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United ready to edge through

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Manchester United will have to overcome some poor home form in Europe this season to defeat Marseille, while defending champions Inter Milan face the prospect of a last-16 exit on Tuesday.

Manchester United v Marseille (7:45pm)

The Premier League leaders look too good to slip up against Marseille, but recent results would suggest that it will be a tight affair.

Although they have been dominant at Old Trafford in the league, with 13 wins and no defeats in their 14 home fixtures, performances in Europe have been far less impressive.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men scored just two home goals in the group stages and picked up just one win in their three home matches – a 1-0 success over Bursaspor.

Having failed to score a valuable away goal in France in a goalless first leg, Fergie will be wary of conceding which could entirely change the complexion of the tie.

Marseille, in contrast, impressed on their travels during the group stage. The French champions won two of their three matches on their travels, scoring ten goals in the process, with their only defeat coming at Chelsea. Marseille are also unbeaten in their last five domestic away games.

United should be too strong for their opponents but it will be a nervy night for the home fans and they may not be able to relax until late on.

Match Bet:  Draw HT / Man Utd FT @ 3/1

Bayern Munich v Inter Milan (7:45pm)

Bayern will start this game as favourites having already won 1-0 in the first leg in Milan and will be seeking revenge for last year’s defeat in the final to Inter.

A struggle in the league this season has led to Bayern deciding to part company with Louis van Gaal at the end of the campaign, but the Dutchman will be out to enhance his reputation with a good run in Europe.

A 6-0 home win over Hamburg at the weekend will have bolstered confidence and they should have enough to hold off an inconsistent Inter.

The Milan giants have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, winning two and drawing one of their three Serie A games since the home defeat to Bayern.

Similar to their city rivals, Inter are likely to put in a better second-leg display but are likely to be rueing that home loss by the end of the night.

Match Bet: Draw @ 5/2

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Sky Blues out to upset Clarets

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Coventry City will go into their Championship cash with Burnley on Tuesday night without a manager after Aidy Boothroyd was sacked on Monday (Burnley 8/11, draw 5/2, Coventry 18/5).

The Sky Blues had only managed one win in their last 16 outings in the league and a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Hull on Saturday was the final straw for the board at the Ricoh Arena.

After making a strong start to the season the former Premier League side were in the play-off places after 24 games.

However, a mixture of draws and defeats have cost them and Coventry now sit just seven points above the relegation zone.

Steve Harrison and Andy Thorn will take charge of the side for the clash at Turf Moor but they will have to do without top goalscorer Marlon King, who is still out through suspension.

As for Burnley, they will be looking to bounce back after they were hammered 3-0 by Millwall at Turf Moor on the weekend.

The Clarets still have a great opportunity of securing a place in the play-offs this season, as they sit four points off sixth with two games in hand.

Burnley are short of numbers up front with Charlie Austin, Steven Thompson and Martin Paterson all out of action with injuries.

Despite their heavy defeat against the Lions and their injury worries, Burnley should still pick up all three points against a Coventry side that are currently in limbo.

Tuesday night throws up a huge game in terms of life at the bottom of the Championship table as Preston North End travel to Glanford Park to take on Scunthorpe United.

This is a must-win for Preston who are a massive 13 points off Crystal Palace in 21st place.

Phil Brown’s side’s chances of staying in the second tier of English football took another blow in their last outing as they were beaten 2-1 by Leeds United at Deepdale.

Preston have only won five out of their 35 games this season and will be praying for just their third away win of the season on Tuesday night.

Scunthorpe also looked to be down and out but surprising victories over Nottingham Forest and Swansea have given United a chance of survival.

A 3-0 defeat at the hands of Leicester City last weekend did them no favours but at home they should pick up a victory which will all but condemn Preston to League One next season (Scunthorpe 5/4, draw 23/10, Preston 2/1).

Ipswich managed to battle for a hard-earned point at Elland Road against Leeds in their last game and they will be looking to finish Watford’s chances of making the play-offs on Tuesday (Ipswich 6/5, draw 23/10, Watford 21/10).

Paul Jewell has revived the Tractor Boys since his arrival and new signings Jimmy Bullard and Keiron Dyer have added some extra quality to the side.

Ipswich are one of only a handful of teams that don’t really have anything to play for but under Jewell they will be determined to pick up as many wins as they can with a view to improving next season.

Watford have slipped out of the play-off places as they have only picked up two wins in their last eleven outings.

This will be a tough game for them and Ipswich should just come out on top in this one at Portman Road.

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Canaries to fly into contention

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After witnessing their Championship promotion rivals falter around them this weekend, Norwich City have the opportunity to pull clear of the pack in the second automatic promotion place (6/4 Promotion) behind runaway leaders QPR when they entertain Bristol City on Monday evening at Carrow Road.

Neil Warnock’s R’s (1/6 Outright) moved 10 points clear at the top of the Championship thanks to Saturday’s 2-1 win against Crystal Palace, but the rest of the top-seven sides failed to win, which gives Paul Lambert’s men a huge incentive to go three points clear of the pack with just nine games remaining.

Lambert is set to name an unchanged side following last Tuesday’s impressive 3-2 win at Leicester for the game as Norwich chase a first league double over the Robins in 21 years.

However, while Norwich have enjoyed success on the road in recent games, they seem to be struggling to secure points on home soil having been held to 1-1 draws by struggling Doncaster and bottom club Preston in their last two outings at Carrow Road.

Despite those slips the Canaries are still unbeaten in six games and have only lost once in 15 to show they have what it takes to stay the course for a place in the Premier League.

Bristol City will not be a pushover for Norwich as they have virtually banished any relegation fears with a four-match winning run lifting them towards mid-table.

Keith Millen’s side have not won five on the bounce in more than two years, but are more than capable of taking maximum points in East Anglia given that they have won on their last two trips to Carrow Road.

The Robins will hope to be boosted by the return of loan defender Steven Caulker following a hip problem, while Liam Fontaine is battling to shake off an ankle injury.

Nicky Maynard (7/1 First Goalscorer) could be the danger man for Bristol City as he has found the net three times in as many games since returning from a long-term injury problem and he could be one to watch when the action gets underway.

Prediction: Draw @ 13/5
Value Bet: Maynard 1st Goal 2-2 Draw @ 66/1

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City closing in on elusive trophy

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Manchester City midfielder Nigel De Jong says the club’s players are as desperate as the fans to end their long wait for a trophy and the FA Cup now looks their best chance of doing so this season as they prepare to host Reading in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

City have not picked up silverware since they won the 1976 League Cup but success is surely on the horizon given the huge amount of money that has been lavished on the team by the club’s rich owners in the past couple of years.

Indeed, some would say a trophy is now overdue which is why Sunday’s home game against the Championship outfit is so important – especially in the light of the 2-0 Europa League defeat against Dynamo Kiev in midweek.

There is still a second leg to come against the Ukrainians as the Blues look to make amends for Thursday’s disappointment, but if the Royals were to earn a replay, or even beat City on their own patch, then that would be an even bigger surprise.

Nothing other than a comfortable City win is expected at Eastlands this weekend as Roberto Mancini’s side aim to take their place in the last four and book a first trip to the new Wembley in the process.

But Reading, who have enjoyed themselves in this competition in recent years, must not be underestimated.

Brian McDermott masterminded a 1-0 win at Everton in the fifth round last month so they know how to win at big venues in the competition.

Likely to be backed by a large away following, Reading will look to play it tight early on before trying to nick a goal as the game develops, but it looks a tall order for them to extend their fine run in the FA Cup.

City will be bang up for the game with the pressure on Mancini to deliver something this season and they are attractively priced at 8/1 to win 3-0. Another tempting bet is draw/Man City in the half-time/full-time market as Reading set their stall out to defend early on.

McDermott’s side are a huge 8/1 to claim another top-flight scalp and, while the draw at 18/5 looks inviting, we can’t see it happening. It is likely to be the end of Reading’s run while City should stay on course for that trophy everyone at Eastlands is so desperately after.

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Saturday FA Cup preview

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The FA Cup returns this weekend with two all-Premier League clashes on Saturday as Manchester United take on Arsenal and Birmingham host Bolton. They both look set to be close-fought affairs but who might make it to the semi-finals?

Manchester United v Arsenal

United and Arsenal are the only real contenders for the Premier League title this season but all thoughts of who might walk away with the league will be forgotten this weekend as the two fierce rivals do battle in the world’s most prestigious domestic cup competition (United 9/4 to win FA Cup).

The two giants have faced each other just once this season, with the Red Devils securing a 1-0 Premier League success back in December last year, but that result will not matter a bit as Arsene Wenger brings his side to Old Trafford.

The Gunners will be without keeper Wojciech Szczesny, who dislocated his finger against Barcelona in mid-week, and it remains to be seen what sort of side Wenger puts out, with Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie playing when not fully fit against the Catalans.

The Gunners were challenging on four fronts just a couple of weeks ago but defeat to Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final and the Barca result means it is now down to just the FA Cup and Premier League to end their six-year trophy drought.

There is no doubt that Wenger wants to win the competition and the sight of Sir Alex Ferguson in the opposition dug-out will surely make him field his strongest possible team, with Arsenal also looking to put down a marker for their league clash on May 1, which may prove pivotal in the race for the title.

Ferguson will be without Nani, who has been ruled out until April, but it likely to put out a strong side as he will be keen not to give an inch to a Gunners side that he has praised for the way they have kept their form this season.

The rivalry is now back on according to the Scot and this has all the makings of a classic, with United just sneaking through.

Odds: United 10/11 to win
Value bet: United to win 2-1 (7/1)

Birmingham City v Bolton Wanderers

Birmingham are embroiled in a relegation dog-fight but manager Alex McLeish has already made it clear that he wants further cup glory, after the Blues amazing victory over Arsenal in the Carling Cup final.

But the Scot will have to do without Alexander Hleb, Scott Dann and James McFadden for the tie, while Lee Bowyer, David Bentley, Keith Fahey, Stephen Carr, Liam Ridgewell, Craig Gardner and Nikola Zigic are all rated doubtful.

Confidence is high in the camp although it is inevitable that the players will have one eye on their Premier League position with just goal difference keeping them from the drop zone at present.

Bolton have no such worries, however, as they sit in seventh place in the table and will almost certainly be playing in the top flight next season.

Owen Coyle has developed a strong squad at the Reebok and, with Birmingham’s injury problems, will fancy their chances of progressing to the last four of the FA Cup.

Daniel Sturridge is cup-tied and Coyle will have to do without Jlloyd Samuel, Zat Knight, Sean Davis, Joey O’Brien and Sam Ricketts, but the Trotters are unbeaten in five games in all competitions and are tipped to win this one on Saturday.

Odds: Bolton 8/5 to win
Value bet: 2-3 goals (10/11)

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Championship promotion race reaching boiling point

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Bet on the ChampionshipWith most teams in the Championship having just 10 games to go before the end of the season, who will win the race for promotion and be playing Premier League football next season?

Queens Park Rangers (1/12 to win promotion) are still leading the way as they have done for much of the season. Neil Warnock’s men are seven points clear of the playoffs and have the best goal difference in the league by some way.

It’s hard to see them throwing their position away and they should go on to lift the Championship trophy come the end of the season.

The race for the second automatic spot, however, appears less clear-cut as all the top clubs vying for it have slipped up recently.

Swansea (6/5 to win promotion) dropped two points on Tuesday night as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Watford at the Liberty Stadium as the Welsh side missed a chance to consolidate their position in the top two but they are still ahead of Norwich City on goal difference.

Norwich (9/4 to win promotion) managed to secure all three points in their tough away trip to the Walkers Stadium in a 3-2 victory over Leicester, who look like they are going to struggle to make the play-offs despite investment in the side and a fine recent record under Sven Goran Eriksson.

With striker Grant Holt continuing to find the back of the net for the Canaries and their never-say-die attitude, it looks like Norwich will push the Swans all the way for that second automatic spot.

Cardiff City (5/4 to win promotion) have hit a blip at a bad time in the season as the Bluebirds suffered their third consecutive defeat on Tuesday at the hands of struggling Crystal Palace.

After being comfortably clear of the play-off places just a couple of months ago, Cardiff will have to be careful that they don’t fall completely out of the top six before the end of the season.

Leeds United (7/2 to win promotion) suffered a setback to their promotion hopes when they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Swansea last month but the Whites bounced back and produced successive victories over Doncaster Rovers and Preston.

Leeds will be desperate to avoid the drama of the play-offs if they can, due to their poor record in them in previous attempts in the Championship and League One.

With the likes of Max Gradel, Robert Snodgrass and Luciano Becchio in good form, though, they remain lively outsiders to bag automatic promotion.

Nottingham Forest (2/1 to win promotion) will be kicking themselves they did not make a goal lead count against Sheffield United, as they lost 2-1 at Bramall Lane and Billy Davies’ side are now on the verge of dropping out of the top six with Burnley in a strong position with two games in hand.

Forest and Burnley will be battling out for that final play-off place with Reading, Hull and Leicester, at this stage anyway, off the pace in the race for that crucial sixth spot.

It is still not clear who will be playing against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool next season but what is is that there will be plenty more drama, considering what is at stake, before the season is over.

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Europa League Preview

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Hopes are high that we could have a British winner of the Europa League this year as Liverpool, Manchester City and Rangers gear up for their respective last-16 clashes. At least two out of three will fancy their chances of getting through to the next round – given the opposition – and should they reach the quarter-finals they will start to believe their name could be on the cup.

Braga v Liverpool

The Reds are coming into form just at the right time and will be confident of achieving a positive result in Portugal after Sunday’s win over Manchester United. While Liverpool didn’t have to be at their very best to get the better of their arch-rivals, manager Kenny Dalglish will have taken a lot of pride in the way they went about their job.

While the Europa League might be seen as a distraction in the early stages it is starting to get serious now and with the Reds desperate for silverware expect a professional performance from the Merseysiders.

Braga are 15/8 to win the first leg and that might be seen as a good bet when you consider their home form this season.

The Portuguese team have lost just three times at home and took the scalp of Arsenal in the Champions League group stages.

However, Liverpool proved against Sparta Prague and Napoli they can be resilient and that could be the order of the night before going for it in the second leg at Anfield.

Match Bet – Liverpool and Braga to draw @ 11/5

PSV v Rangers

Not many expected Walter Smith’s men to get through the last round after being paired with Sporting Lisbon but they deserve their place in the last 16 after a good display in Portugal.

Just as it looked like it would be heartbreak for the Gers, Maurice Edu popped up to send them through on the away-goal rule. While Sporting was a tough mountain to climb the challenge of conquering PSV will be even harder.

The Eindhoven outfit are currently top of the Eredivisie and have only lost three league games all season.

They are also unbeaten in the Europa League and Rangers will have to be at their best to avoid losing this tie in the first leg. Rangers made a habit of frustrating teams on their way to the 2008 final and will have to employ those tactics again if they want to survive.

Match Bet – PSV to win @ 6/5 with a minus one handicap.

Dynamo Kiev v Manchester City

Manchester City can count themselves lucky they were given such an easy route through the last 32 of the Europa League, taking just 12 minutes in the second leg to end the tie after drawing 0-0 in the first leg in Greece against Aris.

While they enjoyed an easy trip in the last round a game in Kiev is going to be a very different proposition. Dynamo are traditionally very strong at home and with City boasting a team of players who don’t always show much passion for the game they might not fancy potentially -7 conditions.

City, who are the 19/5 Europa League favourites, will probably come through the tie but they might have to come from behind in the second leg. While Kiev are traditionally good at home they are also fairly ropey on the road, although they did win 4-1 in Turkey against Besiktas in the last round. An upset could be on the cards in this tie.

Match Bet – Dynamo Kiev to win @ 6/4

Elsewhere, arguably the tie of the round gets underway in Germany when Bayer Leverkusen host an out-of-sorts Villarreal.

The Spaniards were well beaten on Saturday by Atletico Madrid and could be on the end of another sound beating at the Bay Arena, with Leverkusen 21/20 to win what should be a close game.

It should also be a good night for Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg, despite their travel sickness. They take on FC Twente in Holland and can be backed at 9/5 to win the first leg of that contest.

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Battle of the Blues

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Wednesday night’s Premier League clash throws up another exciting contest as Everton host Birmingham City at Goodison Park (Everton 8/15, draw 3/1, Birmingham 5/1).

After another slow start to the season which bordered on relegation fears for Everton fans, the Toffees have started to find some of their best form in the campaign so far.

David Moyes’ side have won three of their last four outings in the top flight and will be looking to bag their third consecutive win on Wednesday.

Everton failed to make any significant changes in the January transfer window due to a restricted budget but their change in fortunes has come about due to some key players hitting form.

Former Rangers midfielder Mikel Arteta was instrumental in Everton’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday and he will be a constant thorn in Birmingham’s side, as he looks to create chances for others as well as being a threat himself.

The return of talented youngster Jack Rodwell has been a big boost for the Merseyside club and his work rate in midfield was sorely missed when he was out of action earlier in the season.

Jermaine Beckford (4/1 to be first goalscorer) has also started to find the back of the net for the Toffees and the former Leeds United goal machine now has six Premier League goals to his name after he struggled to find his feet in the top flight.

Birmingham produced a superb effort to beat Arsenal in the Carling Cup final last month and they will enjoy European football next season, but the campaign would be a disaster if the Blues were to lose their Premier League status.

Whilst their attentions were set on silverware, many of the clubs battling for survival have begun to pick up crucial points which now leaves the West Midlands club in the relegation zone.

Alex McLeish and his men do have two games in hand over their fellow strugglers and they could go all the way up to 11th in the Premier League if they win those matches.

The Blues will be hurting after they were beaten 3-1 at St Andrew’s by local rivals West Brom and will be determined to put things right against Everton.

Birmingham have found goals hard to come by and have scored the least of any club in the top flight – just 26.

Nikola Zigic is the club’s top goal scorer this season with eight in all competition and they will be hoping the Serbian can try and at least double that total before the end of the campaign.

Everton (6/5 to be leading at half-time/full-time) are favourites to win this clash at Goodison Park with centre-back Phil Jagielka looking like he will have the better of Zigic.

But City are desperate to pick up all three points on Wednesday as they won’t want to be drawn into a relegation scrap with a few games to go.

However, with the Toffees on a decent run they should make it three wins on the bounce to go eighth in the table.

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Wednesday Champions League

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Crouch Lennon

Tottenham have looked far from out of their depth in the Champions League so far but they come up against a Milan side out for revenge after the first-leg result, while Schalke and Valencia sit level. There must be a winner in both ties so who will be celebrating at the final whistle?

Tottenham v AC Milan

Spurs have surpassed many people’s expectations in their first Champions League adventure and they are holding a one-goal advantage over AC Milan following the first leg.

A late Peter Crouch goal, which came from a superb speedy break from winger Aaron Lennon, means Harry Redknapp’s side hold the upper hand against the team currently sitting top of Serie A.

There is no doubting the attacking potential of AC Milan as they can boast the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Alexandre Pato, but Spurs have shown this season they can rip teams apart with their own prowess going forward.

For that reason, it is going to be vital for Spurs that they can get Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart on the pitch. The duo have been missing for several weeks but Redknapp has admitted both could play at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night.

Spurs are 6/5 to win the game while Milan are 11/5.

Milan are likely to come to north London and attack, with their confidence boosted from a 1-0 win over Juventus at the weekend. If they go hell for leather they will cause problems for a Spurs side that has been leaking goals in recent weeks.

They let in three at Wolves on Saturday and another three to Blackpool in the previous game and, with no disrespect to those two teams, they do not boast the same attacking threat as Massimiliano Allegri’s side.

It is 8/11 for both teams to score and 12/5 for there to be 4 or more goals in the game, which could look good bets given the attacking talent on show.

There is also the underlying tension that is likely to still exist from the fracas that took most of the headlines after the first leg. Genaro Gattuso is not travelling to White Hart Lane due to a four-match suspension handed out for his headbutt on Joe Jordan, but even without his presence there could be some animosity on and off the pitch.

Spurs will be hoping all the headlines are made on the pitch this time around and they can get the right result to extend their maiden voyage into the Champions League and write another chapter in the history of the club.

Schalke v Valencia

Schalke and Valencia go into their last-16 second-leg level at 1-1, so the German side’s away goal could come into play at the end of extra time. Felix Magath is under massive pressure after they dropped to tenth in the Bundesliga, courtesy of a 1-0 defeat to Stuttgart on Saturday, and he needs a result to appease the baying crowd.

Schalke’s Champions League exploits have been the only saving grace for their suffering fans, but they do boast the attacking experience of Raul and if Klaas-Jan Huntelaar recovers in time to play, they could cause Valencia problems.

The Spaniards sit third in La Liga after their 2-1 win over Real Mallorca and that game was their third in a row where they have won despite going behind. They even managed to rest top scorer Roberto Soldado for that game, while the experienced pairing of David Albelda and Joaquin should both be back from injury.

It was hard to separate the two teams during the first leg in Spain and a second draw in 90 minutes is 9/4. If there is a result within the allotted 90 minutes then Schalke are 6/4 to get the win.

Both sides should fancy their chances of getting the victory but given the host’s struggles then Valencia at 9/5 to get the win could be seen as a good bet.

However, if Schalke and Valencia let the nerves of making the final eight get to them it could be a tense game and 21/10 for there to be 1 goal or less could come into the equation.

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Race heats up for play-off places

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A resurgent Hull City welcome Burnley to the KC Stadium on Tuesday night in a clash between two sides gunning for Championship play-off places (Hull 11/8, draw 9/4, Burnley 9/5 – match betting).

The Yorkshire-Lancashire battle between seventh and eighth place should be an exciting contest between two sides desperate to get back into the Premier League.

Hull will be full of confidence going into this game off the back of a gutsy 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Not many teams pick up away wins against Forest and Nigel Pearson’s side are pushing the top six clubs hard for the play-off places.

Burnley are in an excellent position and could leapfrog both Leeds United and Forest if they can win their two games in hand and other results go their way.

Both these teams are in good form but Hull might just edge this one in front of their home fans.

Norwich City travel to the Walkers Stadium to take on Leicester City in another big game in and around the playoff positions (Leicester 10/11, draw 12/5, Norwich 11/4 – match betting).

The Canaries were left frustrated at Carrow Road in their last outing, as they were held to a 1-1 draw against bottom of the table Preston.

Goal-machine Grant Holt admitted after the game that Preston were hard to break down because they put bodies behind the ball to battle out a crucial point in terms of their Championship survival.

The Foxes on the other hand will play a much more open game and will believe they can pick up all three points.

There should be plenty of goals in this game between two attacking sides but the Canaries could just get one over on the Foxes.

Sheffield United are having a torrid time in the Championship this season and are without a win in their last 14 games.

Manager Micky Adams is still looking for his first win with the South Yorkshire side but he might have to wait a bit longer, as they take on Forest at Bramall Lane on Tuesday (United 23/10, draw 23/10, Forest 11/10 – match betting).

Forest could go into the automatic positions if they can compound United’s misery and other results go for them and Billy Davies’ players will want to keep the pressure on QPR and Swansea at the top of the table.

With the type of form the Blades are in, it’s hard to see them winning this game and they may have to wait longer still for that elusive victory, with games against Watford and Leeds to come.

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