01.04. (Sun) 21:00 Rennais - Olympique Lyonnais

Panoramic

PROBABLE LINEUPS

STADE RENNES Costil Danze, Kana-Biyik, Boye, Catherine Tettey, M'Vila Kembo-Ekoko, Feret, Pitroipa Erdinc

OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS Lloris Reveillere, Lovren, Umtiti, Cissokho Kallstrom, Grenier, Gonalons, Bastos Gomis, Lisandro

Rennes coach Frederic Antoinetti is without the services of captain Kader Mangane, who underwent season-ending surgery and will miss the remainder of the campaign. Vincent Pajot is another absentee for les Rouge et Noir, who are expected to field the same line-up as in the 0-1 defeat to Valenciennes. Thierry Doumbia will also miss the game due to suspension.
Remi Garde also has a few worries of his own ahead of the trip to Stade de la Route de Lorient. Captain Cris is out for the next few weeks through a thigh injury, with Bakary Kone will not feature due to a suspension.
Samuel Umtiti will replace the duo in the heart of defence alongside Dejan Lovren, with Alexandre Lacazette also missing the game for receiving three yellow cards in less than ten games.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Stade Rennes have only lost one of their last eight games against Lyon.

• Les Rouge et Noir could complete their first league double over Les Gones in 46 years should they win.

• Frederic Antoinetti's men are the only side to have scored more goals on the road (19) than at home.

• Lyon have won their last three games, and four in all competitions since their Champions League exit at the hands of APOEL Nicosia.

• Les Gones have won just thrice in their last eight away games.

• Remi Garde's side have managed the least number of draws in Ligue 1 this season (four).

Prediction

A very difficult game in prospect, and a defeat for either side will seriously dent their Champions League or Europa League hopes respectively. Frederic Antoinetti's men are a dangerous side, but Lyon's good form of late is a positive facter heading into Sunday's game. Draw in my opinion.

Editor's Prediction

Rennes 1-1 Lyon

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01.04. (Sun) 20:45 Juventus - Napoli

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PROBABLE LINE-UPS

JUVENTUS Buffon Bonucci, Barzagli, Chiellini L'steiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, De Ceglie Matri, Vucinic

NAPOLI De Sanctis Campagnaro, Cannavaro, Aronica Maggio, Gargano, Inler, Zuniga Hamsik Lavezzi, Cavani

Juventus have a full squad to choose from for the visit of Napoli on Sunday, but it is likely that coach Antonio Conte will utilise a 3-5-2 formation during the match.

The trainer used his tried-and-trusted 4-3-3 against Inter last week, but it is expected that goalscorers Martin Caceres and Alessandro Del Piero will be benched in favour of Leonardo Bonucci and Stephan Lichtsteiner, while there will be no place for Simone Pepe.

Meanwhile for Napoli, a number of changes look set to take place from the 2-2 draw with Catania a week ago. The alterations start in defence, as Hugo Campagnaro has returned to the fold and should replace Federico Fernandez.


Elsewhere, Andrea Dossena and Blerim Dzemaili will be dropped to accommodate Christian Maggio and Gokhan Inler in midfield.

DID YOU KNOW?

• In 131 previous Serie A meetings, Juventus have won 58 times against Napoli, compared to their rivals' 28 victories.

• However, the Partenopei are unbeaten in their last five games against the Old Lady.

• Alessandro Matri has already netted five goals against the Partenopei.

• The Bianconeri have failed to score in just one of their last 19 games at home.

• Napoli are unbeaten in the last nine Serie A matches, but have drawn their last two.

• Walter Mazzarri's side have shipped seven goals over their last three fixtures in the league.

• Marek Hamsik has scored five goals against Juventus; more than against any other club.

• Napoli have netted 145 strikes against the Old Lady, the most against in Italy's top-flight division.

Prediction

Napoli have no trouble in scoring, but it's their deficiencies at the back that will cost them once more against Juventus, and possibly the chance of finishing in a Champions League spot at the end of the season. Juve, meanwhile, are very much experiencing the opposite, but they have recently rediscovered their scoring touch, so a slender victory for the hosts should suffice.

Editor's Prediction

Juventus 2-1 Napoli

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01.04. (Sun) 18:00 Valencia - Levante

Unai Emery, Valencia

PROBABLE LINEUPS

VALENCIA GuaitaBarragan, Ruiz, Rami, Mathieu  Topal, Parejo Feghouli, Jonas, PiattiAduriz

LEVANTE MunuaLopez, Ballesteros, Navarro, Juanfran Farinos, Iborra Zhar, Barkero, Botelho Kone

Jordi Alba and Roberto Soldado will be absent for Valencia due to suspension, while Angel Dealbert, Bruno and Miguel look set to miss the match with knocks. Ever Banega and Sergio Canales, who suffered long-term injuries earlier this season, are still out.

Hedwiges Maduro's recovery from an ankle problem is progressing well, but he is very unlikely to feature on Sunday.

Levante, on the other hand, have a fully-fit squad at their disposal. Keylor Navas was the only one to miss out on Wednesday's session due to personal reasons. Coach Juan Ignacio is set to start with Arouna Kone upfront, supported by Nabil El Zhar, Jose Barkero and Pedro Botelho.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Valencia sit in third place in La Liga with 47 points ahead of Malaga on goal difference

• Los Che lost three consecutive games for the first time all season after suffering a 1-2 loss to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League quarter-final first leg.

• The last time Valencia won a league match at home was on February 12th, a 4-0 win over Sporting Gijon.

• Levante are in fifth place with 44 points and can tie their opponents in the standings with a victory.

• This will be the fourth meeting between the teams this season, with Valencia winning the first three.

• Levante's next opponents after Los Che are Atletico Madrid, Sporting Gijon, Barcelona and Sevilla, and face a tough challenge if they are to qualify for Europe.

Prediction

There is no other option for Valencia than to win this match. They must leave behind their poor performances and regain their form at Mestalla. With more quality in attack, it shouldn't be much of a problem, as long as the defence is alert.

Editor's Prediction

Valencia 3-1 Levante

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01.04. (Sun) 17:30 1899 Hoffenheim - Schalke 04

Bongarts

PROBABLE LINEUPS

HOFFENHEIM Starke Beck, Vorsah, Vestergaard, Johnson Weis, Rudy Vukcevic, Firmino, Salihovic Babel

SCHALKE Schober Uchida, Matip, Papadopoulos, Fuchs Jones, Holtby Farfan, Raul, Draxler Huntelaar

Markus Babbel will have an almost-full squad to pick his side from for the visit of Schalke. Matthias Jaissle is the only injured player, but the 23-year-old is nearing a return and is in advanced training.

Elsewhere, Marvin Compper picked up his fifth booking of the season during last week's victory against Borussia Monchengladbach, and is set to be replaced by Jannik Vestergaard.

Meanwhile, Roberto Firmino, the catalyst for the turn-around against Lucien Favre's side, should come back into the starting lineup instead of Daniel Williams, who failed to impress in the Brazilian's stead.

Huub Stevens has been dealt yet another goalkeeping blow in the course of Thursday's Europa League defeat to Athletic Bilbao, with Timo Hildebrand sustaining an elbow injury that will keep him sidelined, along with long-term absentees Lars Unnerstall and Ralf Fahrmann.

Elsewhere, the only other change should see Lewis Holtby replace Marco Hoger who was surprisingly selected for the clash with the Basques. Benedikt Howedes and Christoph Metzelder remain unavailable, both suffering from hamstring injuries.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Hoffenheim's victory over Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend was just their second victory of 2012.

• Additionally, the clash at Borussia Park was the first time the Sinsheim outfit side have come from behind to snatch all three points.

• Hoffenheim have failed to win any of their last eight home matches.

• Schalke have been ahead at both half-time and full-time in their last three league matches.

• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (pictured, right) has netted 22 Bundesliga goals this season, but only six of these have come on the road.

• Chinedu Obasi joined Schalke on loan from Hoffenheim in January, and recently made his move to the Veltins Arena permanent.

Prediction

You'll rarely see a team play as well as Schalke did on Thursday night, and still concede four goals. Huub Stevens' side put in a fluent performance, and I can't see the Europa League defeat having an undue effect on them. For Hoffenheim, meanwhile, the Borussia Monchengladbach win was a rare departure from what has been an underwhelming season. Matthias Schober's presence in goal could benefit the hosts, but given their lack of proficiency in front of goal, the veteran could end up being untroubled.

Editor's Prediction

Hoffenheim 1-3 Schalke

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01.04. (Sun) 17:00 Tottenham - Swansea

Getty Images

PROBABLE LINEUPS

TOTTENHAM FriedelWalker, Gallas, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto Lennon, Parker, Modric, Bale Van der Vaart Adebayor

SWANSEA CITY VormWilliams, Taylor, Tate, Rangel Routledge, Britton, Allen, Sigurdsson, SinclairGraham

Tottenham defender Ledley King is unlikely to play again having started in the midweek FA Cup victory over Bolton. However, having rotated his squad during the week, Harry Redknapp has no new injury or suspension concerns ahead of this game.

Swansea will be without Spurs loanee Steven Caulker, who is ineligible to play against his parent club, with vice-captain Alan Tate expected to take his place in the centre of defence. Manager Brendan Rodgers is unlikely to make changes to his side despite their 2-0 home defeat to Everton in their last game.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Tottenham have lost just one of their last 14 home games in the Premier League, that defeat being a 5-1 reversal against Manchester City in August.

• Spurs' regular stand-in captain Scott Parker (pictured right) has made 99 tackles this season in the Premier League, which is more than any other player in the division.

• Tottenham are the only side in the Premier League not to have scored from a free kick this season, and have netted the fewest goals of all the sides currently in the top four, while conceding the second-most.

• The top league scorer for Spurs this season is Emmanuel Adebayor with 11, despite his last goal coming over a month ago in the 5-2 defeat away to his former club Arsenal.

• In the corresponding fixture at the Liberty Stadium earlier this season, Swansea City earned themselves a dramatic 1-1 draw thanks to an 84th-minute equaliser from Scott Sinclair, cancelling out Rafael van der Vaart’s 44th-minute opener.

• Both sides have lost three of their last six Premier League games, with Tottenham’s last league victory coming at home to Newcastle United, whom they beat 5-0 on February 11, while Swansea won three consecutively before their recent defeat to Everton.

• The Swans have won four of their last six away games in the Premier League, with their two defeats in those games coming against Sunderland on January 21 and Stoke City on February 26.

• Swansea’s Wayne Routledge spent an unsuccessful three-year spell with Tottenham between 2005 and 2008, making just seven appearances for Spurs before departing for Aston Villa in 2008 after loan spells with Portsmouth and Fulham.

• Away goalkeeper Michel Vorm has earned the nickname ‘penalty killer’ thanks to his superb penalty-saving abilities and has kept 11 Premier League clean sheets this season, second only to Joe Hart of Manchester City.

• Swansea have enjoyed a great deal of success against league sides from London this season, picking up 12 points home and away in their eight games against teams from the capital city.

Prediction

After their 1-1 draw with Spurs at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea will be upbeat about their chances of taking a positive result from this game, especially after their superb form in the Premier League this season. However, Spurs will be confident at White Hart Lane, and should have enough to see off the Swans’ challenge.

Editor's Prediction

Tottenham 2-0 Swansea City

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01.04. (Sun) 15:00 Inter - Genoa

Getty

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

INTER Julio Cesar Nagatomo, Ranocchia, Samuel, Zanetti Poli, Stankovic, Cambiasso Zarate, Milito, Forlan

GENOA Frey Mesto, Carvalho, Kaladze, Moretti Rossi, Veloso, Biondini Jorquera, Gilardino, Palacio

Inter parted company with Claudio Ranieri earlier this week following the 2-0 loss to Juventus in the Derby d'Italia on Sunday. Andrea Stramaccioni, who led the Nerazzurri Primavera squad to top honours at the NextGen Series in London, was appointed head coach and will make his Serie A debut this weekend.

Ricky Alvarez is undergoing a recovery programme and is not quite ready to rejoin the squad while Wesley Sneijder is still nursing a groin injury. Maicon is struggling with a knee problem and could miss the encounter but Fredy Guarin could be in line to make his Nerazzurri debut off the bench.


Stramaccioni is likely to employ a South American attacking triumvirate of Mauro Zarate, Diego Milito and Diego Forlan up front on Sunday.


Meanwhile, Genoa boss Pasquale Marino will be without the services of Juraj Kucka, Luca Antonelli, Andreas Granqvist and Kevin Constant through injury, but Marco Rossi has shaken off a muscle problem and will likely feature at San Siro.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Inter are winless in their last five Serie A matches at home and were held scoreless three times during that span.

• The Nerazzurri have scored only four goals in their past eight league games.

• The San Siro outfit have not lost to Genoa in their last 10 contests.

• Genoa have not won in their last seven matches away from the Marassi, conceding 22 goals in the process.

• The Rossoblu's last victory in Serie A came on February 5 against Lazio.

• Marino's men have lost six games by a one-goal margin so far this term.

Prediction

Inter have an excellent recent track record against Genoa and should hand Stramaccioni his first win on his coaching debut.

Editor's Prediction

Inter 2-0 Genoa

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01.04. (Sun) 14:30 Newcastle - Liverpool

Getty Images

PROBABLE LINEUPS

NEWCASTLE KrulSimpson, Williamson, Perch, Santon Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez Cisse, Ba

LIVERPOOL ReinaKelly, Carragher, Skrtel, Enrique Henderson, Spearing, Gerrard, DowningSuarez, Carroll

Newcastle look set to welcome back Cheikh Tiote and Ryan Taylor to the squad after both players endured a spell on the sidelines recently with calf and hamstring complaints, respectively. However, Alan Pardew will be without skipper Fabricio Coloccini, who could be out for up to a month after pulling up during the win over West Brom with a torn hamstring.
The home side will also be without longer-term absentees Peter Lovenkrands (thigh), Leon Best (knee), Steven Taylor (Achilles) and Sylvain Marveaux (groin).
Liverpool could welcome back a whole host of players for this fixture, with Daniel Agger (rib), Martin Kelly (ankle) and Glen Johnson (calf) all close to making their returns after missing last weekend’s game against Wigan.
Maxi Rodriguez will also travel with the squad after being laid low through illness recently, but ex-Newcastle forward Craig Bellamy could miss his fourth consecutive game with a persistent calf strain.
Charlie Adam looks certain to join the casualty list, too, with a knee injury, thought to be long-term and season-ending, although the club will have to wait a further two weeks until the diagnosis is complete.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Newcastle’s January transfer window acquisition Papiss Cisse (pictured right alonsgide strike partner Demba Ba) already has five league goals in his first six games.

• Cisse has needed just 17 shots to score his five goals so far, finding the net with an impressive 29 per cent of his shots. In contrast, Luis Suarez has required 81 shots for his seven goals so far, meaning that only 9% of his shots have ended up in the back of the net.

• Newcastle’s top league goalscorer is Demba Ba with 16, while Liverpool’s is Suarez with just seven.

• The last three meetings between these two sides have yielded a whopping 13 goals. 

• This will be the first time that Liverpool's Kenny Dalglish, Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique take in an away game at Newcastle since ending their respective spells with the Magpies.

• Liverpool have only picked up eight points in the league since the turn of the calendar year. Only rock-bottom Wolves have picked up fewer with five.

• Liverpool have won six of their last seven Premier League outings against the Magpies, however.

• Dirk Kuyt boasts a record of five goals in his last seven starts against Newcastle, while Steven Gerrard has scored five times in his last five appearances against them.

• Kenny Dalglish’s side have lost five of their last six Premier League games, losing their last three away games on the trot.

• Liverpool’s league record in Carroll’s last six starts reads W3 D1 L2, whereas Suarez’s last six starts read W1 D0 L5.

Prediction

Form is temporary, class is permanent is the adage, and while history tells us that this fixture has traditionally been kind to Liverpool, the form book points solely to a win for the home side to keep the pressure up on Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish.

Editor's Prediction

Newcastle United 3-1 Liverpool

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31.03. (Sat) 22:00 Barcelona - Athletic Bilbao

Dani Alves - Barcelona

PROBABLE LINEUPS

BARCELONA Valdes Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Puyol Xavi, Busquets, IniestaFabregas, Messi, Pedro

ATHLETIC BILBAO Iraizoz Iraola, Martinez, Amorebieta, Aurtenetxe De Marcos, Iturraspe, Herrera  Susaeta, Llorente, Muniain

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola could rest some of his stars with an eye on Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final decider against AC Milan when Athletic Bilbao visit Camp Nou on Saturday.

Adriano is still sidelined with a muscle injury for the Catalans, although fellow Brazilian Dani Alves is back from domestic suspension.

Thiago is available after the Spanish Football Federation overturned the second yellow card received by the midfielder against Mallorca, while long-term absentee Ibrahim Afellay has returned to training and has a chance of making the bench.

Mikel San Jose is back from suspension for Athletic Bilbao, who have a full squad to choose from for the trip to the Catalan capital.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Barcelona are on a seven-game winning streak in La Liga, outscoring their opponents 21-6 in those matches.

• The Catalans are unbeaten in their last 32 home matches in La Liga and in their last 51 at Camp Nou in all competitions.

• Lionel Messi (pictured right) has netted 18 goals in his last nine games for Barca.

• Athletic Bilbao are on a four-game winless run in La Liga (D1, L3).

• Los Leones have won just two of their last 11 Liga matches away from home.

• Athletic's last victory at Camp Nou was a 2-1 success way back in November 2001.

Prediction

After being frustrated in Italy, Barcelona will be keen to produce a response against Athletic and go in to Tuesday’s return leg against Milan on the back of a positive result. Fatigue, rather than Barca’s star-studded attack, could be the biggest enemy of the visitors, who come in to this match barely 48 hours after overcoming Schalke in the Europa League.

Editor's Prediction

Barcelona 2-0 Bilbao

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31.03. (Sat) 21:00 Nancy Lorraine - Paris Saint Germain

Panoramic

PROBABLE LINEUPS

AS NANCY LORRAINE N'Dy AssembeLoties, Andre Luiz, Puygrenier, HaidaraSaneKaraboue, Traore, Mollo Bakar, Niculae

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN Sirigu Jallet, Alex, Sakho, Maxwell Motta, Sissoko Menez, Pastore, Nene Hoarau

Nancy boss Jean Fernandez has no standing injury problems to mull over ahead of Saturday's visit of the title challengers to Stade Marcel Picot. With two consecutive wins, and a four match unbeaten run under ASNL's belts, including victories over Ligue 1 leaders Montpellier and Lyon, the hosts are expected to line-up with more or less the same team that has featured recently with Lossemy Karaboue expected to regain his place back in the side after sitting out the win over Brest.
Paris Saint-Germain meanwhile are beginning to show the symptoms of a side in disarray. After two late draws against Caen and Bordeaux in Ligue 1, either side of a Coupe de France defeat to Lyon.
Reports surfaced this week of Carlo Ancelotti embarking on a vicious rant at his players after recent lacklustre performances with captain Mamadou Sakho holding a team meeting to discuss the situation, on top of a training ground bust-up involving Mohamed Sissoko and Kevin Gameiro.
Nevertheless, PSG, who sit seond in the table - trailing Montpellier on goal difference - have no pressing worries either. Guillaume Hoarau is set to continue upfront in a 4-2-3-1 formation, as Ancelotti continues to place faith in Christophe Jallet, who looks set to continue in the problematic right-back role.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Nancy sit 13th in the table following their 1-0 win over Brest which boosted their survival hopes.

• Jean Fernandez's men have not lost to PSG since March 2009, even inflicting les Parisien's first home defeat of the season back in September, courtesy of Jean Calve's winner. 

• The hosts, who are on their best run for five months, have collected the most points in March in the entire division.

• PSG slipped to second in the table, following a 1-1 draw with Bordeaux last weekend.

• Ancelotti's men are still unbeaten in 14 games in the league.

• Les Parisiens, who have collected as much points as the whole of last season have scored 19 goals in the last 15 minute period of matches this season.

Prediction

The hosts are on a good run of late, and coupled with PSG's stuttering recent form, it is hard to see the capital club, who are in a state of disarray to come back with three points. Draw looking most likely.

Editor's Prediction

Nancy 1-1 PSG

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