Tipovi za Tiket 20.-21. 11. 2010.

 20-11-2010

15:30 Freiburg - Borussia D.

Freiburg has done exceptionally well in the first 12 matches of this campaign. They are sitting in sixth place with 17 points and show a good home record of P6 W4 D0 L2 GF10 GA9. Only their last home game again Mainz (1-0) went under 2.5 goals, otherwise there has been prolific scoring in Breisgau.

Borussia Dortmund has achieved its best record in the 47-year history of Bundesliga after 12 games. Their away record is incredible: P6 W6 D0 L0 GF17 GA4, in none of their matches away from home they have scored less than 2 goals.

There is also a long history of high scoring games between those two teams in Freiburg. Their head to head record shows (from Freiburg's side) P11 W2 D6 L3 GF19 GA20. That is 3,5 goals per game. Last five games have also produced at least 4 goals per game, among them three 2-2 draws.

Tip: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.81 

 

18:30 Liverpool - West Ham United

Only Wigan have scored fewer than West Ham's 11 goals from 13 matches, and I fear they are unlikely to get many chances to add to that total in Saturday evening's match.

There are three aspects to this match that may give them encouragement – namely Liverpool's continued uninspiring form, Steven Gerrard’s hamstring injury and their brave performance in defeat at the Emirates a few weeks ago, but they still have a dreadful recent record at Anfield to overcome.

They have scored just once and taken a solitary point in their last six visits. West Ham have not won at Anfield since 1963, so I fear that they will return to London without reward again this time around.

Tips: Liverpool to win to nil @ 2.10

Half-time / full-time: Liverpool / Liverpool @ 2.10

22:00 Real - Athletic Bilbao

Los Blancos remain unbeaten this season and look particularly formidable at home, winning every match played at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Basque visitors have failed to threaten in recent visits to the capital, and given their dreadful away form in this campaign, it is likely to be one-way traffic for Mourinho's men.

Key Stats

* Four of the last five Real Madrid - Athletic Bilbao games have gone over 2.5 goals

* Last season's result at Santiago Bernabeu: Real Madrid 5-1 Athletic Bilbao

* Real Madrid have the best defensive record in La Liga (Five goals conceded in 11 games)

* Athletic Bilbao away record in La Liga so far (W1 D1 L3) 

Prediction: Real Madrid 3-0 Athletic Bilbao

Odds on Real Madrid 3-0 win @ 7.0

Over 2.5 goals @ 1.40

Real Madrid (-2 handicap) @ 2.07

21-11-2010

19:00 Sevilla - Mallorca

Sevilla entertain Mallorca on Sunday and will look to continue their excellent home form by bagging all three points. The Sevilla coach Gregorio Manzano comes up against his old club, were he performed wonders last season by just narrowly missing out on a Champions League spot.

Mallorca can be a stubborn unit but they usually save their best form for home matches and the attacking artillery that Manzano can deploy, in the form of Kanoute, Fabiano and Negredo should be enough to continue their excellent home form. Odds of around 1.60 are attractive on a home win

Tip: Sevilla to win @ 1.60

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20-11-2010 20:45 Milan - Fiorentina

Catch Us If You Can
 
At the start of the season Milan were one of the challengers for the Scudetto but right now the Rossoneri are the ones to be challenged for the Serie A title. After a somewhat unconvincing start both in the league and in the Champions League, Masimilliano Allegri’s side have picked up momentum and are brushing aside all challenges.

Milan’s narrow 1-0 win against Inter in the Derby della Madonnina last weekend was their seventh in eight league fixtures and put them six points ahead of the Italian and European champions. It also maintained the Diavolo’s one-point lead over second-placed Lazio as they have 26 points from 12 matches.

On Saturday evening Milan host Fiorentina and will be strong favourites to pick up yet another victory. The 2004 Italian champions have won four of their six home league matches and have conceded just five. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic in red-hot form and confidence exalted to the sky, they will be the favourites to win against the visitors from Florence.

Improvement Continues

Fiorentina’s season had started on the wrong foot with the Viola flirting with relegation at one point. However, coach Sinisa Mihajlovic seems to have regained control of the ship and thing are gradually improving.

Last weekend the Gigliati defeated Cesena 1-0 in Florence to collect their fourth home win of the league campaign and climbed up to 12th in the standings with 15 points, four clear of the relegation zone.

Nevertheless, Fiorentina have a wretched record away from Florence as they have yet to register a win on the road. A victory in Milan would be miraculous but the fact that they would start the match as underdogs could put them in an advantageous position.



TEAM NEWS

Milan

Pato, Inzaghi and Oddo are out due to injuries and Abate is suspended. Allegri could go with a 4-3-2-1 formation that will see Robinho get relegated to the bench and Ibrahimovic start as the lone striker up front with Ronaldinho and Seedorf playing behind him.

Fiorentina

Frey, Montolivo, Jovetic, Zanetti, Felipe and Mutu are unavailable because of injuries. Mihajlovic is likely to opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation with Gilardino as the only striker and Santana, Ljajic and Vargas playing behind him.


Prediction

Milan are in breathtaking form of late and their victory over Inter last weekend will have inflated their confidence. It is hard to envisage a defeat for the Rossoneri at San Siro. Fiorentina are a tricky side and could make it tough but Allegri’s team have enough quality to bag all three points.

Milan 2-0 Fiorentina

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20-11-2010 20:45 Ajax - PSV Eindhoven

Difficult Times In Amsterdam

Ajax made a great start to the 2010-11 season and held on their unbeaten status until they lost the home match against Utrecht early in October 2-0. The Godenzonen have since struggled to find their best form though and they've hit an absolute low in the past couple of weeks.

Teams such as Auxerre (Champions League), ADO Den Haag and AZ proved to be too strong for Ajax, while relegation candidates Excelsior managed to snatch a draw against the Amsterdam giants.

To make things even worse, club icon Johan Cruijff heavily criticized the club's board of directors and has demanded drastic changes within Ajax.

Martin Jol's men currently sit only joint third in the Eredivisie table and are trailing table toppers PSV by six points already. A loss against the Eindhoven side at the weekend could end Ajax's title ambitions for now.

Preparing For Life After Afellay

PSV have every reason to be satisfied with the way things are going so far in the 2010-11 campaign. They currently sit atop of the table with 33 points from 14 games and have lost only one game so far.

They'll be eager to pick up the full three points at the weekend in order to push Ajax out of the title race for now, but despite the importance of the upcoming game, Saturday's match was not the talk of the town in Eindhoven in the past couple of days.

The imminent departure of Ibrahim Afellay to Barcelona made all the headlines in both Dutch and Spanish media this week and PSV could face a difficult task to find a worthy replacement for the versatile midfielder this winter.

The Eindhoven side will have to shift their attention back to the football pitch at the weekend though if they are to pick up a good result in the Amsterdam ArenA.

TEAM NEWS

Ajax

Head coach Martin Jol will still have to make do without the services of back-up goalie Kenneth Vermeer due to injury, while playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro is still unavailable as well. Left back Thimothee Atouba is on his way back after a lengthy injury lay-off, but lacks match rhythm and isn't likely to feature.

Experienced centre back Andre Ooijer will miss the match against his former team due to suspension. The defender got a two-match ban following his red card against AZ last week.

PSV

PSV gaffer Fred Rutten doesn't have many injury worries ahead of the away match against Ajax. Full-back Stanislav Manolev is doubtful due to a recurring groin injury, while young glovesman Jeroen Zoet will miss the match as well.

Furthermore, Serbian defender Jagos Vukovic is unavailable at the weekend due to suspension.

Prediction

Ajax have been in far from impressive form in the past couple of weeks, while PSV have looked rather strong this season. Nevertheless, the Amsterdam side have a great home record against their Eindhoven based counterparts and they'll be eager to return to winning ways on Saturday. The in form Maarten Stekelenburg could very well prove to be too much of an obstacle for the PSV front line.

Ajax 2-1 PSV

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20-11-2010 18:00 Villarreal - Valencia

Aiming For Third

There is a great deal at stake when Villarreal meet Valencia on Saturday afternoon. Not only is their local pride on the line, the Yellow Submarine and los Che are the sides most intently chasing Barcelona and Real Madrid, making this an important fixture in the race for third place.

Juan Carlos Garrido is well aware of the standards required to match the best the Spanish league has to offer, having seen close at hand last weekend Barca pick apart his talented outfit. Admittedly weaker on the road than they are in front of their home fans, Villarreal were brush aside 3-1, despite Nilmar getting them back on terms during the first half.

“Our aspiration is to become the alternative power to Barca and Real Madrid within the next five years,” hugely ambitious president Fernando Roig boomed to the media this week. “I want people to think of Villarreal when they think of yellow, as they think of Manchester United when they think of the Red Devils.

“We must distinguish ourselves by producing good football, being polite and friendly, and do things right to meet the needs of our customers, who of course are our audience.”

Under Garrido, the home audience should be pleased, having seen 12 wins from 13 matches since the former reserve team coach made the step up. Incidentally, the one game that wasn’t won was a defeat against la Blaugrana.

Villarreal may be a relatively small club historically, but the bar is set high for future success, and Saturday’s fixture may well be an important encounter in determining the outcome of their campaign.

Get On A Run

Unlike Villarreal, Valencia have found the going rather hard in La Primera Division over the course of the last month. Prior to last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Getafe, Unai Emery’s side had failed to win in four attempts, losing three times and dropping off the pace of the league leaders.

A tremendous strike from Tino Costa got los Che moving in the right direction against el Geta before David Navarro added the second with a powerful second half header. Having survived a couple of early scares, the Mestalla club were full value for their victory but were not quite at their flowing best, with midfielder Ever Banega omitted from the squad due to disciplinary reasons.

“The primary objective was to win and at some points there were moments of brilliance, and others not as much,” Joaquin, who hit the post, explained after last weekend’s victory. “There is harmony in the dressing room, and this positive result will hopefully be the start of a winning streak. This will give us morale. We can breathe a bit easier now. Now we have another difficult match against Villarreal next, and we cannot let ourselves relax.”

Emery’s men have rarely found playing away from home simple this season, though they do have three wins from the five road trips they’ve made in La Liga. However, los Che also have a midweek Champions League encounter against Bursaspor to consider. With their place in the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition still not secure, three points are essential in midweek, leaving the coach with a difficult balancing act to perform.

TEAM NEWS

Villarreal

Villarreal have an exceptionally healthy squad at present, with Marcos Senna and Jefferson Montero declared fit for last weekend’s encounter against Barcelona. Coach Juan Carlos Garrido has not noted any injury problems since that may at Camp Nou.

Valencia

Jeremy Mathieu faces a lay-off of two or three weeks due to a muscular problem. Additionally, Jordi Alba, who would generally fill in at left-back, has been suffering from tonsillitis and is doubtful.

Cesar Sanchez is still sidelined, while the participation of Juan Mata and Mehmet Topal is questionable.

David Albelda is missing due to suspension.

Prediction

Villarreal are incredibly strong at home and will expect to prove that again on Saturday. Valencia have struggled to match that kind of consistency on the road, plus the guests will have to have a keen eye on their midweek Champions League fixture, which has the potential to detract from their performance at El Madrigal.

Villarreal 2-1Valencia

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20-11-2010 18:30 Bayer Leverkusen - Bayern Munchen

Spirits High In Leverkusen

While the headline story of the Bundesliga season has been Dortmund’s outstanding start, Leverkusen have quietly advanced to second place, and are now seen as the Ruhr side’s main competition for the title. Though seven points behind BvB, die Werkself beat the leaders in their season opener, a reality that will provide encouragement.

Ahead of Saturday’s clash with defending champions Bayern, Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes praised his team’s performance during a steep ascent up the league table.

“My team has played successfully this season up to now. In the last two games they have played at the same level as last year,” he said, alluding to his team’s fourth-placed finish in May.

“We have developed as a team, have a super morale ‘til the end and have found a good balance between offence and defence,” Heynckes explained. “We have more self-esteem.”

Last year, Leverkusen impressed in both of their matches against Bayern, which ended in 1-1 draws. Heynckes made sure to stress, however, that the past has no impact over the result of Saturday’s match.

“Everything that happened before has nothing to do with today’s teams. We are a team. Today you can only be successful if the team gets along on and off the field. We all have to be on the same page. That’s the case in this team.”

Bayern Still With Much To Prove

It took more than two months, but Bayern Munich have finally found their form. After a long spell during which they struggled to find the net, the defending Bundesliga champions are now scoring for fun; their 3-0 victory over Nuernberg in last Sunday’s Bavarian derby was a real signal of their intent.

Despite their early season woes, Bayern are only five points behind Leverkusen, who sit second. However, their resurgence of form might have come too late for the Bavarians to defend their title; the gap to leaders Dortmund has already extended to 12 points.

According to club legend Franz Beckenbauer, the current gap is simply impossible to make up. “The way it looks, Dortmund cannot be bothered as front runners,” he said according to TZ. “We are simply unable to catch up.”

On the other hand, fit-again winger Franck Ribery believes that Bayern still have plenty to prove to the football world over the course of the rest of the season.

“We have big plans yet in Munich,” he said.

However, Ribery did concede that the gap to Dortmund will be difficult to make up.

“Until the winter break, we will have to win every match. Twelve points look like a lot, but when you begin a streak, it does not take long to catch up.”

TEAM NEWS

Bayer Leverkusen

The injury crisis at Leverkusen has settled down over the last week as Renato Augusto, Gonzalo Castro, and Sami Hyypia have returned to fitness. Of those three, only Castro is not expected to start, with Daniel Schwaab the preferred choice at right back. Michael Ballack and Stefan Kiessling remain injured, however, and will join suspended defender Stefan Reinartz in the stands.
 
Probable Starting XI: Adler – Schwaab, Friedrich, Hyypia, Kadlec – Vidal, Rolfes – Sam, Renato Augusto, Barnetta – Helmes

Bayern Munich

As it has at Leverkusen, the injury situation at Bayern has also alleviated itself recently. Holger Badstuber, Ivica Olic, Miroslav Klose, Arjen Robben and Rouven Sattelmaier are all unavailable, and Edson Braafheid has also been dropped. However, Franck Ribery and Breno are available, and could feature as substitutes.

Probable Starting XI: Butt – Lahm, Van Buyten, Demichelis, Pranjic – Tymoschuk, Ottl – Altintop, Schweinsteiger, Kroos – Gomez

Prediction

This match should prove to be entertaining from a tactical perspective. Both coaches will place heavy emphasis on the midfield battle, which could result in there being few scoring opportunities. Still, given the form of Mario Gomez and Sidney Sam, at least a goal apiece can be expected. The match is too critical for either team to lose, so a draw seems the most likely result.

Leverkusen 1-1 Bayern Munich

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