01-12-2010 21:05 Manchester City - Red Bull Salzburg

Welcome Distraction

Manchester City will welcome the distraction of a move away from domestic action as the Europa League rolls back into town.

The blue half of Manchester will be wanting their side get back to winning ways after Saturday's disappointing 1-1 draw with Stoke in the Premier League and move a step closer to progressing in the competition.

But it does depend on which Manchester City turn up.

In the past month we have seen the Blues destroy Fulham and West Brom with some sublime attacking football but we have witnessed some overly defensive tactics in the draws with Manchester United, Birmingham and Stoke.

But as we reach the business end of the group stage in the Europa League, City find themselves in a good position to qualify from Group A and reach the knockout stages and a win against Salzburg will see them have one foot in next round.

The Premier League millionaires could even qualify for the last 32 if they beat Salzburg at Eastlands and Juventus fail to win against Lech Poznan.

City currently sit second in the group on seven points behind Lech Poznan, also on seven points, whereas their opponents prop up the group with two points.

Qualification A Must

While Salzburg have nothing to really to play for in this season's competition, City will find them no pushovers, despite a 2-0 victory in the corresponding fixture earlier in the season.

The Austrian champions won all six of their group games in last season's competition, doing the double over Lazio and Villarreal in the process.

They have also held Italian giants Juventus to 1-1 and 0-0 draws in this season's competition and are back to winning ways in the Austrian League with a 2-1 triumph at LASK Linz, so they shouldn't be taken lightly despite their poor position in the group.

But Roberto Mancini's side, containing the likes of Carlos Tevez, David Silva and Mario Balotelli, should have more than enough fire power to see off Salzburg and move a step closer to their first trophy in 25 years.

TEAM NEWS

Manchester City

Roberto Mancini has plenty of option available to him, so may opt to began with David Silva, Mario Balotelli and James Milner in attack, meaning Carlos Tevez may be rested.

Possible starting XI: Hart; Richards, K Toure, Kompany, Kolarov; De Jong, Vieira, Barry; Silva, Balotelli, Milner.

Salzburg

The Austrian side have a strong side available to them, and are likely to start with Zarate as the lone striker.

Possible starting XI: Tremmel; Afolabi, Schiemer, Sekagya, Hinteregger; David Mendes, Wallner, Svento, Cziommer, Leitgeb; Zarate.

Prediction

  Man City 3-1 Red Bull Salzburg 

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01-12-2010 21:05 Lech Poznan - Juventus

Win And Go Through

At the start of the Europa League campaign, Polish champions Lech Poznan were outside bets to finish in the top two in Group A with Juventus and Manchester City pencilled as the main contenders. However, a strong home form has enabled the Railwaymen to station themselves in pole position heading into Matchday 5.

Jose Mari Bakero's side currently lead the table with seven points from four matches - same as many as Man City. A triumph over former Italian champions Juventus tonight will ascertain Lech's place in the knockout phase and with an unbeaten record at the Stadion Miejski in the Europa League they will be confident of a memorable win. Furthermore, Lech will also be buoyed by their performance in Turin on Matchday 1 when they held the Bianconeri to a 3-3 draw.

However, Lech are not doing well in the Polish league this season and failed to win against Korona Kielce at the weekend. The goalless draw dragged them to 11th in the division, meaning that a successful Europa League run is going to be their salvation.

Registering A Win

Juventus appear to be seeking to draw their way into the knockout phase of the Europa League as they have drawn all of their four games in the competition this season. Italy's most famous and successful club commenced the campaign with a thrilling 3-3 draw with Lech Poznan at home, then held Manchester City at Eastlands, failed to beat Salzburg away and on Matchday 4 played out a disappointing goalless draw with the Austrians in Turin.

Currently placed third in Group A with four points from as many games, Luigi Del Neri's side are three points behind both Man City and Lech Poznan and need a victory tonight to maintain their chances of progression from the group especially as their final game is against Manchester City in Italy.

Juve, though, have looked rejuvenated after an early season blip and are going from strength to strength especially in Serie A. The Old Lady are unbeaten in 10 league encounters and after drawing 1-1 with Fiorentina at the weekend are just six points behind leaders Milan in third.

TEAM NEWS

Lech Poznan

Joel Tshibamba suffered a broken nose in a car accident last week and is not available. Sergey Krivets and Artjoms Rudnevs are carrying minor knocks.

Juventus

Marco Motta, Zdenek Grygera, Nicola Legrottaglie, Paolo De Ceglie and Amauri are out. Vincenzo Iaquinta has recovered from flu and will start in attack alongside Alessandro Del Piero.

Prediction

Juventus will be under pressure to win tonight and put an end to the sequence of draws. However, Lech Poznan are unbeaten at home in the competition and it is likely that they will maintain that record. A draw under freezing conditions seems to be in the offing.

Lech Poznan 1-1 Juventus

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01-12-2010 19:00 Olympique Marseille - Rennais

Taking Control

Olympique de Marseille could strike the first crucial blow in the race for the Ligue 1 title on Wednesday evening when they host Stade Rennais. No side has yet managed to get a real stranglehold on France’s top flight this season since Toulouse opening up a four point advantage at the summit after four games, but Didier Deschamps’ men could go three points clear of the chasing pack with a win on Wednesday.

The momentum in the Marseille ranks is strong. After defeating Spartak Moscow in the Champions League only a week ago, they booked their place in the knock-out stages of the competition for the first time in nearly two decades. Though Chelsea have still to visit the Stade Velodrome, that fixture can largely be discounted as a glamorous friendly; for the moment, Ligue 1 takes top priority.

If there were doubts over the defending champions’ present form, they were firmly answered on Saturday evening. Hosting Montpellier, a side with a formidable defensive record, OM produced some of their most efficient football of the campaign as they ran out 4-0 winners, with a serious injury to Cesar Azpilicueta the only black spot on an otherwise flawless evening.

“It's never easy to get back to the league especially against a side that's obtained such good results away from home,” Deschamps indicated. “We put in a very good performance, very technical and fluid. And it's good for us to have scored four goals.”

Opposing coach Rene Girard explained that “Marseille are re-taking control of French football”, and having watch their winning style in recent weeks, it’s difficult to disagree.

Clean Up The Mess

Rennes were one of the pretenders to Marseille’s throne earlier in the season, moving into top spot in Ligue 1 thanks to a victory over Toulouse on the first weekend of October. Though the Bretons managed to remain in pole position over the course of the month, they would not win again until November as the pack bunched up behind them.

Ultimately their inability to build upon a strong start to the season would cost them, and they have since slipped back to fifth, having lost a local derby 2-0 against Lorient on Saturday. Frederic Antonetti’s side may boast a strong midfield and a relatively formidable defence, but after selling Asamoah Gyan and Ismael Bangoura, and releasing Ligue 1’s top scorer at present Moussa Sow, they are badly bereft of natural goal scorers.

Victor Hugo Montano carried the can well in the early stages of the season, but after an injury he has struggled to rediscover his best form. As a result, Rennes have scored a paltry four goals in six matches and no longer look like a side capable of qualifying for the Champions League.

“When the players came in at half-time you never would have thought that we would play so badly in the second half,” explosive coach Antonetti explained to the media following the weekend’s game. “To sum it up, we made a complete mess of everything.”

Les Rouge et Noir may have posted some good results of late, but they’ve not won on their travels since September and will be hard pushed to get any change from OM.

TEAM NEWS

Marseille

Cesar Azpilicueta has ruptured the ligaments in his knee and will be missing until the end of the season. Hilton is the only other worry as Andre-Pierre Gignac has been passed fit to play.

Rennes

There will be no space in the team for the injured Kader Mangane and Onyekachi Apam, while Fabien Lemoine is back training with the first team squad but is not available yet. Winger Sylvain Marveaux is out until the early stages of next year. 

Prediction

At present, Marseille have the mental and technical edge over Rennes, which should be enough to earn them maximum points. Fatigue may be an issue, but if OM’s adrenaline is high, they should be able to overcome awkward opponents.

Marseille 2-0 Stade Rennais FC

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Europa League Opta Facts - 1st-2nd December

Statistics and facts to help your football betting are available every week at Sta Sam Ti Reko courtesy of Opta Sportsdata, Europe's leading provider of sports performance statistics.


Manchester City v Red Bull Salzburg

• Manchester City's only previous match against an Austrian side came earlier this season when they defeated Red Bull Salzburg 2-0 away.
• English sides are unbeaten in their last 15 games against Austrian opposition in Europe (excl. qualifiers).
• City's 3-1 defeat to Lech Poznan in their previous match in this competition ended a six game-unbeaten run in Europe.
• Salzburg are without a win in six European games (inc. qualifiers), drawing three and suffering three defeats.
• They have also not won in six away matches (inc. qualifiers) - again, three draws and three defeats.
• Red Bull Salzburg have only scored one goal in the Europa League group stages this season; a joint-competition low.

Steaua Bucharest v Liverpool

• The Reds defeated Steaua earlier this season at Anfield; 4-1, with David N'gog grabbing a brace.
• They last met in Bucharest in November 2003, in a UEFA Cup tie that ended 1-1.
• Steaua have not lost in three Group K games since their trip to Anfield, picking up a win and two draws.
• Six of Liverpool's seven group stage goals have been scored in the second half, with five of them coming after the 76th minute.
• Steaua's Eric Bicfalvi has committed a foul every 19.3 mins on average in the Europa League this season; the third worst rate.

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30-11-2010 20:45 West Ham Utd. - Manchester Utd.

Memories Of Pompey

Hammers boss Avram Grant finds himself in an all too familiar situation, as West Ham are currently at the rock bottom of the table. This was the position that he found himself in at Portsmouth last season. And to his credit, Pompey went on a fantastic run in a domestic cup competition by reaching the final of the FA Cup.

Should the home side emerge victorious on the day, comparisons may be inevitable. But unlike the south coast outfit – that were relegated last season - the problems that the Israeli boss faces are more to do with troubles on the pitch than off it.

And with the recently 3-1 victory over Wigan Athletic, the east London club will likely look towards this game as a source to build on the confidence received from the win over the weekend.

If nothing else, this game provides the fans with a breath of fresh air, as opposed to the difficulties in the league that their players face week-in week-out.

But with Grant at the helm, the supporters may fancy their chances against their more illustrious visitors, who are currently defending their hold over the League Cup.

Flying High

Manchester United have been doing very well for themselves this season, and are the only team in the top-flight not to have lost a game so far.

And as we slowly approach the halfway point in the season, manager Sir Alex Ferguson will likely fancy some more silverware to add to the club’s brimming trophy cabinet. But he will know that his side will have to get past Grant’s men in order make their way into the semi-finals of the tournament.

But with some of his players having exerted themselves in the roaring 7-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers, a few could be left out in favour of youngsters of fringe players.

However, any side that Ferguson fields on the day will likely be able to match, if not better their opponents in terms of quality. But without home advantage - as United have drawn several away games in the league - Upton Park may prove to be a challenge nonetheless.

But all said and done, the boss will want to keep the undefeated momentum going for as long as possible. And the current game should prove to be another obstacle in the path to adding to the club’s long list of achievements in recent years.

TEAM NEWS

West Ham United

Avram Grant will be without long term casualties Manuel da Costa (ankle), Jack Collison (knee), Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh), Anthony Edgar and Peter Kurucz (both knee).

Scott Parker returned from a virus during the recent victory over Wigan Athletic, while Valon Behrami recovered from a thigh injury in time to play a part as well.

Possible starting XI: Stech; Spector, Gabbidon, Upson, Ilunga; Behrami, Kovac, Parker, Stanislas; Cole, McCarthy.

Manchester United

Paul Scholes remains a doubt due to a groin problem, while Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves (both hamstring) are still some way from fitness. Antonio Valencia (knee & ankle) is out until February.

Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans could slot in as centre-backs, as manager Sir Alex Ferguson could ring in the changes for this one.

Possible starting XI: Amos; Brown, Smalling, Evans, Evra; Nani, Anderson, Gibson, Giggs, Park; Rooney.

Prediction

West Ham may have been given a confidence boost over the weekend, but the undefeated visitors may be a little too much for them at this point in their recovery process.

West Ham 1-3 Man Utd.

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