14-02-2011 21:00 Fulham - Chelsea

Hughes Starts Looking Forward

After enduring a topsy-turvy start to his Fulham career, Mark Hughes has admitted that he always believed the second half of the campaign would be the time his team would shine.

Speaking to the club’s website ahead of Monday’s game, he said: "I've always stated that the second half of the season would be better for us

"The results are backing up the performances we've been producing. It was always going to change because we were getting players back and Dembele and Johnson are playing really well for us at the moment.

"We've got a real cutting edge now which we were lacking earlier in the season and as a consequence we're winning more games. Confidence is high at the moment and given the opposition on Monday I would suggest we're in as good a state as we could possibly be, confidence wise, going into the game.”

Ancelotti Sings Luiz’s Praises

Carlo Ancelotti sang the praises of new boy David Luiz ahead of his side’s derby date at Craven Cottage, and suggested he could become world class.

Speaking to the club’s website ahead of the game, he said: “I think he will be one of the best defenders in the world in the future. He is young but has fantastic experience; he played in Benfica and the Champions League. We are upset because he cannot play in the Champions League for us but he can show his quality in the Premier League and FA Cup.

"With David Luiz we can have more rotation and maintain freshness in the other defenders. Now we have a lot of opportunity to choose players, give someone a rest and keep every defender fit for the rest of the season.”

A One-Sided Rivalry

Fulham and Chelsea are two of the closest Premier League teams in terms of distance with Craven Cottage and Stamford Bridge just two miles away from each other; but in footballing terms these two clubs have seldom been close.

In fact Chelsea have lost just once in their last 28 league and cup meetings with their London rivals, which came in 2006 when Fulham triumphed 1-0 courtesy of a Luis Boa Morte strike.

But Mark Hughes’ side are in terrific form at their home ground, winning their last three games without conceding a goal, while Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been less than impressive away from Stamford Bridge, failing to keep a clean sheet in all but one of their last nine away matches - though they have won their last two matches, scoring eight goals in the process.

TEAM NEWS

Fulham

Fulham striker Bobby Zamora made a scoring comeback for the club’s reserves in their midweek game against Brighton as he played 45 minutes on his return from injury. However Monday’s game comes too soon for the striker who will not feature for Fulham against their local rivals as he continues his drive for full fitness following recovery from a broken leg.

Meanwhile manager Mark Hughes must also do without the services of Dickson Etuhu, who is out with a hamstring injury, and also on-loan Chelsea attacker Gael Kakuta, who is ineligible to face his parent club.

However, there will be several familiar faces in the Fulham squad for Chelsea fans, as old boys Steve Sidwell, Damien Duff and Eidur Gudjohnsen could all come up against their former club along with manager Hughes who won an FA Cup with the Blues.

Possible starting XI: Schwarzer; Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Baird; Sidwell, Murphy, Duff; Dempsey; Dembele, Johnson.

Chelsea

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that £21.3 million defender David Luiz will make his first start for the Blues following his January move from Benfica.

However, defender Jose Bosingwa picked up a knock while on international duty with Portugal and misses out, with Branislav Ivanovic likely to move to right-back as Ancelotti otherwise has a full squad to choose from bar long-term absentees Alex, Yossi Benayoun and Yuri Zhirkov.

£50m man Fernando Torres is likely to start alongside Didier Drogba with Ancelotti looking to move to a two-man forward line after the team struggled for fluidity with a three-man strike force against Liverpool.

Speaking to the club’s website ahead of the game, Ancelotti said: “My aim as a coach is to try to find the better solution with the players we have in the squad. I think Drogba and Torres are fantastic strikers and we have to try everything to put them together to play.

“There is not a sacrifice, if sometimes I choose one player or another, because in the future we will have very important games and I think rotation of the players will be very important.”

Possible starting XI: Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Luiz, Cole; Essien, Mikel, Lampard, Malouda; Drogba, Torres.

Prediction

Chelsea have the weight of history on their side in this fixture, but Fulham - with three wins and two draws from their last six League games - are one point ahead of the Blues (three wins, one draw, two defeats) in the current form table. The Cottagers also have home advantage, and have looked impressive on their own patch lately. Chelsea have looked more like their old selves in recent away games, but were disappointing against Liverpool last week. It could be a tight and lively affair, with Fulham proving obdurate opponents for Ancelotti's men to overcome, and both sides ultimately happy to settle for a point.

Fulham 1-1 Chelsea

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13-02-2011 21:00 Espanyol - Real

Odds Stacked Against

After a highly promising start to the season, Espanyol’s good work in the first half of the campaign appears to be coming apart at the seams. Los Periquitos have the unenviable task of trying to get back to winning ways at home against Real Madrid on Sunday night.

Financial pressures have forced to Barcelona-based club to sell defenders Victor Ruiz and Didac, while an injury to key striker Pablo Osvaldo has left them a little impotent in attack. Results have accordingly slumped, with last weekend’s defeat away from struggling Almeria highlighting the difficulties that the Catalans face in the coming weeks.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino noted that the Andalucians’ sharper finishing last weekend was the difference between the sides, but back at the Cornella-El Prat, where he has witnessed his side win eight of 10 Liga matches, he has a rather different worry, calling for a strong refereeing display from Mateu Lahoz.

“If we look at it in terms of budget, then there is no comparison between us and Real Madrid, but in football anything is possible, and sometimes work and effort outweigh millions,” he said optimistically earlier this week.

Hard graft has certainly got Espanyol far this season, but having lost some of their better players in recent weeks, it’s unlikely to be enough to worry their weekend guests.

No Margin For Error

Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, meanwhile, continue to go along strongly, but such is the form of Barcelona, even the slightest slip from los Blancos is being punished harshly. Away from home, the capital side have struggled lately, and as a result, they cannot count on recording three points on Sunday.

A draw against Almeria in the second week of 2011 was a significant set-back as it pushed Madrid four points behind their great rivals, but defeat against Osasuna only a fortnight ago bordered on a catastrophe. Raul Albiol has already underlined his belief that no further errors can be made if Barca’s large looking advantage is to be overhauled.

“We have no margin for error, because if we lose it means we can virtually say goodbye to the league,” he explained to the press. “Espanyol are a difficult team because they have a good record at home. Everyone knows that they will really want to win, and we cannot fail. We are seven points behind Barcelona, so we better win.”

At the Bernabeu, los Merengues continue to win. Last weekend Mourinho’s men romped to a 4-1 success over a dangerous Real Sociedad side, with Cristiano Ronaldo the star of the show after recording two first half goals. Kaka and Emmanuel Adebayor also got in on the act, and with these recent additions to the squad, albeit the former only coming back from a long-term injury, Madrid should feel that they have as formidable a panel as at any stage this term.

TEAM NEWS

Espanyol

A late call will have to be made on David Garcia, who’s likely to sit out due to a fractured nose. Verdu and Sergio Garcia will both have to overcome gastroenteritis to play but Carlos Kameni has overcome a muscular complaint and will feature in goal.

Pablo Osvaldo, Ivan de la Pena and Felipe Mattioni are all still out.

Real Madrid

All 13 players who competed on international duty have returned to the camp and trained successfully. Jerzy Dudek and Gonzalo Higuain are still out. Sergio Ramos returns after suspension and Pepe should be fully integrated after returning to training last week.

Prediction

Around a month ago, Real Madrid might have found this a very difficult trip, and though it is still a tester, Espanyol are a team on the wane and will probably be overcome.

Espanyol 1-3 Real Madrid

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13-02-2011 20:45 Juventus - Inter

Old Lady Back On Her Feet

Juventus have been nothing short of a disaster since the start of the new year as their supposed Scudetto challenge has withered into ashes and hopes of a Champions League place are dwindling too.

However, the Bianconeri always tend to raise their game against their eternal rivals Inter and having returned to winning ways last weekend by defeating Cagliari 3-1 in Sardinia, Luigi Del Neri's side will hope to destroy the Nerazzurri in Turin on Sunday evening.

With 38 points from 24 matches, Juventus find themselves outside the top six in the table and four points behind fourth-placed Lazio. A win on Sunday will not only inject a healthy dose of confidence in the Old Lady, but it will also keep them in the race for a top-four finish and cause a dent in Inter's championship aspirations.

Defender Giorgio Chiellini underlines the importance of the three points and explains: "We have to continue the improvement we showed at Cagliari against a very confident Inter side.

"Winning would give us a huge confidence boost, especially because we would be taking points from a direct rival. It is a massively important game for us, both for our place in the standings and for our fans."

Catch Us If You Can

Former Juventus transfer chief Luciano Moggi, though, reckons that Inter have more than enough quality and strength in their squad to get the better of Juventus. With the Nerazzurri having been resuscitated by Leonardo since his advent as the Inter coach on Christmas Eve, there is little chance of a Juve win in Turin, he claims.

"My heart is beating for Juventus, but my technical judgement favours Inter," Moggi wrote in his Tuttomercatoweb.com column. "The Nerazzurri are more of a team and are stronger, they also have extraordinary players.

"Wesley Sneijder's return has restored the play in Leonardo's squad. They are more fluid and offer spectacular football as a result."

Inter are currently on a four-game winning streak and defeated Roma 5-3 last weekend to close the gap on leaders Milan to just five points with a game in hand. The defending Italian and European champions have lost just once under Leonardo - that's one defeat and nine wins in 10 competitive fixtures.

Winning in Turin, though, won't be easy for Inter, who have lost four games on the road in the league this campaign. But with the team in perfect spirits and key midfielder Wesley Sneijder having returned from injury with a bang, the Milanese side will commence the encounter the favourites of the two teams.

TEAM NEWS

Juventus

Rinaudo, De Ceglie, Quagliarella, Traore and Iaquinta are injured and will sit out the visit of Inter.

Inter

Stankovic, Mariga, Lucio, Samuel and Milito are unavailable because of injuries and will not travel to Turin. Chivu remains suspended.

Prediction

Form-wise Inter are the favourites but this kind of fixture doesn't follow the form-book. The team that turns on the style on the day will be the one to collect the victory. Given that they are at home, Juve should bag the points but Inter are on a winning streak and they should be able to muster at least a point.

Juventus 2-2 Inter Milan

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13-02-2011 17:00 Bolton Wanderers - Everton

Wanderers Wobbling, Toffees Tentative On Their Travels

Bolton are currently sitting in eighth position in the Premier League but they have struggled in 2011 and have only recorded one victory. That win was in their last home game against Wolves when Daniel Sturridge struck in the last minute of the match after a Ronald Zubar error.

Bolton have also begun to struggle in front of goal: in 2011 they have scored just four goals in their six league games and Sturridge has scored two of those in the last two games since his loan move from Chelsea.

The Trotters will be buoyed by their home record so far this season, they have only lost two games at home and have won six. They are also a bit more prolific at the Reebok Stadium, scoring 23 goals and only conceding 17. Everton’s poor away form will also give Bolton confidence; the Toffees have only won twice on their travels this season.

David Moyes’ men currently sit in 13th place in the table but they are only three points behind Bolton, they recorded a morale-boosting 5-3 victory over Blackpool last weekend and will be hoping to carry that forward into this game as they are not too prolific on the road. They have scored 14 and conceded 16 goals in 13 games, a statistic which emphasises the fact that they have drawn seven games and lost four away from Goodison Park.

Blues In Control

Everton are, however, the dominant side in this fixture. They have won just under half of all meetings between the sides (73 out of 148) while Bolton have only managed 38 victories and there have been 37 draws.

Wanderers have only won one of the last nine meetings between the sides, a 3-2 victory at the Reebok Stadium in October 2009. In contrast Everton have won six of the last nine meetings, scoring 15 goals in the process.

When the two sides last met in November, Bolton were on the verge of their first win at Goodison Park since 2005 after Ivan Klasnic had given them the lead 11 minutes from time; but Jermaine Beckford’s first league goal for Everton in the last minute of the game saw the Toffees grab a point.

Don’t stop believing

No matter what the score late in the game neither side will be giving up as they know late goals are almost guaranteed in this game. Amazingly there have been five goals in the last five minutes of the last five meetings between the two sides.

It all started in October 2008 as Marouane Fellaini struck with seconds to go to earn David Moyes’ side a 1-0 victory. Jo scored his second goal of the game in February 2009 to complete an emphatic Everton 3-0 victory in the 90th minute. Ivan Klasnic’s 86th minute strike saw Bolton win 3-2 in October 2009, and Steven Pienaar scored in the 89th in March to secure a 2-0 win for the Toffees. And in their last meeting Beckford’s 90th minute equaliser at Goodison Park earned the Toffees a 1-1 draw.

TEAM NEWS

Bolton

Bolton boss Owen Coyle will be hoping that his two international stars return from midweek duty unscathed and ready to go straight into this match. Gary Cahill made an appearance as a second-half substitute for England against Denmark and Fabrice Muamba played 90 minutes for England Under-21 against Italy.

Gretar Steinsson looks set to remain on the sidelines whilst Jlloyd Samuel, who recently returned to light training, is still in the process of gaining match fitness.
Joey O'Brien, Ricardo Gardner and Sean Davis are all still continuing their recoveries from their respective injuries..

Possible starting XI: Jaaskelainen; Ricketts, Cahill, Wheater, Robinson; Lee, Muamba, Holden, Taylor; K.Davies, Sturridge

Everton

The Toffees have been rocked by injuries to two key players in the build-up to this match. Midfielder Jack Rodwell limped out of the England Under-21 match against Italy in the 12th minute, and after analysis has been diagnosed with a groin injury, which is expected to rule him out for a month.

And to make things worse, in-form striker Louis Saha is set to miss the game with a hamstring injury he picked up in training earlier this week. That will mean Toffees boss David Moyes will have to turn to Jermaine Beckford or Victor Anichebe to lead the line.

Everton have no other injury worries to their first team squad so David Moyes’ selection will be dependent on how his other players have come through the midweek international games. Seamus Coleman played an hour for the Republic of Ireland in their win over Wales in the Nations Cup, John Heitinga represented Holland in their 3-1 win over Austria and Leighton Baines made a late substitute’s appearance in England’s 2-1 win against Denmark.

Possible starting XI: Howard; Heitinga, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Coleman, Neville, Cahill, Fellaini, Arteta; Beckford

Prediction

The midweek injuries to Rodwell and Saha will really hurt Everton but they should still have enough defensively to be able to give themselves a chance in this match. Bolton will be hoping Daniel Sturridge continues on his goal scoring run but a draw looks the best bet for this match.

Bolton 1-1 Everton

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13-02-2011 15:00 Sampdoria - Bologna

Plummeting Towards The Drop

To even remotely believe that Sampdoria are set to battle against relegation would be pushing it over the edge but the Blucerchiati's recent form is no better than a side struggling against the drop. Three defeats in a row combined with just one win in seven league matches have pushed Samp to 14th in the table.

Heading into Week 25, Sampdoria find themselves with just 27 points from 23 matches and are just five points above the relegation zone but with a game in hand. The teams below them, especially those in the relegation zone are fighting for points, so, for now, Domenico Di Carlo's side are safe.

However, for an ambitious club like Sampdoria it is important that they finish in at least mid-table and Samp will aspire to do that between now and the end of the season. The former Italian champions have an encouraging record at home, though, as they have lost just twice in the league and have conceded only six goals.

Improvement Continues

Bologna's recent run of good form has placed them above Sampdoria heading into this Week 25 encounter in Genoa. Last weekend the Felsinei defeated Catania 1-0 at home, stretching their unbeaten run to three matches.

At the moment Alberto Malesani's side are in 12th place in the league standings with 29 points from 23 matches, and have an encouraging seven point-gap between themselves and the relegation zone. One suspects that worries about the drop have been cast away, but until Bologna reach the 40-point mark they cannot rest at ease.

Bologna's away form, though, isn't very inspiring as of the 12 league fixtures they have been involved in on the road, only two have ended in maximum points for them. Furthermore, the Rossoblu have conceded 22 goals away from home.

TEAM NEWS

Sampdoria

Semioli, Gastaldello and Pozzi are injured and will sit out the match. Volta is suspended.

Bologna

Ekdal, Britos and Garics are unavailable as they are injured. Britos and Della Rocca are suspended.

Prediction

Bologna have shown an intent to improve but Sampdoria have proven themselves to be strong at home. This will be a competitive fixture and there shouldn't be too many goals, and one suspects that eventually Samp will gain the points.

Sampdoria 2-0 Bologna

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