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City ready for big Euro test

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The serious business in the Champions League gets underway with a real humdinger of a tie on the very first night as two of the tournament fancies go head to head when Real Madrid host Manchester City at the Bernabeu (Real 4/1, City 10/1 – Tournament Outright).

City were done no favours by the draw for the group stages last season in their first foray into the Champions League but fate has been arguably crueler this time around.

If ever there was a ‘Group of Death’, Group D certainly appears to be it as Borussia Dortmund and Ajax are also involved to pit the champions of England, Spain, Germany and Holland against each other (Real 4/5, City 15/8, Dortmund 5/1, Ajax 20/1 – Group D Winners).

There will be no excuses about complacency in this fixture – which has arguably been used in the past – with both sides having genuine aspirations of going the distance in Europe’s elite competition.

Real have made the Bernabeu a stronghold and recorded six straight home victories in last season’s competition, scoring 24 goals in the process, and are unsurprisingly installed as 8/13 favourites in the match betting to kick off with a win.

Los Blancos have made a slow start to the season, already suffering two league defeats albeit both on the road, but motivation could be a factor – as they showed no lack of it in the Spanish Super Cup and managed to get the better of Barcelona over two legs on the away goals rule.

City look a big price at 4/1 in the match betting considering the talent at their disposal but they have also made a slow start to the season, being held on both away trips in the Premier League so far.

Roberto Mancini’s men lost three of their five games on the road in Europe last season, although they did win in Spain when beating Villarreal – their first in the country at the fourth attempt.

The recent form of the two sides does make this tougher to call, but City have enough strength in depth and will have learned from their experiences last term to come away with something (Draw 11/4).

The other game in the group gives Borussia Dortmund home advantage and, although their record in last season’s competition was poor, they should have the tools in Robert Lewandowski et al to see off Ajax at the Signal-Iduna-Park (Dortmund 4/9, Draw 3/1, Ajax 6/1 in the match betting).

Arsenal, meanwhile, kick their Champions League campaign off at last year’s surprise French champions Montpellier and look good value at 6/5 to open up with a win.

Montpellier, of course, lost star striker Olivier Giroud to the Gunners over the summer and although he has yet to score for the north Londoners, his absence does leave a big hole up front for Rene Girard’s outfit.

La Paillade have won just one of their opening five fixtures in Le Championnat and although three of them have been on the road, it is difficult to see them upsetting the odds at 11/5 (Draw also 11/5) when a confident Gunners’ side rides into town.

The weekend form does not read too well for Zenit Saint-Petersburg following a 2-0 home defeat to Terek Grozny but, with Hulk and Axel Witsel starting on the bench, it is clear they had one eye on Tuesday’s encounter in Spain.

Malaga looked impressive in beating Levante 3-1 at home but the Granotes are hardly a powerhouse, particularly on the road, and Zenit can avoid defeat at La Rosaleda (Malaga 6/4, Draw 11/5, Zenit 7/4 – Match Betting).

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Toffees can manage Magpies

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Having been guilty of making slow starts to their Premier League campaigns in the past, Everton have looked far more promising this time around and will be looking for another three points when they host Newcastle United on Monday (Everton 4/5, draw 12/5, Newcastle 4/1 Match Betting).

Manager David Moyes will have been disappointed with his side’s last outing, as they were beaten 2-0 at the Hawthorns by West Brom at the start of the month, but that followed wins over Manchester United and Aston Villa in the top flight.

Two players who have been key for the Toffees have been Darren Gibson and Marouane Fellaini and they could both be set for an absence from the starting line-up for two very different reasons.

Gibson, who has featured in all three of Everton’s games in the Premier League so far, is out with a thigh injury which looks set to keep the former United midfielder out for five weeks.

Belgian international Fellaini (6/1 first goalscorer) on the other hand has caused a stir at Goodison Park with the news he might be set to leave the club in the January transfer window.

The midfielder’s recent comments are believed to have angered Moyes, who has admitted he will be able to do little to stop the player leaving next year if a big offer comes in.

However if Fellaini is given the chance to do his talking on the pitch he will form a strong partnership with Nikica Jelavic (11/8 Anytime goalscorer) in a supporting role behind the Croatian marksman.

This game will be about the clinical finishers and Newcastle, who will make the trip to Merseyside looking to secure their first away win of the Premier League campaign, certainly have players who know where the back of the net is.

Papiss Cisse (6/1 first goalscorer) and Demba Ba form one of the most dangerous strike partnerships in the English top flight and they will be causing the Everton defence plenty of problems, in a game which should see goals at either end.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has an ace in the pack with French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, who has been an inspiration so far this season and has earned the praise of the Magpies manager this week.

There will be an injury concern for Pardew with Fabricio Coloccini picking up a knock on international duty with Argentina and he will be a loss for the visitors on Monday night.

Both these teams will have similar goals for the end of the Premier League campaign, as they hope to push for an outside chance of finishing in the top four.

This should be an exciting encounter at Goodison Park and with the attacking talent on the field there should be a few goals.

Both these teams would probably settle for a draw on Monday night and they appear to be evenly matched, so it would be no surprise if the points were shared on Merseyside (14/1 2-2 Draw).

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Midlands pride on the line

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Wolves take on Leicester City on Sunday looking for three points to begin their climb up the table. It has been a tricky start for the west Midlanders back in the Championship so can they claim the spoils to kick-start their campaign? (Wolves 6/4, Leicester 7/4, draw 23/10 – Match Prices).

Last year’s nightmare campaign in the Premier League is now a thing of the past for Wolves and the focus is on trying to get back to the promised land.

But, as every manager says, the Championship is a tough league to get out of and none of the other 23 teams will do them any favours. Wolves have won just one of their first four games but it was always going to take time for the side to gel under new boss Stale Solbakken.

And the good thing is there are 42 more matches to go and many sides in the second tier of English football have bounced back from disappointing starts to secure promotion.

And that is surely what the Molineux faithful will demand, having been up and down the top two divisions in recent years.

The season began disappointingly with defeat to Leeds before a home victory over Barnsley and a draw with Derby followed to get the side back on track, but a 3-1 defeat in Cardiff was a kick in the teeth and sees the men in gold and black sit 19th in the table.

Home form will be vital to their chances and so victory over a Leicester side sitting in 10th place in the table this weekend is essential. And the good news is that the boss has a few players returning to the ranks to boost his option.

Skipper Karl Henry has missed the club’s last three matches with a hamstring strain but returned to training earlier this week and could well lead his men out, while full-back Kevin Foley is also back after his lengthy absence with a knee problem.

Razak Boukari and Bjorn Sigurdarson both missed the Cardiff defeat but have been passed fit to play on Sunday.

Solbakken had made it clear that he is on board the Wolves project for the long term and this week stressed that he is not just building a squad for promotion but to stabilise the club once they reach the top flight.

They were bold words and he will need his men to back them up against the Foxes and beyond this season.

Leicester have not graced the Premier League for eight years and finished ninth last season – nine points behind sixth-place Cardiff and boss Nigel Pearson will hope he is the man to lead the club back to the big time (Leicester 7/1f – Championship Outright).

They have made a decent start to their campaign with two wins and two defeats but they have yet to taste success away from the Walkers Stadium, with 2-1 defeats to both Charlton and Blackburn.

Pearson will want to get his first away win as soon as possible to avoid it become an issue among the players and a clash with their Midlands rivals will be seen as the perfect opportunity.

The former Middlesbrough defender should have Ritchie De Laet back in the side after he missed the 1-0 win over Blackpool after injuring his back in the warm-up.

He has trained this week and should make the starting XI, while all of Leicester’s international players returned from duty unscathed.

With both sides ambitious to get out of the division, this has the makings of a close match-up and it would be no surprise to see the spoils shared.

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Spurs out to dethrone Royals

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Despite the season only being in its infancy, a win appears to be a must for Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas as he prepares to take his team to Reading. The pressure is already beginning to mount on the Portuguese coach after a poor start to the campaign. The Royals are also winless thus far so something will have to give on Sunday afternoon at the Madjeski Stadium.

Reading v Tottenham – 4pm

Time is certainly a precious commodity in football and, as a new manager at one of the Premier League’s top clubs, it always appears to be running out. For Villas-Boas the clock seems to already be ticking after two disappointing draws at home to West Brom and Norwich, coming after the opening-day defeat at Newcastle.

As a former Chelsea man, AVB was always going to have to hit the ground running to win over the White Hart Lane faithful but it has been far from a smooth start thus far. The tactics and transfers of the 34-year-old have left some Spurs’ fans scratching their heads, with the Tottenham boss seemingly determined to play predominantly through the middle despite the presence of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon on the wings.

The decision to let Rafael van der Vaart go has also left some fans puzzled, given his choice of tactics, and it will be interesting to see where Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele fit into Tottenham’s plans. Dembele came on against Norwich and changed the game, scoring on his debut. Given Dempsey’s terrific record in front of goal last season he might be work backing to do the same on his Spurs bow at 7/4.

The talent of the Tottenham squad is undeniable and that could be enough to get them through against Reading this weekend. The Royals did impress in their last outing – the 4-2 defeat to Chelsea – but that was nearly a month ago and manager Brian McDermott will have done well to keep his players in top form.

Reading certainly look as though they have enough about them to survive this season after some shrewd purchases in the summer but against the pace and skill of teams like Tottenham they could well struggle. Last year’s Championship winners have only ever beaten Spurs once, with the north Londoners having won on their previous two visits to Berkshire.

McDermott does have a near fully-fit squad to choose from, with Jason Roberts the only absentee and, with Pavel Pogregbnyak, Gareth McCleary and Jimmy Kebe at his disposal, they could cause Tottenham a few problems. Over 2.5 goals at 5/6 looks a solid bet with plenty of attacking talent on show.

The outcome of the match is likely to be decided by Tottenham’s new boys. Dempsey, Dembele and former Reading man Gylfi Sigurdsson should be the difference in buying Villas-Boas a bit of breathing space. At even money Spurs look a sound bet, with Reading 11/4 to cause an upset and the draw available at 5/2.

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Lions heading into Tigers’ lair

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The Championship is a notoriously difficult league to predict and the phrase ‘anyone can beat anyone’ goes almost hand in hand with England’s second tier but there are always a few games that stick out, on paper at least, and we fancy home wins for Hull City and Middlesbrough this weekend.

Hull impressed with a 3-1 win over 3/1 promotion shots Bolton Wanderers at the KC Stadium prior to the international break and Steve Bruce’s men should be too strong for the visiting Millwall on Saturday. Bruce secured a few impressive signings over the summer, including Ahmed Elmohamady and Abdoulaye Faye, and could well be worth considering at 11/2 to win promotion themselves.

Millwall did manage to pick up a home win over Middlesbrough in their last outing and should not be underestimated. The Lions appear to be a more attacking side than they were last season and will take the game to Hull, but Bruce has a well organised outfit that should be able to cope with the pressure. The Tigers came back from a goal down to beat Bolton and, even if Millwall do grab an early lead, Hull are strong enough to come back and get something from the game.

Hull are evens to take maximum points and this appears to be the best bet in this particular fixture, the draw can be backed at 12/ 5 and the visitors are 11/4 to secure the win.

Middlesbrough remain unbeaten at home in the Championship (albeit after just two home games) and Tony Mowbray’s men host an Ipswich side who conceded six on their last away day. The concern with Boro is they seem to lack an out and out goal scorer, which may be something Mowbray will seek to address in the loan transfer window.

Boro’s home form could well be key to their season and they will expect to beat teams like Ipswich and the 11/10 on offer for a home win looks great value, the draw is priced at 23/10 and the Tractor Boys are 5/2 to come away with the points.

Peterborough and Burnley both seem set to struggle this season after disappointing starts.Indeed, the Posh are yet to pick up a point to date and the Clarets impressive win over Bolton on opening day has been followed by three defeats to leave them in the bottom three.

Burnley will fancy their chances against Peterborough, who are yet to score on the road, but this has the potential to be a tight and cagey affair after the uninspiring starts both sides have made. Burnley are 8/11 to seal the win, while the visitors are 7/2 to do the same but the 11/4 on offer for the draw could well be worth some consideration as these two early candidates for relegation go head to head on Saturday.

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Blues to deepen QPR woes

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After a fairly torrid international break for most of the home nations, the Premier League returns with a bumper Saturday to look forward to. The highlight of the day will be a fiery west London derby, while Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal will also be in action.

QPR v Chelsea – 3pm

All eyes are likely to be on Loftus Road for the pre-match build-up to this local derby as handshake gate part 3 looks as though it could take place. The fallout from the corresponding fixture last year still continues to dominate the build-up to this game, with the news John Terry is set to play likely to stoke the fire further.

Aside from all the tension there is still a game of football to be won and when it comes to the match there should be only one winner given the two club’s respective starts. Chelsea might have been embarrassed in their last outing in the European Super Cup but they have won three out of three in the league and look a sure thing at 5/6. QPR have only one point to show for their efforts thus far and Mark Hughes still has a lot of work to do to blend his raft of summer acquisitions into a team. Rangers are 7/2 for the win, with the draw priced at 13/5.

Manchester United v Wigan – 3pm

It’s fair to say United have stumbled out of the blocks this season, with the defeat to Everton being followed by less than convincing wins over Fulham and Southampton. The game against the Latics represents a great opportunity to get the season up and running, with United traditionally taking three points off their north west neighbours. Last season’s 1-0 defeat at the DW aside, United have won 14 of their 15 meetings and have an aggregate score of 24-1 in games at Old Trafford.

While Wigan have started the season brightly United are likely to have too much fire power for them, with Robin van Persie a good bet to score first at 9/4. United are 1/4 to win the game, with the Latics 12/1 and the draw 5/1.

Arsenal v Southampton – 3pm

The Gunners looked good when they scored their first goals and registered their first win of the season at Liverpool before the international break. Arsene Wenger will hope the recent World Cup qualifiers haven’t interrupted the momentum Arsenal were trying to build, especially with the start of the Champions League around the corner.

Arsenal have yet to concede a goal this season but in Ricky Lambert the Saints have the kind of striker Wenger’s men hate coming up against. Lambert is 11/4 to score anytime and might be worth a punt. However, Lambert’s goal could be the only bit of joy the travelling fans get, with the Gunners 4/11 to win the match and 10/1 to win 3-1.

Stoke City v Manchester City – 3pm

Some of the City players might be forgiven for being distracted heading to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, with a trip to Real Madrid to come early next week. The Potters will hope to take advantage of City’s state of mind and record their first win of the season after three draws on the bounce.

Tony Pulis may include Charlie Adam and Michael Owen in his Stoke squad for the game, two players who can add that extra bit of quality the Potters have been lacking this season. City have their own new recruits to call on, with Scott Sinclair, Javi Garcia, Maicon and Matija Nastasic likely to be part of the travelling party. Much like rivals United, City have been far from convincing so far this season and Stoke may get something out of this one. Another draw for the Potters can be backed at 11/4 and that is the best they can hope for. City are 8/11 to win, while Stoke are 4/1.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Liverpool could be in for another long afternoon when they visit the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland. The Black Cats have made a slow start to the season but with Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson have more of a cutting edge which could make the difference against the toothless Reds. Under 2.5 goals is on offer at 8/11, with Sunderland 9/4 to come away with the win.

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Promoted sides out to double up

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The Championship returns from a two-week hiatus this weekend, with two promoted clubs hoping to emulate Norwich City and Southampton in action on Friday night.

The Championship is a notoriously difficult league to get out of, unless you are a side fresh out of League One. In recent seasons, Norwich and the Saints have made a mockery of the strength of the second tier.

Both clubs achieved automatic promotion in their first seasons, leaving established Championship clubs scratching their heads. Momentum is massive in any sport and those two clubs certainly had it.

Those success stories will have no doubt given Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town real belief this summer.

Out of the three teams promoted from League One last term, Sheffield Wednesday (6/1 to be promoted) are perhaps the best placed to challenge for a second successive promotion.

The Owls will face a test of their credentials when they make the long trip down to Brighton & Hove Albion (Brighton 21/20, draw 12/5, Sheff Weds 5/2).

Brighton were in Sheffield Wednesday’s position in 2011-2012 and began impressively, before fading away. They will have learnt from that experience and will be better equipped to challenge this season.

Seagulls boss Gus Poyet made a number of eye-catching signings in the summer, with the likes of Stephen Dobbie and Andrew Crofts making the switch to the south coast.

Wednesday, too, were active during the transfer window. Jay Bothroyd has the ability to take the Championship by storm, while Rodri offers Dave Jones’ side continental flair.

The two clubs go into the clash at the Amex Stadium with seven points from their opening four matches, an encouraging start to a gruelling Championship campaign.

Wednesday fell to a disappointing defeat at Crystal Palace last time out and will be desperate to get back on track. They will find life difficult at Brighton, but have enough quality to emerge with a point (1-1 draw 11/2).

Friday’s other clash sees Charlton face Crystal Palace in a south London derby at The Valley (Charlton 10/11, draw 5/2, Palace 3/1).

The Addicks were the dominant side in the third tier last term and have already made an impression in the Championship – earning a creditable draw at Birmingham City on the opening day before beating pre-season favourites Leicester City at home.

Chris Powell has largely stuck with the squad which won him the League One title, with only six players making the switch to The Valley in the summer.

The most notable of which was former Stoke City striker Ricardo Fuller (7/1 first goalscorer). The Jamaica international has a tendency to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons, but does have the ability to change games, particularly at this level.

Palace go into tomorrow’s match on the back of a morale-boosting victory over Sheffield Wednesday. The Eagles had lost their opening three games and looked devoid of confidence.

Dougie Freedman brought in David Goodwillie on a short-term loan on the final day of the transfer window. The Scotland international is the type of player who could fire Palace to a shock derby win (Goodwillie-Palace 2-1 66/1 – Scorecast).

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United offered CL redemption

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Assistant manager Mike Phelan put the failings of Manchester United in the Champions League last season down to a “blip” and the draw for this year’s premier club competition offers Sir Alex Ferguson’s men the chance to set the record straight (Manchester United 8/1 – Champions League outright).

The deposed Premier League champions missed out on the knockout stages of the marquee competition for the first time in six years and went on to be embarrassed twice by eventual finalists Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League.

Disappointment at the top table in Europe manifested itself in a 3-1 humbling by Swiss champions Basel in the final group game, which led to demotion to the second tier competition.

This time around United will take on SC Braga, Galatasaray and CFR Cluj for the right to reach the business end of the competition.

Phelan told the official club website: “We let Europe slip from our grasp too easily last year. The players are conscious and aware of that, although we haven’t dwelled on it as that wouldn’t be positive.

“We’ve put it down as a blip, but we know we have to do better.”

A cursory look at last season’s results and it is not difficult to work out where United went wrong. They conceded in two thirds of their group games and home draws against Basel then Benfica killed their chances, while they only managed one away win – against minnows Otelul Galati.

They had led 2-0 against Basel before the visitors scored three second-half goals, only for Ashley Young to rescue a point, while Pablo Aimar did the damage in a 2-2 draw against Portuguese giants Benfica.

Shortcomings in Europe, highlighted by problems in defence, would resurface later in the season when United were pipped to the Premier League title on the final day of the season. United have conceded in three Premier League fixtures so far this season and an inconsistent back four continues to be a thorn in the side.

Ferguson has looked at the bigger picture and brought in Champions League pedigree in the shape of Robin van Persie (12/1 – Champions League Top Goalscorer) and Shinji Kagawa, but it is in central midfield where the Scot has his biggest headache.

It was no surprise that the Old Trafford boss lauded over the performance of substitute Paul Scholes in the comeback win at St Mary’s, but at 37 he no longer has the legs to mix it against Europe’s best.

United can be backed at 1/5 with Totesport to win Group H, 2011 Europa League finalists SC Braga are priced up 7/1, Galatasaray next best at 8/1 and CFR 1907 Cluj rated the 25/1 rags.

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Selecao seek China response

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Brazil backers will not get rich piling in on odds of 1/14 for an international friendly against China on Tuesday (2am BST) but fans will be anxious to see a marked improvement on a tepid 1-0 win against South Africa last Friday.

Antipathy about a performance which barely set the pulses racing at Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo manifested itself when Santos golden-boy Neymar was booed by home supporters.

“I felt sick because of what happened against South Africa. I am not a machine,” he was quoted as saying by Globo Esporte. “I was exhausted after Friday’s match, both physically and mentally.”

Mano Menezes is expected to make just one change, with Zenit St Petersburg new-boy Hulk rewarded for his goal with a starting place, while Paulinho has been ruled out of the clash because of injury.

The five-time world champions have not conceded in two wins since missing out on Olympic gold to South American rivals Mexico, but the mental approach will have to be right against Jose Antonio Camacho’s men.

China have not won a match against a team from outside of Asia since the 1-0 win over Jamaica in August 2011 and historically do not travel well. They have lost four out of their last five road trips – three to nil – but were not embarrassed in tight defeats by Spain and, more recently, Sweden.

Tang Miao could be in line to start at right-back for Team Dragon, with Zhao Xuri set to be the only survivor in midfield.

The last time that these two teams met was in 2003 and Selecao were held to a goalless draw in Guangzhou, but China are currently placed 78th in the Fifa rankings and are trading as big as 18/1 to win in Recife while the draw is available to back at 8/1.

The Brazil/Brazil double result is priced at 1/4, so the way to go here might be to chance the correct score markets.

Republic of Ireland (1/4 – 90 minutes) will hope to put off-field issues behind them when they play Oman (8/1, draw 4/1) at Craven Cottage in a friendly on Tuesday (7:30pm BST).

James McClean has apologised for his foul-mouthed tweet that he angrily posted after being left on the bench during the World Cup qualifier win in Kazakhstan and remains in the squad, but Robbie Keane, Darren O’Dea, John O’Shea, Jon Walters and Glenn Whelan have been released.

Elsewhere, Czech Republic held Denmark to a goalless draw in a 2014 World Cup qualifier on Saturday and can be backed at 2/5 to beat Finland (6/1, draw 16/5 – 90 minutes) in a friendly (5pm BST), but have now gone three games in all competitions without a goal.

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Selecao seek China response

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Brazil backers will not get rich piling in on odds of 1/14 for an international friendly against China on Tuesday (2am BST) but fans will be anxious to see a marked improvement on a tepid 1-0 win against South Africa last Friday.

Antipathy about a performance which barely set the pulses racing at Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo manifested itself when Santos golden-boy Neymar was booed by home supporters.

“I felt sick because of what happened against South Africa. I am not a machine,” he was quoted as saying by Globo Esporte. “I was exhausted after Friday’s match, both physically and mentally.”

Mano Menezes is expected to make just one change, with Zenit St Petersburg new-boy Hulk rewarded for his goal with a starting place, while Paulinho has been ruled out of the clash because of injury.

The five-time world champions have not conceded in two wins since missing out on Olympic gold to South American rivals Mexico, but the mental approach will have to be right against Jose Antonio Camacho’s men.

China have not won a match against a team from outside of Asia since the 1-0 win over Jamaica in August 2011 and historically do not travel well. They have lost four out of their last five road trips – three to nil – but were not embarrassed in tight defeats by Spain and, more recently, Sweden.

Tang Miao could be in line to start at right-back for Team Dragon, with Zhao Xuri set to be the only survivor in midfield.

The last time that these two teams met was in 2003 and Selecao were held to a goalless draw in Guangzhou, but China are currently placed 78th in the Fifa rankings and are trading as big as 18/1 to win in Recife while the draw is available to back at 8/1.

The Brazil/Brazil double result is priced at 1/4, so the way to go here might be to chance the correct score markets.

Republic of Ireland (1/4 – 90 minutes) will hope to put off-field issues behind them when they play Oman (8/1, draw 4/1) at Craven Cottage in a friendly on Tuesday (7:30pm BST).

James McClean has apologised for his foul-mouthed tweet that he angrily posted after being left on the bench during the World Cup qualifier win in Kazakhstan and remains in the squad, but Robbie Keane, Darren O’Dea, John O’Shea, Jon Walters and Glenn Whelan have been released.

Elsewhere, Czech Republic held Denmark to a goalless draw in a 2014 World Cup qualifier on Saturday and can be backed at 2/5 to beat Finland (6/1, draw 16/5 – 90 minutes) in a friendly (5pm BST), but have now gone three games in all competitions without a goal.

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