12-01-2011 17:30 Palermo - Chievo Verona

Coppa Adventure Beckons

Palermo have been looking very good as far as the league standings are concerned as the Aquile are very much in with a chance of finishing in the top-four in Serie A this season and qualifying for next season's Champions League.

With 31 points from 19 matches, Delio Rossi's side are fifth in the table and are just a point off the fourth spot. Unbeaten in their last five competitive fixtures, Palermo will now aspire to embark on the Coppa Italia adventure on a positive note.

Today's clash with Chievo at the Renzo Barbera will see Palermo face the Flying Donkeys twice in the space of four days. On Sunday in the league the Rosaneri were held to a goalless draw in Verona and today they will be aware that Stefano Pioli's side can be as tough and resilient.

Taking Encouragement From The Weekend

Chievo are in a wretched run of form as the Veronese club have not won in their last six competitive matches. Granted, two of those encounters include credible draws with Roma and Juventus, but defeats to Bologna and Lecce show that Pioli needs to inject more confidence and alter their shape to return to winning ways.

On Sunday afternoon the Flying Donkeys did show their resilience as they held Palermo to a goalless draw in Verona. The one point gained means that Chievo are 14th in the league standings with 22 points from 19 matches and are just four points above the relegation zone.

Chievo have already embarked on their Coppa Italia campaign and dispatched Sassuolo 2-0 in the third round and Novara 3-0 in the fourth round. Today's visit to Palermo will be the first time that they would have to confront a top-flight opposition in the Cup and it will be tough for them.
 

TEAM NEWS

Palermo

Delio Rossi has called up 23 players for today’s game. Miccoli is expected to start upfront with Pastore and Ilicic playing behind him as the creative minds from the midfield.

Chievo

26 players were named in the squad yesterday evening. Pellissier and Moscardelli are expected to be the two strikers upfront. Constant is likely to line up just behind them as the side’s playmaker.

Prediction

Chievo held Palermo to a goalless draw on Sunday afternoon and they will be confident of achieving a positive result today. However, today is a Cup tie and anything’s possible. Palermo have proved themselves to be strong at the Renzo Barbera this campaign and they are likely to win today’s match.

Palermo 2-0 Chievo

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12-01-2011 20:45 Ipswich Town - Arsenal

Eyeing a shock

Ipswich are undoubtedly eyeing a shock against much stronger opponents at Portman Road, but are between managers at the moment. Roy Keane was shown the door after a very poor league campaign that sees them only inches away from dropping down into the relegation zone in the Championship. And their recent 7-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup would have dented their confidence even further.

Recovering from such a difficult defeat against opponents like Arsenal will be no small feat, but the unpredictable nature of the cup means that the hosts have a chance of springing a surprise.

But the league campaign will likely be their priority, since relegation is obviously not a good sign for any club.

Paul Jewell will soon take charge of the club’s affairs, despite having been out of management for the past two years. His last job at Derby County ended in ignominy in 2008, but the 46-year-old has in the past guided Bradford City and Wigan Athletic to the Premier League.

In this first leg, however, it will be coach Ian McParland who will be in charge - but Jewell is expected to be in the stands at Portman Road.

Gunning down lesser opposition

If an out of sorts Chelsea side could record an emphatic 7-0 result against these opponents, then so can Arsenal. Manager Arsene Wenger’s defence may look shaky in the absence of Thomas Vermaelen, Sebastien Squillaci and Bacary Sagna, but it may not prove to be a significant problem against the Championship strugglers.

Ideally speaking, the former Monaco boss will want the tie to be wrapped up in the first leg, so he can give many of his younger charges a run out in the semi-final of the tournament - since he has been fielding relatively strong line-ups in comparison to previous years.

The stronger line-ups have been seen as a sign that the north London club are taking the League Cup seriously, due to their silverware drought that stretches way back to Patrick Vieira’s penalty against Manchester United in 2005 - which won them the FA Cup.

The emphasis on the contest at hand takes a more serious tone when it is noted that the Gunners drew their FA Cup tie against Leeds United at the weekend.

TEAM NEWS

Ipswich Town

Jake Livermore and Rory Fallon are unavailable for this encounter, as the on-loan pair have already played for Tottenham and Plymouth Argyle respectively during earlier rounds of the competition.

Grant Leadbitter is still serving a suspension, while Gareth McAuley could overcome a hamstring injury in time for a start.

Possible starting XI: Fulop; Brown, McAuley, Delaney, Kennedy; Norris, Edwards, Quinn, Colback; Wickham, Scotland.

Arsenal

Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles), Manuel Almunia (ankle), Abou Diaby (calf) and Sebastien Squillaci (hamstring) are all sidelined for this encounter, with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger entertaining defensive worries.

The north London club’s manager has admitted that he may have to dip into the transfer market to bring in cover for Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou.

Bacary Sagna is currently serving a suspension, so Emmanuel Eboue is likely to slot in at right-back.

Possible starting XI: Szczesny; Eboue, Djourou, Koscielny, Gibbs; Walcott, Fabregas, Eastmond, Denilson, Arshavin; Bendtner.

Prediction

Ipswich 1-2 Arsenal  

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12-01-2011 21:00 Blackpool - Liverpool

Eyeing the double

Back in early October, Blackpool sent shockwaves through the Premier League by travelling to Liverpool and conquering Anfield. It was a body blow for the Reds, and was also one of the low points of former boss Roy Hodgson’s short stint as manager.

During that game, Luke Varney went down in the area as the referee pointed to the spot. Charlie Adam converted in front of the Kop to give his side a shock lead on Merseyside, before Varney doubled the advantage. A header from Sotirios Kyrgiakos eventually proved to be nothing more than a consolation as the victory served to justify the Seasiders’ arrival in the top-flight.

A little over three months have passed since then, and the visitors’ boss Ian Holloway probably feels that his charges can do the double over their more illustrious opponents. He fielded a line-up of several fringe players during the club’s recent FA Cup trip to Southampton, in a game that the travellers lost.

But he should call on his regulars for this encounter, in the hope of repeating the performance put in at Anfield to carve out a similar result.

'King Kenny' to the rescue

The latter days of Roy Hodgson’s bitter reign on Merseyside saw him lose the fans completely, as the club’s supporters roundly chanted for his head by calling for the appointment of the legendary Kenny Dalglish.

One could very well argue that the results may not have been a true reflection of the former Fulham manager’s capability, as he was unable to mould the squad to his liking by flexing some muscle in the transfer window. But the Merseysiders have parted ways with the 63-year-old now, and have given the fans what they wanted - King Kenny.

Dalglish’s return to management after a decade-long hiatus began in poor fashion as a controversial penalty coupled with the sending off of his skipper Steven Gerrard ended in a defeat to bitter rivals Manchester United - which in turn meant that the Reds were knocked out of the FA Cup.

However, the feel good factor around the club will have trickled down into the squad as well, and could in turn translate into a positive performance on the pitch.

The Scot will have to capitalise on the initial boost that his appointment has given the team to capture nothing less than all three points at Bloomfield Road to retain hope of salvaging a morose season and qualifying for next season’s Europa League.

TEAM NEWS

Blackpool

The Seasiders have no fresh injury worries ahead of this game, but Elliot Grandin (hamstring), Malaury Martin (knee), Chris Basham (broken leg), Marlon Harewood (hamstring), Matt Gilks (knee) and Billy Clarke (knee) are all expected to remain sidelined.

Manager Ian Holloway fielded several fringe players during the recent defeat to Southampton and will likely revert to his preferred first-choice players once more.

Possible starting XI: Kingson; Eardley, Cathcart, Evatt, Crainey; Phillips, Adam, Vaughan; Taylor-Fletcher, Campbell, Varney

Liverpool

The club’s talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard is suspended for this game, as he saw red in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.

Jamie Carragher (shoulder) and Jay Spearing (ankle) remain sidelined. The former will remain unavailable for some more time as he recovers from surgery, while the latter is back in training and still working on getting back to full fitness.

Possible starting XI: Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Aurelio; Kuyt, Meireles, Lucas, Maxi; Babel, Torres

Prediction

Liverpool will be desperate to avenge their defeat at Anfield earlier in the season but Blackpool are on a good run at home and getting a victory will not be easy for Roy Hodgson’s men. Ian Holloway will be hoping his side can extend their unbeaten run to five matches, and given Liverpool’s vulnerabilities this game that is a strong possibility in what should be a very entertaining scoring draw.

Blackpool 1-1 Liverpool

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Carling Cup Semi-Final Opta Facts - 11-12 January

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.


Ipswich Town v Arsenal

• Arsenal are in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup for the fifth time in the last eight seasons, more often than any other side.
• Arsenal have only ever lost one League Cup match against a lower league side in the Arsene Wenger era (Burnley).
• Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 15 matches in all competitions against Ipswich, winning 12 of those games.
• Ipswich and Arsenal have been drawn together twice, with Arsenal winning on home soil after a replay in 1970-71 and Town winning at Highbury in 2000-01.
• Ipswich have made the semi-final three times in the League Cup, but lost on each occasion (1981-82, 1984-85 and 2000-01.)
• The last two semi-final home legs at Portman Road have ended as 1-0 wins for Tow n.
• Four of Ipswich's five wins in the League Cup have been by a one-goal margin.
• Wojciech Szczesny hasn't conceded a goal for Arsenal in the three Carling Cup matches he has played.
• Nicklas Bendtner has scored five goals in his last five Carling Cup appearances.
• The Gunners have benefited from an own goal just before half-time in their last two Carling Cup ties.
• Tamas Priskin has scored four goals in his last six Carling Cup appearances.
• New Ipswich manager Paul Jewell was manager of Wigan when they knocked Arsenal out in the League Cup semi-finals in 2005-06.

West Ham United v Birmingham City

• West Ham have won only one of the last eight meetings in all competitions with Birmingham City.
• The Hammers and the Blues have been drawn together twice before in the League Cup and West Ham have progressed on both occasions courtesy of away wins.
• In 1989-90 West Ham won at St Andrews before drawing the second leg at home to progress.
• In 1999-2000, the Hammers came from behind twice to win 3-2 at St Andrews.
• West Ham last reached the semi-final in 1989-90.
• The Hammers have reached the semi-final seven times, progressing to the final on only two occasions.
• West Ham have won nine of their last 10 Carling Cup ties at Upton Park, losing the other.
• In their last 14 Carling Cup away games, Birmingham have alternated between wins and not winning. If the pattern continues, they will win this match.
• Birmingham have been in four League Cup semi finals, progressing to the final on two occasions.
• Carlton Cole has scored four goals in his last five Carling Cup starts.

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10-01-2011 21:00 Hercules - Atletico Madrid

Home Improvement

Hercules have endured some uncertain moments in their opening Primera Division matches, but the Alicante side are presently six points clear of the drop zone and are now looking good to secure another season in the top flight. Their next challenge is a home fixture against a strong Atletico Madrid side.

Los Herculanos will not be fazed by the challenge at hand. A high profile victory over Barcelona might have kick-started their campaign, and though Esteban Vigo’s side initially stumbled in more mundane encounters, recent home form suggests that Jose Rico Perez side are finally ready to win their bread and butter fixtures.

If Hercules have been going well at home, they’ve continued to toil on their travels. Last weekend, Mallorca proved to be much too strong for the southerners, crushing them 3-0, and Vigo has warned that he doesn’t expect a repeat performance.

“I hope Atletico meet the Hercules we all know at the Rico Perez and not the one that met Mallorca,” he grumbled to AS, lamenting the tepid nature of the club’s opening game in 2011.

There has been good news on the playing front, as Royston Drenthe has ended his high-profile strike action, returning to training after eight days away, though he won’t feature on Monday. Nevertheless, los Herculanos will be quietly confident of picking up three more points.

Disrespected

Champions League football remains the ultimate goal for Atletico Madrid this season, but their hopes of playing in Europe’s premier competition next season have been compromised somewhat this weekend by the form of their rivals. Valencia and Espanyol, both sides in the race for third and fourth spot, claimed victories, leaving the capital side with a seven gap river to bridge.

The timing of this fixture is certainly something of an inconvenience to los Colchoneros. On Thursday, they meet Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, and though the knock-out competition is not normally considered a priority, the fact that they meet their great city rivals has changed their perspective on the competition somewhat.

Coach Quique Sanchez Flores isn’t keen on Monday night football in any case. “I think our fans deserve respect,” he complained to Marca. “To play on Mondays is inconvenient for our fans. The greatness of our team does not deserve to play on that day.”

Consistency has been a huge problem for Atleti this season, with even the ever reliable Diego Forlan struggling to put any strong run of form together. The festive period has brought renewed hope of a push for the top four, with pre-Christmas victories over Deportivo La Coruna and Malaga followed by a slightly disappointing draw at home against Racing Santander to start the fresh year.

The fixture list in January is relatively kind to los Colchoneros, who will want to make their move soon if they are to really push towards the Champions League qualifying spots.

TEAM NEWS

Hercules

Royston Drenthe may have returned to training, but he’s not been selected in the squad named by Esteban Vigo. Captain Paco Pena is back in the squad, as is Tote. Nineteen men have been included in the matchday unit, so one player will be discarded before kick-off.

Atletico

New signing Elias is set to travel to Alicante, though he’s not actually been cleared to play yet. The other big news is the return to action of Diego Forlan, who has been missing since before Christmas with a sprained ankle. A 20-man panel has been declared.

Juanfran is not yet involved for the capital side.

Prediction

With three wins on the spin at home, Hercules should start this match as favourites, but Atletico Madrid should not be considered pushovers, and they will be aiming to go unbeaten for four Primera Division matches for the first time this season. A tight match is in prospect, though with los Colchoneros having one eye on their midweek derby, the balance is in the hosts’ favour.

Hercules 1-1 Atletico Madrid

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