Monthly Archives: February 2012

‘Gladbach set to grill Hamburg

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Friday’s Bundesliga action sees high-fliers Borussia Monchengladbach look to move joint-top of the table by defeating a Hamburg side still in the hunt to secure a Europa League qualification spot (Borussia Monchengladbach v Hamburger SV).

The game is arguably far more important to Lucien Favre’s side who have enjoyed an impressive campaign and are one of four clubs still in with a very realistic chance of winning the Bundesliga title (8/1 Outright).

Borussia Dortmund lead the way, while Bayern Munich sit one place and one point behind second-placed Monchengladbach with Schalke a point further back in fourth ahead of this weekend’s round of matches.

Therefore it is imperative for Monchengladbach to take full advantage of a home clash against a mid-table Hamburg side to keep pressure on their rivals before their respective matches.

The signs look promising for the hosts as they have won four and drawn one of their games since returning from the winter break, while they have only conceded 13 times – the best in Europe.

However, Favre will be forced into making one change from the side which defeated Kaiserslautern 2-1 after right-winger Patrick Herrmann fractured his clavicle during the match.

Therefore, the influential 13-goal Marco Reus is set to move out wide to deputise, leaving Igor de Camargo and fit-again striker Mike Hanke in the centre of attack.

Hamburg are currently sitting just below mid-table and are ten points behind fifth-placed derby rivals, who they crashed to a 3-1 home defeat against last weekend.

Time is running out for Thorsten Fink’s side to get the points on the board to push for a place in European competition next season so they will be desperate to avoid defeat.

Hamburg are set to be unchanged from that defeat to Bremen as Gokhan Tore remains sidelined so Jacopo Sala will get the nod on the right side of midfield.

The visitors will not be too daunted about the trip to Monchengladbach given that they have performed better on the road this term with four wins under their belts.

And, while their overall recent form is inconsistent, they have picked up maximum points in their previous two away games at FC Cologne and Hertha Berlin respectively.

Hamburg also won on their previous game at Borussia Park 2-1 in December so know what it takes to put one over on their hosts.

Looking to the game and, with Monchengladbach in such a rich vein of form and very strong defensively, you have got to fancy them to nick this one by the odd goal.

Prediction: Home 90 Minutes @ 8/11
Value Bet: Monchengladbach To Win 1-0 Correct Score @ 6/1

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United march on as Stoke bow out

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Premier League pair Manchester United and Stoke continue their respective Europa League adventures on Thursday as United host Ajax and the Potters face a daunting trip to the Mestalla.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were dumped out of the Champions League in the group stages but demonstrated they are still a force in Europe with a 2-0 win at the Amsterdam Arena in their first leg tie.

Ajax face a huge battle if they are to reach the last-16, with the Dutch side needing at least a 2-0 win themselves if they are to force the tie into extra time.

The Eredivisie outfit need to attack from the off if they are to stand any chance of reaching the next round and, as anyone who watches the Premier League regularly will know, United are always a threat on the break.

There have been reports that England international Wayne Rooney missed training on Wednesday and is a doubt for Ajax’s visit. However, the Old Trafford outfit should still be too strong for the Dutch side, even without their star man, with the likes of Javier Hernandez, Danny Welbeck and Dimitar Berbatov more than capable of filling the void.

The reigning Premier League champions are the 1/3 favourites to seal the victory, while Ajax are 8/1 and the draw can be backed at 4/1.  However, considering the fact that Ajax simply have to throw men forward it may be worth backing United at 8/11 to secure the win with a -1 handicap, even if they are without Rooney.

In contrast Stoke have a mountain to climb if they are to keep their European campaign alive.  The Potters suffered a 1-0 first-leg defeat at the Britannia Stadium and need to win at the Metsalla if they are to progress in the Europa League.

Valencia are a tough side on home soil and they have only lost two La Liga matches at the Mestalla to date.  Stoke have a reasonable away record domestically, but it is hard to envisage them getting anything at Valencia, even if the Spanish side decided to rest key men Roberto Soldado and Ever Banega as they did in the first leg.

Potters boss Tony Pulis has vowed to name a strong side and go for the win in Spain, but the task ahead of them is a great one and Stoke’s European adventure could well come to an end on Thursday night.

Valencia are 4/9 to secure the win and it is hard to see anything other than a victory for the high-flying La Liga outfit, while a Stoke victory is priced at 13/2 and the draw can be backed at 16/5.

Both Manchester United and Valencia are amongst the favourites to seal Europa League glory, with United priced at 4/1 and Los Che 9/1 to seal the title.  Stoke and Ajax, who have first-leg deficits to recover, can be backed at 80/1 and 200/1 respectively to secure the Europa League crown.

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«Реал Мадрид» оступился в Москве! «Манчестер Сити» и Карлос Тевес – временное перемирие? Ставки на матч «Базель» – «Бавария» и «Марсель» – «Интер»!

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Футбол. Лига Чемпионов. 1/8 Финала

ЦСКА – Реал Мадрид 1:1. Московские «армейцы» собственным примером доказали, что «не боги горшки обжигают». Перед матчем минимальное поражение со счетом 0:1 или 1:2 воспринималось болельщиками, как приемлемый результат, так сказать «сыграть достойно». Ronaldo hands 1 300x216 Реал Мадрид оступился в Москве! Манчестер Сити и Карлос Тевес временное перемирие? Ставки на матч Базель Бавария и Марсель Интер!И надо отметить, что если бы не сумасшедший по своим эмоциям гол Понтуса Вернблума, то и игра, показанная «красно-синими», была более чем достойная!

В противостояниях с такими командами, которые априори сильнее на 2-е, а то и на 3 головы, всегда должно быть место маленьким подвигам, и если про шведского опорника, который проводил свой первый официальный матч за свой новый клуб мы сказали, то не можем не упомянуть и про второго героя этой встречи.

Сергей Чепчугов до стартового свистка смотрелся, как самое слабое звено «армейцев», но именно он и стал тем, кто вселил в ЦСКА уверенность, что можно на равных сражаться с «Реалом». Неотразимый удар Криштиану Роналду ему парировать не удалось, но во всех остальных моментах сменщик Игоря Акинфеева сыграл просто идеально!

Все мы понимаем, что ответный матч, который состоится через две недели, представляется еще более тяжелым для «армейцев». На «Сантьяго Бернабеу» подопечные Жозе Моуринью будут еще больше атаковать, а ЦСКА будет занят обороной почти всей командой. Шансы «красно-синих» будут скрыты в контратаках, так как забивать один мяч им жизненно необходимо, но и других вариантов у них нет…

Марсель – Интер, как и встреча Базель – Бавария, будет проходить в закрытом ключе. И если от братьев Фраев и баварского нападения мы еще вправе ждать каких-то подвигов, то матч в Марселе, наверняка, предстанет перед нами эталоном оборонительного футбола.

Обе пары выглядят «крайне очевидными», но для тех, кому кажется, что победа «Интера» и «Баварии» дело решенное, хочу напомнить, что тот же самый «Базель» отправил в Лигу Европы «Манчестер Юнайтед».

Футбол. Лига Европы.

Манчестер Сити – Порту (счет первой встречи 2:1). Португальцы будут вынуждены раскрываться и идти вперед, так как счет первой встречи их категорически не устраивает. К сожалению, для Халка и компании счет 1:0 в их пользу равносилен поражению. Так что от этой встречи можно ожидать крайне открытого противостояния.

Карлос Тевес был одним из основных ньюсмейкеров, когда играл, как это не парадоксально прозвучит, но он стал еще большим источником новостей, когда был дисквалифицирован собственным клубом. Вот и сейчас весть об извинениях, которые Тевес принес, стала едва ли не большей новостью, чем игра в рамках Лиги Европы.

По своей зрелищности эта встреча может превзойти оба сегодняшних матча в Лиге Чемпионов.

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Bayern to get back on track

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The Champions League continues on Wednesday with Bayern Munich aiming to bounce back from an indifferent domestic performance on Saturday when they travel to face Basel, while Marseille and Inter Milan clash in France for what should be the tighter of the two first-leg round of 16 ties.

FC Basel v Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich head into Wednesday’s round of 16 first-leg clash with Basel following a desperate performance against Freiburg on Saturday. The German giants ambled to 0-0 stalemate away to the Bundesliga’s bottom side. The result sees them slip to third and lose ground on pace-setters Borussia Dortmund but they are well-fancied to bounce back from the setback and 4/7 to return home from Switzerland with a victory.

Director of sport Christian Nerlinger described Saturday’s match as a “sobering experience” and it would be unwise to back against the players getting their season back on track at the expense of the Swiss champions.

But Basel will head into the match in confident mood and have within their ranks a potent attacking weapon. Alexander Frei tormented Bundesliga defences for three years with previous club Borussia Dortmund, and has netted five times already in the Champions League this season. At 15/8 the 32-year-old is good value to add to his tally and score any time during his re-acquaintance with old rivals.

The transfer of Xherdan Shaqiri from Basel to Bayern, effective from this summer, adds extra interest to this tie and, at 11/4 to score any time for Basel, the Kosovan-born Swiss international is worth consideration.

Marseille v Inter Milan

Elsewhere, Marseille’s home stalemate against Valenciennes on Saturday suggests they are not quite hitting their straps ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Inter Milan. The French outfit are 12 points adrift of pace-setters Paris Saint Germain in Ligue 1 and they scraped through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League, winning just one of their three home ties in Group F.

But in truth there is little between these two sides. Inter Milan’s 3-0 home defeat to Bologna on Friday re-affirmed their domestic shortcomings this term and, following their elimination from the Coppa Italia, the Champions League represents manager Claudio Ranieri’s last hope of delivering a trophy this season.

Marseille’s come-from-behind victory away at Borussia Dortmund sent them through to the last 16 and added momentum to their European campaign, while Inter Milan were undefeated away from home as they qualified for the last 16 as winners of Group B. Inter will prove difficult to beat, though Marseille’s home form in domestic competition has been good, with just one defeat in 13 and only eight goals conceded.

With this in mind, the draw at 9/4 looks good value, as does the 0-0 correct score selection at 11/2.

Andre Ayew and Loic Remy have netted twice in the Champions League for Marseille, though top domestic scorer Remy misses this clash with a hamstring injury. For Inter, Argentine marksmen Diego Milito is the danger-man, although he has found it difficult to replicate his domestic goal-scoring form in Europe, netting just once.

With this in mind, those who expect to see goals tomorrow evening might consider Marseille’s Ayew, who is not bad value at 11/2 to net first on Wednesday.

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Balotelli v Hulk Part II

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Mario Balotelli was the subject of alleged racist chanting in Porto last week and the Manchester City striker is a top industry priced 5/1 with Totesport to open the scoring in the return leg of the Europa League last 32 tie.

Balotelli hauled City back into the first leg when he forced the mistake from Porto defender Alvaro Pereira that led to their equaliser at the Dragao.

The Italian is likely to be City’s dangerman again (6/1 Two or More goals) as Roberto Mancini prepares to send out a similar line-up to the one he fielded in Portugal – with Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero probably on the bench.

And a fired-up Balotelli against a weakened Porto back four, missing the injured Danilo and the suspended Alvaro Periera, could wreak havoc as City bid to knock out the holders.

Porto will put the emphasis on attack as they look to overturn the 2-1 first-leg deficit and coach Vitor Pereira knows his side will probably have to score at least two goals at the Etihad Stadium.

His most potent weapon is Hulk, the Brazilian striker who set up Varela for the opener last week, and the striker possesses a phenomenal record for grabbing goals away from home.

This season has not been as prolific as last term for the pacy forward, when he scored 14 of his 31 domestic and Europa League goals away from home.

But he has hit the back of the net in three of Porto’s last five away trips and could be worthy of support in the anytime goalscorer market at 9/4.

City have shown vulnerability in the early stages of their European ties, conceding early goals against Napoli and Villarreal in the Champions League while also going behind after 27 minutes of the first leg.

So Hulk to score the first goal (8/1) but Balotelli to score the last goal (4/1) could be a more rewarding play on those markets while Porto to be leading at half-time may also turn out to be profitable.

FC Porto/Draw is available at  12/1 in the Half-time/Full-Time market, but beware that City could catch the visitors on the break if the holders are going for a late winner.

And with City unbeaten in 15 European home fixtures – 12 wins and three draws since a 1-0 Uefa Cup first-round loss against FC Midtjylland on 14 August 2008 – FC Porto/Manchester City should certainly be covered at 25/1 in a smaller-stake bet.

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ЦСКА – «Реал Мадрид» – Давид против Голиафа!

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Футбол. Лига Чемпионов. 1/8 Финала

ЦСКА – Реал Мадрид. На прошлой неделе «Зенит» победоносно открыл лиго-чемпионский сезон победой над «Бенфикой». А вот если ЦСКА сможет сыграть на своем поле хотя бы вничью – это будет уже большимReal Benzema look 1 300x205 ЦСКА Реал Мадрид Давид против Голиафа! достижением, так как все мы можем наблюдать, что «Реал» и «Барселона» находятся просто в другой футбольной галактике. Кто не верит, просто посмотрите последний матч «Барселоны» с «Валенсией».

Ну а что же «армейцы»? За зиму они потеряли Вагнера Лава, который как не крути, а являлся символом их атаки на протяжении многих лет. И пускай в последний сезон он играл исключительно по настроению, но именно в матчах с таким соперником, как, «Реал», его будет не хватать.

Безусловно, есть и приобретения, другое дело, что кореец Ким Ин Сун и нигериец Ахмед Муса персонажи для нас пока неизвестные. Судьба южнокорейского полузащитника весьма примечательна: еще в прошлом сезоне он играл на любительском уровне у себя на родине, а сейчас ему, возможно, предстоит сдерживать Криштиану Роналду. С другой стороны, селекционеры «красно-синих» очень редко допускают ошибки, поэтому нет причин им не доверять. Кроме того, со слов самого Кима, он уверенно выбегает стометровку из 11 секунд!

Неотвратимость  победы «Реала» настолько очевидная, что может показаться неизбежной. Но, как мне кажется, именно в этой неизбежности и кроется шанс ЦСКА 8.00 на положительный исход. С другой стороны, помочь «армейцам» может только недооценка силы соперника со стороны «сливочных». Есть только одна проблема… Команды Жозе Моуринью никогда не проигрывали российским клубам…

Потери «мадридистов» 1.40 несущественны, так как Ди Мария не играет в общей сложности уже несколько месяцев, а Диарра и Алтынтоп не являются игроками основы. В такой ситуации помощниками дружины Леонида Слуцкого будут российские морозы и поддержка зрителей! По предварительным данным все билеты были проданы еще на прошлой неделе!

Положа руку на сердце, мы понимаем, что в двухматчевом противостоянии шансы «армейцев» крайне малы, но тем и прекрасен футбол, что он преподносит нам сюрпризы чаще, чем мы ожидаем. Об этом я хочу напомнить тем, кто считает, что ставка на проход «Реала» 1.10 в следующую стадию сродни банковскому депозитному счету!

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Tricky Seaside trip for Hammers

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There are three important matches in the Championship on Tuesday evening which will all have a big impact on the promotion race, with the pick of the games coming at Bloomfield Road where Blackpool and West Ham go head to head.

Blackpool v West Ham (8pm)

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce takes his side north to the Lancashire coast for a tough assignment against Ian Holloway’s Tangerines looking to make a swift return to the top of the Championship after Southampton knocked them off their perch with a 4-0 win against Derby on Saturday.

However, they will have to try and pick up the maximum points without the suspended pairing of skipper Kevin Nolan and Matt Taylor following their respective recent red cards.

It will be a blow for Allardyce, who has seen his side struggle on the road in recent weeks as they have won one, drawn one and lost four of their previous six away matches.

Blackpool, who are five points behind West Ham going into the game and can go third with a win, are unbeaten in their last six on home soil with three wins and three draws, so will no doubt be confident ahead of this showdown.

The Seasiders have a much better record in the overall meetings between the two sides, but the Hammers thrashed them 4-0 at Upton Park earlier in this campaign and triumphed 3-1 in last season’s Premier League clash at the same venue.

A close match looks to be in the offing and it is difficult to pick a winner so a draw is perhaps the likely outcome.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 9/4
Value Bet: West Ham/Draw HT/FT @ 12/1

Barnsley v Birmingham (7.45pm)

Chris Hughton takes his high-flying Blues to South Yorkshire looking to cement their place in the play-off places with three points following an impressive 1-1 draw at Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

A win could take Birmingham up to third if Blackpool fail to defeat West Ham and they head to Oakwell in great form on the road with four wins from their last six outings, with 17 goals scored and just three conceded.

It won’t be easy against Keith Hill’s Tykes, who defeated crisis club Portsmouth 2-0 on Saturday and are set to hand Stephen Dawson and David Cotterill first appearances.

Barnsley are in mid-table and have won three and lost three of their last six at home so it could be a case of waiting to see which team turns up on the night.

Regardless of that, we suggest the Blues will have too much for the Yorkshiremen and should continue their march up the Championship table.

Prediction: Away Win 90 Minutes @ 11/10
Value Bet: Birmingham To Win 3-1 Correct Score @ 16/1

Millwall v Middlesbrough (7.45pm)

Middlesbrough head down to south London refreshed following a weekend off and no doubt buoyed by their first win of 2012 against Nottingham Forest last Tuesday which has left them handily placed in eighth spot and just one point off the play-off places.

Tony Mowbray’s side had been in the top six all season until a disastrous January saw them slip down the Championship table.

However, Boro seem to have settled the ship of late with the win against Forest following on from draws against Crystal Palace and Leicester in the league.

Barry Robson is set to return from a hand injury and could replace midfielder Kevin Thomson who starts a two-match suspension after his red card against Forest.

The game will come too soon for Nicky Bailey, while Scott McDonald is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.

Millwall come into the game on the back of their FA Cup fifth-round defeat at the hands of Bolton at the New Den looking for a win to move nine points clear of the relegation places.

However, with just one win and two draws from their last six in all competitions on home soil it is not good reading for Kenny Jackett’s men.

The Londoners are boosted by their great overall record against Boro, with 13 home wins and only four defeats from 23 previous home encounters. But Boro will take comfort from their 3-2 win in last season’s corresponding fixture.

Another difficult game to call and, with both sides being amongst the Championship’s draw specialists, it would not be a surprise if they share the spoils on Tuesday.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 9/4
 Value Bet: 1-1 Draw Correct Score @ 11/2

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Champions League picks

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Warm-up wins for CSKA Moscow against the likes of Videoton, Kryla Soveotov and Politehnica Timisoara is hardly ideal preparation for the visit of nine-time European champions Real Madrid – and Chelsea must be vulnerable going to Napoli in the Champions League in Tuesday’s picks.

Forget any notion of Spanish sunshine, Real can expect temperatures to drop as low as -5C in Moscow for their round of 16 first-leg clash against the Army Men (CSKA Moscow 7/1 draw 10/3 Real Madrid 4/9 – 90 minutes).

However, the freezing weather is likely to be the only obstacle standing in the way of Spain’s capital club recording a fourth straight away win on the road in Europe so far this season.

Jose Mourinho’s men have also not even conceded a goal away from the Santiago Bernabeu and the Portuguese coach, a two-time winner of Europe’s elite club competition, has too many established professionals at his disposal to worry about the cold.

The La Liga table-toppers ’scored in both halves’ away to Lyon and Ajax in the Champions League already this season, so the 6/5 about the same outcome at the Stadion Luzhniki could appeal.

CSKA will draw inspiration from a record against Spanish opponents which shows no defeats in a total of five games, home and away, but Real Madrid are a class above and a lack of genuine match sharpness means this is a massive ask for the Russians.

Leonid Slutsky will also be missing Russia’s number one goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev, meaning Sergey Chepchugov will make only his seventh appearance for the club.

If under-pressure Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is hoping for a kind fixture at the Stadio San Paolo away from the spotlight, he is sadly mistaken.

Napoli ended Manchester City’s hopes in the Champions League group stage and will be desperate to claim another Premier League scalp when the west Londoners arrive in Naples for the first-ever meeting between the two sides.

Since returning to continental competition after 13 years in 2008, the Serie A high-flyers have gone 11 matches unbeaten and, priced generously at 13/10 (draw 9/4, Chelsea 9/4 – 90 minutes), stand their best chance of adding to the turmoil at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have slipped out of the top four in the Premier League and were held to a 1-1 draw by Championship side Birmingham in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, while Villas-Boas has been forced to deny claims his job is on the line and Daniel Sturridge has rubbished reports of a dressing-room revolt.

Forget the behind-the-scenes nonsense, the truth is Chelsea are not playing well enough – they have won just one of their last six games in all competitions – a 1-0 win away at QPR in the FA Cup – and the best they can hope for in Italy is to avoid defeat.

This is the stage Napoli’s principal striker Edinson Cavani relishes and he scored twice against Roberto Mancini’s men.

At 11/8, and against a vulnerable Chelsea defence potentially missing John Terry, the Uruguay powerhouse simply cannot be ignored to ‘score anytime‘.

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Home advantage to aid Zaragoza

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Bet on La LigaAfter yet another fascinating weekend of La Liga action, round 23 finishes on Monday with an intriguing match between bottom-of-the-table Real Zaragoza and struggling Real Betis. Both sides know that three points could go a long way to sealing their Primera future (Zaragoza 8/5, draw 9/4, Betis 13/8).

The season so far has been a disaster both on and off the field for Zaragoza. It appears their financial woes are now being reflected on the pitch and with only 15 points to their name, they look almost certain to be relegated.

However, there is hope and in recent games they have looked an altogether stronger unit. Their defending has been much improved, most notably in last weekend’s 2-0 win at Espanyol. This is mainly down to new coach Manolo Jimenez, who we know from his time at Sevilla likes to play cautious, counter-attacking football. His influence could keep the Blanquillos in the division and their solid formation is sure to pose Betis a number of problems.

However, you also need to score goals and in former Tottenham striker Helder Postiga, they certainly have a player who can find the net. The Portuguese international was the Aragon club’s major signing of the summer but he is yet to find consistency for his new side and has only netted five times in 20 matches. Despite this though, he is sure to be sniffing around the box at La Romareda so don’t be surprised if he scores.

Betis (13/2 to win 1-0) have been one of the surprise packages of the season following their promotion from the second division last term. However, having started the campaign superbly, their form has dipped. They will have some confidence after winning last week at home to Bilbao but it’s at home where they garner most of their points and they often struggle to find any form on the road.

Their key man is often striker Roque Santa Cruz who is currently on-loan from Premier League leaders Manchester City (4/7 Premier League outright). The Paraguayan is seen as one of the most creative players in the game but is often found lacking when it comes to scoring goals. However, with his talent, he’ll relish playing against Zaragoza’s shaky back four so look out for him to have a big say on the outcome of the match.

However, home advantage could play a big part and following their victory last week, Manolo Jimenez’s side will be confident of taking the three points. It should be close though so expect a tight and cagey game (Zaragoza 17/2 to win 2-1).

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Carlisle out to impress

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With only one game taking place in the Football League on Monday night, all eyes will be on the clash between Brentford and Carlisle United at Griffin Park (Brentford 21/20, draw 12/5, Carlisle 13/5).

Both teams are battling in the top half of the League One table, as they hope to secure a place in the play-offs come the end of the regular season.

Brentford find themselves eight points off the top six and need to start picking up wins soon if they want to stay in the running for the post-season action.

The Bees have some serious goal threats, with former Millwall forward Gary Alexander and Clayton Donaldson looking dangerous in attacking positions.

Alexander has 14 goals to his name in all competitions this season and Carlisle will be fully aware of the danger he poses from his time with the Lions, when they were in the third tier of English football.

Brentford’s season stalled due to the freezing conditions over recent weeks, with back-to-back games against Oldham and Preston going by the wayside due to the cold.

The Bees got back into action in their last outing against Colchester United, but looked rusty in the encounter and went down 2-1 at the Community Stadium.

Manager Uwe Rosler will be looking to put that game behind his players as they get back into the momentum of playing week in week out.

The German will be preparing his side to take on a Cumbrians side who find themselves just two points off the top six with 16 games of the season remaining.

Cumbrians manager Greg Abbott is looking forward to the televised clash on Monday night, as he wants his side to show what they are all about.

Promotion has been a long-term target for the Blues, with the club regularly pushing at the top half of the table.

Abbott has highlighted Brentford’s strong defence and it will be down to the likes of strikers Lee Miller and Francois Zoko to try and get their names on the scoresheet on Monday.

The attacking pair have 10 goals apiece in all competitions this term but were unable to break the deadlock in United’s last outing, as they played out a goalless draw with Tranmere last Tuesday.

Abbott will be boosted by the news the club have been able to keep hold of attacking youngster Jordan Cook, who has extended his loan deal at Brunton Park from Premier League outfit Sunderland.

The 21-year-old striker is likely to add to his four appearances on Monday night as he goes in search of his first goal for Carlisle.

This looks like it will be a closely fought affair, with both teams desperate to stay in the running for the play-offs this term (11/1 for 1-1 draw at full-time).

With both teams struggling for goals, defences might just come out on top in this one and a draw looks like a likely result between two evenly matched sides (4/1 Draw first half/Draw second half).

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