15.04. (Sun) 21:00 Auxerre - Paris Saint Germain

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PROBABLE LINEUPS

AUXERRE Sorin Dudka, Boly, Grichting, Hengbart Mandjeck, Cisse Chafni, Traore, Contout Oliech

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN Sirigu Jallet, Alex, Sakho, Maxwell Bodmer, Motta, Matuidi Pastore, Nene Menez

Auxerre boss Jean-Guy Wallemme has no major injury concerns ahead of the visit of Paris Saint-Germain to Stade de-l'Abbe Deschamps on Sunday.
Delvin Ndinga and Ben Sahar both participated in training sessions, though neither is expected to make the starting XI as the coach is tipped to go with the same XI that lost narrowly to Olympique Lyonnais last week.
Paris Saint-Germain boss Carlo Ancelotti heads into the match on the back of a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over fierce rivals Olympique de Marseille.
Les Parisiens are without Mohamed Sissoko after his red card in the 'Clasico', and with Ancelotti tipped to favour the 4-2-3-1 formation, Mathieu Bodmer is in line to make an appearance.
Clement Chantome is still sidelined, and with Jeremy Menez deputising as a centre-forward to full effect in place of out-of-form Guillaume Hoarau and Kevin Gameiro, the trend may be set to continue away to Auxerre on Sunday.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Auxerre lie bottom of Ligue 1 after succumbing to a 2-1 defeat to Lyon last weekend.

• No side with less than 29 points at this stage of the season has managed to escape relegation from Ligue 1. Jean-Guy Wallemme's team currently have amassed 27 points.

• Nene has four goals in his last five games against Auxerre.
• Paris Saint Germain's win over Marseille last weekend sees them occupy second in Ligue 1, three points behind Montpellier.

• PSG have only scored more than two goals away to Auxerre on one previous occasion

• Carlo Ancelotti's side are yet to lose a game in Ligue 1 when Thiago Motta has played.

Prediction

With the Ligue 1 title race hotting up with only seven games left to play, Paris Saint-Gemain cannot afford to drop points at this stage of the season. Comfortable win for PSG in my opinion.

Editor's Prediction

AJ Auxerre 0-2 PSG

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15.04. (Sun) 20:45 Roma - Fiorentina

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PROBABLE LINEUPS

ROMA Stekelenburg Taddei, Kjaer, Heinze, Angel Gago, De Rossi, Marquinho Totti Osvaldo, Bojan

FIORENTINA Boruc Cassani, Gamberini, Natali, Nastasic Montolivo, Behrami, Lazzari, Pasqual Ljajic Jovetic

Luis Enrique's men have suffered an inconsistent second half to the season and are without a host of names for the visit of Fiorentina.

South American defenders Nicolas Burdisso and Juan are unlikely to feature due to injury, while Bogdan Lobont, Leandro Greco, Fabio Simplicio, Marco Cassetti and Fabio Borini are all among those for the Giallorossi currently receiving treatment. Marquinho could start ahead of Miralem Pjanic in midfield having scored two goals in his last three games.

Viola, meanwhile, have slumped alarmingly close to the relegation zone following a run of just two wins in their last 11 games. One of which came at San Siro against AC Milan, and the hero of that match, Amauri, is suspended for the visit to the Olimpico.

Defensive duo Per Kroldrup and Michele Camporese are both sidelined through injury but Delio Rossi may well be able to welcome Juan Manuel Vargas back to the side after two weeks out.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Roma have won five of their last six games at home.

• Should Luis Enrique's men win, it will be the first time they have achieved back-to-back league victories since their first two fixtures of the year.

• Roma have suffered only three Serie A defeats in 16 home games this season.

• The Giallorossi have lost a total of 12 games this season, the worst record in the top-half alongside Inter and Chievo.

• In the reverse of this fixture earlier this season, Fiorentina ran out 3-0 winners at the Artemio Franchi.

• The Viola's last victory at Stadio Olimpico was back in February 1992 when they recorded a 3-1 win.

• Fiorentina have only taken three points on their travels on two ocassions out of 16 games on the road this season.

• Delio Rossi's side could drop into the relegation zone should they lose and Genoa and Lecce win. However, the Griffins travel to San Siro on Saturday whilst Serge Cosmi's side host Napoli.

Prediction

Luis Enrique's side should have more than enough about them to see off a Fiorentina side who have only won away from home twice this season. Both teams have something to play for with Roma hoping to sneak a Champions League spot while Viola are fighting for the Serie A lives. The Giallorossi should be able to earn back-to-back victories for just the second time this year and use that as a base for their European push.

Editor's Prediction

Roma 3-1 Fiorentina

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15.04. (Sun) 19:00 Tottenham - Chelsea

PROBABLE LINEUPS

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

CHELSEA CechBosingwa, Terry, Cahill, Cole Ramires, Mikel, Lampard, Mata Sturridge, Torres

Both Tottenham's and Chelsea’s selection headaches prior to this crucial fixture will be dominated by thoughts about problems at the back. For Harry Redknapp’s side, Younes Kaboul has been ruled out after hobbling off during the defeat against Norwich at home with a knee injury. Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Gomes are all long-term absentees too.
William Gallas has been declared fit, though doubts remain over whether Ledley King (knee) and Scott Parker (hamstring) will be passed fit in time, with King the most likely of the two to miss out.
For Roberto Di Matteo, John Terry (ribs) and Ashley Cole (ankle) remain concerns, but both are likely to start given the paucity of alternative options available. Branislav Ivanovic misses the game altogether through suspension, after picking up a three-match ban for striking Wigan’s Shaun Maloney, after his appeal was turned down by the FA.
Elsewhere, Oriol Romeu is still laid low through illness and Ryan Bertrand has been ruled out with a calf complaint.
With one eye on the club’s Champions League game against Barcelona, the interim boss may spring a few surprise last-minute changes to his line-up, and expect to see only one of either Fernando Torres or Didier Drogba start the match.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Tottenham haven't won the FA Cup in 21 years since beating Nottingham Forrest 2-1 in 1991.

• While it may not be considered a drought by some of the club's long-suffering supporters, Tottenham are also without a trophy in four years since winning the 2008 League Cup against their opponents on Sunday, Chelsea.

• There has been nothing to choose between the two teams so far this season, as they drew 1-1 at White Hart Lane and 0-0 in the reverse fixture.

• Tottenham are in a poor recent run of form and have picked up just one league win in eight.

• The two clubs have faced eachother eight times before in FA Cup history, with both teams winning four times apiece.

• Chelsea have won the competition three times in the last six years.

• Chelsea have conceded 20 goals in the last 15 minutes of league and FA Cup matches this season.

• Juan Mata (pictured right with Fernando Torres) is Chelsea's top scorer in the competition this season with three goals. Jermain Defoe is Tottenham's with three to his name also.

• Chelsea have lost only two of their last 32 FA Cup matches, and one of those defeats was on penalties.

• Roberto Di Matteo's record as interim boss so far reads won eight, drawn two, lost one across all competitions.

Prediction

Roberto Di Matteo's hand may be forced in terms of selection with such a huge game on the horizon against Barcelona looming, and that could have an adverse effect on the side he puts out. The return of Aaron Lennon should see a return to the free-flowing Tottenham side that became the norm earlier on in the campaign, and while they may not have been firing on all cylinders of late, worryingly for a Chelsea backline short of full fitness, they've been creating cast-iron chances aplenty and a trip to Wembley could be just the ticket to get things going again.

Editor's Prediction

Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea

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15.04. (Sun) 17:00 Manchester United - Aston Villa

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PROBABLE LINEUPS

MANCHESTER UNITED De GeaRafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra Valencia, Carrick, Scholes, Nani Rooney, Welbeck

ASTON VILLA GivenHutton, Collins, Cuellar, Warnock Bannan, Herd, Ireland, N'Zogbia Heskey, Agbonlahor

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Paul Scholes will return to the side after being rested for their 1-0 defeat against Wigan Athletic. The midfielder is likely to take the place of fellow veteran Ryan Giggs, with the Welshman dropping to the bench.

This is unlikely to be the only change with Rafael, Nani and Danny Welbeck all pushing for a starting berth. Anderson (hamstring) and Anders Lindegaard (ankle) remain sidelined, while long-term injury absentees Darren Fletcher and Nemanja Vidic will not feature again until next season.

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish could opt to bring in more experienced players with Carlos Cuellar and Emile Heskey likely to come into the starting line-up. Charles N’Zogbia may also start after coming off the bench in Villa’s 1-1 draw against Stoke City.

The game may come too soon for Ciaran Clark and Mark Albrighton to make their returns from injury, while Richard Dunne, Fabian Delph and Darren Bent are all unlikely to play again this season.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Manchester United currently sit joint top of the Premier League form table with Arsenal and Newcastle United - all three sides have won five and lost one of their last six matches.

• Wayne Rooney (pictured right) needs four more goals to equal his best goalscoring season in the Premier League, which was the 2009-10 campaign in which he scored 26 goals. 

• Red Devils goalkeeper David de Gea had gone six hours and 23 minutes without conceding before Shaun Maloney scored for Wigan on Wednesday.

• Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have yet to be involved in a goalless draw in any competition so far this season.

• The earlier match this term between the two at Villa Park ended in a narrow 1-0 win for Manchester United with Phil Jones grabbing the goal.

• Aston Villa have only won three of their 39 matches against United since the Premier League started.

• Alex McLeish’s side have the most draws (14) out of all the 20 teams so far this campaign.

• The visitors have only won one of their last 10 league matches - a 1-0 win against Fulham at Villa Park.

• Villa have drawn their two most recent matches 1-1 - at Anfield and at home to Stoke.

Prediction

The hosts will be desperate to recover from losing to Wigan and a good performance and comfortable win would go some way towards getting their title bid back on track. Villa probably need one more win to make sure that they retain their Premier League status but the chances of that coming at Old Trafford are slim.
With the home support behind them, an early goal for United could see them grab an easy win against a Villa side with just one win from their last 10 matches. United talisman Rooney will be looking to get himself on the score sheet once again to help move his side closer to another domestic title.

Editor's Prediction

Man Utd. 3-0 Aston Villa

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15.04. (Sun) 15:30 Borussia MG - Koln

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

GLADBACH Ter Stegen Jantschke, Stranzl, Dante, Daems Herrmann, Nordtveit, Neustadter, Arango Reus, Hanke

KOLN Rensing Brecko, Geromel, McKenna, Eichner Jajalo, Lanig, Riether, Peszko Podolski, Novakovic

Lucien Favre will be able to welcome back Tony Jantschke, who missed the midweek clash with Werder Bremen with a gluteal strain. The 22-year-old will slot in at right-back, leaving Martin Stranzl to take up his usual centre-back spot alongside with Dante, with Roel Brouwers dropping out.

Elsewhere, the Swiss coach should name an unchanged lineup from the Weserstadion clash, with Marco Reus shrugging off the injury that forced him off in the first half of the draw with Hertha Berlin and playing 90 minutes against Thomas Schaaf's men.

Tuesday's 4-0 defeat to Mainz brought an end to Stale Solbakken's reign as Koln coach, and his replacement, Frank Schaefer, who returns to the club he left last year, is expected to make several changes.

At the back, Kevin McKenna and Christian Eichner are expected to replace Henrique Sereno and Ammar El Jemal respectively, while Christian Clemens and Odise Roshi will drop out of the midfield in favour of Mato Jajalo and Slawomir Peszko. Finally, Milivoje Novakovic will come in for Mikael Ishak and partner Lukas Podolski up front.

Kevin Pezzoni and Petit are set to be left out, Andrezinho has a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Mark Uth has pelvic cartilage inflammation, while Adil Chihi is not sufficiently fit to feature.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Borussia Monchengladbach have won their last three games against Koln, scoring a total of 12 goals in the process.

• Gladbach claimed their second DFB-Pokal in 1974, beating the Billy Goats in the final.

• Marco Reus (pictured) has scored 15 Bundesliga goals this season, with 11 of these coming at Borussia Park.

• Koln have won 41% of their league games with Frank Schaefer in charge, while Stale Solbakken has the worst points-per-game ratio (0.97) of any coach the club have had.

• The Billy Goats have lost ten games on their travels this season, the joint-most in the Bundesliga along with Wolfsburg.

• The visitors have won just two matches in 2012, and have picked up just one point in their last five fixtures.

Prediction

Borussia Monchengladbach have been far from convincing in recent weeks, but they have a perfect opportunity to take a step towards Champions League football next season against Koln, who are sinking like a stone. The rot has well and truly set in at RheinEnergieStadion, and I can't see Frank Schaefer's appointment galvanising a broken squad.

Editor's Prediction

Mönchengladbach 3-0 FC Koln

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15.04. (Sun) 15:00 Cesena - Juventus

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PROBABLE LINEUPS

CESENA Antonioli Comotto, Moras, Von Bergen, Lauro Guana, Colucci, Parolo Santana Malonga, Mutu

JUVENTUS Buffon Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio Pepe, Quagliarella, Vucinic

Cesena are on course to become the first relegation casualty in Serie A this season, and their fate could be sealed as soon as the end of the weekend if they are defeated by Juventus and their rivals in the table fare better.

Unfortunately for coach Mario Beretta, his task has not been helped by the news that Bianconeri loanees Jorge Martinez and Vincenzo Iaquinta have been ruled out with injury, while Alex Calderoni and Raphael Martinho are also sidelined.

However, the former Chievo and Parma boss is ready to welcome back Gianluca Comotto, Steve von Bergen, Maurizio Lauro, Giuseppe Colucci and Mario Santana into the fold, at the expense of Luca Ceccarelli, Marco Rossi, Yohan Benalouane, Tommaso Arrigoni and Martinho, who all started in the Seahorses' 1-1 draw with Genoa on Wednesday.

Juventus returned to the league summit with a 2-1 win against Lazio midweek, maintaining their unbeaten Serie A campaign in the process. Unsurprisingly, coach Antonio Conte is not expected to make any changes, with a full-strength team ready to take to the Dino Manuzzi.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The last time Cesena beat Juventus was 24 years ago - a 2-0 victory in November 1987.

• In total, the Seahorses have won just one of their 11 home fixtures against the Old Lady.

• However, their last three Serie A meetings have all ended in draws.

• Juventus, meanwhile, have had the better of Cesena on 11 previous occasions.

• They have failed to score more than a single goal against Cesena only twice in Serie A.

• In just 73 minutes of football, stretching over four substitute appearances, Alessandro Del Piero has scored twice and laid off one assist.

Prediction

Juventus are currently in a rich vein of form, having won their past four on the bounce with just one goal conceded during the sequence, and all systems are set to go once more against Cesena. Antonio Conte seems to have finally found his best XI and consequently is now getting the best out of his players, while the same cannot be said for the hosts, who despite their apparent quality on paper, have sorely lacked cohesion.

Editor's Prediction

Cesena 0-3 Juventus

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