02.04. (Sat) 22:00 Villarreal - Barcelona

DID YOU KNOW?

* Villarreal have won just one of their last four games at El Madrigal, despite winning 10 of the first 11 home games this season.

* Giuseppe Rossi is El Submarino's leading scorer this term with 15 league goals. He has scored three of his team's last four goals.

* The last time the Yellow Submarine failed to score against Barca in the league was back in November 2006.

* Villarreal have lost only twice to Barcelona in La Liga in their last eight meetings, but both were at home.

* Nilmar has been included in the squad after recovering from a leg muscle tear. Angel Lopez and Marcos Senna are still out.

* Barcelona remain the only unbeaten side in the league away from home, scoring 42 goals and conceding just six.

* The Blaugrana had a 100% away record in the league until February 12, 2011 when they were held by Sporting Gijon. They also drew their last away game 1-1 at Sevilla.

* Lionel Messi and Pedro have scored in more consecutive games in La Liga this season than any other player. Messi netted five in a row, but Pedro had a six-match scoring streak.

* Messi, Pedro and David Villa have scored 57 of Barcelona's 81 league goals this campaign, but none have managed to find the net in the last three matches.

* Maxwell, Pedro, Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal are all unavailable, while Xavi is suspended.

LAST MEETING

November 13, 2010: Barcelona 3-1 Villarreal

The Blaugrana raced to an easy 3-1 victory over El Submarino at Camp Nou. David Villa opened the scoring on 22 minutes, but Nilmar drew the visitors levelled four minutes later. However, Lionel Messi scored twice to secure all three points for the Catalans.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Villarreal: Diego Lopez; Mario, Gonzalo, Musacchio, Capdevila; Cani, Borja Valero, Bruno, Cazorla; Nilmar, Rossi

Barcelona: Valdes; Dani Alves, Pique, Milito, Adriano; Busquets, Mascherano, Iniesta; Messi, Bojan, Villa

Prediction

Barcelona have lost their free-scoring form in recent weeks, winning by no more than a one-goal margin in their last three victories. But Villarreal are struggling for consistency and confidence, and it's hard to see them stun a Blaugrana side who usually always perform against the big teams.

Villarreal 1-2 Barcelona

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02.04. (Sat) 20:45 Milan - Inter

DID YOU KNOW?

* Milan are in pole position in Serie A with 62 points from 30 matches, two points clear of second-placed Inter.

* The Rossoneri have won 48 of the 153 Milan derbies played so far.

* Massimiliano Allegri’s side have the best defensive record in the championship and have conceded only 22 goals so far in the league this season. They have shipped just five in their last 11 fixtures.

* The Diavolo and Inter have not drawn any of their last 12 derbies. Milan have won five of those matches.

* Four of Milan’s last five victories over Inter were by 1-0.

* Inter are second in the league standings and have the best attacking record in the league, having scored 56 goals.

* The Nerazzurri have won 12 and drawn one of the 15 Serie A games Leonardo has been in charge of this campaign - that’s 37 points. Under Rafael Benitez the team had collected just 23 in 15 games.

* While with Milan last season, Leonardo won both the league matches against Cagliari, then coached by Allegri. However, the Brazilian lost both matches to Inter, his side conceding six goals without scoring any.

* Without centre-back Lucio, who is suspended for this fixture, the Beneamata have won four and lost one of their matches.

* Inter have beaten Milan more times than any other Serie A side, winning 56 Milan derbies.

LAST MEETING

November 14, 2010: Inter 0-1 Milan

Former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the difference in this Serie A encounter between the two teams as he scored a fifth minute penalty for Milan. The Sweden international striker was caught by Marco Materazzi inside the Nerazzurri penalty area and he himself blasted home the spot-kick. In what proved to be an entertaining match, Milan were reduced to 10 men on the hour mark as Ignazio Abate was sent off.

Kick-off at San Siro is at 2045 CET on Saturday. Click Play to see how the Derby della Madonnina will finish according to EA Sports' FIFA 11 simulation.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Milan: Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Gattuso, Van Bommel, Seedorf; Boateng; Pato, Robinho

Inter: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Ranocchia, Cordoba, Zanetti; Thiago Motta, Cambiasso, Stankovic; Sneijder; Pazzini, Eto'o

Prediction

Milan defeated Inter in the reverse fixture earlier this season and will be looking to do a double over their city-rivals. However, on form Inter are the better side and although the form-book doesn’t decide a derby, the Nerazzurri could just nick this and regain pole position in the table.

AC Milan 1-2 Inter Milan

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02.04. (Sat) 18:30 Arsenal - Blackburn Rovers

DID YOU KNOW?

* In 105 league matches between the two sides Arsenal have won 51 times. Blackburn have been victorious on 29 occasions, while the teams have finished level 21 times.

* The Gunners are unbeaten in their last nine home matches against Rovers.

* Since the start of the Premier League in 1992-93 Arsenal and Blackburn have met 19 times in north London. The Gunners have won 11 matches and Rovers have come out on top three times. Five matches have ended in a draw.

* Arsenal have only won one of their last six matches in all competitions. In that time they have gone out of the League Cup, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

* Jens Lehmann appeared for the Arsenal reserves in their 2-1 defeat to Wigan in midweek. It was his first appearance in a Gunners jersey since rejoining the club on an emergency deal and he had some shaky moments during the match.

* Arsene Wenger's side have conceded 52 per cent of their goals from set-pieces, the highest percentage of any team in the Premier League according to Opta stats.

* Arsenal will be hoping Robin van Persie is fit to start as the Dutch striker enjoys playing against Rovers. He has notched 10 goals in 10 starts against the side from Ewood Park.

* Blackburn have not kept an away clean sheet this season and have conceded 38 goals on the road.

* Rovers have not won in their last seven matches. They have lost an FA Cup tie and four league matches. In that period they have picked up two draws against Newcastle and Blackpool.

* Blackburn midfielder David Dunn has scored five goals in seven Premier League games for the club against the north London side.

LAST MEETING

August 28, 2010: Blackburn 1-2 Arsenal

Theo Walcott gave the Gunners the lead but Blackburn hit back with an equaliser from Mame Biram Diouf. Arsene Wenger’s side showed resilience though and got the winner thanks to Andrey Arshavin’s second-half strike, and held on for all three points.


PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Arsenal: Almunia; Sagna, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy; Song, Wilshere, Fabregas; Arshavin, Van Persie, Nasri.

Blackburn: Robinson; Salgado, Samba, Nelsen, Olsson; Emerton, Nzonzi, J Jones, Pedersen, Hoilett; Santa Cruz.

Prediction

Arsenal 3-1 Blackburn  

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02.04. (Sat) 18:00 Real - Real Sporting

DID YOU KNOW?

* Real Madrid have won all 14 home games in La Liga this season, scoring 46 goals and conceding just six.

* Los Blancos have won eight of their last nine league meetings with Sporting.

* Of those eight previous victories, Madrid have netted 24 times.

* Gonzalo Higuain has recovered from his back operation and he has been included in the squad for the first time since November 29, 2010.

* Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Marcelo are all out through injury, while Xabi Alonso is suspended. Kaka and Fernando Gago are also sidelined.

* Sportig Gijon have only won once in 14 away league games. With six draws and seven defeats, it's joint-second worst record this term.

* The Asturians have not won a game so far this season after conceding the first goal.

* Sporting's last victory over Madrid was in April 4 1996, a 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

* Manolo Preciado's side have conceded just three goals in three meetings this term against Barcelona and Real Madrid.

* Diego Castro has failed to recover from his hamstring injury. He joins Pichu Cuellar, Rafael Sastre, Mate Bilic, Carmelo and Luis Moran on the sidelines.

LAST MEETING

November 14, 2010: Sporting Gijon 0-1 Real Madrid

The clash at El Molinon was played after a heated pre-match spat between coaches Manolo Preciado and Jose Mourinho. Los Blancos eventually emerged 1-0 victors after Karim Benzema set up Gonzalo Higuain for the only goal of the game on 82 minutes. Sporting's Albero Botia was sent off late in the match.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Real Madrid: Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, Arbeloa; Khedira, Lass; Di Maria, Granero, Oezil; Adebayor

Sporting Gijon: Juan Pablo; Lora, Botia, Ivan Hernandez, Canella; Rivera, Eguren; Nacho Novo, Andre Castro, De las Cuevas; Barral 

Prediction

Sporting have given problems to Barcelona (twice) as well as Madrid this season with their no-holds-barred, ultra-defensive approach, and Los Blancos can expect the same again on Saturday evening. Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo's absences could be a problem for Mourinho, but he should still has enough firepower to extend his 100% home record. An early goal will be extremely crucial.

Real Madrid 2-0 Sporting de Gijon

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02.04. (Sat) 18:00 Brescia - Bologna

DID YOU KNOW?

* Brescia are winless in their last six Serie A encounters (D4, L2).

* The Rondinelle's last win at home came on February 6 against Bari.

* Brescia have only one win in their last seven matches against Bologna in Serie A.

* Bologna are currently riding a four-match unbeaten streak.

* Marco Di Vaio has scored four of the Rossoblu's last six goals.

* Bologna have kept a clean sheet in their last two games on the road.

LAST MEETING

November 14, 2010: Bologna 1-0 Brescia

Marco Di Vaio broke the deadlock just before the hour mark to give Bologna a much needed three points at the Renato Dall'Ara.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Brescia: Arcari; Zebina, Bega, Zoboli; Zambelli, Zanetti, Vass, Accardi; Diamanti; Eder, Caracciolo

Bologna: Viviano; Moras, Portanova, Britos, Rubin; Casarini, Mudingayi, Perez; Della Rocca; Ramirez, Di Vaio

Prediction

All signs point towards a Bologna win but Brescia desperately need the points in the battle against relegation and will get the job done on Saturday.

Brescia 2-1 Bologna

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02.04. (Sat) 16:00 West Bromwich Albion - Liverpool

DID YOU KNOW?

* West Bromwich Albion have won only 33 per cent of their Premier League games at home this season. Their opponents on Saturday, however, have not been particularly impressive on the road, winning only 27% of their matches on their travels.

* The Baggies have conceded 56 goals this campaign, which is among the poorest defensive showings in the league. Only Blackpool (60) have shipped in more.

* The last four league games at the Hawthorns have been draws. If the hosts end up drawing this game they will equal the Premier League record for the highest number of consecutive draws at home.

* Roy Hodgson’s men have set an infamous record of conceding in 28 consecutive league games. The last time that they did not let one in was back in August last year, in a 1-0 victory over Sunderland. But back then it was Roberto Di Matteo who was at the helm. In essence, the Baggies have shipped in at least one goal in every league match under Hodgson.

* The west Midlands club have won only two of their last 15 games in all competitions, but remain undefeated in their last five matches.

* Since 1972, Liverpool have lost only once to the Baggies in top-flight football. This came in 1981 in a 2-0 defeat.

* But since the inception of the Premier League, the Reds have beaten the home side in every single encounter without conceding a single goal.

* The Merseyside outfit have lost only once in their last nine league games, beating Chelsea and Manchester United during this time.

* Kenny Dalglish's men have also managed to keep three clean sheets in their last four trips away from home.

* Liverpool have scored eight times and let five in, in their last five games.

LAST MEETING

August 29, 2010: Liverpool 1-0 West Brom

Fernando Torres scored his first goal of the season by volleying home to give Liverpool an underwhelming home win.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

West Bromwich Albion: Carson; Reid, Meite, Olsson, Shorey; Scharner, Mulumbu; Brunt, Morrison, Thomas; Odemwingie.

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger; Lucas, Spearing; Kuyt, Meireles, Suarez; Carroll.

Prediction

West Bromwich 1-2 Liverpool  

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02.04. (Sat) 16:00 Newcastle United - Wolverhampton Wanderers

DID YOU KNOW?

* Newcastle have only won once in their last 10 Premier League games.

* The Magpies' top scorer this season is Kevin Nolan with 11 goals, Andy Carroll also scored 11 goals in his time St James’ Park this campaign.

* Alan Pardew’s side have not won at home since January when they beat West Ham 5-0.

* Newcastle’s tally of 32 league goals scored at home is second only to Manchester United who have 40.

* Leon Best has had nine attempts on goal this Premier League season, scoring six of them.

* Wolves have taken 11 points from their last six Premier League games.

* Matt Jarvis has the made the most crosses (290) in the top flight this season.

* Wolves have only won twice away from home this Premier League season and have the worst away record in the division.

* Mick McCarthy’s side also jointly hold the record for the fewest amount of goals scored on their travels with Wigan as both have only scored 11.

* Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has the most Premier League goals for Wolves this season, finding the net six times.

LAST MEETING

28 August 2010: Wolves 1-1 Newcastle

Andy Carroll got his fourth of the season as he cancelled out Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s first-half opener with the two sides going onto fight for a point in a scrappy game at Molineux where 12 players received yellow cards.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Newcastle: Harper; Simpson, Coloccinni, Williamson, Enrique; Guthrie, Barton, Nolan, Ferguson; Lovenkrands, Ameobi.

Wolves: Hennessey; Foley, Stearman, Berra, Elokobi; Hammill, Henry, Milijas, O’Hara, Jarvis; Ebanks-Blake.

Prediction

Both sides are in need of the points with Newcastle being very close to getting dragged into the scrap at the bottom. Mick McCarthy’s side had an impressive win at Villa last time but the loss of Kevin Doyle could affect them.
Newcastle took a battering at Stoke in their last match but if they fail to stamp their authority on the game early the crowd may turn and further dent their already low confidence.

Newcastle 1-1 Wolves

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02.04. (Sat) 16:00 Stoke City - Chelsea

DID YOU KNOW?

* In 84 matches in all competitions, Chelsea have won 38, Stoke have won 27 and 19 games have been drawn.

* If all matches ended at half-time, Stoke would be in 19th place in the Premier League table on just 24 points.

* Chelsea's 13 clean sheets in the league puts them in joint first place with Manchester City, but the London outfit have played one game less.

* Stoke have averaged 1.20 goals scored per game in the top flight compared to Chelsea's average of 1.83.

* Big money January signing Fernando Torres is yet to score for his new club in seven appearances in all competitions.

* Stoke's Britannia Stadium has a fearsome reputation but Chelsea's 22-point haul on the road is the second best in the league.

* The combined score of the last three meetings between the club's is Chelsea 11-0 Stoke.

* Stoke have not beaten Chelsea at home since their 3-0 victory in the old Division One on April 5 1975.

* Since Nicolas Anelka's injury time strike against Sunderland on February 1, neither the Frenchman, Didier Drogba and Torres have scored in the league.

* Stoke's 4-0 victory against Newcastle United last time out was their biggest ever Premier League win.


LAST MEETING

August 28, 2010: Chelsea 2-0 Stoke City

Goals from Florent Malouda and Drogba continued Chelsea's perfect start to the season and cemented their place at the top of the fledgling table.


PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Stoke City: Begovic; Wilson, Shawcross, Huth, Higginbotham; Pennant, Whelan, Delap, Etherington; Walters, Jones.

Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, David Luiz, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Malouda; Torres, Drogba.

Prediction

Stoke 1-2 Chelsea  

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02.04. (Sat) 16:00 Everton - Aston Villa

DID YOU KNOW?

* Everton are unbeaten at Goodison Park in seven matches.

* The Toffees have conceded more goals (20) at home than any other top half team in the Premier League.

* They are unbeaten in their previous four games in the league.

* Everton have the second worst home record in the top half of the Premier League.

* David Moyes’ men have won four of their last six league games in all competitions.

* Aston Villa have the second worst defensive record in the league away from home.

* The Villans have just one win in their last seven games in all competitions.

* The Birmingham-based club have also lost their last three games, conceding one or more goals in their last nine games in all competitions.

* Villa have fifth worst scoring record in the league this season, and have managed to hit the back of the net on 37 occasions.

* Gerard Houllier’s men have accumulated just 13 points from a possible 33 in their last 11 league games.

LAST MEETING

August 29, 2010: Aston Villa 1-0 Everton

Luke Young scored an early goal to contribute to Everton's worst start to a Premier League campaign in over a decade.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Everton (4-5-1): Howard; Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Osman, Neville, Heitinga, Cahill, Bilyaletdinov; Beckford.

Aston Villa (4-5-1): Friedel; Walker, Dunne, Collins, Baker; Albrighton, Reo-Coker, A Young, Makoun, Downing; Bent.

Prediction

Everton will keep up their good form of late at the expense ofa  desperate Villa side that is on the brink of falling into the relegation zone.

Cahill can provide the difference for the Toffees, who are looking increasingly difficult to beat, similar to the team that Moyes had last season.

The desperate times at the Birmingham-based club will continue into next week.

Everton 2-1 Aston Villa

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02.04. (Sat) 16:00 Birmingham City - Bolton Wanderers

DID YOU KNOW?

* The statistics are not on Birmingham’s side for this clash, as they have on won 39 out of the 119 clashes with Bolton - with the Trotters winning 48 matches.

* Alex McLeish’s side have not won in the Premier League for four matches and have picked up only one point from a possible 12, which has seen them plummet down the standings.

* They currently sit second bottom in the league, one point above Wigan Athletic but only one point from safety. However, three points could lift them as high as 14th place if other results go there way.

* The Blues' record at St Andrews this season has been good, and they have only lost four out of the 15 games at home. The defeats were against Everton, Arsenal, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion. The hosts have also conceded only 18 goals in their backyard.

* Injuries in midfield means McLeish is without Lee Bowyer, Alexsander Hleb, James McFadden and Keith Fahey whilst defender Scott Dann continues to be ruled out with a hamstring injury.

* Bolton should go into this game in confident mood, as they are unbeaten in five matches against Birmingham.

* They have also been victorious in three of their last five visits to St Andrews in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and conceding only six.

* The Trotters are currently in seventh position in the Premier League table, and a win in this match will close the gap on sixth-placed Liverpool. it would also keep them above the chasing pack of Everton, Sunderland and Stoke - who are all within three points.

* However, Bolton’s away form has not been noteworthy for the right reasons, as they have only won twice on their travels this season. They have not picked up three points on an away day since mid-November, when they beat Wolves.

* The visitors will be without midfielder Stuart Holden after he suffered a knee injury after a strong tackle from Manchester United’s Jonny Evans two weeks ago. Coyle is also without Mark Davies, Sean Davis, Sam Ricketts and Zat Knight.

LAST MEETING

March 12, 2011: Birmingham City 2-3 Bolton Wanderers

The last time these two sides met was just three weeks ago when a last minute Chung-Yong Lee strike secured a victory for Bolton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

The Trotters took the lead twice, through goals from Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies. But Cameron Jerome and Kevin Phillips helped draw Birmingham level, before Lee’s last minute header settled matters.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Birmingham City: Foster; Carr, Johnson, Jiranek, Ridgewell; Bentley, Gardner, Ferguson, Mutch, Beausejour; Jerome.

Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Cahill, Wheater, Robinson; Elmander, Muamba, Taylor, Petrov; Davies, Sturridge.

Prediction

These two sides only met three weeks ago, and Birmingham will still be smarting at the last minute goal that saw them bow out of the FA Cup.

With the visitors flying high in seventh position, it is going to be a tough game - and an away victory is on the cards.

Birmingham 1-2 Bolton

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02.04. (Sat) 16:00 Wigan Athletic - Tottenham Hotspur

DID YOU KNOW?

* Wigan have conceded more goals at home than any other team at home this season, letting in a total of 31 strikes at the DW.

* The hosts haven't kept a clean sheet at home for eight games.

* Roberto Martinez's side also have the worst shot conversion rate in the league, netting only 10 per cent of their attempts on goal.

* The Latics have never been at the foot of the Premier League table in April.

* The home side have only beaten Spurs twice in their history, having met 12 times.

* Tottenham have more 2-1 wins than anyone else in the league, racking up the score a total of seven times this season.

* The White Hart Lane outfit failed to pick up a win in March despite playing against two teams in the league's bottom six.

* Harry Redknapp's side have come back from losing positions more than anyone else, picking up 21 points from behind this season.

* Spurs have committed fewer fouls than anybody else in the league so far with only 309 offences to their name.

* Jermain Defoe averages a goal per game against Wigan, hitting 10 in 10 against the Latics.

LAST MEETING

August 28, 2010: Tottenham 0-1 Wigan Athletic

Hugo Rodallega smashed home a second-half winner to give the Latics their first points of the campaign as Tottenham slumped to their first defeat.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Wigan Athletic: Al Habsi; Gohouri, Alcaraz, G Caldwell, Figueroa; Moses, Thomas, McCarthy, Cleverley, N’Zogbia; Rodallega.

Tottenham: Gomes; Corluka, Dawson, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Jenas, Modric, Pienaar; Van der Vaart; Defoe.

Prediction

Wigan Athletic 1-1 Tottenham  

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02.04. (Sat) 15:30 Bayern Munchen - Borussia MG

DID YOU KNOW?

* Bayern Munich are surprisingly yet to win three times in a row in the Bundesliga this season. The game against Moenchengladbach is Bayern's best bet to finally achieve this.

* Die Roten have an astonishing record of 32 wins, 9 draws and 1 loss against Die Fohlen at home.

* The Bavarians have won eight of their nine home games. Louis van Gaal's men last lost to Borussia Dortmund.

* However, this was Bayern Munich's fourth loss in competitive games at the Allianz Arena this season, equalling their negative home record from 2000-01.

* Van Gaal's men are leading the goalscoring charts in the Bundesliga this season with 59 goals, while Lucien Favre's men boast the worst defensive record so far in the German championship with 61 conceded.

* Borussia Moenchengladbach have lost 32 times in 42 games in Munich, winning only once. This streak, together with the 111 goals conceded in Bavaria, is a negative club record.

* Moenchegladbach last won in Bavaria in season 1995-96 when Bayern Munich's current sporting director Christian Nerlinger was still an active player for Die Roten.

* Die Fohlen have already picked up 13 points in the second half of the season, three more than before the winter break.

* Borussia Moenchengladbach have scored 36 goals in 42 games in Munich, less than 0.86 goals per game.

* Both Lucien Favre and Louis van Gaal have picked up 34 wins as a coach in the Bundesliga, but the Dutch tactitian has done so in 19 games fewer.

LAST MEETING

November 6, 2010: Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-3 Bayern Munich

Die Fohlen continued the tradition of putting up quite a fight against Die Roten at home and nearly claimed the three points in an exciting game earlier this season. Patrick Herrmann gave the hosts the lead with a fortunate goal, only to see it cancelled out by Mario Gomez six minutes later. Bastian Schweinsteiger put Die Rekordmeister in the driving seat with an exquisite backheel, but then missed a penalty.

Igor De Camargo's introduction after the break turned the game around as Marco Reus and the Brazilian hit the champions with a five-minute double salvo. Philipp Lahm saved face for the Bavarians with a precise finish minutes before the final whistle.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Bayern Munich: Kraft; Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Luiz Gustavo, Pranjic - Kroos, Schweinsteiger - Robben, Mueller, Ribery - Gomez

Borussia Moenchengladbach: Bailly - Jantschke, Stranzl, Dante, Daems - Nordtveit, Fink - Neustaedter - Reus, Arango - Idrissou

Prediction

The time for excuses is over for Bayern Munich and with Hannover playing league-leaders Borussia Dortmund three points are a must. There will be goals, but Logan Bailly is more likely to put the ball out of his net a couple of times than Thomas Kraft.

Bayern Munich 3-1 Mönchengladbach

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02.04. (Sat) 15:30 Werder - Stuttgart

DID YOU KNOW?

* Werder Bremen have failed to shut out their opponents in their last 12 Bundesliga games - no team in the league has gone that long without keeping a clean sheet.

* When the two sides met earlier this season Stuttgart won 6-0, inflicting Bremen's heaviest defeat in 24 years.

* Both sides are currently four games unbeaten with only Leverkusen on a longer run at the moment (six games without defeat).

* Bremen have been awarded eight penalties this season, more than any other team in the league.

* Die Werderaner have scored a total of 152 goals against Stuttgart with the southern German club scoring 141 in reply.

* Stuttgart have scored at least two goals in each of their last four Bundesliga away games.

* The fixture is notorious for producing goals, with the last six games between Werder and die Schwaben producing 30 goals.

* The two sides have met 89 times in the Bundesliga, Stuttgart just edging it the bragging rights with 32 victories to Bremen's 30. There have been 27 draws.

* Stuttgart have the third worst away record in the league (conceding 49 goals) with Bremen (53 goals) and Moenchengladbach (61) the only sides with a worse defence.

LAST MEETING

November 7, 2010: Stuttgart 6-0 Werder Bremen

When the two sides met back in November a struggling Stuttgart thrashed Thomas Schaaf's men 6-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena with Cacau (2), Ciprian Marica, Christian Gentner, Georg Niedermeier and Arthur Boka all getting on the scoresheet.


PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Werder Bremen: Wiese; Fritz, Pasanen, Mertesacker, Silvestre; Frings, Wesley, Borowski, Hunt, Marin; Wagner

Stuttgart: Ulreich; Boulahrouz, Tasci, Delpierre, Molinaro; Harnik, Kuzmanovic, Traesch, Okazaki, Hajnal; Pogrebnyak

Prediction

 

Werder Bremen 2-2 VfB Stuttgart

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02.04. (Sat) 15:30 Borussia D. - Hannover 96

DID YOU KNOW?

* Borussia Dortmund have taken just one point from their last two matches, having lost to Hoffenheim and drawn with Mainz in succession.

* The league leaders have a goal difference 35 better than their visitors, despite being ranked only two places higher in the Bundesliga table.

* Only Werder Bremen (1987-88) have ever conceded fewer goals after 27 games than Dortmund this season (16). Bremen won the title that year.

* BVB have only once conceded more than one goal this season: in their 2-0 opening day loss to Leverkusen.

* Hannover have kept clean sheets in four of their last seven Bundesliga matches.

* Didier Ya Konan has scored and assisted two goals each in his last three matches.

* Die Roten have managed to avoid defeat in six of their last seven matches in Dortmund. Their one loss was in February of 2010 (4-1).

* Mohammed Abdellaoue has scored 23 goals this season; 15 for Valerenga in Norway, and 8 for Hannover.

LAST MEETING

November 7, 2010: Hannover 0-4 Borussia Dortmund

When the two teams met in November, Dortmund delivered a four-goal hammering, though the game was not decided until late. Shinji Kagawa put the visitors ahead after 11 minutes, but only in the 72nd minute did BVB score the critical second goal that put the match out of reach. Substitute Robert Lewandowski added a third nine minutes before full time, and Jakub Blaszczykowski broke away to net the fourth at the death.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender, Sahin - Goetze, Lewandowski, Grosskreutz - Barrios

Hannover: Fromlowitz - Cherundolo, Haggui, Pogatetz, Schulz - Schlaudraff, Schmiedebach, Pinto, Krausch - Ya Konan, Abdellaoue

Prediction

Borussia 3-1 Hannover 96

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02.04. (Sat) 13:45 West Ham United - Manchester United

DID YOU KNOW?

* Manchester United have gone over 450 minutes since last conceding against West Ham in the Premier League, winning all five clashes in the process.

* Yet in their most recent meeting, the East London club ran out comfortable 4-0 winners at Upton Park, in November’s League Cup quarter-final.

* In August’s reverse fixture at Old Trafford, United eased to a 3-0 victory, with Rooney’s opening penalty one of five goals the striker has scored in eight games against West Ham.

* The England international is currently two goals short of 100 for United, while Mexican Javier Hernandez has also been in fine form so far this season, scoring 10 goals from just 39 attempts.

* West Ham have lost just one game in their last seven, a 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham City, an improvement in form which has seen them climb out of the relegation zone in recent weeks.

* Current Premier League leaders United have only won four of their last 15 Premier League away fixtures.

* Carlton Cole could make his 250th appearance if he starts against Manchester United, while defeat will bring the Hammers' 250th loss in the league.

* Despite their poor away form, Manchester United have only lost three times this season, compared to West Ham’s 12 defeats and 11 draws.

* Manchester United look set to welcome back captain Nemanja Vidic to the centre of defence, a timely return with Rio Ferdinand, Rafael da Silva, John O’Shea injured along with long-term absentee Owen Hargreaves, while Paul Scholes and Jonny Evans miss out through suspension.

* Frederic Piquionne leads the goal scoring charts at Upton Park this season, having scored six goals so far this campaign, with Carlton Cole close behind on five strikes.

LAST MEETING

August 28th 2010, Manchester United 3-0 West Ham

A first-half Wayne Rooney penalty set the tone for this encounter, as second half goals from Nani five minutes after the break and Dimitar Berbatov twenty minutes from time, condemned a dismal West Ham to their third defeat in the opening month of the Premier League season.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS


West Ham United: Green; Jacobsen, Upson, Da Costa, Bridge; Noble, Parker, Hitzlsperger, O’Neil; Cole, Ba.

Manchester United: Van der Sar; Brown, Smalling, Vidic, Evra; Nani, Giggs, Carrick, Valencia; Rooney, Berbatov.

Prediction

West Ham 1-2 Man Utd.  

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03.-04. 04. 2011 La Liga preview round 30

Sunday
17:00 Real Sociedad - Hercules
17:00 Levante - Malaga
17:00 Espanyol - Racing Santander
17:00 Deportivo La Coruna - Mallorca
Monday
21:00 Almeria - Athletic Bilbao

Real Sociedad - Hercules

* In the history of the Spanish first division, Hercules have never won at Anoeta, and have not picked up a point there since 1981.
* Hercules have failed to find the back of the net in 9 of their last 11 league matches. Should they fail to score in this match, Hercules will equal Deportivo´s 1966 record of 12 consecutive league matches without scoring on the road.
* Real Sociedad have conceded the most goals from direct free kicks in the competition (four).

TEAM NEWS:

Real Sociedad
The Basque team have a full squad at their disposal, with key man Griezmann back safe and uninjured from the international break.

Hercules
This will be the first test for new coach Djukic, the Serbian 42 year old having replaced Esteban Vigo following the loss to Osasuna which left the team from Alicante in last place. Pena has also told the media on Thursday morning that he has recovered from his injury and is available to play.

Levante - Malaga

* Levante have played Malaga three times in the Primera Division, losing on all three occasions.
* The Valencian side are on a run of five games without a loss, their best-ever such run in the Spanish top flight.
* Malaga have won back-to-back league games for the first time this season, with wins over Real Sociedad and Espanyol.

TEAM NEWS:

Levante
Felipe Caicedo has been receiving oxygen therapy this week to speed up the recovery of his muscle injury, and is very unlikely to be fit for the game. Jefferson Montero returned safely to training this week after playing with Ecuador in the international break. Nano also returns to training after overcoming tonsillitis.

Malaga
Los Boquerones are coming of the back of two victories after a series of poor displays that left them consistently fighting to get out of the relegation zone. A rejuvenated Malaga, with its recently aquired individual talents, could well cause Levante problems.

Espanyol - Racing Santander

* Racing have lost only once in their last five visits to Espanyol in the Primera Division (three wins, one draw).
* The Catalans have drawn only once in the league this season.
* Racing hold the record for failing to score with the most penalties in the league this season (five).
* Racing have won only one of their last seven away league matches.

TEAM NEWS:

Espanyol
Baena will be out for around 6 weeks after tests carried out yesterday confirm that he has a serious leg injury. Sergio Garcia will also be unavailable for the match, as he is continuing treament for the injury to his meniscus.

Racing
The team will be hoping that internation duty this week for Lacen, Rosenberg and Giovani will not hinder their performance in what looks to be a difficult match.

Deportivo - Mallorca

* Deportivo are unbeaten in their last five league clashes at home to Mallorca.
* 5 of the 12 points Mallorca have picked up in away games this season have come in their last four matches.
* Mallorca have scored just once in their last four league trips to Deportivo.
* Deportivo´s defenders have scored 30% of their team´s league goals this season, more than any other side.

TEAM NEWS:

Deportivo
Claudio Morel has recovered from an abductor injury, and will likely play left back at the expense of Manual Pablo. Desmarets is also out.

Mallorca
Sergi missed training yesterday due to muscle discomfort, but may play in tomorrow's game. Apart from that, Michael Laudrup has a full squad at his disposal, with the internationals arriving back uninjured.

Almeria - Athletic Bilbao

* Almeria have lost their last three meetings with Athletic in La Liga.
* Almeria are, along with Sporting, the side who have drawn the most league matches this season (11).
* Athletic Bilbao have taken just one point from their last four away games.
* Los Leones striker Fernando Llorente has not gone four straight league matches without scoring this season, though he has failed to find the net in his last three.

TEAM NEWS:

Almeria
Acasiete has been training alone after spending ten days with the national team, with Uche also recovering after a international stint with Nigeria.

Athletic Bilbao
Gomez, Aurtenetxe, Fernandez, Ocio and Aldekoatalora are all out with various injuries. Igor Martinez is doubtful after a strain in yesterday's training session, but Javi Martinez and Llorente are back from international duty with no complications.

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01.-04. 04. 2011. Bundesliga preview: Round 28

Friday
20:30 St Pauli - Schalke

Saturday
15:30 Bayern Munich - Moenchengladbach
15:30 Werder Bremen - Stuttgart
15:30 Borussia Dortmund - Hannover
15:30 Mainz - Freiburg
15:30 Kaiserslautern - Bayer Leverkusen
18:30 Hoffenheim - Hamburg

Sunday
15:30 Koeln - Nuernberg
17:30 Wolfsburg - Eintracht Frankfurt




St Pauli - Schalke

* Schalke have not lost in six games against St Pauli, winning four and drawing two.

* Manuel Neuer is set to make his 150th Bundesliga appearance.

* Neither team has a historical advantage in the games between the two clubs at the Millerntor-Stadion with a win apiece, two draws and seven goals for each side.

* The Hamburg outfit have lost five on the trot, one short of their terrible run of six in a row in late 2001.

TEAM NEWS:

St Pauli

Mathias Hain, Carlos Zambrano and Bastian Oczipka are out with injuries. Holger Stanislawski will have to do without the services of Fabio Morena, Carsten Rothenbach and Moritz Volz.

Koeln

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Christian Pander, Tim Hoogland, Christoph Moritz, Levan Kenia and Angelos Charisteas are going to sit this one out due to physical problems.

Bayern Munich - Moenchengladbach

* The Bavarians are surprisingly yet to win three times in a row in the Bundesliga this season. The game against Moenchengladbach is Bayern's best bet to finally achieve this.

* Die Fohlen have lost 32 times in 42 games in Munich, winning only once. This streak, together with the 111 goals conceded in Bavaria is A negative club record.

* Bayern have won eight of their nine home games. Louis van Gaal's men last lost to Borussia Dortmund.

* Moenchegladbach last won in Bavaria in season 1995-96 when Bayern Munich's current sporting director Christian Nerlinger was still an active player for Die Roten.

TEAM NEWS:

Bayern Munich

Aside from long-term absentee Ivica Olic and the injured Daniel van Buyten, Louis van Gaal has a full-strength squad at his disposal.

Moenchengladbach

Igor De Camargo and Jens Wissing are injured and will not take part in this game.

Werder Bremen - Stuttgart

* Werder Bremen have not kept a clean sheet in their last 12 games, a season negative record.

* There have been 30 goals in the last six games between the two teams.

* Only Bayer Leverkusen are on a longer unbeaten streak than Werder Bremen and Stuttgart. Both teams have failed to win in four games.

* Earlier this season Stuttgart inflicted the heaviest defeat on Der Werderaner in 24 years, winning 6-0.

Werder Bremen's revelation Wesley is set to return.

TEAM NEWS:

Werder Bremen

Christian Vander, Naldo, Sebastian Boenisch, Daniel Jensen, Onur Ayik, Sebastian Proedl and Philipp Bargfrede are all out with injuries. Claudio Pizarro is suspended for accumulated yellow cards.

Stuttgart

Johan Audel and Ermin Bicakcic are on the casualties list, while the sole goalscorer for Romania against Bosnia on Saturday, Ciprian Marica, has been frozen out of the squad.

Borussia Dortmund - Hannover

* The 96ers have kept four clean sheets in their last seven games in the Bundesliga

* Hannover have lost only once in their last seven encounters away to Borussia Dortmund, with their last defeat a 4-1 pummelling in February 2010.

* Juergen Klopp's men have won just one point in their last two matches.

* Dortmund have conceded more than one goal just once this season, against Bayer Leverkusen on the opening day.

TEAM NEWS:

Borussia Dortmund

Shinji Kagawa is out with a broken metatarsal, while Florian Kringe is still short of fitness following his long recovery from injury.

Hannover

Mirko Slomka will not be able to field Ron-Robert Zieler, Christopher Avevor and Leon Andreasen as they are struggling with injuries.

Mainz - Freiburg

* The two teams have never drawn in a competitive game, with three wins for Mainz and two for Freiburg.

* Thomas Tuchel's men have scored just five times in their last nine home games.

* Breisgau-Brasilianer have lost all of their away games to Mainz, conceding eight goals and scoring none.

* Freiburg last lost four games on the trot over 14 months ago in season 2009-10.

TEAM NEWS:

Mainz

Adam Szalai, Miroslav Karhan, Heinz Mueller and Elkin Soto are out injured for Mainz. .


Freiburg

Robin Dutt will have to do without the services of Jonathan Jaeger, Stefan Reisinger, long-term casualty Simon Pouplin and Daniel Williams.

Kaiserslautern - Bayer Leverkusen

* Die Roten Teufel have won just once in their last 20 games against Die Werkself. This happened eight years ago with Miroslav Klose netting the sole goal in the 39th minute.

* Kaiserslautern are unbeaten in four games for the first time since their promotion from 2.Bundesliga this season.

* In the match between the two sides earlier this season, former Kaiserslautern striker Sidney Sam netted a brace in a 3-1 comeback win for Jupp Heynckes' men.

* Leverkusen's Sidney Sam, Michal Kadlec and Michael Ballack are all former Kaiserslautern players. The ex-Germany captain has scored more goals against Die Roten Teufel (seven strikes) than against any other team in the Bundesliga.

Michael Ballack is set to feature against his former club

TEAM NEWS:

Kaiserslautern

Jan Simunek and Ivo Ilicevic are out with injuries for Kaiserslautern.

Leverkusen

Manuel Friedrich and Gonzalo Castro are still recovering from injuries and are unlikely to take any significant part in this game.

Hoffenheim - Hamburg

* Hoffenheim have won just once in their last six games, with their latest success arriving against league-leaders Borussia Dortmund.

* The Sinsheim outfit have won both of their games against Die Rothosen, outscoring Hamburg by eight goals to one.

* Two weeks ago Hamburg scored six goals after conceding six in their previous game for the first time since 1997, when they first lost to Moenchengladbach 6-2 and then won against St Pauli

* During the first game between the two sides this season, both Marco Pezzaiuoli and Michael Oenning were assistant coaches. But are now head coaches.


TEAM NEWS:

Hoffenheim

Matthias Jaissle is injured for the Sinsheim outfit, while Tobias Weis and Chinedu Obasi are likely to take a part in this fixture.

Hamburg

Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored a magnificent goal for the Netherlands against Hungary in midweek, is suspended for the game after picking up his fifth yellow card in the game against Koeln in the last round of the Bundesliga. Jaroslav Drobny is out with injury, while Romeo Castelen has returned to training, but is unlikely to take a major part in this game.


Koeln - Nuernberg

* Koeln have won six home games in a row, equalling their own record from 23 years ago. No team currently in the Bundesliga or 2.Bundesliga have ever achieved such a streak.

* Milivoje Novakovic has scored all of his 11 goals this season at home. He has more strikes at home than shots in away fixtures this season (10).

* Should Der Club score on Sunday afternoon, it will be their 500th goal in the Bundesliga.

* Nuernberg have won eight of their last nine games against Die Geissboecke.

TEAM NEWS:

Koeln

Christopher Schorch and Konstantinos Giannoulis are both still recovering from injuries.

Nuernberg

Timothy Chandler (accumulated yellow cards) and Javier Pinola (red card) are both suspended for this game. Mike Frantz, Albert Bunjaku and Julian Schieber are not in top condition and are unlikely to take a major part in the game against Koeln.


Wolfsburg - Eintracht Frankfurt

* Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt are the two worst teams in the Bundesliga since the winter break. Die Woelfe have picked up only eight points since the restart, while Die Launische Diva have only five.

* Wolfsburg have had the worst season in their history so far, picking up only 27 points from 27 games.

* Eintracht Frankfurt are yet to win away to Die Woelfe, losing six times and drawing three games.

* Maik Franz, a former Wolfsburg player, is yet to allow a goal by Grafite. The defender was on the winning team three times and drew just once against the Brazilian with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Grafite is unlikely to fancy a meeting with 'Iron Maik'

TEAM NEWS:

Wolfsburg

Peter Pekarik is suspended for this game after picking up his fifth yellow card against Stuttgart two weeks ago. Tolga Cigerci is injured for Felix Magath's team.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Brazilian defender Chris and midfielder Zlatan Bajramovic are long-term casualties for Christoph Daum's team and are unlikely to feature.

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02.-03. 04.2011 Eredivisie preview: Round 29

Saturday
Twente - PSV
Heerenveen - Excelsior
Willem II - Roda
De Graafschap - NAC
Feyenoord - AZ

Sunday
Utrecht - ADO Den Haag
Vitesse - NEC
Ajax - Heracles
Groningen - VVV






Twente - PSV

* Twente currently sit second in the table
* The Tukkers recorded a 2-0 win over Excelsior two weeks ago
* PSV sit atop the Eredivisie table at the moment
* They defeated Utrecht 1-0 in their last league game
* Previous meeting: Twente 1-1 PSV

Heerenveen - Excelsior

* NAC are the league's 11th-placed team with 35 points from 28 games
* The Friezen were beaten 4-2 by Heracles two weeks back
* Excelsior sit 16th in the table
* They were defeated 2-0 by Twente in their last match
* Previous meeting: Exceslior 0-2 Heerenveen

Willem II - Roda

* The Tilburg side still sit rock bottom in the standings
* Willem II recorded a scoreless draw against VVV in their last match
* Roda are the Eredivisie's seventh-placed side
* They beat Feyenoord 3-0 two weeks ago
* Previous meeting: Roda 2-2 Willem II


De Graafschap - NAC

* De Graafschap currently sit 14th in the league table
* The Doetinchem side recorded a 1-0 loss against NEC two weeks back
* NAC sit 13th in the Eredivisie with as many points as their opponents
* The Breda side were defeated 1-0 by Groningen in their last league game
* Previous meeting: NAC 2-0 De Graafschap

Feyenoord - AZ

* Feyenoord are 12th in the Eredivisie at the moment
* They were heavily beaten 3-0 by Roda in their last league game
* AZ sit fourth in the league table with 49 points from 28 games
* They recorded a 3-1 win over Vitesse two weeks ago
* Previous meeting: AZ 2-1 Feyenoord

Utrecht - ADO Den Haag

* Utrecht sit eighth in the Eredivisie table
* They were beaten 1-0 by PSV two weeks ago
* ADO Den Haag are fifth in the league
* The Residentieclub beat Ajax 3-2 in their last league game
* Previous meeting: ADO Den Haag 1-0 Utrecht

Vitesse - NEC

* Vitesse currently sit 15th the table
* The Arnhem side were beaten 3-1 by AZ last time around
* NEC are the league's 10th-placed side
* The Nijmegen outfit defeated De Graafschap 1-0 two weeks ago
* Previous meeting: NEC 0-0 Vitesse

Ajax - Heracles

* Ajax are third right now with 55 points from 28 games
* The Godenzonen were beaten 3-2 by ADO two weeks ago
* Heracles have climbed to ninth spot in the league table
* The Almelo outfit recorded a 4-2 win over Heerenveen in their last league game
* Previous meeting: Heracles 1-4 Ajax

Groningen - VVV

* Groningen are the Eredivisie's sixth ranked team with 47 points from 28 games
* The Pride of the North beat NAC 1-0 in their last game
* VVV are the Eredivisie's number 17 with 17 points from 28 games
* The relegation candidates were held to a scoreless draw by Willem II two weeks back
* Previous meeting: VVV 3-5 Groningen

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