Motherwell are on the verge of an historic achievement if they can qualify for the Champions League this season, but first they must get through a tough trip to the capital to take on Hearts on Tuesday night (Hearts 11/8, draw 5/2, Motherwell 9/5 – Match Betting).
With Glasgow Rangers deep in the midst of financial turmoil it’s highly unlikely the Old Firm outfit will be allowed to play in Europe next season, which has opened the door for Motherwell to potentialyl have a shot in the biggest competition in club football.
The Steelmen currently find themselves in the third place in the Scottish Premier League table, with five points between themselves and Dundee United, who look like they will miss out on the rare chance to play in the Champions League.
However, manager Stuart McCall has insisted he will not be taking anything for granted with three games of the season to go and all their focus will be on picking up as many points as possible to keep Dundee at bay.
Motherwell will certainly be buoyed by their last outing as they knocked five goals past fifth-placed St Johnstone with an accomplished performance at Fir Park.
Michael Higdon scored his 15th goal of the season whilst Estonian Henrik Ojamaa bagged himself a brace against a lacklustre Saints outfit on Saturday.
The pair will certainly cause the Hearts defence problems if Well can reproduce the attacking football that made them a constant threat at the weekend.
However, it will be a very different test when they make the trip to Tynecastle to take on a Hearts side who have booked their place in the final of the Scottish Cup to face rivals Hibernian (5/4 – Scottish Cup Outright).
The Edinburgh outfit sit in sixth place in the SPL table and will be looking for a top-four finish if they can have a strong end to the current campaign.
Hearts (4/7 – Scottish Cup Outright) have relied heavily on the goals of Rudolf Skacel this season with the Czech bagging 15 goals compared to just the five from Jamie Hammill, who is their second highest goalscorer.
In a season with Champions League qualification a serious possibility due to the situation at Rangers, Hearts will be very disappointed they aren’t in the mix for the lucrative European competition.
Motherwell have won the two previous meetings between the side this season, with a 3-0 win at Fir Park and a 1-0 win at Tynecastle, and it’s hard not to see them making it a clean sweep considering what’s at stake.
A 2-1 win for Motherwell (2-1 – Correct Scoreline – 10/1) looks a good bet, as Motherwell have looked strong in front of goal and Hearts might just have one eye on their Edinburgh derby cup final on May 19.
Want £200 Free? Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.
There are two Premier League matches (totesport coupon) on Tuesday and both, on paper, look like mid-table affairs without too much hinging on them. But, at a closer look, there’s plenty of intriguing side-stories as Liverpool prepare for the FA Cup final and also look for a win against Fulham as they bid to finish above Merseyside rivals Everton, who themselves go to Stoke, in the table.
Англии превратилось в дерби одного города, и город этот называется не Лондон. Если бы кто-то произнес такую мысль лет 5 назад, то на него, как минимум, посмотрели бы косо, но все меняется…
Monday night will see the most highly-anticipated Manchester derby in decades, as City and United go head-to-head in a match that is likely to decide the destination of the Premier League title this season (City 6/5, draw 12/5, United 12/5). 
It has been a bruising week for Spain’s big two, with Real Madrid and Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League semi-finals to Bayern Munich and Chelsea respectively. But with Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid setting up an all-Spanish Europa League final this week, taking some notable scalps on the way, is Spain’s top flight the strongest league in Europe?
There are two Premier League games to get stuck into on Sunday and there will be no thoughts of holidays in either contest as there are points to play for at both ends of the table.
There are two games in the Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League on Sunday and the main event is the last Old Firm game of the season – which is potentially the last for a long while. Despite all the off-the-field problems and stories, there will be the usual commitment as both teams strive for bragging rights in Glasgow.
важен так же, как и итоговое место в чемпионате. Тем более, что сейчас оба эти понятия сойдутся воедино. Победа в этом матче будет весить даже не 6 очков, она реально может повлиять на итоги чемпионата для этих двух клубов.
The Premier League season is at ’squeaky bum time’ and while there are a number of clubs who have nothing to play for there are still plenty who do. The relegation battle and the race for a top-four finish get tighter by the week but Saturday’s matches could go some way to deciding both situations.
Chelsea to call the Toon
Arsenal are seemingly nailed on at 1/12 to secure one of those Champions League berths – which may be reduced to three depending on the result of the this year’s final – but the Gunners will be keeping a close eye on proceedings on Wednesday with Tottenham (8/11), Chelsea (11/10) and Newcastle (6/1) all in with a chance of closing the gap.
Arsene Wenger’s men have at least a four-point cushion over their rivals but have played a game more, and victories for the two of the three chasing clubs will really set up an exciting run in.
Chelsea v Newcastle 7.45pm
Chelsea have been in tremendous form under Roberto di Matteo, losing just one of 16 games under his stewardship, and go into the match on the crest of a wave, having knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League as well as crushing QPR 6-1 in an embarrassingly one-sided west London derby on Sunday.
Fernando Torres looked every inch the star footballer that persuaded Roman Abramovich to splash out £50m to sign him from Liverpool and he won the man of the match award after scoring a hat-trick.
It has been a difficult season for the Spain hitman and that treble doubled his league tally for the season to six, although he has scored 11 goals in total in 47 appearances in all competitions.
However, it was the manner of his performance that will have got the Blues fans excited – with two cup finals approaching – as he looked sharp and dangerous and wanted the ball, as well as finding the net on three occasions.
Whether he starts remains to be seen as di Matteo may opt to change things around again but if he does start, he has to be considered in the goalscoring markets.
Newcastle have surprised so many for so long and a recent six-match winning streak kept them firmly in the hunt for a top-four finish.
However, that run was emphatically ended at the weekend and although it was no disgrace to lose to Wigan at the DW Stadium, given Latics recent run, the manner of the defeat and the 4-0 scoreline leaves cause for concern.
The Magpies do not usually travel well to Stamford Bridge, having not won there in 18 matches, but should provide more of a test than the Rs as they have kept 14 clean sheets this season – only the Manchester clubs have kept fewer – and have a distinct goal threat in the shape of Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba.
Branislav Ivanovic is a welcome return for the Blues as David Luiz and Gary Cahill are still ruled out and given the way they have been playing recently, coupled with the fact they won 3-0 at St James’ Park, Chelsea should come away with the points (Chelsea 8/15, Draw 16/5, Newcastle 11/2 Match Betting).
Bolton v Spurs 8pm
Spurs managed to rediscover the winning formula over Blackburn last Sunday, easing to a 2-0 win in a match where Rovers did not muster a single shot on goal, either on or off target.
Whether the Lilywhites rediscover the spring in the step that made them a title challenger earlier in the season now that the England situation has been sorted out (although it was never an issue in the first place apparently) remains to be seen, but they still remain in the hunt for a top-four place despite a horror run of form.
Harry Redknapp’s men had won just one of nine matches going into the Rovers clash although they did get the better of Bolton during that time in the FA Cup.
That cup win over the Trotters did come at White Hart Lane though and they need to turn around a dismal away run to keep pace with the likes of Newcastle, Chelsea and of course Arsenal.
Spurs have not won any of their last eight Premier League away games and have not scored in the last four, although they are the favourites at 10/11 in the match betting to end that run on Wednesday.
However, it could come down to a question of whose need is greater with Bolton knowing any kind of positive result will take them out of the bottom three with just two games to go.
Owen Coyles men are priced at 3/1 to pick up maximum points although a draw, given the Trotters defensive woes this season, at 13/5 could be the way to go.
Spurs have never won at the Reebok and are hardly in the best of nick, while Bolton are unbeaten in the last three Premier League games which gives sway to a positive ‘home’ argument, despite the fact that the Lancashire outfit has picked up more points on the road this term.
Want £200 Free? Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.