06-02-2011 13:15 Rangers - Celtic

Gers Trio Looking To Help

Rangers go into the third Old Firm game of the season, having brought in three new players during the January transfer window, with El Hadji Diouf, David Healy and Kyle Bartley making their way to Ibrox to sign for the Scottish champions.

Blues' assistant manager Ally McCoist spoke at the club's pre-match media conference about the trio’s arrival, saying: “I think its freshened it up a bit and we’ve been wanting to do that for a while and it certainly adds a bit of freshness, because they are keen and have seen about the place and they obviously want to take part in games, especially the Old Firm game.”

He was asked about the signing of the controversial Diouf, to which he responded: “He did well [against Hearts], he’s not had a lot of games recently and if the game against Hearts is anything to go by he’ll certainly win us a few free kicks in the Old Firm game and I hope that’ll be the case.”

Finally, he was asked about how the Old Firm cup tie will be looked upon by the rest of the teams in the competition, with the former Ibrox striker saying: “This cup tie, it’s not often that Rangers and Celtic draw each other at this early stage in the cup, so with Hearts out and with something to give with the Old Firm, I think that the other clubs will look upon this as an opportunity to perhaps get to a final or to have an extended run, but the pressure for us is still the same, especially against our rivals.”

Hoops' Hopes Are High

Celtic go into the Ibrox fixture with confidence after defeating their Glasgow neighbours at the same venue only one month ago, when a Georgios Samaras double claimed all three points for the Parkhead side.

The Hoops' gaffer Neil Lennon spoke at the club’s pre-match press conference about whether the cup tie is more important than the league fixture last month. Lennon said: “Not really, it’s an Old Firm game regardless of the competition we’re looking to win and we know that it’s very difficult to go there and win. Out of all of the fixtures in Scotland this is probably the most difficult one, to go to Ibrox in that atmosphere and against a good team.”

He was also asked about the possibility of a draw, which would not be favoured by Rangers, due to the Ibrox side having two outstanding fixtures on their Glasgow rivals. Lennon replied: “Yeah, I mean it’s not the ideal time to be playing an Old Firm game with all the games coming up, so we’re going to try and get a positive result, one way or another. And if it’s a draw, then it’s a draw and we’ll just have to deal with that.”

TEAM NEWS

Rangers

Rangers will enter the Old Firm derby without influential midfielder Lee McCulloch who was injured in the Ibrox side’s midweek victory over Hearts.
Winger Vladimir Weiss was also taken off during the game and remains doubtful for the Scottish Cup fifth round tie.

That could mean a return to the starting line-up for Scotland international Steven Naismith, who was rested by Walter Smith, looking forward to the crucial cup tie.

Also back in the Rangers team will be striker Nikica Jelavic who was also missing from the win over third-placed Hearts with a groin injury. The Rangers manager is also set to leave new signings David Healy, El Hadji Diouf and Kyle Bartley on the bench for the Glasgow derby,

Possible starting XI: McGregor; Whittaker, Bougherra, Weir, Papac; Naismith, Davis, Ness, Edu, Lafferty; Jelavic

Celtic

Celtic manager Neil Lennon will be delighted to welcome back central defensive pair Thomas Rogne and Daniel Majstorovic who return from injury after having suffered from calf and hamstring problems, respectively.

The former Hoops skipper is also boosted by the return of both Ki Sung Yueng and Cha Du-Ri who are back in Glasgow after participating in the Asian Cup last month for their native South Korea.

Another pleasing sight for Lennon is the return to training of defender Glenn Loovens and Georgios Samaras, who was the hero for the league leaders in their last visit to the south side of Glasgow during the New Year derby.

Possible starting XI: Forster; Wilson, Majstorovic, Rogne, Izaguirre; Brown, Kayal, Ledley, Commons; Hooper, Stokes.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Rangers

Maurice Edu - The American has found his form since coming back into the Rangers side after a lengthy injury and showed his importance when he scored in the Ibrox side’s victory over Motherwell last weekend, which saw the Scottish champions reach the final of the League Cup, were they will meet Celtic.

Celtic

Biram Kayal - The dynamic midfielder has been so good for Neil Lennon’s side that the Celtic gaffer has switched his captain to the right wing in order to accommodate the Israeli in the centre of the pitch for the Parkhead side. As a result he will be key to Celtic securing a path into the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup.

Prediction

Although Old Firm games are near enough impossible to predict, Celtic should definitely be considered as the favourites due to the players that have returned from injury, coupled with their good form that has seen them go undefeated since the middle of November.

Rangers 1-2 Celtic

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06-02-2011 21:00 Valencia - Hercules

Steady, If Unspectacular

Events have dictated that Valencia look very likely to earn a Champions League spot. Though Villarreal are still going strong, their other major rivals for a top four finish, Espanyol, have been forced to sell key members of their squad. With a four point advantage over the Barcelona-based club, los Che would expect to have enough in the tank to outlast them.

Unai Emery has his side going along quite nicely at the moment. Though they’ve relied heavily on late goals and have rarely looked completely convincing, the east coast club have lost only one of their last 11 Primera Division fixtures, and event that was against Real Madrid. Indeed, last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Racing de Santander prevented Valencia adding to a five-game winning streak.

The coach indicated that a draw was a just result, though he wasn’t totally happy with the performance of his side, complaining that possession was readily gifted away with too much frequency, while there wasn’t enough depth to their play.

Some tough fixtures loom on the horizon for les Che. Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona are all due to face Valencia over the coming month, so they’ll be looking to Sunday night’s match as an opportunity to put some points on the board, and ideally some additional space between themselves and those teams who covet their position.

Bettered By Barca

Hercules failed to replicate their early season success over Barcelona when they met the champions at the Jose Rico Perez last weekend, but they did prove to be stubborn opponents once again for la Blaugrana. For more than 80 minutes the game remained competitive, but the dismissal of substitute Farinos allowed Pep Guardiola’s men to score twice in the last five minutes, earning a 3-0 win.

“The team played a good game in general,” coach Esteban Vigo reasoned after the match, content with the effort and application his side put in against a team he reckons to be the best on the planet.

In a tough league, points have to be taken against tough teams, and though Hercules have sporadically managed to do so, their record against the middle order is poor and leaves them only four points better off than those sides in the drop zone.

The Alicante club have struggled particularly away from home, earning only six points on their travels, which is one of the worst records in the league. Hercules’ record of one win in six is rather coloured by their poor travelling form, as they have played four of those games on the road, while one of their home fixtures was against Barca.

With some easier home matches forthcoming – Zaragoza, Getafe, Almeria and Osasuna – it may well be that this encounter is looked upon as something of a bonus, as points are not expected to be claimed.

TEAM NEWS

Valencia

Jonas Goncalves has joined up with the squad and could debut over the weekend. No new injury problems have been named by los Che, who will be without the suspended David Navarro and Ricardo Costa.

David Albelda, Vicente Rodriguez, Miguel Moya and Cesar Sanchez continue to battle problems, while Juan Mata has an ankle complaint.

Hercules

Javier Farina is suspended after his dismissal against Barcelona last weekend. There are a number of selection issues, with Abraham Paz, Noe Pamarot and Mohammed Sarr all somewhat doubtful. Abel Aguilar has been struggling with gastroenteritis.


Prediction

Valencia may not be playing with the greatest conviction at the moment, but they’re going along steadily and picking up wins with regularity. Away from home, it wouldn’t be inconceivable that Hercules could claim a point, or even three, but the challenge at the Mestalla is likely to be too much for the Alicante side.

Valencia 2-0 Hercules

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06-02-2011 21:00 Olympique Lyonnais - Girondins Bordeaux

Stopped In Their Tracks

Time is running out for Olympique Lyonnais to mount a serious challenge for the Ligue 1 crown. After defeat in Valenciennes last weekend, les Gones are now a distant seven points from leaders Lille, who are picking up their pace, if anything. Claude Puel continues to fight for the first silverware of his reign at the Stade Gerland, but defeat on Sunday could end any real hopes of the manager picking it up this season.

Lyon were disappointing at the Stade Nungesser last Saturday. Puel’s men made a bright enough start to the match, but Valenciennes rebuffed their approaches and ultimately pulled through thanks to a couple of goals soon after the restart. Though Michel Bastos reduced the arrears to 2-1, OL couldn’t beat in-form goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau a second time.

“This has stopped us in our tracks in the championship,” Puel explained, Ligue 1’s official website stated. “We were up against a very good Valenciennes side and we had trouble getting going, which allowed them to grow in confidence. My team reacted well to going 2-0 down. We started to play as a team. In the last 15 minutes we gave it absolutely everything and it could have worked. I think we deserved to equalise.”

A lacklustre start to the campaign has given the Rhone giants no room to manoeuvre, and though they looked back to their best in a 3-0 league success over Lorient in January, a Coupe de France loss to Nice, as well as last weekend’s reverse, shows that they still have much work to do.

The Best Is Yet To Come

Bordeaux have long since given up their hopes of picking up the Ligue 1 title. Jean Tigana has admitted that the challenge taking over at the Stade Chaban-Delmas is a greater one than he previously believes, though his side remain on the fringes of the European battle, stationed eighth in the standings, only four points behind Lyon.

Already the former Monaco and Besiktas boss has tendered his resignation twice, but on each occasion he was rebuffed by the Bordeaux board, clearly aware that they will struggle to attract another such name with such a pedigree to the ailing club.

Victory over Nice last weekend at home could act as a spur, though. Bordeaux were excellent against les Aiglons, finally looking a well balanced unit and winning through thanks to goals from Ludovic Sane and Anthony Modeste.

“That was the first time this season that we’ve played two equally good halves of football,” the coach said, according to the LFP’s official website. “We played with style and strong organisation tonight; there was a bit of everything. I’m very satisfied.

“I loved the way my side played collectively tonight, with movement and cover. We needed this reaction for the players to regain confidence. It was a good match but I know we can do even better.”

Suddenly there is an air of confidence around Bordeaux again, and having supplemented their attack with the signing of Brazilian international Andre on loan from Dynamo Kiev, there is even room for some tentative optimism on Sunday.


TEAM NEWS

Lyon

Dejan Lovren returns from a ban for OL, but by the same token Ederson remains absent. It’s expected to be March before the Brazilian returns to the first team picture.

Bordeaux

Only Carlos Henrique is ruled out for les Girondins, though it’s unlikely that Marc Planus will be involved in the first team panel as he continues his recovery from injury.

Prediction

Both of these sides have been erratic this season, so it’s a tough match to call. At home, Lyon have to be favourites, especially as they will be aware that a defeat could spell the end of their title hopes. Just as Bordeaux won 2-0 against OL earlier this season, les Gones will claim a similar scoreline on Sunday.

O. Lyon 2-0 Bordeaux

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06-02-2011 20:45 Inter - Roma

Back On Song

After collapsing 3-1 at Udinese two weeks ago, doubts on Leonardo's Inter reared their ugly heads. With the team suffering from a plethora of injuries and looking vulnerable at the back, there were suggestions that the Nerazzurri's bubble had burst, that they could struggle to get back on track.

What has happened subsequently, though, is quite a different story as Inter have embarked on yet another winning streak. The Italian and European champions defeated Napoli on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, then rallied from 2-0 behind to edge past Palermo 3-2 last weekend and in midweek registered a 3-0 victory in Bari.

Back-to-back league wins mean that the Beneamata are now just seven points behind leaders Milan in Serie A with 41 points from 22 matches; that gap will be narrowed down to just four should they win their game in hand.

Currently placed in the top-four, Inter are indeed back in contention for the Scudetto and, having lost just once at home all season, will be confident of getting the better of Roma on Sunday evening.

Winning Is The Only Objective

Roma talisman Francesco Totti has the winning mentality and although the Italian veteran hasn't won much silverware with the Giallorossi in his career, he has often inspired his team to big-game wins. Sunday evening's encounter against Inter at San Siro is one of the big matches that Roma cannot afford to lose, and Totti knows that.

"The game against Inter is very important," Totti told the press. "We cannot underestimate the value of the game as we are nine points behind Milan and have a game in hand. If we want to remain within reach of Milan then we have to get a result. In any case, the league is still long and so there is time."

Roma head into the clash in fifth place in Serie A with 39 points from 22 matches; despite retaining a game in hand, the former Italian champions are nine points off the pace and a draw or a defeat on Sunday evening could potentially ruin their Scudetto hopes.

To increase the pressure, the Lupi's away form isn't very encouraging as they have won only three times on the road in the league - that's three games out of 11. Roma may have scored 11 goals in those matches, but they have been a mess defensively, having conceded a whooping 17 goals away from the Stadio Olimpico, a record they hold jointly with third-from-bottom Cesena.

TEAM NEWS

Inter

Stankovic, Cordoba, Mariga, Lucio, Castellazzi and Samuel are injured and are unavailable.

Roma

Pizarro, Brighi and Adriano are sidelined with injuries and will miss the trip to Milan. Mexes is suspended.

Prediction

Inter have a strong form at home while Roma are modest away. The Nerazzurri are on a three-match winning streak and against Roma on Sunday evening they should be able to eke out a narrow victory.

Inter Milan 2-0 Roma

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06-02-2011 7:30 Freiburg - Eintracht Frankfurt

Copa Finalists In Troubled Times

Real Madrid booked another date with Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final by winning through against Sevilla on Wednesday night, but though the knockout competition is clearly precious to Jose Mourinho, it’s the league that earns the greatest kudos.

Los Blancos have seen their title aspirations slip away with a couple of poor performances away from home since the turn of the year. A draw in Almeria hinted that all was not right in the Madrid camp, but this was made clear last weekend when they went down to stubborn Osasuna, who were value for their 1-0 success.

But Mourinho’s sides are nothing if not mentally resilient, bouncing back with a 2-0 victory over Sevilla on Wednesday night at the Bernabeu, where they’ve done nothing but win since the Portuguese took over. Late goals from Mesut Oezil and Emmanuel Adebayor kept that record going in midweek.

Former president Ramon Calderon has increased the tension on a week of unease for the capital side by declaring the backroom troubles of the club as “a powderkeg that is ready to blow”, referring to Mourinho’s relationship with sporting director Jorge Valdano, which isn’t thought to be cordial.

Only victories on the field will prevent the media from leaping to discuss a ‘crisis’, and three points are certainly expected on Sunday.

No Fear

For a period over the bleakest moments of winter, it seemed that Athletic Bilbao could be sucked into the relegation battle. A run of four successive defeats promised nothing but woe for the San Sebastian club, but they’ve since roused themselves to earn two wins over the course of their last three matches.

A smashing 4-0 victory over Getafe got the ball rolling, and strong hints of a revival were also on show when the Basques went to Villarreal and snatched the lead before ultimately going down 2-1. This disappointment was placed behind them last weekend with a 2-0 home success over Almeria, which keeps the relegation zone a distant 10 points in the rear-view mirror.

Recent results have been reflected in a sense of confidence portrayed prior to this encounter by young French midfielder Antoine Griezmann, who feels there is no sense in la Real travelling to the Bernabeu with a sense of fear. “Madrid are not a big deal,” he dismissed. “We have played against them and are not anything special.”

Sociedad often aren’t anything special when playing away from home, though. From their 11 away trips to date, they’ve lost a staggering seven, picking up three victories along the way. Given these numbers, it’s tough to see the plucky northern side causing a weekend sensation, but then again, those accusations were levelled at Osasuna last weekend.

TEAM NEWS

Real Madrid

Pepe, Jerzy Dudek and Gonzalo Higuain all remain sidelined due to injury. Sergio Ramos won’t play this weekend due to a ban.

Real Sociedad

Joseba Llorente is out for the rest of the season with a serious back complaint. On the other hand, la Real will welcome back Mikel Gonzalez, who was suspended last weekend.

Prediction

Jose Mourinho’s men have been perfect this season at the Bernabeu in league play, and they have to remain that way over the weekend if they are to hope to challenge Barcelona come May. Basque opponents don’t lie down easily in the capital, and Real Sociedad will certainly put up a strong fight.

Editor's Prediction

Real Madrid 2-0 Real Sociedad

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