29.01. (Sun) 21:30 Malaga - Sevilla

Eliseu - Malaga

PROBABLE LINEUPS

MALAGA CaballeroGamez, Demichelis, Mathijsen, Monreal Toulalan, Maresca Cazorla, Isco, Eliseu Rondon

SEVILLA VarasCoke, Spahic, Escude, Navarro Medel, TrochowskiNavas, Reyes, Baba Negredo

Malaga playmaker Joaquin has not recovered from a hamstring injury and will miss the Andalusian derby.

There are no other fresh injury worries for the hosts, though ex-Sevilla striker Julio Baptista (foot) and Ruben Martinez (shoulder) remain on the sidelines.

France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan returns to the side after sitting out last weekend's crushing defeat at the hands of Barcelona due to suspension.

Sevilla coach Marcelino Garcia Toral will be without the services of Martin Caceres and Emiliano Armenteros, with the duo set to finalise transfers to Juventus and Rayo Vallecano respectively.

Frederic Kanoute and Manu del Moral are unlikely to feature due to injury, while Federico Fazio is suspended. Diego Perotti remains sidelined with a hamstring problem.

Marcelino could hand Senegal striker Baba Diawara his debut after he completed his move from Portuguese side Maritimo during the week.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Malaga are on a six-game winless streak in La Liga, having drawn two and lost two in their most recent matches.

• The Costa del Sol-based outfit have failed to win their last five games in all competitions at La Rosaleda.

• Qatari-backed Malaga have been banned from transfer activity by the Spanish league until they have paid back a debt to rivals Osasuna.

• Sevilla have won five of their last six meetings with Malaga, outscoring their rivals 14-6 in those matches.

• The Rojiblancos have won just once on the road all season, with six draws in nine matches away from home.

• Mali striker Frederic Kanoute (pictured) leads the club’s goalscoring charts at this stage of the season with seven goals.

Prediction

The second Andalusian derby in as many weeks could easily prove to be just as enthralling as the first: both teams are underperforming at the moment and will be forced to go for all three points. But, with the goals drying up for Sevilla and Malaga clearly bereft of confidence, it could be another draw at La Rosaleda, which would not serve either team well.

Editor's Prediction

Malaga 1-1 Sevilla

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29.01. (Sun) 21:00 Rennais - Olympique Marseille

Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

RENNES Diallo Danze, Apam, Kana-Biyik, Mavinga M'Vila, Doumbia Kembo, Feret, Brahimi Montano

MARSEILLE Mandanda Azpilicueta, Fanni, Nkoulou, Morel Diarra, Cheyrou Amalfitano, Lucho, Valbuena Remy

Both sides have selection headaches going into Sunday's match.

Rennes are without first-choice goalkeeper Benoit Costil, who starts a two-match suspension on Sunday, while they are also shorn of four players - Youssouf Hadji, Kader Mangane, John Boye and Jonathan Pitroipa - because of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Razak Boukari continues to miss out injured for Les Rouge et Noir, but Vincent Pajot is expected to be named in the squad. Mevlut Erding could also debut, potentially displacing Victor Hugo Montano in attack.

Marseille, meanwhile, are rocked by the blow of Stephane Mbia's injury, which is liable to keep him sidelined for a few weeks at least. Young prodigy Billel Omrani will miss two months, too, but he has made little impression on the first team as yet, while Andre-Pierre Gignac is still absent.

Slight doubts surround the participation of Lucho Gonzalez and Cesar Azpilicueta, while OM have also lost four players to international duty. Andre Ayew, Jordan Ayew, Charles Kabore and Souleymane Diawara are all presently away with various African nations.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Rennes are one of only two Ligue 1 teams still unbeaten at home in league action this term. The other is Breton neighbours Brest.

• Les Rouge et Noir have kept clean sheets in their last four outings against top flight opposition.

• When these sides met at Stade Velodrome earlier this season, a solitary goal from Jires Kembo-Ekoko was enough to earn Frederic Antonetti's side a 1-0 victory and three points.
• Kembo-Ekoko's effort that day was one of five he's scored from outside the box this season - a tally only equalled in Europe's top five leagues by Manchester United's Wayne Rooney.

• Marseille currently lie sixth in Ligue 1, boasting 34 points. Their hosts are one place and one point better off.

• OM were bottom of the table after six matches, but they have picked up 19 points from their last eight matches - the best record in the whole of Le Championnat.

• Away from home, Didier Deschamps' men have been unspectacular. They have played nine matches on the road, winning three, drawing three and losing three.

• Les Phoceens earned a 2-0 win in Rennes last season, with goals coming from Loic Remy and Lucho Gonzalez.
  
• Remy remains in formidable goalscoring form this season, netting 16 times in 30 starts in the 2011-12 campaign so far.

Prediction

Rennes may be unbeaten at home, but OM's form in recent weeks is ominous for Frederic Antonetti's side. Expect a close game but, with the wind in the sails of the visitors, they may just become the first team to win at the Stade de la Route de Lorient this season.

Editor's Prediction

Rennes 1-2 Marseille

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29.01. (Sun) 20:45 Milan - Cagliari

Getty Images

PROBABLE LINEUPS

AC MILAN Abbiati Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini Ambrosini, Van Bommel, NocerinoSeedorf Ibrahimovic, Robinho

CAGLIARI Agazzi Pisano, Canini, Astori, Agostini Dessena, Conti, NainggolanCossu Larrivey, Ibarbo

Some good news for AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri will be the return of first-choice goalkeeper Christian Abbiati after the shot-stopper recovered from a calf problem, but several other members of the side remain dogged by injury.

The main concern for Milan remains in midfield with Kevin-Prince Boateng, Mathieu Flamini and Gennaro Gattuso still on the sidelines. Alexander Merkel is suffering a bad sprain to his knee picked up during the 3-1 win over Lazio in the Coppa Italia. Meanwhile, Alberto Aquilani is not expected to be available, along with long-term absentees Antonio Cassano and Mario Yepes.

One of Luca Antonini or Urby Emanuelson could also return to the left-back position despite new signing Djamel Mesbah from Lecce featuring in the victory over Lazio on Thursday. Another winter acquisition, striker Maxi Lopez, is unlikely to play after completing his move from Catania on Friday evening.

On the other hand, Cagliari have just a handful of injuries to deal with. Forward Nene and centre-back Lorenzo Ariaudo are still on differentiated training programs but new arrival Mauricio Pinilla, the striker secured from Palermo, has said that he is ready to make his mark in the match and it will be boss Davide Ballardini's decision whether to insert him into the line-up straight away.

DID YOU KNOW?

• AC Milan have won seven home matches in a row against Cagliari, last suffering a defeat all the way back in June 1997.

• Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 10 goals in his last 12 Serie A matches and is currently joint-top scorer in the league with 14, level with Udinese's Antonio Di Natale.

• Should Milan win and Juventus fail to do so against Udinese, the Rossoneri would go back on top of the table.

• Cagliari have so far scored just 16 goals, the second-lowest tally in the league, but have conceded 18, only one more than Milan.

• Defenders Alessandro Agostini and Michele Canini have played every minute of Serie A so far this campaign.

• Ballardini's side have won only one of their last six Serie A matches.

Prediction

It is difficult to envision anything other than a victory for the home side. The Rossoneri seem to have had Cagliari's number over recent years and it looks unlikely that the Sardinians will be able to break the strangehold and reproduce a similar performance to the 1-1 draw with Juventus a couple of weeks ago.

Editor's Prediction

Milan 3-1 Cagliari

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29.01. (Sun) 19:00 Libya - Senegal

ahmed saad

PROBABLE LINEUPS

LIBYA AboudBerrish, Salama, Shibani, Aboubaker Mohamed Esnani, Saad, Belreesh Boussifi, Zuway

SENEGAL CoundoulMbengue, Diawara, Mangane, Sane Diame, Ndaw, Ndoye, Dia Ba, Cisse

After collecting their first points of the competition against Zambia in horrid conditions on Wednesday, Libya can only advance to the second round of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) by winning their final match and hoping that Equatorial Guinea do the same.
Standing in the Mediterranean Knights’ way will be a Senegalese side that has already been eliminated due to successive shock losses to the Chipolopolo and the Nzalang Nacional.
Marcos Paqueta’s team did well to twice take the lead against Zambia through Ahmed Osman Saad's brace but this time they will need to do a better job conserving any advantage if they are to have any chance of advancing to the knockout stages. Midfielder Walid Al Khatroushi left that encounter with an injury and may have to miss out on this one.
For the west Africans, this match will be about trying to save face after a heartbreaking last-second loss to the co-hosts in Bata and an early elimination that hardly anyone predicted.
With the team already out, the question is whether the lack of pressure will have a negative or positive effect on their play. Senegal were much better in their second game but an inability to translate chances into goals despite an enviable strike force was ultimately their undoing.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Senegal have not won a game at the Afcon since 2006 when they defeated Zimbabwe 2-0.

• Teranga Lions coach Amara Traore had “no explanation” for Senegal’s shock exit and, according to some sources, added that his team needed to shoo away "the black cat" which seems to be following them.

• Libya historically have the upper hand on the Teranga Lions, having beaten them twice in their history. They have also drawn once and lost once against Sunday's opponents.

• Former Senegal international El Hadji Diouf did not mince his words regarding the Lions’ exit, putting the blame squarely on Traore’s shoulders.

• The only time when Libya have previously it to the second round of the Afcon was in 1982 when they hosted the competition and made it all the way to the final.

Prediction

With nothing to play for but the respect of their countrymen back home, one expects that Senegal will finally get a win and Libya may not have enough left in the tank to overhaul Zambia in order to qualify.

Editor's Prediction

Libya 1-2 Senegal

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29.01. (Sun) 18:00 Racing Santander - Valencia

Roberto Soldado, Valencia vs Racing Santander (Getty)

PROBABLE LINEUPS

RACING SANTANDER TonoAlvaro, Torrejon, Espinosa, Cisma Diop, Colsa Arana, Adrian, Acosta Stuani

VALENCIA Alves Barragan, Rami, Ruiz, Mathieu Albelda, TopalPiatti, Banega, Alba Soldado

Racing welcome back forward Pedro Munitis after he missed Saturday's defeat to Getafe due to suspension, while Uruguay striker Christian Stuani is expected to shake off an abdominal injury to spearhead the hosts' attack.

Midfield duo Papa Diop and Gonzalo Colsa are also likely to overcome minor knocks and start Sunday's match, however, Greece midfielder Alexandros Tziolis misses out with a knee problem.

Roberto Soldado, Mehmet Topal and Jeremy Mathieu are all set to be restored to the Valencia line-up after being rested for the Copa del Rey win over local rivals Levante.

Dani Parejo, who has found himself surplus to requirements at the Mestalla, is unlikely to be included in the squad travelling to Santander.

Los Che coach Unai Emery may hand a start to Argentina forward Pablo Piatti after the winger scored a brace in the midweek win over Levante.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Racing Santander, who are just a point above the relegation zone, were on a five-game unbeaten run before succumbing to Getafe last weekend.

• On-loan striker Christian Stuani (pictured) is the Cantabrian club's leading scorer this season with nine goals.

• Racing were renamed Real Santander during the period of Francoist Spain, due to the prohibition of non-Spanish names.

• Valencia are on a three-game winless streak in La Liga.

• Los Che have avoided defeat in their last six games against Racing (W4 D2).

• The Mestalla club have won La Liga six times in their history, with the last title coming in 2004.

Prediction

Despite their recent stuttering form in the league, Valencia will be on a high after dispatching Levante with ease in the Copa del Rey to set up a semi-final with Barcelona. Los Che have far too much quality for their hosts and the smart money is on them bouncing back from their mini-slump.

Editor's Prediction

Racing 0-2 Valencia

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