Spanish La Liga Opta Facts 15-16 January

Statistics and facts to help your football betting are available every week at Sta Sam Ti Reko  courtesy of Opta Sportsdata, Europe's leading provider of sports performance statistics.


Almeria v Real Madrid
The Merengues have won four of their six matches against Almeria in the Spanish top flight.
However they have only managed one victory in three league matches at the Estadio del Mediterráneo.
Almeria are only the seventh side to fail to win in their first eight home games of a season in the Spanish top flight.
On eight of the 10 occasions that Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in the league this season, he has gone to score again in the same match.
Real Madrid have won 12 of their last 13 league games.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored eight goals in Real´s last five league games.
Real Madrid have won the last 13 league matches when Kaká has been playing, scoring an average of 3.5 goals per game.
Diego Alves is the only goalkeeper to have saved more than one penalty in La Liga this season.
José Mourinho´s side have conceded the fewest goals from set pieces in the Spanish top flight this season (three).



Athletic Bilbao v Racing Santander
Athletic have won their last three league games against Racing.
Racing have won only one of their last 15 league matches at San Mamés.
Bilbao have won five of their last six matches at home in Liga BBVA, though lost their last game against Deportivo.
Only Lionel Messi (11) has scored in more Liga BBVA matches than Fernando Llorente (10) this season.
Racing have drawn their last three league games.
Racing have had more shots than 11 sides in Liga BBVA this season (189), but are still the division´s lowest scorers (14 goals).
Los montañeses have failed to score with all three of their penalties this season in the league.
Bilbao are the only side apart from Real Madrid to have scored with more than one direct free kick this season (three each).
Fernando Llorente has scored seven headed goals this season, the most in Liga BBVA.



Atletico Madrid v Mallorca
Diego Forlán scored in both league meetings with Mallorca last season.
Los Colchoneros have won only one of their last 10 games against Mallorca in the league.
However they have lost only one of the last nine at the Vicente Calderón.
Mallorca have lost three of their last four away matches in Liga BBVA.
Los Bermellones have used only 44 substitutes this season, five fewer than any other side in Primera.
Mallorca have conceded the joint-fewest headed goals in La Liga this season (one).
No side has scored more goals in La Liga in 2011 than Mallorca (seven).
Prior to last night, the last time Atlético conceded four goals in a league match was against Mallorca in March.
Atlético have conceded the most goals from outside the box in La Liga this season (seven).



Barcelona v Malaga
Barcelona have scored an average of three goals per game in their last nine league meetings with Málaga.
The Blaugrana have won 17 of their last 18 top-flight encounters at home to Málaga, conceding eight goals and scoring 50.
David Villa has scored four goals in his last four appearances against Málaga in the league.
This match sees the league´s best attack (Barcelona - 57 goals), meet its worst defence (Málaga - 37 goals conceded).
Pedro has scored nine goals in Barca´s last nine league games.
Victory in this match would see Barcelona surpass Real Madrid´s run of 12 straight league wins from last season.
Barcelona have the best shot conversion rate in the league this season (22.7%: 4.4% higher than Real Madrid).
No side has scored more goals from corners and indirect free kicks than Málaga this season in the league (nine).



Getafe v Real Sociedad
Getafe have won all three of their matches at home to Real Sociedad in the Spanish top flight.
Juan Ángel Albín has scored in Getafe´s last two matches at home in the league.
Getafe have conceded three goals in both home games in all competitions in 2010.
Real Sociedad are on a run of four straight league defeats, shipping 12 goals in this run.
Xabi Prieto has scored or assisted six of Real Sociedad´s last 10 league goals.
Real Sociedad have made the most crosses in the Spanish top flight this season (460).
Erreala have conceded the most second-half goals in La Liga this season.
Real Sociedad have dropped 17 points in matches where they have scored first in the league this season (the most).
Getafe have dropped just two points in matches where they have scored first: only Real Madrid (0) have dropped fewer.

Real Zaragoza v Levante
Levante won their last meeting with Real Zaragoza in the Spanish top flight: their first in 10 encounters.
Los Blanquillos have never lost at home to Levante in the Primera, averaging 3.2 goals per game.
Real Zaragoza have won just one of their last eight league games.
Levante have scored exactly once in eight of their nine away games in the league this season.
Levante have lost three consecutive league games for the third time this season.
Los Granotes have averaged just 41.6% possession in matches this season, the lowest in Liga BBVA.
Felipe Caicedo has scored five of Levante´s last nine league goals.
Levante are the only side in Liga BBVA who have scored more than half of their goals with the left foot (10/19).



Sevilla v Espanyol
Sevilla failed to score in both league meetings with Espanyol last season.
Los Periquitos have won on just one of their last nine league visits to Sevilla.
Osvaldo scored twice in the last meeting between the sides, and has been involved in seven goals in Espanyol´s last seven league games (goal or assist).
No side has a greater disparity between points won at home (24) and away (seven) than Espanyol in Liga BBVA this season.
Sevilla have won their last two league matches: they have not won three in a row since November 2009.
Espanyol have won only one of their last five league away matches.
Los Nervionenses have completed a higher proportion of their dribbles (52%) than any side in Liga BBVA this season.
Frédéric Kanouté has scored five of Sevilla last six goals in La Liga.
Espanyol are yet to concede a goal in the opening 15 minutes of matches this season, but have shipped the most goals in the final 15 minutes (11).



Sporting Gijon v Hercules
Sporting have won four of their last five matches against Hércules in the Spanish top flight, though the last meeting was in 1997.
Sporting Gijón are without a win in their last 11 league matches, failing to score more than once in any of these games.
Málaga and Xerez were the only two sides to go 12 games without a win in Liga BBVA last season.
Hércules have failed to score in their last five away matches in the league.
Sporting Gijón have received 69 yellow cards in La Liga this season, the most.
Sporting Gijón are the only Liga BBVA side yet to score from outside the box this season.
David Trezeguet is yet to score away from home in the Spanish top flight.
Los rojiblancos have dropped more points after scoring first at home than any side in Liga BBVA this season (10).



Valencia v Deportivo La Coruna
Deportivo La Coruña are without a win in their last 10 league meetings with Los Che.
Five of Valencia´s last seven league goals against Depor were scored by David Villa (now at Barcelona).
Los Che are unbeaten in their last five league games at home.
Deportivo have failed to find the net in six of their nine away games in Primera this season.
Valencia have won their last three league matches, all thanks to a goal scored in the final 10 minutes.
Depor´s only away win in the league this season came in the Comunitat Valenciana, 1-0 at Levante.
No side has scored fewer goals in the second half of Liga BBVA matches this season than Valencia (nine).
Deportivo are the only Liga BBVA side not to have conceded a goal to a penalty this season.



Villarreal v Osasuna
Villarreal are without a win in their last six league meetings with Osasuna.
Osasuna are unbeaten in their last four league visits to El Madrigal.
Osasuna´s matches have produced only 36 goals this season, the fewest in Liga BBVA.
Villarreal have taken 25 points from the 27 available at home in the league this season.
The Yellow Submarine has conceded just three goals at home in the league this season, fewer than any other side.
Osasuna have failed to score in five of their last six league games, and in seven of their nine on the road this season.
Osasuna are unbeaten against sides from the Comunitat Valenciana this season (two draws, one win).
Only Barcelona have made more passes in the Spanish top flight than Villarreal this season (8686).
Giuseppe Rossi has been involved in more goals than any player outside of Real Madrid and Barcelona (nine goals, five assists).

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Italian Serie A Opta Facts 15th - 16th January

Statistics and facts to help your football betting are available every week at Sta Sam Ti Reko courtesy of Opta Sportsdata, Europe's leading provider of sports performance statistics.

Brescia v Parma
Parma have won 11 of their 17 meetings against Brescia in the top-flight, including the last two.
Brescia have won just one of their last 11 clashes with Parma, in the last meetings between the sides at the Rigamonti in October 2004 (3-1).
Brescia have lost three consecutive league games and managed just one win over the last 15 match-days of this campaign.
Brescia have already lost 12 games in Serie A, more than any other side so far.
Last Sunday against Fiorentina, Brescia scored more than once (two) for the first time in 15 games.
Parma have won two and lost three of their last five league games on the road.
Brescia are the only Serie A side yet to score with a header this season.



Cagliari v Palermo
Cagliari have beaten Palermo only once in their last seven Serie A meetings; the Sicilians came out on top four times, and two draws complete the record.
These two sides have shared the points in their last two meetings in the league.
At the Sant'Elia, the Sardinians have lost only once against Palermo in Serie A, winning five times and drawing three.
Cagliari have not shared the points in the last nine match-days of this competition (four wins and five defeats).
At home, the Sardinians have not drawn any of their last seven fixtures, winning on three occasions.
Palermo have lost only one of their last eight games in Serie A (0-1 at the San Paolo against Napoli).
Away from home, however, the Rosanero have managed to take all three points only once in the last six games, losing three times and sharing the points twice.
Pastore & co. have scored only one goal in their last three games on the road.
Cagliari have already scored five goals in the opening 15 minutes of play, more than any other Serie A side this season.
Since former Italy manager Roberto Donadoni has been in charge, Cagliari have picked up 12 points from seven games, and would be fifth in the Serie A table, three points from top.





Catania v Chievo
Catania are unbeaten in their last four meetings with Chievo in Serie A (two wins and two draws).
The Sicilians have scored in each of their seven previous games with Chievo, though they have netted more than one only once, back in May 2007.
Catania have lost four of their last five fixtures in this competition, winning the other against Brescia (1-0).
Chievo are winless in their last six games, and have managed only one win in the last 11 match-days of Serie A.
Chievo have now not won away from home in seven games (five defeats and two draws).
Five of Catania's last six goals in the league have been scored by Argentinean players (Maxi López, Silvestre and Gómez), the other by Japanese Morimoto.
Stefano Sorrentino has made the most saves in Serie A this season (79).




Cesena v Roma
Roma are unbeaten against Cesena in their last 11 league meetings: five wins for the Giallorossi and six draws.
Cesena have failed to score in seven of these 11 games, netting exactly one in each of the other four.
At home Cesena have never lost against Roma in Serie A in 10 games, however eight of these meetings at the Dino Manuzzi ended as draws.
Roma have never scored more than one goal in any of their previous visits to Cesena's ground in the league.
Cesena have picked up seven points from their last three league games.
Roma have won only two games away from home this season, losing five times.
Cesena have lost all nine of the games they fell behind in this season.
The attacking pair of Vucinic and Borriello have scored all of Roma's last six goals in the league (three each).




Genoa v Udinese
Genoa have lost only one of their last 10 meetings with Udinese in the league, winning eight. The Grifoni have come out on top in the last five occasions they hosted Udinese at the Marassi, keeping four clean sheets in the process.
Genoa have failed to score in five of their last six league games.
Only one goal was scored in the last three Serie A games involving Genoa.
Genoa have won only one of their last five games at home, losing three of them.
Last Sunday's 4-4 draw against AC Milan ended a run of four consecutive defeats away from home for Udinese.
Genoa have conceded only 15 goals this season in Serie A, currently the best defence of this competition.
Antonio Di Natale has scored 11 of Udinese's last 18 goals in this campaign.
Overall, Di Natale has netted 13 in Serie A this season, currently the joint-most alongside Edison Cavani.




Inter Milan v Bologna
This will be the 130th meeting between these two sides in Serie A: the Nerazzurri lead by 61 wins to 37, with 31 draws.
Inter are unbeaten against Bologna in their last 11 Serie A meetings: nine wins and two draws, including in the reverse fixture at the Dall’Ara (0-0).
Inter are unbeaten at home against Bologna since 1997/98; since then, they have notched up seven wins and two draws against the Felsinei at the San Siro.
Inter may have won their last two games against Napoli and Catania, but they had won only one of their previous six fixtures prior to Leonardo’s appointment.
Bologna have lost only one of their last six fixtures in Serie A.
Away from home, Bologna have taken seven points from their last three games, without conceding a single goal.
Inter have gained the most points from losing situations this season (11), including three points having been 1-0 down against Catania last Sunday.
Marco Di Vaio has scored in each of the six games won by Bologna so far in this campaign.




Juventus v Bari
This will be the 60th meeting between these two sides in Serie A: the Old Lady currently lead by 36 wins to seven.
However, Bari came on top in two of their last three meetings with Juventus, including the 1-0 in the reverse fixture at the San Nicola.
At home the Bianconeri have never lost against Bari in Serie A (24 wins and five draws).
Juventus haven’t won any of their last three matches (one draw and two defeats).
The last time Juve conceded more than six goals over two consecutive games in Serie A was in November 1998.
Juventus have already conceded 16 goals at home this season, more than any other Serie A side.
Bari have managed only one win in the last 14 match-days of Serie A.
Prior to their win in the derby against Lecce, Bari had not won away from home since last March.
Bari have the worst attack of this competition (only 12 goals scored so far).
The side from Puglia have won only three games so far this season, fewer than any other side.




Lazio v Sampdoria
Sampdoria are unbeaten in their last four meetings against Lazio in Serie A (three wins and a draw).
However, at the Olimpico Lazio are unbeaten in the last five occasions they received Sampdoria (four wins for the hosts and last season's 1-1 draw).
Lazio have won only one of their last four Serie A games,
Sampdoria have lost three of their last four games on the road.
Sampdoria have drawn the most games in this competition so far (eight).
Lazio have won each of the 10 games in which they have taken the lead in this campaign.
Sampdoria's goals this season have been scored by only five different players, the fewest amongst Serie A teams.



Lecce v Milan
Lecce have won only one of their last 16 meetings against AC Milan, with the Rossoneri victorious eight times in the process.
However, at home Lecce are unbeaten in four against Milan in Serie A (one win and three draws for the hosts).
Lecce have not shared the points in the last eight match-days of this competition (two wins and six defeats).
Lecce have lost three of their last four Serie A games.
AC Milan have lost only once in their last 10 Serie A games (0-1 at home against Roma).
After losing their first game on the road of the season, the Rossoneri have remained unbeaten in the ensuing eight games away from home in the league.
AC Milan boast the best attack of this competition (34 goals in 19 games).
Lecce, on the other hand, have the worst defence (36 goals conceded, 13 of which in the final 15 minutes of play).
20 of AC Milan's 40 points this season came away from home, the most in Serie A so far.
Antonio Cassano has already assisted three goals in his first 37 minutes played as a sub for AC Milan against Cagliari and Udinese.



Napoli v Fiorentina
Napoli have won only one of their last four meetings against Fiorentina in the league, while the Viola won two.
Prior to last season's defeat (1-3), the Partenopei had won three consecutive games against Fiorentina at the San Paolo.
Napoli have won four of their last five Serie A games; a 3-1 defeat against Inter at the San Siro completes the record.
Napoli have not conceded a single goal in each of these four wins.
Napoli have won their last six home games in all competitions (five in Serie A and one in Europa League), conceding only one goal in the process.
Fiorentina's last away win in the league was back in March, at Napoli's ground (3-1).
Napoli have scored the most headed goals so far in this competition: eight (including Cavani's three last Sunday against Juventus).
Overall, the Uruguayan striker has netted 20 goals in all competitions this season: 13 in Serie A (joint-most alongside Di Natale) and seven in Europa League (including play-off stage).

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German Bundesliga Opta Facts - 15th-17th January

Statistics and facts to help your football betting are available every week at Sta Sam Ti Reko courtesy of Opta Sportsdata, Europe's leading provider of sports performance statistics.

Leverkusen v Dortmund
Since losing 3-6 to Gladbach in the second game of the season, Bayer have lost just once in 22 games (0-1 to Mainz).
Leverkusen won only three of their nine Bundesliga home games before the winter break (four draws, two losses). Only last-place Gladbach conceded more goals at home than Leverkusen.
Leverkusen have won none of their last three home games against Dortmund (two draws, one loss).
Dortmund have lost only one of the last seven games against Leverkusen (three wins, three draws) - the last one coming on the opening day of this season (0-2).
Dortmund are the first team ever to win their first eight away games of a season - however they lost their last away match before the winter break (0-1 in Frankfurt).
Dortmund lost only two league matches before the winter break (14 wins, one draw), one of those being the first meeting with Leverkusen (0-2) on the opening day.



Bremen v Hoffenheim
Bremen have only lost one of their six meetings with Hoffenheim in all competitions - this was the last time they met when 1899 Hoffenheim won 4-1 against Werder.
Werder have not been able to score in five of their last seven matches in the Bundesliga.
Bremen have only won one of their last eight games (five defeats), when they beat St.Pauli 3-0 on the road on the 14th matchday.
Hoffenheim have drawn their last four league matches - another draw would mean the longest run of its kind in the club's history since five consecutive draws in February/March 2009.
Hoffenheim have managed to win only one of their last eight away games.
Hoffenheim have netted eight goals in five league meetings against Werder despite failing to score in three of these matches.



Wolfsburg v Bayern
FC Bayern have won 20 of their previous 27 matches against VfL Wolfsburg (three defeats).
The Munich side have won six of the last eight meetings (one draw) and suffered their only defeat in the last four years in the season that Wolfsburg won the championship (1-5 in April 2009).
Bayern have suffered as many defeats in the first round (four) as they did in last season; it was their worst first leg in 16 years.
VfL have been held to a draw in each of their last six matches - only three teams have reached longer streaks of this kind in Bundesliga history: Nürnberg (2006/07) and FC Saarbrücken (1992/93) both managed seven and Waldhof Mannheim (1984/85) at eight.
FC Bayern have only lost one of their last 10 league outings (six wins, three draws) - they were defeated 0-2 at Schalke in week 15.
Wolfsburg have won only one of their last 11 league games (seven draws, three losses).



Stuttgart v Mainz
Stuttgart have won none of their last six league matches (four defeats, two draws) since they beat Bremen 6-0 on November 7.
Stuttgart have won none of their last three home matches, losing two of those.
Stuttgart have lost all of their matches this season against the current top five clubs.
Mainz won six of their first eight away games this season (two losses), scoring 18 points - already four more points than they won away from home in the entire of last season.
Mainz have won only one of their nine Bundesliga meetings with Stuttgart (five wins, three draws).
Mainz have scored two goals less (30) than Stuttgart (32), but have won 21 more points (33) than their hosts (12).



Nürnberg v Gladbach
Nürnberg have won only one of their last six league matches, losing four (one draw).
Nürnberg have won five of their last seven home matches (two losses).
Nürnberg have won their last three home matches against Gladbach.
Gladbach have won only one of their last seven meetings with Nürnberg away from home, losing four (two draws).
Gladbach celebrated their only two victories before the winter break away from home, scoring 10 goals in those two wins. Their away goals total is surpassed only by the top three teams.
Gladbach have lost their last five league matches.



St.Pauli v Freiburg
St. Pauli have won only one of their last nine league matches, losing seven (one draw).
St. Pauli have lost three of their last five home games (one win, one draw).
St. Pauli won their autumn meeting in Freiburg 3-1.
Freiburg have never won a Bundesliga match at St. Pauli (one draw, two losses).
Freiburg have won only one of their last six away matches, losing four (one draw).
Freiburg have won four of their last seven league matches (one draw, two losses).



Schalke v Hamburg
Schalke have won four of their last five league games, including three successive victories just before the winter break.
Schalke have won their last four home games.
Schalke haven't won any of their last five Bundesliga games against HSV (two defeats, three draws).
Hamburg are unbeaten in their last six visits to Schalke, winning four of those meetings (two draws).
Hamburg have lost four of their last six league games (two wins).
Away from home, Hamburg have lost four of their last five league games (one win).



Frankfurt v Hannover
Frankfurt have lost four of their last six league games (two wins).
Frankfurt have won three of their last four home games in the Bundesliga (one loss).
Frankfurt are unbeaten in their last four home games against Hannover, winning three (one draw) and conceding only one goal.
In the last 25 years, Hannover have won just one of eight away games at Frankfurt (three draws, four losses).
Hannover have won two of their last three away games (one loss), and four of eight before the winter break (four losses).
Hannover have won five of their last six league games, losing only the last one before the winter break.



Kaiserslautern v Köln
Kaiserslautern have won more games (35) and scored more goals (139) against Köln than against any other club in the Bundesliga.
Köln won their last Bundesliga game against Kaiserslautern on December 16th 1989 when they were managed by Christoph Daum. They have lost 18 times and been held to five draws since then.
Lautern have only lost three home games against Köln - but have won 22 (13 draws).
FC Kaiserslautern haven't lost any of their last four home games (two wins, two draws) but have only won three home games this season - just as many games as away from home.
All four of Köln's victories this season have been by one goal.
Köln have won only one away game this season (one draw, eight losses). They have lost their last two away games and conceded three goals in both of them.

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15.-16.01.2011. Bets of the week

15.01.2011(Saturday) 

15:30 Stuttgart - Mainz 05

The Bundesliga is back, and it’s gonna bring us many goals as usual. Amazingly, second from bottom Stuttgart, possess the best scoring record at home in the whole league – 22 in 9 games. That is largely down to their amazing thrashings of Monchengladbach (7-0) and Bremen (6-0), but Bruno Labbadia’s arrival will make things even more entetaining.

In his 3 first games in charge, all at home, no less than 33 goals were scored (5-1 over Odense in Europa League, and then 3-5 and 3-6 reverses against Bayern Munich in the league and in the DFB Cup). On Saturday they are playing Mainz, still in second place, whose away record is extraordinary, and they score goals at will, including 4-2 win at St Pauli in the last game in 2010. Over 2.5 goals at 1.90 is a somewhat bizarre line, and it’s not a bad idea to push it up.

Match Odds: Stuttgart 1.95, Draw 3.50, Mainz 3.75

Tip: Over 4.5 goals @ 5.95

18:00 Villarreal - Osasuna 

Third-placed Villarreal have a formidable record at El Madrigal. They have been in the lead at half-time in all bar one of their home games this season. Saturday’s opponents are 15th placed Osasuna who have not won in six Primera Division matches.

This week there is even more bias towards this bet, as Osasuna has the worst away record in the league, having not won on the road and having lost seven out of nine away games. Los Rojillo has only mustered four away goals this campaign (three in one match against Valencia) and only one of these has appeared before the break.

Match Odds: Villarreal 1.44, Draw 4.20, Osasuna 7.50

Tip: Villarreal Half Time @ 2.05

20:00 Athletic Bilbao - Racing Santander 

Athletic Bilbao let me down a couple weeks ago at home to Deportivo La Coruna in a 2-1 reverse. The scoreline did not tell the whole story as Bilbao dominated the game and spurned many opportunities. Since then Bilbao have drawn at home to Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey and got a late point at Malaga.

Bilbao are most effective at San Mames and have been a profitable favourite of mine in La Liga as bookmakers tend to underestimate them. They face a Racing Santander side that has lost eight out of 11 matches on the road this season in all competitions and have failed to score more than one goal in any away match they have played. San Mames is not a place for the faint hearted and I expect a home victory here.

Match Odds: Athletic Bilbao 1.73, Draw 3.60, Racing Santander 4.75

Tip: Athletic Bilbao to win @ 1.73 

16.01.2011. (Sunday) 

13:00 Sunderland - Newcastle United

Sunderland will be desperate to avenge that humiliating 5-1 Halloween defeat earlier in the season at St James Park. Steve Bruce's team currently have an outstanding home record having only lost once and conceded a miserly seven goals.

Newcastle on the other hand are proving to be one of the most unpredictable teams in the league away wins at Arsenal and Chelsea (albeit League Cup) but then dumped out of the FA Cup at Stevenage.

However, this is a very volatile derby and as they say “form can go out the window” it should also be noted that Newcastle have scored on their last 11 visits to their closest rivals.

Match Odds: Sunderland 2.15, Draw 3.25, Newcastle 3.50

Tips: Back over 2.5 goals @ 2.0/ Back Sunderland Correct Score 3-1 @ 17.0

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15-01-2011 22:00 Sevilla - Espanyol

Rejuvenated By The Break

Not too many sides emerge from El Madrigal undefeated, but Sevilla achieved that feat on Wednesday evening, earning an impressive 3-3 draw with Villarreal. It may only have been a Copa del Rey encounter, but given the struggles of Sevilla, that result will have given Gregorio Manzano’s side a good deal of confidence ahead of an important match against Espanyol.

The former Mallorca coach was keen to downplay the result, which was earned thanks to a late effort from central defender Alexis. “There is nothing gained by both sides, but the result can now be claimed at home in front of our fans next week,” Manzano told the press after the game. “Our aim now is to tighten our defence, as we have conceded too many goals.”

It’s not difficult to find reasons for the coach’s reluctance to celebrate the draw, given the miserable five match losing streak that Sevilla suffered in the lead-up to Christmas. But 2011 seems to have brought something of a new dawn for the Andalucians, who have won both of their league matches, including a tricky away tie against Real Sociedad.

Even off the back of all these positive results, los Nervionenses still don’t look especially convincing, but their recent achievements cannot be questioned and they are looking a far strong team than they did before the recess in the season. Three points against an Espanyol side fifth in the standings would really help to kick-start their campaign.

Home Pluses, Away Minuses

After losing three games over the Christmas period, including a derby encounter against Barcelona, Espanyol bounced back impressively, thoroughly outplaying bottom club Zaragoza at the Cornella-El Prat to earn a resounding 4-0 victory. The Aragon side were blown away by three first half goals, but the joy of this win was quickly tempered by news of an injury to ace striker Pablo Osvaldo, who will miss two months of action.

“I’m more pleased with the performance of the team than with the result,” coach Mauricio Pochettino told the media post-match on Sunday. “We have made a great collective effort with the ball and without it.”

Unexpectedly riding high in sixth place in the standings, the success of Pochettino’s side has been almost wholly based upon a remarkable home record. With the exception of that loss to Barca, los Periquitos have been flawless at their base, but they’ve been poor away from home. In nine road games, they’ve earned only seven points, which is not a tally befitting of a team chasing Champions League football.

Since suffering big losses against Villarreal and Real Madrid early in the season, both of which were unflattering towards the Catalan club, defeats on their travels have tended to be tight. Athletic Bilbao required a late goal to down Espanyol prior to Christmas, and there was a frustrating repetition of that script against Valencia a fortnight ago.

If the Barcelona club can keep going right to the very end, defeat is not inevitable.

TEAM NEWS

Sevilla

Luis Fabiano has been training apart from the squad since the Copa del Rey match in midweek, but he’s looking good for a place in the squad at the weekend. Andres Palop and Federico Fazio are both making good progress in their recoveries from injury, while Ivica Dragutinovic and Sergio Sanchez are said to be looking almost at prime condition.

Espanyol

Pablo Osvaldo has undergone adductor surgery in Argentine but is not forecast to be back for eight weeks. David Garcia, Javi Lopez and David Lopez are all closing in on action, though they will be checked thoroughly before the weekend.

Ivan de la Pena, Ernesto Galan and Felipe Mattioni are long standing injury issues.

 

Prediction

Though league position would suggest otherwise, this is a match that Sevilla must be strongly expected to win. Espanyol have been poor on their travels and will be without their chief goal scorer on Saturday, whereas their hosts have been on something of a hot streak. In recent times, however, los Nervionenses have specialised in slipping up just when they seemed to have finally got things together.

Sevilla 2-1 Espanyol

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16-01-2011 21:00 Olympique Marseille - Girondins Bordeaux

Struggling With Winter Blues

Favourites to defend their Ligue 1 title at the start of the season, Olympique de Marseille’s challenge hangs in the balance as 2010 becomes 2011. Didier Deschamps’ men started well enough, but December proved to be a difficult month for les Phoceens, and they approach their opening Championnat encounter of January with no wins in their last six domestic matches.

On four occasions OM have been held to draws in that run, and it is the two defeats that will disappoint Deschamps the most. Firstly, OM were the victims of what the French term a ‘hold-up’ when they were beaten by local rivals Nice in December, but there was certainly nothing lucky about Evian’s impressive 3-1 success over les Phoceens last weekend in the Coupe de France.

“It was not all bad things, especially the first half where we had quite a few chances. But we found ourselves 2-0 down. Evian took their chances, while we lacked aggressiveness,” Deschamps lamented after defeat in Savoy last weekend.

Excusing his side due to the fact that their legs were still heavy from an intense mid-season training camp, ‘DD’ did not seem particularly perturbed by the loss. If the cup was indeed being used as a warm-up event, however, there should be a distinct improvement in OM’s performance come Sunday night.

Bitter Encounter

There is no love lost on the part of Bordeaux towards Marseille. Since claiming the Ligue 1 title in 2009, les Girondins have been the subject of raids from the Stade Velodrome, much to the chagrin of president Jean-Louis Triaud, who saw Souleymane Diawara engineer a switch away from the erstwhile champions before OM came back for Alou Diarra last summer only to be firmly rebuffed.

After a 2010, Bordeaux are still trying to build their team up to the level of les Phoceens’. Key players such as Marouane Chamakh and Yoann Gourcuff have both departed the banks of the Gironde, and have not suitably been replaced. It’s been the lack of scoring power that has most concerned coach Jean Tigana.

Anthony Modeste has scored, but has played in an erratic fashion, while fellow youngster Cheikh Diabate has shown some nice touches but isn’t yet ready for the kind of responsibility required by les Marine et Blanc. Using some of the money accrued from the sale of Gourcuff this summer, Bordeaux are trying to broker a move for either Lorient’s Kevin Gameiro or Panathinaikos’ Djibril Cisse.

Until they get a regular scorer, Bordeaux cannot hope to compete for the league title, but they have shown that in one-off encounters against their big rivals they can still perform well. Paris Saint-Germain have been beaten at the Parc des Princes, while Olympique Lyonnais were defeated at the Chaban-Delmas. Even champions Marseille have been unable to overcome les Girondins this term, drawing 1-1 in August, and another such result would be a satisfactory outcome for a side with European expectations.

TEAM NEWS

Marseille

Edouard Cisse and Rod Fanni were both left out of OM’s squad as a precautionary measure last weekend, but both will return for Sunday’s clash.

Hilton and Cesar Azpilicueta continue to miss out.

Bordeaux

Jean Tigana is close to having a full complement of players to select form, though there are still issues in his defence. Marc Planus, Henrique and Matthieu Chalme are all missing, which means the Sane brothers, Ludovic and Salif, could both start in the rearguard once again.

Prediction

Marseille boast the better side on paper, but their recent form has been distinctly uncertain. Didier Deschamps’ will be desperate for his side to start moving forward again in a meaningful fashion, but a draw against a Bordeaux team who have specialised in playing France’s elite this season seems a more probable outcome.

Marseille 1-1 Bordeaux

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15-01-2011 20:45 Inter - Bologna

Turnaround In Fortune

There were suggestions in recent days that Inter had tried to appoint Leonardo as their coach in the summer. How they must now wish that they could have done so instead of appointing the disaster termed Rafael Benitez. Three wins in a row have put the Beneamata back into form and back into dreaming dreams of success.

The 3-1 victory over Napoli at San Siro at the start of the new year marked the debut of Leonardo as the Inter tactician and that was followed by a hard-fought but encouraging 2-1 defeat of Catania in Sicily. Then in midweek the Nerazzurri defeated Genoa 3-2 in Milan in the Coppa Italia to carve their way into the quarter-finals, thereby sustaining hopes of a second successive treble.

With 29 points from 17 matches, Inter are outside the top-six and 11 points behind leaders and arch-rivals Milan but if they win their two games in hand, then they will trim the gap to just five points. Inter have a sensational form at San Siro, having lost just once in the league all season, and will head into their encounter against Bologna as firm favourites.

Messy Situation

Bologna would have started the weekend six points above the relegation zone but on Thursday evening it was announced that the Felsinei were docked two points for failing to pay the players their salaries between June and September. Alberto Malesani's side had already been metted out a one-point deduction in December for the same reason and were punished yet again.

Which means that Bologna now have just 22 points from 19 matches and are in 15th spot in the league table, just four points above the relegation zone. This is serious danger for a side who are in a mess off-pitch too.

Winning in Milan against an in-form Inter side doesn't look very feasible but Bologna themselves seem to be in good health at the moment. The start of the new year has been very encouraging for the Rossoblu as Bologna drew their opening game of 2011 1-1 with Fiorentina at home and last weekend defeated fellow relegation-battlers Bari 2-0 away.

TEAM NEWS

Inter

Sneijder, Coutinho, Samuel and Julio Cesar are injured and remain on the sidelines. Eto'o and Milito will start upfront in a 4-3-1-2 formation.

Bologna

Morleo, Mutarelli and Moras are unavailable for the trip to Milan because of injuries. Malesani is likely to field a 4-3-1-2 system that will have Ekdal deployed just behind the front-two of Ramirez and Di Vaio.

Prediction

Inter have won three games in a row under Leonardo and the Italian and European champions are very much likely to carry on that winning streak against Bologna at San Siro.

Inter Milan 2-0 Bologna

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15-01-2011 20:00 Athletic Bilbao - Racing Santander

Slow Start To 2011

Though Athletic Bilbao continue to fiercely cling to their roots as a Basque club, that has not forced los Leones a great way down the Primera Division standings. Joaquin Caparros continues to lead the side into the top half of the table, and European football is not a forgotten dream for the San Mames outfit with nearly half the season gone.

While all round them at this time of year whizz transfer rumours, very few are of direct interest to Athletic, whose rejection of globalisation has not yet jeopardised their perfect attendance in Spain’s top division.

As yet, los Leones are still looking for their first win of 2011. They suffered a rare home loss against Deportivo La Coruna on the first weekend of January and followed that up with a 1-1 draw away to improving Malaga.

Despite Racing Santander’s fairly lowly status in the league, Saturday’s hosts are not ready to treat this fixture lightly. “They’re a strong team who will fight a lot and we need to be sure to make chances,” Pablo Orbaiz explained to Marca, echoing similar comments made by Ander Iturraspe.

With six wins from nine home matches, Athletic make formidable opponents at La Catedral and will expect to earn maximum points.

Four Undefeated

Racing Santander are regularly a side who flirt with the relegation zone, but this season, the affair with the bottom three promises to be less intense than it was last term. Since returning from the Segunda Division in 2002, los Montaneses have concluded campaigns either 16th or 17th on five occasions out of eight, but they are set to improve that ratio this time around.

Presently 14th in the standings, los Verdiblancos aren’t too far away from mid-table obscurity, a status they’d far rather have than relegation candidates. Seven points clear of the relegation zone, they now approach a dangerous time in the campaign, as they have three games forthcoming that could easily see them go pointless.

A last minute equaliser from Diego Castro prevented Racing picking up three important points against Sporting de Gijon last weekend, leaving coach Miguel Angel Portugal to lament: “We’ve failed to kill this game off.”

Saturday’s encounter against Athletic starts a precarious run for the Cantabrian side. After completing this dangerous journey, Barcelona and Valencia will soon follow. Any points from these fixtures will be greedily accepted, and if Racing are not sucked into trouble again by the middle of March, they will be able to cruise through a relatively simple run-in.

TEAM NEWS

Athletic

Fernando Llorente failed to complete training on Thursday after receiving a blow to his face, though his place in the squad at the weekend is not compromised.

Fernando Amorebieta, Iban Perez and Jon Aurtenetxe are all sidelined, the latter two with long-term problems. Markel Susaeta and David Lopez return, but Mikel San Jose will miss out if an appeal on a yellow card picked up last weekend falls on deaf ears.


Racing

Oscar Serrano has suffered a relapse of the knee injury that kept him out for seven months and will miss the remainder of the season. Alexandros Tziolis is another long-term issue.

Kennedy Bakircioglu and Oscar Serrano are both doubts, while Gonzalo Colsa and Fabio Coltorti are hopeful of shaking off illness to feature in the squad.

Prediction

When Athletic Bilbao play at home, it’s rare to back against them, and this occasion should be no different. Los Leones are powerful customers playing at San Mames and Racing, who have been poor on their travels, will do well to secure a point.

Athletic Bilbao 2-0 Racing

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15-01-2011 18:30 West Ham United - Arsenal

Hammers Look For Momentum After Cup Wins

Manager Avram Grant is still in charge of the Hammers – at least for now - after a board meeting took place at Upton Park on Wednesday afternoon, and now he will be looking to push the club up the table.

After a 2-1 win over Birmingham in the League Cup on Tuesday, the Hammers are on the verge on their first Wembley final in nearly 30 years, but what will be more encouraging for Grant is that West Ham have only lost once in their last six league matches at home, a 3-1 defeat against Manchester City.

Along with the arrival of Wayne Bridge, and back to back wins in cup competitions, it now seems the momentum could be West Ham and a victory over their London rivals could see them move out of the relegation zone and begin their push up the table.

Gunners Suffering From Mid-Season Troubles?

On the other hand, Arsenal seem to be on a mid-season blip, after only picking up two victories in their last seven games.

Arsene Wenger was infuriated after seeing his side lose to Championship strugglers Ipswich Town on Wednesday, and will be looking for a dramatically improved performance when the Gunners head to Upton Park.

The north London side are currently four points behind leaders Manchester United, and Arsene Wenger knows that a victory over relegation threatened West Ham is vital if Wenger wants to take the Premier League trophy to the Emirates at the end of the season.

What is encouraging for the Frenchman is that Arsenal have scored twice as many goals as their opponents, and have one of the best away records in the league along with Manchester City.

But Wenger will know they will have to be on their guard against the Hammers, after a recent mixed record at Upton Park - only picking up two wins, one draw and suffering one defeat in their last four meetings.

TEAM NEWS

West Ham

New loan signing Wayne Bridge looks set to make his Hammers debut at Upton Park on Saturday against Arsenal, after joining from Manchester City until the end of the season.

However, manager Avram Grant will be without defender Tal Ben Haim who has now returned to parent club Portsmouth after completing his loan spell at the East London club.

Meanwhile, Grant will also be without the suspended Victor Obinna, who was sent off in the 2-1 victory over Birmingham City in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday, so Carlton Cole could be restored to the starting line-up after netting the winner in the tie at Upton Park.

But the Hammers will continue to be without Manuel da Costa, Herita Ilunga, Lars Jacobsen and Benni McCarthy, who are still on the treatment table at Upton Park.

Possible starting XI: Green; Faubert, Tomkins, Reid, Upson; Sears, Noble, Parker, Boa Morte; Piquionne, Cole.

Arsenal

After the League Cup semi-final first leg defeat against Championship side Ipswich Town on Wednesday, manager Arsene Wenger is expected to recall a number of players for the game against West Ham at Upton Park.

Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy, Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri and Lukasz Fabianski were rested for the tie at Portman Road, so could return to the starting line-up, although goalkeeper Fabianski is only rated as 50-50 to feature due to a shoulder injury, so Wojciech Szczesny could continue between the posts.

However, Wenger continues to struggle with players in the defence and has revealed that he is looking to bring reinforcements in the transfer window.

French international Sebastian Squillaci is the latest player to appear on the injury list at the Emirates after picking up a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Thomas Vermaelen continues to struggle with an Achilles problem that has kept him out of action since September, and right-back Bacary Sagna is serving the last game of his three-match suspension after being sent off against Manchester City.

Possible starting XI: Szczesny; Eboue, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy; Fabregas, Song, Wilshere; Nasri, Van Persie, Rosicky.

Prediction

With both teams still having a lot to play for at either end of the table, this will be exciting end to end game but they could end up cancelling each other out.

The Upton Park crowd will definitely get behind their team, which will be an advantage. However, with the Hammers' shaky defence still a problem and with Arsenal having an impressive away record, they will have the quality to get at least a point.

West Ham 1-1 Arsenal

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15-01-2011 18:00 Zaragoza - Levante

Bruised and Bloodied

Half of the season hasn’t yet passed, but Saturday’s encounter between Zaragoza and Levante has all the hallmarks of a relegation battle. Both sides are ailing badly in the league, and with the duo boasting a combined points tally lower than Espanyol have achieved on their own, times are tough.

Zaragoza were in a similarly miserable position this time last year, but a fine winter transfer campaign proved the catalyst to keep them afloat. Unless another goal scorer in the mould of Humberto Suazo is found, another recovery may not be quite so forthcoming.

The board have tried to pre-empt change by switching things around in the dugout. Jose Aurelio Gay has been jettisoned and Javier Aguirre installed, though the Mexican’s initial influence on the squad has only served to underwhelm. After seven league matches in charge, he’s overseen only one victory, and the overall record of the side under his charge is remarkable similar to that achieved by his predecessor.

Last weekend was the first serious low under the charge of the 52-year-old former midfielder. Though Espanyol are a tough side to meet away from home, Zaragoza were left bloodied and bruised following a 4-0 defeat. They will have to show remarkable character to forget that loss and win what is their most important game of the season to date.

Trying To Stay Positive

Levante have been a strangely up-and-down side this season, showing few signs of consistency as head coach Luis Garcia wrestles with the best system and personnel to use for his team. Though the Valencia club have enjoyed a couple of bursts of good form, these have been rendered almost worthless by three runs of losses numbering three or more.

Presently, los Granotes are in such a period, though they had hoped to extract themselves from this position by defeating city-rivals Valencia last weekend. When Juan Mata missed a first half penalty for the guests and then hit the bar with a free kick in the second, it was starting to look like the underdogs’ day, but they would be punished late on by the same player, going down 1-0.

While the public face of Levante has been one of disgust at the refereeing decision that allowed the seemingly offside Mata to score, the coach is rather more concerned by the way the team is moving in a more general fashion. On Tuesday, he spoke with seven senior players about the team, leaving Robuste to conclude: “The coach aims to encourage people and prepare the squad.”

After facing Zaragoza this weekend, things get really complicated for the east coast club. A trip to Sevilla will not yield easy points, while in-form Villarreal and Getafe follow quickly after. Last weekend’s encounter against Valencia may have been billed by Levante as their most important of the season, but that mantle is quickly handed to Saturday’s fixture.

TEAM NEWS

Zaragoza

Javier Aguirre has instructed that his team will train behind closed doors all week, meaning it’s unclear how they will turn out at the weekend. Slight doubt surrounds the fitness of Jiri Jarosik, who had to leave Wednesday’s session with muscular complaints, but the Russian is the only fresh concern.

Levante

Felipe Caicedo is doubtful after failing to train on Wednesday because of a fever. Miguel Perez and Nacho Gonzalez are not expected to be fit in time to participate. Ballesteros and Juanfran are both banned.

Prediction

Zaragoza have shown an inability to win big matches this season, though that is rather countered by the abject form of Levante. Relegation battles are typically tense, low-quality affairs, and this match is likely to be a battle too. Los Granotes don’t draw too many games, but they’d be pleased with a point from La Romareda.

Zaragoza 1-1 Levante

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15-01-2011 18:00 Villarreal - Osasuna

Powering Along

Wednesday evening’s Copa del Rey match against Sevilla proved to be a frustrating affair for Villarreal, who were held to a rare home draw by the Andalucian side. Had Juan Carlos Garrido’s side not been going so well in the league, that result would have been a particular disappointment, but presently the Yellow Submarine are moving at full steam ahead to try and claim third spot.

Champions League football presently looks on the cards at El Madrigal next season. Villarreal command an impressive five point lead over fifth placed Espanyol, and with a remarkable home record spill only a limited number of cheap points.

Their strength on the east coast was questioned by Sevilla in midweek, when the Andalucians became only the third Spanish club to avoid defeat at the venue since Garrido took over, and drawing clearly irked the competitive coach.

“Tonight's result is a negative one because it was a draw,” he lamented after the game. “Once we had a 3-1 lead, we controlled the match well, but we lacked something in defence. They managed to level proceedings, but we should have held on at 3-2.”

Without Carlos Marchena at the back, Villarreal’s rearguard certainly looks a good deal more febrile, but their offensive power should be enough to see them through at the weekend.

Firing Blank After Blank

Survival for Osasuna in the top flight this season is by no means a foregone conclusion, and the Pamplona side have endured an alarming slump over the winter that has brought their participation in the Primera Division into question. Over the course of the last six games, they’ve failed to win a single match, maintaining any forward momentum only by three draws.

Perhaps the most concerning statistic for head coach Jose Antonio Camacho is his side’s consistent failure in front of goal. In their winless run, los Rojillos have only managed to find the net in one of their six games, and they were utterly reliant on goalkeeper Ricardo to earn them a 0-0 draw against Getafe last weekend.

“We started very well and could have scored first. Then we had 15 minutes of uncertainty, but we played well the second half and if we were lucky we would have won,” Camacho explained after the fixture, choosing to focus on his side’s defensive strength.

To an extent, the coach is correct. Osasuna did have a glaring late chance to claim three points against el Geta, but Walter Pandiani headed wide when superbly placed late on. But had the South American’s header found the net, it would certainly have come against the general flow of the game.

The limited success that the Pamplona club have enjoyed this term has come solely at home. With two points from a possible 27 away from home, Camacho’s men have the worst away record in the league, and it would be a massive surprise if that was to change on Sunday.

TEAM NEWS

Villarreal

Juan Carlos Garrido’s men have suffered a series of set-backs this week. Santiago Cazorla will miss at least a week of action due to a hamstring injury, while backup goalkeeper Juan Carlos faces a spell of six weeks on the sidelines. Additionally, Bruno Soriano is a doubt for Sunday’s fixture.

Marcos Senna, Nilmar and Angel were already missing. Carlos Marchena won’t play at the weekend, but he’ll at least start to train from Monday.

Osasuna

Walter Pandiani is due to miss 10 days due to a slight muscular issue. Nacho Monreal, Ruper and Nico Medina are existing problems. Javad Nekounam and Masoud Shojaei are on international duty, while Patxi Punal is suspended, leaving Juan Antonio Camacho with only 16 senior players to select from.

Prediction

This is, on paper, a simple match to call. Villarreal have been magnificent at home all season, only dropping points once, while Osasuna’s away record is dreadful – not to mention their recent goal scoring problems. There’s surely only one outcome in this match.

Villarreal 2-0 Osasuna

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15-01-2011 18:00 Real Sporting - Hercules

In A Rut

With just 13 points on the board and the halfway mark of the season approaching, it’s unsurprising to find Sporting de Gijon in the relegation zone. The Asturian side have never looked convincing all season, and unless they can find some results soon, the run-in promises to be long and hard. A home encounter against Hercules doesn’t promise to be especially easy, but the points have to start flowing.

Manuel Preciado remains in charge of the side, despite a 1-1 draw with Racing Santander that marked the club’s 11th game without a league win, and though defeats have not been commonplace in recent times, draws will not be good enough to secure the club’s safety.

“I am convinced that if we'd scored earlier we had taken the game,” Preciado explained to the media last weekend. “The situation is not dying.”

The Asturians have called upon at least one reinforcement, in the form of Andre Costa on loan from Porto, to bolster their side, and club president Emilio dos Dias has indicated that there could be further additions to follow.

Costa is a dynamic midfielder whose over-riding strength is his excellent team play, and it will take such unselfish players to extract Sporting from the position they currently find themselves.

An Average Team

Hercules, after a rather sluggish start to the season overall, have started to establish themselves as a mid-table force in the Primera Division. The Alicante side may only have won promotion out of the Segunda last term, but such was the investment made in the squad that safety was expected, rather than simply a target.

The big names came to the fore last Monday night, when they produced one of their most memorable performances of the campaign. Faced with unpredictable Atletico Madrid, a side whose confidence is low, los Herculanos played some of their best stuff, recording a 4-1 win that didn’t flatter them in the slightest.

“We played a very complete match, especially with an exceptional first-half,” David Trezeguet, who has scored in seven home fixtures, explained to the press after the game. “When we play like this, it is impressive.

"Now, we must find a solution to win away from Alicante. If we look at where we get our points, we can see we are an average team. There is still plenty of room for improvement, and we hope to do well against Sporting.”

Esteban Vigo’s men have picked up only one victory on their travels this season, and if they can remedy that issue, there will be nothing stopping Hercules from pushing into the top 10.

TEAM NEWS

Sporting

Sergio Matabuena has been released and allowed to join Valladolid, but on the other hand, los Rojiblancos have captured young midfielder Andre Castro, who is expected to debut on Sunday.

Lora and Diego Castro have both returned to training, while Nacho Novo and Luis Moran are slightly questionable due to a muscular problem and flu respectively.

Alberto Botia is injured and Jose Angel is banned.

Hercules

Abraham Paz has picked up a hamstring injury in training and won’t be involved in the weekend’s clash. Olivier Thomert also has muscular complaints, so his place in the squad is not certain.

Tiago Gomes’ return from action has been put back by flu, which has prevented him from training with the squad.

Prediction

Though Hercules are no great shakes away from home, Sporting don’t look like winning in the near future. The 1-1 draw specialists may have to settle for their favourite result once again, though three points would be invaluable.

Sporting de Gijon 1-1 Hercules

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15-01-2011 18:00 Getafe - Real Sociedad

Get Back To Winning Ways

Pundits who touted Getafe to endure a dour relegation battle this season have been forced to think again by Michel’s side. They may have struggled in the early weeks of the campaign, but the capital club have bounced back into a comparatively strong position and will have half an eye on qualifying for the Europa League once again.

With the halfway point of the season to be reached at the weekend, el Geta have sprung 14 points clear of the drop zone and have erased any thoughts of flirtation with the Segunda Division.

Last weekend’s 0-0 draw against Osasuna may not have been especially exciting, but los Azulones were thwarted from taking maximum points by a superb performance from Ricardo in the home net.

“It was an intense match. We have played a very good game,” Michel said, pleased, after the fixture, though he did protest strongly that his side deserved maximum points. “Ricardo has made four incredible saves.”

An away draw in Pamplona is not a result to be sniffed at, and with only one loss over the course of their last seven fixtures, there can be little doubt that el Geta are a side moving firmly in the right direction.

Defensive midfielder Juan Rodriguez has been snapped up for next season, and the Deportivo La Coruna man will certainly hope that he is involved in a European campaign. That goal could come a step closer at the weekend.

Not Time To Panic

If Getafe are a side still moving forward, the same certainly cannot be said of Real Sociedad. After a run of five wins from seven games, the Basques might have been tentatively thinking about potential European qualification, but they’ve been slapped quickly back into the mid-table mix after a dire run of four successive losses.

Generally, Martin Lasarte’s men have been very strong at home this season, but back-to-back defeats against Valencia and Sevilla have seen some of their good work at Anoeta dissipate. A 5-0 loss in Barcelona began this negative sequence, the nadir of which came against Zaragoza at the beginning of 2011.

“We would all have signed up for 22 points [at this stage of the season],” striker Joseba Llorente, who struck against los Nervionenses, explained to Marca earlier this week, trying to keep the present decline of the team in perspective. “Our strength is still intact.”

Ahead of Saturday’s match, the prospects of a significant improvement don’t look great. Even at their best, la Real haven’t looked comfortable on the road, and with Getafe bubbling nicely, a fifth straight loss is a distinct possibility.

TEAM NEWS

Getafe

Javier Arizmendi has sprained a ligament in his left leg and will be absent until the end of February. Adrian Colunga is expected to start in attack because Miku will serve the second of a two-match ban.

Cata Diaz had to quit training prematurely earlier this week, but he will feature against the Basques. Mario remains a long-term problem after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the autumn.

Real Sociedad

Mikel Aranburu has served a one-match ban and Antoine Griezmann has overcome flu, but Carlos Martinez and Diego Ifrane are out with injury. While the former is expected back next week, the Uruguayan will be on the sidelines for a longer period due to an ankle problem.

Prediction

Everything points to a home win. Getafe have been excellent in recent weeks, particularly at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, while Real Sociedad have slumped. The Basques haven’t been particularly good away from home in any case, so expect the buoyant hosts to accrue another three points

Getafe 3-1 Real Sociedad

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15-01-2011 18:00 Napoli - Fiorentina

Consolidating Scudetto Hopes

Heading into Week 20, Napoli find themselves second in Serie A with 36 points from 19 matches, just four points behind leaders and Italian giants Milan. Last weekend's 4-4 draw between the Rossoneri and Udinese and their 3-0 defeat of Juventus in Naples saw the Azzurri step closer to the top.

Walter Mazzarri's side commenced the new year with a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Italian and European champions Inter at San Siro but bounced back last weekend with a 3-0 hammering of Juve, with star striker Edinson Cavani scoring all three goals. The Uruguay international forward now has 13 goals in 19 league appearances this season and is the top scorer in the division.

Napoli's stupendous form and consistency have inflated talks of a Scudetto triumph but Christian Maggio tempers their ambitions and claims that they would be satisfied with a top-four finish, explaining, "The Champions League is a great objective, it would mean us doing better than last year, but there is still plenty to go. The Scudetto? There is still time for this. It's nice to be in second, but we still have plenty to prove."

Mid-Table Comfort

Fiorentina have began the new year on a very positive note as they have collected four points from a possible six in their last two games. The Viola's opening game of 2011 saw them draw 1-1 with Bologna away from home and last weekend they staged a magnificent comeback against Brescia as they rallied from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

That result means that Sinisa Mihajlovic's team are now 11th in the league standings with 23 points from 18 matches, five points above the dropzone. Dangers of getting sucked into the relegation quagmire still exists, but the form they are in at the moment should be a source of encouragement.

Fiorentina, though, haven't won on the road all season in the league and Mihajlovic knows that it would be tough for them in Naples against a side who have a certain Edinson Cavani. The Serbian defines the 23-year-old as "the best player in the league" and adds, "The best signing of the season until the weekend was Ibrahimovic, but after the three goals he scored against Juve, Cavani has overtaken him."

TEAM NEWS

Napoli

Marek Hamsik is suspended for Napoli, who are expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Sosa and Lavezzi being deployed just behind Cavani in attack.

Fiorentina

Vargas, Avramov, Natali, Cerci, Jovetic and Frey are injured and will miss the trip to Naples. Gilardino and Babacar will be the two forwards in a 4-4-2 formation.

Prediction

Napoli will face a stern test even at home against Fiorentina but they do have the form and the firepower to win against the Viola comfortably.

Napoli 2-0 Fiorentina

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15-01-2011 16:00 Wigan Athletic - Fulham

History Favours The Cottagers

The two sides have met 35 times in their history with Fulham edging ahead with 15 wins to Wigan’s 10. In the last five seasons Fulham have won four of the 11 meetings between the sides, with Wigan only collecting the three points on two occasions, but the Cottagers have yet to win at the DW Stadium. They have secured draws in their last four visits so a victory in this match will end their search for a win and also see them complete a league double over the Latics for the first time.

In October the two sides met at Craven Cottage in what was a bottom of the table clash, and Fulham came out on top with a 2-0 victory over Martinez’s side thanks to two goals from Clint Dempsey. The American has scored five goals in seven games against the Latics and will be hoping to continue this scoring streak.

A Key Three Points For Both Sides

A victory in this game will be massive for both clubs as they try to pull away from the relegation zone. Wigan are currently sitting second bottom of the Premier League with 22 points and a win would lift them five places up the table if results go their way, and move them above their opponents.

Fulham’s victories over Stoke and West Brom have lifted them to 15th position in the table but they are still just one point clear of the relegation zone, however a victory could lift them into the top half of the table. Unfortunately for Fulham their away form is not great this season, having only recorded one away victory - at Stoke - and have managed just eight goals in the 10 away fixtures.

Wigan will be glad to return to the DW Stadium where they have a good record this season. After early season defeats to Blackpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, only Newcastle have come away victorious in the seven games following the City match. Wigan have only lost one game in their last six Premier League matches but have also only recorded one victory in that time.


TEAM NEWS

Wigan Athletic

Charles N’Zogbia is back for Wigan following his three-match suspension and he should be restored to the starting line-up by Roberto Martinez. Wigan have missed the creativity of the Frenchman in recent weeks and will be boosted by his return.

The Latics continue to be without on-loan midfielder Tom Cleverley, who pulled up with a hamstring injury after 12 minutes against Bolton.

But Franco Di Santo (ankle), James McCarthy (ankle) and Victor Moses (shoulder) are getting close to a first team return but will not feature despite resuming light training recently.

Possible starting XI: Al Habsi; Gohouri, G Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa; Stam, Thomas, Watson, Diame, N’Zogbia; Rodallega.

Fulham

Steve Sidwell should be in the squad and could make his debut for the Cottagers after joining from Aston Villa. Mark Schwarzer is currently on international duty with Australia in the Asian Cup so David Stockdale will continue to deputise in goal.

Mark Hughes has no new injury worries to concern him, so apart from long term absentees Bobby Zamora (broken leg) and Philippe Senderos (shin) he has a healthy squad to choose from.

Possible starting XI: Stockdale; Paintsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Baird; Davies, Sidwell, Etuhu, Murphy, Duff; Dempsey.

Prediction

History suggests this game will be a draw, and with the form of the two sides over the season, a low scoring draw looks likely. However, with Fulham’s away record as bad as it is and Wigan having a reasonably strong home record, the Latics should just edge this one.

Wigan Athletic 2-1 Fulham

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15-01-2011 16:00 Stoke City - Bolton Wanderers

The Form Books

Stoke's home form has been patchy of late, but the Potters can still boast five wins and two draws from 11 games at the Britannia, with the last league game being a 2-0 victory over Everton.

Bolton, sitting high in seventh despite their injury woes, have notched up just two wins from their 10 trips on the road, but beat Stoke away last season courtesy of two Matthew Taylor strikes.

A win for Stoke could see them fly back into the top half of the table, while a win for the Trotters would take them ahead of Sunderland into sixth spot.


Culture Clash

Just three points separates these two sides, yet there is a wide contrast in how both managers go about setting their teams up on the pitch.

Pulis and Coyle will be among the first to declare that results matter above all else, but the latter's sides routinely play a style of football that earns plaudits as well as points.

Retaining possession and carving out chances on the deck are the method of choice for Bolton, while Stoke often opt for a more direct aerial route, sometimes bypassing the midfield with the heads of Ricardo Fuller and Kenwyne Jones being the target.

That isn't to say that the Potters lack class, and in Matthew Etherington, Jermaine Pennant and Fuller, Stoke are capable of playing the sort of football that will have purists purring.

But you will never hear Pulis echoing the words of Coyle on Thursday afternoon, when he said: "Ultimately I want the ball to move along the grass and be pleasing on the eye for the supporters.

"They work hard all week and pay a lot of good money to watch Barclays Premier League football."

TEAM NEWS

Stoke

After a disappointing – if entertaining – cup draw with Cardiff last weekend, manager Tony Pulis will likely name all the usual Premier League suspects for the visit of the Trotters, with Matthew Etherington returning to the starting line-up after having to make do with a cameo role against Championship opponents.

Expect that to mean another spot on the bench for Tuncay, despite the Turk's goalscoring FA Cup exploits. The former club record signing has never fully convinced Pulis of his worth, with a string of steady workers and this season's regular duo of Ricardo Fuller and Kenwyne Jones given a chance ahead of the man signed from Middlesborough.

Possible starting XI: Begovic; Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Collins; Pennant, Whitehead, Delap, Etherington; Fuller, Jones.

Bolton

Owen Coyle will be without striker Ivan Klasnic, who limped off during the FA Cup tie with York after suffering a groin injury.

Midfielder Stuart Holden and right-back Gretar Steinsson will both face late fitness checks to determine their ability to play, but Bolton are still shorn of several players, which has meant that Coyle has been unable to name seven substitutes for recent fixtures.

Possible starting XI: Jaaskelainen; Robinson, Cahill, Knight, Taylor; M Davies, Muamba, Holden; K Davies, Elmander, Moreno.

Prediction

With Bolton suffering with a sheer volume of injuries, there will be fewer places they'll want to visit less than Stoke, who will be fired up after a disappointing cup draw. That 1-1 draw fits into a sequence of wibbly-wobbly home results, but the Potters should have enough in their locker to snatch all three points.

Stoke 2-1 Bolton

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