13-03-2011 15:00 Chievo Verona - Fiorentina

DID YOU KNOW?

* Chievo have failed to earn a win in their last five matches.

* The Flying Donkeys have scored only three goals in their last five home games.

* Sergio Pellissier leads Chievo in scoring with nine goals.

* Fiorentina are unbeaten in their last three fixtures.

* The Viola have four draws in their last six road games.

* Fiorentina leads the head-to-head series in Serie A against Chievo with nine wins to three.

LAST MEETING

November 7, 2010: Fiorentina 1-0 Chievo

Alessio Cerci powered the Viola past the Flying Donkeys with a goal in the 80th minute in what was a hard-fought affair at the Artemio Franchi.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Chievo: Sorrentino; Sardo, Mandelli, Andreolli, Mantovani; Guana, Rigoni, Constant; Bogliacino; Pellissier, Thereau

Fiorentina: Boruc; Comotto, Gamberini, Natali, Pasqual; Behrami, Montolivo, Vargas; Santana; Gilardino, Mutu

Prediction

Neither team is in optimum form right now and a score draw seems to be the likely outcome.

Chievo 1-1 Fiorentina

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13-03-2011 15:00 Catania - Sampdoria

DID YOU KNOW?

* Catania have only two wins from their last ten games.

* The Elefanti have given up eight goals in the last five games.

* Catania have beaten Sampdoria only once in their last six Serie A encounters.

* Sampdoria have now gone four games without a win, drawing one and losing three.

* The Blucerchiati are without a goal in their last six matches away from home.

* Samp have failed to score in eight of their last ten games.

LAST MEETING

November 7, 2010: Sampdoria 0-0 Catania

Chances were at a premium as both sides played out a scoreless draw at the Luigi Ferraris.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Catania: Andujar; Alvarez, Silvestre, Spolli, Marchese; Schelotto, Carboni, Lodi; Ricchuiti; Bergessio, Maxi Lopez

Sampdoria: Curci; Zauri, Volta, Lucchini, Ziegler; Mannini, Poli, Dessena; Guberti; Maccarone, Macheda

Prediction

Sampdoria are struggling at the moment and will find it tough to beat Catania in front of a hostile crowd. The home side does just enough to pick up the points.

Catania 1-0 Sampdoria

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13-03-2011 15:00 Cagliari - Udinese

DID YOU KNOW?

* Cagliari have won six of their past eight games in Sardinia.

* Davide Biondini and Lorenzo Ariaudo will miss the match due to suspension.

* The Isolani played out their first draw in 18 games under Roberto Donadoni.

* Udinese have kept a clean sheet in their last five matches.

* Antonio Di Natale leads Serie A in scoring with 22 goals.

* The Zebrette are riding an eleven-game unbeaten streak.

LAST MEETING

November 7, 2010: Udinese 1-1 Cagliari

The visitors jumped ahead 12 minutes into the match thanks to a goal from Daniele Conti before Antonio Floro Flores netted the equaliser just before the half-time break.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Cagliari: Agazzi; Perico, Canini, Astori, Agostini; Nainggolan, Conti, Lazzari; Cossu; Acquafresca, Ragatzu

Udinese: Handanovic; Benatia, Zapata, Domizzi; Cuadrado, Pinzi, Inler, Asamoah, Armero; Di Natale, Sanchez

Prediction

Cagliari are a tough nut to crack on the island but Udinese have been sensational down the stretch and will squeak out a slim victory.

Cagliari 1-2 Udinese

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13-03-2011 15:00 Stoke City - West Ham United

DID YOU KNOW?

* With Matthew Etherington leaving the treatment room behind, Stoke may be hopeful of a change in fortunes. Since the winger joined the club, they have won 35 per cent of games with him in the team and just 18% without him.

* Premier League goalscoring may not be their forte, but Jonathan Walters has scored three goals in his last three FA Cup outings, while John Carew has netted eight in his last nine.

* Fortress Britannia may play a role in the game. Stoke are unbeaten there in 2011.

* Stoke have never won the FA Cup. They’ve never made it to the final either. However, if they overcome West Ham, they will be in their fourth semi-final and first since 1972.

* The game will be the first time both clubs have met Premier League opposition in this season’s FA Cup.

* Although West Ham have edged it between the two teams this season, it has been pretty even overall recently, with two wins for each and two draws in the last six encounters.

* Averaging only 37% of their shots on target in the Premier League before Demba Ba joined the Upton Park payroll, the Hammers are now testing the keeper with 49% of their efforts on goal.

* And goals are firmly on the menu for the east London side. Twenty in their last seven games means that West Ham are six goals ahead of their closest goalscoring rivals – Manchester City

* Thomas Hitzlsperger’s return to fitness is also having a marked improvement on the team. The side’s average ball possession has upped from 44 to 52%, while pass completion in the opposition half has increased from 66 to 73%.

* West Ham’s defence is weakest in the last 15 minutes of each half, conceding 11 from 31-45 mins and 12 from 76-90 mins this season.

LAST MEETING

March 5, 2011: West Ham 3-0 Stoke

An Asmir Begovic blunder afforded Demba Ba a rather fortuitous opener, but the hosts were a class above Stoke as Manuel Da Costa and Thomas Hiztlsperger strikes assured a stroll in the park for the Hammers last weekend.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Stoke City: Sorensen; Wilson, Huth, Shawcross, Higginbotham; Etherington, Delap, Whitehead, Faye; Walters, Carew.

West Ham Utd: Green; Tomkins, Upson, da Costa, Bridge; Noble, Parker, Hitzlsperger; Keane, Cole, Ba.

Prediction

There will be a time when the wheels will come off the West Ham resurgence, but I do not think it will be against Stoke. Going forward, they look absolutely rampant and with Robbie Keane ready to be introduced into the fray, the Hammers can only benefit from such healthy competition. Stoke have never fared well in the FA Cup and given Avram Grant’s penchant for ending a season at Wembley, I can see West Ham making it to the semis.

Stoke 1-2 West Ham

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13-02-2011 12:30 Milan - Bari

DID YOU KNOW?

* Milan are the current leaders in Serie A with 61 points from 28 matches, five more than second-placed Inter at the start of Week 29.

* The Rossoneri are unbeaten in their last 10 league encounters against Bari and have emerged victorious in five of the last six.

* Massimiliano Allegri’s side are the only team not to have conceded a goal in the opening 15 minutes of Serie A games so far this campaign.

* The Diavoli have the best defensive record in the Italian top flight, having shipped just 20 goals in 28 matches.

* In midweek Milan were knocked out of the Champions League last 16 stage for the third time in a row.

* Bari are at the bottom of the table in Serie A with just 16 points from 28 matches, 12 points from safety.

* The Galletti have lost 39 times to Milan in Serie A, more than any other team.

* Bortolo Mutti’s team have lost all of their last five away matches in the league this season.

* At this stage last season the Biancorossi had mustered 38 points.

* Bari have conceded 134 goals in total to Milan in Serie A.

LAST MEETING

January 20, 2011: Milan 3-0 Bari

Milan recorded a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Bari in the Round of 16 of Coppa Italia. Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring as early as the 19th minute and on the stroke of half-time Alexander Merkel doubled the advantage. Then 20 minutes into the second half Robinho wrapped up the win.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Milan: Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Gattuso, Van Bommel, Merkel; Robinho; Pato, Ibrahimovic

Bari: Gillet; A. Masiello, Glik, Belmonte, Rossi; Donati, Codrea, Almiron; Huseklepp, Ghezzal; Okaka

Prediction

An easy victory for Milan should be the eventual outcome.

AC Milan 3-0 Bari

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