20.04. (Wed) 21:30 Barcelona - Real

DID YOU KNOW?

* Barcelona’s run of five successive Clasico wins came to an end with Saturday’s 1-1 draw in the Bernabeu.

* Lionel Messi managed to score his first goal against a side coached by Jose Mourinho, converting a penalty early in the second half.

* During the encounter, the Catalans successfully completed 817 passes – nearly 100 more than they achieved during their 5-0 win over Real Madrid in November.

* Pep Guardiola’s side also had as many shots on target as they mustered in the meeting at Camp Nou.

* With 25 wins to their credit, no side is as successful as Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.

* They’ve also been runners-up on nine occasions, but have won their last three finals.

* In four cup final meetings against the capital side, Barcelona have won three.

* Real Madrid’s strike-rate of success in Copa del Rey finals is below 50 per cent, winning only 17 of their 36 appearances in the final two.

* Since last winning the trophy in 1993, the Bernabeu side have made the final only twice, losing out in 2002 and 2004 to Deportivo La Coruna (2-1) and Real Zaragoza (3-2 aet) respectively.

* The last time they met Barcelona on such an occasion, the nine-time European Cup winners went down 2-0 also at the Mestalla.

* In 1974, Madrid lost 5-0 in a league encounter against their great rivals before bouncing back to a 4-0 cup final success.

* Last weekend, Jose Mourinho’s side only completed 64.4% of their attempted passes, of which they made 278.

* Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first career goal against Barcelona at the Bernabeu, shooting home a penalty kick late in the game.

LAST MEETING

April 29, 2011: Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona

In a tight affair at the Bernabeu, little was given away by a defensively-minded home side, who were happy to sit back and absorb pressure. Barcelona took the lead from the penalty spot through Lionel Messi, gaining a double advantage as Raul Albiol was dismissed in conceding the foul. Real Madrid offered little resistance until the closing stages, when Mesut Ozil livened up the game. Ultimately, a Marcelo raid into the box drew an indiscretion from Dani Alves, allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to level from 12 yards.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Barcelona: Valdes; Alves, Pique, Busquets, Adriano; Xavi, Mascherano, Iniesta; Villa, Messi, Pedro

Real Madrid: Casillas; Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, Marcelo; Khedira, Alonso; Ronaldo, Ozil, Di Maria; Adebayor

Prediction

Saturday’s clash proved to be tight, which suited the capital side, and it would be somewhat surprising if Jose Mourinho elected to adopt a significantly more offensive mindset. This will doubtless trouble Barcelona, yet the Catalans will start as favourites to lift the crown, despite a rather low-key weekend showing.

Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid

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20.04. (Wed) 20:45 Milan - Palermo

DID YOU KNOW?

* AC Milan are undefeated this season when they score first.

* Massimiliano Allegri's men have succumbed to only one domestic defeat in the calendar year.

* Milan haven't won the Coppa Italia since the 2002-03 campaign.

* Alexandre Pato will miss the clash with a thigh injury.

* Palermo have kept only six clean sheets in Serie A this season.

* The Sicilian outfit have never won the Coppa Italia and were runners up twice in the 1970s.

* Palermo have picked up only two victories in their last nine matches (W2, D1, L6).

* Delio Rossi's men have scored 50 times in Serie A this season.

LAST MEETING

March 19, 2011: Palermo 1-0 AC Milan

Palermo stunned the league leaders at the Renzo Barbera as Dorin Goian's 10th minute goal stood up as the winner. The towering defender beat Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati with a neat volley and the Sicilians hung on to record a famous victory.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

AC Milan: Amelia; Abate, Yepes, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta; Pirlo; Flamini, Van Bommel, Seedorf; Cassano, Ibrahimovic

Palermo: Sirigu; Cassani, Munoz, Bovo, Balzaretti; Migliaccio, Liverani, Nocerino; Pastore; Miccoli, Pinilla

Prediction

Palermo shocked the league leaders in their previous meeting in March but it's unlikely that the Sicilians will be able to duplicate that feat at San Siro on Wednesday. Massimiliano Allegri will field his strongest starting XI and they have enough firepower to take a stranglehold on the tie.

AC Milan 3-1 Palermo

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20.04. (Wed) 20:45 Tottenham Hotspur - Arsenal

DID YOU KNOW?

* Tottenham have lost just once at White Hart Lane in the Premier League all season. That defeat came back in August when Wigan won 1-0 courtesy of a Hugo Rodallega goal.

* PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale has not scored for Spurs since New Year’s Day in the 1-0 win over Fulham.

* Harry Redknapp's men have scored just 22 goals at White Hart Lane this season in the league - only Birmingham, Sunderland, Blackburn and Wigan have scored fewer goals at home.

* Rafael van der Vaart remains Tottenham’s top goalscorer this season with 12 goals but the Dutchman has not scored in front of his own fans since November.

* Spurs have only lost one of their last 10 league games, against Blackpool when they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Bloomfield Road.

* Arsenal have yet to lose on their travels in the Premier League this year. In six games, the Gunners have won three and drawn three and are the only top flight team unbeaten in 2011.

* However, they have won just one of their last five games in the league, a 3-1 victory over Blackpool.

* The Gunners head to White Hart Lane with the best away record in the division, with eight wins (three more than Manchester United) and just two defeats.

* Indeed Arsenal’s last away league defeat came back in December when they lost 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

* The Gunners' draw with Liverpool at the weekend was the seventh time this season they have dropped points from a winning position (the others include Newcastle, Tottenham, Sunderland, Wigan, Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and Leyton Orient in the FA Cup).

LAST MEETING

November 20, 2010: Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham

Last time out Spurs staged a brilliant comeback at the Emirates to beat Arsenal on their home turf for the first time in 17 years despite going two goals down after less than half an hour.

Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh put the Gunners into a comfortable lead but Gareth Bale gave Spurs hope before a Rafael van der Vaart penalty and a late Younes Kaboul header completed a magnificent comeback.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Tottenham: Gomes; Corluka, Dawson, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Huddlestone, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart; Crouch.

Arsenal: Szczesny; Eboue, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy; Song, Wilshere; Nasri, Fabregas, Walcott; Van Persie.

Prediction

This is a fixture that is usually full of goals and with so much riding on the result, for both sides, an enticing tie is in prospect at White Hart Lane.

A win for the hosts will see them complete a league double over Arsenal and move level on points with Manchester City in fourth. The Gunners, meanwhile, simply must win if they are to have any chance of beating Manchester United to the title.

However, seven of the last 10 games between these two sides at White Hart Lane have ended all square and with little to chose between the two clubs it would be little surprise if this was another stalemate.

Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal

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20.04. (Wed) 20:45 Chelsea - Birmingham City

DID YOU KNOW?

* Chelsea have never lost a league game against Birmingham at Stamford Bridge.

* If Birmingham do win though, then they will complete their first league double over Chelsea since the 1955-56 season.

* The two teams have an identical record for this calendar month, winning two, drawing one, scoring five and conceding two.

* This league campaign is by far Chelsea's worst since being Roman Abramovich's takeover, averaging just 1.9 points per game.

* Without Michael Essien in the side, Chelsea have won just 20 per cent of their games this season.

* The Fernando Torres drought goes on. The Spaniard has failed to net in 702 minutes as a Chelsea player.

* Birmingham have scored the highest percentage of goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season - with 52% of their strikes coming from dead balls.

* Blues are the league's second worst side in front of goal though, with only 33 goals in 32 games.

* Chelsea have picked up a colossal 34 points when winning games at half-time this season - going on to win 11 and draw one.

* Birmingham are on the hunt for their first ever away win in the Premier League on a Wednesday - failing all of the 11 times they have tried so far.

LAST MEETING

November 20, 2010: Birmingham 1 - 0 Chelsea

A Lee Bowyer strike condemned wasteful Chelsea to their third defeat in four outings as Carlo Ancelotti's side just about managed to stay perched on top of the Premier League.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

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

Birmingham: Foster; Carr, Parnaby, Johnson, Ridgewell; Gardner, Bowyer, Ferguson, Larsson, Hleb; Jerome.

Prediction

This month Birmingham have turned around the form that has seen them plummet the depths of the Premier League by snatching a couple of home wins. Away from home they remain weak though, so expect Chelsea to fully crank the pressure up on Arsenal with a comfortable win.

Chelsea 2-0 Birmingham

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