Saturday, January 26, 2013

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 21:00 Paris Saint Germain - Lille Metropole

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Sirigu
Jallet, Camara, Sakho, Maxwell
Lucas Moura, Matuidi, Verratti, Pastore
Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi

LILLE
Elana
Beria, Basa, Chedjou, Digne
Mavuba, Balmont, Pedretti
Martin, Payet
Roux

Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti is set to welcome back Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was suspended for Wednesday's 3-1 Coupe de France win over Toulouse on Wednesday.

Kevin Gameiro started alongside Ezequiel Lavezzi that night, but Ancelotti will likely pump for the latter to start with the returning Swede. Marco Verratti should keep his place in midfield ahead of Clement Chantome in midfield.

Thiago Silva remains injured, with Alex uncertain to start on Sunday. Replacing the duo could be fourth-choice Zoumana Camara, with Sylvain Armand picking up a few niggles in Wednesday's cup win.

Lille coach Rudi Garcia is split between his usual 4-3-3 formation or switching to 4-4-2 as was the case in the 3-1 win over amateurs Plabennec on Thursday.

Nolan Roux is expected to lead the line, with Dimitri Payet and Marvin Martin providing the ammunition behind him. Otherwise, there are no major injury woes for Garcia to mull over.

Salomon Kalou, Ryan Mendes, Mohamed Sissoko and Siaka Tiene are away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

DID YOU KNOW?

Paris Saint-Germain sit can move top of Ligue 1 on goal difference with victory here.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic tops the Ligue 1 scoring charts on 20 league goals, two fewer than last season's joint-top scorers Olivier Giroud and Nene. However, he only has six at home this season.
Salvatore Sirigu has not conceded a league goal for PSG since the 2-1 defeat to Nice on 1 December - a total of 686 minutes.
Lille sit in 10th place in Ligue 1 after their shock 2-0 home defeat against Nice.
Rudi Garcia's side have just one win in their last ten league games on the road. They have two away wins in Ligue 1 all season.
Les Dogues have not won a league game away at the Parc des Princes since 1996.
Both Lille's Grand Stade Lille Metropole and PSG's Parc des Princes were shortlisted as the ten venues for Euro 2016 on Friday.

Prediction
Les Parisiens have arguably much more quality than Lille, have lost Mickael Landreau and Mathieu Debuchy since their last meeting in September. Rudi Garcia's away-day troubles have long been evident, and it is likely that they won't pose too much of a threat on Sunday.
Editor's Prediction
PSG 2-0 Lille

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 19:00 Barcelona - Osasuna

PROBABLE LINEUPS

BARCELONA
Valdes
Alves, Puyol, Mascherano, Adriano
Thiago, Busquets, Fabregas
Pedro, Messi, Sanchez

OSASUNA
Andres
Bertran, Ruben, Arribas, Nano
Lolo, Oier
Cejudo, Nino, Armenteros
Sola

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi pulled out of training on Friday with a muscle strain but is nevertheless expected to feature in the Primera Division encounter against Osasuna.

Defender Gerard Pique is suspended, while assistant coach Jordi Roura could opt to rotate his squad for the Camp Nou clash with one eye on Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Real Madrid.

Osasuna boss Jose Luis Mendilibar may hand a debut to midfielder Francisco Silva, who was signed from Chilean side Universidad Catolica earlier in the week.

Asier Riesgo, David Timor and Sisi are all unavailable through injury, while left-back Damia serves a one-match ban.

DID YOU KNOW?

Barcelona have won their last five home Liga matches with an aggregate score of 19-4.
The Catalans hit their 100th goal of the season in the 4-2 win at Malaga in midweek, with Lionel Messi accounting for 40 of those strikes.
Barcelona have never lost a match in which Andres Iniesta has scored (W40, D4).
Osasuna have won just one of their last eight matches in all competitions (W1, D2, L5).
Los Rojillos have lost on their last four visits to Camp Nou at an aggregate score of 0-16.
Osasuna's last win away at Barcelona was a 1-0 success in May 2009.

Prediction
This should be an easy home win for Barcelona, who will be keen to produce a response after last weekend's surprise defeat at Real Sociedad. Osasuna have picked up just five points on their travels this season and will do well to keep the hosts at bay.
Editor's Prediction
Barcelona 3-0 Osasuna

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 18:00 Morocco - South Africa

PROBABLE LINEUPS

SOUTH AFRICA
Khune
Masilela, Khumalo, Sangweni, Ngcongca
Phala, Furman, Mahlangu, Tshabalala
Mphela, Parker

MOROCCO
Lamyaghri
Chakir, Bergdich, Benatia, El Adoua
Abdel, El Ahmadi, Belhanda
Assaidi, El Hamdaoui, Amrabat

South Africa enter into their final Group A clash against Morocco brimming with their confidence after their inspired performance against Angola, which has left them top of Group A with four points.
The hosts will have to deal with a few injury concerns before the match, as striker Lehlohonolo Majoro will not be fit for the tie after being helped off the pitch on Wednesday.

Tokelo Rantie has a question mark placed on his head as he picked up a knock in training, while injured pair Kagisho Dikgacoi and Lerato Chabangu were seen doing light training in Durban on Thursday. This would mean South Africa go into the game with only two recognised strikers in their squad, with Katlego Mphela and Bernard Parker leading the line of attack.

Gordon Igesund is wary of Morocco before the tie and is encouraging his players to focus on the present and the match ahead.

"We know what we need to do on Sunday. We can't continue living in the past. We must start celebrating once we qualify for the quarter-finals," he told reporters.

"We won our second game, but we really can't get carried away with that. One win is not going to qualify us. We know what have to do next. We have a tough match against a strong Morocco side and we need to win that one.”

The hosts will target a victory against the side deemed to be the strongest in the group, but Morocco have failed to light up the tournament with draws against Angola and Cape Verde and may fear the renewed vigour and confidence displayed by Bafana Bafana in their win over the Palanacas Negras.

Rachid Taoussi will need to make some changes in order to help his side unleash their attacking potential with players such as Assaidi and El Hamadaoui yet to fire.

Taoussi may be regretting leaving Adel Taabart and Maraoune Chamkah out of his squad, as the side has looked rather toothless in attack, with only a single goal being scored in the tournament by El Arabi, which was the priceless equaliser against Cape Verde.

However the team will want to prove that they can do well without the likes of Taarabt, by beating a host nation which looked unstoppable against Angola.

Many South Africans feared the tie against Morocco, but it seems the tables have turned as suddenly the Atlas Lions could be deemed as the underdogs on Sunday night.

DID YOU KNOW?

South Africa and Morocco have played on three occasions with Bafana Bafana holding a slight advantage over their opponents with two wins and a draw the final results.

The last time the two sides met was in 2004 in Tunisia and the final score was a 1-1 draw.

Morocco has not qualified for the second round of the Africa Cup of Nations since 2004, when Badou Zaki was coach of the side.

South Africa’s two goals against Angola were their first goals of 2013.

South Africa has not reached the knock-out round of the Africa Cup of Nations since 2002.

Gordon Igesund is aiming to win the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil for the second time in South Africa's history.

Prediction
Bafana Bafana have shown that they are capable of scoring goals, and have enjoyed clean sheets in both of their matches, so a narrow victory could be on the cards for the hosts.
Editor's Prediction
Morocco 0-1 South Africa

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 18:00 Cape Verde Islands - Angola

PROBABLE LINEUPS

CAPE VERDE
Vonzinha
Varela, Nando, Gege, Nivaldo
Babanco Platini, Varela, Soares
Mendes, Tavares

ANGOLA
Lama
Amaro, Massunguna, Zuela, Miguel
Djelma, Kivuvu, Dede, Gilberto
Mateus, Manucho

Cape Verde have come close to beating South Africa and Morocco during their opening two games of the tournament and will be considered favourites against a stuttering Angolan side on Sunday. However, the Islanders will have to keep a close eye on proceedings in Durban where South Africa only needs a draw or a win. Morocco needs to conquer the Afcon hosts in order to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The Islanders were able to dominate Morocco in the first half of their previous game but faltered under the pressure in the second, allowing the Atlas Lions a chance to secure a vital draw.

Lucio Antune’s men will believe that they can fight for a victory against Angola, which should give them a chance to progress into the next round, but only if South Africa defeats Morocco or the hosts lose in Durban.

He has stated that he feels his players have the ability to beat any side in the world, a claim which should inspire the team to topple Angola on Sunday evening.

Neither side has voiced any injury concerns on the eve of the match, with Angola’s midfield maestro Djalma Campos rearing to start in the crunch tie. The impressive form of Cape Verde’s Ryan Mendes will be counted on by the Islanders, while Manucho will target the game as his chance to open his account for the tournament.

Angola’s loss against South Africa has made their progression into the quarter finals an unlikely event, as they will need South Africa to draw against Morocco and will need to beat a tough and determined Cape Verde outfit.

Their toothless display against Bafana Bafana will need to be improved on if they are to stand any chance of matching Cape Verde’s hard running style of football. Angola’s misfiring midfield was dominated by South Africa’s combination of Dean Furman and May Mahlangu. The Palancas Negras will target a better performance in the middle of the park, led by Pirolito, Campos and co.

Even if they are able to defeat Cape Verde, the Angolan side side may not qualify for the knock-out rounds of the tournament. If Morocco defeats South Africa, Angola will be on equal points with the hosts but will not qualify due to their loss in the previous game.

Permutations aside, this should be an intriguing match with both teams looking to attack throughout the 90 minutes.

DID YOU KNOW?

Cape Verde and Angola have played each other on three occasions before this match.
Cape Verde have not lost against the Angolans and have secured two wins and a draw against the Palancas Negras.
Angola's Manucho is their top scorer in the 23-man squad, after netting 21 times in 38 appearances for his country.
Cape Verde coach Lucio Antunes met with Jose Mourinho to discuss tactis with the "Special One" before the Afcon kicked off.
Angola's best showing in Africa's football showpiece was a quarter-final berth during the 2008 and 2010 editions of the tournament.
The two teams were supposed to play a friendly in 2012, but the match was cancelled.

Prediction
Cape Verde have shown that they are capable of scoring goals and should be strong enough to beat Angola on Sunday night. Whether or not they qualify remains to be seen.
Editor's Prediction
Cape Verde 1-0 Angola

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 17:30 Stuttgart - Bayern Munchen

PROBABLE LINEUPS

STUTTGART
Ulreich
Rudiger, Tasci, Niedermeier, Molinaro
Kvist
Harnik, Gentner, Hajnal, Traore
Ibisevic

BAYERN MUNICH
Neuer
Lahm, Dante, Van Buyten, Alaba
Martinez, Schweinsteiger
Robben, Kroos, Ribery
Mandzukic

Given the media circus that has surrounded Bayern Munich over the last two weeks, Jupp Heynckes and his band of men will probably let out a sigh of relief as they go on their travels on Sunday.

The Bavarians have been under the glare of the world's press following the appointment of Pep Guardiola and despite beating Greuther Furth 2-0 last week, the performance was surprisingly workmanlike from the well-oiled machine that shone prior to the winter break.

That said, they still enjoy a nine-point lead over joint-second-placed Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund and will be confident of racking up a 15th league win of the season over a VfB side who reside in 10th spot.

Daniel Van Buyten is likely to get the nod ahead of Jerome Boateng at centre-back, while Javi Martinez will partner Bastian Schweinsteiger in midfield and Arjen Robben could return in place of Thomas Muller.

Stuttgart are without Cacau and Christoph Hemlein through injury, with new loan signing Federico Macheda likely to start from the bench.

DID YOU KNOW?

Stuttgart have lost their last two Bundesliga games in disappointing fashion. Mainz beat them 3-1 before the winter break, and Wolfsburg 2-0 after the league recommenced.
VfB boss Bruno Labbadia played for Bayern between 1991 and 1994, winning the Bundesliga with the club in his final season in Bavaria.
Stuttgart lost the 1986 DFB-Pokal final to Bayern Munich 5-2.
Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm spent time on loan at Stuttgart during the early part of his career.
Additionally, Mario Gomez began his career at the Mercedes Benz Arena before moving to Bavaria.
Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 6-1 at home earlier in the season, with Thomas Muller scoring twice in the victory.

Prediction
Manuel Neuer labelled VfB "unpredictable" on Friday and they could well give the Bavarians an early scare before the Bundesliga leaders find their rhythm and power to yet another victory.
Editor's Prediction
VfB Stuttgart 1-3 Bayern

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 17:00 Oldham Athletic - Liverpool

PROBABLE LINEUPS

OLDHAM
Bouzanis
Wabara, Mvoto, Byrne, Grounds
M'changama, Furman, Smith, Croft
Baxter, Simpson

LIVERPOOL
Jones
Wisdom, Skrtel, Carragher, Robinson
Suso, Allen, Shelvey, Sterling
Sturridge, Borini

Cristian Montano (thigh) was recently ruled out for two months for the hosts, but former Everton youngster and star striker Jose Baxter is likely to start fresh from signing a new deal.

Under-fire Latics manager Paul Dickov can boast a near-fully fit squad after James Wesolowski returned to last week from serving a three-match ban.

Brendan Rodgers is expected to make a number of changes with a trip to Arsenal awaiting three days later, with the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Jack Robinson and Suso likely to return to the starting line-up.

Jose Enrique (hamstring) is expected to be out for a further three weeks, while goalkeeper Pepe Reina (broken nose) has recently undergone surgery with a return date unspecified.

DID YOU KNOW?

Oldham have picked up just one point from their previous eight League One games, losing seven, and find themselves in 19th place in the table.

But the Latics beat Championship side Nottingham Forest 3-2 away from home in the third round of the FA Cup.

Oldham have not advanced further in the FA Cup than the fourth round in 19 years - when they lost to Manchester United in the semi-final after a replay.

These two teams faced each other in last year's third round, with Liverpool triumphing 5-1 at Anfield.

The Reds have won the FA Cup seven times, with their last triumph coming in 2006.

Daniel Sturridge has scored in each of his first three games for Liverpool. Sturridge is 3/1 with Bet365 to score the first goal in this game.

Liverpool have faced Oldham four times in the FA Cup and have won each time.

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 15:00 Leeds United - Tottenham Hot.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

LEEDS UNITED
Kenny
Byram, Peltier, Lees, White
Austin, Brown
Barkley,
McCormack, Becchio, Diouf

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Lloris
Walker, Caulker, Dawson, Naughton
Parker, Dembele,
Lennon, Dempsey, Bale
Defoe

Leeds United do not have too many injury concerns but will be without Adam Drury (ankle) for the foreseeable future.

William Gallas (calf) faces a late fitness test for Tottenham, who could also be without Jan Vertonghen (illness).

Younes Kaboul (knee) is out until February and midfielder Sandro (knee) is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.

DID YOU KNOW?

Leeds United have only won the FA Cup on one occasion, back in 1972, when Don Revie's side overcame Arsenal 1-0 thanks to an Allan Clarke goal.

Tottenham have lifted the famous trophy eight times but have not reached the final since 1991. Des Walker's injury-time own goal gave Nottingham Forest a 2-1 win on that occasion.

These two teams last met in the 2009-10 FA Cup, with Spurs going through 3-1 in a replay at Elland Road after a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane.

Spurs star Aaron Lennon was a product of the Leeds youth system, the Chapeltown-born winger spending four years with his hometown club and making 38 appearances. Lennon is 14/1 with Bet365 to score first in a Tottenham win.

Leeds last beat the north Londoners back in 2001, earning a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane to complete a league double.

United striker Luciano Becchio is eight appearances shy of 200 for the club but has submitted a transfer request.

A hat-trick for Jermain Defore would see him take his club goalscoring record for Tottenham up to 130.

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 15:00 Atalanta - Milan

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

ATALANTA
Consigli
Raimondi, Stendardo, Canini, Brivio
Carmona, Cigarini, Biondini
Bonaventura
Denis, Parra

AC MILAN
Abbiati
De Sciglio, Zapata, Mexes, Constant
Nocerino, Montolivo, Boateng
Niang, Pazzini, El Shaarawy


Atalanta coach Stefano Colantuono will be without the likes of Gianpaolo Bellini, Daniele Capelli (knee) and Guido Marilungo (cruciate ligament) for AC Milan’s visit to the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.

Meanwhile, Nerazzurri midfielder Luigi Giorgi will miss the Lombardy derby having been sent off late in their 1-1 draw with Cagliari.

The Rossoneri remain without central midfielders Massimo Ambrosini and Nigel de Jong for their trip to Bergamo, while Urby Emanuelson and Mario Yepes are not expected to feature in the squad.

In defence, Ignazio Abate - who has been linked with a move to Zenit - is likely to make way for Mattia De Sciglio, and Daniele Bonera could start ahead of Philippe Mexes. Massimiliano Allegri has already confirmed that his attacking trio will remain unchanged but he could opt to swap out Mathieu Flamini for Antonio Nocerino.

DID YOU KNOW?

Atalanta have only won one of their last nine Serie A clashes - a 2-1 home triumph over Parma.

AC Milan sit sixth in the Serie A having surged up the table since a rocky start to the season. Their opponents, contrastingly, have been in reverse and are wedged 13th in the Italian top tier.
Stephan El Shaarawy is Milan's top goalscorer this season but has not scored in over a month in the league for the Rossoneri.
The two teams played in match day 3 of the Serie A season, and Luca Cigarini scored the only goal of the game to condemn Allegri's side to their second defeat in the first three matches.

Milan won both Italian top-tier games against their Lombardy neighbours 2-0 last season.
Both clubs have only kept four clean sheets in Serie A clashes this campaign.

Prediction
The Bergamo-based club have been on a slippery slope after a semi-decent start to the season and are sliding dangerously close to the relegation zone. Milan’s attacking prowess should see them net a few times at the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, with M’Baye Niang, Giampaolo Pazzini and Stephan El Shaarawy a good mix of youth and experience.

Having said that, their brittle defence are more than likely to concede based on recent endeavours and Atalanta could even take the lead if they start with their heads screwed on. However, anything but a Rossoneri victory would be a shock considering how separated the sides sit in the form table.

Editor's Prediction
Atalanta 1-3 Milan

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 13:00 Brentford - Chelsea

PROBABLE LINEUPS

BRENTFORD
Moore
Hodson, Craig, Dean, Barron
Forshaw, Douglas, Diagouraga
Forrester, Donaldson, Trotta

CHELSEA
Cech
Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Bertrand
Lampard, Ramires
Marin, Mata, Oscar
Torres

Brentford manager Uwe Rosler will be without on-loan Everton defender Jack Bidwell for the visit of European champions Chelsea after the youngster was sent off in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Leyton Orient.

Veteran midfielder Kevin O'Connor (ankle) will also be out, as is Farid El Alagui (knee).

Harry Forrester was rested against Orient in the week and he should return along with Fulham loan star Marcello Trotta and defender Shaleum Logan.

Chelsea will be without Belgium attacker Eden Hazard as he starts a three-game ban following his controversial red card for kicking a ballboy at Swansea City on Wednesday.

Captain John Terry may make a first start following his steady recovery from a knee problem but Rafa Benitez will be without Yossi Benayoun and Oriol Romeu (both knee).

DID YOU KNOW?

Brentford currently lie third in League One, six points behind joint leaders Tranmere and Doncaster Rovers.
The Bees have only reached the fifth round of the FA Cup on six occasions since the Second World War.

Striker Clayton Donaldson is second in the League One scoring charts this season - he has 15 strikes. He is also joint-second in the scoring charts for the FA Cup, with four goals to his name.

Chelsea will have played their west London neighbours Fulham, QPR and Brentford in the same season for the first time ever following this cup tie.

The Blues are the current holders of the FA Cup, having defeated Liverpool 2-1 in last year's final. They have won the competition on seven occasions.

Of all the Premier League players to score more than five goals this season, Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard (pictured right), has the best conversion rate of shots to goals (42 per cent). Lampard is 5/1 with Bet365 to score first in a Chelsea win in this game.

Brentford and Chelsea are separated by just six miles but have not played each other competitively since meeting in this competition 63 years ago.

Brentford's Griffin Park stadium famously has a pub on each of the four corners of the ground. Supporters may be pushed for time to frequent all of them before Sunday's game, however, with kick-off set for 12.00.

| by

0

27.01. (Sun) 12:00 Real - Getafe

PROBABLE LINEUPS

REAL MADRID
Adan
Arbeloa, Albiol, Ramos, Coentrao
Khedira, Alonso
Di Maria, Modric, Ronaldo
Higuain

GETAFE
Moya
Valera, Lopo, Alexis, Escudero
Castro, Rodriguez, Michel, Gavilan
Alcacer, Colunga

Real Madrid will be without goalkeeper Iker Casillas for the Primera Division clash against Getafe because of a broken thumb.

The Santiago Bernabeu club have signed Sevilla's Diego Lopez as replacement, but Antonio Adan is expected to deputise on Sunday.

Sergio Ramos and Kaka return from bans but defender Pepe remains sidelined with an ankle injury.

Getafe have completed the loan signing of left-back Sergio Escudero from Schalke in time for him to feature at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Mane, Miguel Torres, Xavi Torres, Angel Lafita and Pedro Leon are all ruled out, while defender David Abraham has been sold to Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim.

Winger Diego Castro returns from suspension but boss Luis Garcia will watch the game from the stands as he serves the second of his two-game touchline ban.

DID YOU KNOW?

Real Madrid are on a six-match unbeaten run in all competitions, keeping four clean sheets in that sequence.
The Castilian giants are on a 21-game unbeaten streak in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored eight goals in his last six appearances against Getafe.
Getafe are on an eight-match winless run across all competitions (D5, L3).
Los Azulones have lost seven of their last eight meetings with Madrid.
Getafe have lost their last three away games, letting in 10 goals in the process.

Prediction
Despite their inconsistent form, Madrid should have little trouble in dispatching their city rivals, who are struggling for goals at the moment.
Editor's Prediction
Real Madrid 2-0 Getafe