After a poor start to the Serie A season, defending champions Juventus are now firmly back on track and are securing victory after victory both in Serie A and the Champions League where they are safely through to the last 16.


Massimo Allegri changed things around in the summer after losing big names and star performers in Vidal and Tevez, and brought in proven high quality players in goalscorer Mandzukic and also midfielder Khedira. His team beat Palermo 3-0 away from home in their last match to continue their climb up the league table and secure a fourth straight win. Juventus are now up to fifth place and sit seven points behind current leaders Napoli after fourteen games.


Considering the gap in points between Juventus and the sides above them, Juventus cannot afford to drop too many more points if they are to stay in contention to defend their league crown. Fourth placed Roma are three points ahead, with a five point gap to third place Fiorentina and six points to Inter Milan who sit second. Anything but a win here would obviously see the gap increase further.


Lazio are having another average season and are tenth with six wins from their fourteen games. What is worrying for Lazio fans is that they are on a poor run of results and have failed to win any of their last five games in Serie A - those five games being four defeats and a draw including a 3-1 home defeat to AC Milan. Considering Lazio's poor recent form, and the need for Juventus to keep picking up the points, I am leaning towards backing a Juventus win.


Looking at the odds, 2.10 for the away win is tempting, but I prefer to look after my money and will be backing Juventus in the draw no bet market for extra insurance. This is priced at 1.50


Good luck, and feel free to check my personal site www.footypreviews.com for more football tips

Lazio vs Juventus betting tips Lazio vs Juventus betting tips conclusion Stake 10 Stake: 10/10

    Pick Juventus draw no bet
    Odds 1.50

Even if the domestic season went south for Molde this season, they have been a whole other team when playing in Europe so far. They have already qualified for the play-off stage as they lead Group A after a unbeaten run (3-1-0) and 10 points in four matches. It is without a doubt the biggest surprise that could happen in this group, and things are looking very bright for Molde ahead of next season already. The return of the legendary Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the manager once again has been a confidence boost for the players itself. His appearance has effected the whole city with as everyone knows what he stands for and the players know what he expects from them.

Molde finished 6th in Tippeligaen this season, but their form was stabilizing on a positive side with an unbeaten run to finish the latest five games (5-0-0). In addition to that, they beat Celtic twice in Europa League, both at home (3-1) and away (1-2) in two brilliant matches within the same period. Earlier they have beaten today’s opponent away (1-3) and got a draw against Ajax (1-1). Erling Moe replaced Tor Ole Skullerud after the summer and managed to turn thing in the right direction in Europe especially. Once Solskajer arrived, he has strengthened the right things within the team. The most important thing having their rhythm back as they find each other with quick passing and moving offensively, this creates enough space to either the left-back or right-back to move a long in the attacking play. With the names they possess upfront with for example Kamara, Elyounussi, Bakenga, Svendsen, this often make a lethal combination. They have no important missing towards this match.



Fenerbahce still have to fight with all their power in order to qualify for the playoff stage at the moment. They currently have the 2nd place though with five points from three four games. After losing against Molde (1-3), the went on with a draw against Celtic (2-2), a win against Ajax (1-0) before getting another draw against Ajax (0-0) in their last European game. They have been in great form in the domestic league lately with an unbeaten run over the last six games (4-2-0). They are coming from a good win against Mersin (1-3) which they totally dominated from start to finish, and the two stars Nani and Robin Van Persie were both able to get a goal each before travelling to the ice-cold conditions in Norway.

Defender Caner Erkin (5/0) is injured and will not be able to take part in the game, while defender Abdoulaye Ba (4/0) and midfielder Raul Meireles (7/0) are doubtful.

Molde has a lot to play for even if they are already qualified, as at least a draw tonight will give them the 1st place of the group no matter what happens in the last game. Fenerbahce (5 pts.) has 3rd placed Ajax (3 pts.) just two points behind them. 4th placed Celtic (2 pts.) has also a chance of getting the 2nd place with two wins from the remaining two games in the group. The game in Istanbul shocked the world and it was a very exciting game to watch. It showed that both teams were offensive minded, and Molde had no trouble on facing bigger names than usual. I expect a likely scenario tonight with both teams getting their chances. At least three goals should be expected tonight as well.
Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.81

Championship action on a cold Friday night in Rotherham at the New York Stadium, the game will kick off at 19:45 and is live on Sky Sports. The game will see Rotherham United host local South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday in a game that looks set to be a fiery one. I’ll be attending the game and will be very vocal in my cheering for the Millers!

The hosts, Rotherham head into the game tomorrow (23/10/2015) in a lot better shape than they did when they played 3rd placed Reading on Tuesday evening (20/10/2015). The game vs Reading was new manager Neil Redfearns first home game in charge of the Millers and I must say I was very impressed. We (Rotherham) started the game really well, as we generally do and seemed to take the game to Reading. Redfearn opted for a new formation (mainly due to injuries and suspensions), he went for a 4-3-1-2 formation and it seemed to work really well. He gave Ex Manchester United defender Tom Thorpe a start in a defensive midfield position and I must say I was impressed, Thorpe provided a much needed protective layer to our defence and made things difficult for Reading to break down, he was first to almost everything in the middle of the park and due to his height won a lot of headers too, which was refreshing to see.

Reading did take the lead though through the leagues top scorer, Nick Blackman, what a goal it was too. It was a route one goal as a long ball from Norwood opened up the Millers defence and left Nick Blackman clean through on goal after just 26 minutes, however, the winger still had a lot to do from 20 yards, he smashed the ball past the oncoming keeper Lee Camp and gave the Royals an early lead, which in all honesty they deserved at the time. Reading continued to dominate possession in the first half and went in at half time deservedly in front.

The second half was like I was watching a different game, Rotherham came out fighting and looked very comfortable in possession. It wasn’t long after the break (48 or 49th minute) when on Loan Midfielder Tony Andreu looped in a fantastic corner which seemed to evade the whole Reading defence, it then dropped to skipper and centre back Danny Collins who score his first ever career goal with his feet after a 14 year career!?! He’s scored 15 goals in his career, however, they’ve all come with his head except this one!! It was a great volley for a centre back as he kept the ball low and it powered through the Reading Keeper Ali Al Habsi, who coincidently had a great game and saved Reading from conceding more. After that the game could have gone either way with both teams making a push for the winner, Nick Blackman came close as did Jonson Clarke-Harris. However, the game ended 1-1 and I think both teams would have been happy with that.

Prior to the Reading game, every league game but two involving Rotherham United has seen BTTS (Preston 0-0 and Birmingham 2-0). Rotherham have a number of key players back from injury/suspension which was welcomed news for the gaffer. However, after their performance against Reading I’m not sure I’d make any changes, probably only take Paul Green out and replace him with Freckington, we will see.



The visitors for the game are none other than Sheffield Wednesday, our biggest rivals. The rivalry between the 2 clubs is big and the games are always very entertaining. Last season’s game at the New York Stadium saw Sheffield Wednesday beat us 3-2 after we were 2-1 up after 90 minutes!!

There has been a lot of change at Sheffield Wednesday this season with the new owners opting for an overseas manager, he’s done a great job so far and find them sat in 9th place in the league and unbeaten in their last 6 games (3 wins and 3 draws). The calibre of players that has been brought in shows that they want to do well this season, they have some exceptional players who have played at a higher level than the Championship.

Wednesdays last game was a 0-0 draw away at QPR on Tuesday (20/10/2015), which all things considered was a good point for the Owls. Prior to that game, Sheffield Wednesday fans have seen BTTS in their last 4 games, they certainly are playing some good attacking football this season, however, where they looked solid in defence last season they have started to ship goals and their stats confirms that goals for 16 goals against 15 from just 12 games.

Sheffield Wednesday do have a big squad this season and that told in their game vs QPR, the manager made 7 changes to the starting XI and they still managed a point vs a promotion favourites QPR. One more thing to consider if the fact that the Owls have a huge game next week (27/10/2015) when they welcome Arsenal to Hillsborough in a cup tie. I’m sure a lot of the Wednesday players will have this game in their heads already and this may impact their performance. I’m sure they will all want to play in this game and therefore, won’t want an injury etc. I expect Wednesday manager Carvalhal to make several changes to his team, I know that big striker Nuhiu is in contention to start and he always causes us problems due to his height.
Rotherham have seen over 2.5 goals in their last 4 home matches against Sheff Wed.

I’ll be at the game and really hope we can get the win, however, being realistic I think we would take a point. I see an attacking game and will therefore be backing BTTS at a price of 1.91 with William Hill. Good Luck all.
Bet: Both teams to score @1.91

Djokovic as expecter got here very easily..First he let Italian Bolleli take 2 games and today Zhang 3,so total of 5 games in two matches that oponents were able to take from best player in the world...Now in this matfch Novak will be tested as Isner is way better than previous 2 players..American strugled with Milman today,he was at the edge of defeat,one set down and Milman was serving for the match but John was able to make rebreak and eventualy win as it was espected...He was not serving at his best,but for this match he must be fully concentrated because he has best riterner in the world across the net..Novak often can use streinght of oponent serve in his advantage but i believe because of specific style of serve that John has that would not be that easy...Also Novak played 2 very easy matches so it may take some time to adapt his game to higher level vs Isner...


Last 2 matches Novak won in straight sets,but 3 before that Isner was able to take on set so obviosly this margin is crossed.

Djokovic vs Isner betting tips Djokovic vs Isner betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick over 23 games
    Odds 2.61

Saint Etienne and Rosenborg will square off tonight in Group G, a group that also contains the likes of Lazio and Dnipro. The competition is very tough, so both sides will need a positive result in their opening game.

St Etienne did not put too much focus in the qualifying stages, beating Targu Mures 3-1 (3-0, 1-2) and Milsami 2-1 (1-1, 1-0), but the French side really started to show its strength in the last month. Saint Etienne is pumping on all cylinders right now, winning 4 consecutive matches in all competitions and coming off a solid 2-1 win at Montpellier over the weekend. Coach Galtier takes the Europa League very seriously, so he is expected to field his best available lineup tonight against the feisty Norwegians.


Rosenborg is on an unbelievable run, losing just once in the last 16 matches and winning 13 of the last 15! Also, the only loss was 1-0 at home against Steaua Bucharest, a match in which Rosenborg was holding a 3-0 first leg advantage, so they really did not even try to win that one. However, much of Rosenborg’s run was due to poor competition in Norway. The double against Steaua Bucharest showed a limited team that got ultra lucky to win 3-0 in Bucharest, being very unimpressive in the home defeat as well. And Steaua Bucharest is truly in a horrible state this season.

Listen, Rosenborg is an honest, solid and hardworking side, very well organized and very effective with their chances. However, they do have a lot of limitations and meeting a team of St Etienne’s caliber, away from home, will likely be too much for them to handle. St Etienne is in great form right now, they care very much about the competitions, while Rosenborg has lost some steam in the last month, since the league title became a lock.

I expect Saint Etienne to win this by one or two goals, they will be able to hold most of the posession and should exploit Rosenborg’s weaknesses with fast, low combinations in the final third of the pitch. My tip is a Saint Etienne win. Prediction: Saint Etienne – Rosenborg 2-1.

Pick: St Etienne
Odds: 1.74

ADO Den Haag had quite a decent previous season, as the team managed to stay away from the relegation battle and await the end of the season in quite relaxed fashion. They ended up being at thirteenth position with nine points above the relegated sides. Team gets most of their points in front of home crowd, so no doubt that the team will be fired up to get some positive result here, against current champions, but also in the season opener.

They were actually quite close to upset the players from Eindhoven as they lost previous two games with 2:3 result, so everyone is now secretly hoping that the team will be able to make a step further and stay undefeated. They didn’t have many positive results during the pre-season friendly matches as the team lost to Burton, Genclerbirligi and Veria scoring only one goal, but they improved in the last friendly game before this one, as the Dutch side won over Mallorca narrowly 1:0 thanks to a goal from Gorre in second minute, standing quite well in the defense for the remaining of the match. Home side lost couple of experienced defenders, so it remains to be seen how will they react in the new season. Coach Henk Fraser will miss central defender Wilfried Kanon and offensive midfielder Mathias Gehrt due injuries.



PSV Eindhoven were absolutely dominant in the previous season as the team finally became champions of their country after seven years of waiting and also they managed to break the four years ruling of their biggest rivals from Ajax. Coach Cocu did a great job and everyone are pleased with him in the club, as the team have taken the leading position from the second round and never slipped during the season.

During the season they have lost only four matches, most of them losing at the end of the season when everything was decided already. After such a great season, they are now focused to repeat the success, to win the domestic Cup, but also to leave better impression in Champions League this time. Team seems to be going into the right direction, as they have already won the Super Cup finale against Gronigen 3:0 few days ago. Defender Poulsen and midfielder Propper had their debuts in that game, while the team also brought defender Moreno, striker Lestienne and midfielder Pereiro moreover. Defender Willems and forward Jozefzoon will miss this game due injuries.

After great previous season and impressive start in Super Cup game, PSV is expected now to impress once again and make a strong start in the league as well. They should have no major problems overcoming a side that is close to relegation battle by quality.
Bet: PSV Eindhoven Wins

 Exciting with ATP 1000 starting with some of the best players in the world. Like the odds in the R.1 game between P.Bester and G.Muller.


Bester, 26 years old, Canadian #228 that got a wild card to this tournament. I don´t think he has nothing to do on a high level tournament like this. He plays the majority of his season on the ITF tour playing against 500+ ranked players. Had one of his best results of the year 2 weeks back when he reached the finals in a HC challenger in Canada beating some decent names like Lacko (#91), Nishioka (#145) before losing in the finals against Millot (#207).


G.Mueller (#46) played some great tennis in Washington recently winning against Jaziri, and pushing Gasquet in a 2-1 loss. Big serve, heavy hitter with good form.


Mueller is a much better player. He plays against top tier players unlike Bester who usually don´t face players above #200-300 (except last tournamnet). Mueller has been playing on HC in North America so there is no trouble with adjusting or anything like that. Bester have homefield which usually is a advantage and had a nice run in his last tournament which is in his favour. But Bester will also play doubles here in Montreal which may be stealing some focus.


Think the O/U line between these two are to high. Don´t see a tiebreak or this game going to 3 sets and therefore I like the under 21,5 games. -4,5 games is a option but since odds are similar I think the U is the better option. Only way I see this go over is Mueller underestimating his opponent.

Bester vs Muller betting tips Bester vs Muller betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick Under 21,5 games
    Odds 2.05

 Community Shield winner Arsenal hosts West Ham in Emirates.


Arsenal looking very sharp in the pre-season, they were fenomenal at Emirates Cup, after they beat Chelsea with Chamberlain's goal, last year they started the season a bit slowly, it cant happen again. In the summer they didnt lost any key players, only Szcsesny but they signed Cech from Chelsea.. Their offense is very strong and quick, with a terrific counter attack.


West Ham finished 12th last year, they were very poor on road with only 16 collected points of 57, a 3W-7D-9L record with 19:29 GD..


Against Arsenal they lost both matches last year, and look their H2H stats for the last 15 matches..


13 Arsenal win- 2 Draw- 0 West Ham win


34-8 overall Goal Difference


9 of 13 Arsenal wins came with 2 or more goals


5 of 9 was at home


and 6 of the last 7 H2H matches won by 2 or more goals.


We can say that Arsenal is dominating this match-up.


As we look West Ham's performance in the Europe League... Arsenal will win this easily by 2 or more..


Good Luck!

Arsenal vs West Ham betting tips Arsenal vs West Ham betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick Arsenal -1,5
    Odds 1.94

The PL starts, after a dissapointing season Everton hosts promoted Watford as the first match of the season at home.


Thats a good match-up for Everton to get a good start, the team didnt change too much in the summer, they signed Deulofeu after loan, and Tom Cleverly. I'm sure Everton is good team, they just didnt find the way to win matches last year. Everton's midfield is rock solid with McCarthy, Besic, Barkley... And with Lukaku in front. Baines is suffering with an injury. The starting line-up is very good, i expect at least 2 goals from Everton.


Watford is promoted, they signed a lot of players, Etienne Capue(Spurs), Holebas(Roma), Behrami(Hamburg), Jurado(Spartak Moscow), Vydra(Udinese), Berghuis(AZ), Nyom(Udiniese), Britos(Napoli), Prödl(Werder).


They are good players, but i'm worrying the capebility of them to be successfull in the PL, Watford looking goals from their captain Tom Deeney.


I dont see too much firepower from Watford, they will be good defensively.


Everton will win this, i expect a 2-0 or 2-1 correct score.

Everton vs Watford betting tips Everton vs Watford betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick Everton
    Odds 1.71

Forgot to add in first tip from this round that most of the teams will have a busy schedule this week , playing 3 games in 7 days, being involved in Coupe de Ligue games. But for sure this will not bring some rotation in the squads as the games from CdL will be played at mid of the next week.


LeHavre had a perfect start in L2 showing no mercy against newcomer Bourg- Peronnas. Even without their top striker from previous season M. LeBihan they scored 3 goals for a nice first win of the season 3-1. Same attacking football style who will bring to LeHavre lot of points and of course from time to time some upsets. Still the situation of LeBihan is not clear at all (he wants to leave the team) so he will not be in the squad also for this game. With a new president and more or less same squad LeHavre is in my eyes 1st favoritue for promotion. Bring in mf Cambon from Evian and a bad GK Farnolle (ex Dinamo Bucharest). Left the team Saiss for Angers , Le Marchand to Nice, Diallo to Rennes and Malfleury to Tours. Mombris is suspended while Gamboa is injured.


Ajaccio will have striker Fauvergue back in the squad after serving a ban from last season. Without him Ajaccio took a 0-0 in front of their fans against Dijon. A 50-50 game, good enough for this level. I don't see them involved in promotion battle even they've made good signing: came at the team Diallo (Dijon), Frikeche (Angers) defender Lippini, GK Mandanda (Caen), striker Nouri (Nimes), Zie Diabate and Vincent from Bastia, losing best player Pedretti and Coulibaly as important names. For this game Abergel (who finally remained here) and Babiloni are injured.


Let's hope we will see a good attacking football game with goals and with a win for the best team of the moment in L2 (LeHavre)gl

Le Havre vs Ajaccio betting tips Le Havre vs Ajaccio betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick LeHavre & over 2.5
    Odds 3.40

 This gonna be very interesting match of Europa League,where Go Ahead Eagles welcoming Ferencvaros.


Eagles relegated from Eredivise last season,in playoff against De Graafschap,what was surprise for all of us.


But team looks unstable,and now,they will try to rebuild squad,and start from the beggining.


They have special invite for Europa League this season.But,acording to their coach,this is not primary thing at moment,team will look forward for next season in secon Dutch league,to make things better,and back in Eredivise.Game will be played at Emen`s stadium,one hour difference between cities,and there is artificial grass,so we can expect no-favour for anyone,because booth teams using natural grass on their stadiums.


Ferencvaros looks very strong in Hungary at moment,they started to cruising in second half of the year,and finished behind Videoton.I think they have strenght to win this next season,why?Here is Thomas Doll,former German player and coach.Stong last line and patient creating of atack is most important things what you need to know about this team and coach.There is several great,and well known players!


Zoltan Gera as first,ex WBA player,Hungarian magical-his nickname.He can do a lot of things upfront,creating always chances and great dribble with in-time crossing can contribute to Stanislav Sestak,another well known player in Europe football.In defence team got some foreign players,like Mateos,former Real Madrid player,who started one or two times in Mourinho era,but he is now in Budapest.


Hajnal Tamas,player who created his past in Bundesliga teams,very experienced player,Somalia,Brazilian,with good skills.And,Roland Lamah dangerous forward,with another Bundesliga past...So,i can say:


Everything can happen in football,but this time,I am sure that pick cant go wrong,Eagles are without any motivation,they dont play at home,Dutch teams are very weak in last line,they can score,but they can concede many,many times...Ferenc looks so strong,with all that names,but most valuable is their form,their morale is on high level,in prepartaion games team looks serious,Debrecin is beaten,so my prediction is DNB2,little cover,but im somehow sure they can find way to net,around 3 times.


1-3.

Go Ahead Eagles vs Ferencvaros betting tips Go Ahead Eagles vs Ferencvaros betting tips conclusion Stake 10 Stake: 10/10

    Pick DNB Ferencvaros
    Odds 1.68

Shkendija finished previous season as the third placed team in their domestic league and as usually, got the ticket for the European competitions. This time they didn’t have actual chances to get the title, as they had in the end ten points less than champions from Vardar and seven points less than second placed Rabotnicki. On the other side, fourth placed Renova had eleven points then them, so the third position was a fair outcome for them in previous season.

The team is having quite good run in the domestic competitions, but are failing to make something more positive in Europe and this season it will probably be the same. They did sign some of the players which should improve the situation in the club, such as midfielder Ferhan Hasani who previously played for Brondby and Wolfsburg and Besart Ibraimi who comes from Cypriot side Ermis, but previously being a part of Schalke as well. No doubt that their target here is to stay undefeated and even a goalless draw might represent a positive result for them. They will be playing in Skopje due to renovations of their home stadium. OUt of more known players they have forwards Bojan Vrucina and Hristijan Kirovski, as well as Brazilian Stenio Junior who spent some time at Litex Lovech.


Aberdeen, on the other side, is making some progress in the Scottish football in recent years, but they are still very far away from getting into the real title race. They ended up the season having seventeen points less than champions from Celtic, but also ten points more than Inverness, so similar to their tonight’s opponent – their position at the table was more than deserved.

The team actually played quite well during the first part of the season, had some fatigue problems near the end, but overall – their position was more than deserved. They had two test matches before the first official game, as the team comfortably won Brechin with a impressive 8:2 result and also won narrowly over St Johnstone last Saturday evening 1:0. Midfielder Kenny McLean is major injury worry for the visitors, as he got a knee injury during their pre-season friendly against Brechin.

Overall, Scottish sides are not performing that well early in the season in European Cups. On the other side, Shkendija is used on playing their European matches in Skopje. Visitors are favorites, especially to progress here in two matches, however I can’t see them being such a big favorites when playing so far away from home and when surely they would be satisfied with a draw as well.
Bet: Shkendija +1.5 Asian handicap @ 1.73

When a team is rated as a 9/1 shot for a home win you know they are deserved underdogs and this is exactly the case here as Greece travel to play Faroe Islands.


Greece suffered a shock home loss to Faroe Islands back in November and they will be keen to set the record straight when they meet on Saturday.


Faroe Islands were put to the sword by Greece in the two previous encounters before the shock loss with 5-0 and 5-1 wins respectively.


Since that loss, Greece has sacked their coach, Claudio Ranieri and a stalemate against Hungary ended a run of 3 losses.


Faroe Islands has lost 23 of their last 28 home games and I see a strong case for 24 here.


I will take the -1 AH at 1.75 as I see Greece winning by at least 2.


Good luck.

Faroe Islands vs Greece betting tips Faroe Islands vs Greece betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick Greece -1 AH
    Odds 1.75

Five rounds played till now, Wales is still one of the nicest surprises in all qualifying groups, still standing with great chances to progress to Euro 2016 directly. They are currently second placed side, sharing the same number of points as Belgium, being two points above third placed Israel and with five points more than third placed Cyprus.

However, the team can’t afford to lose here, as the defeat would bring them into all sorts of problems and most probably, even third place won’t be so sure anymore. They have played only one match this year, coming from a 3:0 victory away to Israel back in March, thanks to goals from Ramsey and two from Bale. It was fifth consecutive match where the players of Wales stood undefeated, as the atmosphere seems to be much better than in previous years. Defender James Collins is missing out for this one and his position should be taken by James Chester. Same Vokes might be employed in attack, while coach Chris Coleman won’t make many changes this time.



Belgium, on the other hand, had quite an impressive friendly match away to France few days ago, as both sides showed great efficiency in attack, but also numerous defensive mistakes in a 3:4 victory for the side of Belgium.

Fellaini scored two goals in the first halftime for their double lead, while the second halftime started even more open, with Belgiums scoring via Nainggoland and Hazard two more goals, while the French temporarily reduced via Valbuena. Near the end of the game, they managed to score two more, via Fekir and Payet making the final 4:3 result. Overall, French side had more of the ball possession, but the Belgiums knew how to exploit their part of possession and were deadly serious on counter attacks. It was their third victory in a row after winning over Israel and Cyprus, while the team stands undefeated in last eight matches. Marouane Fellaini suffered a groin injury in training and will most likely miss out this game. Christian Benteke should start in attack, but Romelu Lukaku will get his share of playing time as well.

Wales simply needs to make home advantage out of this game and will have to attack sooner or later. Visitors are more than efficient these days and everything except an open game, goals and both teams scoring will be a surprising outcome for me.
Bet: Both teams to score @ 2.10

A desperate Stuttgart side will take on Mainz in what is one of the last chances for the hosts to keep their relegation fight alive. As the Bundesliga website puts it, this is the “mother of all must-win games” for VFB Stuttgart.

Stuttgart is on the last place, 4 points behind the playout spot held by Paderborn. The futility of Hannover, Freiburg and Paderborn gave Stuttgart plenty of chances to get out of the red zone, but the hosts are just too poor and disorganized to take them – Stuttgart won just 2 games after the Winter break. The hosts are by far the worst home side in the Bundesliga with 8 losses and just 3 wins in 15 games, largely due to the fact that they are horribly bad when playing possession football and building attacks.

Stuttgart can be a little bit dangerous on their day when given spaces to exploit on the break, but when they are forced to take the initiative, they are a disaster. With no chemistry or tactical idea, Stuttgart can not build anything and often loses the ball in midfield, getting punished on the break. It’s no surprise that their two wins in 2015 came against all out attacking sides like Werder Bremen and Frankfurt.

10th placed Mainz is not that type of team, they are a balanced side with a good counterattacking game and will look to exploit VFB’s weaknesses. Mainz is on the back of a 1-2 home defeat against Hamburg, after previously winning 2 games in succession. The visitors are in good form and, even though they have nothing left to fight for, they will surely look to bounce back after the disappointing performance in the last round.



Team news & lineups:

The big news for Stuttgart is that Niedermeier is questionable and he is 50-50 to be in the starting lineup, while Rudiger is a heavy doubt. Mainz will miss Brosinki (suspended) and Soto (injured last round) alongside Hofmann and Nedelev.

Stuttgart: Ulreich – Klein, Rüdiger, Niedermeier, Hlousek – Serey Dié, Gentner – Harnik, Maxim, Kostic – Ginczek

Mainz: Karius – Jara, Bungert, Bell, J.-H. Park – Geis, Baumgartlinger – Jairo, Malli, Koo – Okazaki

Even if Stuttgart is the more motivated side, motivation alone rarely wins you matches. The hosts are horrible on the defensive end and I fully expect Mainz to bang in a couple of goals on counterattacks, where they are so good – showcasing (again) Stuttgart’s inability to control a game. Nothing good can come out of this matchup for Stuttgart as far as I`m concerned, Mainz is the better team with much better organization and I expect them to grab at least a point.

I bet that the need to dominate possession today and the unbelievable pressure of the situation will break down the hosts against a relaxed, cohesive opponent. My tip is Mainz +0,5 handicap. Prediction: VFB Stuttgart – Mainz 1-2.

Pick: Mainz +0,5
Odds: 1.91

Club Brugge hosts Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in Belgium, the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinal clash.


Club Brugge won all 4 matches in the Europa League KO stage, with the double win over Besiktas being especially impressive. The home side was on an amazing run of 8 consecutive wins before a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of Kortrijk over the weekend in the 2nd round of the playoffs … of course Brugge was thinking more about this game with Dnipro, but the league match was also very important, because the title is far from decided. Meunier is the only missing player from Brugge today.

Club Brugge projected lineup:
Ryan – Meunier, Mechele, Duarte, De Bock – Vormer, Simons – Bolingoli-Mbombo, Refaelov, Vazquez – De Sutter

Dnipro needed extra time to qualify vs. Ajax in the past round (1-0 home, 0-1 away and 1-2 after extra time). Dnipro is in a similar good form with Brugge … 8 wins in the last 10 matches but a draw last round, 0-0 vs. Metalist Kharkov. Evgheny Shakhov will not be in the lineup today for Dnipro, but he is the only injury worry for the home team.

Dnipro projected lineup:
Boyko – Fedetskiy, Douglas, Cheberyachko, Leo Matos – Kankava, Rotan, Bezus, Luchkevych, Konoplyanka – Kalinic

This will be a very close game and I think both teams will start in a very cautious manner … playing tentative football, testing the opponent. A place in the Europa League semifinals would be a historic achievement for either side so I can’t see them taking risks … especially not in the first half. Brugge can not afford to concede a goal early and Dnipro can play very destructive football when the stakes are high. I think Brugge might get a win (barely), but if they will, it will probably be with a late goal … when maybe things open up a bit and legs and minds tire, determining errors. My tip will be a half time draw. Correct score prediction: Club Brugge – Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1-0 (0-0 half time).

Pick: Half time draw
Odds: 2.10

Gael Monfils and Alexandr Dolgopolov will square off in an anticipated showdown in the Monte Carlo second round, surely one of the most interesting matches so far in the tournament.


I watched Monfils yesterday against Kuznetsov and I have to say that Gael played a really poor match and in all honesty he should have lost. The frenchman got the win only because of his superior experience, with Kuznetsov getting tight in the closing stages of the third set. Monfils was very tentative, error prone and did not seem to be moving well – being easily forced out of position by Kuznetsov. Id doesn`t look like he`s at full fitness following his retirement in Miami.

Dolgopolov is finally regaining his rhythm, closing in to his best level of tennis – which he did not show in a very long time. The talented Ukrainean steadily improved over the course of this year and played his best tournament two weeks ago in Miami, reaching the 4th round and almost beating Djokovic. He led by a set and 4-1 in the second set, but Djokovic broke him down mentally to recover, winning 12 of the last 13 matches. Alexandr defeated Borna Coric in the first round at Monte Carlo, 7-5 5-7 6-2.



Gael Monfils leads the Head 2 Head 2-0, but you really can`t put too much emphasys on the Head 2 Head – not when you consider that Dolgopolov was at his best level for very short stretches of his career. It will be the first meeting on clay, a surface that suits both players in the same degree.

Listen, Monfils has been in fine form this season (not lights out, but playing pretty well) and he`s clearly the more consistent player. However, Dolgopolov has the momentum, as he`s playing his best tennis in years and had a good match in the first round with the dangerous Coric. With question marks over Monfils’ fitness, Dolgopolov could have the edge here.

Gael was dominated by Kuznetsov’s offensive game, and Dolgopolov has much more offense than the Russian. Monfils can not stay in the game against Dolgopolov if he will move as slow as he did yesterday, when he basically allowed Kuznetsov to force him out of position with single shots (not combinations). It will be a close one, but I can see the Ukrainean having the edge, so at these odds it`s a no brainer picking him to succeed. My tip is Dolgopolov to win. Prediction: Gael Monfils – Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 5-7 2-6.

Live streaming for G. Monfils vs. A. Dolgopolov available for players at Bet365.com.

Pick: Dolgopolov
Odds: 2.44

Ipswich won over Blackpool 3:2 in a beautiful game where Blackpool proved a difficult opponent although they were already relegated. Blackpool scored early to the 4th minute of the game, Ipswich turned the game to 2:1 fast with two goals from Freddie Sears, Blackpool equalized at 63th minute and the solution for Ipswich came seven minutes before full time with a goal from defender Christophe Berra.

This victory, combined with the other results, brought Ipswich back in the sixth place and the optimism about the prospect of the club to reach promotion playoffs is now back. From game to game the league table changes and it is impossible to predict with certainty the clubs that will enter the playoffs, but right now Ipswich seems to a better fate than Brentford and Wolves that have to play away games tonight. Striker Luke Varney is considered doubtful for tonight’s mathc, while midfielder Kevin Bru and long term injured striker David McGoldrick will miss the game as well.

Cardiff was more substantial than Leeds and got the victory with the score of 2-1. Defender Sean Morrison gave an early lead to Cardiff, but Leeds responded immediately to 1:1. To the second half midfielder Aron Gunnarsson scored the second goal for Cardiff and then Leeds had the control of the game but the equalizer never came.

For Cardiff these victories have not scoring value, but coach Russell Slade was satisfied by the reaction of his players, as there had been a heavy defeat against Bolton before. In this last part of the season, Cardiff is playing better away from home. The problems for Cardiff ahead of tonight’s game are in attack, where they will miss Alex Revell, Federico Macheda and Conor McAleny. Only Eoin Doyle and winger Joe Mason are available in attack. Left midfielder Anthony Pilkingkton and defensive midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi are long term missing due to injuries.

The motivation here is one sided and Ipswich are the absolute favorite to win the game. Cardiff with no options in attack will find it difficult to score, so I think that Ipswich will find the way to win this vital game.

1@1.75

Monday night football in Spain, with Getafe and Real Sociedad closing the 27th round of La Liga.

Getafe’s home form recently has been impressive to say the least under Pablo Franco … 3 wins in 4 games, only losing to Villarreal, some impressive stats for one of the worst teams in La Liga if we speak about player quality. But Getafe has a very good tactical game, they are organized and have a lot of chemistry, making up for the lack of talent they have in the team. Last round Getafe won 21 at Cordoba, but they were very lucky to do it with 2 goals in the last 3 minuted. Even with the recent good results Getafe is still only 4 points above the relegation zone … with a win today they would make it 7 points and climb up to the 11th place. Lafita is out for Getafe … Valera and Lago are questionable.


Real Sociedad is on the 12th place, only 1 point above Getafe. Visitors are the only team that still did not win a game away from home, their stats showing 6 draws and 6 losses in 12 travels … they play very cautious football away, but are also hard to defeat. Sociedad is in good form, only 1 loss in the last 5 matches and that was in Valencia. In the last round Sociedad defeated a strong Espanyol team 2-1. This match vs. Getafe represents the opportunity for Moyes and his lads to finally put relegation worries behind them. The only injury issue for Moyes is Carlos Vela.

This has a draw written all over it. Both teams are relatively safe from relegation, but can be even safer with a point today … a draw would clearly satisfy each team. Both teams are in good form, playing well recently … Sociedad is a little better overall, but playing away will clearly nullify that advantage. Getafe’s football style is perfect for draws with their organization and defense, but they did not record a draw in a long time, so this might be the time for it. Real Sociedad finished 50% of their away games with a draw. I have little doubt that this is the most probable result, so it is clearly worth a solid investment at such odds.

My tip will be the draw … ant it’s not just a long shot, so I will go with an unusually high stake for this kind of bet. Correct score prediction: Getafe – Real Sociedad 1-1.

Pick: Draw
Odds: 3.22

Orleans actually had quite a great game last weekend in order to pull out a point from visiting Laval, as they had to play with a man less since 12th and two men less since 41st minute. However, that didn’t stop them getting into the lead already in 30th minute thanks to a goal from Maah.

After the goal scored, team looked highly organized in their defense, while Laval played quite badly in creative part of the game and even though everything went on their side, the team was never able to put a great pressure to visitors and claim a victory. Surely this result comes as a positive one for the players of Orleans, as the team now extended their undefeated run to seven matches. Atmosphere is quite good at the moment, as the distance from the danger zone has increased to five points. Home side will have couple of problems making the roster for this match, especially in the defense as they miss central defenders Maxime Brillault (20/3) and Antoine Ponroy (18/1) who were excluded from the previous game. Other defender, Bruce Abdoulaye (24/0) is also missing for this game. Such absentees will hardly be covered this time in the defense.


Tours, on the other hand, comes from a quite unfair 2:3 draw against Arles at home, as their visitors completely deserved whole three pointer. They managed to take the lea in seventh minute and despite playing with a man less since eleventh minute, they remained better on the field.

However, hosts quickly equalized few minutes later, but the visitors lost the penalty kick later on in the first halftime, scoring second near the halftime whistle. During the second half, they managed to endure, but still conceded the second goal fifteen minutes before the end of the game. For the third consecutive game, they conceded two goals, this time avoiding the defeat, but still failing to win as well. With only one point in last three matches, they are still in the danger zone, being a point below the safely placed teams. Newly signed striker Andy Delort from Wigan will try to help them, while the atmosphere remains good, despite the difficulties the team has. Central defender Leo Schwechlen (20/0) is losing his fifth game in a row, while substitute defender Alassane Toure (4/0) returns back to the team.

Tours have conceded at least 2 goals in their last 3 matches in Ligue 2.
Tours plays with a great pace and fully aggressive, disregarding the court they play at. Orleans will also try to attack, but they are also vulnerable at the back and the hosts have every chance to stay undefeated here. However, both teams scoring and over goals seems like the safest choice here, while the odds are surely giving us good value.

Bet: Over 2.25 goals

Schalke 04 vs. Borussia M’gladach / Bundesliga – The first match of the round and again a derby just like on the last Friday, but this time the two teams, who are sixth and third in the standings, fight a big battle to qualify for the Champions League. Both teams have started very well second part of the season and Schalke won and drew once but for them this will be the second consecutive derby and they had more difficult rivals than Borussia who won both matches but it played against teams positioned in the lower part of the table. These two teams have made the same result at home, while in the first part of the season Borussia won at home by high 4-1. Begins: 06.02.2015 – 20:30 CET

Schalke 04
Schalke started very well the second half of the season and it made the same results in the first two rounds of the continuation as in the last two matches of the first part, which means a win and a draw. The difference was that the opponents at the beginning of the second part were much stronger and therefore the results are more valuable. They started with a home win against Hannover, which was expected, although it was not easy at all and the match was undecided till the very end. During the week they faced Bayern in Munich, and this away match has been painful for years, however, this time they managed to remain undefeated and are the first team in the Bundesliga who stayed undefeated two times this season against Bayern.

Both times the result read at the end 1-1 but the match in Munich was quite unusual and at the end Schalke can be sorry that it hadn’t win because they had a player more for almost the entire match and they missed the penalty. They conceded a goal with a player more but have managed to equalise, despite that they played quite fearfully. The problem with absences is getting bigger, so new on the list is goalkeeper Giefer who is injured and was replaced by young Wellenreuther. Refreshments in Munich were Sam and Matip, while now there could be new changes.

Probable lineups Schalke 04: Wellenreuther – Howedes, Matip, Nastasic – Uchida, Fuchs – Neustadter – Boateng, M. Meyer, Sam – Choupo-Moting

Borussia M’gladbach
Borussia has even better start the second part of the season and they won two matches with a clean sheet. However, opponents were Stuttgart away and Freiburg at home and these teams are positioned at very rear of the table, so victories of 1-0 are not something special. However, Borussia plays like that for the most of this season and matches when they completely outclass opponents are simply rare. Victories were often minimal but this team hardly concede goals, having the second best defence in the league.

Besides winning by the two matches the same result, exactly the same team played both of them and even the scoreres, Herrmann and assistant Hrgota, were the same. For this match they will have to change the team, because stopper Stranzl was injured on Wednesday and he is not going to Gelsenkirchen and his replacement is A. Dominguez. There is no midfielder Hahn and it is interesting that coach Favre had changed the formation and otherwise standard Raffael is on the bench, while Hrgota is the lone striker.

Probable lineups Borussia M’gladbach: Sommer – Korb, Jantschke, A. Dominguez, Wendt – Kramer, G. Xhaka – Herrmann, F. Johnson – M. Kruse – Hrgota

Schalke 04 – Borussia M’gladbach PICK
According to what the teams have showed in the two rounds of the season continuation, the defences are stronger parts of both teams having received only one goal in total. Schalke has big problems with the team so they might be satisfied with a draw, for which Borussia always has a ready tactics and on top of it receives very little goals when plays away.

Pick: under 2.5 goals

Stake: 5/10

Odds: 2.00

FC Barcelona vs. Villarreal / La Liga – This is an interesting match too, no matter that Barcelona is a big favourite every time it is the hosts in La Liga. Surly, it is the case now, but unpleasant Villarreal certainly belongs to the group of teams that are capable to make a surprise at the Nou Camp, especially when they are in a great shape. More precisely, both teams are in long positive series, so Barca has seven wins in a row while Villarreal has four but a lot for string of matches which they didn’t lose. Both teams play successfully in Europe and have qualified for the Cup’s semi-finals, where will face each other pretty soon. In the first part of the season Barcelona minimally won at El Madrigal by 1-0, while Villarreal has not won at the Nou Camp since 2008. Begins: 01.02.2015 – 21:00 CET

FC Barcelona
Barcelona is making big advancements and it is probably indifferent who the next opponent is. They steamroller everyone in front of themselves and particular good for their self-confidence was that they defeated three times the reigning champion Atletico in a short period of time; the team who cause so much trouble for them in the last season. They’ve scored seven goals in three matches, which is also a great thing, against famously solid defence of the Madrilenians. They had scored even 15 goals in three matches against Elche and four more against Deportivo so the attack functions absolutely perfectly.

Messi and Neymar are the top scorers but they also assist each other and have good support in Suarez. The defence was a bit more unbalanced in in the second leg against Atletico, but overall it is the best defence in the league. Apart from Vermaelen and Douglas they have no problems with injuries, so the question is whether Barcelona has a weak spot at all in this moment. The answer is no and that is why are in a great series.

Probable lineups FC Barcelona: Bravo – Dani Alves, Pique, Mathieu, Jordi Alba – Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta – Messi, Neymar, Suarez

Villarreal
Villarreal also plays greatly in recent days and they even have a much longer series without defeats than Barcelona. The Yellow Submarine has not lost since the beginning of November last year when they lost to Zurich in the Europa League and Valencia in La Liga in just four days. Since then they had played ten matches in the championship, two more in the Europa League and additional six in the Cup, all without defeat. In total it is even 18 matches, which is currently one of the best series in Europe so Villarreal comes at the Nou Camp full of self-confidence. They had defeated Getafe in two quarter-final matches  of the Cup by 1-0, while in the championship they defeated Athletic and Levante, also with a clean sheet.

It is interesting that they had lost only once this season as visitors in Seville, when they received two goals in final minutes of the match, so this is another proof that can be very unpleasant in this match. They have changed the team a bit of the winter transfer period so with them is now Campbell from Arsenal and has already debuted in the Cup, while stopper Gabriel Paulista went in the opposite direction. Gone are Cani, Espinosa and stopper Bailly, who is currently at the African Cup of Nations.

Probable lineups Villarreal: S. Asenjo – Mario, V. Ruiz, Musacchio, J. Costa – Trigueros, Soriano – Campbell, dos Santos, Cheryshev – Vietto

FC Barcelona – Villarreal PICK
Villarreal certainly knows how to set itself when plays away but this is a special away match and there is not much room for manoeuvring. Therefore, we expect that the guests try to outplay Barcelona, as they are worry free so in the end we can see a real goal-parade.

Pick: over 3.5 goals

Stake: 5/10

 
Chelsea vs. Manchester City / Premier League – For the very end of this Saturday’s program within the 23rd round of the English Premiership we have another match that could easily decide on the new champions of England. Namely, the leading Chelsea and the second-ranked Manchester City, who currently has five points less meeting at Stamford Bridge, so that in case of victory of the “Blues” it could actually become an advantage that they would very difficult to drop by the end of the season. Otherwise, the autumnal duel between these rivals at Etihad ended with a draw, while last year both of their championship matches went to Chelsea, and only one to Manchester City in the FA Cup. Begins: 31.01.2015 – 18:30 CET

Chelsea
However, all of these statistics does not really have a particularly great weight, because this is that could bring a new title for Chelsea which is why coach Mourinho said that they first of all have to be patient and smart if they want to leave Stamford Bridge satisfied on Saturday. However, the “Blues” have in the last two rounds showed all their strength when they first celebrated at home with 2-0 over Newcastle and then away at Swansea come to the glorious victory of even 5-0.

On the other hand, the “Citizens” have in the last two rounds won only one point and escaped the big five points from Chelsea, which means that they will be a lot more relaxed in this derby. Otherwise, the “Blues” were recently eliminated from the FA Cup after a shocking home defeat by Bradford, but they at least partially redeemed to their fans in the rematch in the League Cup semi-finals when they after extra time celebrated over Liverpool. However, in that match striker Diego Costa had a brutal start and he therefore got the suspension, while the slightly injured defender Filipe Luis and midfielders Mikel and Fabregas are also very questionable for this Saturday’s match.

Probable lineups Chelsea: Courtois – Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta – Matic, Ramires – Willian, Oscar, Hazard – Drogba

Manchester City
As for the current champions of England, they are welcoming this great derby at the worst possible moment and it is therefore very difficult to predict what we can expect from them on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. Specifically, we have mentioned earlier that coach Pellegrini won only one point in the last two league rounds, and thus spoiled all the good things they have done in the previous period because they have are now practically in a situation that they certainly should not lose away match against Chelsea.

And it all really started after the away draw at Everton, but then they experienced a real slap in the face against Arsenal who defeated them with 2-0 at Etihad, while in the end everything was spiced with the identical home defeat by Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. Of course we should particularly note that the “Citizens” are without a goal scored in three games, so now against the “Blues” we can expect a lot more offensive approach, but certainly the most is expected from Aguero. As for absences due to injuries only defender Mangala and midfielder Nasri are out of action, while midfielder Yaya Toure and striker Bony are both at the African Cup of Nations.

Probable lineups Manchester City: Hart – Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy – Fernando, Fernandinho – Navas, Silva, Milner – Aguero

Chelsea vs. Manchester City PICK
After three desperate performances of Manchester City, this away match with Chelsea actually represents a real test of maturity for them and therefore we expect them to present themselves somewhat more offensive than usual, while on the other hand Chelsea will certainly try to strike a final blow to their only competitor in the fight for the title, so perhaps it is the most realistic to expect a lot of goals.

Pick: over 2.5 goals

Stake: 5/10

Odds: 1.95

Elche vs. Levante / La Liga – This is going to be a derby of the rear and ending of this La Liga round, and also the end of the first half of the season, given that it is 19th round. Both teams are positioned in the relegation zone and the difference between them is that Levante has two points more than Elche, who won last week while Levante drew. Both teams were eliminated from the Cup last week, where Elche was outclassed twice by Barcelona and Levante was able to honourably say goodbye with a victory. Last season they played the only two H2H matches in La Liga and then at this stadium the result was 0-0, while Levente won in the front of their fans by 2-1. Begins: 12.01.2015 – 20:45 CET

Elche
Elche is the penultimate in the standings and therefore it is clearly in a difficult situation, but what encourages it what they showed in the previous two rounds against very unpleasant opponents. We will not count into that two Cup match against Barcelona because Elche didn’t shine there and was eliminated by 9-0 in total. Immediately after the lottery draw Elche had said goodbye to this competition, which was confirmed later with the defeat at the Nou Camp by 5-0. The championship is much more important and the second leg was duly played but nothing more. They didn’t manage to exploit completely changed team of the Catalans, because they were again defeated with a high goal difference.

However, in the championship they won away in Bilbao that after they drew with very unpleasant Villarreal, in a match in which had reached a backlog of two goals. That is a positive series of two matches that they certainly want to continue with and coach Escriba had rested most of the regulars against Barcelona, so now on the pitch goes almost the same team as in Bilbao, where the handicap is absence of stopper Lombana, who has five yellow cards and will be probably replaced by experienced Pelegrin.

Probable lineups Elche: Tyton – Suarez, Roco, Pelegrin, Cisma – Gonzalez, Pasalic – Rodriguez, Fajr, Niguez – Jonathas

Levante
Levante was too eliminated from the Cup so they can now focus at the championship and the battle for survival. They were eliminated in a slightly different way from the Cup but by a weaker opponent than it is Barcelona, so they managed to win Malaga in the second leg with insufficient 3-2. However, the victory could be significant because they had regained confidence and won after more than two months when they outplayed Almeria at the beginning of November. In the meantime, they played six league matches and three in the Cup.

It is good that they have scored three goals because the inefficiency was Levante’s big problem so this might change now. The bad is that Barral, who scored two goals in the turnaround against Malaga, cannot play now due to yellow cards as it seems that he is in a good goal-scoring form. Besides him there will be no Karampelas, which is not a big handicap, because experienced Juanfran can cover the left flank. The good news is that midfielder Diop suspension is over and he will play in this match.

Probable lineups Levante: Marino – I.Lopez, Vyntra, Navarro, Juanfran – Diop, Simao – Inavschitz, Ruben Garcia, Morales – Casadesus

Elche – Levante PICK
It seems that this might be a close affair and it is not excluded that it be so, but we will contrary to expectations predict that will be more goals than it is usual for these teams, because Elche play better and Levante indicated its form with victories in the Cup, so they could play openly in this match.

Pick: over 2 goals

Swansea vs. Chelsea / Premier League – This is definitely the most interesting duel in this Saturday’s program within the framework of the 22nd round of the English Premiership, because the ninth Swansea  meet with the leading Chelsea in Wales, which currently has a large 19-point lead. In addition, the “Reds” from London can boast that they made four consecutive wins in their mutual duel and so they in September last year celebrated on Stamford Bridge celebrated with 4-2. Begins: 17.01.2015 – 16:00 CET

Swansea
But before that all their duels were extremely hard and uncertain and therefore in the team of Swansea hope that they can now in front of their fans provide decent resistance to the current leader of the Premier League. Especially because the atmosphere in the team was improved a little bit after two consecutive draws in the league and routine placement into the next round of the FA Cup after celebrated over Tranmere with even 6-2 away. However, now they themselves are aware that they must not play nearly as offensive, because they will confront the team that will certainly punish the slightest mistake in their defence.

In addition, the Welsh attack is considerably weakened after their top scorer Bony has left the team a few days ago, who is normally located on the African Cup of Nations, but it did not stop him to officially confirm his move to Manchester City. On the other hand, the management of this team did not waste time and they expressly brought a young and talented striker Oliveir from Benfica, but he will probably be only the first backup to a much more experienced Gomis. Let us add that the injured striker Montero will miss the match due to his injury, while midfielder Ki Sung-Yong is still at the Asian Cup.

Probable lineups Swansea: Fabianski – Rangel, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor – Britton, Shelvey – Dyer, Sigurdsson, Routledge – Gomis

Chelsea
Unlike Swansea, the team of Chelsea is awaiting this match after two routine home wins, first by celebrating in the FA Cup with 3-0 against Watford, and then last weekend in the championship with 2-0 against Newcastle. Of course their coach Mourinho is very relieved after two triumphs, because they had previously experienced an unpleasant championship defeat of 5-3 away against their city rivals Tottenham, while a round earlier they just came to a point in Southampton, by playing 1-1.

However, after the victory over Newcastle and a draw of Manchester City against Everton, the “Reds” again have two points more than their only real rivals for the title, so they will now with even more confidence meet the always unpleasant and tough Swansea. This actually means that coach Mourinho will this time primarily try to save the goal, while in attack he mostly trusts in his biggest stars, Diego Costa and Hazard. As for absences, only the slightly injured defender Azpilicuete will miss this match due to injury.

Probable lineups Chelsea: Courtois – Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Filipe Luis – Matic, Fabregas – Willian, Oscar, Hazard – Diego Costa

Swansea vs. Chelsea PICK
Of course the leading Chelsea applies for a big favourite in this away match against their old rivals Swansea, but considering the last few away games, we believe that they will this time, be a lot more careful and with a quiet and smart tactics try to come at least to a minimal victory.

Pick: under 2.5 goals

Stake: 4/10

Odds: 1.87

Valencia hosts Almeria in the 19th round of the Spanish Primera Division. A win is a must for Valencia after Sevilla grabbed the 4th place for them, having 1 point ahead and 1 less game played.


Valencia is coming after a 2-0 defeat at Espanyol which meant elimination from the Copa Del Rey … it was the second bad game for Valencia after last week they barely got a 1-1 draw at Celta and Celta could have won. But “Los Che” have extenuating circumstances for the cup loss, because they played more than 75 minutes with 10 men (Mustafi red card) and even so managed to keep a clean sheet until the 80th minute. Now Valencia will hope that they can get back to winning ways at home … where they have been dominant and defeated Real Madrid two weeks ago playing some really top class football. Team news for Valencia say that Piatti and Otamendi are unavailable.



Almeria not doing so well lately … 2 losses and 1 draw in the last 3 games, scoring just 1 goal. Last week they lost 2-0 at home to Sevilla and followed that up with a 1-0 cup defeat to Getafe, sending them out of the Copa Del Rey. Visitors would love a point here as they are now tied for the 18th place with Levante and relegation looms. Team news for Almeria say that Bifouma, Martinez and Gonzalez are all unavailable.

Valencia is so strong at home, only Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao took points here in Primera. Also 6 of their 7 home wins in Primera Division came by a form of handicap, only Real Madrid managing to “only lose” by 1 goal. Hosts have so much quality in their roster and this is the perfect opportunity to recover after two matches without a win. Almeria is playing bad football at the moment … expect a solid performance by Valencia and a classic home win by 2 or 3 goals. My tips here will be Valencia to win and cover the 1,5 goal handicap in the process. Correct score prediction: Valencia – Almeria 3-0.

Pick: Valencia -1,5
Odds: 2.05