21.05. (Sat) 21:00 Paris Saint Germain - Lille Metropole

DID YOU KNOW?

* PSG's hopes for qualification to next season's Champions League have taken a blow in recent weeks with the Parisien club winless in their previous three games.

* Antoine Koumbouare's side are fourth in the table, having amassed 58 points, two behind Lyon in third.

* The two sides met in last week's Coupe de France final, with PSG relinquishing their crown, going down 1-0 to Les Dogues.

* Les Parisiens were also comfortably beaten in their last league encounter, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat at Stadium Lille Metropole.

* They lost 1-0 away to Bordeaux on Wednesday, a result which denied them the chance to leapfrog Lyon into the coveted third and final Champions League spot.

* Lille only require a point to win their first Ligue 1 title since 1954 on Saturday evening.

* The Dogues have already managed to end a stunning 56 year wait without a trophy with a 1-0 win over Saturday's opponents in the Coupe de France final.

* Rudi Garcia's men narrowly edged Sochaux on Wednesday, to leave them six points ahead of current champions Marseille with only two games to go.

* Only shipping eight goals in the remaining games would deny Lille the title.

* Lille have never conceded more than one goal in their last 19 league games.

* Les Dogues, however, have not tasted success at Parc des Princes since 1996.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Paris Saint Germain (4-3-3)
Coupet; Ceara, Sakho, Camara, Armand; Makelele, Bodmer, Chantome; Nene, Erding, Hoarau

PSG coach Antoine Koumboure has the luxury of a near full strength squad. Peguy Luyindula (ankle) remains an absentee, and is unlikely to play again this season whilst Jean-Eude Marice also is a doubt for the visit of the champions-elect. Chairman Robin Leproux blasted his players after their defeat in midweek, citing a "lack of desire".

Lille OSC (4-3-3)
Landreau; Beria, Rami, Debuchy, Rozehnal; Cabaye, Balmont, Mavuba; Hazard, Sow, Gervinho

Lille coach Rudi Garcia possesses a full squad for the final push to claim the Ligue 1 crown, with Jerry Vandam, who has only made two league appearances all season, the single omission with a minor injury. Florent Balmont remains a doubt, but is set to take his place in midfield for the potential title decider.

Prediction

Lille are playing like winners, winning their last five games on the trot, and it would be hard to not see them crowned Ligue 1 champions on Saturday evening. PSG's recent lacklustre performances may see the Champions League beyond them. With Lille requiring a point, a draw is very much on the cards.

PSG 1-1 Lille

Read More

21.05. (Sat) 20:00 Real - Almeria

DID YOU KNOW?

* Real Madrid have overtaken Barcelona as the league’s top scorers, though they will need to score six times on Saturday to break the 100 mark for the season.

* Cristiano Ronaldo became the top scorer in a single La Liga season ever last weekend, bagging his 37th and 38th of the campaign.

* In this tally, the Portuguese has converted eight penalty kicks – more than anyone else in the league.

* When los Blancos have taken the lead in matches, they’ve been irreproachable in La Liga, not dropping a single point after getting into the ascendancy.

* Against sides in the bottom half of the table, they’ve suffered two defeats and been held on four occasions this term.

* Almeria’s 3-1 over Mallorca last weekend was their first success in nine outings.

* Worse, it was the first time the already relegated basement side had found the net in five matches.

* Roberto Olabe’s men have picked up 11 of their 30 points this season on the road, but 10 draws in their set of home fixtures stifled any hopes of survival.

* When they last met Real Madrid, they were able to earn a 1-1 draw, Jose Ulloa having given them the advantage on the hour mark only for Esteban Granero to level.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1):
Casillas; Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, Marcelo; Granero, Ozil, X. Alonso; Di Maria, Higuain, Ronaldo

There are no new injury issues in the home camp, though the familiar long-term issues, including Sami Khedira, remain.

It could be that Jose Mourinho uses this match as a chance to test some fringe players, but equally, los Blancos will be looking to raise Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal tally as much as possible.

Almeria (5-4-1):
Esteban; Silva, C. Garcia, Pellerano, Jakobsen; Luna; Ortiz, Juanito, Corona, Piatti; Uche

Young right-back Michel is a casualty of last weekend’s win over Mallorca, picking up an injury that will prevent him for training for around a month.

Modeste M’Bami continues to miss out due to injury, but Hernan Pellerano returns after serving a one-match ban.

Prediction

Real Madrid want goals, and they want plenty of them too. No matter what side Jose Mourinho sends out, they will be geared to attacking, and that must be a worry for the guests. Though they were held against Almeria away from home, expect nothing less than a comfortable home win on this occasion.

Real Madrid 4-0 Almeria

Read More

21.05. (Sat) 18:00 Malaga - Barcelona

DID YOU KNOW?

* Malaga may be firmly in the heart of the Primera Division table, but they are top of the form charts, having won five of their last eight games.

* Despite this recent surge, the Andalusian outfit still haven’t fared well at home this season; only Almeria have won fewer points than their 24.

* Los Boquerones have lost 65 goals this season – the same number as Real Sociedad – and if they concede more than the Basques on Saturday, they could well finish as the league’s worst defensive side.

* In their last 10 matches, they’ve only lost six goals, winning five of their last six outings.

* Barcelona, though the league’s second top scorers, have only mustered 11 goals in their last eight fixtures.

* While the Blaugrana’s offence has been misfiring strangely, they’ve been robust at the back, conceding only five times during that period – fewer than any other side.

* In matches that are tied at half-time, Barca have gone on to win seven of their 11 fixtures, which is a better record than any team in the league.

* Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten against teams in the top half of the standings, yet they’ve twice been beaten when facing a lower 10 outfit.

* With only 16 goals conceded in 32 games, Victor Valdes will claim the Zamora Trophy ahead of Iker Casillas.

* Barcelona’s goal difference is an incredible +71, but at one stage earlier this season they were threatening to break the 100 barrier.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Malaga (4-3-1-2):
Caballero; Gamez, Stadsgaard, Weligton, Mtiliga; Fernandez, Camacho, Duda; Maresca; Baptista, Rondon

Having been dismissed last weekend, Argentine international centre-back Martin Demichelis will be banned from this encounter, while Eliseu’s yellow card against Athletic Bilbao also pushed him over the disciplinary limit. Ignacio Camacho and Duda will make returns from suspension, though.

Striker Julio Baptista is doubtful due to a muscular problem, while Rondon remains injured.

Barcelona (4-3-3):
Valdes; Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Abidal; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Villa

After the wholesale rotation of last week, Pep Guardiola may choose to deploy his strongest XI so that no rustiness creeps in before next weekend’s Champions League final.

Everyone in the Catalans’ squad is fit to some extent, with Carles Puyol and Gabriel Milito both joining in Thursday’s training session, though the two centre-backs should still be considered doubtful. Adriano, meanwhile, shall be fit.

Prediction

This could prove to be a really significant test for Barcelona, particularly if thoughts are already drifting towards next weekend’s fixture in London. Indeed, after being held by Deportivo La Coruna at home last weekend, it would be little surprise to see the Catalans drop more points against a team who have been in excellent touch of late. Guardiola, however, will want to see a strong squad offer more, and a narrow away victory is probable.

Malaga 1-2 Barcelona

Read More

21.05. (Sat) 16:00 Motherwell - Celtic

DID YOU KNOW?

Motherwell are looking to claim the Scottish Cup for the first time in 20 years, when they defeated Dundee United 4-3 after extra time.

The Fir Park side claimed a place in the Scottish Cup final after victories over Dundee, Stranraer, Dundee United and St Johnstone.

Striker John Sutton needs one more goal to become Motherwell’s top goalscorer this season, with the Englishman being tied on 10 goals with Nick Blackman, who left the Lanarkshire side in January to join Aberdeen.

A victory over Motherwell would give Celtic manager Neil Lennon his first trophy in charge of the Parkhead side after taking over from Tony Mowbray at the end of last season.

One more goal for striker Gary Hooper (pictured right) will see the Celtic striker join former Rangers frontman Kenny Miller on 21 goals for the season, in all competitions.

Celtic got into the Hampden showpiece by recording victories over Berwick Rangers, Rangers, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Aberdeen.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Motherwell (4-4-2)
Randolph; Hateley, Hutchinson, Craigan, Hammell; Humphrey, Jennings, Lasley, Murphy; Sutton, Jeffers.

After making several changes for last Sunday’s league game between the two sides, Motherwell manager Stuart McCall will welcome back all of his first team regulars, who he has been leaving out of the starting-up since they defeated St Johnstone in the semi-final.

McCall will be hoping that the final isn’t a repeat of last week’s fixture where they lost by four goals to the Parkhead side.

Celtic (4-4-2)
Forster; Wilson, Majstorovic, Loovens, Izaguirre; Commons, Brown, Ki, Mulgrew; Samaras, Hooper.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon is able to welcome back prolific midfielder Kris Commons, after the Scotland international was forced to sit out the victory over Motherwell due to suspension. Lennon may also hand a late fitness test to Joe Ledley, with the former Cardiff midfielder missing out since the semi-final triumph over Aberdeen.

The Parkhead side will still be without influential midfielder Beram Kayal, who fractured his wrist in the Hoops' defeat against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, while Anthony Stokes is also set to miss out, having been dropped from the squad last week due to an internal disciplinary action.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Motherwell: Jamie Murphy
The 21-year-old Motherwell youth product is coming off of his man of the match performance against St Johnstone in the semi-final. He also claimed April’s Scottish Premier League young player of the month award and he will be a key figure for Stuart McCall’s side if they are to claim the trophy.

Celtic: Emilio Izaguirre
The Celtic full-back has claimed a string of awards for his performances after joining the Parkhead side from Club Deportivo Motagua in his homeland of Honduras last August. He will be looking to use the width of Hampden Park to help his side to the trophy. Since arriving he has lit up Scottish football and been linked with moves away from Glasgow.

PREDICTION
With Motherwell resting many of their key men since their semi-final victory over St Johnstone, these players are bound to be rusty as a result. And with Celtic having lost the league title on the final day, their players will be looking to give boss Neil Lennon a trophy after he went through one of the hardest season’s ever for a manager.

Motherwell 1-4 Celtic

Read More

Ligue 1 preview Round 37 - 21/05/2011

Saturday
21:00 Auxerre - Brest
21:00 Lens - Arles Avignon
21:00 Lyon - Caen
21:00 Marseille - Valenciennes
21:00 Montpellier - Monaco
21:00 Nice - Lorient
21:00 PSG - Lille
21:00 Stade Rennes - Nancy
21:00 Sochaux - Saint-Etienne
21:00 Toulouse - Bordeaux

Auxerre - Brest

* Auxerre drew 1-1 away to Valenciennes last weekend, with Jean Fernandez's men sitting in 11th in the table.
* Brest earned a credible 1-1 draw at home to Lyon on Monday evening and sit 15th, two points ahead of the relegation zone.
* AJA are unbeaten in their last eight league encounters.
* Previous meeting: Brest 1-1 Auxerre

TEAM NEWS

Auxerre
Jean Fernandez has been hit with the news that Ireneusz Jelen will miss the rest of the season after picking up a hamstring tear, with the Polish international almost certainly having played his final game for the club. Kamel Chafni, Jeremy Berthod and captain Benoit Pedretti make the injury issues for AJA all the starker ahead of the encounter.

Brest
Alex Dupont's side will be without Ahmed Kantari who is struggling with an Achilles injury. Omar Daf is ruled out for six months after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, with the 34-year-old also missing a sizeable chunk of next season's campaign

Lens - AC Arles Avignon

* Lens were relegated to Ligue 2 last weekend after a 1-1 draw to fellow strugglers Monaco. They sit 19th, seven points from safety with only two games left.
* Already relegated Arles Avignon earned only their second win of the campaign with a shock 1-0 win over Toulouse, but still languish at the foot of the table.
* Faruk Hadzibegic and his side ended a stunning 24 match winless run with that victory.
* Previous meeting: Arles Avignon 0-1 Lens

TEAM NEWS

Lens
No other new injury worries for Laszlo Boloni's side except that Nenad Kovacevic could return after missing out for the last five weeks.

Arles Avignon
Gael Germany and Kaba Diawara both have long-term issues and remain sidelined. First choice goalkeeper Cyril Merville is struggling to shake off an injury meaning Vincent Plante will continue to deputise.

Lyon - Caen

* Lyon's hopes of securing Champions League football were dented after they were held to a 1-1 draw against Brest on Monday. However, PSG's failure to win sees them remain in third place.
* Caen boosted their hopes of survival after a comfortable 2-0 win over Montpellier. Franck Dumas' side sit 14th, three points ahead of the drop zone.
* Les Malherbes are yet to win at the Stade Gerland, drawing once and losing four times in five visits.
* Previous meeting: Caen 3-2 Lyon

TEAM NEWS

Lyon
Bafetimbi Gomis has been ruled out for the remaining games after it emerged that he suffered ligament damage in the draw against Brest. Fellow forward Lisandro Lopez could return for the final league match despite strugglking with a groin problem.

Caen
Gregory Proment and Gregory Tafforeau continue to be the only injury worries for Franck Dumas.

Marseille - Valenciennes

* Marseille's hopes of defending their Ligue 1 crown took a heavy hit as they were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw away to Europa League chasing Lorient.
* Didier Deschamps' men sit 2nd in the table, six points behind overwhelming favourites Lille, with only two games left.
* Valenciennes were held to a 1-1 draw against Auxerre last Sunday, with Phillipe Montanier's side occupy 12th position in the table.
* Previous meeting: Valenciennes 3-2 Marseille

TEAM NEWS

Marseille
Andre-Pierre Gignac will miss the club's remaining games with the French international going under the knife to correct a knee problem. Cesar Azpilicueta is set to return after six months, but may only make the bench. Gabriel Heinze and Benoit Cheyrou return to the squad after shaking off knocks, whilst Lucho Gonzalez remains a doubt.

Valenciennes
Phillipe Montanier has been boosted by the return of Rudy Mater who has been missing for a month. Vincent Aboubakar has recovered from his groin injury to also take his place against the outgoing champions. However, Steeven Langile (knee) and Rafael (back) are still out.

HSC Montpellier - Monaco

* Montpellier succumbed to a 2-0 defeat away to Caen, with Rene Girard's side sitting in 10th in the table.
* Strugglers Monaco limped to a 1-1 draw to Lens, a result which relegated their opponents. Laurent Banide's men are in the drop zone, sitting 18th.
* The 2004 Champions League finalists could be relegated this weekend if they are defeated, and other results go against them.
* Previous meeting: Monaco 0-0 Montpellier

TEAM NEWS

Montpellier
Karim Ait Fana is the only main injury worry for La Paillade, with only long term absentees on the treatmant table.

Monaco
Absent in recent weeks, Stéphane Ruffier could return for the trip to Montpellier. However the goalkeeper and captain of AS Monaco is still uncertain after his groin injury. A decision is expected this Friday. Several players are already sidelined leaving Laurent Banide with a selection headache.Vincent Muratori (adductor muscle), Igor Lolo (ankle) Pascal Feindouno (knee), with Mahmadou Diarra uncertain to return, having almost definitely played his last game.

OGC Nice - FC Lorient

* Nice's hopes of survival were dented after they were beaten 3-0 away to Nancy. Eric Roy's men are 16th, two points clear of the relegation zone.
* Europa League chasing Lorient held Marseille at home on Sunday evening, to remain in seventh, three points behind the final qualification berth.
* Les Merlus have drawn nine of their previous 13 league games, also winning only one of their last eight visits to Stade du Ray.
* Previous meeting: Lorient 1-2 Nice

TEAM NEWS

OGC Nice
No new worries for Les Aiglons, with Julien Sable (thigh) and Anthony Mounier still on the treatment table while the latter may return this week. Abdou Traore is also sidelined.

Lorient
Les Merlus have a number of fringe players out leaving their squad a little bare. Fabien Audard and Maxine Baca picked up injuries against Marseille and are set to miss out along with Franco Sosa.

FC Stade Rennes - Nancy

* Stade Rennes' woeful run ended on Sunday after a hard-fought 2-1 win against Saint Etienne.
* The result gave Les Rouge et Noir their first win in nine league games as they sit in fifth, also qualifying for next season's Europa League.
* Nancy comfortably saw off Nice 3-0, with Pablo Correa's men ending their own barren run of seven games without a win.
* Previous meeting: Nancy 0-3 Stade Rennes

TEAM NEWS

Stade Rennes
Alexander Tettey and Tongo Doumbia are set to miss the home encounter after picking up knocks in the win over Saint Etienne, whilst Sylvian Marveaux has been a long-term absentee. Jires Ekoko will also sit out the match after picking up an injury for Les Rouge et Noir in the defeat to Valenciennes.

Nancy
Pablo Correa's side have been boosted with the news that Marama Vahirua could return for the trip to Rennes. However, Samba Diakhite is ruled out.

FC Sochaux - AS Saint-Etienne

* Sochaux were defeated 1-0 by champions-elect Lille on Wednesday evening.
* Despite the defeat, Les Lionceaux remain in pole position to clinch the final Europa League berth, as they lie in sixth place, three ahead of nearest challengers Lorient.
* Saint Etienne were beaten 2-1 by Stade Rennes, with Les Verts lying in ninth place.
* Previous meeting: Saint Etienne 3-2 Sochaux

TEAM NEWS

Sochaux
No new injury worries for Europa League chasers Sochaux. Kevin Anin's season is over, while Jacques Faty remains a doubt, but with a couple of matches remaining, it is becoming increasingly likely that he won't feature again this term.

Saint Etienne
Les Verts have been dealt a blow with the news that Dimtri Payet is missing from the group after picking up a knee injury. Blaise Matuidi returns after recovering from a thigh problem

FC Toulouse - Bordeaux

* Toulouse were surprisingly beaten 1-0 by league minnows Arles Avignon last weekend. Alain Casanova's men sit 13th, three clear of a congested drop zone.
* Bordeaux beat Champions League chasers PSG 1-0 on Wednesday to retain their slim hopes of qualifying for Europe. Eric Bedouet's side are eighth.
* Les Girondins are winless in their last five away games in Ligue 1
* Previous meeting: Bordeaux 1-2 Toulouse

TEAM NEWS

Toulouse
No new injury worries to report from the Toulouse camp, who only have long-term absentees on the injury list. They are expected to line-up pretty much with the same starting XI as last time out.

Bordeaux
Les Girondins emerged from the match against PSG unscathed. The only absentees are Floyd Ayite, Yoann Gouffran and Abdoulaye Keita, who have all been long-term injury worries.

Read More