West Ham will be confident of winning this final. They have more or less outclassed Blackpool in their two league encounters this season (4-0 and 4-1). Coach Allardyce said after their two games against Cardiff (5-0 on aggregate): We have hit top form. Jack Collison, one of their best players against Cardiff, has been troubled by a dislocated shoulder, but he has been cleared to play. Right or wrong, in my world 2.05 looks OK on the Hammers win. Over game? When Blackpool are involved, yes, most of the times.

Champions League final
Bayern Munich – Chelsea 1.86 – 4.80
I am usually allergic to big favourites in finals, but this 1.86 on the home win will do for me. Home win, as the game will be played in Munich. If Chelsea felt down heartened a week ago, maybe their spirits were raised when they noticed that Bayern were beaten 2-5 by Borussia Dortmund in the German cup final. “Our defensive line was a disaster”, words from their coach. According to him Alaba, Badstuber and Luis Gustavo, all suspended for the Champions League final, were the worst of his players. T Muller will come in for L Gustavo and Timoshchuk and D Contento will most likely play in the Bayern defence, with Van Buyten also an alternative.

J Terry, Ivanovic, Ramires, all key players, and Meireles will be suspended for Chelsea. F Malouda is a big injury doubt. Defenders G Cahill and D Luiz have to recover for this game, or Chelsea will be without their entire defensive line. Well, Ashley Cole is of course available and then there is Bosingwa and P Ferreira. M Essien can also play in defence. Cahill and Luiz are back in training and I expect them to line up for Chelsea on Saturday. They have not played for a month and there is good reason to doubt their competitive status for a big game like this one. Now there are just too many good players missing for Chelsea and one or two of their starters will probably not be in top shape and you do not beat a team like Bayern, if you are under strength. They knocked out Barcelona? Yes, and QPR were close to defeating Man City. That is football, but personally I have no bigger problems backing this 1.86 on the home win.

Coppa Italia final, at the Olympic Stadium in Rome
Juventus – Napoli 2.20 – 4.02
My initial thought was, tempting odds on the Juventus win. I mean, what have they done wrong this season? So far, nothing. They did an”Arsenal” and went through their entire league season unbeaten. Chiellini and De Ceglie will miss this final. Caceres will replace Chiellini in the Juve defence. Del Piero will start for Juventus in his final game for the club. Juventus won their home fixture against Napoli 3-0. They were 1-3 down away from home, but Juventus came back drawing the match 3-3.

I venture to say that this final will be a bigger, more important event for Napoli. So it seems any way, as some 32.000 Napoli fans will be at the stadium. A final is a final and no way that Juventus will too complacent, but my gut feeling tells me that Napoli will be the slightly more motivated side. Enough to win? Well, with players like Cavani, Lavezzi and Hamsik in their side, Napoli can defeat most opponents, including Juventus. Dzemali will most likely replace the suspended Gargano. It looks like Hamsik will take care of Pirlo and in defence both Campagnaro and Aronica will line up again.

So two favourites West Ham and Bayern Munich and then the outsider, Napoli, will probably be my last calls before the EURO 2012 gets under way.

Blackburn played a rotten game at home to Wigan and they have gone from bad to worse lately. They lost both G Givet and D Dunn to injuries and I do not think that they will feature in this match. B Orr and their keeper P Robinson are also injured. Robinson is touch and go, but Orr is definitely ruled out. Backing a big favourite in a friendly game never was my thing. I rest my case here.

Everton – Newcastle 2.30 – 3.42
Just the kind of fixture that will motivate the Everton players. It is probably correct to say that they were not fully focused on their match against Wolves at the weekend (0-0), a match they controlled. It has been a while since Everton lost in the league and rest assured that they will do everything they can to avoid loss in their last match of the season. L Baines and D Gibson are injury doubts again.

Losing to a very strong Man City side was no shame for Newcastle and as they still are in with a chance to reach a place in Europe next season they will be looking for the three points tomorrow. A draw will not do, so it will be a make or break game for Newcastle, in a positive sense, because they have exceeded all expectations. They need more magic from P Cisse, Demba or Ben Arfa, or they will go down at Goodison Park. Defender D Simpson missed last weeks’ game and he is a doubt also this week. Home win will be my choice.

Manchester City – Q P R 1.15 – 21.00
If City had questionable form I would probably say that winning this match will not be as easy as the bookmakers seem to expect. Now I will not do it. Well, it is not like I will be betting on the home win, but this has to do with the rotten odds. I did not back City at 1.68 away to Newcastle either. I am sitting here trying to evaluate the odds and hopefully I am not backing too many underpriced favourites.

Anyway City look great and I trust them to win this game. QPR are in general lousy travellers, but there are one or two individuals in their side that can do the unexpected and I will not rule out a QPR goal tomorrow. I hope that QPR will stay up and it looks like they can lose this game and still remain a Premiership side. Stoke will decide that. Diakite is their injury doubt. Home winner.

Norwich – Aston Villa 2.25 – 3.42
Grant Holt was back playing from the start for his Norwich against Arsenal and what a match he played. He has been one of my favourites in this league from day one. The Arsenal defenders just could not handle him. Well, Norwich impressed as a team again after some lacklustre performances lately.

Without the injured Adebayor Villa saved their season by drawing 1-1 at home to Tottenham. The D Rose dismissal was most likely the key moment and I doubt that Villa would have picked up their life saving point if Rose had stayed on the pitch. A Hutton, Agbonlahor and E Heskey are all injury doubts for Villa and their third striker, A Weimann will not take part in this game. Tempting odds on the home and it has to be tested.

Stoke – Bolton 2.50 – 3.07
Although I would think that T Pulis, the Stoke coach, would prefer to see M Hughes’ QPR being relegated instead of Coyle’s Bolton, no way that Stoke will offer the three points on the plate tomorrow. Say what you like about Stoke, but they are one the most committed sides there is. They just cannot play their brand of football, if they are not giving their best.

So Bolton have to beat Stoke in an honest way. It can be done of course, but I would not bet on it. This season Bolton defeated Stoke 5-0 at the Reebok Stadium, but last season Stoke were 5-0 winners in a Wembley cup semi final. Both results impossible to explain. The big man in the Bolton defence, D Wheater, will miss this game. For Stoke J Pennant risks missing also this game and there will be no A Wilkinson.

Bolton have been stronger away from home this season than at the Reebok Stadium and this fact cannot be ignored. Bad nerves let them down at home to WBA, allowing WBA to score two late goals. They not only scored, they totally dominated late on in the match. Assessing the odds, I have to pick the home win alternative.

Sunderland – Manchester Utd 8.15 – 1.47
Winless in seven league games it does not look like Sunderland will be able to cause an upset in this match. OK, fact is that they are unbeaten in their last five home fixtures (2-3-0) and maybe I was too hasty in my judgement. Still missing their wide player Seb Larsson does not make their task any easier.

United will be happy winning this match and I do not expect a goal feast, although United probably have to score half a dozen goals or something like that to get hold of Man City.

D Wehlbeck, J Evans, C Smalling and R Ferdinand are all doubts for this final game. There is good hope that Ferdinand and Smalling will be OK. Away win, but uninteresting odds.

Swansea – Liverpool 3.62 – 2.20
Not surprisingly Swansea have dipped lately after a very positive season in the Premiership. They are 1-2-5 in their last eight league games, their win was at home to Blackburn. In their last home game they threw away a 3-0 lead against already relegated Wolves (4-4).

No gloom and doom ahead this match, however, it will be a great party on Sunday with the Swansea fans celebrating their great season. I heard something about Elvis costumes. Some jerk evidently said that there was a better chance for Elvis Presley to reach the Premiership than the Swansea football club.

Liverpool played like they are supposed to play at Anfield against Chelsea, a very poor Chelsea side, I have to say. They dictated the game and this time the goals arrived. Even J Henderson found the net, but for S Downing it is close to impossible. This time he failed with a penalty. Surely we are about to witness a free flowing game of football at Swansea. No need for tackles, if you know what I mean. Goals! Say 2-2, 3-2 or 2-3.

Tottenham – Fulham 1.44 – 8.33
I do not think that Tottenham will throw away their great chance of coming third or fourth in the league table. They have looked pretty good lately and they definitely look more trustworthy than for example Arsenal. The D Rose red card probably cost Spurs the three points away to A Villa. Down to ten men they dominated the second half, but managed only one goal (1-1). Now Tottenham have to win this game, nothing else will do. Both their left backs Assou-Ekotto and D Rose will miss this derby game.

Fulham won twice last week, both wins rather expected. Yes, I call their rare away win against Liverpool, or should I say the Liverpool reserves, expected. The way that their forward C Dempsey has played this season he will probably join one of the major clubs .

Likely home win.

W B A – Arsenal 5.40 – 1.70
Great advert for the Premiership the way that WBA fought back from 0-2 down away to Bolton . WBA had nothing really to play for, but this fact did not stop them from pushing the highly motivated Bolton all the way in the second half. So now we know that Arsenal will get nothing for free in this match. C Brunt will not take part in this game and both Odemwingie and J Thomas could miss out again.

Arsenal are winless in their last four games and they lose players to injuries every week, it seems. Last week it was B Sagna, who joins Walcott and Arteta on the sidelines. Well, Walcott could still play some part in this match. As an old Arsenal fan I am scared. You sense that their opponents do not fear them at all at the moment and it almost fun facing Arsenal.

I fear for the worst.

Wigan – Wolves 1.62 – 6.20
I witnessed one of the worst games of the season Monday night, when Wigan visited Ewood Park for a game with Blackburn. Wigan won the match, they scored their goal very late and I was a happy man. I can assure you it was not the same Wigan that defeated Newcastle. Yes, on paper it was, but their performance was miles from their display vs. Newcastle. Who cares, I won some money and Wigan secured their place in the Premiership next season.

Draws in their last two games, vs. Swansea and Everton, tell us that Wolves play with dignity and pride. Going down to the Championship has not stopped them from giving their best in each and every game. C Berra, M Kightly, Bassong, K Foley and M Jarvis are all struggling with injuries, but maybe one or two could play for Wolves in this match.

I could back Wigan in this match if their destiny depended on this match, but 1.62 on the home win in a game reminding of a friendly game? No thank you.

Serie A
Milan – Novara 1.30 – 10.50
Anybody interested in backing this low priced home win? I should not think so. I expect a below par display from Milan in this match. Quite possible that they will be the winners despite their lack of motivation, but I need fully committed sides to even think about backing odds like 1.30.

Abate will be suspended for Milan and Muntari, Bonera plus Abbiati will all be rested. Several Milan players will make their farewells in this match and it is quite possible that Inzaghi, Gattuso,Seedorf, Zambrotta and Nesta will play from the start in their last match in the Milan shirt.

No Mascara for Novara, Ludi could start, Morimoto as well and Fontana will stand between their sticks instead of Coser. For Novara this is a match to look forward to, but their away displays in general have been poor this season. No bet for now.

Catania – Udinese 4.00 – 3.10
A draw in this match and Udinese will come third this season. The bookies have reacted and the Italian bookmaker SNAI offers only 2.10 on the draw. Catania are a good side and in Sicily they are 9-5-4 this season, while Udinese have struggled on their travels all year long. (4-6-8 this far) No doubt that Catania should be the favourites in this match.

No Lodi, Llama and Biagianti for Catania. Bergessio is a doubt and Catellani could replace him upfront. Udinese look in almost perfect order ahead of this game with Pinzi their only injury doubt. 1X game.

Cesena – Roma 4.65 – 1.80
It was a harmless looking Cesena side away to Novara at the weekend. No wonder they went down 0-3. Mutu, Iaquinta, Colucci and Martinho will be missing again. Cesena will play with Santana and Rennella upfront in a 3-5-2 formation.

Totti missed a first half penalty against Catania, but he redeemd himself by scoring the two Roma goals in the second half (2-2). No Taddei this time and S Kjaer is a slight doubt. Lobont will be their keeper. It will be the swan song for their coach Enrique. Away win, I guess.

Chievo – Lecce 2.35 – 3.00
Despite their three home losses on the spin Lecce still have a tiny chance of remaining a Serie A side. They have to win this match and hope for a Palermo win away to Genoa. We all know how often Palermo are winning away fixtures. Muriel, Cuadrado and Carozzieri will return from suspensions, but Lecce miss Miglionico and Delvecchio. Oddo will come in for their injured defender Tomovic.

Chievo will draw from the same squad that could not hold on to a 4-2 lead against Palermo. OK, a 4-4 draw at Palermo is a decent result. Previously goal shy Chievo all of sudden were able to score four goals. Says more about Palermo, I guess. The Chievo coach is indicating that he could make some changes for this game and Sammarco, Morero, Uribe and their keeper Puggioni could all start. Nothing is settled. Lecce have played their best football away from home this season, so why not? The away win.

Fiorentina – Cagliari 2.00 – 4.15
First game for the Fiorentina interim coach ended in a victory and they will now officially stay up in Serie A. Both their aces Jovetic and Montolivo will miss this match. No Ljajic, no Nastasic , no Gamberini and no Amauri either. Behrami is a major injury doubt.

Cagliari will miss the suspended duo Cossu and Pisano, but they will be able to call on Agostini again. I do not know. Nothing, nothing at all at stake. Which side will show ambitions? Maybe the home side.

Genoa – Palermo 2.15 – 6.50
One point is all they need to be safe. Should not be much of a problem for Genoa. The way Palermo have played lately they could easily have been involved in the relegation dog fight. They are no better than Genoa, in other words.

The Genoa front man Palacio will miss this game. It looks like Sculli and Gilardino will start upfront in a 4-4-2 formation. Kucka will be suspended, but Constant is recalled to their squad. Jankovic and Kaladze have been injury doubts, but it looks like they both will be able to take part in this season decider. No Silvestre for Palermo. Ilicic is injured, but Barreto will play again. 1X game.

Juventus – Atalanta 1.32 – 13.00
There will be celebrations in the arena, but will anybody care about the result of this game? Yes, I do not think that Juventus want their unbeaten run this season to end. A draw they can take, but not a loss. Juventus will be without the suspended Vidal. Lucchini will replace Stendardo in the Atalanta defence. No Consigli. 1X again.

Lazio – Inter 2.60 – 2.60
Better looking Lazio side for this fixture. M Klose will start in their front line and the previously suspended duo Biava and Ledesma return from their suspensions. Lulic we already saw last week, but Hernanes has been ruled out again.

The Inter keeper J Cesar will sit out a suspension.

Lazio can defeat Inter, but they have to be on top of their game to be the winners. I definitely hold Inter as the stronger side. Lazio too rarely win against the top sides in Serie A, Roma aside and I will not back the home win.

Napoli – Siena 1.35 – 9.50
They say that Napoli were extremely unlucky away to Bologna, hitting the wood work three times and missing tons of chances (0-2). Costly is an understatement, as a place in the Champions League next season was at stake. It can be difficult to keep players like Lavezzi and Cavani under these circumstances. OK, Napoli can still hope for a Udinese break down away to Catania. The home side has to manage without Cavani, Dzemali and Aronica, all suspended. We will most likely see Lavezzi from the start again joined by Pandev upfront. No Campagnaro in their defence, but his colleague Fernandez will be available again.

I have nothing really to say about Siena. According to their coach Siena will face this game with their strongest possible side. They will probably lose this match.

Parma – Bologna 1.95 – 4.50
I say it every week. The fantastic Parma run goes on and their wonder kid Giovinco has been dominating against all their recent opponents. I do not know why I keep calling him a kid, he is a full grown player. Biabiany could be preferred to Jonathan on the right wing in an otherwise unchanged Parma side.

Bologna are also in excellent shape. No Morleo for the away side, but Pulzetti should be back. I will go on backing Parma.

La Liga
Rayo Vallecano – Granada 1.95 – 4.78
Decisive game, one of these two sides could be relegated. Villarreal and Real Zaragoza are also involved, but facts remain, this fixture is filled with anxiety. Rayo have been in sluggish form of late, but I still look upon them as a decent home team. Casado will be back from his suspension for this game and then it is planned that both J Fuego and Armenteros should be available again. Both key players and at the moment it looks better for Fuego.

Granada have certainly complicated matters ahead of this crunch fixture. Dani Benitez, Moises Hurtado and Siqueira, all starters and rather important, will be suspended this week end. Geijo, striker starting on the bench last week, will also be suspended. Four players remain on their injury list. Advantage Rayo!

I have followed Zaragoza lately and their three home wins on the bounce have made their chances of remaining a Primera side quite realistic. They just have to win away to Getafe, that is all. From a betting point of perspective the odds on the away win represents no value at all. At this instant the odds are 1.64. A joke, in other words. Same thing last week, when they played against Racing. But before that, against Atheltic Bilbao and Levante, one could win some decent cash on the Zaragoza wins.

Zuculini will be back in contention for this match and Zaragoza only miss Aranda and Lanzaro. Getafe miss the suspended Cata Diaz and J Rodriguez. Some five players are on their injury list, including Lopo and Gavilan, with D Castro, Masilea and Michel all doubtful starters. Valera and Rafael Lopez will be back for this game. Poor Getafe form and a squad short in numbers for this game and I find it extremely difficult to back the home win, although the odds are just crazy (6.00).

Real Sociedad will play a home game against Valencia. The odds on the home win are 2.96. Two rather satisfied sides, I would guess. Valencia have reached their goal, they will be third in the table some thirty points behind Barcelona. That is La Liga, two sides in total domination. Real Sociedad will play in the Primera Division next year, mission accomplished.

Why I choose to back the home win? Real are a decent home side with 8-6-4 so far and Valencia will be without Rami, Soldado (prob), Mathieu and Canales. It is now official, their present coach will be replaced by Pellegrino next season.

I just cannot see Valencia playing a great game this weekend. They never were a great team on their travels (6-6-6 this far) and a distracted Valencia coach and rather unmotivated Valencia players, why should not the home side win this match! Real then.

I had to oppose Norwich at the weekend, at home to Liverpool. It was not my original idea, but when I found out that Grant Holt was on the bench for Norwich, I changed my mind.

Norwich lost again, their third loss on the bounce. They have conceded eleven goals in their last three games. Summer cannot come soon enough for Norwich. Home winner.

Newcastle – Manchester C 5.39 – 1.68
Some strange odds! It is not like Man City will be facing an unmotivated side. They are facing a team aspiring for a place in the Champions League next season, in other words one of the strongest sides in the league and still City have become such big favourites.

P Cisse scored two unstoppable goals against Chelsea earlier this week, winning the match for Newcastle. Do not forget that Newcastle kept a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge. Seems like Tiote is not ruled out for Newcastle, according to late reports.

This will be tougher for City than winning against Man United. Newcastle are in a wonderful position. They have nothing to lose, they have done better than everyone, and I mean everyone has expected and they will not be afraid of attacking City.

We all know that Man City have the better players, but no one is hotter than the Newcastle ace Papiss Cisse. I certainly want Man City to win the league, but I have to say that this 1.68 is a joke of a price on the away win.

Aston Villa – Tottenham 4.33 – 1.92
Agbonlahor played from the start again and R Dunne at last made his come back against WBA last week. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, the sixteenth Villa draw of the season. Villa need to start scoring goals. One meagre goal in their last four games, that is awful and it gets worse when you are thinking about their opponents lately, Sunderland, Bolton and WBA.

It is all working for the Tottenham coach Redknapp and his team again. The club is relieved, Redknapp will stay put and all of a sudden Tottenham are enjoying some lucky breaks again. You can never reason away their midweek 4-1 win away to Bolton. Quite a result under pressure. Scott Parker should return for this match, but probably not L King. It was easier for this writer backing Tottenham away to Bolton. I do not know why I have more respect for Villa. Old habits, I guess. Likely away win.

Bolton – W B A 2.05 – 3.80
When Reo-Coker equalised for Bolton at the start of the second half, for a while it looked like Bolton would go on to win their home game against Tottenham. They pushed forward, but were severely punished by some lethal Spurs counter attacks. Bolton lost the match 1-4, a match they could not afford to lose. This one is of course another must win game, but this time they will have a more realistic chance of obtaining their goal. Reo-Coker will have a late fitness test.

I have my doubts about the overall WBA commitment ahead of this match. Their successful coach Hodgson will lead England and there has never been a plus factor for any team knowing that your popular coach will leave soon. Yes, and nothing at stakes for WBA. No new concerns for Hodgson ahead of this game. Bolton should be able to win this fixture.

Fulham – Sunderland 1.92 – 4.54
I always thought that Fulham would get something from their game at Anfield in midweek, but I stopped with the draw. Fulham won deservedly against a Liverpool side filled with second choices. Fulham, at fortress Craven Cottage, I do not mind backing, and they are my winners in this fixture. Sunderland are winless in their last six league games and they do not seem to be most motivated side around at the moment. OK, they will face Man United next week, probably deciding the title race, and they have to keep trying to be at their best next weekend. C Gardner will be back from his suspension, but they will once again be without their Swedish winger S Larsson. Both N Bendtner and O’Shea are considered injury doubts.

Fulham will be my choice.

Q P R – Stoke 1.91 – 4.40
The perfect fixture to play for QPR after their 1-6 loss against Chelsea last week. I do not care about that loss. They were down 0-1 after one minute and Chelsea could relax, playing some great football and there was no way back for QPR. There were one or two QPR defenders who failed miserably, but it was one of those bad days. Now its back to Loftus Road, where QPR have won their last four games winning against stronger sides than Stoke, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham have been beaten lately by this QPR side. The important Taarabt will be back for this match, a match that QPR just have to win. They will face Man City next, away from home.

Stoke drew both their recent home games with Arsenal and Everton. They have not won an away game for ages and I do not expect a big game from Pulis’ Stoke tomorrow. Why? Typical end of the season situation. You are giving your best in your home games, but away from home, lack of motivation may be the case. J Pennant, A Wilkinson and R Delap are all struggling with injuries. Very likely home win.

Wolves – Everton 5.10 – 1.75
Say what you want about this version of the Premiership, but there is nothing wrong with their morale. Look at already relegated Wolves for example. They were down 0-3 away to Swansea last week but they refused to throw in the towel. Maybe they fought for their unlucky coach, or maybe they fought just for themselves, but the match ended in a 4-4 draw. Wolves have not pleased their home fans for ages losing their last five home fixtures and conceding something like three goals per match. Bassong could return for this game.

Everton played out a 1-1 draw at Stoke in midweek. They are now unbeaten in their last seven league games and they have only suffered two defeats from their last sixteen games.

Motivated favourites in this game, in other words, but 1.75 on the away win, that is making too much of their so called form. This is the Premiership, is it not? Anyway L Baines is expected back for Everton, but Anichebe risks missing this match. No bet for now.

Manchester Utd – Swansea 1.20 – 18.15
What was Sir Alex thinking about, starting against Man City with the old gang in the midfield? Giggs, Scholes, Carrick and Park, all playing from the start, give me a break! It was a team reminding of the United side that has been embarrassed on the European scene this season.

Against Swansea rest assured that United will play offensive, maybe even ultra offensive, because they have to score goals, more goals than City to win the title. It is a late kick off, do not forget that and the Man City result will be no secret. D Wehlbeck and J Evans are injured and they will not play.

Swansea can never be considered pushovers, at least not in my opinion and United will probably have more problems defeating Swansea than Arsenal will have facing Norwich. Only my stand point, of course.

Blackburn – Wigan 2.51 – 2.93
How poor were Blackburn away to Tottenham? Not a single shot to save for the Tottenham keeper, that is how poor they were. It was their fifth loss in six games. Their win was at home to Norwich, a Norwich side offering a below par display. What I am driving at is that Blackburn have no decent fresh form at all and they should not be the favourites against Wigan. Martin Olsson should be back for Blackburn, but B Orr will be assessed.

In form Wigan are 5-0-2 in their last seven league games and they have mostly faced top teams in the Premiership. Away winner.

FA Cup final
Chelsea – Liverpool 2.51 – 3.10
You can argue that Liverpool will be in better shape for this final. Chelsea have played two important games per week for quite some time now, in fact since Di Matteo became their boss. He has tried to rotate his squad, but there is no denying that many of the best Chelsea players have played a lot of games lately. Do not expect G Cahill and D Luiz back tomorrow as they will return in Munich hopefully.

The Liverpool coach Dalglish has had the luxury of picking much changed squads in certain games. For example earlier this week, when he rested basically his first eleven at home to Fulham. So advantage Liverpool, when it comes to the overall preparations ahead of this final.

What I think? Not much really, but Liverpool have already won their final this season, defeating Cardiff after extra time in the Carling Cup final. I am an old socialist and I want everyone to win something. In other words I want Chelsea to win this cup final. It certainly looks like Chelsea will not be playing in the Champions League next season and their chance of getting any silver ware this season is to win this game. Chelsea to win.

Serie A
Lecce – Fiorentina 2.10 – 3.90
Down to ten men Lecce managed a second half equaliser away to the leaders Juventus. Can it be more unlikely? The Juve keeper Buffon made a terrible blunder, but at that stage Lecce were pushing Juventus. A win for Lecce in this match and Fiorentina will definitely be involved in the relegation dog fight.

Lecce have lost their last two home games, both so called must win games, and their home form has been non existent this season (3-6-9). Muriel, Cuadrado and Carozzieri will all be suspended for this fixture, but Esposito will return.

Fiorentina sacked their coach Delio Rossi in midweek. They just had to. D Rossi punched one of his players in public, it was great TV news on the day. Jovetic and Behrami could not play against Novara (disappointing 2-2 draw) and they are major doubts also for this game. Ljajic, who was punched has been suspended by the club and young Acosty could join Cerci in their front line. Defence man Nastastic will be missing. Advantage the home side, should not Jovetic play for Fiorentina.

Roma – Catania 1.67 – 5.60
I watched Roma draw 0-0 at Chievo earlier this week. The conditions were terrible with the rain pouring down. If nothing else, Roma fought well and they did not want to lose the match. Both Osvaldo and Lamela will be back from their suspensions. Rosi is fit again and third choice keeper Curci will continue between the Roma sticks. S Kjaer is an injury doubt.

Catania miss among others Spolli and Llama, but they will have their forward Barrientos back for this game.

I expect Roma to make a good impression in their last home game of the season. It could also be the last the Romanistas will see of their coach. Catania seem to be lacking in motivation these days, but they should contribute to an open game of football between two teams without the 100% incentive. No need to think defensively this time. Home win, say 4-2 or 5-2.

Siena – Parma 2.50 – 3.20
Terzi and Larrondo are expected back for Siena, but they lose defender Pesoli to an injury. Gobbi returns to the Parma squad, Floccari will be assessed and Valdes must sit out a suspension.

The incredible Parma run goes on and they have now won six of their last seven games. Giovinco makes the decisive passes or he is scoring the goals. He is in tremendous form and he could be the man for Italy this summer. Should be more like a friendly game than a highly competitive one and I prefer the away win alternative.

Atalanta – Lazio 2.63 – 3.10
The Atalanta coach will make changes again and this time we could see Moralez, Carmona, Manfredini and Schelotto from the start. They were on the bench away to Milan.

The Lazio coach Reja is complaining. He is right with some eleven – twelve players out of action for this match. Dias, Biava, Ledesma and Marchetti are suspended and then there is a bunch on the sidelines. Rocchi, their front man, is their latest casualty and Kozak will replace him upfront. Lulic will play. My choice will be the home win.

Bologna – Napoli 5.40 – 2.10
Influential midfielder/forward Ramirez will be suspended for the home side as well as Portanova and Kone. Crespo and Pulzetti could be back in contention for this fixture, possibly also D Perez.

Napoli have to manage without their two defenders Fernandez and Campagnaro. One of Britos or Grava will be part of their back line. Now they say that Campagnaro will make an attempt of playing. The stakes are high for Napoli, while Bologna mostly will be playing for their fans and for their pride. As the Napoli form is quite satisfying I will definitely back the away win.

Cagliari – Juventus 12.00 – 1.33
This match will take place Sunday night at the same time as the Milan derby. Once again it will played in Trieste and we can not talk about any home advantage for Cagliari, especially this time, as the stadium will be filled by Juventus supporters. No Agostini for Cagliari.

It is only about bad nerves for Juventus at the moment, but they have stumbled before. I recall when Sven’s Lazio won the Scudetto. Juventus lost away to Perugia in the very last round and that is why Lazio won the title. I know, it was ages ago.

Cagliari have some pretty interesting forwards and I do not agree with the bookies. Juventus as favourites, say 1.80 favourites, yes, but this 1.33 is a farcical price.

Novara – Cesena 2.00 – 4.10
Both these sides came from Serie B this season and both will return to their proper environment. Both teams have played with pride this last month, not giving up in their games.

Mascara and Caracciolo did not play for Novara against Fiorentina. Despite these offensive absentees Novara scored two goals. Caracciolo will start upfront in this match joined by Jeda with Mascara on the bench.

Mutu missed a penalty against Udinese and his Cesena lost the match 0-1. Santana will be back for this match, but they will be without the suspended Guana. Whether or not Mutu and Iaquinta will be playing is an open question. Have not got a clue. OK, the home win.

Palermo – Chievo 2.10 – 4.30
Disappointing Palermo season, but they are at least safe. Defender Silvestre is expected back for this game, but Balzaretti, Della Rocca and Mantovani are on their injury list. Both Ilicic and Miccoli are major doubts.

Chievo failed to hit the target again. Was it their fifth game in a row without a goal? I think so, but they did not play badly in the pouring rain against Roma. No Rigoni this time.

It is pretty depressing down in Sicily at the moment, at least around the Palermo camp and I will take a chance with the away win.

Udinese – Genoa 1.70 – 5.10
Di Natale could play for his Udinese in midweek. He was most likely needed as Udinese barely could win the match 1-0. Benatia will be available again for this game. Also Ferronetti and Badu are back in their squad.

Genoa will play with a 4-5-1 formation with Palacio upfront. Kaladze will probably be missing again. A draw result would be perfect for Genoa in their quite pressing situation down at the bottom. Udinese need the three points of course, but I would never touch them as 1.70 winners. Backing the draw.

Inter – Milan 3.40 – 2.30
Losing to Parma was the worst that could happen to Inter. Now they can most likely forget about playing in the Champions League next season. Quite a blow for a club like Inter. J Zanetti and Guarin will return to the Inter squad for this derby game, Stankovic will be OK, but Nagatomo is a doubtful starter.

Milan are still waiting on Tiago Silva. The last two training sessions will be decisive. Back in contention are Abate, Van Bommel and Emanuelson. We can expect to see Boateng playing behind Ibrahimovic and Cassano (or Robinho). At last the Milan squad is quite fit and my choice will be the away win.

La Liga
Sevilla – Rayo Vallecano 1.75 – 5.75
Backing Rayo. They are seriously challenged by Real Zaragoza down at the foot of the table and they better win this game. They are facing a Sevilla side almost in a free fall situation. It looks like Sevilla never could recover after their hurting 1-5 loss against Getafe. Earlier this week they went down to Real Betis in the derby, another terribly hurting loss for their players and fans. Their two leading strikers Negredo and Manu del Moral will both miss this match. Their third striker Kanoute will not be fit to play and the important G Medel will sit out a suspension. Still no Perrotti, Spahic or Escude.

Terrible situation and Rayo should fancy their chances. Not that they are in top form, but they at least have everything to play for. Rayo will be without the suspended Casado. Away win.

I was certainly thinking of backing Real Zaragoza for the third time in eight days, but I am not happy with the odds offered on the home win. Maximum 1.70 at home to the bottom side Racing Santander. Zaragoza miss Aranda and Zuculini and that is OK.

The last time that Newcastle were severely beaten, it was 0-5 against Tottenham, they struggled in the following league games. How will the 0-4 loss against Wigan affect them?

Newcastle have three –four great offensive players that can make the difference in most games, but as team they are nowhere near as strong as Chelsea. S Marveaux and Obertan are fit at last and they have joined the Newcastle squad for this match. D Simpson and Cabaye are slight doubts. I expect Chelsea to win this match, but the odds on the home win are just too short.

Bolton – Tottenham 3.80 – 2.05
Credit to Bolton. They are picking up useful points from their games and they seem slightly more reliable than their colleagues in the basement section, Blackburn and QPR. At last their veteran striker Kevin Davis came alive at the week end scoring both their goals at Sunderland (2-2). Midfielder Reo-Coker is a doubt for this fixture.

A one sided affair is an understatement describing the Tottenham – Blackburn encounter. There was only one team on the pitch and it is a small wonder that Tottenham only could score two goals. Kaboul and Adebayor were back in the team and only S Parker was missing out. He risks missing also this game. Sandro played a great game against Blackburn, so no problem there. Anyway Tottenham looked good reminding of the team that once was aiming for the title. Likely away win.

Serie A
Milan – Atalanta 1.29 – 13.00
Boateng playing from the start again and Cassano together with Ibrahimovic in the Milan front line made all the difference for Milan against Siena. They won the match 4-1 and the Cassano/Ibrahimovic combination was responsible for three of their goals.

Ambrosini and Robinho will be back in contention for Milan, but T Silva will not play tomorrow. In the derby yes, but not against Atalanta.

A relaxed Atalanta side will be able to call on the previously suspended duo Cigarini and Stendardo again. Could be that both Moralez and Carmona will be rested. Likely home win, but do not forget that Atalanta, without their point reduction, would be playing for a place in Europe. Impressive season by the Bergamo side.

Catania – Bologna 2.10 – 4.25
The home side will be without their forward Barrientos who probably will be replaced by Catellani (or Lanzafame). Llama is injured, but Almiron will hopefully be fit to play.

Mudingayi and Ramirez could actually play at the weekend for Bologna against Genoa, but they are both doubtful starters tomorrow. Perez will return. 1X game.

Cesena – Udinese 5.00 – 1.80
They are in with a chance in every game, it seems. I am referring to Cesena. Last week they lost to Juventus 0-1 and 1-2 away to Inter. They were in the lead against Inter. Mutu and Iaquinta were back and they are expected to play from the start tomorrow. No Santana, but Moras and Colucci return from their suspensions. Comotto, Lauro and Del Nero are struggling, but only Comotto played at the weekend.

Udinese won a tough game against Lazio and it was the incredible Di Natale who made the difference, as always one must say. He suffered an injury and he is in grave danger of missing this game. I do not think that he will play. Floro Flores is ready to replace him and Coda will come in for the suspended Benatia in their defence. No Di Natale and I will back the home win.

Fiorentina – Novara 1.64 – 7.50
This is the match supposed to secure the season for Fiorentina. They lost 0-2 against Atalanta at the weekend, a match they probably not deserved to lose. Jovetic, their ace striker , squandered numerous chances, including a second half penalty. Once again Fiorentina have to manage without Amauri, but his offensive colleague Cerci should be back tomorrow, Boruc, their keeper, will play again, Behrami as well. Montolivo and Gamberini are not entirely rules out.

Mascara will be missing for Novara. Caracciolo and Jeda, also forwards, will not play either and it could be Rubino and Morimoto upfront for Novara. Morganella, back from his suspension, will start in a five man defence including fit again Gemiti. I do not think that Novara will be able to cause Fiorentina much problems tomorrow. Very likely home win.

Genoa – Cagliari 1.95 – 4.60
It is rather complicated for Genoa right now. Not only are they fighting for their Serie A status they also have to play their home games without supporters . This match will take place in Brescia. De Canio has coached Genoa in two games, both have been lost by the odd goal, but the general consensus is that they are an improved side despite those set backs.

Genoa will be able to call on Jankovic again, Gilardino will probably play from the start and Carvalho will replace Kaladze in their defence.

Cagliari are used to playing their football without supporters these days as their recent home games have taken place at Trieste. They are unbeaten in Trieste, but they played a poor game in their last real away game, 0-3 vs. Parma. I like to think that Genoa will win tomorrow’s match.

Juventus – Lecce 1.20 – 15.00
Matri will be back from his suspension and Juventus are missing only Pepe. Lecce will be without their suspended coach Cosmi tomorrow and Esposito will also be missing, but Cuadrado will be back to play. Easy for Juventus these days and easy again tomorrow.

Lazio – Siena 1.57 – 7.00
Injuries and bad temper continue to plague this Lazio team. Leading Lazio players Dias and Marchetti, central defender and goal keeper, will be suspended after their behaviour late in the game against Udinese. Biava and Matuzalem are major doubts, but at least Candreva will return for this match.

Siena were uncharacteristically poor at home to Milan. I have no explanations, but squad wise they look OK ahead of this match with only Terzi new on their injury list. Lazio cannot be backed at the moment. Too many good players are missing, it is as simple as that.

Parma – Inter 3.75 – 2.05
Tricky game for the Champions League chasers Inter. Parma have won five of their last six league games and that is pretty strong numbers in Serie A. Giovinco, the Parma ace, will be the strongest forward on the pitch tomorrow. Parma may well be without their defender Zaccardo and Gobbi will be suspended for this fixture.

J Zanetti, the Inter legend, is back to fitness, but quite probable that he will not be involved tomorrow. Against Milan in the derby this weekend, for sure. Inter remain unbeaten since the Ranieri regime and that is a fact. X2 game.

La Liga
Real Zaragoza – Levante 2.40 – 3.20
Best bet of the weekend was the Zaragoza home win against Athletic club from Bilbao. As expected Athletic fielded a much changed side and Zaragoza won rather comfortably. A win tomorrow and then at home to the bottom side Racing Santander this weekend and Zaragoza may remain a Primera side. Only Aranda is on the Zaragoza injury list.

Home win will be my call, but I know, Levante have their own agenda ahead of this match.

It sounds unlikely, but fact is that Levante could still play in Europe next season. Now Levante have to play this match without their top scorer Kone (17 goals this far). He is a real ace and his absence suits me just fine. Zaragoza to win again.

Athletic Bilbao – Real Madrid 6.00 – 1.62
If there is one club in Spain, Barcelona aside, that can defeat Real in an honest game it is Bielsa’s Athletic club. They will field their best side again tomorrow, the same team that toyed with Man United this season, the team that defeated Schalke in Germany. Well, they will not be at 100% top shape as both Ander Herrera and Iturraspe will be suspended. Aurtenexte will be back, however. Real have to manage without the suspended Di Maria.

I look forward to a cracking game, plenty of goals I both hope and expect. Why? Well, the stakes are not that high. Athletic will be playing for their great fans and Real are under no real pressure at the moment seven points ahead of Barcelona in the league table. The odds on the home win are quite simply great. Overs? Yes, even more than 3½ goals.

Without coach Martin Jol Fulham were more or less embarrassed by Everton losing at the Goodison Park 0-4. It was not about Jol being there or not, it had more to do with an excellent Everton display and the chronic poor Fulham away form.

Not much at stake here. A make shift home side will face a Fulham side looking to make a better impression at Anfield than against Everton. Under the circumstances the odds on the home win make me laugh. Why not the draw? The odds are 4.05.

Stoke – Everton 2.80 – 2.75
At first sight the odds on the home win look tempting, but thinking about, I hesitate. Everton are one of the strongest sides in this league at the moment and they are scoring goals like never before. This previously rather goal shy side has scored twelve goals in their last three league games. Too bad that S Distin messed up their chances of playing the FA Cup final.

Stoke had to work hard for their home point against Arsenal, while Everton enjoyed a comfortable afternoon at home to Fulham, winning the match 4-0. It could be that C Jerome, T Sörensen, R Delap and Palacios will start for Stoke this time.

So thinking about it, I am more interested in backing Everton in this fixture, but it is quite possible that I will stay away from this bet. Something tells me that the away win is underpriced.

Serie A
Chievo – Roma 3.55 – 2.25
Playing out a 0-0 draw with Cagliari means that Chievo have failed to score in their last four games. Their last two home games were against Milan (0-1) and Udinese (0-0) with Chievo the better side in both those games Cesar will be back from his suspension and he will play from the start in the Chievo defence tomorrow. So will Sardo in for Frey. Dainelli and Andreolli are injured.

Lobont will once against stand between the Roma sticks. De Rossi will play again, but Lamela and Osvaldo remain suspended. Bojan is a doubt. Trusting Roma this season is close to impossible. X2 game.

Napoli – Palermo 1.44 – 9.00
Quite possible that Pandev, back from suspension, will join Cavani upfront for Napoli in a 3-5-2 formation with Lavezzi on the bench. Dzemali will be suspended.

I thought that Palermo would go on to win the derby against Catania after an improved second half display. Catania were clearly the better side in the first half. Although Catania lost several players to injuries Palermo could not find the winner. I was a bit disappointed.

Balzaretti and Della Rocca will be missing again this time joined by Miccoli and Mantovani, who has stayed put in Palermo. Very likely home win, but depressing odds.

Nothing at stake really and we can expect an open game of football tomorrow, at least that is what I am hoping for. Maybe you are thinking that Everton have been much stronger than Fulham this season, but they are only two points ahead of Fulham in the league table. In Jelavic, the Everton striker, I would say that Everton seemed to have hit the jack pot by signing him and I could say the same about Pogrebnyak, back for Fulham last week and scoring of course. L Baines could not play for Everton last week and he is in danger of missing also this game. S Kelly could be back for Fulham.

Fulham won their last away game, at Bolton, but in general they are one of the worst travelling sides in the Premiership. Everton deserve to be the rather big favourite, but I have no impetus backing them. No bet game for now.

Stoke – Arsenal 4.67 – 1.91
Things look grim for Arsenal and I do not think that they will win this match. Pulis’ Stoke just love to complicate matters for Arsenal and what I have seen from Arsenal lately they are bound to struggle at the Britannia Stadium tomorrow.

No A Wilkinson for Stoke, but J Pennant is expected back and Arsenal have to manage without the injured duo Arteta and T Walcott. T Rosicky should be fit. Why Arsenal are struggling of late? One obvious reason is that Van Persie has turned human again. The home win is closer to me.

Sunderland – Bolton 2.05 – 4.41
No sparkling Sunderland form, that is for sure. No Sunderland goals in their last four games. Well, three of those games ended 0-0. I do not think that their coach would agree, but it certainly looks like most of the Sunderland players want this season to end.

There will be two changes on the Sunderland midfield, as both S Larsson and C Gardner will miss this match. K Richardson is out for the season and L Cattermole is struggling with an injury.

Bolton were second best for an hour or so against Aston Villa in midweek. Then Warnock scored for Villa and Bolton immediately hit back scoring two swift goals. In the lead they were never really threatened. Good team play, that is what I want to say about the Bolton display. C Eagles suffered and injury and he will not play tomorrow, both M Davies and Miyaichi are doubts.

The question ahead of this fixture is: Will the Sunderland players be prepared to work as hard as their Bolton colleagues? If so, they will win the match, but I have my sincere doubts.

Swansea – Wolves 1.80 – 6.79
I can picture myself backing Swansea as 1.80 winners against Wolves. OK, it will not be my first pick of the weekend, but the home win would be my choice. Swansea were better than Bolton last week and they should really have won the match. They missed some golden scoring chances, but they have done this before and no sign of lack of motivation for Swansea despite their safe position in the league table.

Wolves will go down to the Championship and it looks like their unlucky interim coach will stay winless. No Bassong and no Hennessey for Wolves. Likely home win.

W B A – Aston Villa 2.20 – 3.89
You will not get luckier than WBA last week away to Liverpool. Maybe the Gods decided it was time for the WBA coach Hodgson to get something back from his unfortunate spell at Liverpool, or what?, but WBA rode their luck for most of the game. Some great defending as well of course from J Olsson and his colleagues. Their striker Fortune will be available again for this derby game.

If they did not know it before the Villa players should now be aware of their precarious situation. After their home loss against Bolton they are at real risk of going down. They were better than Bolton for an hour, but they were quite harmless after the two Bolton goals.

Agbonlahor played for some 25 minutes and he could be back from the start in this match. According to the latest reports R Dunne will be able to make his come back at the Hawthorns. J Collins will probably miss out again. What can Villa hope for? At best the draw.

Wigan – Newcastle 2.90 – 2.60
Both sides are desperate for points, but it is probably not correct to call Newcastle desperate, as they are enjoying their present flirtation with the top teams for a place In Europe. Wigan can be considered desperate, however, and a loss here would be a major blow to their survival campaign. Newcastle are on such an amazing roll (six straight league wins) and it is difficult to oppose them at the moment, but something tells me that they should not really be the favourites away to Wigan.

H Rodallega is back in training for Wigan and he will be assessed ahead of this game. Front man Di Santo is a major doubt. I am at a loss here. My instinct says Wigan, but my common sense says Newcastle.

Norwich – Liverpool 4.03 – 2.10
I hate to admit it, but it looks like the Norwich season has ended. They are in the safe zone and their last two league games, 1-6 and 0-2 vs. M City and Blackburn, indicate that Norwich are no longer a highly competitive side. Hopefully I am wrong, but we will not know until the 90 minutes have been played at the Carrow Road tomorrow. What I think? I do not think that Norwich have given up trying and it will be tough for Liverpool.

Should Liverpool squander all their scoring chances again, like they did against WBA, they will lose for sure, that is all I can say about Liverpool. They did not perform badly against WBA, far from it, but what is there to say after all their missed scoring opportunities.

S Gerrard should be available for this match, but Dalglish is looking ahead at the FA Cup final and there is no guarantee that Gerrard will play tomorrow. Liverpool “have” to play two league games this week and then it is time for the final against Chelsea. The odds more or less force you to back the home win.

Chelsea – Q P R 1.43 – 9.50
G Cahill, D Luiz and Ivanovic, Chelsea defenders, will all miss this game. One or two of their midweek heroes may need a rest and I guess that we will see a Chelsea line up reminding of their one against Arsenal last week, minus G Cahill, that is. It will be different for Chelsea in this match. They have to go for the win. Against Arsenal they basically only defended.

QPR deservedly defeated Tottenham, at Loftus Road of course, and it was their fourth home win on the trot. So far they have not been able to repeat their excellent home displays away from home. Maybe on Sunday? Taarabt, the QPR goal scorer last week, will be suspended for this match. I am thinking of betting on QPR, in some way or other.

Tottenham – Blackburn 1.55 – 9.36
You cannot really compare these two sides, on paper that is, but Tottenham have not played like a top side for quite some time. Why they have become this harmless? We all want to know, but both players and a clueless manager must bear the blame. Recent heroes like S Parker, L King and Van der Vaart are unrecognizable. Whatever coach Redknapp is saying their campaign turned sour when he was offered the England job, secretly of course.

Hopefully for Tottenham both Adebayor and Kaboul will return for this must win game.

Blackburn are fighting for their lives and their players are probably more focused on this fixture than their Tottenham colleagues. Some time ago this match would be won by Tottenham, say 5-1, but at this very moment you cannot even make a case for the home win.

Manchester City – Manchester Utd 2.25 – 3.59
The home win will be my choice. Wayne Rooney and the Man United wing players aside, City have the better players and the City home win is for this writer a quite logical choice.

City will be able to call on M Richards and Balotelli again.

United looked strong against Everton, I was rather impressed, and when Evra hit the post 4-2 up, no one thought that his miss would matter much. We all know what happened. Bizarre week. If the Messi penalty had resulted the other day surely Barcelona would have won the match 4-1 or 5-1. Backing M City in the derby.

Serie A
Palermo – Catania 2.36 – 3.75
The Sicilian derby and for once Palermo is the side under pressure. The fact is that Palermo have only won one of their last ten league games. Earlier this week they lost their home fixture against Parma 1-2. They dominated the first half and the result must have been a huge disappointment. The important Migliaccio will return from injury for this game, Pisano and Barreto will also be available again. Ilicic will play from the start and so will Miccoli, on the bench against Parma. Missing are Balzaretti and Della Rocca.

Legrottaglie will be back for Catania. They were poor away to Cagliari, already thinking about this hot derby, I can imagine. They have quite a few players on their injury list.

The outcome? Seems like the Catania collective is functioning better, but saying that I cannot really see Miccoli and his Palermo losing also this home fixture. Backing Palermo.

Cagliari – Chievo 2.00 – 4.50
Cagliari seem to like it in Trieste. Cagliari had no problems at all defeating Catania the other day. Their three forwards Pinilla, T Ribeiro and Ibarbo scored one goal each. Chievo have lost their scoring touch. Only three Serie A sides have scored fewer goals than this Chievo side. Defence man Cesar will be suspended for this game and his colleague Andreolli is injured. Acerbi will start in their defence. Paloschi will join Pelissier in their front line. 1X game.

Roma – Napoli 2.36 – 3.75
As you know it came as no surprise to me that Roma lost their home game against Fiorentina. They should have been dead and buried after the first half (only 0-1 down), but in all fairness they picked up their game in the second half and looked more likely to win the match before Fiorentina scored their late winning goal.

Tomorrow Roma have to manage without De Rossi, Osvaldo and Lamela. Stekelenburg is struggling with an injury and Curci will most likely replace him in the Roma goal. Bojan is available again.

Napoli are back in form, no doubt about that. G Pandev will be back for this match and then we will see if Lavezzi will make it or not. He is getting better. Fernandez will replace Campagnaro in the Napoli defence. When De Rossi is not playing there is almost always a good reason to oppose Roma. Away winner.

Bologna – Genoa 2.40 – 3.25
The home side is probably safe on 42 points, but they could possibly use one additional point. Mudingayi is an injury doubt again and out injured are Ramirez and Perez, among others.

Genoa offered a very well organised perfromance away to Milan in midweek. A red card in the second half cost them a point. Anyway Genoa were much better under their new coach De Canio. Rossi and Mesto will return for this match, but Genoa lose Jankovic to a suspension. 4-5-1again for Genoa with Palacio as their lone striker. Why not the draw! The odds are quite good (3.20).

Atalanta – Fiorentina 2.70 – 3.25
Cigarini and Stendardo will be suspended for the home side. Cazzola and Lucchini will be their replacements. Amauri and Cerci are new on the Fiorentina injury list and Montolivo, absent vs. Roma, risks missing also this game. Neto will come in for the suspended Boruc in their goal. Pasqual returns from his suspensions. With Amauri and Cerci missing Fiorentina will start with Jovetic and Ljajic upfront.

Fiorentina, quite useless away from home this season, have all of a sudden picked up six points from their last away games, vs. Milan and Roma. How about that! Still I look upon this match as 1X fixture.

Inter – Cesena 1.28 – 12.00
Remarkable Inter efficiency in the first half against Udinese. They had three scoring chances and they all resulted. Sneijder scored two of their goals and with him back in scoring form again Inter can start hoping for a place in the Champions League next season. No Stankovic for Inter in this match.

Cesena fought well at home to Juventus happy to be playing for the 0-0 draw. They were no miles away from getting this result. Both Mutu and Iaquinta were left out of their squad and I do not think that they will be playing in this match either. Iaquinta could start on the bench, according to latest news. Moras, Colucci and Rennella, they will all be suspended for this match, but defence man Von Bergen will return. Home win, of course.

Lecce – Parma 2.25 – 3.50
It is between Lecce and Siena. One of them will go down. Lecce had no chance against Napoli earlier this week. I did not watch the game, but from what I have read, Napoli played some good football and they were just too strong for Lecce. Cuadrado will be suspended for Lecce.

Four wins in their last five games and thanks to this great run Parma will now officially remain a Serie A club. Hopefully for Lecce the Parma ace Giovinco will not be on his toes in this match, now that Parma are lacking the 100% incentive. Giovinco has been outstanding lately. Zaccardo is a big doubt for Parma and Okaka will not be fit to play. Lecce will travel to Turin next week for a game with Juventus and it is correct to say that this match against Parma is a must win game for Lecce. Home win, I guess.

Novara – Juventus 9.45 – 1.40
Deserved or not, but Novara defeated Lazio 2-1 in midweek. Lazio squandered numerous scoring chances, but that is their business. Novara keep on battling and I admire them for that. Mascara will start upfront instead of Morimoto, but Morganella will be missing due to a suspension.

Quagliarella will return to the Juventus squad, but his offensive colleague Matri will sit out a suspension. Pepe risks missing also this fixture. Juventus keep coming at their opponents and sooner or later their goals are bound to come. Pirlo missed a penalty against Cesena, but at this moment, nothing can really stop Juventus from winning their matches. Very likely away win.

Siena – Milan 5.50 – 1.75
I wish I could be as optimistic about the Milan winning chances. Boateng came on in the second half of the Genoa fixture and he scored their winning, very late goal. The Milan performance was poor, and then I am being kind. There is no real build up plan to their game and Ibrahimovic is playing at 25% of his capacity. How could their campaign turn so sour? Bonera will be back from his suspension, Boateng is a likely starter and could be that T Silva will make his come back in this game.

Pegolo will be back in the Siena goal, back from suspension and Rossi goes the other way. Destro and Brienza will both be fit to play. What can I say? Milan could basically be at full strength against Siena, but I cannot ignore their last two poor home displays. No bet for now.

Udinese – Lazio 2.25 – 3.25
I prefer the home win. It is more about opposing Lazio than actually backing Udinese. Lazio have no form at all, lacking the offensive quality to decide matches. You cannot really compare T Rocchi and Kozak to a player like M Klose. No Candreva for Lazio in this match.

G Fernandes will be back for Udinese, but they lose Floro Flores to a suspension. Udinese were not that bad at home to Inter. They faced a, for once, super efficient Inter side and while Udinese missed their chances Inter were ruthless in front of goal. Backing the home win.

La Liga
Real Zaragoza – Athletic Bilbao 3.47 – 2.40
Just have to test the home win. Zaragoza have played some strong home games lately and as three of their remaining fixtures are home games they still have a chance of saving their league existence. Both Pablo Alvarez and R Micael will be back from suspensions. Paredes will line up in their central defence and Pablo will be one of their wing backs.

Athletic played last night and they reached their second final of the season. They will play against Barcelona in the Spanish cup final and they will face A Madrid in the Europa League final, both will take place pretty soon. Athletic will play in Europe next season, but I do not think that they will qualify for a place in the Champions League.

Aurtenexte, the defender, will be suspended for this game. I expect coach Bielsa to rotate his squad probably using players like Toquero, D Lopez, Gabilondo, San Jose from the start. De Marcos will return from suspension. The outstanding Llorente could be rested.

No way that Athletic will be able to offer a strong display in this match. Why? Lack of energy, I should think. Yes, they will also play a big game next week, at home to Real Madrid on Tuesday. The outsider for this writer.

Getafe – Mallorca 2.00 – 4.31
Backing the home win. I just cannot forget the last home display by Getafe, the match against Sevilla, a rainy Monday with Getafe 5-1 winners. Well, Getafe have only lost three home games this season. Squad wise they look just fine. Lopo, P Leon, J Valera and R Lopez have been declared fit to play after some time on the sidelines. Fact is that only their keeper Ustari is on their injury list. No Careces for Mallorca, due to a suspension and Nunes and Alvarez are injured. Tissone will hopefully be back. Getafe to win.

D Capel played a fantastic game for Sporting in the first leg, but their top scorer van Wolfswinkel had a poor game. Influential M Fernandez missed the first leg, but he is expected back for this return leg. Izmailov will be missing due to a suspension. Likely home winner.

Valencia – Atletico Madrid 1.95 – 4.08
This capable Valencia side is driving me crazy and it is not only me, also their supporters are at a loss. They were fortunate only going down 2-4 in the first leg with A Madrid running riot in the second half. The Valencia defence was all over the place and Rami and Ruiz, two quality defenders, played like semi amateurs.

The Atletico Madrid fans are ecstatic after their teams’ two home displays last week. First they scored four goals against Valencia and then a couple of days later they won 3-1 at home to Espanyol. OK, A Madrid play their best football at the V Calderon Stadium, but no doubt, they are a side in top form D Godin will return from his suspension and Atletico only miss A Lopez, Silvio and Fran Merida.

Another goal feast? Yes, I think so. Valencia have not given up (They scored four goals against both PSV and AZ in recent Europa League home fixtures). In a perfect scenario for Valencia they will take the lead and then go on to win the match 3-0 or 3-1. OK, a 3-1 home win is not out of the question, but I like to think that the outstanding Atletico forwards will lead their club to the final in Bukarest. In my world, not the Valencia world, Atletico will score two goals tomorrow and then it is up to Valencia to topple that. Over game!

Real played against Barcelona and I do not have to say that all their aces were involved.

Will it be decisive? I do not think so, but it will the perfect excuse, should Real not reach the final.

Winning 1-0 would be just fine for Real, but stopping Bayern from scoring is a tough task. Borussia Dortmund won 1-0 against Bayern, it can be done in other words, but then you should know that Robben missed a late penalty for Bayern. This German side is so clever at changing the pace of the game and attacking them too eagerly is a risky business. Mourinho knows all about the lethal Bayern counter attacks and I guess that we will witness a controlled Real offence tomorrow, whatever that is. Granero could be a surprise starter for Real.

Fair game, fit squads and my guess is that Real will be 2-1 or 3-1 winners.

Serie A
Novara – Lazio 4.82 – 1.85
Important Rigoni will be back for the home side, but it looks worse for Jeda. Garcia will return from his suspension. Novara are twelve points from safety and I guess it is common knowledge that they will get relegated.

Lazio rarely impress, but I would say the same about their rivals for the third place. (Udinese, Napoli, Roma and Inter). Time for fit again Dias to start in their central defence. Mauri will also start again, but Hernanes is new on their injury list. Biava and Matuzalem are injury doubts.

A fit M Klose and Lazio would end up on the third place, but he will play no more this season and it will be quite a battle for the third spot.

X2 game.

Lecce – Napoli 3.19 – 2.45
A bit like Wigan in Britain Lecce have picked up their game immensely this last month. At this very moment they are only one point behind Genoa in the table and, unlike Genoa, their present form is just great. They will have their midfielder Blasi back from his suspension for this fixture.

Napoli will once again miss the suspended G Pandev and Lavezzi risks missing also this game. A late decision will be made.

Why not the draw! The odds are 3.51.

Palermo – Parma 2.53 – 3.75
A draw here and both these teams will reach the magical 42 points. Considered safe, in other words. Bertolo will be suspended for the home side still missing Migliaccio and Balzaretti, but welcoming back both Barreto and Aguirregary. Vazquez will most likely start instead of Ilicic on their midfield

The Parma coach will make a mini turnover, sending Valiani, Jonathan and Gobbi to the bench and starting with Morrone, Biabiany and Modesto instead. The ever effective duo upfront, Giovinco and Floccari, that is.

Backing the draw. The odds are 2.85.

Roma – Fiorentina 1.65 – 6.35
Once again Roma were hammered at the week end going down 0-4 against Juventus. It has happened rather frequently this season, Roma losing big, I mean, but they have always been able to recover from those set backs, at least until now.

Curci will replace the suspended Stekelenburg in the Roma goal, Bojan and Lamela will also be suspended and it is quite likely that Totti will start tomorrow. He never played against Juventus. It will be Totti backing up Borini and Osvaldo.

Amauri will play upfront again for Fiorentina, sending the unlucky Ljajic to the bench. Ljajic missed a penalty against Inter. A weak penalty, one has to say. Fiorentina will miss the suspended Pasqual. There is some hope that Jovetic and Behrami will recover for this match.

Fiorentina won their last away game, vs Milan and this 1.62 on the home win represents poor value. OK, I know, everybody knows that Roma have this nice habit of winning their home games against Fiorentina. Should Jovetic play from the start, quite possible that I will support the away win.

Siena – Bologna 2.38 – 4.40
The odds on the home win are tempting, but I am aware of the draw risk in this fixture. Now they are not doing it as frequently as before, playing out the so called arranged draws.

Siena will revert to their three man defence again using a 3-5-2 formation.

Bologna will be able to draw from the same squad that drew 1-1 in Milano with Milan. Antonsson, defence man, will probably play from the start this time.

1X game.

Udinese – Inter 2.40 – 3.31
Pinzi will play again for the home side, but they will miss both Coda and Fernandez. Domizzi is fit again and he will play alongside Danilo and Benatia in their defence.

Inter looked exciting and offensive against Fiorentina, but alas, it was only on paper. They created surprisingly few open scoring chances and I have to stop being impressed by their “name players”. Chivu and J Zanetti will most likely miss this match, but Stankovic is expected back in their line up.

Udinese are 11-4-1 in their home fixtures and my choice has to be the home alternative.

Milan – Genoa 1.29 – 14.46
We do not have to worry about Milan and winning the Scudetto. It is not on any more. Milan are not stronger than half a dozen other Serie A sides at the moment and it will not change as long as T Silva and Boateng are missing and most of their other big players are out of form.

Bonera will be suspended for Milan. Cassano could earn his first starting role. I have some great news. All of a sudden both T Silva and Boateng have been declared fit to play tomorrow.

Genoa have sacked their coach Malesani for the second time this season. Desperate measures, but their situation is as desperate as that after their big home loss against Siena. They are probably odds on favourites to go down at the moment.

De Canio will be their coach for the remaining five games and he has to manage without the suspended Mesto and Rossi. Moretti will be back in their defence.

I watched Milan against Bologna. (1-1) Could not believe my eyes. So mediocre and at this defining stage of the season. Still with Silva and Boateng playing , maybe Ibrahimovic will raise his game again. Home winner.

Cesena – Juventus 16.34 – 1.30
Only pure arrogance could stop Juventus from winning the Scudetto. They are in a class of their own and I do not believe in the arrogance theory. Juventus are functioning as the perfect collective with all their players working like mad men. OK, it is football and we saw what took place at Old Trafford the other day, but that is why there are book makers around.

Quagliarella will be suspended for Juventus.

Although Cesena have become tough to break down lately they will not have much of a chance in this game. Defence man Von Bergen will sit out a suspension. Iaquinta could play from the start. Away winner.

Although Chelsea offered a very strong defensive display in the first leg (1-0 win) they needed help from the wood work on two occasions. Alexis should have scored at least one goal. I do not believe we will see a scoreless game tomorrow and for Chelsea to have any chance of reaching the final, they have to score a goal, hoping that Barcelona will not be able to score more than two. I will not rule out this possibility, but I find it more likely that Barca will score three orfour goals at the Camp Nou Stadium.

What do have Chelsea have in their favour? The fact that they rested several players at the weekend, while Barcelona could not afford that luxury against Real. Possibly poor Barca nerves, but it is a lame argument. Alexis and C Fabregas could be back in the Barcelona starting line up tomorrow and Chelsea will be able to recall Ivanovic. Very likely home win.

The Premiership
Aston Villa – Bolton 2.10 – 4.22
Villa suffered two new injuries at the weekend at home to Sunderland (0-0). Both Agbonlahor and J Collins had to leave the field with injuries. E Heskey replaced Agbonlahor and A Hutton covered for J Collins. It looks like the influential Agbonlahor will be available tomorrow, while it is worse for Collins. M Davies is a major doubt for Bolton and his midfield colleague D Pratley looks set to miss out again. Could be that 18 year old J Vela will start on the Bolton midfield.

Villa have won one of their last eleven league games (1-5-5) which is pretty bad, but fortunately they are six points ahead of Bolton in the table. It is quite possible that Villa can “draw” themselves to safety. Well, they have drawn almost 50% of their league games so far.

Bolton? They better win this fixture and I guess that they are no worse than Villa at the moment. Without their injured key players Villa have to fight for every point. Nothing comes easy for any of these two rather limited teams. 1X game. The odds on the draw are 3.41. Sounds OK.

Serie A
Atalanta – Chievo 2.38 – 4.33
Both teams will be able call on their two top strikers for this match. Denis, for Atalanta, and Pelissier, for Chievo, return from their suspensions. Cigarini will also be back for Atalanta.

Hetemaj is a likely starter on the Chievo midfield and Sardo could replace Frey in their defence.

Atalanta could need one or two more points to feel safe, while Chievo can face this game in a relaxed way. Chievo have dominated their last two home games, vs. Milan and Udinese, but both matches ended 0-0. 1X game.

Cagliari – Catania 2.10 – 3.85
It was a poor Cagliari display at the weekend. They had very little to offer away to Parma (0-3). They only have three more points than Lecce, in the relegation zone, and there is a special negative circumstance troubling this Sardinian side. They have to play also this home game in Trieste, close to the Slovenian border. Avramov will replace Agazzi between the Cagliari sticks.

For Catania I would say it is all about their overall motivation, as they are safely placed in the mid table region. One change for Catania. Motta will come in for Legrottaglie in their defence. I am definitely closer to backing the home win.

It is anybody’s guess which players the Chelsea coach Di Matteo will pick for this game, but rest assured that we will see a much changed starting line up tomorrow. What I know for sure is that Ivanovic will be suspended and that D Luiz is injured. I cannot imagine that Drogba and Lampard will be around. Can they afford to rest J Terry? I do not think so. F Torres, M Essien, J Bosingwa, Malouda and Kalou are all likely starters. I can already see the headlines. “Tired looking Chelsea” Arsenal ought to win this match.

Aston Villa – Sunderland 2.40 – 3.21
Villa, struggling from the first day of the season, face a Sunderland side that have gone out of form lately. No Sunderland goal scored in their last three games. Villa certainly need the points more than their opponents and with a fighting attitude three points should be within reach for the desperate home side. Now Villa have only won seven league games this season and they have only been able to win four of their sixteen home games.

I thought that Villa were terribly poor against Man United, but quite possible that they had more or less given up beforehand. Coach McLeish is hoping that M Albrighton, C Herd, C Clark and S Warnock will all be available for this game. Only C Clark was in action against Man United. 1X game.

Blackburn – Norwich 2.15 – 3.80
As you probably know I have stopped backing Blackburn. They can still stay up, it is not that, but it is hopeless backing a side that continually is conceding goals. One of their best players these last couple of weeks, G Hanley, the defender, will miss tomorrow’s match and Givet, Yakubu and J Hoilett are all considered major injury doubts.

Norwich faced a Man City side back in their pre Christmas form last week. Remains to be seen what effect the 1-6 home loss will have on Norwich? Looking for swift revenge, I would guess, but you cannot be certain. The away win will be my choice.

Bolton – Swansea 2.24 – 3.70
No game for Bolton since they lost to Newcastle some ten days ago. Down in the drop zone I do not have to say that Bolton have to win tomorrow’s match. Well, they also “had” to defeat Fulham in their previous home game, did they not?

After four losses on the spin Swansea recovered, defeating Blackburn with ease 3-0. Their last away game was against QPR and they were surprisingly poor at Loftus Road.

So Bolton, with everything to play for, against a technically superior Swansea side, but not necessarily on their toes tomorrow. Who knows? Awkward fixture. In cases like this it is easier to back the motivated side, I guess.

Fulham – Wigan 1.91 – 4.56
Pogrebnyak could be back for Fulham, but they have managed quite well without their Russian striker. Dempsey is scoring like never before. H Rodallega could return for Wigan and S Maloney has a 50/50 chance of being fit.

Is it possible to defeat Wigan at the moment? A good question after their recent wins against Liverpool, Man United and Arsenal. Chelsea needed help by the referee to beat this Wigan side. I do not think that any English side is working as hard as Wigan. Almost like Atletic Bilbao in Spain. This 1.91 on the home win does not interest me.

Newcastle – Stoke 1.73 – 5.60
Poor odds on the home win. Newcastle had big problems in their last home fixture against Bolton and I cannot see myself backing them as big favourites. It is just not working for me. Their front men are just great, but they look even better when they are playing against strong teams, that is at least in my opinion. Their great keeper T Krul will be fit to play, Tiote, Guthrie and J Perch as well, and both L Best and Obertan could be back in contention.

Stoke will be able to call on A Wilkinson again, but J Pennant is a major injury doubt. Stoke rarely give up and their only poor displays this season have been days after big games in Europe. You get nothing for free against Stoke and Demba Ba and P Cisse will know that they are playing against the big Stoke defenders. No bet for now.

Q P R – Tottenham 4.22 – 1.95
No need for QPR to fear Tottenham at the moment. QPR are winning their home games and if Liverpool and Arsenal could be defeated, why not this Tottenham side, clearly below their best form. D Cisse will finally be back for the home side joining B Zamora in their front line. You decide, if it is a good thing to have Cisse back or not.

Tottenham have of course the much stronger individuals in their squad, but it does not seem to matter right now and how do you recover from a 1-5 loss in cup semi final at Wembley? Bolton never were the same side last season after their 0-5 loss against Stoke. Kaboul is definitely ruled out of this game. Although my respect for players like G Bale, S Parker and A Lennon is immense at this very moment I prefer backing the home side in this match. The odds on the home win makes it quite easy.

Manchester Utd – Everton 1.34 – 11.00
I would not suggest that 1.34 is worth backing, but like the bookmakers I expect United to win this fixture. Everton will be trying to make it difficult for United and they will most likely succeed for a while, but after the 90 minutes United will be the winners.

Distin made a horrible back pass against Liverpool last week and rarely has a mistake been more decisive than Distins ’blunder. Everton, leading 1-0 in their games, are usually so tough to break down and I felt quite safe at half time at Wembley.

Moyes has most likely done his utmost to motivate his troops for this match, but I doubt that it has been an easy task after their big disappointment last week. L Baines and J Rodwell will miss the match, but S Pienaar will be available again. United, they look just fine. Unbackable home winner.

Liverpool – W B A 1.47 – 8.99
For once I expect Liverpool to win as big favourites and I even suggest that they should win this match without major problems. Their squad is fit with Enrique available again. J Reina will be back between the sticks and there must be a general feeling of well being in the squad after some much struggling weeks and I hope that we are about to witness an all out attacking display from Liverpool on Sunday.

WBA should be able to contribute to an offensive game, safe as they are. J Olsson could be back in the WBA defence, but it looks worse for their forward Fortune. Shane Long will come in for Fortune. So 3-1 or 4-1 win for Liverpool.

Wolves – Manchester City 14.44 – 1.27
The Wolves keeper Hennessy has suffered an injury and he will play no more football this season. De Vries will deputise. They could certainly need Hennessy in this match, because Wolves will be up against a City side, back in their pre Christmas scoring form. City have scored ten goals in their last two games and once again they are the best side in the Premiership. They have been for most weeks of the year, but a month long dip has proven costly. Balotelli will be suspended for M City. Away winner, but quite useless odds.

Serie A
Parma – Cagliari 2.35 – 4.50
Both sides are on 38 points and a draw in this match would surprise nobody. Jonathan will most likely play on one of the Parma flanks again with Morrone next to him. Upfront Giovinco and Floccari. Biabiany is their only casualty at the moment. The Cagliari front man Pinilla will be back from his suspension. 1X game.

Catania – Atalanta 2.32 – 4.50
Kosicky will replace the suspended Carizzo in the Catania goal. Both Almiron and Bellusci are considered major injury doubts. The leading Atalanta striker Denis will be suspended for this match.

Catania lost their last home game to Lecce and it would be a big surprise should they lose again. I do not want to think that they have stopped performing at their best, but late in the season, it can be a bit awkward backing Italian teams. Lack of motivation certainly means more in Italy than in most countries. Making an attempt with the home win.

Napoli – Novara 1.25 – 15.70
Quite possible that this enforced mini break has done Napoli some good. Losing their home fixture against Atalanta was their definite low point. G Pandev will miss this match due to a suspension. Aronica or Britos in their defence. Latest news telsl us that Lavezzi will not be available either and Vargas will come in for Lavezzi.

Novara welcome back their front man Caracciolo and he will be joined by Mascara upfront. Important Garcia will be suspended and even more important Rigoni has suffered an injury and he will most likely miss this match. On their injury list remain Jeda and Marianini.

Home win, I guess, but I would not bet on it.

Chievo – Udinese 3.25 – 2.60
The Chievo top striker Pelissier will be suspended this weekend along with Sardo. As Moscardelli, Chievo striker, is out for the season Chievo will depend on Paloschi backed up by Thereau and Cruzado. Defence man Drame is available again.

Udinese will be able to recall Floro Flores, Basta and Benatia for this game, but Pinzi will be suspended. Advantage Udinese one has to say, but their away displays this season have too often been disappointing (3-5-8 this far). Chievo should have defeated Milan in their last home game, but Milan were severely weakened that day and Pelissier was playing for Chievo. X2 game.

Fiorentina – Inter 2.85 – 2.83
Cerci will replace the suspended Amauri in the Fiorentina front line, joining Jovetic I thought. Now also Jovetic will miss this match and Ljajic will start upfront instead. For Inter both Maicon and Sneijder could be back, if so, starting on the bench. Samuel, their central defender, is both injured and suspended.

Although Inter have not impressed that much, the fact remains, they are undefeated under their new coach. Two wins, vs. Siena and Genoa and in between the draw with Cagliari. They have not really been tested, I would say.

With both Amauri and Jovetic missing for the home side I will definitely back the away win. The odds will go down, rest assured of that.

Milan – Bologna 1.23 – 17.80
Bonera and Antonini, Milan defenders, will be available again and also Abate could be ready for this match. Seedorf or Emanuelson will play as the trequartista. Van Bommel should play, but T Silva, Ambrosini and Boateng will not feature. Di Vaio will play upfront again for Bologna, but they have to manage without their excellent keeper Gillet. Agliardi will stand between the Bologna sticks. One of those again. Milan very likely winners, but quite useless odds.

Cesena – Palermo 3.40 – 2.40
Martinez, Pudil and Martinho remain sidelined for Cesena, but Iaquinta will be back in contention. They look alright ahead of this fixture. Cesena have demonstrated character lately fighting for every point. Draws against Bologna and Genoa, both 0-0 draws, give evidence for their new resolve.

A Hernandez and and Silvestre will be back for Palermo, but not yet Migliaccio. Ilicic will sit out a suspension. Miccoli and Hernandez will go forward for the club. Balzaretti is a major injury doubt. Not convinced at all, but I prefer the away win alternative.

Genoa – Siena 2.20 – 4.00
The home side, in big trouble just above the relegation zone, will be without Moretti and probably also Belluschi. Kaladze will play.

Contini and Pegolo will be suspended for Siena and Calaio is of course out for the season. Brienza or Larrondo will join Destro upfront. Genoa footballers, show us what you are made of! Backing the home win.

Lazio – Lecce 1.69 – 6.40
The in form Mauri will be suspended for the home side, Kozak as well, but their central defender Dias will be fit to play. Radu and Konko do not seem to recover for this game. Forget about Klose. He is out for the season.

Much improved Lecce have a fit squad only missing their suspended midfielder Blasi. Bertolacci will replace him. Only four Serie A sides have won more away games than Lecce. That is quite remarkable considering their precarious league position. Despite their five away wins they remain in the relegation zone two points behind Genoa.

Lazio can ill afford any slip ups, but I would not be comfortable backing this 1.69 on the home win. I have to skip this match as a betting object or I will bet on the overs.

Juventus – Roma 1.51 – 7.62
Same odds on the home win this time as two weeks ago, when Juventus played at home to Lazio. Del Piero hit the target late on in the match (2-1 win), but it was all about Juventus in the second half. As always this season Juventus have a fully fit squad.

Also Roma look good ahead of this match, only missing some long term injured players. De Rossi could play in defence or higher up on the pitch. It has yet to be decided. Borini or Lamela will join Totti and Osvaldo upfront. Roma supporters and Milan supporters are hoping for an upset, but I have my sincere doubts. Juventus just keep on attacking and sooner or later they are bound to find the Roma net. So for Roma to get anything from this match they have to score two goals. Likely home win, but I refuse to accept this 1.51 on the home win.

La Liga
Osasuna – Malaga 3.00 – 2.63
I will support the away team. They have missed numerous scoring chances lately, but I will give Malaga one more chance.

Kameni will be back in the Malaga goal, but they have to manage without their suspended defender Mathijsen. Baptista is at last back in training, but Toulalan is out for the season.

Osasuna will be without Raul Garcia, their only real goal scorer this season. He has scored nine goals this far and he scored both the Osasuna goals in their last home fixture, at home to Espanyol (2-0 win). Also missing are Kike Sola, Masoud, Sergio and most likely Ibrahim. Defence men Echaide and Bertran are also in danger of missing this match. Nekounam should be back. Backing the away win.

Barcelona – Real Madrid 1.70 – 5.25
I have been burnt more than once these last couple of seasons backing Real in El Classico. It is always the same, I feel more or less obliged to back Real. It is about odds and there are these permanent juicy odds on the Real wins. Real are capable of playing some fantastic offensive football and more than once I have thought that today is the right time for Real to play Barcelona off the pitch. Alas, then the Barcelona possession game is slowly wearing Real down and it usually ends the same old way.

Both teams lost in midweek, but both will most likely play in the Champions League final in May. I have nothing negative to say about their displays in Munich and London. On another day Barca would have scored two or three goals against Chelsea and Real decided to play on the 1-1 result against Bayern.

Kaka, Higuain and Marcelo will probably start this time for Real and we can expect to see Pique in the Barcelona defence. Alexis Sanchez will probably not take part in this game. You know me, I am sticking to Real, but I cannot really recommend the bet.

Valencia – Real Betis 1.65 – 6.20
The Valencia defence was all over the place last night against A Madrid. Not for the first time this season, I have to say. Valencia were lucky only going down 2-4. For this league game Valencia have to do without four suspended player, Mathieu, Tino Costa, Pablo Hernandez and Aduriz. Barragan will be available again.

Betis miss Juanma but the Betis form is quite good. They are 3-2-0 in their last five games and they are not harmless away from home. Just recently they visited Malaga and they could return home with a 2-0 win.

Valencia will of course face A Madrid in the return leg next week, they played last night and there is every chance that they will not be at their best in this league game. Something on the outsider.

The Championship
Middlesbrough – Southampton 3.20 – 2.40

Backing the away win. Late Saturday kick off and it could be all over for Middlesbrough depending on the Cardiff, Blackpool and Birmingham fixtures. We will know before the start of the game, if Boro still have mathematical chance of reaching the play offs. Their form is lousy with one win in their last nine league games (1-5-3). Squad wise they look OK.

For Southampton M Schneiderlin could make the squad after injury. Southampton are of course going for the three points, thereby securing their place in the Premiership next season. Away winner.