Tuesday, March 1, 2011 ~ Football Tips

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Preview Matches, Spain - Primera Division preview matches | by

Spanish La Liga Opta Facts - 2nd-3rd March

Almería v Racing
In three attempts, Almería have never beaten Racing at home in the top flight.
The montañeses have won three of their seven top-flight meetings with the Andalucians, all by a score of 1-0.
Pedro Munitis´ only league goal of the season so far came against Almería.
Only Málaga have picked up fewer points at home than Almería (13) this season.
However eight of these 13 points have come in their last four home matches (two wins, two draws).
Racing are unbeaten in five league games, their longest such run this season.
In Racing´s last match, Giovani dos Santos scored his first top-flight goal since his hat-trick for Barcelona in May 2008.

Espanyol v Mallorca
Espanyol are unbeaten in their last nine league matches at home to Mallorca.
A 4-1 win in their last match ended a run of four straight league defeats for Espanyol.
The periquitos have conceded exactly one goal in their last three league games at home, each time in the first half.
Espanyol have won the last eight league matches in which José Callejón has scored.
Mallorca have scored only two goals in their last seven league games.
The islanders have claimed only one point from the last 18 available away from home.
Luis García has scored or assisted seven of Espanyol´s last 14 league goals.

Getafe v Atlético de Madrid
In their last meeting at the Coliseum, Getafe managed their first-ever home top-flight win over Atlético.
Only twice in 13 top-flight games have Getafe failed to score at home to one of their Madrid rivals.
Three of Dani Parejo´s nine league goals for the Azulones have come against other sides from Madrid.
Getafe have lost four of their last five league games at the Coliseum.
Jaime Gavilán has assisted four of Getafe´s last five league goals.
A win in their last away game at Real Zaragoza ended a run of three straight defeats on the road for Atlético in the league.
The colchoneros have not won back-to-back away matches in the league since the 2008/09 season.

Osasuna v Deportivo de la Coruña
Osasuna have failed to score in five of their last six league meetings with Deportivo.
Three of the last five league clashes between the sides have ended goalless.
Osasuna are unbeaten in their last five league games at home.
The rojillos have shipped only one goal in total in these five matches.
Deportivo have won only one of their last eight league games on the road, losing five.
Depor´s last three league games have produced just three goals in total.
Deportivo have scored only seven goals from open play this season in the league, the fewest.

Real Madrid v Málaga
Real Madrid have won 12 of their last 13 league meetings with Málaga.
The merengues have never been beaten at home by Málaga in the top flight (24 wins, five draws).
Real Madrid have kept three straight clean sheets in the league, the last time they managed four consecutive shut-outs was in September 2009.
1-0 has been the most common result for Madrid in the league this season (five times), followed by 0-0 and 2-0 (three times).
José Mourinho´s side have won their opening 12 league matches at home for the second season running - the last side to win their first 12 home games before this was Real Madrid in 1986.
Málaga have won just one of their last 11 away matches in Liga BBVA, but have drawn the last two.
Madrid have the best defence from set pieces in the league this season, conceding just three goals this way.
The merengues are the only side not to have lost a single point after going ahead in the league this season.

Real Sociedad v Levante
Real Sociedad have won only one of their five matches against the granotas in the top flight.
Despite this they are unbeaten in both matches at home to the side from Valencia.
Levante have never won in the Basque country in the Spanish top flight (three draws, four defeats).
Real Sociedad have not drawn a league match since the second game of the season.
Erreala have won their last three home games in Liga BBVA, keeping a clean sheet in each match.
The granotas have won four of their last five league matches, rising from 19th to 13th as a result.
Raúl Tamudo has scored in his last three league matches at Anoeta.

Real Zaragoza v Athletic de Bilbao
Real Zaragoza have won three of their last four league matches at home to Athletic.
The Basque side have scored at least twice on seven of their last eight trips to La Romareda, but won only two of these.
Real Zaragoza are without a win in their last four league games.
Andoni Iraola has either scored or assisted each of Athletic´s last three away goals in the league.
The Basque side have lost their last two away games.
Bilbao are the top scorers in the opening 15 minutes of Liga BBVA matches this season (10 goals).
Athletic are on a run of three straight league defeats, their poorest run since the end of the 2008/09 season.

Sevilla v Sporting de Gijón
Sevilla have won 12 of their last 13 games at home to Sporting in the top flight.
Fredéric Kanouté has scored four goals in five league meetings with the Asturians.
The nervionenses have drawn three of their last five league games.
Only four sides have lost more games at home in Liga BBVA this season than Sevilla (four).
Ivan Rakitic has scored in Sevilla´s last two league games.
Sporting Gijón have drawn their last three league games.
Sporting have only lost one of their last eight matches in Primera, their best run since December 2009.
However they have scored just one goals in their last four league clashes.

Valencia v Barcelona
Los che have lost only one of their last five league games at home to Barcelona, drawing the last two.
Barcelona have not lost in the Cominunitat Valenciana in the league since a 1-3 defeat at Villarreal in October 2007.
David Villa has scored in none of the last five league meetings between Valencia and Barcelona.
Valencia have won four of their last five home league games.
Barcelona have scored 40 away goals in the league this season, no other side has scored more than 18.
Hércules remain the only side to have scored more than once against Barcelona in a league match this season.
Last time out was the fifth time that Messi, Villa and Pedro had all scored in the same competitive match (all competitions).
Barcelona are the only Liga BBVA side not to have conceded a goal in the opening 15 minutes this season.
Valencia have scored a goal in the last 15 minutes of eight of their last 10 league games.
Los che have won the most points from losing positions in the league this season (15).

Villarreal v Hércules
The only previous top-flight meeting between the sides was the 2-2 draw at Hércules earlier this season.
The "yellow submarine" has won only one of its four league matches against fellow sides from the Comunitat Valenciana this season.
Hércules have netted just three away goals in the league this season, at least four fewer than any other side.
Only Valencia have rescued more points from losing positions than Villarreal in Liga BBVA this season (13).
Juan Carlos Garrido´s men are without a win in four league games, their poorest run this season.
Hércules have failed to score in their last nine away games in the league.
Only Barcelona have scored more first half goals in the league this season than Villarreal (27).

Sta reko | by

02-03-2011 22:00 Valencia - Barcelona

Need To Defend Third

A strong victory over Athletic Bilbao at the weekend has left Valencia extremely well placed to claim a spot in the Champions League next season, but no sooner have they opened up a gap to third placed Villarreal, they could see it close as they meet champions Barcelona on Wednesday evening.

Unai Emery’s side have been the masters of the narrow victory this season and managed to edge past los Leones thanks to a couple of late strikes, another hallmark of their recent performances. With 19 minutes remaining, Juan Mata levelled Fernando Llorente’s first half strike, and as the game approached its twilight period, Jonas scored a timely first goal for the club.

“With perseverance we beat a big rival at a very difficult venue, and for that we must be doubly pleased,” the coach explained after the weekend’s fixture.

“San Mames demands that players fight duels, and I think that we were present.”

Looking ahead to Wednesday’s clash, the coach explained that he expects his side to approach the game at the Mestalla “with enthusiasm and a need to defend third place”.

Boasting a four point gap to a Villarreal side who are seeing their good form slide away, even a defeat at home to the league leaders would be no catastrophe, but the battling east coast outfit will be hoping to at least secure a draw.

Strong Start To Important Week

Talk of crisis at the Camp Nou has been averted for the time being. After a 1-1 draw with Sporting and a surprise 2-1 defeat in the Champions League against Arsenal, there were concerns that Barcelona’s campaign was about to come apart at the seams

But Pep Guardiola’s side have since responded with two impressive wins. A home fixture against Athletic Bilbao was considered a test, and Barca passed it narrowly, picking up a 2-1 success. Last weekend they then travelled to face a well-organised Mallorca side who had picked up a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou earlier in the season, and showing some fine form, the Blaugrana earned a routine 3-0 success that was made all the more pivotal by Real Madrid’s failure to overcome Deportivo La Coruna later in the evening.

Describing the fixture as the first of three “important” games, Guardiola was evidently happy with his side’s mentality and, ultimately, their performance, remarking,“We found it harder than ever to get going tonight and that has to serve as a lesson for other games. Obviously the goal helped us. It was another story altogether after the break though, we played with more intensity and suffered less.”

Accepting of the fact that Barca’s injury problems are simply something “that happens during the season”, Guardiola has confidence in his fringe players to step in and perform well, with the role of Seydou Keita at the weekend highlighting the good performances that can come from the Blaugrana bench.

Should Barca start Wednesday’s match as sluggishly as they played the early part of Saturday’s, they could find the going really tough, as Guardiola will no doubt warn his players.

TEAM NEWS

Valencia

Bruno is banned, which could prompt Ricardo Costa to go into the right-back berth as an emergency measure. Aritz Aduriz, David Albelda and Nacho Gonzalez continue to work their way back from injuries.

Barcelona

Reports suggest that Xavi could be back in action for the Blaugrana, while Dani Alves will certainly be welcomed back after a one-match ban. Jeffren Suarez is back training with the main squad but Carles Puyol and Victor Valdes are set to miss out.

Prediction

Though the Mestalla is a difficult venue to go and win in, Barcelona have proven time and again that they’re capable of rising to the challenge at just the right moment. After last weekend’s impressive success, the Blaugrana have to be favoured, though Valencia are more than capable of making life difficult for their guests.

Editor's Prediction

Valencia1

Barcelona

Sta reko | by

02-03-2011 20:45 Manchester City - Aston Villa

DID YOU KNOW?

Richard Dunne and Gareth Barry are both playing against their former teams. Dunne played over 300 games for Manchester City and was captain for a large part of that time. His departure from Eastlands was seen as somewhat of a betrayal by the club management following his long service for the Sky Blues.

Barry’s story is very similar and almost a mirror image, with the club captain playing over 350 games at the Birmingham outfit, and his big money move up the M6 did not go down well with the Villa fans.

These sides have met nine times in the FA Cup, with City leading the figures with five wins, Villa have two victories, and there have been two draws.

The last meeting in the cup was in round five of the 2006 competition when the game finished 1-1 at Villa Park. City advanced in the replay with goals from Georgios Samaras and former Villa man Darius Vassell.

City’s reliance on Carlos Tevez is huge. He’s netted 21 goals this term with the next highest scorer,Mario Balotelli, way behind on nine.

Villa’s goalscoring is more evenly shared throughout the squad. Ashley Young leads the way on eight, Stewart Downing is on seven and Emile Heskey six.

In the last four meetings at Eastlands, City have won all of them and conceded only a single goal, so the omens are not in the favour of Gerard Houllier’s visitors.

Both of the sides have had success in the FA Cup. City have won the trophy four times, the last being in 1969. Villa have lifted the cup seven times but not since 1957. Villa will have extra motivation following the events of Sunday, when rivals Birmingham City won the League Cup and ensured European football at St Andrew's next season.

Aston Villa's last victory at Eastlands was back in April 2007. John Carew and Shaun Maloney were on target for Martin O'Neill's men that day.

Both sides are desperate to get their hands on a major trophy. City's last major honour was the League Cup title in 1976, while Villa won the same trophy back in 1996.

LAST MEETING

January 22, 2011: Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City
Darren Bent scored on his Villa debut to put another dent in City's title challenge. Bent had signed for £18 million only two days earlier from Sunderland and made the perfect start to life at Villa Park.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Manchester City: Hart; Boateng, Kolo Toure, Lescott, Kolarov; Milner, Vieira, Barry; Balotelli, Dzeko, Tevez.

Aston Villa: Friedel; Walker, Dunne, Clark, Baker; Ashley Young, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Albrighton; Bent, Heskey.

Prediction

You never quite know what to expect at Eastlands. Manchester City could be great as they were against Villa in December, winning 4-0, or they could be positively average, like against Fulham at the weekend. In this one, they will be up.

Editor's Prediction

Man City2

Aston Villa

Sta reko | by

02-03-2011 20:45 Arsenal - Leyton Orient

DID YOU KNOW?

Arsene Wenger has never lost to lower league opposition in the FA Cup during his time in north London.

The match with Leyton Orient will be Arsenal's sixth game in 19 days.

Arsenal are unbeaten in 13 matches at home. Their last defeat at the Emirates came against Tottenham back in November.

For the third time in three rounds Arsenal will be taking on lower league opposition. They overcame Championship side Leeds in the third round after a replay and League One outfit Huddersfield in round four.

Marouane Chamakh has failed to find the net in his last 14 appearances for Arsenal, whereas at the start of the season he scored 11 goals in his first 22 matches for the club.

Leyton Orient are unbeaten in 13 games in 2011.

Leyton Orient have never won away at Arsenal. They have travelled to north London on four occasions and their best result is a 2-2 draw way back in the 1913-14 season.

Leyton Orient are unbeaten on the road in six matches.

By getting a draw with Arsenal and earning a replay, the Leyton Orient players earned themselves a visit to Las Vegas after club chairman Barry Hearn promised them the trip if they avoided defeat.

In five FA Cup ties between the two sides Arsenal have won four times. There has been one draw - the 1-1 between the two sides last month.

LAST MEETING

February 20, 2011: Leyton Orient 1-1 Arsenal
On a magical evening in the FA Cup, Leyton Orient earned themselves a lucrative replay at the Emirates after substitute Jonathan Tehoue's dramatic last minute strike cancelled out Tomas Rosicky's opener. The result sparked jubilant scenes at Brisbane Road and restored faith in English football's oldest cup competition.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Arsenal: Szczesny; Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Gibbs; Eboue, Denilson, Diaby; Bendtner, Chamakh, Rosicky.

Leyton Orient: Jones; Whing, Chorley, Forbes, Daniels; Smith, Cox, Kane, Carroll; Revell, Tehoue.

Prediction

It remains to be seen how Arsene Wenger's side will react from their disappointing shock defeat to Birmingham in the League Cup final on Sunday. Could the wheels come flying off for a side who will be low on confidence after a defensive mix-up between Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny gifted Alex McLeish's side the trophy? Or will Arsenal bounce back and make Leyton Orient pay for the disappointment they suffered at Wembley?

One thing is for certain, Russell Slade's Orient will make life difficult for the Gunners and with the north London side struggling with injuries to key players, they may not have the tie all their own way. But at the Emirates the Gunners should have too much quality for their League One opponents and they will be fired up to get their season back on track.

Editor's Prediction

Arsenal3

Leyton Orient

Sta reko | by

02-03-2011 20:30 Bayern Munchen - Schalke 04

DID YOU KNOW?

Schalke last met Bayern in the DFB-Pokal at the semi-final stage in March 2010. Arjen Robben's 112th minute strike decided the tie in favour of der Rekordmeister after neither side could manage a goal in normal time.

Whilst Bayern have won five of the last six meetings in all competitions in Gelsenkirchen, Schalke's record in Munich is less convincing, although they did manage a 1-0 win there in the Bundesliga in April 2009 courtesy of Halil Altintop's winner.

Bayern have won the Pokal a record fifteen times and have been runners-up on a further two occasions. Schalke have won the competition on four occasions and been beaten finalists seven times.

Both teams remain in three competitions, the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal but with neither in a position to win the former, the cup competitions remain the best hope for silverware.

Bayern have never lost two successive home games at the Allianz Arena. To find the last time this happened, one has to go back to the spring of 2001 when Bremen and Schalke managed victories in the Olympiastadion.

Felix Magath coached Bayern from July 2004 until January 2007 and in the 2004-05 and 05-06 seasons won consecutive Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal doubles, a unique feat in the history of German football.

Magath's opposite number Louis van Gaal won the DFB-Pokal at the first time of asking last season, with Bayern beating Werder Bremen 4-0 in Berlin.

The 59-year old Dutchman has won the cup competition in three different countries - lifting the KNVB Beker with Ajax in 1993 and the Copa del Rey with Barcelona in 1998 before last season's win with Bayern.

Bayern and Schalke are Germany's two biggest sports clubs in terms of their membership, boasting almost 250,000 subscribers combined.

Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will be playing his first match after he marks 20 years with die Knappen today. He joined the club at the age of four.

LAST MEETING

December 4, 2010: Schalke 04 2-0 Bayern Munich

Die Koenigsblauen showed what they are capable of with a two-goal victory over the champions, built on the foundation of an outstanding performance from Manuel Neuer and the creativity and determination of Spanish duo Jose Manuel Jurado and Raul.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Bayern Munich: Kraft; Lahm, Tymoschuk, Badstuber, Pranjic; Schweinsteiger, Luiz Gustavo; Robben, Mueller, Ribery; Gomez