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Toffees can split points at Anfield

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Everton manager David MoyesEverton look overpriced at 4/1 to inflict a second straight home defeat on Liverpool (8/11 to win in 90 Mins) in Tuesday’s 217th Merseyside derby.

But the draw (13/5) still looks like being the most likely result given that all that’s gone before the match -  which takes place one day before Toffees boss David Moyes celebrates ten years in charge.

Moyes underlined why he could be one of the hottest names on the managerial merry-go-round this summer when his Everton side topped Tottenham 1-0 on Saturday – just hours after Liverpool had slumped to a disappointing loss at Sunderland.

The Goodison Park side are now only two points behind their cross city rivals and will be champing at the bit to inflict more misery on Kenny Dalglish’s men by winning at Anfield – something they last did three years before Moyes arrived in 1999.

Liverpool’s home form this year has been the main reason behind their seventh place standing in the Premier League. The Reds have won only four of 13 matches at Anfield – and have drawn eight times.

Four of the last six meetings between the sides have also been draws, including last season’s January encounter which finished 2-2 after Dirk Kuyt’s 68th minute penalty levelled the scores (5/1 Liverpool To Score a penalty, 7/1 Everton).

Kuyt was on spot-kicks then because Steven Gerrard (13/2 First Goalscorer) was injured and the influential Liverpool skipper’s involvement in this fixture greatly improves his side’s chances of winning the match.

Gerrard (7/4 Anytime Goalscorer) scored in the 2009 derby at Anfield, which finished 1-1, but Kuyt also bagged from open play when Liverpool won the 2010 clash.

Kuyt missed a penalty when the two teams met earlier this season at Goodison Park which meant he did not score in his fourth Merseyside derby in a row.

The Dutchman has scored only one Premier League goal this season – a disappointing return from a player who hit 13, nine and 12 in his last three campaigns.

Kuyt has been coming off the bench for Liverpool recently and making an impact – as he did in extra time at the Carling Cup final.

He has scored three goals in his last eight appearances for Liverpool and on two of these occasions, it was the last goal in the match (Kuyt 7/1 Last Goalscorer)

Everton have scored in their last seven Premier League matches, a run in which they are unbeaten – having defeated Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester City during that spell.

Liverpool should hold no fears for Moyes’ men, particularly with their dodgy home record and the price on an Everton comeback victory (20/1 Everton Win from Behind) must be worth some consideration given Liverpool’s recent inability to hold onto leads against Cardiff City and Arsenal.

However, the draw looks the most likely result after 90 minutes and with Everton’s last three Premier League away games having ended 1-1,  a fourth in a row should probably be backed on Tuesday night (6/1 in Correct Score betting).

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Bayern and Inter to progress

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Bayern Munich and Inter Milan must both overturn 1-0 first-leg defeats in the Champions League on Tuesday but should not be dismissed on home soil on what promises to be another night of European drama.

Bayern Munich v FC Basel

Bayern Munich bounced back domestically when demolishing Hoffenheim 7-1 on Saturday and their impressive home record in Europe makes them difficult to oppose (Bayern Munich 1/2, FC Basel 6/4 – To Qualify).

The Bavarians have built up an impressive run of 11 wins in 12 Champions League matches at the Allianz Arena and also have a 100 per cent home record in three games against Swiss visitors.

True, they were dealt a shock when Valentin Stocker’s 86th-minute goal at St. Jakob-Park condemned them to a 1-0 first-leg defeat, but club officials have already stressed there can be no more excuses (Bayern 1/5, draw 9/2, FC Basel 9/1 – 90 Minutes).

“That will give us a boost. I am confident the squad has that hunger again,” said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes after the Hoffenheim rout. “That was important for Tuesday.”

Another incentive for the Bundesliga giants is the fact that Munich will host the Champions League final on May 19.

“Basel is a very important game for the way the rest of the season will run. We have to do that again against Basel,” Munich president Uli Hoeness told German television channel ZDF.

Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez (5/2 – First Goalscorer) and Jerome Boateng are all nursing knocks but are expected to play, while Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger came on for the final 20 minutes against Hoffenheim – over a month after he tore ankle ligaments.

Basel should not be dismissed given that they were undefeated on their travels in the group stage, holding Manchester United and Benfica and beating FC Otelul Galati – but their record in Germany is less encouraging, with one win, two draws and three defeats.

The return leg offers Basel livewire Xherdan Shaqiri (10/3 – Anytime Scorer), who has signed a pre-contract agreement with Bayern, the chance to showcase his talents in front of his future employers.

Inter Milan v Marseille

Inter Milan ended a run of nine games without a win in all competitions with a 2-0 victory against Chievo in Verona on Friday and can edge what should be a close encounter against Didier Deschamps’ strugglers (Inter Milan evens, draw 9/4, Marseille 9/4 – 90 Minutes).

The Nerazzurri have already beaten French opposition at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza this season, prevailing 2-1 against Lille on match day four, and their overall home record against Ligue 1 clubs is W5 D3 L3.

Friday’s win reduced under-pressure coach Claudio Ranieri to tears and Inter will be expected to progress in front of their home fans – but must recover from Andre Ayew’s injury-time header in France on February 22.

Diego Milito (3/2 – Anytime Scorer), who scored in stoppage-time, has urged his team-mates to use the Chievo win as a catalyst for an end-of-season flourish and they can draw comfort from winning over half – 15 out of 28 – of Uefa competition ties in which they lost the first leg away from home.

He told Sky Sports Italia: “Tuesday’s match is massive and we’re desperate to do well. And we’d then have everything to play for – this team has already shown it’s capable of going all the way.”

Marseille’s form has nosedived since beating Inter at Stade Velodrome and they have not scored in four Ligue 1 defeats since their first-leg success.

Deschamps was unbeaten against the Nerazzurri as a player, but Marseille have not been further than the last 16 since lifting the trophy in 1993 and their current form means that statistic is likely to stay unchanged.

Tuesday’s recommendation is a Bayern Munich and Inter Milan ‘To Qualify’ double which pays better than 3/1.

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Arsenal out to gun down Magpies

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With Arsenal arguably in their best run of form this season, Newcastle United face a tough test when they make the trip to the capital on Monday (Arsenal 1/2, draw 3/1, Newcastle 13/2).

The Gunners tore apart AC Milan in their last outing, with a 3-0 whitewash in the Champions League, which will have left manager Arsene Wenger thinking “if only”. Despite a fine performance at the Emirates, the north London outfit crashed out of the European competition 4-3 on aggregate but will be able to take plenty of positives from the way they played against the Italian side.

Attentions will now be solely focused on securing Champions League football for next season, with a top four finish in the Premier League being a must for Wenger, who has managed to turn things around having been under intense pressure for his job last month.

The Gunners will welcome back midfielders Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey to the side having recovered from a head and ankle injury respectively, with the pair set to bring more creativity to the team in the middle of the park. That will be great news for the club’s star striker Robin van Persie, who will benefit from the extra chances he will get from the returning playmakers.

The Dutch international has continued his fantastic form, which does not look like it’s going to stop, as defenses continue to struggle to handle the 28-year-old, who has been linked with moves to both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Expect Van Persie (5/2 first goalscorer) to cause the Magpies plenty of problems at the back and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his name on the scoresheet once again on Monday.

As for Newcastle, they will be looking for a much better result than they got in their last trip to north London, when they were thumped by Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 last month. The Magpies produced a rare lacklustre performance, as they were outclassed by Spurs at White Hart Lane and manager Alan Pardew won’t want that to happen again at the Emirates.

It will be an interesting midfield battle on Monday night, with Chiek Tiote set to break up and create attacks in a game the visitors might see little of the ball. However the Black and Whites do have some exciting options in attack with the likes of Demba Ba (8/1 first goalscorer) and Papiss Cisse likely to cause a less-than-watertight Arsenal defence problems.

There should be plenty of goals in this game, with neither side boasting sturdy defences but having plenty of options in attack (8/13 Over 2.5 goals). Expect Van Persie to be in the goals once again as he looks to add to his 32 goals in the current campaign.

In their current form it’s hard to look past Arsenal winning this one after their thumping of Milan but Newcastle should have a better time of it than on their last trip to the capital.

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Back Yellow Submarine to rise

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Bet on La LigaVillarreal host Getafe in a rare Monday night game for La Liga which sees the meeting of two sides who are nervously looking over their shoulders after a disappointing season to date (Villarreal 5/6, draw 5/2, Getafe 3/1).

Villarreal’s nightmare season got even worse with a shock 2-1 defeat to rock-bottom Real Zaragoza last weekend. Two goals in the final five minutes gave Zaragoza just their fourth win of the entire campaign and continued Villarreal’s shocking form on the road.

They have now lost nine, drawn three and won just once in their 13 away games this season.

It is hard to believe that Villarreal actually finished fourth in La Liga last season, qualifying for the Champions League, but that defeat at Zaragoza has left them in 17th place, just three points above the drop zone.

The result also means a win against their Madrid-based opponents on Monday is even more important if they are to avoid dropping further into the relegation mire – the frightening prospect of going down is suddenly a very real one.

The visit of Getafe – who are just two places and two points better off – represents a huge opportunity for the Yellow Submarine to gain an advantage over a relegation rival, jump up three places in the table and create breathing space between themselves and the bottom three.

On paper they should take the points. Villarreal have an impressive record versus Getafe at home, winning six and drawing one of their last seven meetings.

You also have to consider their impressive form at El Madrigal, despite their poor league position.

Villarreal have lost just once all season in the league on their home ground – a crazy statistic if you look at their position in the table. Indeed, only Barcelona have lost less at home in the league.

Their haul of 20 goals scored is also only bettered by one team outside of the top six.

The Azulones meanwhile haven’t won in their last five, and have won just three times on the road this season.

The return of Marco Ruben is another reason to put your money behind Villarreal. The Argentine has hit seven goals in 22 appearances and is set to return from injury after missing last weekend’s defeat.

Therefore, despite their woes and actually being below Getafe in the table, it is well worth backing José Francisco Molina’s men for the win.

A 2-0 victory is a handy priced 7/1, while a Villarreal half time/full time is another option at 15/8.

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City set to open gap

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There are three matches on Sunday with the focus largely on the Premier League title race with Manchester City and Manchester United in action, although basement side Wigan also have points to play for. City currently hold a two-point advantage over United going into the weekend’s fixtures and remain odds on at 8/11 with the defending champions available at 11/10 – and any points dropped now could have a huge bearing on where the trophy ends up.

Swansea City v Man City 2pm

Roberto Mancini has suffered a big blow with captain Vincent Kompany ruled out with a calf injury picked up in the 1-0 defeat at Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League, and Pablo Zabaleta also misses the trip to the Liberty Stadium while there are doubts over defensive duo Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott.

Not an ideal situation to be heading to South Wales where the Swans have been beaten just twice this season but City do have strength in their squad to cover for such eventualities.

City’s hopes of keeping a fifth clean sheet on the bounce have been hit on the face of it, but Swansea have struggled to score for large parts of the season, having failed to score in 11 of their 27 games.

Scott Sinclair and Danny Graham could cause one or two problems but Nathan Dyer’s absence is key for the Swans, who suffered a 4-0 mauling at the Etihad Stadium on the opening day of the season.

Going forward, City have a wealth of options and there is no reason why the leaders cannot capitalise on that strength to get the three points (Swansea 5/1, Draw 11/4, City 8/13 Match Betting).

Man United v West Brom 2pm

The champions have never lost to West Brom in the Premier League and have won six of their last seven Premier League games but there looks to be value in opposing United in the match betting (Man Utd 2/7, Draw 9/2, WBA 11/1 Match Betting).

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men go into the game on the back of a 3-2 reverse at Old Trafford in the Europa League – a scoreline which flattered the home side – and West Brom have hit form of late.

The Baggies have smashed both Wolves and a Martin O’Neill rejuvenated Sunderland as well as ending the reign of Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea to climb up to 10th place in the table.

Roy Hodgson’s men also have a better record on their travels than they do at the Hawthorns, and proved they can match United by coming from 2-0 down at Old Trafford last season to snatch a point.

United are second in the table and do have quality in their ranks but it has often misfired this season and Albion at 11/1 look worthy of consideration.

At the very least, they can get amongst the goals so backing over 2.5 goals at 8/15 or Albion with a goal start at 13/5 should not be overlooked.

Norwich v Wigan 4pm

Wigan are in desperate need of the points to boost their bid for survival and perhaps stave off a growing anxiety in the ranks – with chairman Dave Whelan having a pop at his players following last weekend’s defeat to Swansea.

Norwich have enjoyed their return to the top-flight and comfortably sit in mid-table with a 13-point cushion over the relegation zone.

The Canaries do not seemingly have any pressure on them going into the game, other than the weight of expectation as they are the 5/6 favourites in the match betting, with Latics available at 10/3 and the draw at 13/5.

Roberto Martinez can seemingly count on the support of his boss but that may well come into question if the club continues to struggle – and it is difficult seeing that changing on Sunday.

Wigan have mustered just four wins all season and have now gone 12 matches without a victory, while goals continue to be a problem, having scored a mere 23 to date.

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Lions look bet of the weekend

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It looks like being another unpredictable weekend of Championship football as punters study the form book before it traditionally gets thrown out of the window come Saturday afternoon. However, with some shrewd selections, profit really can be achieved from this notoriously tough to call division.

Coventry v Birmingham City (12.30pm)

Birmingham have scored 13 goals in their last three away games in the league, winning all three  but Coventry are tough to beat at the Ricoh Arena, winning five and losing just one of their last seven home games in the league.

However, the most telling statistic lies in their head-to-head results, which have seen four of the last five encounters finish in 1-0 scorelines. Expect this to be another tight encounter with a solitary goal deciding it in favour of Birmingham – who can freshen up their line-up significantly from the midweek FA Cup defeat to Chelsea.

Birmingham to win 1-0 is 6/1.

Brighton and Hove Albion v Portsmouth (3pm)

The Seagulls are unbeaten in their last six Championship games on home soil and should easily overcome a Pompey side that have won just one of their last eight on the road, losing three of the last four and scoring just one goal in the last four away trips.

The 4/6 about a Brighton win is certainly backable but go for Craig Mackail-Smith (4/1 in the First Goalscorer market) to net first – 90 per cent of the goals he has scored since his move from Peterborough have been the first in the match.

Burnley v Crystal Palace (3pm)

Burnley have lost four of their last five Championship games while Palace arrive on an unbeaten run of seven league matches. The Clarets have lacked a killer instinct of late and rely heavily on Jay Rodriguez (8 in 10) to get them their goals.

For this reason, it is tempting to back Rodriguez at 15/8, but why not double it up with the 1-1  draw as a 25/1 Scorecast.

Derby County v Watford (3pm)

Watford have kept just one clean sheet in their last 13 league matches so don’t expect them to shut Derby out, but they can grab a half-time lead at Pride Park.

The Rams ability to storm back into matches was shown again in midweek when they turned around a half-time deficit against Blackpool, a few days after they grabbed a point from 2-0 down at Birmingham.

Nigel Clough’s side may have to do it the hard way again on Saturday so back Watford/Draw at 12/1 and Watford/Derby at 25/1 in the HT/FT market.

Hull City v Ipswich Town (3pm)

The Tigers have failed to score in seven of their last 11 league games, but Ipswich have been conceding goals away from Portman Road.

Hull have drawn four of their last six matches and that may be the result that they can best hope for against an improving Ipswich.

This looks like a tight game to call so go for the draw at 23/10 or take Draw/Draw in the HT/FT for a 4/1 payout.


Nottingham Forest v Millwall (3pm)

Forest have kept just one clean sheet in their last 12 Championship matches and face a Millwall side who have just won their last two on the road, beating Burnley 3-1 and Peterborough 3-0.

The 5/2 about a Millwall win is the standout price on the Totesport Championship football coupon and ought to be backed with confidence.

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Premier League picks

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There are number of games affecting both the top and bottom of the Premier League this Saturday  – but is there any value for the punter? Here are the top picks for Saturday’s six Premier League encounters.

Bolton v QPR

With just two points separating the bottom five clubs any match involving two of those sides will prove decisive come the end of the season.

One of those encounters comes at the Reebok on Saturday where 16th placed QPR take on 19th placed Bolton. To say these teams are out of form is an understatement – Bolton have lost their last four while Rangers have only won one in 15.

Wanderers also have the worst home record in the division, winning eight points from their 13 games at the Reebok this campaign. That poor form, plus the fear of defeat, means this game has draw written all over it. With QPR going 18 straight games without a clean sheet the 1-1 draw is worth backing at 11/2.

Aston Villa v Fulham

Villa boss Alex McLeish will be desperate for a victory to try and ease the pressure that has been placed upon him in recent weeks. The Midlands club have taken just three points from a possible 15 to slip worryingly close to the bottom five and the fans have been quick to voice their displeasure at the Scot’s management of the club.

Fulham meanwhile are bang in form, winning their last three games to rise up to eighth in the table. They thumped Wolves 5-0 last time out with new boy Pavel Pogrebnyak grabbing a hat-trick – his fifth goal in just three appearances. Will he score again? Well he is a handy 6/1 to notch first and a Pogrebnyak/2-1 Fulham scorecast is a very tasty 45/1.

Chelsea v Stoke

The post-AVB era continues for Chelsea with a tough looking clash with Stoke at Stamford Bridge. Caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo led the Blues to victory in the FA Cup in midweek but he knows his priority has to be ensuring the club qualify for next season’s Champions League. They currently sit in fifth place, three points behind Arsenal, and know they cannot afford any slip-ups between now and the end of the season.

Stoke go into the game in-form after consecutive wins over Swansea and Norwich but four wins from 23 Premier League away games suggests this will be another tough trip on the road for the Potters. Chelsea haven’t failed to score at home since February 2011, so go for a convincing Blues victory, with 3-0 Chelsea priced at 7/1.

Sunderland v Liverpool

Sunderland will be hoping to close the gap on Liverpool to just two points with a win at the Stadium of Light – a sign of the progress the club has made since Martin O’Neill took over last December. They are, however, counting the cost of last weekend’s feisty derby with Newcastle with captain Lee Cattermole and Stephane Sessegnon suspended following their red cards.

Liverpool have a fine record against Sunderland, with their only defeat in the last 11 games coming thanks to a Darren Bent goal deflected off a beach ball two years ago. You can expect that run to continue with Luis Suarez – who has scored in his two appearances against the Black Cats – to be on the mark again. Suarez is 11/2 to score first, with a Suarez 2-0 scorecast priced at 33/1.

Wolves v Blackburn

Part two of the day’s relegation six-pointer double header sees 18th placed Wolves take on 17th placed Blackburn. Rovers are only out of the bottom three courtesy of goal difference and head to a ground where they won on the final day of last season to ensure their Premier League survival.

Wolves boss Terry Connor will take charge of Wanderers for the first time at home and will be looking for a response after their 5-0 mauling at Fulham last time out. The goals market is the one to back in this one – Wolves have not kept a clean sheet in 12 home games while Rovers haven’t shut the opposition out in 32 away games. 2-3 goals is priced at 10/11, with our score prediction being an entertaining 2-2 draw priced at 14/1.

Everton v Tottenham

After consecutive defeats against Arsenal and Manchester United effectively ended their title charge, Spurs will be keen to kick start their season again in order to avoid dropping out of the top four.

History suggests they could well do so at Goodison Park. Spurs have only lost three of 19 Premier League visits to the home of the Toffees. However, they have not won any of their last four and are taking on an Everton side embarking on yet another post-Christmas surge.

Chelsea and Man City have been beaten in successive home games, so the visit of the Londoners will pose no fears for David Moyes’ men. This is another game where there should be goals, with the over 2.5 goals market priced at 5/6, with our scorecast a 2-2 draw at 14/1.

Louis Saha has scored in the last two games between these two sides at Goodison Park but is now wearing a Spurs shirt. The last time he lined up in the opposition against the Toffees at Goodison he scored twice. As such he may be worth a punt at 3/2 to score at anytime on Saturday.

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Friday football picks

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Fleetwood Town can consolidate pole position at the top of the Blue Square Premier on Friday – and Stuttgart should not be scoffed at at odds-on to beat rock-bottom Kaiserslautern in Germany’s Bundesliga.

Kidderminster v Fleetwood

Conference table-toppers Fleetwood look well priced at evens to collect maximum points away to Kidderminster on Friday. The Cod Army have not lost on the road since early September last year and have only conceded two goals in their last six away trips. They could go eight points clear of nearest-challengers Wrexham at the top of the Blue Square Premier and in midweek proved the can go to the final whistle when securing a last-gasp win at home to Grimsby Town.

Andy Mangan and Jamie Vardy have more than 40 goals between them so far this season and, given that Kidderminster have not kept a clean sheet at home in five in the Conference, will again be looking to get among the goals.

Even relegation-threatened Hayes and Yeading managed to find the net at Aggborough Stadium and the recent home form about Steve Burr’s men does not bode well for the visit of the league leaders. Harriers (9/4, draw 9/4 – totesport match prices) have lost their last two on home soil and have only won one of their last seven games in all competitions.

Chievo v Inter Milan

Claudio Ranieri will roll out his big guns when Internazionale make the trip to the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi in Verona to take on Chievo attempting to end a nine-game winless run. The Nerazzurri ended a five-game losing stretch with a come-from-behind 2-2 draw against Catania last Sunday, but it was not enough to stop speculation about the future of under-pressure coach Ranieri.

Goals have become a major issue for Inter – prior to last weekend they had not scored in five games in all competitions – but the Italian will again turn to Diego Forlan and Diego Milito for a solution. Inter also have the small task of overturning a 1-0 first-leg defeat by Marseille in the Champions League next week, but Ranieri cannot afford to be tinkering at such a critical stage of his Nerazzurri tenure.

Chievo must not be underestimated home – they have only lost three in Serie A all season – but they have only scored 11 goals in the top flight in Verona, only Cesena (nine) have scored less goals at home, so it may play to go with a low-goals projection.

Stuttgart v Kaiserslautern

Free-scoring Stuttgart will view the visit of basement club Kaiserslautern as a perfect opportunity to make it three wins on the bounce at Mercedes-Benz-Arena.

The recent visits of fellow strugglers Hertha Berlin and Freiburg can be used as collateral lines of form and Die Roten run out comfortable winners, prevailing 5-0 and 4-1 respectively, with in-form striker Martin Harnik helping himself to five goals over the two games.

Kaiserslautern simply do not travel well – they have won only one game on the road this season – and have conceded in every away trip in Bundesliga. They have only won three top-flight games all season and not scored in 180 minutes, while they are also the joint-lowest scorers on the road with Nurnberg with nine.

As such Stuttgart are priced accordingly (4/7 draw 14/5 Kaiserslautern 9/2 – totesport match prices), but it may pay to follow the 5/4 about Stuttgart half-time/full-time given that this would have landed in their last two games.

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Los Che set for Dutch test

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Valencia are rated as one of the favourites to win the Europa League this season but the Spanish giants will first have to get past PSV Eindhoven if they wish have any chance of claiming the European title (Valencia 8/13, draw 14/5, PSV 9/2 Match Betting).

Were it not for Real Madrid and Barcelona, Los Che (7/1 Europa League outright) would be the premier team in La Liga and the outfit from the Mestalla are deservedly one of the favourites to lift the trophy outside of the Manchester giants United and City.

With the likes of Ever Banega pulling the strings in the midfield and Roberto Soldado banging in the goals up front, Valencia have a host of players that will be looking to cause PSV problems on Thursday night.

Manager Unai Emery had to negotiate his side past the challenges Stoke City presented them in the last round and despite getting drawn into a niggly second-leg at the Mestalla, Valencia managed to outplay the Potters.

PSV will pose very different problems for the Spanish tactician as they look to bounce back from their 6-2 defeat at the hands of FC Twente in the Eredivisie on Sunday.

The Rood-Witten did see off Turkish outfit Trabzonspor in the last round of the Europa League and will be no pushovers when they make the trip to Spain.

However Valencia should prove to be too strong at home, as they have been for much of the domestic season, and put themselves in a strong position before the return trip to the Netherlands.

Twente will still be flying high after their convincing victory over PSV, as they look ahead to their matchup with Schalke 04 at De GrolschVeste (Twente 5/4, draw 9/4, Schalke 21/10 Match Betting).

The Reds are currently sitting in second place in the Eredivisie with a game in hand over league leaders AZ Alkmaar and will be confident of getting a result against their German opponents.

They might well be taking on Schalke at a good time as the Bundesliga side have suffered defeats in their last two domestic outings against Bayern Munich and Freiburg.

Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar  will be looking to get one over on Twente on Thursday, if he has managed to shake off the concussion he sustained in the 3-2 victory over England.

With the kind of form Schalke are in at the moment, Twente might just edge this one on home soil, in what should be a closely fought contest.

Fellow Dutch side Alkmaar also face a tough matchup when they take on Udinese, who have come on leaps and bounds in Serie A this season (Alkmaar 6/5, draw 11/5, Udinese 12/5 Match Betting).

Udinese (20/1 Europa League outright) have seen off the likes of Celtic and PAOK Salonika in previous encounters in this competition and could be a dark horse for the Europa League title in 2012.

Frontman Antonio Di Natale is a prolific striker and he will certainly be someone the AZ defence will have to look out for.

Despite topping the Eredivisie and looking in good form, Udinese could get the win in Holland to take back with them to the Stadio Friuli.

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Manchester eyes Europa progress

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Manchester City (11/4 Outright) and Manchester United (10/3) will continue their quest for Europa League success on Thursday evening as they look to secure positive results in their respective last-16, first-leg ties against Sporting Lisbon and Athletic Bilbao respectively.

City are up first as they make the trip to Portugal to face Sporting at the Jose Alvalade Stadium with a 6pm kick-off. Roberto Mancini’s men booked their place against Sporting thanks to a 4-0 home win against holders FC Porto in the previous round, although they were trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Portugal which will no doubt give the hosts hope of emulating their league leaders going into this game.

However, City are in strong form having won their last six games, conceding just one goal in the process, so will be optimistic of making life easier for themselves in this round. Mancini is set to hand Sergio Aguero and David Silva starting roles after resting them for Saturday’s 2-0 win against Bolton, while James Milner and Edin Dzeko are set to start having only played minor roles in that game.

Kolo Toure is likely to play at right-back due to injuries to Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta, with Nigel de Jong set to replace the suspended Yaya Toure.

Sporting go into the game on the back of their first defeat under new coach Ricardo Sa Pinto, 1-0 away at Vitoria Setubal on Saturday, having won the previous three to occupy fourth spot in the Portuguese league.

However, they have been strong on home soil in Europe, having won every tie played in front of their own fans so far this season, which is a stern warning to City that they should not turn up and be complacent for this test.

Sporting have been hit by the loss of top scorer Ricky van Wolfswinkel due to injury so Matias Fernandez and Andre Carillo will fight it out to feature, with Uruguayan Sebastian Ribas ineligible to play.

The two sides have not faced each other competitively, but with Sporting boasting a formidable record at home and City in a rich run of form, they could well cancel each other out.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 5/2
Value Bet: Sporting/Draw HT/Ft @ 12/1

Manchester United get their last-16 clash with Spanish outfit Athletic Bilbao underway at Old Trafford at 8.05pm looking to shake off their uncertain home form of one win in four games in European competition this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage after dropping points on home soil to the likes of Basel and Benfica, while a 2-1 second-leg defeat to Ajax at the Theatre of Dreams almost ended their Europa League bid after they had won the first leg 2-0 in Amsterdam.

However, the Red Devils’ form has been on the up in the Premier League since that defeat, with successive wins at Norwich and Tottenham keeping them within two points of league leaders Manchester City.

And they will be looking to avoid any more problems against Athletic Bilbao as Ferguson will want a comfortable lead to take to Spain for the second leg.

United do have problems on the injury front as Paul Scholes sat out training on Wednesday, while Michael Owen was also absent and Antonio Valencia trained on his own as he continues his recovery from a hamstring strain.

Ferguson blamed a lack of experience for the defeat to Ajax and will want to inject some older heads into the starting XI to ensure they do not have to travel in a week’s time chasing the tie against a Bilbao side with a strong home record in Europe.

Coach Marcelo Bielsa has guided the side to within a point of the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot in La Liga courtesy of a 2-0 Basque derby win over Real Sociedad at the weekend, while they have won three and drawn one of their home games in the Europa League when looking ahead to the second leg.

Midfielder Ander Herrera is adamant that his side are making the trip to Old Trafford to come back as winners, while towering frontman Fernando Llorente (15/2 – First Goalscorer) is a player who could pose a real threat to the United goal if he is not carefully marshalled.

It looks set to be an open tie and with United knowing they could do with a win to take to Spain next week, expect a few goals and the hosts to come out on top.

Prediction: Home Win 90 Minutes @ 1/2
 Value Bet: United To Win 3-1 Correct Score @ 9/1

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