05.02. (Sun) 21:30 Atletico Madrid - Valencia

Roberto Soldado - Valencia

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

ATLETICO MADRID Courtois Juanfran, Godin, Dominguez, Luis Tiago, Gabi Turan, Diego, Adrian Falcao

VALENCIA Alves Barragan, Rami, Ruiz, Mathieu Costa, Albelda Hernandez, Jonas, Piatti Soldado

Atletico Madrid's narrow 1-0 victory over Osasuna in their last fixture helped lift the capital club into seventh place in La Liga, just two points behind fourth-placed Levante and the last Champions League spot.

For the home side to continue their fine form, they must do so without injured duo Diego Costa and Antonio Lopez, whilst Silvio is a doubt. However, Atletico welcome back attacking trio Tiago, Gabi and Diego after serving their one-match suspensions.

Unai Emery would have liked to have rested several players ahead of the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona, but his options are limited because of an array of injuries. Hedwiges Maduro, Sergio Canales and Paco Alcacer are all on the treatment table.

Los Blancos are also without suspended duo Sofiane Feghouli and Ricardo Costa.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Atletico Madrid have kept a clean sheet in each of the matches that new coach Diego Simeone (pictured) has overseen, bringing about three victories and one draw in the process.

• Los Rojiblancos have beaten Valencia in three of their last four league matches at the Vicente Calderon.

• At home, Atletico have the third best record in La Liga behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, earning 21 points.

• Valencia, in turn, have the third best away record in the league, picking up 16 points on the road, again behind the El Clasico pairing.

• Despite this, Unai Emery's side are without a win in their last four consecutive away matches, drawing their last three.

• In their last three visits to the capital, Valencia have won on each occasion, including a 2-1 victory over Atletico.

Prediction

Valencia could be fatigued after their Copa del Rey clash with Barcelona and have the second leg in mind when they travel to the capita, where they will face a side rejuvenated since the arrival of Diego Simeone. A home win is on the cards.

Editor's Prediction

Atl. Madrid 1-0 Valencia

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05.02. (Sun) 21:00 Olympique Marseille - Olympique Lyonnais

Loïc Rémy et Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

MARSEILLE Mandanda Azpilicueta, Nkoulou, Diawara, Traore Diarra, Cheyrou Remy, Amalfitano, Morel Brandao

LYON Lloris Reveillere, Cris, Umtiti, Cissokho Bastos, Gonalons, Kallstrom, Briand Lisandro, Gomis

Marseille’s squad is close to full strength going into this match. Souleymane Diawara is back from international duty and, due to an injury to Stephane Mbia, he could well start this clash. Rod Fanni is the other alternative in the heart of the defence.

Mathieu Valbuena is banned after being harshly sent off in the Coupe de la Ligue in midweek, leaving a hole that must be plugged as Andre and Jordan Ayew are both away on international duty. Jeremy Morel may be used on the left of midfield as a result.

Lyon, meanwhile, still have a problem in the heart of their defence as Dejan Lovren is out with an Achilles issue. Samuel Umtiti is liable to start alongside Cris, with Bakary Kone having just returned from the Afcon and Remi Garde admitting that he is mentally fatigued. John Mensah is still with Ghana, though he has barely figured in the first-team squad this season.

Clement Grenier is considered doubtful in the midfield, but there are no further concerns for les Gones, who may elect to leave out both Yoann Gourcuff and Ederson.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Marseille’s recent record has been formidable. They have won 11 of their last 12 matches in all competitions, though that figure does include an extra-time success over Le Havre in the Coupe de France.
• Remarkably, OM were bottom of Ligue 1 after six matches, yet they are now only two points shy of a Champions League spot.
  
• In midweek, they defeated Nice 2-1 in the Coupe de la Ligue, recording their 11th straight win in the competition – a new record.
  
• Loic Remy has scored seven of his nine Ligue 1 goals at home – 44 per cent of his side’s tally.
  
• Four of those seven goals were directly assisted by Mathieu Valbuena, who is suspended for this clash.
  
• Lyon have won 10 of their last 12 games, nearly matching the record of their hosts.
  
• Their record away from home in Ligue 1 should be considered reason for concern; they have earned only 13 points in 11 games, losing six times.
  
• Matches between the two clubs at Stade Velodrome tend to be tight; the last six have seen Marseille win two, Lyon win two and two drawn.
  
• OL won a Coupe de la Ligue match against Lorient 4-2 after extra time in midweek, setting up a final encounter against OM on April 14.
  
• Bafetimbi Gomis is Lyon’s top scorer this season, boasting 16 goals in 32 matches in all competitions.

Prediction

Marseille have to be favoured going into this match. They marginally have the edge in terms of recent form and, though the Velodrome is not as intimidating as it used to be because of its renovation, they still boast a strong home record. With Lyon wounded by absent players, they will look to strike a crucial blow in their quest to finish on Ligue 1’s podium.

Editor's Prediction

Marseille 2-1 Lyon

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05.02. (Sun) 20:00 Ghana - Tunisia

Panoramic

PROBABLE LINEUPS

GHANA Kwarasey Paintsil, Mensah, Vorsah, Alhassan Inkoom, Badu, Annan, Ayew Asamoah Gyan

TUNISIA Mathlouthi Ifa, Haggui, Abdennour, Chammam Traoui, Ragued, Saihi Msakni, Dhaouadi Khlifa

As expected, Ghana topped Group D ahead of Mali, Guinea, and Botswana to advance to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) second round with a total of seven points. The west Africans have done so while showing great defensive organisation, only conceding somewhat of a fluke goal against the Syli Nationale.
Goran Stevanovic’s men have their eyes firmly set on the title and have to go through Tunisia to get one step closer to it. Though history favours the Ghanaians in this match, the Black Stars will be wary of a Carthage Eagles team that caused co-hosts Gabon many problems on their way to a 1-0 loss. Players from the Black Stars camp all seem to agree that the north Africans have a tough unit and that the match will be difficult.
On the injury front, Andre Ayew is still recovering from a dislocated shoulder but has stressed that it won’t keep him out of Sunday’s game. Given the Marseille winger’s high pain threshold, evidenced by him staying on after sustaining the injury against Guinea, one imagines he’ll be ready. Meanwhile, the Ghanaian camp have been hit by the sad news of Anthony Annan’s mother passing away on Thursday.
On the other hand, Tunisia come into this game knowing that it will be their most challenging yet. Sami Trabelsi’s players haven’t played to their full potential and will have to put in their best performance of the competition to trouble one of the trophy favourites.
Just as he did against Gabon, the coach is expected to make a variety of changes, mixing elements from the similar starting lineups of the first two games and the heavily modified selection that contested the last encounter. Jamel Saihi and Hocine Ragued will likely keep their spots in midfield but Wissem Ben Yahia may be seated in favour of Majdi Traoui.
In terms of squad news, Tunisia’s top player thus far, Youssef Msakni, is said to be fully recovered from an ankle injury while Anis Boussaidi pulled out of practice on Friday with pain in his adductor. Furthermore, the Carthage Eagles have been without veteran midfielder Adel Chadli who abandoned the team after falling out with coach Trabelsi over a lack of playing time.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Tunisia and Ghana have both put in requests to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to wear black armbands for this match. The Carthage Eagles are doing so to show solidarity with Egypt while the Black Stars want to offer moral support to Annan, who lost his mother this week.

• Tunisia have never beaten Ghana at the Afcon

• In 13 matches between the two teams, the north Africans have won four, the Ghanaians have won seven, and the rest have been draws.

• The biggest Black Stars victory over the Carthage Eagles dates back to 1980 when they won 4-1 in Accra. Tunisia’s best result is a 2-0 friendly win in 2006 at Rades Stadium.

• A minute of silence will be observed before this game and every other one until the conclusion of the 2012 Afcon as a sign of respect for the 74 people that died during the Port Said tragedy in Egypt.

Prediction

This has the makings of being the most exciting and competitive game of the quarter-finals. Ghana should be able to overcome the tactical Tunisians given their edge in cohesiveness.

Editor's Prediction

Ghana 2-1 Tunisia

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05.02. (Sun) 18:00 Sevilla - Villarreal

Jesus Navas - Sevilla

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

SEVILLA Varas Coke, Escude, Fazio, Navarro Medel Navas, Rakitic, Trochowski, Manu Negredo

VILLARREAL Lopez Gaspar, Musacchio, Gonzalo, Oriol Perez, Bruno, Valero, Cani Joselu, Martinuccio

Sevilla's loss against Malaga in the Andalusian derby last time out has left Marcelino's side languishing in a lowly 11th place when they welcome Villarreal to the Sanchez Pizjuan. Their conventional defensive pairing of Federico Fazio and Emir Spahic will be missing the latter after he picked up his 10th yellow card of the season against Malaga, whilst the Argentine returns after suspension.

Sevilla's attacking duo of Jose Antonio Reyes and Manu del Moral are both facing late fitness tests but are still expected to be part of Los Rojiblancos' squad. However, Reyes, who was substituted early in their last match after an ineffective 37 minutes, may have to come to terms with an appearance off the substitutes' bench.

The Yellow Submarine celebrated an unlikely point against current La Liga champions Barcelona as Villarreal continue to struggle at the foot of the table. Jose Molina's side are missing several players through injury for their trip to Andalusia, including long-term absentee duo Giuseppe Rossi and Javier Camunas.

To further the coach's attacking conundrum, Marco Ruben has been ruled out for two weeks with a shoulder injury, whilst Nilmar's future remains a doubt after the striker has been linked to a move back to his native Brazil. Molina brought in striker Martinuccio during the transfer window and he could make his debut against Sevilla, but the Yellow Submarine are without Wakaso and Catala.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Should Sevilla fail to win, it will be their worst run since 2001-02 when they went without a victory for a period of seven matches. 

• Los Rojiblancos have won all but one of their top-flight home matches against Villarreal.

• Sevilla fell into the second half of the La Liga table for the first time this season after their 2-1 defeat against Malaga last time out.

• Villarreal have lost just once under Molina since the B-team coach took charge of the senior side. He has lead them to a record of W1 D2 L1 in his opening four matches.

• However, Molina's one loss came in his only match so far away from El Madrigal, when they were comfortably beaten by Atletico Madrid.

• The Yellow Submarine have had a man sent off in each of their last two league meetings against Sevilla, including Diego Lopez (pictured above).

Prediction

A much-improved Villarreal side will struggle against Marcelino's men, who will be desperate to end their recent poor form, and, with the attacking talent that Sevilla possess, it should be enough to do precisely that.

Editor's Prediction

Sevilla 3-1 Villarreal

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05.02. (Sun) 17:00 Gabon - Mali

Getty

PROBABLE LINEUPS

GABON Ovono Mouele, Apanga, Ebanega, Moussono Poco, Moubamba Aubameyang, Madinda, N'Guema Cousin

MALI Diakite Coulibaly, Tamboura, Berthe, Kante A. Traore, Keita, Kone, M. Traore Maiga, Diabate

Riding high on the support of their vociferous home fans, co-hosts Gabon have reached this far in the tournament and will challenge Mali for a semi-final place on Sunday.
It is only the second time that the Panthers have gone this far at the Africa Cup of Nations. They finished on top of a three-team group at the 1996 Afcon following the late withdrawal of Nigeria.
This time, however, the Gabonese have looked very impressive  and they have been tipped by a couple of analysts to pull a shock victory at the end of the competition.
Mali on the other hand have looked shaky at best when faced with big odds. After winning their first game against Guinea, they crumbled to Ghana before edging debutants Botswana to a 2-1 win.
All the same, it is a big improvement for the Malians who crashed out in the group stages at the 2010 Afcon. However, they are still far from eclipsing their best ever runners-up record, which they enjoyed in 1972.
Gabon and Mali are expected to serve up a delicious meal of football on Sunday in Libreville. The two sides are young and hungry for glory. While the Panthers have been more convincing during their three straight victories in the group phase, the pressure will be greater on Mali, as they have struggled to get this far.
However, it is the knockout stages and anything can happen. Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be back at his best considering his three goals so far while Mali veteran midfielder Seydou Keita, who got the winning goal against Botswana, will lead from the middle.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Only 90 minutes stand between Gabon and their first ever trip to the semi-final of an Afcon tournament.

• The Panthers won each of their group matches against fancied Tunisia, Morocco and Burkina Faso.

• Gabonese authorities have decided to give out tickets to fans for free in order to increase attendance at matches.

• Mali have not reached the semi-finals of the Afcon since 2004, when they came fourth.

• The Eagles refused to collect bonuses from the Malian FA when they qualified for the tournament as a sign of how committed they are to playing for their country.

• The west Africans are ranked 22 places ahead of the co-hosts on the Fifa world hierarchy.

Prediction

The co-hosts have everything going for them as they come into this game with greater confidence and will be spurred on by the massive support of their home fans.

Editor's Prediction

Gabon 2-1 Mali

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12.02. (Sun) 17:00 Chelsea FC vs Man Utd.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

CHELSEA Cech Bosingwa, Luiz, Ivanovic, Bertrand Meireles, Romeu, Malouda Sturridge, Torres, Mata

MANCHESTER UNITED   De Gea Smalling, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra Valencia, Giggs, Carrick, Park Hernandez, Rooney

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas will not be able to call upon full-back Ashley Cole in the crunch clash against Manchester United, since the England international picked up two yellows against Swansea City and is now suspended for this fixture.

John Terry has been ruled out with a knee injury, which should see the back line being changed a little. One possible solution could be for Branislav Ivanovic to play at right-back with Gary Cahill making his debut, while Jose Bosingwa would move to left-back. But given the magnitude of the game and the amount of pressure and expectation that would be placed on Cahill considering that it would be his debut, Ryan Bertrand should be the one to slot in in place of the suspended Cole.

Meanwhile, Bosingwa would man the right-back position with David Luiz and Ivanovic in the heart of the Blues' defence.

Frank Lampard (calf) is a doubt for this fixture, but could feature if he returns to fitness in time. Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are unavailable due to being on international duty at the African Cup of Nations, while John Obi Mikel (hamstring) and Ramires (knee) join Terry in the treatment room.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has Wayne Rooney and Nani pushing to be fit in time for the stratospheric encounter at Stamford Bridge. If fit, the striker should take the place of Dimitar Berbatov and play alongside Javier Hernandez, with Danny Welbeck on the bench. Nani would come in place of Park Ji-Sung if he returns to fitness in time.

The Scot recently said that Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young could make a return against Chelsea. But even if the duo are ruled fit, it will likely be a place on the bench given the amount time they have spent on the sidelines.

Anders Lindegaard (ankle) is out of action for at least a month, and David de Gea should earn a start despite Ben Amos having kept a clean sheet against Stoke City.

Anderson remains sidelined due to a knock he took in training last month, while Phil Jones (ankle) is out as well. Darren Fletcher (illness) and Nemanja Vidic (knee) have already been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Chelsea are undefeated in their last nine Premier League clashes against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

• But the Red Devils have the historical advantage, since they have beaten the Blues in their backyard on 29 occasions, losing 22 times in the process. A further 18 matches ended with points being shared.

• Andre Villas-Boas' men are at rock bottom in the Fair Play table, having seen more cards than any other team in the top-flight. This amounts to 50 yellows and four reds.

• Fernando Torres (pictured right) has gone 12 matches in the league without scoring a goal, which makes it his worst goal drought since his switch to the Premier League.

• Manchester United have been the most miserly team in defence on their travels, having conceded only seven times away from home this season.

• They are also the most successful side on the road this season, having accumulated 26 points in 11 away games. Interestingly, the Blues' home record does not measure up to United's exploits on their travels, since Villas-Boas' men have managed 22 points in their 11 matches at Stamford Bridge.

• If all games had ended at half-time, then Sir Alex Ferguson's charges would have been on top of the table, five points ahead of rivals Manchester City.

• In total, the Red Devils have scored 263 goals against Chelsea in all competitions, conceding 191 in the process.

Prediction

Both sides can be fearsome on their day, and the Blues get charged up when something affects their skipper. Much like the time when Terry's problems with Wayne Bridge made their way into the media, being stripped off the England armband and his injury absence should produce an electric atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.
But the Red Devils are strong in their own right, and have been getting the right results so far, particularly more so on their travels. This should be a source of confidence to the visitors, who appear to have shaken off those defeats to Blackburn Rovers - albeit at Old Trafford - and Newcastle United.
But with pressure on Andre Villas-Boas, the Portuguese boss might just manage to outsmart the experienced Scot on Sunday.

Editor's Prediction

Chelsea 2-1 Man Utd.

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05.02. (Sun) 15:00 Juventus - Siena

Getty Images

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

JUVENTUS Buffon Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Chiellini, De Ceglie Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio Pepe, Matri, Vucinic

SIENA Pegolo Vitiello, Rossettini, Terzi, Del Grosso Angelo, Vergassola, Gazzi, Brienza Destro, Calaio

Juventus coach Antonio Conte looks set to revert to his tried-and-tested 4-3-3 formation for the visit of Siena, with an arguably full-strength XI ready to be named despite his 3-5-2 experiment proving successful during the 2-1 win over Udinese last week.

As a result, Leonardo Bonucci, Marcelo Estigarribia, Emanuele Giaccherini and Fabio Quagliarella are to be ousted in favour of Paolo De Ceglie, Claudio Marchisio, Simone Pepe and Mirko Vucinic.

Meanwhile, for Siena, Giuseppe Sannino is likely to make just the two changes from the 2-1 reverse to arch-rivals Fiorentina, as midfield pair Angelo and Franco Brienza are expected to replace Gaetano D'Agostino and Emanuele Pesoli.

However, there will be no place in the squad for goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic and midfielder Francesco Bolzoni, both whom find themselves on the sidelines with injury.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Juventus still remain the only side unbeaten amongst the 'top five' European leagues this season.

• The Bianconeri also boast the best defence in Serie A, conceding only 13 goals to date.

• The Old Lady have also scored in each of their last 15 games on home soil.

• Erstwhile, Siena have won just one of their last 11 league games.

• Away from home, Sannino's men are on a run of five straight defeats and are without a win in their last 16.

• Alessandro Del Piero has scored 12 goals against Siena; more than against any other Serie A opponent.

• In 13 top-flight meetings between these sides, Juventus have won 11 of them, while Siena's only win came in May 2008 - a 1-0 victory.

Prediction

A comprehensive home win should be in the pipeline, as Juventus are expected to stroll past their Tuscan counterparts and make it an impressive 21 games unbeaten in Serie A, while piling further misery on the new boys.

Editor's Prediction

Juventus 3-0 Siena

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05.02. (Sun) 15:00 Fiorentina - Udinese

Getty Images

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

FIORENTINA Boruc  Gamberini, Nastasic, Natali Cassani, Behrami, Montolivo, Salifu, Vargas Amauri, Jovetic

UDINESE Handanovic Ferronetti, Danilo, Domizzi Basta, Isla, Fernandes, Armero, Pasquale Floro Flores Di Natale

The hosts will tackle the Bianconeri without the services of Houssine Kharja, with the former Genoa midfielder representing Morocco at the Africa Cup Of Nations, while Per Kroldrup could make his first appearance of the season after the former Everton defender recovered from the knee problem that has seen him out of action since last April.
Francesco Guidolin's troops will go into Sunday's clash without Giampiero Pinzi, with the former Lazio youth still suffering from a calf complaint, while the Bianconeri will also be without Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Mehdi Benatia, with the trio still on international duty at the Afcon.

However, the visitors will be boosted by the return of Pablo Armero after the Columbia international served his one-match suspension in the midweek victory over Lecce.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Fiorentina have only won two of their last seven league games. 

• All but one of the Viola's seven Serie A victories this season have come on home soil.

• The hosts have only lost two of their home games this season.
• Stevan Jovetic leads the club's scoring charts with 10 strikes so far this season, all of them coming in Serie A.

• Udinese have failed to win any of their last three away games in Serie A.

• The visitors have lost two of their last four league games on any ground.

• The Bianconeri have only won twice away from home all season in Serie A.

Prediction

With the Viola's impressive home form this season, along with the Bianconeri's missing several key personnel, a slender victory for the hosts seems a likely outcome.

Editor's Prediction

Fiorentina 2-1 Udinese

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05.02. (Sun) 15:00 Milan - Napoli

Getty

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

AC MILAN Abbiati Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta Emanuelson, Ambrosini, NocerinoRobinho Ibrahimovic, El Shaarawy

NAPOLI De Sanctis Campagnaro, Cannavaro, Aronica  Maggio, Gargano, Dzemaili, DossenaLavezzi Hamsik, Cavani

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri will be without a plethora of players for the crunch clash at San Siro on Sunday. The main concern is in midfield as Kevin-Prince Boateng, Alexander Merkel, Rodney Strasser, Gennaro Gattuso, Alberto Aquilani and Mathieu Flamini are all nursing injuries.

Antonio Cassano continues his recovery from heart surgery while Alexandre Pato is dealing with another muscle complaint and will not feature. Stephan El Shaarawy is likely to see some more playing time alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Meanwhile, Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri does not have any injury concerns ahead of the must-win match for the Partenopei. Captain Paolo Cannavaro has shrugged off an ankle injury that he picked up against Genoa and will be ready to feature from the opening whistle after missing Wednesday's goalless draw with Cesena.

DID YOU KNOW?

• AC Milan have won six out of their last seven Serie A games at San Siro, outscoring their opponents 20-2 during that span. 

• The Rossoneri lead the league in wins (13) and in goals scored (43).

• The Serie A champions have kept five clean sheets in their past seven league encounters, conceding only 19 goals overall.

• Napoli have picked up only one win in their last five games on the road in Serie A (W1 D2 L2).

• The Partenopei have the most draws in Serie A this season (9).

• Mazzarri's men beat Milan 3-1 earlier in the campaign at the Stadio San Paolo, with an Edinson Cavani hat-trick proving decisive on the day.

Prediction

Both teams are coming off disappointing results in midweek but the Rossoneri have been a tough nut to crack at home this season and should secure all three points at San Siro.

Editor's Prediction

Milan 2-1 Napoli

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