Author Archives: SoccerCapper

Hart still beating strong for City

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Manchester City (1/4 in Match Betting) have suffered a lot lately but Roberto Mancini’s side can crank up the noise levels while their neighbours wait to play on Monday – with a win at home to Sunderland (12/1, Draw 5/1) on Saturday.

City’s draw at Stoke City last weekend has been painted as two points dropped by most of the media, but not many teams have won at the Britannia Stadium – and Manchester United didn’t either when they went there earlier this season.

It could be seen as a point gained and one recovered from a losing position after Peter Crouch closed all entries for the goal of the season competition with a stupendous strike.

City keeper Joe Hart must be getting sick of playing another cameo role in this year’s goal of the season, but he appears to be one of the City players who remain in good form as we head into the last eight weeks of the season.

Vincent Kompany’s return from injury is a key moment in the title race and he can marshal the City back four to a clean sheet against the Black Cats – who will be on a big downer after exiting the FA Cup at home to Everton in midweek.

Sergio Aguero’s injury is a blow, but more so if he misses out against Arsenal next week because City have the firepower to bag a couple against Sunderland (11/2 2-0 Man City in Correct Score) with Carlos Tevez (11/10) a potential anytime goalscorer.

In the other Saturday Premier League matches, Everton (4/5) are a team to keep on your side at the moment and should be too strong for streaky West Brom (7/2, Draw 13/5) at Goodison Park.

Roy Hodgson’s side have picked up one point from their last three matches, and should have been beaten by Wigan in the match where they got a draw.

They appear to fare better against the physical teams, particularly away from home – having won at Stoke, Blackburn and Wolves since December – but are liable to lose to the craftier sides.

Everton have demonstrated they fall into this bracket and should pick up three points – and another clean sheet.

The Toffees have tightened up defensively, conceding only two goals in their last six home matches and now boasting the fourth best goals against record in the Premier League.

However, with Leighton Baines (16/1 First Goalscorer) standing proudly as their top goalscorer, they are still far from prolific.

Nikica Jelavic (5/4 Anytime) is showing signs of taking on the scoring mantle and may be worth a bet to be the Last Goalscorer – rather than the first – in case he does not start (9/2).

Chelsea (5/6) got back to winning ways against Benfica in midweek and normally they would have too much for Aston Villa (7/2, Draw 13/5).

But Saturday’s match could easily lack the intensity of a Champions League clash for them and, with changes due, it may be that a draw is the most likely result.

Villa would probably settle for a draw and, judging by the Blues’ inability to find the net at home to Spurs last week, 0-0 (15/2 in Correct Score) might be the order of the day again.

Queens Park Rangers (7/2) could make it tough for Arsenal (5/6), but the Gunners’ form continues to impress and they should overcome the Hoops with a glut of goals in the second half (Evens – 2nd Half in Half Most Goals).

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Crunch time in Championship

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There are three vital matches at the top of the Championship on Saturday as the race for promotion hots up. Southampton are looking good for automatic promotion and we will begin our preview by looking at their clash with Blackpool (Southampton 1/4 Championship Outright).

Blackpool v Southampton

Southampton are six points clear at the top of the table and are favourites to take the title and with it return to the promised land.

And their recent form suggests there is no reason to doubt that they will do so, with 26 points taken from the last 10 games and no defeats.

That is title-winning form in anyone’s book and it only seems a matter of time before Nigel Adkins will be plotting his tactics to try keep the Saints in the top flight next season.

But he will not want his side to falter right at the death and will be wary of the Tangerines, who are just outside the play-off zone and desperate for the points to ensure they take part in the post-season.

It has not been a good month so far for Ian Holloway’s side, who have taken just five points from seven games in March.

Defeat at Reading last time out saw them slip out of the top six and they will be looking to get something from this game regardless of the standard of opposition.

The north-west outfit will be without striker Roman Bednar, while Southampton top scorer Rickie Lambert is expected to be fit after recovering from a minor pelvic injury against Doncaster.

Southampton have drawn plenty of games on their travels this term, while Blackpool have only lost three at home and so a draw might be worth looking at here.

Odds: Blackpool 7/4, Southampton 6/4, draw 12/5.

West Ham v Reading

The Hammers take on Reading in a match that could go a long way to determining which club join Southampton in going up automatically.

Sam Allardyce’s men are just one point behind second-place Reading and so there is still everything to play for.

The Londoners have not lost in their past 10 games but have drawn seven of those matches to slip out of the top two.

The Hammers’ faithful have begun to criticise Allardyce’s style of play as there is a tradition of attractive football at Upton Park – not something that is readily associated with Big Sam.

West Ham have not won on their own patch since February 4, with five consecutive draws and it appears the fans have had enough.

Pressure is mounting and the last side that Allardyce would want to see given the circumstances is the Royals, who have taken 16 points from seven games in March and are peaking at just the right time.

Brain McDermott’s men have already won 10 times on the road this season and there is every reason to suggest they will make it 11 on Saturday.

West Ham had to play a re-arranged fixture at Peterborough on Tuesday and Reading will be the fresher of the two clubs heading into the showdown.

Odds: West Ham 5/4, Reading 11/5, draw 23/10.

Brighton v Middlesbrough

There is another clash between two sides in close proximity as the fourth-place Gulls entertain a Boro side in fifth.

Results have been mixed for the south-coast club in March with nine points from six games and they were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest last weekend.

They have already won 11 times at home this season but will be facing one of the best sides away from home in the division.

The Teessiders have already picked up three points on nine occasions, which is just as well, as they have not won enough game at home to challenge for automatic promotion.

Gus Poyet’s side have lost just once in their last 10 games but do draw a lot of games and so Tony Mowbray will not be without hope after travelling all the way from the north east to Brighton.

Craig Mackail-Smith is fit for Brighton after a virus and will compete with Sam Vokes for a starting spot, while Will Buckley and Adam El-Abd are also both available.

Boro skipper Matthew Bates will be absent because of a serious knee injury suffered at Ipswich and Stephen McManus could feature after being recalled from his loan spell at Bristol City.

Odds: Brighton 6/5, Boro 11/5, draw 12/5.

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Blue night ahead for Rovers

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Friday’s Championship action sees a huge game between Doncaster Rovers and Birmingham City which will have an impact on the battle for play-off places and the fight against relegation.

Dean Saunders still appears confident that Rovers can escape the drop to League One, despite the fact that they are stuck in a poor run of results of three draws and three defeats which has ultimately seen them fall to the foot of the table.

The Welsh coach has targeted three successive wins from the game against the Blues at the Keepmoat Stadium, a trip to Leicester and the Easter Monday visit of Burnley to claw back the four-point deficit to the final position of safety.

Looking to the Birmingham game and Rovers will have to end a nine-game sequence without a win in front of their own fans if they are to pick up three points, while they have only managed 15 goals on home soil so far this season – the worst record in the Championship.

Shelton Martis and Pascal Chimbonda could be set to miss out for Rovers which will not help their need to come out on top in this one.

Chris Hughton’s Birmingham have also hit a sticky patch at just the wrong time as they look to seal a place in the end-of-season play-off places in order to keep alive their bid for an immediate return to the Premier League.

Just two wins in the last eight outings have left the Blues in sixth position, but only on goal difference ahead of Blackpool and Cardiff, while Hull and Leeds are also within striking distance should there be a slip-up in south Yorkshire.

Hughton will be boosted by having David Murphy back from suspension and he will return on the left side of defence, while Peter Ramage is set to stay on the right in the absence of Jonathan Spector and Stephen Carr.

Nikola Zigic is pressing for a recall, possibly at the expense of Erik Huseklepp, in the forward line as he bids to add to his goals tally, while there is a chance that both Pablo Ibanez and Keith Fahey could shake off injury problems in time to be available.

The two sides have only faced each other eight times competitively with the previous meeting at the Keepmoat Stadium seeing Birmingham come out on top 2-0 during the 2008/09 season thanks to first-half goals from Cameron Jerome and Hameur Bouazza.

Marlon King’s brace helped the Blues come from a goal down to seal a 2-1 win in the corresponding fixture at St Andrew’s in December and they will be looking to secure a similar result on Friday evening.

It is being billed as a must-win encounter for both sides and, despite Doncaster being unfortunate not to pick up more points than they have of late, Birmingham should have too much in attack in their quest for play-off points.

Prediction: Away Win 90 Minutes @ Evens

Value Bet: Birmingham To Win 2-0 Correct Score @ 8/1

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Ставки на матч «Милан» – Барселона»! «Бавария» сыграет с «Марселем».

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Футбол. Лига Чемпионов. 1/4 Финала

Милан – Барселона. Самая заманчивая вывеска четвертьфиналов Лиги Чемпионов! Эта пара имеет немалый опытApril 2011 team 1 300x213 Ставки на матч «Милан» Барселона»! «Бавария» сыграет с «Марселем». борьбы друг с другом. За всю историю эти команды встречались между собой 13 раз, и надо сказать, почти во всех показателях наблюдается равенство: 4 раза побеждал «Милан», 4 раза была зафиксирована ничья, ну и 5 раз победу праздновала «Барселона». Стоит учесть и тот факт, что последнюю победу «сине-гранатовые» вырвали на «Сан-Сиро» буквально этой осенью. Фаворит в данном противостоянии – «Барса», но в историческом формате соперники равны.

«Красной линией» в этом соперничестве будут проходить взаимоотношения Златана Ибрагимовича и Хосепа Гвардиолы. По словам форварда, он еще не решил – подаст ли он руку наставнику «Барселоны». Если кто-то не следил за судьбой шведского форварда, то напомню, что он стал самым дорогим приобретением для «Барселоны» 1.75 за всю её историю, но как порой бывает, самое дорогое – не значит самое лучшее…

Отыграв сезон за «сине-гранатовых» и конфликтовав непосредственно с Гвардиолой, он перешел в «Милан», но как выяснилось, обид не забыл.

Как мы знаем, личная виндетта может придавать невероятных сил людям. Вот и я, глядя непосредственно на сегодняшний матч и видя коэффициент на «Милан» 4.20, задался вопросом: «А почему бы и нет?». На своем поле «Барса» может и «дожать» «россонери», но сегодня «Милан» может как минимум не проиграть? А возможно и Ибрагимович забьет?

Олимпик Марсель – Бавария. Если немцы будут играть, как с «Базелем» на своем поле, то исход противостояния может решиться уже сегодня, но как мне кажется, в этой паре мы получим классический пример изменения поведения команд в зависимости от места проведения матча.

Фаворитом матча считается «Бавария» 1.83, но как мы знаем, в этом сезоне стабильность не относится к добродетелям баварцев. Так что я бы не был уверен в победе «Баварии», да и ничья немцев наверняка устроит.

В конце-концов «Марсель» 4.25 в предыдущей стадии одолел не кого-нибудь, а миланский «Интер»! Кто-то скажет, что французам повезло в концовке игры в Милане, но, как мы знаем, везет сильнейшим…

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Home rule in Europa quarters

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Following the drama of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday and Wednesday, it’s the Europa League last eight ties that take centre stage on Thursday. Here we preview the four first-leg matches.
Despite no English involvement, there is still plenty for punters to consider in Europe’s second tier competition as it nears its conclusion, with veteran European campaigners Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Schalke and Sporting all still involved, while Manchester United’s conquerors Athletic Bilbao will be hoping to build on that famous triumph at Old Trafford.

AZ Alkmaar v Valencia

AZ remain, along with German underdogs Hannover, the outsiders to go on and win the Europa League (both 16/1 outright) but they will fancy their chances of at least holding Spanish giants Valencia at home in the first leg.

The in-form Dutch side are an attractive 13/8 to come out on top on Thursday, with Los Che available at 17/10 and the draw 9/4. That maybe just the astute bet here but a home win is the prediction.
AZ have had a superb season so far, and are currently top of the Eredivisie, losing just five league games all season, while they are unbeaten in six domestically. Add to that the fact they saw off a talented Udinese side in the last round and Valencia have plenty to fear ahead of this intriguing clash.

Prediction – Home win.

Atletico Madrid v Hannover

This is the home banker of the four games on Thursday and it’s hard to look past a comfortable win for the Spanish side (take 2-0 at 11/2).

The German outfit have exceeded expectations to get this far in the tournament and are a creditable eighth in the Bundesliga but will surely find it tough going in the intimidating Vicente Calderon.

Atletico are odds-on (1/2) to win the first leg while Hannover (6/1) are rightly the outsiders. However, recent form has been good with two impressive wins over Cologne and Standard Liege (4-1 and 4-0) before a narrow 2-1 defeat at in-form Bayern Munich last time out.

That will give the visitors hope of causing an upset on Thursday and it’s likely to be tight in the first half but Atletico should ultimately prevail (HT/FT – Draw/Atletico – 10/3).

Prediction – Home win.

Schalke v Athletic Bilbao

Bilbao will be bouyant following the superb deserved two-leg triumph over United and will rightly now fancy their chances of progressing even further in the competition. They can be backed at a value 10/3 to win the Europa League outright and they have the talent to go to Schalke and win this week (Bilbao 23/10, Schalke 23/20, draw 12/5).

The Gelsenkirchen-based side emphatically beat FC Twente 4-1 last time out in the competition to book their last-eight place so will again be difficult to beat in front of a passionate home support and they go into the game on the back of a three-game winning in the Bundesliga. However, we fancy an away win here to keep the Bilbao bandwagon on course.

Prediction – Away win.

Sporting Lisbon v Metalist

Another home win looks on the cards in this one as Portuguese giants Sporting host the Ukrainian underdogs (Sporting EVENS, Metalist 11/4, draw 12/5).

Sporting produced their best performances of the season to see off Manchester City in the last round and they now take on a weaker Metalist for a place in the semi-finals. They will not underestimate their opponents and a disappointing domestic campaign to date, which has left them fifth in the table, points to the fact all is not well at the club, but don’t be surprised to see a comfortable home win here.

Metalist are third in the up-and-coming Ukraine league (behind the traditional big two of Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk) and were extremely impressive when seeing off Salzburg 8-1 on aggregate in the last round but this is another test completely and first-leg disappointment looms for the visitors.

Prediction – Home win.

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«Реал Мадрид» экзаменует АПОЭЛ. Ставки на матч «Бенфика» – «Челси».

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Футбол. Лига Чемпионов. 1/4 Финала

АПОЭЛ – Реал Мадрид. За последние недели «Реал» 1.28 успел подогреть интерес к чемпионату Испании, правда,kaka happy 1 240x300 «Реал Мадрид» экзаменует АПОЭЛ. Ставки на матч Бенфика Челси. сделал он это «за свой счет», так как подопечные Жозе Моуринью в рамках Примеры два раза сыграли вничью. За счет этого две победы «Барселоны» сократили отставание от «сливочных» до 6 очков, но теперь в жизни Мадрида наступает Лига Чемпионов, а это совсем другая история…

Соперником у королевского клуба значится скромный кипрский АПОЭЛ, который сенсационно на стадии 1/8 Финала выбил из розыгрыша французский «Лион», правда, если вспомнить из какой группы киприоты вышли в эту самую 1/8, то приставку «сенсационно» можно и убрать. В любом случае, для «островитян» 10.00 выход в 1/4 Финала уже самое значимое событие в истории клуба.

Последней интересной трансферной новостью, взбудоражевшей футбольный мир, стало известие о желании «Челси», который сегодня также продолжит выступления в Лиге Чемпионов, купить Криштиану Роналду и Гонсало Игуаина за 83 миллиона фунтов. На сколько это реально, пока судить сложно, так как, по моему мнению, такую сумму могут запросить и за одного Роналду без Игуаина…

Матч на Кипре будет мало результативен, так что Тотал Меньше 2.5 весьма вероятен.

Бенфика – Челси. После последнего матча в Лиге Чемпионов фанаты «Челси» 3.00 готовы на руках носить Роберто ди Маттео, так как на то, что «аристократы» смогут пройти «Наполи», мало кто рассчитывал. В любом случае, поспешное выдворение Виллаша-Боаша теперь выглядит вполне оправданным. А проект «Моуринью 2.0» признан неудачным.

Ситуация в чемпионате у «Челси» остается незавидной, 5 очков от «Тоттенхэма» и в запасе всего 8 туров. Если «синие» пройдут «Бенфику» 2.35, что мне лично кажется более чем реальным мероприятием, то возможно им будет легче её выиграть, чем оказаться на 4-м месте в своем чемпионате.

«Бенфика» будет вынуждена играть на победу в этом матче, так как «горький опыт» «Наполи» показывает, что даже 3:1 на своем поле могут обернуться форменным кошмаром на «Стэмфорд Бридж».

Главный тренер «Бенфики» Жорже Жезус при этом заявил, что его команда не понесется сломя голову к воротам соперника в первом матче, но что-то мне кажется, что он лукавит, и от этого матча можно ожидать более результативной игры, чем на Кипре.

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Barca ready for Milan test

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Barcelona as usual are hitting form at the right point of the season but will face a test when they take on unpredictable AC Milan at the San Siro on Wednesday in the Champions League (AC Milan 4/1, draw 11/4, Barcelona 8/11 – Match Prices).

There has not been a more Jeckyll and Hyde pair of performances than the ones witnessed in Milan’s last-16 double-header with Premier League outfit Arsenal in the last round.

The Italians dominated the first leg at the San Siro as they completely out-gunned the Gunners with an accomplished display in front of their fanatical support. However, the Serie A outfit crumbled at the Emirates and were lucky to scrape through to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Manager Massimiliano Allegri will be determined for his side to put on a similar home performance to their demolition of Arsenal when they host the European champions this week.

Zlatan Ibrahimovich (7/1 – First Goalscorer), Robinho and Kevin Prince Boateng were on fire that night and they will certainly be a trio who can cause problems for the sometimes shaky Barca backline.

Likewise Milan have leaked goals at the back this season and with the loss of Thiago Silva to injury, Allegri is going to have to shuffle his pack for Wednesday night.

Barcelona could be smelling blood already and the pace they have throughout their side is going to keep the likes of Alessandro Nesta and Daniele Bonera awake at night.

The Catalan club’s goal-machine Lionel Messi (11/4 – First Goalscorer) is the top scorer in the Champions League this season with seven to his name so far. So do not be surprised if the Argentine magician dances his way through the Milan defence to add to his tally in the competition.

Even when the playmaker does not have the ball he draws the attention of defenders which creates space for those around him, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Pedro set to be a threat at the San Siro.

The game will depend on which Milan turns up on the night; if they can repeat their efforts from their first clash with Arsenal they may well be able to hold the La Liga giants.

However, Barcelona have so many attacking options and keep the ball so well that they should be able to bag a couple of vital away goals and take a lead back to the Nou Camp.

In Wednesday’s other Champions quarter-final Marseille host Bayern Munich in a massive game for the Ligue 1 side (Marseille 7/2, draw 5/2, Bayern Munich 5/6 – Match Betting).

The encounter at the Stade Velodrome will see the return of Bayern star Franck Ribery (7/4 Anytime Goalscorer) to his former club in the first competitive meeting between the two teams.

It looks likely that Marseille won’t be happy to see the return of the French international, as he is part of strong Bayern side who are more than capable of getting a comfortable win in the south of France.

Les Phoceens have lost nine of their last 19 games in this competition at the Stade Velodrome and you should be able to add another defeat to that tally come the final whistle on Wednesday night.

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Real to dish out reality check

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Real Madrid can get the job done in Cyprus to shatter any hope APEOL have of causing the biggest upset in the club’s history – and travel-sick Chelsea face another awkward test on the road against Benfica as the quarter-finals of the Champions League get underway on Tuesday.

APOEL v Real Madrid

Much has been made of surprise package APOEL’s remarkable run to the last eight of Europe’s marquee club competition but it is difficult to envisage the fairytale continuing at the expense of nine-time European winners Real Madrid.

True, the Cypriot minnows have won five of their seven home games in this season’s competition but Jose Mourinho’s expensively assembled La Liga title-chasers are simply a class apart.

The wily Portuguese coach also has enough senior professionals in his ranks to deal with the much-heralded reception likely to face Spain’s capital club at the intimidating 23,000-capacity GSP Stadium in Nicosia.

It is without question the biggest game in APOEL’s history but one questions whether the Cypriots could get caught up in a bit of shirt swapping and star gazing rather than the job in hand.

“We’ve done something exceptional, something that can never happen again,” said APOEL president Phivos Erotokritou.

Real Madrid have won seven of their eight games in this season’s Champions League and are priced accordingly at 2/7 (APOEL 10/1, draw 9/2 – 90 minutes) but it may pay to avoid any exotic scorelines.

One option would be to split stakes on a 1-0 and 2-0 job done-type outcome given that Real have only conceded one goal in four European away trips this season, while Under 2.5 goals is quoted at a not-too-shabby price of 6/5.

In-form striker Cristiano Ronaldo has registered five goals in his last four European matches and at the weekend smashed the 100-goal personal milestone for the club. The Portuguese superstar can be backed at 9/4 in the first and last goalscorer markets.

Benfica v Chelsea

Benfica have won 11 of their last 12 games at the Stadium of Light and can book a place in the semi-finals for the first time in 22 years to send England’s last representatives packing.

Compare that statistic to Chelsea’s overall away form – the west Londoners have won only one of their last six away games, against Birmingham in the FA Cup – and it is hard to make a case for the Blues at 2/1 (Benfica 11/8, draw 23/10 – 90 minutes).

On the road in Europe and the omens looks even worse given that Chelsea have not triumphed away from Stamford Bridge since a 2-0 win against Copenhagen over a year ago.

Much was made of the manner in which Roberto Di Matteo’s men overturned a first-leg deficit against Napoli to get this far, but everything went for them on the night and, let’s not forget, they still conceded.

A drab goalless draw against Tottenham at the weekend proved a fixture to forget and served as a reminder that their problems remain in attack.

Benfica have kept three clean sheets in six games on home soil in Europe this season and the ‘to win to nil’ option is available at 11/4.

They have been ahead in four out of those six games by half-time and can be backed at 3/1 in the Benfica/Benfica half-time full-time market.

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United set to return to summit

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Manchester United may have been knocked off the top of the table by rivals Manchester City on Saturday, but with only goal difference separating the top two, a Red Devils victory against Fulham on Monday will fire them three points clear.

With the title race entering its final stages, things have begun to heat up between the two Manchester sides at the top of the Premier League.

The war of words off the field is well and truly on after Sir Alex Ferguson angrily responded to claims by City’s Football Development Executive Patrick Vieira that bringing Paul Scholes out of retirement was an act of desperation.

The Scot duly criticised City’s decision to bring Carlos Tevez back into the fold after his self-imposed exile, the United boss also insisting he had ‘plenty of ammunition’ to throw back at City should they continue to engage in mind games.

Entering mind games is all part of Ferguson’s and United’s well-worn path to title glory, which obviously includes a strong finish in the run-in.

While City appear to be floundering, United are clicking into top gear at the right time, winning 25 points from a possible 27 since losing back-to-back games at the turn of the year.

They are also doing so in fine style – the Red Devils have scored 73 goals in 29 league games, the most by any top-flight club at this stage of the season since Tottenham in 1963-64.

Fulham meanwhile go into this game hoping to bounce back after two successive defeats – the latest a 3-0 home hammering by Swansea.

However, Old Trafford is probably the worst ground for the Cottagers to go to looking for a win – they have only avoided defeat there once in 49 years, a 3-1 victory in 2003.

Since then, United have racked up eight consecutive home wins over the Londoners, scoring 22 goals.

It isn’t surprising therefore that United are just 2/9 for the victory, meaning you will have to look elsewhere for betting value.

With 10 goals in his last eight league and cup games, Wayne Rooney simply cannot be ignored in the first scorer markets. He is 5/2 to score first, with the odds of 11/4 to score two or more also worth considering.

It is also worth noting that the Red Devils have won nine penalties this season, more than any other team. So the 9/2 on offer for United to score from the spot could be a more creative punt.

Fulham have failed to score in their last four games at the home of the Champions and their only goal in the previous match was an own goal by Rio Ferdinand. So the correct score markets to nil in United’s favour are my tips.

United (4/5 to win to nil) have scored two or more goals in each of their last 15 league games so the 2-0 United correct score at odds of 11/2 is worth backing.

However, given Fulham’s woes in the North West, the 13/2 on offer for a 3-0 home win is my prediction.

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Reyes’ talent to earn derby victory

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Bet on La LigaLa Liga action continues on Monday evening with an intriguing Andalusian derby between Granada and Sevilla at Los Carmenes (Granada 15/8, draw 9/4, Sevilla 11/8).

Both teams will be desperate for the points, with newly promoted Granada still to seal their top flight status while Sevilla know they will need to win if they’re to have any chance of making a late run for the European places.

The home side have been in shocking form of late, having lost four of their last five matches in the league. However, they may have garnered some confidence from their last match when despite losing 5-3 at Barcelona, they caused the Blaugrana a number of problems and at one stage looked as if they had done enough to earn a vital point at the Nou Camp.

Their inability to avoid conceding once again showed them up and following the news that talismanic defender Pape Diakhate has been ruled out for the season, the ‘El Grana’ rear-guard is likely to come under even more scrutiny.

However, they have the talent and experience to keep a clean sheet and in veteran Noe Pamarot, they have a player who knows what it’s like to defend at the top level. The former Spurs man will undoubtedly need to put in a strong performance on Monday and his contribution could see his side sneak a vital win (Granada 13/2 to win 1-0).

Sevilla have once again flattered to deceive this season and, having won just one of their last four outings, hardly deserve to have any success. However, due to the nature of the league this year, a win on Monday would see them move into the top half of the table and leave them just two wins from the Champions League spots.

Despite their continued struggles, there is no doubt that with the talent at their disposal, they should be much higher in the league (Sevilla 6/1 to win 1-0).

One such star who seems to typify this is the recently re-signed winger Jose Antonio Reyes. The former Arsenal man returned to the club in January and many expected he would finally start to prove his worth after years of struggling to justify his reputation. Although there’s no doubt he has impressed during his latest stint at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, he is yet to find the net for Michel’s side. He will be looking to break his duck in this local derby.

Reyes’ ability could see his side home in what could be a tight match. Every season a team makes a late run for the European places and it could be Sevilla’s turn this time around so look out for them to take the points in a single goal victory (Sevilla 17/2 to win 2-1).

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