25.09. (Sat) 22:00 Athletic Bilbao - Barcelona

Confident Mood

Athletic Bilbao pride themselves on making San Mames a difficult venue for any side to visit, and even Barcelona will not find life at all simple when they visit the Basque arena on Saturday evening.

Los Leones had started the season in rather mundane form, picking up one win, one draw and one defeat in their opening three matches, but after Tuesday evening’s fine 3-0 success at home to Mallorca they will be in confident mood. David Lopez opened the scoring only seconds before the break, and once Mikel San Jose had converted a second half penalty the result was a mere formality. Still, the hosts finished with a deserved flourish thanks to Inigo Perez’s late strike.

“I'm very happy,” coach Joaquin Caparros grinned. “Now it's up to us to recover and prepare for a nice game on Saturday against Barcelona. If we get it right we can get a positive result against the best team in Europe.

“We were better defensively, we have not been troubled at any time and our persistence helped us get the first goal.”

Atletico Madrid have already gone to San Mames and picked up three points this season, but the hosts are rarely hospitable. Real Madrid failed to win at the venue last season, and the same can also be said for Barcelona, who could only pick up a 1-1 draw. Los Leones would probably settle for a repeat result on Saturday.

Perfect Attitude

Barcelona’s form at the outset of the Primera Division season has been questioned on the back of a shock defeat to Hercules, but Pep Guardiola’s side have otherwise stood up well to the rigours of league football in the opening month of the campaign.

The defending champions bounced back from their eyebrow-raising loss impressively last weekend, defeating a much-praised Atletico Madrid 2-1 away from home. An injury to Lionel Messi rather blighted their trip to the capital, but la Blaugrana shrugged off that blow in midweek, when they were able to overcome Sporting Gijon 1-0 at Camp Nou.

A solitary strike from David Villa was all that Barca could muster, and although Guardiola was certainly not blown away by his side’s performance, he appeared pleased that they had the guts to come through unscathed.

“The attitude has been perfect and I'm sure the next day we'll do better,” he mused. “This time we didn't get after the opposition which is what you need to do against opponents who sit back and don't come at you. We lacked a second goal which would have given us peace.”

Guardiola has hinted that the World Cup, which disrupted pre-season preparations, is particularly hurting his side at this hectic time of the season. “This is the way it goes and we have to get used to it,” he stated. “The worst thing, rather than the accumulation of matches is the lack of training. There are players who are still lacking strength and endurance work.”

Once Athletic are out the way, the difficult run of fixtures Barcelona are presently in the midst of continues in midweek, when they meet Rubin Kazan in the Champions League in Russia.

TEAM NEWS

Athletic
Toquero remains absent due to injury, though home boss Joaquin Caparros should otherwise be able to name his strongest line-up to face Barcelona. Susaeta, who was on the bench in midweek, may well be the man to play closest to Fernando Llorente in attack.

Barcelona

Pep Guardiola has not pushed his side too hard following their midweek exploits. Lionel Messi will be absent once again due to his ankle injury, which is expected to keep him out until the middle of next week, while Carles Puyol and Xavi have both been in the gym doing specific recovery work.

Prediction

As ever, life will be tough for the Catalans against their Basque opponents. The direct, physical approach adopted by the home side certainly won’t be to Barca’s liking, and without Lionel Messi to open up the home defence it could be a long 90 minutes for the guests. However, Atletico Madrid have already won at San Mames, and la Blaugrana still possess the weapons to match that achievement.

Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Barcelona

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25.09. (Sat) 20:45 Roma - Inter

One More Chance
Last season's Serie A runners-up Roma have been struggling both in the league and in the Champions League since the start of the season, and things went from bad to worse in midweek when they were defeated by newly promoted Brescia. It was a controversial game in which refereeing decisions were scrutinised after the match and words were exchanged.

Nevertheless, the result of that match cannot be changed and the 2-1 defeat means that Roma are second from bottom with just two points from four matches. The Giallorossi are a massive eight points off the pace and things need to improve from right now.

However, coach Claudio Ranieri is confident of starting afresh against the champions on Saturday evening and says, "I can say I have the Roma which has done so well over the past few years. It's a difficult moment for us, and Inter are doing well.

"It's not more difficult now because we showed a positive response against Brescia. We know it's hard, but the difficulties just won't disappear. But the determination we showed in Brescia offers hope."

Gaining Momentum With Ease
Inter commenced the Serie A season on a slow note but since then the Nerazzurri have picked up momentum. Diego Milito and Samuel Eto'o scored a brace each against Bari at the San Siro in midweek in what was a superb performance.

The 4-0 win against Bari was Rafael Benitez's side third successive win in the league and one that took them to the top of the table in Serie A. Inter currently possess 10 points from four matches and are one point clear of second-placed Chievo.

Inter forward Eto'o, who has been in excellent form for the Nerazzurri so far this season, is looking forward to Saturday evening's clash and says, "Saturday's game will be a difficult one as Roma will go out for their first win of the campaign. It's nice to play at the Olimpico. Roma will have, as always, the support of their fans.''



TEAM NEWS

Roma
Rodrigo Taddei and Julio Sergio are out with injuries and Philippe Mexes is suspended. Left-back John Arne Riise has been passed fit to play and it is likely that he will start against Inter. Daniele De Rossi is on course to recover for Saturday's big match.

Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Lobont, Cassetti, N. Burdisso, Juan, Riise; Perrotta, Pizarro, De Rossi; Menez; Borriello, Totti

Inter

Thiago Motta, Javier Zanetti, Walter Samuel and Marco Materazzi are injured and will miss the trip to Rome.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Cordoba, Chivu; Stankovic, Cambiasso; Pandev, Sneijder, Eto'o; Milito

Prediction

Roma are under pressure and need to win but Inter are the in-form side. It promises to be an interesting clash and a loss for the Nerazzurri doesn't look very likely. The maximum Roma can do is eke out a draw.

Roma 1-2 Inter Milan

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25.09. (Sat) 18:30 Werder - Hamburger SV

Looking For Some Spark

Hamburg began the season well with two convincing wins against Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt, which tentatively marked them out as a side to keep tabs on this season. However, since then they have had two disappointing draws with Nuernberg and St Pauli followed by a home defeat to Wolfsburg. The win for die Woelfe was a bitter pill to swallow for Armin Veh, as his side had dominated the game and deserved to come away with three points. However they were undone by a sucker punch in the form of a Grafite second-half brace.

"It is a terribly bitter feeling to lose such a game. We clearly dominated the match and had so many chances to score," Veh said after the final whistle.

"I have seen an HSV team, who combined well in their play and played with their hearts. Unfortunately we could not take our many chances. Today the best team lost."

The crux of the problem lies with Hamburg's failure to get enough service to Ruud Van Nistelrooy, undoubtedly their best finisher. Neither Mladen Petric nor Jose Paolo Guerrero have flourished in the playmaking role and thus Hamburg have struggled to kill teams off in their last three games.

Of course, it should not be forgotten that die Rothosen conceded three goals to Wolfsburg, at home. Marcell Jansen was responsible for the first goal when his loose ball allowed Pieter Pekarik to break forward and cross to Edin Dzeko. For the third, he was caught in possession by Grafite. Of course in a side struggling for goals and lacking a Diego or a Shinji Kagawa, Jansen's constant bursts forward are vital to breaking down the opposition. As such, Heiko Westermann and Joris Mathijsen have to be rock solid. Nevertheless, HSV are still sixth in the table and at least are putting in good performances, something their opponents tomorrow are not.

Getting Back To Full Strength

Bremen, like Schalke, were expected to run Bayern the closest this season. However, also in common with die Knappen, Werder have started the season badly with just four points from five games and they sit in fourteenth spot. It all looked so rosy in the garden after they bounced back from an opening day defeat to beat Koeln and secured qualification for the Champions League group stage.

Since then, it has been an uphill struggle for die Gruen-Weissen. They fought gamely at the Allianz Arena to gain a point, but then suffered two extremely disappointing defeats. Matchday four brought a convincing 2-0 defeat at home to Mainz, which Torsten Frings labelled the worst of his career and in midweek they went down 4-1 in the northern derby in Hannover. Werder's slide down the table has resulted in crisis talks with coach Thomas Schaaf although it has to be said it is not the first crisis he has faced during his eleven year reign and it will doubtless not be the last.

"Even if everything runs smoothly, sometimes bad luck will hit you from nowhere and you end up in a negative spiral," Schaaf was quoted as saying on the club's official website.

"It is now our top priority to arrest this negative spiral and the perfect way to achieve this is by picking up the full three points at the weekend.

There may be light at the end of the tunnel as Bremen welcome back two key members of their spine against Hamburg - none other than towering centre-half Per Mertesacker to restore confidence to a shaky backline and Claudio Pizarro, who needs one goal to become the Bundesliga's outright all-time leading foreign scorer, ahead of Giovane Elber.

"We are of course very glad that both are back in the squad. However, we need to be careful to manage the high expectations. Their mere presence is not enough; they also have to contribute to the team," Schaaf said ahead of their return.

Another crumb of comfort to Schaaf comes in the shape of Bremen's recent record at the Weserstadion against Hamburg. They are unbeaten in the last three Bundesliga encounters at home, with Hamburg's last win coming in February 2007.

TEAM NEWS

Werder Bremen

Werder have a number of injuries in defence to Naldo and Sebastian Boenisch (both knee) and most recently to Petri Pasanen who picked up a ligament tear in training yesterday. On the other hand, Per Mertesacker is back and he should start in central defence. Furthermore, the attack receives a shot in the arm with the inclusion of last season's topscorer Claudio Pizarro. Thomas Schaaf is likely to stick to 4-2-3-1 in spite of his side's heavy defeat in Hannover.

Probable Starting XI: Wiese - Fritz, Mertesacker, Proedl, Silvestre - Bargfrede, Frings - Hunt, Wesley, Marin - Pizarro

Hamburg

Armin Veh has a number of absentees, most notably Dennis Aogo though also Romeo Castelen, Miroslav Stepanek, Heung-Min Son and Tunay Torun. Guy Demel should keep his place at right-back ahead of Tomas Rincon while Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was impressive against Wolfsburg and should keep his spot. Mladen Petric should also edge out Paolo Guerrero, who alongside Piotr Trochowski and Eljero Elia, is pushing for a place in the starting eleven.

Probable Starting XI: Rost - Demel, Westermann, Mathijsen, Jansen - Jarolim, Ze Roberto - Pitroipa, Petric, Choupo-Moting - Van Nistelrooy

Prediction

Bremen will be undoubtedly boosted by the return of Mertesacker and Pizarro, although the Peruvian will be unable to last the full ninety minutes. Hamburg have looked a more organised unit throughout the season and were by far the better side against Wolfsburg, even in defeat.

Werder Bremen 1-2 Hamburg 

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25.09. (Sat) 16:00 Liverpool - Sunderland

Both Liverpool and Sunderland will be looking forward to getting back to Premier League action on Saturday after suffering midweek defeats in the League Cup.

Liverpool were dumped out of the cup by League Two side Northampton Town on penalties, while Sunderland were knocked out of the competition by Premier League strugglers West Ham United.

Can The Reds Halt The Slide?

It’s been a tough week for the Liverpool squad and their fans after defeat to bitter rivals Manchester United in the Premier League was followed by a humiliating midweek defeat on penalties to Northampton Town in the Carling Cup.

The Reds weren’t at their best against United but Roy Hodgson will take heart from the fight back from his side put up, although he will be concerned that his side conceded a third goal and that all three of United’s goals came from crosses.

Things didn’t get better on Wednesday night when the Cobblers knocked the Reds out of the League Cup. Despite making 11 changes Liverpool fans were expecting a victory but it wasn’t to be as they were outplayed by Northampton, who were deserving of their victory on penalties.

Reds fans will at least be buoyed by their record against Sunderland in the Premier League at Anfield and will hope the return of their more senior players sees an improved performance and a much needed victory.

Black Cats Aiming To Keep Unbeaten League Run Going

Sunderland are on a bit of a high in the Premier League at the moment, following their victory over Manchester City, a strong performance against Wigan and their dramatic injury time equaliser against Arsenal.

Confidence was high at the Stadium of Light, but a surprise defeat to West Ham United in the League Cup will have dented that a little.

The form of Darren Bent and Asamoah Gyan will be something Steve Bruce will be happy with — between them the strikers have bagged seven of the eight goals scored by the Black Cats this season. Bruce will be hoping his new look strike partnership continues to flourish as Sunderland go in search of their first victory at Anfield in the Premier League.

TEAM NEWS
Liverpool

Roy Hodgson is expected to recall his senior players for this match and that could mean 11 changes to the side beaten by Northampton Town.

Liverpool fans will be expecting to see Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Fernando Torres and Joe Cole back in the starting line-up and will hope they can turn around the Reds form.

Potential starting XI: Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Konchesky; Cole, Poulsen, Meireles, Babel; Gerrard; Torres.

Sunderland

Steve Bruce played a full strength side for the Carling Cup defeat against West Ham so he may not make any changes to his starting line-up.

Captain Lee Cattermole will be available again after serving a one match suspension following his red card against Wigan, however Titus Bramble may not be involved following his recent arrest on suspicion of rape.

Potential starting XI: Mignolet; Onouha, Ferdinand, Bramble, Richardson; Henderson, Cattermole, Riveros, Malbranque; Bent, Gyan.

Prediction

Liverpool 2-0 Sunderland  

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25.09. (Sat) 15:30 Bayern Munchen - Mainz 05

Bayern In Tough But Familiar Situation
It took patience and came at a tremendous cost, but Bayern Munich finally broke their scoring duck against Hoffenheim on Tuesday as Thomas Mueller equalised through a rebound from Franck Ribery. Mueller’s goal came after 332 minutes of scoreless football from the defending champions, who were within minutes of setting a team record for longest time between Bundesliga goals.

After scoring once, Bayern looked much more adept in attack than in recent weeks, and pressed on for a winner. Deep in injury time, Daniel van Buyten pounced on his opportunity to poke home a winner, and Bayern earned their first win since their opening day triumph over Wolfsburg.

Although the victory was a crucial point in the season for Bayern, their celebrations were cut short when Ribery was carried off the pitch. After he shot on goal to set up Mueller’s equaliser, the Frenchman landed awkwardly on his ankle, and had to be taken off the pitch.

There were some concerns that Ribery’s injury would require surgery, but they were alleviated when it was revealed that the gifted winger would be out for only a month, with no need for an operation.

Just as they had to last autumn, Bayern will now have to manage without the services of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. A year ago, the Bavarians struggled under similar circumstances, and were in mid-table for much of the fall term.

Coincidentally, their season completely turned around when Van Buyten struck a late winner against Frankfurt. Now Bayern will hope that history repeats itself and their peak form returns as they host surprise league leaders Mainz.

Mainz To Make It Six-For-Six?

On Tuesday, for the first time in three rounds, Andre Schuerrle wasn’t the super substitute to inspire Mainz to victory. Rather, it was red-hot playmaker Lewis Holtby, who replaced the 19-year-old as a second half substitute. In 26 minutes, the Schalke loanee recorded a brace as Mainz earned a 2-0 victory over Koeln.

Their victory in midweek extended Mainz’s record to a perfect 15 points from five games, and put the Oh-Fives five points clear of Hoffenheim, who lost to Bayern. The next day, Dortmund narrowed the gap, but the leaders remain a full three points clear of their Ruhr rivals.

Reflecting upon their win in Koeln, Schuerrle was ecstatic.

“This is unbelievable,” he told reporters. “We applied pressure for 90 minutes, and it was only a matter of time before we scored a goal.”

Guided by the experience of veterans and fuelled by the spark of youth, Mainz have exceeded all expectations. Even when down 3-0 away to Wolfsburg, they battled back to earn an improbable victory. Bayern will be a whole new challenge, but Saturday’s match is likely to bring the best out of Thomas Tuchel’s high-flying side, who really have little to fear. Having broken down a notoriously well organised Koeln defence, Mainz have already done something that Bayern failed to do.

TEAM NEWS

Bayern Munich
Louis van Gaal has some difficult decisions to make heading into this weekend’s match. Danijel Pranjic is likely to take Diego Contento’s spot on the left of defence, but the over-riding question is tactical; the coach could either adopt a 4-4-2 system or stick with the 4-2-3-1 that has recently struggled to produce goals. The latter with Hamit Altintop replacing injured winger Franck Ribery is more likely, but don’t be surprised to see a tactical change at half-time if Bayern struggle going forward.

Long-term absentee Arjen Robben is sure to miss out on the action, as is Franck Ribery, following his ankle injury in midweek. Otherwise, Van Gaal has a full squad to choose from.

Probable Starting XI: Butt - Lahm, Van Buyten, Badstuber, Pranjic - Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger - Mueller, Kroos, Altintop - Klose

Mainz

Mainz are expected to line up in a 4-3-2-1 set-up, with Lewis Holtby and Marcel Risse supporting lone striker Adam Szalai. Should coach Thomas Tuchel decide to adopt such a system, Andre Schuerrle will have to miss out on a starting role, though the 19-year-old will likely make a substitute appearance. Tuchel has a near full squad available, with only goalkeeper Heinz Mueller ruled out of contention to play.

Probable Starting XI: Wetklo - Zabavnik, Svensson, Noveski, Fuchs - Polanski Karhan, Soto - Risse, Holtby - Szalai

Prediction

Given their quality and the fact that they will play at home, Bayern will retain the vast majority of possession. Barring an early goal from either side, expect the match to be rather closed, with Mainz looking to score on the counterattack, and Bayern hoping to wear their opponents down and induce defeat by (nearly) a thousand passes. Form on the day will be decisive, though a low-scoring draw might be the most likely outcome.

Bayern Munich 1-1 Mainz

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25.09. (Sat) 13:30 Manchester City - Chelsea

Forging An Eastlands EmpireRoberto Mancini currently stands at a crossroads in his career at the helm of England's richest club. This season the Italian must deliver unprecedented success with the Eastlands outfit or face being discarded at the first opportunity.

Mark Hughes' dismissal is testament to the ruthlessness that now pervades at the top of the Citizens hierachy, and after the transgression of being pipped to the Champions League last season, another stay of execution will not be afforded to Mancini should he miss this season's targets.

A humbling exit in the League Cup on Wednesday at the hands of West Bromwich means even more onus will now be put into success in the more important competitions. That City can dismiss that defeat and suggest it will help in their fight for the Premier League title is demonstrative of how the club is mixing it with the big boys now, and they will have to mix it with one of the biggest when champions Chelsea visit on Saturday.

Recent history is in favour of the light-blue billionaire's club in this fixture, with City beating Chelsea home and away last season, ending a run of eight successive defeats at the hands of the Londoners. However, Mancini will have to prepare his side to face a particularly lethal Blues side this time, with Carlo Ancelotti's men enjoying an exceptionally free-scoring run up to this game in the league.

The Citizens will have to rely on their impressive defence to shut out the Blues, and with only two goals conceded in their last five fixtures, will offer their opposition a sterner test than they have faced so far.

Old Acquaintances, Old Rivals

How Mancini must have looked on in envy as he witnessed his compatriot Ancelotti move from the Italians' old battleground in Serie A and instantly claim success in the Premier League. It is believed that Mancio was keen on taking over the Stamford Bridge hotseat after Guus Hiddink's departure, but as fate would have it he pitched up further north, whilst his old Milan rival had already started winning on the route to winning trophies in London.

Ancelotti will be well aware of the tactical astuteness of the man in the opposition dugout on Saturday after years of sparring in the San Siro. And it is no doubt that City represent the first real test for the Blue juggernaut that has steamrolled over all opposition thrown in its path in the Premier League so far. 22 goals scored with only a single conceded leaves little doubt as to who is the Premier League's form team at the moment.

The club is firing on all pistons, but it is yet to be seen whether it can carry momentum into matches against the stronger sides and the Blues will have to do that to keep up their perfect league start with a sixth win. Certainly some momentum was lost when Chelsea, like their opponents this weekend, were sent crashing out of the League Cup at the hands of Newcastle inside Stamford Bridge.

But, much as Mancini excused City's exit in that competition, so did Ancelotti Chelsea's. This particular Italian tactician has the not inconsiderable task of defending the Premier League title and winning the Champions League this season, after — two feats that he will be quick to remind his old foe are not achievable at Manchester City just yet.

TEAM NEWS

Manchester City
Mancini has voiced his concerns that the Citizens are facing an injury crisis ahead of Saturday's showdown. With Aleksandar Kolarov, Jerome Boateng and Wayne Bridge sidelined and Micah Richards struggling to recover from a hamstring injury, the Italian may face issues over who to station at left back.

In attack, Adebayor's continuing injury and Roque Santa Cruz's ineligibility mean the Citizens will again have to rely on Carlos Tevez and Jo as their only striker options for the match.

Possible starting XI: Hart, K.Toure, Zabaleta, Richards, Kompany, Barry, Milner, de Jong, Y.Toure, A.Johnson, Tevez.

Chelsea
Salomon Kalou and Yossi Benayoun both pulled up injured in Chelsea's defeat against Newcastle and both seem certain to miss the trip to Eastlands.

However, Ancelotti will be boosted by the return to fitness of influential duo Frank Lampard and John Terry. Lampard has recovered from a hernia operation and should start whilst the captain was withdrawn with a knock on Wednesday but is expected to feature again on Saturday.

Possible starting XI: Cech, Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, Cole, Essien, Mikel, Lampard, Anelka, Malouda, Drogba.

Prediction

Man City 0-2 Chelsea

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25.-26. 09. 2010. Spain - Primera Division preview

Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao have beaten Barcelona 58 times in league games - only Real Madrid have managed more wins against the Blaugrana in the top-flight.
However, the Basque side have picked up only two points from their last eight meetings with Barca in La Liga, and have never scored more than a single goal in these games.
Barcelona have suffered only one defeat in their last 17 league meetings with Athletic, back in May 2006 (3-1 at the San Mames).
Barcelona have scored 294 goals against Athletic in La Liga, more than against any other side so far in the Spanish league.
The Blaugrana have not shared the points in their last 14 games in all competitions (11 wins and three defeats).
Barcelona are unbeaten in their last nine games on the road in the league - two draws and seven wins, including those in the last four.



Atletico Madrid v Real Zaragoza
Atletico have won only three of their last 16 league meetings with Real Zaragoza, however they were unbeaten last season (2-1 win at the Calderon and 1-1 draw at the Romareda).
Atletico also had the better on the last two occasions they hosted Real Zaragoza in the league, scoring six goals in total.
The Colchoneros have not shared the points at their ground in their last 17 league games (11 wins and six defeats, including that suffered in the last game with Barcelona).
Real Zaragoza did not score in three of their first four league fixtures this season, however they managed to pick up two points from two goalless draws against Deportivo and Hercules.
Real Zaragoza have also failed to score in six of their last eight league games away from home, and managed only one win in the process.
Zaragoza are winless in their last six league fixtures (three draws and as many defeats).



Deportivo la Coruña v Almeria
These two sides have met six times so far in the top-flight: Almeria won the first two meetings in 2007-08, Deportivo had the better in the following two in 2008-09, and they shared the points in both fixtures last season.
In La Coruña the guests won the first meeting, the hosts had the better in the second, before last season's goalless draw.
Deportivo are still winless in this campaign, after three draws and last Thursday's defeat at Villarreal.
Depor have failed to score in three of this season's four games - a 2-2 draw with Getafe completes their record.
The Galicians have managed only one win from their last eight league games at the Riazor, losing three times and drawing four in the process.
Almeria are without a win in their last six league fixtures (three draws and as many defeats) and they have failed to score in three of these, including the last two.
Almeria are also winless in their last eight on the road in the league, and have not scored a single goal in any of the last two.



Espanyol v Osasuna
Espanyol have had the better in the last two games played at home with Osasuna.
Mauricio Pochettino's side have alternated wins and defeats over their last seven league games, a run started last season with a defeat to Zaragoza, and ended last Tuesday when they lost at the Bernabeu to Real (3-0).
However, the Catalans are on a run of three consecutive wins at their ground in the league, and have suffered only one defeat at home in the last 14 La Liga fixtures.
Espanyol have kept a clean sheet in eight of their last 11 games at home in this competition between this and last season.
Osasuna have lost their last 10 away games in La Liga - their longest run in this competition since 1983 when they lost 12 in a row.
The side from Pamplona have also failed to score in six of the last eight games on the road.
Osasuna have beaten Espanyol 23 times, more than any other side in La Liga so far.
Espanyol have not drawn any of their last nine league games, winning four and losing five.



Hercules v Sevilla
These two sides last met in La Liga in 1996-97 - Sevilla had the better at home by 5-0.
However, Hercules have had the better in the last two meetings with Sevilla at home (2-1 in January 1986 and 3-0 in December 1996).
Newly promoted side Hercules have already picked up four points in this campaign, in light of a win at the Camp Nou and a goalless draw at Zaragoza.
However, the club from Alicante are still waiting for their first points at home in this campaign, after losing in Alicante against Athletic Bilbao and Valencia.
Sevilla have won their last four away games in La Liga between this and last season, scoring an average of 3.5 goals per game.
The club from Andalucía have not shared the points in their last 22 games away from home, but they drew their last league fixture at home against Racing last Thursday.
Sevilla have already gained six points from trailing situations this season - a league-high.



Levante v Real Madrid
This will be the 11th meeting between these two sides in La Liga: Real Madrid lead by nine wins to one, with Levante's only win coming at the Bernabeu in February 2007.
Levante have lost their last three league games at home, scoring one goal in each of these games.
Real Madrid have lost only one game away from home in 2010 - in Bilbao against Athletic last January.
After that defeat, the Merengues have notched-up 10 wins and two draws in their ensuing 12 games on the road.
Levante have already conceded 10 goals in this campaign - more than any other side.
Real Madrid have netted six goals so far, five of which have come after half-time.



Malaga v Villarreal
These two sides have met 16 times in the top-flight: Malaga lead by six wins to five, with five draws.
Neither of these two sides have scored more than two goals in their previous meetings at the Rosaleda.
Malaga are winless at home since March, when they beat right Villarreal (2-0) - since then, they have managed only four draws and three defeats.
Nilmar and Rossi have netted six out of seven of Villarreal's goals in La Liga this season (four for the Brazilian and two for the Italian).
The Brazilian is currently La Liga's top-scorer after the first four match-days.
78% of Malaga's goals have been scored before half-time this season (seven out of nine).
Villarreal are yet to concede their first goal in the first-half this season.



Mallorca v Real Sociedad
Mallorca are unbeaten in their last four meetings at home against Real Sociedad (two wins and as many draws).
Mallorca have not conceded a single goal in their last three games at home between this and last season (two 2-0 wins and a goalless draw).
Mallorca have shipped five goals in this campaign - four of which have come after half-time.
Real Sociedad have already lost five points from leading situations this season - a league-high.
Mallorca have scored only two goals so far this season - a league-joint low alongside Almeria.
Michael Laudrup's side have attempted only 11 shots over the first four fixtures of La Liga - a joint-low alongside Levante.

Racing v Getafe
The record of previous meetings between these two sides in La Liga is perfectly even: both have won five times with two draws.
There is perfect balance also in Santander, where there have been two wins to each side, and a draw.
Getafe have already conceded six goals in the second half this season - a league-high.
Conversely, four of the five goals conceded by Racing this season have come in the first half.
Getafe have already scored seven goals in this campaign - all coming from open play.
Míchel's side have also conceded three goals from the penalty spot so far - a competition-high.



Sporting v Valencia
Both meetings between these two sides last season ended in a draw (1-1 in Gijon and 2-2 in Valencia).
Sporting have managed only one win in their last six league meetings with Valencia, at the Mestalla in November 2008.
Overall there has been one win for Sporting in their last six league games at home.
At the Molinon, the hosts have picked up only one point from their last three meetings with Valencia in the league.
Valencia have won their first two away fixtures of this campaign; prior to this, last season they had suffered six defeats in their last seven away games in the league.
Valencia are yet to concede their first goal after the break this season.

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25.-27. 09. 2010. Italy - Serie A preview

Bari v Brescia
This will be the 15th meeting in Serie A between these two sides: Bari lead by five wins to two, with seven draws.
However, Brescia have had the better in the last two meetings (in 2001/02) - on both occasions the Rondinelle won 3-1.
Bari have not conceded a single goal in their last four games at home (three wins and a goalless draw).
After losing their opening fixture of the season with Parma, Brescia have notched-up three consecutive wins in the league.
This is Brescia's longest run of wins in Serie A since October 1997.
Brescia have not shared the points in their last eight Serie A fixtures (five wins and three defeats).
Brescia have already scored five goals in the first half this term - a Serie A-high



Catania v Bologna
Bologna have won 10 of their 20 previous meetings with Catania in the top-flight - four wins for the Sicilians and six draws in the process.
Catania have never scored more than a single goal in any of their last eight meetings with Bologna in Serie A.
Their win against Cesena extended Catania's unbeaten run at home to 13 games in the league.
In facts, the Sicilians are still unbeaten at the Massimino in 2010.
After beating Udinese on Wednesday, Bologna managed their first win in seven league games, after five draws and a defeat.
Bologna are winless away from home in eight league games (four draws and as many defeats).




Cesena v Napoli
Napoli are unbeaten in their previous 20 meetings with Cesena in the top-flight (14 wins for the Partenopei and six draws).
The last five meetings at the Manuzzi between these two sides have produced only two goals: three goalless draws and two 1-0 wins for the guests.
Cesena have won their two home games of this capaign against AC Milan and Lecce, without conceding a single goal.
Napoli have lost only one of their last seven away games in the league, three wins and as many draws complete the record.
Napoli are the only Serie A side to have taken the lead in each of the four match-days of this campaign; though, they have won only once, losing seven points from leading positions (a Serie A high).
Walter Mazzarri's side have conceded five goals after the break - a league-joint high.






Chievo v Lazio
Chievo have managed only one win from their last nine meetings against Lazio in Serie A - four wins for the Biancocelesti and as many draws.
Chievo have not shared the points in their last 11 league games (five wins and six defeats).
Lazio have won four of their last five away games in Serie A, losing at Sampdoria in the opening game of the campaign.
Lazio have not kept a single clean sheet in their last 12 Serie A fixtures.
Chievo have been trailing three times so far in this campaign, and managed to come back and win twice, gaining six points from losing situations - a league-high.
Sergio Pellissier has already netted six goals against Lazio, five of which have come in his last four meetings against the Biancocelesti in the league.



Fiorentina v Parma
The record of previous meetings between these two sides is perfectly even: both sides have won 11 times, with 10 draws; Fiorentina have scored 40 goals, Parma 41.
However, Fiorentina have had the better in six of their last nine meetings with Parma.
At home, the Viola have beaten Parma in four of their last five Serie A meetings, but the Ducali had the better in their last trip to the Franchi (3-2 in November 2009).
Fiorentina are winless in their last 11 league fixtures between this and last season (five draws and six defeats).
Parma have conceded four goals so far in this campaign - all coming from the penalty spot.




Juventus v Cagliari
This will be the 61st meeting between these two sides in Serie A: Juve lead by 26 wins to 11, with 23 draws.
Cagliari have managed to beat Juventus away from home only twice in 30 meetings, losing 17 times in Turin.
Cagliari are alongside Inter as the only side still unbeaten in this campaign, however they have been held to three goalless draws so far; a 5-1 win against Roma completes the record.
That win against Roma was also Cagliari's only victory in their last 18 Serie A fixtures (nine draws and eight defeats in the process).
Away from home, the Sardinians are winless in 12 league games (seven defeats and five draws).
Cagliari boast the best defence of this competition, with only one goal conceded after the first four match-days.
Juventus share with Chievo and Inter the best attack of Serie A this term (eight goals scored).
Juventus have shipped three goals in each of their last three home games played in Serie A.




AC Milan v Genoa
AC Milan and Genoa have met 84 times in Serie A: the Rossoneri lead by 39 wins to 15, with 30 draws.
Genoa's last win against AC Milan at the San Siro was in May 1958 (1-5); since then, the hosts have had the better 14 times, sharing the points on five occasions.
The Rossoneri are unbeaten at home in their last 13 Serie A fixtures (eight wins and five draws), and have kept a clean sheet in each of the last four.
Genoa have managed only one win from their last five league games between this and last season, with two defeats and as many draws in the process.
Giampiero Gasperini's side have not scored more than a single goal in each of their last eight league games.
Giuseppe Sculli has already scored five goals against AC Milan in Serie A (including two last season), more than against any other opposition.




Palermo v Lecce
Palermo and Lecce have met six times in the top-flight so far: the Sicilians lead by three wins to two, with a draw completing the form.
At the Barbera, Palermo have a 100% record in three games against Lecce, and have scored 11 goals in the process.
Prior to their defeat against Inter last Sunday, Palermo were unbeaten at home in 26 league games, since March 2009.
Lecce have managed only one win in their last nine Serie A fixtures, with four draws and as many defeats.
The Giallorossi have picked-up only one point from their last 10 games on the road.




Roma v Internazionale
This will be the 155th meeting between these two sides in the league: Inter lead by 68 wins to 42, with 44 draws.
Roma have managed to beat Inter only once in their last six league meetings, in the last game at the Olimpico (2-1).
Prior to that defeat, the Nerazzurri had won three times in a row at Roma in the league.
Roma have drawn their first two games at home this season against Cesena (0-0) and Bologna (2-2).
Inter are unbeaten in their last five games on the road (three wins and two draws), and have conceded only one goal in the last four away from the San Siro.
Roma have picked-up only two points after the first four match-days, their worst start to a Serie A campaign since 1974/75.
Samuel Eto'o has netted four goals in the last two match-days of Serie A, and is currently the competition's top-scorer with five goals.


Sampdoria v Udinese
Sampdoria are unbeaten in their last five Serie A meetings with Udinese, in light of three wins (including two last season) and two draws.
At the Marassi, the hosts are unbeaten in six meetings with Udinese (three wins and as many draws).
Prior to their defeat last Sunday against Napoli, Sampdoria were unbeaten in the league at the Marassi in 29 games (18 wins and 11 draws).
Udinese are bottom of the table with zero points from the first four match-days of this campaign - this is their worst ever start to a Serie A season.
Sampdoria have failed to win in their last four competitive games in all competitions (three draws and a defeat).
Udinese have already conceded nine goals this term in Serie A - a league-high alongside Roma.

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25.-26. 09. 2010. Germany - Bundesliga preview

Bayern v Mainz
This will be the ninth time that Bayern will face FSV Mainz 05, Bayern have only lost once so far (six wins, one draw).
Bayern Munich have won all four of their home games against Mainz.
Bayern have never failed to score against Mainz and have managed to score two or more goals in seven of their previous eight meetings.
Mainz have won all six of their competitive matches this season (one in the DFB Cup).
Two of Bayern's four league goals so far this term have been scored in injury time.
Bayern haven't conceded a goal after the 55th minute so far.



Schalke v Mönchengladbach
The last encounter between these two sides was on April 17th this year when Schalke won 3-1 at home. This was Schalke's last home win.
For the first time since May 2009 Schalke have lost three home games in a row.
Gladbach have lost their last three games - the first time for a year (five defeats in a row).
Gladbach have only won one of their last 12 Bundesliga away games (eight defeats, three draws).
Gladbach have conceded in each of their last nine games - currently a joint league high with St. Pauli.
Schalke manager Felix Magath has never lost at home against Gladbach as a Bundesliga manager (seven wins, three draws).



Stuttgart v Leverkusen
VfB have scored four headed goals - more than any other side.
Whilst Bayer have won both games when leading, Stuttgart have lost all four games when trailing.
Bayer have kept 20 clean sheets against Stuttgart - more than against any other side.
Bayer have lost only one of their last eight Bundesliga games (three wins, four draws) - on matchday two a 3-6 defeat against Gladbach.
Leverkusen have not conceded a goal in the opening or final 15 minutes of their games.
In the last game against Frankfurt (2-1), Leverkusen's Arturo Vidal took his fourth penalty in competitive games this season, he has scored all of them.



Frankfurt v Nürnberg
Frankfurt have only won one of their last 10 league games (seven defeats, two draws) - 4-0 at Gladbach on matchday 3.
Nürnberg have only found the back of the net in the opening and final 15 minutes of their games. In the starting 15 minutes they have scored more goals than any other side (three).
Frankfurt manager Michael Skibbe has lost only one of his 10 Bundesliga encounters with Nürnberg - 2-3 at Nürnberg with Leverkusen in 2006.
Frankfurt's last win against Nürnberg dates back more than four years - a 1-0 away win in February 2006.
Frankfurt striker Theofanis Gekas has scored three goals in his last three games.
Nürnberg are currently the only side in the Bundesliga not to win any of their last six away games.



St. Pauli v Dortmund
Dortmund have scored 13 goals - more than any other side.
St. Pauli have conceded in each of their last nine games - currently a joint league high with Gladbach.
Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios has scored eight goals in nine competitive games this season.
St. Pauli have won only two of their 14 Bundesliga games against Dortmund (three draws, nine defeats).
St. Pauli's last win against Dortmund was in November 1989, 2-1.
Dortmund have won their last four Bundesliga games - the last time they managed this was between November 2009 and January 2010 when they won six games in a row.

Bremen v Hamburg
Hamburg's last game in Bremen was at the end of last season, when they drew 1-1. Pizarro drew level with Giovane Elber in the all-time scoring list, but has not scored since then.
Claudio Pizarro has scored more goals against HSV than any other club (12).
Both teams are without a win in three games (no BL team has gone longer) and lost derby games during the week (Werder 1-4 against Hannover and HSV against Wolfsburg).
Torsten Frings has converted his last 19 competitive penalties. The last time he missed was against Frank Rost for Dortmund against Schalke in January 2004.
Werder have conceded two goals in each of their three competitive home games.
HSV are one of four teams to have scored in every game. They are also one of five teams yet to keep a clean sheet.



Wolfsburg v Freiburg
The Wolves have won just one of their last 10 BL encounters with Freiburg (six defeats, three draws) - they pulled out a 4-0 win at home in 2003/04.
This matchup is scheduled for a Sunday for the third time in a row - both previous meetings resulted in a 1-0 victory for Freiburg.
The Wolves have shut out the opposition in only one of their last nine league matches - the 2-0 home win against Hannover.
Freiburg have won both of their away games so far this season (2-1 at Nürnberg and 1-0 at Frankfurt).
VfL's nine goals this season have all come from the "magic triangle" of Dzeko (5), Diego (2) and Grafite (2).
Freiburg have failed to score in only one of their last 16 fixtures - on match day 30 in the 4-0 defeat at Bremen.



Kaiserslautern v Hannover
Hannover 96 and 1. FC Kaiserslautern will clash for the 36th time in the Bundesliga this Sunday. So far, the record between the clubs is perfectly balanced, with either team having recorded 15 victories and six draws.
But Hannover have rarely had anything to celebrate when leaving Betzenberg - of 18 Bundesliga away fixtures there, 96 have only won two.
This match will be Hannover's 750th Bundesliga outing. A victory would leave them with 13 points - more than they've ever had after six games.
Kaiserslautern have only kept one clean sheet in their last 11 league games: when they defeated Bayern 2-0 at home.
Hannover's attack duo of Ya Konan and Abdellaoue have been directly involved in eight of 10 goals this season. Both strikers have scored three goals and managed one assist.
Erwin Hoffer (four goals) and Srdjan Lakic (five goals) have been responsible for nine of 11 competitive goals scored by FCK this season.

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25.-26. 09. 2010. France - Ligue 1 preview

Auxerre - Nancy
Nancy are unbeaten in their last three trips to Auxerre in the top flight, winning one and drawing two.
Auxerre are without a win after the opening six match days for the third time in their history (1981/82, 1986/87 and 2010/11).
Auxerre have won just one of their nine competitive matches this term, beating Zenit St Petersburg 2-0 in the Champions League qualifiers.
Both sides have yet to keep a clean sheet this season in the league.
Auxerre have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven league matches, their worst run since September 2006.
Nancy have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 10 league fixtures, currently the longest run in Ligue 1.
All points racked up by Nancy (seven) have been bagged on the road, the only team to have done so this season.
Auxerre have drawn their last five home games in the top flight, their longest ever run of consecutive draws at The Abbe Deschamps stadium.


Caen - Bordeaux
Caen have lost their last three league encounters against Bordeaux.
Bordeaux have lost 70% of their trips to Caen in the top flight (seven out of 10).
Bordeaux's last league title, in 2009, was conquered after a 1-0 win at Caen.
Bordeaux have won just one of their last 11 away games in the top flight, losing eight times and drawing twice and failing to keep a clean sheet in the last nine.
Caen have conceded twice as many goals at home (four) than on the road (two) this season in the league.
Youssef El Arabi has scored four of the seven goals netted by Caen this season in Ligue 1.
Caen's largest ever win in the top flight was against Bordeaux, 5-0 in November 2007.


Lorient - Monaco
Monaco are unbeaten in their last five league matches against Lorient, winning three times and drawing twice.
However they have failed to win their last five trips to the Moustoir stadium (three draws and two defeats).
Monaco are unbeaten in their last seven Ligue 1 games, currently the longest run, however six of these matches have been draws.
The last four Monaco away games in Ligue 1 have all produced a draw.
Lorient have beaten Monaco just twice in their 12 top-flight encounters.
Monaco have received a league-high 17 yellow cards this term.
All three goals netted by Daniel Niculae this season have opened the scoring.
Monaco defender Adriano Pereira has already scored two own-goals this season, only one player suffered the same fate during the whole of last season: Bostjan Cesar with Grenoble.
Lorient have lost a league-high five points from winning situations.


Marseille - Sochaux
Sochaux have scored a league-high 12 goals this season, Marseille have scored 11.
Marseille have scored in each of their last 14 home games in the league, currently the longest run.
Sochaux are one of three Ligue 1 teams who have yet to pick up an away point this term.
Sochaux have conceded a league-high three goals in the opening 15 minutes of their games.
Andre-Pierre Gignac has scored six goals against Sochaux in Ligue 1, his favourite opponent alongside Nantes.
None of the last eight Ligue 1 encounters between these sides has ended in a draw, each side winning on four occasions.
Sochaux have lost seven of their last 10 trips to Marseille in Ligue 1.
This will be the Didier Deschamps' 200th Ligue 1 match as a manager.


Montpellier - Arles-Avignon
Montpellier have lost their last two league matches, their worst run in the top flight this calendar year.
Montpellier have netted just three goals this season, only Arles-Avignon have scored fewer (two).
Arles-Avignon have lost all of their six matches, if they lose again, they will set the record of worst ever start of a season by a team making their top-flight debut.
Arles-Avignon have failed to score in the last three match days, currently the longest run.
Montpellier won all of their four league games against promoted sides last term, without conceding a single goal.
Olivier Giroud scored five goals in two appearances against Arles-Avignon last season in the second division.


Nice - Rennes
Rennes are unbeaten in their last eight league meetings against Nice, winning three and drawing five.
Rennes have scored in their last 11 trips to Nice in the top flight.
Nice are unbeaten at home in Ligue 1 since Eric Roy is their manager: three wins and six draws.
Like last season, Rennes have picked up 12 points after six match days, their highest ever tally at this stage of the competition since the introduction of the three-points rule in 1994/95.
Rennes have conceded a league-low two goals this term.
Rennes are the only side in Ligue 1 who have yet to concede an away goal this season.
Victor Montaño is the second all-time Colombian top scorer in the French league, with 15 goals, only Victor Bonilla netted more (17 between 2000 and 2003).


Lyon - St Etienne
This is the 100th official derby between Olympique Lyonnais and St Etienne.
Lyon are unbeaten in their last 20 league derbies against St Etienne, winning 11 and drawing nine.
The last time St Etienne won the Rhône derby in Ligue 1 was in April 1994.
St Etienne have won three Ligue 1 matches in a row, their longest winning streak since April 2008.
Lyon have picked just five points after six match days, their worst start of a season since 1995/96.
Ligue 1 top scorer Dimitri Payet has scored six goals this term, his most prolific season ever.
Lyon are the only Ligue 1 side who have yet to score a second-half goal this season.
Lyon have netted exactly one goal in each of their last six league matches against St Etienne.
Yoann Gourcuff has failed to win in his last eight Ligue 1 starts.


Brest - Valenciennes
Brest have kept a clean sheet in their last three league matches, equalling their all-time record set in November 1989.
The four Ligue 1 matches between Brest and Valenciennes, all between 1979 and 1982, have produced 19 goals in total.
Valenciennes are one of three Ligue 1 sides who have yet to find the net in the first half of games this term.
Brest have drawn their two home games in the league this season.
Four of the seven competitive games involving Valenciennes this season have ended 1-1.
Valenciennes have drawn their last six away games in Ligue 1, equalling their all-time record, established in March 2009.


Toulouse - Lille
Lille are unbeaten in their last five league encounters against Toulouse, winning twice and drawing on three occasions.
Lille are one of three unbeaten teams so far this season in Ligue 1.
The last time Lille conceded more than one goal on a trip to Toulouse in Ligue 1 was in 1991.
Toulouse have picked up 13 points, their best start of a season since 2006/07, when they finished third.
57% of the goals netted by Lille this season have come after the 75th minute (four out of seven).
Lille are the only Ligue 1 team that managed to score four goals in an away match this season (beating Lens 4-1 at the Felix Bollaert stadium).
Pierre-Alain Frau has netted 75 goals in the top flight, amongst currently active Ligue 1 players, only two have scored more.
Rudi Garcia has never lost against Toulouse as a Ligue 1 manager, winning once and drawing on five occasions.


Lens - Paris SG
PSG are unbeaten in their last five league matches against Lens in Ligue 1 (two wins and three draws).
PSG have scored 112 goals against Lens in the top flight, more than versus any other side.
Four of the last five league meetings between these two clubs at the Felix Bollaert stadium have produced a draw.
All six goals netted by Razak Boukari during his Ligue 1 career have come before match day 14.
Peguy Luyindula is the only Ligue 1 player that has made a substitute appearance in all six match days this season.
Lens are one of two Ligue 1 teams who have managed to score in all six match days this term.
Antoine Kombouare has never beaten Lens during his career as a Ligue 1 manager, losing five times and drawing on four occasions.

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