their last seven clashes with North End, failing to find the net in the other.
The last five clashes between these sides have all been won by the odd goal.
Preston have the worst defensive record in the Championship. North End have already conceded 45 league goals this season.
Leicester's 1-0 victory at Hull on New Year's Day ended a run of four straight away defeats in the league.

Watford v Derby County
Derby have won four of their last five meetings with the Hornets, including a 4-1 hammering at Pride Park in this season's reverse fixture.
Derby's 1-0 victory at Vicarage Road last season is the Rams' only victory in their last nine trips to Watford.
Watford are now the Championship's leading scorers, with 47 goals so far.
Derby's 2-1 victory at Preston on New Year's Day ended a run of four straight away losses in the league for the Rams which included defeats to East Midlands rivals Leicester and Nottingham Forest.
Danny Graham is looking to equal a Watford club record of scoring in seven consecutive fixtures. This has only been done twice before, with the last being back in 1929.

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SPL Opta Facts - 15 January

Statistics and facts to help your football betting are available every week at Sta Sam Ti Reko courtesy of Opta Sportsdata, Europe's leading provider of sports performance statistics.


Hibernian v Celtic
Celtic won both matches at Easter Road last season 1-0.
Hibs have failed to score in their last three league matches at home to the Bhoys, but Celtic have netted a total of only two goals in these games.
Hibernian have taken only two points from their last six SPL matches, no side have won fewer in this period.
Hibs have kept only one clean sheet at Easter Road in the league this season.
Three of Celtic´s six goals in their last four league matches have come in the 90th minute or later.

Aberdeen v St Mirren
Aberdeen have won 10 of their last 11 games at home to St Mirren in all competitions, drawing the other.
There has been a man sent off in three of the last four meetings between the sides at Pittodrie.
After a run of seven straight league defeats, Aberdeen are unbeaten in their last three (two wins).
However, the Dons have not won at home in the league since October (4-2 vs Hibernian).
The Buddies are unbeaten in their last three SPL away matches (two wins).

Dundee United v Hearts
Three of the last four meetings between the sides have ended in a draw, with only three goals being scored in these four games.
United have won four of their last five matches at home to the Jambos.
Morgaro Gomis´ last two goals for United in 33 matches in all competitions have both come against Hearts.
David Goodwillie has scored in his last three appearances for the Terrors.
United are unbeaten in five in the league, though four of these matches have ended in a draw.
Hearts have won eight of their last nine league games, picking up five more points than any other side.
The Jambos have conceded just two goals in this period, netting 19.

Kilmarnock v St Johnstone
Killie have won five of their last six meetings with the Saints.
However, St Johnstone have won on four of their last eight trips to Rugby Park in all competitions.
Only Hearts (25) have picked up more points from their last nine league games than Killie (20).
Conor Sammon has hit five goals in Killie´s last four league matches at home.
St Johnstone have failed to score in six of their last nine league games.

Motherwell v Inverness CT
Caley Thistle have scored exactly twice on their last two trips to Fir Park in all competitions, but failed to win each time (two defeats, one draw).
The Steelmen are unbeaten in six at home to Inverness in all competitions, winning five.
Nick Blackman has failed to score in his last three appearances with ´Well, his longest drought this season.
Last time out at St Johnstone, Inverness lost their first league away match in over a year, since a 1-2 reversal at Partick Thistle in November 2009.
The Steelmen have taken just two points from their last seven SPL matches.
Motherwell have failed to score in their last three league games.

Rangers v Hamilton
The Gers have won their last 17 league meetings with the Accies.
The last time Hamilton took a point away at Rangers was in the 1937/38 season (2-2).
Rangers have never lost in the SPL the match after losing an Old Firm derby at Ibrox (six wins, two draws).
Kyle Lafferty has scored only one league goal for Rangers this season (three in the League Cup, one for Northern Ireland and one in the FA Cup).
Rangers have won only one of their last four league games at home.
The Accies are without a win in their last eight SPL clashes, though have drawn three of their last four.

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German Bundesliga Opta Facts - 15th-17th January

Statistics and facts to help your football betting are available every week at Sta Sam Ti Reko courtesy of Opta Sportsdata, Europe's leading provider of sports performance statistics.

Leverkusen v Dortmund
Since losing 3-6 to Gladbach in the second game of the season, Bayer have lost just once in 22 games (0-1 to Mainz).
Leverkusen won only three of their nine Bundesliga home games before the winter break (four draws, two losses). Only last-place Gladbach conceded more goals at home than Leverkusen.
Leverkusen have won none of their last three home games against Dortmund (two draws, one loss).
Dortmund have lost only one of the last seven games against Leverkusen (three wins, three draws) - the last one coming on the opening day of this season (0-2).
Dortmund are the first team ever to win their first eight away games of a season - however they lost their last away match before the winter break (0-1 in Frankfurt).
Dortmund lost only two league matches before the winter break (14 wins, one draw), one of those being the first meeting with Leverkusen (0-2) on the opening day.

Bremen v Hoffenheim
Bremen have only lost one of their six meetings with Hoffenheim in all competitions - this was the last time they met when 1899 Hoffenheim won 4-1 against Werder.
Werder have not been able to score in five of their last seven matches in the Bundesliga.
Bremen have only won one of their last eight games (five defeats), when they beat St.Pauli 3-0 on the road on the 14th matchday.
Hoffenheim have drawn their last four league matches - another draw would mean the longest run of its kind in the club's history since five consecutive draws in February/March 2009.
Hoffenheim have managed to win only one of their last eight away games.
Hoffenheim have netted eight goals in five league meetings against Werder despite failing to score in three of these matches.

Wolfsburg v Bayern
FC Bayern have won 20 of their previous 27 matches against VfL Wolfsburg (three defeats).
The Munich side have won six of the last eight meetings (one draw) and suffered their only defeat in the last four years in the season that Wolfsburg won the championship (1-5 in April 2009).
Bayern have suffered as many defeats in the first round (four) as they did in last season; it was their worst first leg in 16 years.
VfL have been held to a draw in each of their last six matches - only three teams have reached longer streaks of this kind in Bundesliga history: Nürnberg (2006/07) and FC Saarbrücken (1992/93) both managed seven and Waldhof Mannheim (1984/85) at eight.
FC Bayern have only lost one of their last 10 league outings (six wins, three draws) - they were defeated 0-2 at Schalke in week 15.
Wolfsburg have won only one of their last 11 league games (seven draws, three losses).

Stuttgart v Mainz
Stuttgart have won none of their last six league matches (four defeats, two draws) since they beat Bremen 6-0 on November 7.
Stuttgart have won none of their last three home matches, losing two of those.
Stuttgart have lost all of their matches this season against the current top five clubs.
Mainz won six of their first eight away games this season (two losses), scoring 18 points - already four more points than they won away from home in the entire of last season.
Mainz have won only one of their nine Bundesliga meetings with Stuttgart (five wins, three draws).
Mainz have scored two goals less (30) than Stuttgart (32), but have won 21 more points (33) than their hosts (12).

Nürnberg v Gladbach
Nürnberg have won only one of their last six league matches, losing four (one draw).
Nürnberg have won five of their last seven home matches (two losses).
Nürnberg have won their last three home matches against Gladbach.
Gladbach have won only one of their last seven meetings with Nürnberg away from home, losing four (two draws).
Gladbach celebrated their only two victories before the winter break away from home, scoring 10 goals in those two wins. Their away goals total is surpassed only by the top three teams.
Gladbach have lost their last five league matches.

St.Pauli v Freiburg
St. Pauli have won only one of their last nine league matches, losing seven (one draw).
St. Pauli have lost three of their last five home games (one win, one draw).
St. Pauli won their autumn meeting in Freiburg 3-1.
Freiburg have never won a Bundesliga match at St. Pauli (one draw, two losses).
Freiburg have won only one of their last six away matches, losing four (one draw).
Freiburg have won four of their last seven league matches (one draw, two losses).

Schalke v Hamburg
Schalke have won four of their last five league games, including three successive victories just before the winter break.
Schalke have won their last four home games.
Schalke haven't won any of their last five Bundesliga games against HSV (two defeats, three draws).
Hamburg are unbeaten in their last six visits to Schalke, winning four of those meetings (two draws).
Hamburg have lost four of their last six league games (two wins).
Away from home, Hamburg have lost four of their last five league games (one win).

Frankfurt v Hannover
Frankfurt have lost four of their last six league games (two wins).
Frankfurt have won three of their last four home games in the Bundesliga (one loss).
Frankfurt are unbeaten in their last four home games against Hannover, winning three (one draw) and conceding only one goal.
In the last 25 years, Hannover have won just one of eight away games at Frankfurt (three draws, four losses).
Hannover have won two of their last three away games (one loss), and four of eight before the winter break (four losses).
Hannover have won five of their last six league games, losing only the last one before the winter break.

Kaiserslautern v Köln
Kaiserslautern have won more games (35) and scored more goals (139) against Köln than against any other club in the Bundesliga.
Köln won their last Bundesliga game against Kaiserslautern on December 16th 1989 when they were managed by Christoph Daum. They have lost 18 times and been held to five draws since then.
Lautern have only lost three home games against Köln - but have won 22 (13 draws).
FC Kaiserslautern haven't lost any of their last four home games (two wins, two draws) but have only won three home games this season - just as many games as away from home.
All four of Köln's victories this season have been by one goal.
Köln have won only one away game this season (one draw, eight losses). They have lost their last two away games and conceded three goals in both of them.

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13-01-2011 22:00 Real - Atletico Madrid

Still Going Strong

The Copa del Rey may not always take top billing for Real Madrid, but Jose Mourinho indicated from the beginning of the competition that he intends to win this crown. If the Portuguese was having any second thoughts about deploying a strong side in the tournament, a derby fixture against Atletico Madrid will compel him to focus firmly on Thursday evening’s quarter-final first leg encounter.

Los Blancos remain on the coattails of Barcelona in the Primera Division, and even a difficult encounter against Villarreal on Sunday evening could not break their momentum. There may have been a good deal of controversy involved, but there could be little doubting the importance of Madrid’s 4-2 success, during which they twice had to recover from behind.

“In the second half, we were the only side in it,” Mourinho told the media following the match, though he was also quick to praise the Yellow Submarine’s first half endeavour.

Already the former Inter and Porto boss has tasted success against Atleti this season, leading his men to a formidable 2-0 success against their cross-town rivals. The final score of that encounter didn’t really reflect the dominance of the Bernabeu club, who felt so comfortable that Cristiano Ronaldo played an audacious pass with his back to Xabi Alonso.

With the winter transfer window open, it might have been expected that los Merengues would be taking up great column inches with rumours of potential signings, but instead they’re taking a back seat and letting their play on the pitch do the talking.

Troubled Times

A storm is brewing at the Vicente Calderon, where Atletico Madrid are perceived to be underperforming in the Primera Division. Under pressure coach Quique Sanchez Flores was left frustrated by Monday night’s 4-1 humbling against Hercules in Alicante. From the outset, los Colchoneros were second best, and Jose Antonio Reyes’ late goal was scant consolation on a bleak evening for the capital side.

“I believe my players can do big things... I am confident in them,” Flores told the press prior to Thursday’s encounter against Real Madrid, retaining great faith in his side. “All these years we have not won at Real Madrid can act as a stimulus.”

After a great start to the season, Atleti are rather coming apart at the seams. Only two wins have been gleamed from their last six Primera Division encounters, of which four were played against sides in the bottom half of the table. During this period, they’ve also been embarrassingly eliminated from the Europa League.

Los Rojiblancos have been knock-out specialists under Flores. They’ve yet to lose a two-legged affair under the 45-year-old former Real Madrid right-back, though they have certainly not faced a challenge as great as los Blancos previously.

The squad is set to be supplemented by the addition of exciting Brazilian midfielder Elias, while Juanfran’s signing from Osasuna is another positive sign that a corner may be getting turned in the Arganzuela district of the Spanish capital.

Nevertheless, if Atleti were to end their decade long Derbi jinx on Thursday, it would be a huge shock.

TEAM NEWS

Real Madrid

Gonzalo Higuain is expected to miss the next four months due to a back problem. The Argentine striker may not play again this season.

Jerzy Dudek and Pepe are the only other injury concerns.

Alvaro Arbeloa returns after a ban.

Atletico

New signings Juanfran and Elias have both been named in the 20-strong squad to travel to the Bernabeu.

Quique Sanchez Flores has no fresh injury worries from Monday’s loss.

Prediction

In such affairs, it’s impossible to back against Real Madrid. Atletico seem to freeze at the Bernabeu, and Quique Sanchez Flores’ unpredictable side are unlikely to buck that trend on Thursday evening. If los Blancos take their eye off the ball, however, their guests are strong enough to punish them.

Real Madrid 3-1 Atletico Madrid

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13-01-2011 21:00 Juventus - Catania

Un-Collapsing The Collapse

Juventus had ended 2010 with an 18-match unbeaten record in all competitions and had gone 13 Serie A encounters without dropping all three points in a single match. But the start of the new year has seen the Old Lady collapse almost radically, their 4-1 hammering of Parma in their first game of 2011 was followed by a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Napoli in Naples.

Back-to-back defeats have once again raised questions about the extent of success the rebuilding of Juventus under Luigi Del Neri has and will achieve and has also forced them to almost relinquish hopes of a Scudetto triumph.

There are suggestions that the Old Lady's season has been deflated by the two losses but they would be keen to prove that theory wrong tonight against Catania in the Round of 16 tie in the Coppa Italia.

Juventus striker and all-time legend Alessandro Del Piero remains confident of a victory tonight and explains, ''We have to come out of this situation as soon as possible and not be affected by pessimism and negativity. The year has only just begun and there are many games left to play.

"We have to concentrate on what we have to do rather than on what we have not done and focus on our Coppa Italia match against Catania and in Sunday's game against Bari."

Cup Distraction

Just like Juventus, Catania too are coming off the back of two successive losses in the new year. The Sicilians commenced the new year with a 4-2 defeat to Roma in Rome and at the weekend went down 2-1 to Italian and European champions Inter at home despite taking the lead.

The results mean that Marco Giampaolo's side are now 16th in Serie A, just three points above the relegation zone, and there is no doubt that Catania's sole objective for the rest of the campaign is to avoid the drop to the Italian second division.

''Our main priority this season is to avoid the drop,'' said Giampaolo. ''But we will try to honour the Coppa Italia and play well against Juventus. We played well against Inter and although we accept the defeat, we didn't deserve to lose.''

Catania will also attempt to avenge themselves after losing to Juventus at the Angelo Massimino in December in a league encounter in what was their first home defeat in around a year.


 

TEAM NEWS

Juventus

Gianluigi Buffon is back in the Bianconeri squad and has been called up along with 20 others players. Luca Toni has been passed fit to play after recovering from the calf injury he suffered at the weekend. Amauri is unavailable with a fractured nose.

Catania

Catania are likely to line up in a 4-4-2 formation with Mirco Antenucci and Giuseppe Mascara to start as the front-two.

Prediction

Juventus have already defeated Catania this season and will head into tonight's encounter looking to achieve a similar result. The Bianconeri have lost their two games this year but should have more than enough to eke out a narrow win in Turin tonight.

Juventus 2-0 Catania

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