25.04. (Mon) 21:00 Blackburn Rovers - Manchester City

DID YOU KNOW?

• Blackburn have not recorded a victory in their last 10 matches, stretching back to late January when they beat West Brom at Ewood Park. That poor run of form has seen Rovers fall from seventh to 16th, increasing the pressure on manager Steve Kean.

• Despite their poor recent run Blackburn’s home record is actually not that bad; they have only lost one of the last five games and have only lost four games at home all season.

• In-form winger Junior Hoilett is unlikely to feature for Blackburn after he picked up a hamstring injury. The young winger has scored three of Rovers’ last five goals in the league.

• Kean will be without four key men as Rovers battle against relegation: midfielder Steven Nzonzi is suspended after picking up a red card against Arsenal, Ryan Nelsen is ruled out with a knee injury, Keith Andrews is still struggling with a groin problem and Vince Grella continues to be sidelined with a problematic Achilles injury.

• Rovers will be without a fifth big name for this match as Roque Santa Cruz will be unable to play against his parent club as part of his loan agreement.

• Manchester City’s recent form could also be better; they have won twice in their last five league matches and in their last Premier League outing they were comprehensively beaten by Liverpool. However, victory over fierce rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals should have lifted their spirits.

• Ewood Park is not the best hunting ground for City: in the 57 games they have played against Blackburn they have only won in Lancashire 14 times.

• City are currently occupying the final Champions League qualification place as they sit fourth in the Premier League table. They are three points clear of Tottenham in fifth although Spurs do have a game in hand, and they are seven points clear of Liverpool in sixth.

• Roberto Mancini’s men have struggled on their travels this season compared to the other sides around them; City have lost the most away games of any of the top five with six, and victory in this game will be their seventh win on the road this season.

• Inspirational captain Carlos Tevez is unavailable for City after picking up a hamstring injury against Liverpool. The Argentine is unlikely to be available again this season although the chance to play in the FA Cup final may aid his recovery. Jerome Boateng (hamstring) and Shay Given (shoulder) are also unavailable for Mancini, whilst Kolo Toure is still suspended after failing a drugs test.

LAST MEETING

Saturday, 11 September 2010: Manchester City 1-1 Blackburn Rovers

When these two sides met earlier in the season Blackburn battled hard to earn themselves their first point on the road, ending City’s 100 per cent home record in the process. Nikola Kalinic opened the scoring for Rovers in the first half, but Patrick Vieira levelled the scores in the 56th minute and the game ended all square.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Blackburn Rovers: Robinson; Salgado, P.Jones, Samba, Olsson; Emerton, Dunn, J.Jones, Pedersen; Rochina, Roberts.

Manchester City: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov; Barry, De Jong; Johnson, Yaya Toure, Milner; Dzeko.

Prediction

City’s record may not be fantastic at Ewood Park but Blackburn’s current run will have drained confidence from the side. City are on a high after victory over United, and should use that confidence to record a comfortable victory that keeps them in the hunt for a Champions League place next season.

Blackburn 1-3 Man City  

Read More

24.04. (Sun) 21:00 Sevilla - Villarreal

DID YOU KNOW?

* Sevilla have now gone six games in a row without losing at home, winning four and drawing the other two, against Malaga and Barcelona.

* The Andalucians have scored 10 penalties this season, levelled with Real Madrid and more than any other team in the league.

* Sevilla have won nine of their last ten meetings with Villarreal in all competitions at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

* Striker Frederic Kanoute has returned to training after recovering from a hamstring problem. However, he is still doubtful for the match on Sunday. Jesus Navas remains sidelined with a leg injury.

* Villarreal have only managed to score more than a goal a game just once in their last 12 league outings, a 2-2 draw with Racing Santander.

* The Yellow Submarine's last 11 goals in La Liga have come from just three players: Giuseppe Rossi (seven), Marco Ruben (three) and Nilmar (one).

* Villarreal's last victory at Sevilla came in June 2007 when they won 1-0 courtesy of a Fabricio Fuentes goal.

* Juan Carlos Garrido's men have won just two of their last eight away games in the league, losing five times in the process.

LAST MEETING

January 18, 2011: Sevilla 3-0 Villarreal

Sevilla defeated the Yellow Submarine 3-0 in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals to advance to the last four 6-3 on aggregate. Renato scored after just seven minutes, but quickfire goals from Frederic Kanoute and Alexis five minutes into the second half allowed the Andaluz outfit to seal a comfortable win.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Sevilla: Varas; Caceres, Escude, Alexis, Fernando Navarro; Medel, Romaric; Perotti, Rakitic, Capel; Negredo

Villarreal: Diego Lopez; Mario, Musacchio, Marchena, Catala; Cani, Bruno, Borja Valero, Cazorla; Nilmar, Rossi

Prediction

Villarreal's woeful current form on the road, as well as their head-to-head record against Sevilla, should give the Andalucians encouragement to win the game and keep their slim hopes of Champions League qualification alive.

Sevilla 2-0 Villarreal

Read More

24.04. (Sun) 17:00 Bolton Wanderers - Arsenal

DID YOU KNOW?

* Bolton Wanderers have picked up 10 points from their last six games in the Premier League, winning three, drawing one and losing two matches.

* The Trotters have lost their last eight consecutive Premier League games against Arsenal. Their last victory over Arsene Wenger's men was a 3-1 home victory in November 2006.

* The hosts have conceded 1.34 goals-per-game as opposed to the opponents' 1.03 ratio. They have kept only five clean sheets, while the Londoners have done the same on 12 occasions.

* Owen Coyle's men are currently in eighth place. But if all games finished at half-time, they would have found themselves in 13th position.

* Daniel Sturridge has been in stellar form since joining Bolton on loan from Chelsea. He has scored six goals in eight games for the club.

* Arsenal won the FA Cup in 2005, Arsene Wenger's seventh major trophy as manager of the club, but have gone on a barren run since. Patrick Vieira's penalty in that final six years ago settled matters against Manchester United through spot-kicks.

* The Gunners are undefeated in their last last six games in the Premier League, but five of them have been draws. In fact they are unbeaten in 16 league games, but have drawn half of those.

* The north London outfit have lost five matches in the league this season, four of which have come against teams in the top-half of the table.

* Arsenal have scored 66 goals in the top-flight so far. Only Manchester United (70) have scored more. During this time, Wenger's men have hit three or more goals in a game on 11 occasions.

* They have scored 113 goals in all competitions so far this season.

* Leading scorer Robin van Persie (18 goals from 21 starts in all competitions) has scored four goals in his last five games for the club.

LAST MEETING

September 11, 2010: Arsenal 4-1 Bolton Wanderers

Laurent Koscielny, Marouane Chamakh, Alexandre Song and Carlos Vela hit the back of the net as the Gunners registered a victory over Owen Coyle's charges, for whom Johan Elmander replied. This game also saw the hosts reach a milestone in the form of breaking and surpassing the 1000 goals barrier in the Premier League under manager Arsene Wenger.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Robinson; Muamba, Lee, Petrov; Elmander, Sturridge, K Davies.

Arsenal: Szczesny; Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy; Wilshere, Song; Fabregas, Nasri, Arshavin; Van Persie.

Prediction

A victory is overdue for Arsenal after all the draws in recent weeks. Another draw would likely be the killer blow to the Gunners' hope of winning the Premier League, so quality coupled with determination should reign supreme on the day - but not without some resistance from a side eager to make amends to their fans for last week's capitulation in the FA Cup semi-final against Stoke City.

Bolton 1-2 Arsenal

Read More

24.04. (Sun) 13:30 Rangers - Celtic

DID YOU KNOW?

* Rangers manager Walter Smith will be taking part in his last Old Firm game in charge of the Ibrox side, before he steps down to be replaced by assistant Ally McCoist.

* Victory for the Ibrox side will see them go four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League as they chase three titles in a row.

* Rangers hold the advantage in Old Firm games played in the Scottish League, having won 117 times against their arch-rivals, while the Parkhead side have won on 98 occasions, and 84 have been draws.

* The last time Walter Smith announced that he was leaving Rangers he won his last Old Firm game that season, when Jonas Thern and Jorg Albertz scored at Ibrox on April 12, 1998.

* The Ibrox side will be without Lee McCulloch, and possibly also missing Jamie Ness who went off injured against St Mirren.

* Celtic will go into the last Old Firm game of the season without influential midfielder Joe Ledley, who departed the Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Aberdeen injured on Sunday.

* A victory over the Ibrox side will see Celtic go top of the Scottish Premier League as they look to claim the first title in manager Neil Lennon’s reign.

* This will be an opportunity for the Parkhead side to gain a level of revenge, after losing out on the Scottish League Cup during their last Old Firm fixture at Hampden, when an extra-time goal from Nikica Jelavic handed Rangers the trophy.

* Celtic will be looking to claim their fourth Old Firm victory of the season, two of which have come in the SPL this season.

* This will be the seventh Old Firm fixture of the season, with two having taken place in the Scottish Cup and one in the League Cup.

LAST MEETING

March 20, 2011: Celtic 1-2 Rangers (aet)

An extra-time winner by Nikica Jelavic secured the League Cup for Rangers after both Steven Davis and Joe Ledley had scored to send the game beyond the 90 minutes.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Rangers - Nikica Jelavic
The Croatian has managed to fill the boots of Kenny Miller, who left Ibrox in January, to become the main frontman for the Scottish champions, and he will now be called upon to see Rangers through to their third title in a row.

Celtic - Kris Commons
The former Derby midfielder has been a revelation since his January move to Parkhead and the Scottish international will be looking to continue his scoring streak that sees him currently on nine goals.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Rangers: McGregor; Whittaker, Bougherra, Weir, Papac; Naismith, Davis, Edu, Wylde; Lafferty, Jelavic.

Celtic: Forster; Wilson, Majstorovic, Mulgrew, Izaguirre; Brown, Ki, Kayal, Commons; Samaras, Hooper.

PREDICTION

With the two sides neck-and-neck at the top of the Scottish Premier League, they will be more interested in not losing, so that it doesn’t blow their title chances.

Rangers 1-1 Celtic

Read More