Scotland

Craig Levein’s side sit third in the Group I and two points behind the Czech Republic – who face Spain on Friday night – and know they need four points from their final two qualification matches to stand a chance of making the play-offs.

The Scottish boss knows they face Spain in their final game so is not thinking about that and instead concentrating on the task in hand, making sure they get the result they need against the international minnows of Liechtenstein.

It took a 97th-minute header from Stephen McManus to beat Saturday’s opponents at Hampden Park but Scotland (2/7 to win – Match Betting) should take some confidence from the fact they remain in contention to get a play-off spot thanks to a win over Lithuania last time out.

While Scotland are strong at Hampden Park, the same cannot be said of their performances on their travels as they have failed to win either of their two matches on the road so far, going down 1-0 to the Czechs and drawing 0-0 with Lithuania in Kaunas.

Given that it would take a big challenge for Scotland to beat Liechtenstein (9/1 to win , 9/2 draw – Match Betting) on Saturday and then go on to get the point they need away at Spain on October 11th, provided the Czechs have not already sewn up second place before the final game, albeit with an unlikely win over Spain and a Liechtenstein surprise.

The first thing to concentrate on for Scotland is beating Liechtenstein, and their hopes have received a big boost with the shock return of captain Darren Fletcher. The Manchester United man had been expected to miss the game through tonsillitis, but had been pencilled in to possibly face Spain.

However, the skipper is set to meet up with the squad at their training base in Switzerland and Levein admits he will play on Saturday “if the medical team gives him the thumbs up”.

More good news for Scotland is that striker Kenny Miller (3/1 First Goalscorer) is likely to play in Vaduz as he has recovered quicker than expected from a groin problem. The presence of those two players will be huge for Scotland as Fletcher controls the midfield and Miller is the one proven international goal scorer in the squad.

Craig Mackail-Smith, David Goodwillie and Steven Naismith are the other attacking options if he does not make it, but none of those trio are really proven on the international stage and Miller has shown over the years he can lead the line on his own and get goals – he scored one and set up the other against the Czechs at Hampden Park.

The trio of Alan Hutton, Graham Dorrans and Barry Robson have all returned to training and are likely to be named to face Liechtenstein as Levein seems set to name a strong line-up for this crucial clash.

For the hosts there are concerns over top goalscorer Mario Frick, while they are without midfielder Franz Burgmeier – who has experience of British football during a spell with English side Darlington – due to suspension.

Even the staunchest of Scotland fans are likely to be confident of getting a result on Saturday and they need goals to really boost the confidence ahead of a massive game with Spain. It is still a long shot for the Scots to make Euro 2012 but if they are to go out, they are sure to go out fighting.

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Craig Levein’s side looked as if they were on course for a crucial victory against the Czechs but a questionable penalty awarded by referee Kevin Blom following Jan Resek’s tumble in the box gave Michal Kadlec a chance to level the scores, handing Michal Bilek’s side a point.

To add further insult to injury, the Scots themselves were denied a spot-kick in the closing minutes leaving them bitterly frustrated. The Tartan Army will be hoping Darren Fletcher and his men can channel this anger in a positive manner and get the three points required against an improving Lithuanian side.

Fletcher will undoubtedly be one of the Scot’s key players, driving the team forwards and doing all he can to ensure the victory. The Manchester United man was much derided during the early stages of his career but is now seen as one of the nation’s premier midfielders and with both Charlie Adam and Scott Brown missing through injury and suspension respectively, Fletcher will be looking for a big performance.

Scotland will also be without star striker Kenny Miller who is banned following his yellow card at the weekend meaning Blackburn’s David Goodwillie (4/1 first goalscorer) is likely to be the man charged with leading the line for Levein’s side. The former Dundee United forward has only played once for his country but has the talent to fire them to victory on Tuesday night.

After a decent start to their qualifying campaign, which included an away victory against the Czechs, Lithuania’s (11/2 for the win) form has hit the skids in recent times and their last two fixtures have seen them pick up just a point from two games against minnows Lichtenstein.

Their most notable player is surely Hearts winger Arvydas Novikovas who has been one of the SPL’s brightest stars for the last few seasons. The left-footer has both pace and ability and could cause the Scottish rearguard some major problems.

Another name to lookout for is the skipper Tomas Danilevicuis (7/1 first goalscorer) who despite his age, still has an eye for goal and will be looking to make an impact in what could be one of his final matches for his country.

Following their encouraging performance on Saturday, the Scots will be expecting a comfortable win against the eastern Europeans and will be doing all they can to close the gap on the Czechs going into the final two games of qualifying.

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Scotland

Last year in Prague, the manager opted for a surprising 4-6-0 formation – which backfired when they were defeated 1-0 thanks to a header from Roman Hubnik – but there will be no repeat this time around as Scotland strive to get closer to that second spot in the group.

The Tartan Army need maximum points to keep themselves in with a realistic shot of winning a play-off place as runners-up to runaway Group I leaders and world champions Spain, so the return of skipper Darren Fletcher comes at just the right time.

The Manchester United man is going into the game woefully short of fitness – he has only played twice since being hit by a mystery infection back in March – but Scotland are not blessed with many world class midfielders so his guile and determination will be a massive boost.

Levein has also included Charlie Adam (10/1 First Goalscorer) in for his first competitive start and the Liverpool man should add the class and skill to Fletcher’s running to ensure Scotland are really competitive in the middle of the park.

Elsewhere, Alan Hutton is in at right back and Kenny Miller (5/1 First or Last Goalscorer) will start up front alone in what looks a strong Scotland squad on paper. The vast majority of the starting line-up plays in the Premier League, with three from the SPL and only one from the Championship – and that is something Scottish fans have not always been able to boast in recent years.

The Czech Republic (9/5 to win, draw 23/10 90 Minutes) come into this game smarting after a 3-0 friendly defeat to Norway last time out and they are without Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, meaning one of the untested duo of Jan Lastuvka or Jaroslav Drobny will be between the sticks.

There remains some real talent among the Czech ranks with the likes of Arsenal star Tomas Rosicky and former Liverpool man Milan Baros (6/1 First Goalscorer) the real familiar faces to British football fans. Elsewhere though they are full of European pedigree and there is a core of the unit from Czech champions Viktoria Plzen – who recently made it into this season’s Champions League.

Scotland recorded a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic in Levein’s first game in charge back in March 2010, thanks to a goal from Scott Brown who will also start at Hampden on Saturday, and they need to go out confident in search of another victory (5/1 Scotland 1-0 Correct Score).

Nothing but a win for Scotland on Saturday, and also against Lithuania on Tuesday night, will be enough if they want to make the Euro 2012 play-offs. But Levein has a talented squad at his disposal and they should have enough to get wins in both games, especially as the Czechs are not the force they were in the days of Poborsky, Koller and Nedved.

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Northern Ireland have never featured at a European Championships and have not made the finals of a major tournament since the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, but their current campaign represents their best chance in many a year.

Before the Windsor Park showdown against Serbia they sit third in Group C, a point ahead of Friday’s opponents and two points behind second-place Slovenia with a game in hand.

The morale-boosting 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands earlier this month has left Worthington’s side in with a great chance of progressing through the group and booking their place in Poland and Ukraine next year, but it is the final three qualifying games that will obviously prove critical.

Following Friday’s clash in Belfast, they take on Estonia – also at home – before finishing their schedule with a daunting away game at current Group leaders Italy.

So, with that in mind, getting a victory over Serbia looks even more important if they are to keep the dream alive.

Northern Ireland have been in this position in their group before only to capitulate in the final games to miss out on qualification and Worthington will have his side pumped up for Friday in front of what is usually a passionate home support.

He is preparing for the game, however, with major doubts hanging over the fitness of both Kyle Lafferty and Pat McCourt. If the pair, who scored two each in the Faroe Islands win, miss out then it will be a major blow to the boss and he will have to rely on the likes of experienced duo David Healy and Chris Brunt to find the goals that would secure a win.

They are viewed as underdogs, despite home advantage, and 2/1 looks appealing with Northern Ireland likely to go all out for the victory but Serbia (11/10) will be a tough proposition.

It’s a tough one to call, this, but the draw at 9/4 does represent good value while a punt on Healy to score anytime at 7/2 is also well worth a shot.

Prediction: draw @ 9/4
Value bet: 2-2 @ 14/1

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The Hoops suffered a huge blow to their hopes of lifting the SPL trophy in the week when they went down 3-2 to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Caley have been a bogie team for Celtic in recent seasons but this most recent upset could cost manager Neil Lennon and his players the title.

The defeat was not the only bad news for Lennon, as he will now have to do without Beram Kayal for the rest of the season after the talented midfielder fractured his wrist in the second half at the Caledonian Stadium.

Kayal has been an outstanding addition to the Celtic squad this season and has been praised for his performances by Lennon this term.

The Bhoys have further absentees for their trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday, as strikers Georgios Samaras and Anthony Stokes are both suspended.

Their absence will certainly be a loss for Celtic up front and they will have to rely on the likes of Kris Commons and Gary Hooper (5/2 to score the first goal) for their goalscoring options.

At the back there are more injury concerns, with Glenn Loovens out with a strain whilst Charlie Mulgrew and Mark Wilson are both doubtful for the clash at Rugby Park.

Midfielder Joe Ledley remains out of action after he picked up a hamstring injury in the Old Firm clash against Rangers which ended 0-0 at Ibrox.

Samaras had a crucial late penalty saved by Rangers keeper Alan McGregor which could be a huge turning point in the SPL title race.

Celtic cannot think of what might have been when they face Kilmarnock, who have some injury woes of their own.

Jamie Hamill is out with a hamstring problem whilst Frazer Wright and Ryan O’Leary remain out of action.

The home side will be without James Fowler who is suspended for the clash against the Old Firm giants.

Kilmarnock have not picked up a win in their last five games but did battle out a hard fought 2-2 draw with Hearts in their last outing.

The Ayrshire club remain in fifth spot in the SPL table and will be pleased with their season so far.

With Celtic suffering a host of injuries and suspensions, it will be a tough ask to go to Rugby Park and pick up three points.

However, with the likes of Hooper and Commons still available the Hoops should still secure the win and keep the SPL title race alive.

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Arsenal

The Gunners are seven points behind the Red Devils in the table but have game in hand and, crucially, United are yet to visit the Emirates Stadium.

A run of three successive draws looked to have stalled Arsenal’s title charge but Wenger knows if they can follow-up last weekend’s 3-1 win over Blackpool with victory over the Reds (Arsenal 8/11, draw 13/5, Liverpool 19/5) they can cut United’s lead to just four points.

It has been an eventful week for the Gunners with American businessman Stan Kroenke launching a full take-over of the club.

Wenger insisted though, following a meeting with Kroenke, that we will maintain full control over team affairs and continue his policy of recruiting and developing younger, cheaper players.

“We have a certain philosophy of football and we will continue to develop that and to play even better. We will continue to run the club like it has been done until now – that means live within our resources, produce our own resources and develop our football team,” said the Frenchman.

The Gunners have a good record against Kenny Dalglish’s men (Arsenal HT/FT 7/4), having lost only three of their past 19 encounters with the Reds, including none of the last seven.

They haven’t tasted defeat at home against the Merseysiders since Liverpool triumphed 1-0 (1-0 Liverpool correct score – 9-1) at Highbury in February 2000.

Robin van Persie (9/2 – first goalscorer) has hit 20 goals in his last 21 Premier League starts and is poised to make his 150th Premier League appearance for the Gunners.

Liverpool have a form forward player of their own though in £35million man Andy Carroll (15/2 – first goalscorer) who hit his first two goals for the Anfield club in their impressive 3-0 win over Manchester City on Monday night. He also struck the only goal in a 1-0 for his former club Newcastle at the Emirates back in November.

Liverpool are now well in the running for a Europa League place (Liverpool 1/4 top six finish) after a dramatic upturn in form under caretaker boss Kenny Dalglish and can close the gap on fifth placed Spurs to just two points with a win.

Prediction: home win @ 8/11
Value bet: Arsenal 2-1 @ 7/1

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A surprise defeat at home to Sampdoria last weekend saw Roma hand Inter Milan the initiative in the title race and nothing but a win will do the Roman side this Saturday against Parma ahead of next week’s crunch showdown with Inter at the San Siro.

Jose Mourinho’s troops are two points ahead of Roma at the top of Serie A and must travel to Rome on Sunday to take on an improved Lazio side still fighting for survival. Roma will be hoping their city rivals can do them a favour but they know first they must leave Parma with three points.

Parma currently lie 10th in mid-table mediocrity with nothing left to play for and have not beaten Roma since 2005. When these two sides last met just before Christmas, Roma ran out 2-0 winners.

This match will be a typically tight Italian affair with Roma not being a prolific goal scoring side and Parma averaging only 1.09 goals per home match this season, so the 2.10 on offer for under 2.5 goals with PartyBets looks a good value bet.

The incentive for Roma to win here will ensure they leave with all three points so expect Roma to shut up shop and nick a goal or two at the other end through the attacking threat of Totti, Rossi, or leading scorer Vucinic.

Back Roma to win to nil at a decent priced 2.51 or go with a 2-0 victory for the title contenders at 6.50 with PartyBets.com.

Related posts:

1. Roma Stay Top After Derby Win Over Rivals Lazio
2. Serie A Predictions: Home Wins For Inter And Roma
3. Fiorentina V Roma Will Be Too Close To Call

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