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Blackpool to outfox Leicester

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Wednesday night sees three games taking place in the Championship with Blackpool preparing to host Leicester City, as the race for promotion to the Premier League begins to heat up (Blackpool 13/10, draw 12/5, Leicester 2/1 – Match Betting).

Only nine games of the regular season remain and these two sides are battling for a place in the play-offs as they bid to stand a chance of returning to the top flight.

The Foxes are running out of games and their chances of finishing in the top six are slim but teams are continuing to drop points in the top half of the table and a play-off place is not beyond the realms of possibility.

But wins must come swiftly and points have been hard to come by for manager Nigel Pearson and his men as they prepare to make the trip to Bloomfield Road.

Leicester head into this game on the back of a 3-1 win over Birmingham City in their last Championship outing and they will have to produce a similar performance if they are to get a result.

With the likes of Jermaine Beckford (6/1 – First Goalscorer) and David Nugent up front, the Foxes are set to cause problems for the Seasiders’ defence.

Blackpool have been in similar form to their opponents, having recorded a 3-1 win of their own against Brighton in their last outing following two straight defeats to Derby County and Peterborough United.

Kevin Phillips (11/2 – First Goalscorer) has been a key performer for the Tangerines and he is another striker to look out for as the first player to hit the back of the net on Wednesday night.

Another side pushing for a top-six place are Cardiff City and they will be desperate to stay in the hunt with a win over Coventry City (Cardiff 8/13, draw 11/4, Coventry 9/2 – Match Betting).

The Bluebirds are just a point off the play-off spots, having endured two frustrating games against Hull City and Burnley, with a defeat and a draw in those games respectively.

Cardiff now come up against a Coventry outfit who have fought hard to three consecutive draws against Watford, Birmingham and Crystal Palace. They will be looking to cause the Bluebirds yet more frustration but the Welsh outfit should take all three points at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Wednesday’s other encounter sees a mid-table clash between Ipswich Town and Burnley at Portman Road (Ipswich 10/11, draw 12/5, Burnley 12/5 – Match Betting). Both these teams will be hard pushed to finish in the top six this season, with inconsistency being the main reason they have been unable to compete at the top.

Burnley are five games without a win and they have seen their promotion hopes dwindle in the past few weeks.

Ipswich are capable of causing an upset against any team in the Championship and are likely to add to the Lancashire outfit’s woes with a win on home soil.

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Rovers can reap revenge

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Blackburn Rovers (7/5 in Match Betting) can exact revenge on Sunderland (2/1, Draw 12/5) for their last-gasp defeat at the Stadium of Light earlier this season when the two clubs meet again at Ewood Park on Tuesday.

Rovers looked poised to take at least a point when they led going into the last 10 minutes in what promised to be frustrating first day at the office for recently-appointed manager Martin O’Neill back in December.

But David Vaughan’s late equaliser was followed by a stoppage-time winner from Sebastian Larsson, which left Rovers boss Steve Kean to rue his luck as his side missed out on the chance of moving above the Black Cats in the Premier League table.

How much did that goal change the fortunes of both clubs – Sunderland subsequently won six of their next nine matches to move far enough away from the relegation zone to begin thinking about challenging for a European slot next season. Blackburn lost their next two – also by a 2-1 scoreline – before briefly picking up between Christmas and New Year, but they will go into Easter still haunted by the spectre of Championship football next season (10/1 Sunderland win 2-1 in Correct Score).

Blackburn boss Kean does, however, have a virtually fully-fit squad to choose from for the return fixture.

Vince Grella is the only absentee as he continues to struggle with a calf problem, but Bradley Orr returns to the squad.

Sunderland will assess the fitness of full-back Phil Bardsley, who completed the 90 minutes against Everton in the FA Cup despite pain from a dig in the ribs he appeared to receive from Tim Cahill.

Stephane Sessegnon and Lee Cattermole remain suspended, while Kieran Richardson is out with a calf injury.

Blackburn played some of their most fluent football of the season in last week’s 2-0 away win at troubled Wolverhampton Wanderers and, with two goal hero Junior Hoilett playing well (2/1 Anytime Goalscorer), will be confident of causing Sunderland’s patched up back four problems.

O’Neill is still without Wes Brown and Titus Bramble, as well as Richardson, while Bardsley’s fitness could mean a reshuffle across the backline with Matthew Kilgallon in and John O’Shea moved to full-back.

For this reason, it may be prudent to look among the Blackburn squad for value in the First Goalscorer market and there appears to be some with Rovers centre-backs Scott Dann (33/1) and Grant Hanley (33/1).

Sunderland have conceded a league-high proportion of headed goals (32%) in the top flight and may be vulnerable from set-pieces at Ewood Park, which brings the big defenders up from the back.

The Black Cats have kept only one clean sheet in their last nine Premier League away games and could struggle to keep Rovers out, but expect O’Neill to put out an attacking line-up (10/11 Over 2.5 Goals).

Sunderland have scored more goals from direct free kick shots at goal than any other team and will be a threat at dead ball situations from Larsson and McClean.

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Five weekend lessons learnt

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It was another splendid weekend of sporting action as Wales won the Grand Slam, Manchester United moved four points clear in the Premier League and Jenson Button won the Australian Grand Prix (totesport betting). So what did we learn over the last 48 hours?

United are timing their late run – again

Forget the Europa League debacle over the last couple of weeks, the Red Devils have their eye on the Premier League and Sir Alex Ferguson will move hell and high water to keep it away from Manchester City’s clutches.

United hammered 10-man Wolves 5-0 at Molineux on Sunday and in the process did their goal difference the power of good, with the pressure now on City when they entertain Chelsea on Wednesday at Eastlands (Manchester City 10/11, draw 13/5, Chelsea 3/1 – 90 Minutes).

The Blues of west London cannot win the Premier League this season but they can have a huge say in its destination and are still involved in the Champions League and FA Cup.

Gatland has earned the chance to lead Lions

Two Six Nations Grand Slams on his CV and Wales coach Warren Gatland is the obvious choice to lead the British & Irish Lions in Australia in 2013 (Wales 7/4f – 2013 Six Nations Outright).

The Kiwi also took the Dragons to the semi-finals of the World Cup last autumn and who know what would have happened if Sam Warburton had stayed on the field against France?

The Lions have not won a tour since 1997 but if anyone has the mojo to blend a winning side, surely it is the former London Wasps main man?

Vettel won’t have it all his own way

Second place on the podium is not disastrous for Sebastian Vettel following the first grand prix of the season, but it will feel like it to Red Bull’s back-to-back world champion.

A poor showing in qualifying left the German sixth on the grid – a place behind team-mate Mark Webber – and the Vettel could do nothing to stop Jenson Button taking maximum points, although he did prevent a McLaren one-two.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says there are improvement in the pipeline and for Vettel they can’t come soon enough as he looks to stay on course for a three-peat by successfully defending his crown (Vettel 7/4f – World Drivers’ Championship Outright).

Federer is as strong as ever

All-conquering Roger Federer may have seen Novak Djokovic become the number one ranked player in the world last year, but the Swiss maestro still have plenty left in his legs.

Now 30 years of age, the Basel-born ace continues to win tournaments and at the weekend he drew level with Rafael Nadal on 19 Masters titles after taking the spoils at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Nadal saw off the Spaniard in the semi-finals as the next Grand Slam event, the French Open draws ever closer (Nadal evens favourite – 2012 French Open Outright).

Shankly was wrong about one thing

Legendary Liverpool boss Bill Shankly once stated “some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that?”.

However, the man who guided the Reds to three league titles after inheriting a shambolic operation both on and off the pitch in 1959 was certainly wrong over the importance of the game.

The events of the weekend surrounding the collapse of Bolton star Fabrice Muamba and the genuine concern for the midfielder’s health show that, at times, football is not always the centre of the universe.

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Espanyol to continue Euro push

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Monday evening sees two big games in Spain and Italy respectively as Espanyol continue their bid for European football next season with a home clash against struggling Racing Santander, while in Italy’s Serie A Champions League-chasing Roma are up against Genoa.

In Spain’s Primera Division, Mauricio Pochettino’s Espanyol have slipped down to mid-table after a run of recent poor results. However, they finally returned to winning ways in comprehensive fashion last week with a resounding 5-1 mauling of Rayo Vallecano at the Cornella-El Prat, as new signings Kalu Uche and Philippe Coutinho grabbed a hat-trick and brace of goals respectively.

Espanyol remain in tenth position but the table is so congested that they are just two points of sixth spot which would secure Europa League football for next season, while fourth-placed Malaga are only four points better off at the time of writing. Therefore the visit of 19th-placed Racing Santander appears to be the ideal fixture for Espanyol to secure a second successive win which could take them fifth if results go in their favour.

Racing have only won once away from home all season and have gone five games without a win as they sit in second-bottom spot and are three points off the final position of safety. However, they have won on their previous two visits to the Cornella and will hope to make it three times lucky on Monday. But, looking at the fixture on current form, it is difficult to predict anything other than a comfortable win for Espanyol.

Prediction: Home Win 90 Minutes @ 4/6
Value Bet: Draw/Espanyol HT/FT @ 10/3

Moving across Europe to Italy’s Serie A and Roma play host to Genoa aiming to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Roma, who currently sit in sixth position and are five points behind fourth-placed Napoli, ended a run of two successive defeats with a 1-0 success against Palermo last weekend thanks to a goal from Fabio Borini. As a result Luis Enrique will be looking for his men to secure another three points on Monday when a mid-table Genoa side arrive at the Stadio Olimpico looking like they have little left to play for this season as they sit eight points clear of the relegation places.

The team news is mixed for the hosts as captain Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi will both miss out, but goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg and defender Marco Cassetti are set to return to the starting line-up after serving their respective suspensions.

Genoa, who secured a creditable 0-0 home draw with title-chasing Juventus last weekend, are currently bogged down in a winless run with two draws and three defeats in their previous five outings so Pasquale Marino will be hopeful of some kind of result in Rome. He will be boosted by the news Alberto Gilardino suffered no ill-effects from his comeback against Juve and will be back in the team on Monday.

Genoa won the fixture on home soil earlier in the season, but Roma have won the previous two matches in front of their own fans and we see that trend continuing on Monday night.

Prediction: Home Win 90 Minutes @ 1/2
Value Bet: Roma 2-0 Genoa Correct Score @ 11/2

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Experience to tell in title race

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The current Premier League season has been possibly one of the most exciting in recent history with Manchester City (7/4 Premier League outright) finally mounting a sustained challenge, while local rivals Manchester United have once again been the model of consistency.

We’ve also seen Spurs play a starring role in the campaign, but they’ve recently fallen away and it now looks as if it will be a two-horse race for the title.

The Red Devils are currently four points clear of their neighbours but have played a game more and with the teams still to meet at the Etihad, there is plenty to play for.

Big things were expected of Roberto Mancini’s side this season, but it appears that their lack of experience of winning titles is starting to bite them after a few disappointing results at both home and aboard.

The Citizens lost last time out in the league at Swansea, with a number of pundits pointing to the lack of leadership in the side in the absence of talismanic skipper Vincent Kompany.

However, they could be handed a major this week as its believed that former captain Carlos Tevez is set to return to the squad for Wednesday’s crucial home match against a resurgent Chelsea (City 4/5, draw 12/5, Chelsea 11/4).

The Argentine has been out of action since his much published row with manager Mancini but after missing out on a move in January, he has apologised for his behaviour and is now nearing full fitness.

Tevez has previously won the title with when he was at Old Trafford and his ability and experience could yet play a massive role in the destination of the Premier League trophy.

Everyone knows that Tevez likes to do things in his own unique style, so don’t be surprised if he pops up with a late winner on Wednesday (City 7/1 to win 2-1)

On the other hand United (4/9 Premier League outright) are absolutely flying and despite crashing out of the Europa League on Thursday, look to be full of confidence after their 5-0 win at Wolves on Sunday.

As already mentioned, they more than have the experience of winning titles and despite a number of disappointing results this season, seem to be coming into their own at just the right time.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side appear to have the easiest run-in, playing a number of the teams vying to avoid relegation and apart from possibly the derby with City on 30th April, will be expecting to win all of their remaining fixtures.

The Red Devils began this season with a fresh outlook after buying a number of young players in the summer. However, it’s been the old heads who have been impressing recently and they will be looking to the experience of the likes Paul Scholes to see them through to their second successive league win.

Whatever happens, it’s sure to be a thrilling end to the season, but with their brilliant history in the competition, United should just edge it.

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Red Devils to get back on track

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The Premier League action continues on Sunday with two games that could have huge implications for the outcome of the season at both ends of the table with leaders Manchester United (4/7 Premier League outright) travelling to Molineux to face struggling Wolves while top four-chasing Newcastle host Norwich.

The early game sees relegation candidates Wolves take on United in what promises to be a superb game with both sides desperate for the points (Wolves 15/2, draw 4/1, United 4/11).

The Molineux side are currently on a shocking run of form having won only once in 2012 and, despite a change in manager, have continued to struggle. However, they beat United last season and are sure to take heart from that result going into Sunday’s game.

If they are to have any chance of winning, the performance of striker Kevin Doyle will be vital. The Irishman’s form has dipped this season but he appears to be motivated for this match after commenting in the press this week that he feels the ‘pain’ of his side’s recent poor form.

On the other hand, United are currently flying in the league and, after going ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table, are now favourites to retain the Premier League. However, they were thoroughly outplayed against Athletic Bilbao in the week but will see their elimination from the Europa League as a positive, as it means they can fully concentrate on the title race.

Their player to watch will surely be their talismanic striker Wayne Rooney (8/11 to score at anytime). The England international struggled at the San Mames but still managed to get on the score sheet and will be looking to have a big impact on Sunday’s game.

United will be confident going into the game and, although Wolves will put up a good fight, the Red Devils should win comfortably.

The late game sees Newcastle take on Norwich in a match that could be a real cracker as both sides like to play attacking football (Newcastle 4/5, draw 11/4, Norwich 7/4).

After a brilliant start to the season, Alan Pardew’s men have struggled to keep pace with the top teams and haven’t won in their last four league games.

Key to them getting back on track on Sunday could be the performance of striker Papiss Cisse (5/2 to score at anytime) who has somewhat of a point to prove after being dropped for last Monday’s defeat at Arsenal.

The Senegalese international has struggled to adapt to life on Tyneside since his January move but is expected to start against Norwich and will be looking impress both his manager and the club’s fans.

Despite being expected to struggle at the start of the season, Norwich currently sit comfortably in mid-table, fourteen points clear of the relegation zone. They will be looking to claim all three points as a win could just about seal their Premier League future.

With Newcastle likely to have the majority of the ball, the performance of the Canaries’ skipper Grant Holt will be vital if they’re to win. The experienced targetman was expected to struggle with the pace of the league but has adapted well and Paul Lambert’s men now rely on his ability to maintain possession.

However, with home advantage, Newcastle should win, but it will certainly be close.

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Home advantage key in FA Cup

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Bet on the FA CupThe two remaining FA Cup quarter-finals take place on Sunday afternoon, as Chelsea face Leicester at Stamford Bridge and Liverpool entertain Stoke at Anfield. Both ties are likely to be tight affairs but home advantage is set to prove crucial in the battle for a place in the last four.

Chelsea v Leicester (2:05)

The only Football League team left in the competition face a tall order (Match Betting – Chelsea 2/7, draw 9/2, Leicester 10/1), with Leicester looking to produce a cup shock at Chelsea – but don’t rule it out!

The Foxes have already upset the odds by beating Norwich at Carrow Road in the last round and have a squad that should be doing better than they are in the Championship. In Nigel Pearson, Leicester also have a shrewd manager who will make his team hard to break down.

Strike duo Jermaine Beckford (10/3 – Anytime Goalscorer) and David Nugent both have top-flight experience and Beckford, who is the FA Cup’s joint top scorer with five goals, has the pace to cause the Blues backline real problems.

A lot will be asked of Leicester’s defence and the likes of Wes Morgan and Sean St Ledger will have to be on top form if they are to snub out the considerable threat of Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge.

Leicester will be hoping that they encounter a tired Chelsea team, following their extra-time Champions League exploits against Napoli in midweek. The home side may also be without key defenders David Luiz and John Terry, who both picked up knocks in Europe.

On the other hand, that outstanding comeback success will further boost confidence in a squad that looks to have found a fresh impetus since the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas.

Chelsea (3/1 – FA Cup Outright) have won three successive games in all competitions since Roberto Di Matteo took charge and predictably will start strong favourites – especially having progressed on each of the four previous occasions they have been drawn against Leicester in the FA Cup.

All in all, Chelsea look too strong for their Championship opponents, but Leicester will make it tough for Premier League side if they are at their best.

Liverpool v Stoke (4:00)

These two teams know each other inside out, having already played three times this season. All the previous games have been tight affairs and expect more of the same this time (Match Betting – Liverpool 2/5, draw 10/3, Stoke 8/1).

Stoke defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the Premier League back in September before the Reds knocked the Potters out of the Carling Cup at the Britannia Stadium in October. The two teams then played out a 0-0 draw at Anfield in the league in January.

Stoke (5/1 to keep a clean sheet) have not won at Anfield in 53 years and will feel that run has to come to an end at some stage, but Liverpool’s cup form has been outstanding and they appeared determined to reach another Wembley final.

The Carling Cup winners will be buoyed by their Merseyside derby win in midweek and the expected return from injury of Craig Bellamy (9/2 – First Goalscorer) will give them another lift.

Kenny Dalglish, who has defended Stoke’s style of play this week, is likely to stick with much the same side that disposed of Everton on Tuesday and will hope home advantage will pay dividends.

Tony Pulis’ men tasted cup fever last season, reaching the final before losing to Manchester City, but will go into this match with no fear having now firmly established themselves as a Premier League side.

Stoke’s lack of goals is the major concern for those looking to back a cup upset, with the Potters unable to score more than one goal on their travels in the Premier League since January 2 – although they have scored seven goals in three away cup ties at Crawley, Derby and Gillingham.

With Dalglish hungry for more silverware and with an expectant home crowd, Liverpool (5/2 – FA Cup Outright) could just edge another tight tussle between these two clubs.

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Home sides can win ugly in Cup

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Everton and Tottenham can benefit from home advantage in two closely-fought FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday – but don’t expect either match to be high in the scoring or entertainment stakes.

David Moyes‘ side are licking their wounds after a midweek Merseyide derby mauling while Harry Redknapp’s Spurs are in their worst run of results since August – and consequently both will need to win ugly this weekend.

Everton (10/11 in Match Betting) and Sunderland (10/3, Draw 12/5), who meet at Goodison Park (12.45pm), appear to have been targeting this competition since just after Christmas when a glance at the Premier League table would have told you that a top four finish was not on for either club.

Before Tuesday’s derby defeat to Liverpool, Everton were enjoying a ten-match unbeaten run in all competitions but Moyes’ men can still boast a five-game winning streak at their famous old ground.

Martin O’Neill brings his well-rested Sunderland side into the game on the back of a home win over Liverpool – providing a direct form line between the teams.

But he is without key players again with suspended duo Lee Cattermole and Stephane Sessegnon still banned and Wes Brown and Titus Bramble on the long-term casualty list.

Nicklas Bendtner has been declared fit after he scored the only goal of the game against Liverpool last weekend. The dangerous Dane has shaken off a knee injury and can be backed at 13/2 to open the scoring and 7/4 anytime.

Everton boss Moyes cannot field injured Darron Gibson or Steven Pienaar, on loan from Spurs, but can still freshen up his side after their disappointing loss across Stanley Park on Tuesday.

He made six changes for the midweek defeat at Anfield and should recall Tim Cahill (7/1 first scorer, 15/8 anytime) and Nikica Jelavic (11/2 first scorer, 3/2 anytime) to the starting formation.

History is against a Sunderland victory with Everton unbeaten in 15 against the Black Cats, having won 11 and drawn four in the Premier League and FA Cup.

The Boxing Day fixture at the Stadium Of Light earlier this season did finish as a 1-1 draw and five of the last six meetings have been under 2.5 on the goals (4/6 in Over/Under), featuring exactly two goals on each occasion (10/11 2-3 in Total Goals).

This one could easily finish 1-0 to Everton, however, as three of Everton’s last seven home wins have done – with Jelavic the most likely marksman (25/1 in Scorecast).

Tottenham are Totesport’s 5/2 joint favourites to be celebrating at Wembley on May 5 and they should have enough to see off relegation-threatened Bolton at White Hart Lane (5.30pm).

Spurs (2/7 in Match Betting) have progressed through four of their previous six FA Cup ties against Bolton (10/1, Draw 9/2), including their most recent clash in 2010, and can bounce back from their three straight Premier League defeats in front of their expectant fans.

Gareth Bale could be the key player – the Welshman has tormented Bolton in the past and could be value in the First (5/1) and Last Goalscorer (5/1) market to either break the deadlock or seal the tie.

Jermain Defoe has scored three goals in four FA Cup outings this season and will be popular in the Match Goalscorer (8/11 Anytime) markets too if he starts.

But don’t expect this last-eight clash to be as one-sided as the match odds suggest with Bolton capable of at least holding out into the second half (7/2 Draw/Tottenham in HT/FT).

The Trotters kept Chelsea out until after half-time on their recent trip to Stamford Bridge and were 0-0 at Norwich until the Canaries grabbed their first of two in the 70th minute.

Last year’s beaten semi-finalists will be keen to get back to Wembley, despite the obvious notion that Premier League survival is way above Cup glory on Owen Coyle’s list of priorities.

Bolton have a proud history in the competition and have only lost one of their eight FA Cup sixth-round games away from home (excluding replays), winning four and drawing three.

But Wanderers are unlikely to trouble the Spurs defence too much and Spurs to keep a clean sheet (4/5) rates slightly better than the odds on a Tottenham win to nil (20/21), just in case the match finishes 0-0.

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Manchester duo seek answers

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Manchester may be the battleground for the 2011-12 Premier League title race but will either City or United overcome first-leg deficits to reach the last eight of Europe’s less glamorous competition - the Europa League.

United (6/4 in Match Betting) have it all to do in Bilbao, having been outplayed at Old Trafford by Athletic Club (13/8, Draw 5/2) last week.

The Basque club’s 3-2 win (25/1 Athletic Club 3-2 in Correct Score) makes them favourites to progress to the last eight, but coach Marcelo Bielsa is set to be without the services of Spanish international striker Fernando Llorente for the second leg.

Llorente scored in Athletic’s 2-1 defeat to Osasuna at the weekend but has not trained for the last three days and could be replaced by Gaizka Toquero (13/8 Anytime Goalscorer) in possibly the only change from the line-up that won in Manchester.

The United line-up will reveal how much Sir Alex Ferguson rates his side’s chances of rescuing the tie.

Antonio Valencia has made the trip to Spain but Phil Jones, Anderson and Nani have not while Chris Smalling is back in contention after a head injury.

Wayne Rooney (11/8 Anytime) has scored goals in spurts throughout his career and the United forward has now scored nine in his last six appearances. Red-hot Rooney should be backed to bag in Bilbao and it may well be the first strike of the match – as it has been on five of the six occasions he has scored in since Christmas (5/1 First Goalscorer).

Back in Manchester, City (2/7 in Match Betting) should be highly motivated to beat Sporting Club (10/1, Draw 9/2) convincingly after the Lisbon club celebrated like they had won the Europa League after last week’s 1-0 first-leg win.

Roberto Mancini will still be without captain and key centre-back Vincent Kompany after his calf injury in Portugal – an incident which surely contributed to City’s back-to-back defeats to Sporting and Swansea.

But Sporting will not cause City as many problems at the Etihad Stadium, where Mancini’s men are unbeaten in European competition since August 2008.

Mario Balotelli (10/11 Anytime Goalscorer) went close to equalising for City in Lisbon last week when his late header hit the bar and his ability to finish coolly could be in evidence again on Thursday night.

Former Liverpool full-back Emiliano Insua looked shaky for Sporting at the Alvalade and he could be run ragged by Adam Johnson (15/8 Anytime) at the Etihad.

The England winger should play a big role if City are to win by the minimum 2-0 scoreline that would see them into the hat for the quarter-finals (5/1 Man City 2-0 in Correct Score).

Of the other ties, expect Olympiacos (10/11 in Match Betting) to secure their passage through against Metalist Kharkiv (3/1, Draw 12/5) – who they beat 1-0 in the Ukraine last week (9/2 Olympiacos 1-0 in Correct Score).

The Greek side have one of the best defensive records in Europe since Christmas and have now kept ten consecutive clean sheets.

PSV Eindhoven (6/4 in Match Betting) have changed coach since their 4-2 first leg defeat to Valencia last Thursday night with former Dutch World Cup star Philip Cocu stepping up from assistant to take over from Fred Rutten.

The Philips Stadion side are not out of the tie with two away goals to their credit, scored late on at the Mestalla after they were 4-0 down.

A spirited display from PSV (50/1 in Europa League Outright Betting) could cause Valencia (5/1) a wobble and the Spaniards are by no means certain of their last-eight spot.

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Madrid to topple Army Men

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Counter-attacking powerhouses Napoli can end Chelsea’s Champions League dream – and Real Madrid can remove any doubt about their European credentials by booking a place in the quarter-finals at the expense of CSKA Moscow (Champions League – totesport).

Chelsea v Napoli

To chase down a two-goal deficit against ordinary opposition would perhaps not be beyond the realms of possibility for Chelsea but against counter-attacking kings Napoli the task is made that bit harder.

Add into the mix the fact that the west Londoners have no wins in their last five Champions League home knockout games – and confirmation that the Serie A side have scored in every European game this season – and the mission to overturn a 3-1 first-leg defeat becomes nigh-on impossible.

Cast your mind back to February 21 and Andre Villas-Boas signalled the end of the end of his tenure when he made the brave – but regrettable – decision to relegate the likes of Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, Michael Essien to the bench in Naples.

Napoli took full advantage and goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi, two, and principal striker Edinson Cavani, added more weight to the young Portuguese coach’s shoulders. He would last just two more games.

Roberto Di Matteo has since masterminded two wins, both involving clean sheets, but the fact that Chelsea have to chase this game surely plays into Napoli’s hands.

The Italians have lost only four of the 13 Uefa competition ties in which they were victorious in the first leg at home and Walter Mazzarri has enough firepower at his disposal to pick Chelsea off.

Lavezzi (15/8 anytime scorer), Cavani (13/8 anytime scorer) and Hamsik (11/4 anytime scorer), who has just agreed a one-year contract extension, have all got goals in them and the excellent Gokhan Inler should provide the platform for his more attack-minded team-mates.

Recommendation: Napoli @ 10/3 (90 minutes)

Real Madrid v CSKA Moscow

At a prohibitive 1/8 (draw 8/1 CSKA Moscow 20/1 – 90 minutes), Real Madrid are not expected to encounter too many obstacles, booking a place in the last eight of Europe’s marquee club competition at the expense of CSKA Moscow.

Spain’s capital club won all six group games and were on course to collect a seventh before Pontus Wernbloom on debut levelled with the last kick of the game in Moscow to end the first leg 1-1.

Only Barcelona, twice, have emerged from the Santiago Bernabeu with wins this season and Jose Mourinho’s men have been averaging four goals in front of the Madridistas.

CSKA should not be dismissed lightly and the first-leg stalemate stretched the Russian side’s unbeaten record against Spanish sides to six games, home and away. At this stage two years ago the Army Men also put out another La Liga team, Sevilla FC.

However, Madrid have lost just one of the nine home fixtures against Russian opponents, going down 3-1 to FC Spartak Moscow in the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs’ Cup quarter-finals.

It may play to look elsewhere in terms of value about a Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 32 goals in all competitions so far this season, will relish top billing on the European stage.

Recommendation: The Portugal superstar is priced at 15/8 (first and last goalscorer) and can also be backed at 5/1 for a hat-trick.

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