Friday, April 1, 2011

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02.04. (Sat) 15:30 Borussia D. - Hannover 96

DID YOU KNOW?

* Borussia Dortmund have taken just one point from their last two matches, having lost to Hoffenheim and drawn with Mainz in succession.

* The league leaders have a goal difference 35 better than their visitors, despite being ranked only two places higher in the Bundesliga table.

* Only Werder Bremen (1987-88) have ever conceded fewer goals after 27 games than Dortmund this season (16). Bremen won the title that year.

* BVB have only once conceded more than one goal this season: in their 2-0 opening day loss to Leverkusen.

* Hannover have kept clean sheets in four of their last seven Bundesliga matches.

* Didier Ya Konan has scored and assisted two goals each in his last three matches.

* Die Roten have managed to avoid defeat in six of their last seven matches in Dortmund. Their one loss was in February of 2010 (4-1).

* Mohammed Abdellaoue has scored 23 goals this season; 15 for Valerenga in Norway, and 8 for Hannover.

LAST MEETING

November 7, 2010: Hannover 0-4 Borussia Dortmund

When the two teams met in November, Dortmund delivered a four-goal hammering, though the game was not decided until late. Shinji Kagawa put the visitors ahead after 11 minutes, but only in the 72nd minute did BVB score the critical second goal that put the match out of reach. Substitute Robert Lewandowski added a third nine minutes before full time, and Jakub Blaszczykowski broke away to net the fourth at the death.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender, Sahin - Goetze, Lewandowski, Grosskreutz - Barrios

Hannover: Fromlowitz - Cherundolo, Haggui, Pogatetz, Schulz - Schlaudraff, Schmiedebach, Pinto, Krausch - Ya Konan, Abdellaoue

Prediction

Borussia 3-1 Hannover 96

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02.04. (Sat) 13:45 West Ham United - Manchester United

DID YOU KNOW?

* Manchester United have gone over 450 minutes since last conceding against West Ham in the Premier League, winning all five clashes in the process.

* Yet in their most recent meeting, the East London club ran out comfortable 4-0 winners at Upton Park, in November’s League Cup quarter-final.

* In August’s reverse fixture at Old Trafford, United eased to a 3-0 victory, with Rooney’s opening penalty one of five goals the striker has scored in eight games against West Ham.

* The England international is currently two goals short of 100 for United, while Mexican Javier Hernandez has also been in fine form so far this season, scoring 10 goals from just 39 attempts.

* West Ham have lost just one game in their last seven, a 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham City, an improvement in form which has seen them climb out of the relegation zone in recent weeks.

* Current Premier League leaders United have only won four of their last 15 Premier League away fixtures.

* Carlton Cole could make his 250th appearance if he starts against Manchester United, while defeat will bring the Hammers' 250th loss in the league.

* Despite their poor away form, Manchester United have only lost three times this season, compared to West Ham’s 12 defeats and 11 draws.

* Manchester United look set to welcome back captain Nemanja Vidic to the centre of defence, a timely return with Rio Ferdinand, Rafael da Silva, John O’Shea injured along with long-term absentee Owen Hargreaves, while Paul Scholes and Jonny Evans miss out through suspension.

* Frederic Piquionne leads the goal scoring charts at Upton Park this season, having scored six goals so far this campaign, with Carlton Cole close behind on five strikes.

LAST MEETING

August 28th 2010, Manchester United 3-0 West Ham

A first-half Wayne Rooney penalty set the tone for this encounter, as second half goals from Nani five minutes after the break and Dimitar Berbatov twenty minutes from time, condemned a dismal West Ham to their third defeat in the opening month of the Premier League season.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS


West Ham United: Green; Jacobsen, Upson, Da Costa, Bridge; Noble, Parker, Hitzlsperger, O’Neil; Cole, Ba.

Manchester United: Van der Sar; Brown, Smalling, Vidic, Evra; Nani, Giggs, Carrick, Valencia; Rooney, Berbatov.

Prediction

West Ham 1-2 Man Utd.  

03.-04. 04. 2011 La Liga preview round 30

Sunday
17:00 Real Sociedad - Hercules
17:00 Levante - Malaga
17:00 Espanyol - Racing Santander
17:00 Deportivo La Coruna - Mallorca
Monday
21:00 Almeria - Athletic Bilbao

Real Sociedad - Hercules

* In the history of the Spanish first division, Hercules have never won at Anoeta, and have not picked up a point there since 1981.
* Hercules have failed to find the back of the net in 9 of their last 11 league matches. Should they fail to score in this match, Hercules will equal Deportivo´s 1966 record of 12 consecutive league matches without scoring on the road.
* Real Sociedad have conceded the most goals from direct free kicks in the competition (four).

TEAM NEWS:

Real Sociedad
The Basque team have a full squad at their disposal, with key man Griezmann back safe and uninjured from the international break.

Hercules
This will be the first test for new coach Djukic, the Serbian 42 year old having replaced Esteban Vigo following the loss to Osasuna which left the team from Alicante in last place. Pena has also told the media on Thursday morning that he has recovered from his injury and is available to play.

Levante - Malaga

* Levante have played Malaga three times in the Primera Division, losing on all three occasions.
* The Valencian side are on a run of five games without a loss, their best-ever such run in the Spanish top flight.
* Malaga have won back-to-back league games for the first time this season, with wins over Real Sociedad and Espanyol.

TEAM NEWS:

Levante
Felipe Caicedo has been receiving oxygen therapy this week to speed up the recovery of his muscle injury, and is very unlikely to be fit for the game. Jefferson Montero returned safely to training this week after playing with Ecuador in the international break. Nano also returns to training after overcoming tonsillitis.

Malaga
Los Boquerones are coming of the back of two victories after a series of poor displays that left them consistently fighting to get out of the relegation zone. A rejuvenated Malaga, with its recently aquired individual talents, could well cause Levante problems.

Espanyol - Racing Santander

* Racing have lost only once in their last five visits to Espanyol in the Primera Division (three wins, one draw).
* The Catalans have drawn only once in the league this season.
* Racing hold the record for failing to score with the most penalties in the league this season (five).
* Racing have won only one of their last seven away league matches.

TEAM NEWS:

Espanyol
Baena will be out for around 6 weeks after tests carried out yesterday confirm that he has a serious leg injury. Sergio Garcia will also be unavailable for the match, as he is continuing treament for the injury to his meniscus.

Racing
The team will be hoping that internation duty this week for Lacen, Rosenberg and Giovani will not hinder their performance in what looks to be a difficult match.

Deportivo - Mallorca

* Deportivo are unbeaten in their last five league clashes at home to Mallorca.
* 5 of the 12 points Mallorca have picked up in away games this season have come in their last four matches.
* Mallorca have scored just once in their last four league trips to Deportivo.
* Deportivo´s defenders have scored 30% of their team´s league goals this season, more than any other side.

TEAM NEWS:

Deportivo
Claudio Morel has recovered from an abductor injury, and will likely play left back at the expense of Manual Pablo. Desmarets is also out.

Mallorca
Sergi missed training yesterday due to muscle discomfort, but may play in tomorrow's game. Apart from that, Michael Laudrup has a full squad at his disposal, with the internationals arriving back uninjured.

Almeria - Athletic Bilbao

* Almeria have lost their last three meetings with Athletic in La Liga.
* Almeria are, along with Sporting, the side who have drawn the most league matches this season (11).
* Athletic Bilbao have taken just one point from their last four away games.
* Los Leones striker Fernando Llorente has not gone four straight league matches without scoring this season, though he has failed to find the net in his last three.

TEAM NEWS:

Almeria
Acasiete has been training alone after spending ten days with the national team, with Uche also recovering after a international stint with Nigeria.

Athletic Bilbao
Gomez, Aurtenetxe, Fernandez, Ocio and Aldekoatalora are all out with various injuries. Igor Martinez is doubtful after a strain in yesterday's training session, but Javi Martinez and Llorente are back from international duty with no complications.

01.-04. 04. 2011. Bundesliga preview: Round 28

Friday
20:30 St Pauli - Schalke

Saturday
15:30 Bayern Munich - Moenchengladbach
15:30 Werder Bremen - Stuttgart
15:30 Borussia Dortmund - Hannover
15:30 Mainz - Freiburg
15:30 Kaiserslautern - Bayer Leverkusen
18:30 Hoffenheim - Hamburg

Sunday
15:30 Koeln - Nuernberg
17:30 Wolfsburg - Eintracht Frankfurt




St Pauli - Schalke

* Schalke have not lost in six games against St Pauli, winning four and drawing two.

* Manuel Neuer is set to make his 150th Bundesliga appearance.

* Neither team has a historical advantage in the games between the two clubs at the Millerntor-Stadion with a win apiece, two draws and seven goals for each side.

* The Hamburg outfit have lost five on the trot, one short of their terrible run of six in a row in late 2001.

TEAM NEWS:

St Pauli

Mathias Hain, Carlos Zambrano and Bastian Oczipka are out with injuries. Holger Stanislawski will have to do without the services of Fabio Morena, Carsten Rothenbach and Moritz Volz.

Koeln

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Christian Pander, Tim Hoogland, Christoph Moritz, Levan Kenia and Angelos Charisteas are going to sit this one out due to physical problems.

Bayern Munich - Moenchengladbach

* The Bavarians are surprisingly yet to win three times in a row in the Bundesliga this season. The game against Moenchengladbach is Bayern's best bet to finally achieve this.

* Die Fohlen have lost 32 times in 42 games in Munich, winning only once. This streak, together with the 111 goals conceded in Bavaria is A negative club record.

* Bayern have won eight of their nine home games. Louis van Gaal's men last lost to Borussia Dortmund.

* Moenchegladbach last won in Bavaria in season 1995-96 when Bayern Munich's current sporting director Christian Nerlinger was still an active player for Die Roten.

TEAM NEWS:

Bayern Munich

Aside from long-term absentee Ivica Olic and the injured Daniel van Buyten, Louis van Gaal has a full-strength squad at his disposal.

Moenchengladbach

Igor De Camargo and Jens Wissing are injured and will not take part in this game.

Werder Bremen - Stuttgart

* Werder Bremen have not kept a clean sheet in their last 12 games, a season negative record.

* There have been 30 goals in the last six games between the two teams.

* Only Bayer Leverkusen are on a longer unbeaten streak than Werder Bremen and Stuttgart. Both teams have failed to win in four games.

* Earlier this season Stuttgart inflicted the heaviest defeat on Der Werderaner in 24 years, winning 6-0.

Werder Bremen's revelation Wesley is set to return.

TEAM NEWS:

Werder Bremen

Christian Vander, Naldo, Sebastian Boenisch, Daniel Jensen, Onur Ayik, Sebastian Proedl and Philipp Bargfrede are all out with injuries. Claudio Pizarro is suspended for accumulated yellow cards.

Stuttgart

Johan Audel and Ermin Bicakcic are on the casualties list, while the sole goalscorer for Romania against Bosnia on Saturday, Ciprian Marica, has been frozen out of the squad.

Borussia Dortmund - Hannover

* The 96ers have kept four clean sheets in their last seven games in the Bundesliga

* Hannover have lost only once in their last seven encounters away to Borussia Dortmund, with their last defeat a 4-1 pummelling in February 2010.

* Juergen Klopp's men have won just one point in their last two matches.

* Dortmund have conceded more than one goal just once this season, against Bayer Leverkusen on the opening day.

TEAM NEWS:

Borussia Dortmund

Shinji Kagawa is out with a broken metatarsal, while Florian Kringe is still short of fitness following his long recovery from injury.

Hannover

Mirko Slomka will not be able to field Ron-Robert Zieler, Christopher Avevor and Leon Andreasen as they are struggling with injuries.

Mainz - Freiburg

* The two teams have never drawn in a competitive game, with three wins for Mainz and two for Freiburg.

* Thomas Tuchel's men have scored just five times in their last nine home games.

* Breisgau-Brasilianer have lost all of their away games to Mainz, conceding eight goals and scoring none.

* Freiburg last lost four games on the trot over 14 months ago in season 2009-10.

TEAM NEWS:

Mainz

Adam Szalai, Miroslav Karhan, Heinz Mueller and Elkin Soto are out injured for Mainz. .


Freiburg

Robin Dutt will have to do without the services of Jonathan Jaeger, Stefan Reisinger, long-term casualty Simon Pouplin and Daniel Williams.

Kaiserslautern - Bayer Leverkusen

* Die Roten Teufel have won just once in their last 20 games against Die Werkself. This happened eight years ago with Miroslav Klose netting the sole goal in the 39th minute.

* Kaiserslautern are unbeaten in four games for the first time since their promotion from 2.Bundesliga this season.

* In the match between the two sides earlier this season, former Kaiserslautern striker Sidney Sam netted a brace in a 3-1 comeback win for Jupp Heynckes' men.

* Leverkusen's Sidney Sam, Michal Kadlec and Michael Ballack are all former Kaiserslautern players. The ex-Germany captain has scored more goals against Die Roten Teufel (seven strikes) than against any other team in the Bundesliga.

Michael Ballack is set to feature against his former club

TEAM NEWS:

Kaiserslautern

Jan Simunek and Ivo Ilicevic are out with injuries for Kaiserslautern.

Leverkusen

Manuel Friedrich and Gonzalo Castro are still recovering from injuries and are unlikely to take any significant part in this game.

Hoffenheim - Hamburg

* Hoffenheim have won just once in their last six games, with their latest success arriving against league-leaders Borussia Dortmund.

* The Sinsheim outfit have won both of their games against Die Rothosen, outscoring Hamburg by eight goals to one.

* Two weeks ago Hamburg scored six goals after conceding six in their previous game for the first time since 1997, when they first lost to Moenchengladbach 6-2 and then won against St Pauli

* During the first game between the two sides this season, both Marco Pezzaiuoli and Michael Oenning were assistant coaches. But are now head coaches.


TEAM NEWS:

Hoffenheim

Matthias Jaissle is injured for the Sinsheim outfit, while Tobias Weis and Chinedu Obasi are likely to take a part in this fixture.

Hamburg

Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored a magnificent goal for the Netherlands against Hungary in midweek, is suspended for the game after picking up his fifth yellow card in the game against Koeln in the last round of the Bundesliga. Jaroslav Drobny is out with injury, while Romeo Castelen has returned to training, but is unlikely to take a major part in this game.


Koeln - Nuernberg

* Koeln have won six home games in a row, equalling their own record from 23 years ago. No team currently in the Bundesliga or 2.Bundesliga have ever achieved such a streak.

* Milivoje Novakovic has scored all of his 11 goals this season at home. He has more strikes at home than shots in away fixtures this season (10).

* Should Der Club score on Sunday afternoon, it will be their 500th goal in the Bundesliga.

* Nuernberg have won eight of their last nine games against Die Geissboecke.

TEAM NEWS:

Koeln

Christopher Schorch and Konstantinos Giannoulis are both still recovering from injuries.

Nuernberg

Timothy Chandler (accumulated yellow cards) and Javier Pinola (red card) are both suspended for this game. Mike Frantz, Albert Bunjaku and Julian Schieber are not in top condition and are unlikely to take a major part in the game against Koeln.


Wolfsburg - Eintracht Frankfurt

* Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt are the two worst teams in the Bundesliga since the winter break. Die Woelfe have picked up only eight points since the restart, while Die Launische Diva have only five.

* Wolfsburg have had the worst season in their history so far, picking up only 27 points from 27 games.

* Eintracht Frankfurt are yet to win away to Die Woelfe, losing six times and drawing three games.

* Maik Franz, a former Wolfsburg player, is yet to allow a goal by Grafite. The defender was on the winning team three times and drew just once against the Brazilian with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Grafite is unlikely to fancy a meeting with 'Iron Maik'

TEAM NEWS:

Wolfsburg

Peter Pekarik is suspended for this game after picking up his fifth yellow card against Stuttgart two weeks ago. Tolga Cigerci is injured for Felix Magath's team.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Brazilian defender Chris and midfielder Zlatan Bajramovic are long-term casualties for Christoph Daum's team and are unlikely to feature.

02.-03. 04.2011 Eredivisie preview: Round 29

Saturday
Twente - PSV
Heerenveen - Excelsior
Willem II - Roda
De Graafschap - NAC
Feyenoord - AZ

Sunday
Utrecht - ADO Den Haag
Vitesse - NEC
Ajax - Heracles
Groningen - VVV






Twente - PSV

* Twente currently sit second in the table
* The Tukkers recorded a 2-0 win over Excelsior two weeks ago
* PSV sit atop the Eredivisie table at the moment
* They defeated Utrecht 1-0 in their last league game
* Previous meeting: Twente 1-1 PSV

Heerenveen - Excelsior

* NAC are the league's 11th-placed team with 35 points from 28 games
* The Friezen were beaten 4-2 by Heracles two weeks back
* Excelsior sit 16th in the table
* They were defeated 2-0 by Twente in their last match
* Previous meeting: Exceslior 0-2 Heerenveen

Willem II - Roda

* The Tilburg side still sit rock bottom in the standings
* Willem II recorded a scoreless draw against VVV in their last match
* Roda are the Eredivisie's seventh-placed side
* They beat Feyenoord 3-0 two weeks ago
* Previous meeting: Roda 2-2 Willem II


De Graafschap - NAC

* De Graafschap currently sit 14th in the league table
* The Doetinchem side recorded a 1-0 loss against NEC two weeks back
* NAC sit 13th in the Eredivisie with as many points as their opponents
* The Breda side were defeated 1-0 by Groningen in their last league game
* Previous meeting: NAC 2-0 De Graafschap

Feyenoord - AZ

* Feyenoord are 12th in the Eredivisie at the moment
* They were heavily beaten 3-0 by Roda in their last league game
* AZ sit fourth in the league table with 49 points from 28 games
* They recorded a 3-1 win over Vitesse two weeks ago
* Previous meeting: AZ 2-1 Feyenoord

Utrecht - ADO Den Haag

* Utrecht sit eighth in the Eredivisie table
* They were beaten 1-0 by PSV two weeks ago
* ADO Den Haag are fifth in the league
* The Residentieclub beat Ajax 3-2 in their last league game
* Previous meeting: ADO Den Haag 1-0 Utrecht

Vitesse - NEC

* Vitesse currently sit 15th the table
* The Arnhem side were beaten 3-1 by AZ last time around
* NEC are the league's 10th-placed side
* The Nijmegen outfit defeated De Graafschap 1-0 two weeks ago
* Previous meeting: NEC 0-0 Vitesse

Ajax - Heracles

* Ajax are third right now with 55 points from 28 games
* The Godenzonen were beaten 3-2 by ADO two weeks ago
* Heracles have climbed to ninth spot in the league table
* The Almelo outfit recorded a 4-2 win over Heerenveen in their last league game
* Previous meeting: Heracles 1-4 Ajax

Groningen - VVV

* Groningen are the Eredivisie's sixth ranked team with 47 points from 28 games
* The Pride of the North beat NAC 1-0 in their last game
* VVV are the Eredivisie's number 17 with 17 points from 28 games
* The relegation candidates were held to a scoreless draw by Willem II two weeks back
* Previous meeting: VVV 3-5 Groningen