Big spending, bouncy, brash, hungry and thirsty Bavarians are coming to town. Right?

But dispensing with the lies and damn lies and heading straight for statistics there’s at least some data to suggest that the reigning European champions have a chunky task on their hands tonight (7.45pm).

While Los Blancos have lost five and drawn only one of their last six visits to Munich every single one of those last six results (a quintet of 2-1′s and a 1-1 draw) would serve to qualify Madrid for the final if it were reproduced this evening.

The last time Madrid failed to score in Bavaria one of the main protagonists of the war of words around last week’s tie, Franz Beckenbauer, was wearing short trousers and boots and Los Blancos’ midfield play was being run by a certain tall, skinny Vicente Del Bosque. (April, 1976, if you feel the need to know).

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More heat than light

The heat generated over the first leg had a lot to do with tactics, philosophy, internal warring, possession and ‘sterility’.

Within Spain, certainly within the Santiago Bernabéu there was no frothing at the mouth about the fact that the nine time European champions decided, in advance, not to compete for possession and chose a strategy of counter-attack football.

Some of the Bayern players, Thomas Müller in particular, scoffed a little at the tactic – amazed that it flew so brazenly in the face of Madrid’s history, and in the knowledge that it would be unforgiveable at Bayern.

The ‘row’ factor centred on just that Bavarian philosophy. They are, by nature, a ‘sturm und drang‘ club – conflict, desire, antagonism, stress, hunger, pressure.

They play intelligent football, talented football – but not percentage football.

If they were a driver they’d be Ayrton Senna, if they were a flavour they’d be tabasco. If they were music they’d be AC/DC.

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On the (counter) attack

Guardiola was criticised (again) by Beckenbauer. L’Equipe splashed it’s next edition with the headline ‘Real Politik’ stating that Bayern had been taught a lesson in ‘real’ life and efficacy.

Guardiola’s possession football was mocked.

I thought that there was a dreadful, ill informed reaction to how Bayern played to the exclusion of proper analysis of what actually happened in the first leg – ie how close the German champions were to doing something special.

However, I think there has also been some confusion emanating from the first leg about Real Madrid and what brand of football they espouse.

Three of the Champions League semi-final teams last week played on the counter attack. But I’d argue that there was a clear difference between what Real Madrid chose to do and Chelsea’s (understandable) parking of the bus at the Calderon.

Madrid don’t revoke possession – it’s just that they are extremely effective with what they have.

You’re very Possessive

Take their Champions League record this season as proof.

Away to Copenhagen they won 2-0 (with 59% possession). A home to Galatasaray they won 4-1 (50%). A way to Juve they drew 2-2 (52%). At home to Juve they won 2-1 (52%). At home to Copenhagen they won 4-0 (58%). Away to Galatasaray they won 6-1 (50%).

In the first knock-out round they beat Schalke 6-1 away (57%) and at home 3-1 (55%). Then they beat Dortmund in the first quarter final 3-0 (58%) and lost to them away 2-0 (49%).

They compete for the ball, they don’t sit and speculate, waiting on the Mourinho doctrine that the more the other side has possession the more likely it is they’ll make a mistake.

But Madrid are quite confident that if they have somewhere near a fair share of the ball then they’ll outscore the opposition – sometimes heavily.

They are startlingly effective as evidenced by their 12 goals away to Galatasaray and Schalke on an average 53.5% possession shows.

It’s part of the reason that Guardiola, in the build up to this second leg, has been emphasising that he expects to require three goals from his men in order to go through.

The case for the defence

Instinct tells me that it’s worth looking at Madrid’s two central defenders.

During the three previous semi finals which Los Blancos have reached consecutively Pepe, for all his football ability, has been a ‘sleeper’.

Sent off in the first (home) leg against Barcelona – Leo Messi’s two goals followed instantly.

Two years ago against Bayern he foolishly and needlessly gave away the penalty from which Arjen Robben squared the tie at 3-3 in the second leg.

Last season he was, utterly ruthlessly, exposed by Marko Reus and Robert Lewandowski. The striker gave Pepe a lesson in clinical penalty box football and should have sent him a bouquet of flowers and an apology for humiliation when the dust settled.

Can he amend that besmirched record tonight?

Then there’s Ramos.

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Wounded pride

Two seasons ago he was mocked, mercilessly, for his crucial penalty miss, skied over the bar, at the decisive moment in the shoot-out to reach the final at the Allianz Arena.

He was so furious, this Errol Flynn footballer, at the cruelty of the reception to that moment (people portrayed his shot hitting Felix Baumgartner’s head as he was preparing to jump out of Red Bull Stratos and the video went viral) that he decided to even the score by ‘Panenka-chipping’ the Portugal keeper in the European Championship semi final during 2012.

On Saturday, he was rampaging forward and tried to get on the end of two Ronaldo crosses against Osasuna before finally heading home on the hour.

He’s on the verge of missing the final, should they qualify, given that he’s on a booking. But his attitude and actions were those of a man (in my knowledge of him) who’s still got a thorn in his side.

Weakness or strength – the rampaging, Boys-Own, ‘I can do anything if I try’ attitude which makes Ramos such an attractive footballer to watch? (Albeit with Real Madrid’s record red card total)

You decide. All I know is that I’ll be riveted to the game.

Off the fence

The odds and the sane, calm part of my brain says: Bayern, at home, only one goal to overcome – they HAVE to do it.

The Sergio Ramos, hot-blooded, Celtic part of my brain (the 95% part) says … it’s Madrid to go through on a 2-2 aggregate scoreline.

La Decima beckons?

• For Madrid to go through on aggregate 2-2 means they get beaten 2-1 tonight by Munich @ 7/1.
• Ramos is 25/1 to score the first goal or 8/1 to score at anytime over the 90 minutes tonight.

 You can follow Graham Hunter on Twitter on @BumperGraham

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It has not been an easy start to life in the Championship for under-pressure manager Owen Coyle and his players have found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreline in a number of tight encounters.

Bolton – 18th place in the table – suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace last weekend and will be desperate to bag the three points against a Leeds side who will head to the Reebok Stadium full of confidence.

The West Yorkshire outfit beat Nottingham Forest and Bristol City in the Championship and saw off Everton in the Capital One Cup, in what was a successful week for manager Neil Warnock and his men.

Striker El-Hadji Diouf has been a revelation since making the move to Elland Road and he will certainly be a threat once again.

Bolton have plenty of talent in their ranks and between two pretty evenly matched sides this Lancashire-Yorkshire derby might well finish with the points shared.

Cardiff City have started to emerge as a strong force in the push for promotion and they will be looking to keep up their winning momentum when they face Birmingham City (Cardiff 10/11 draw 5/2 Birmingham 3/1 – Match Betting).

With four wins in their last five game in the Championship, the Bluebirds are looking strong under manager Malky Mackay.

Cardiff have won all four of their home games this season and will once again be formidable opposition against a Blues outfit struggling to live up to expectations this season.

Injuries have plagued manager Lee Clark and his squad at St Andrew’s but they managed to battle for a 1-0 draw against Brighton on the South Coast.

They will need a similarly gritty performance to get a result in the Welsh capital but the Bluebirds should have enough quality to get the three points.

In another standout game on Tuesday, Hull City will be looking to bounce back from their surprising defeat to Peterborough United when they face Blackpool at the KC Stadium (Hull 11/8 draw 12/5 Blackpool 15/8 – Match Betting).

The Tigers looked in fine form but have come unstuck in their last two outings, with Leicester City and strugglers Peterborough getting the better of manager Steve Bruce and his men.

Blackpool have also gone off the boil in their last two outings with heavy defeats at the hands of Huddersfield Town and Cardiff.

This game will really be about which side can put their recent disappointments behind them when they line-up on Tuesday night.

Both teams have match winners but the Tangerines, with the likes of Tom Ince and Gary Taylor-Fletcher, could edge this one over the Tigers.

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There’s still plenty to play for in both match-ups so it is sure to be an evening of classic European footballing action

The first match between Panathinaikos and Malaga was a true tale of two halves as the Spaniards dominated the opening 45 minutes before their Greek opponents hit back in the second and in the end were unlucky not to get more in their 2-0 defeat (Panathinaikos 11/8, draw 12/5, Malaga 7/4 Match Betting).

This was partly because they opened up as the game went on and produced some of the most exciting football of the whole round.

The man mostly responsibly for this was the performance of winger Ibrahim Sissoko, who looked superb in the first leg and will be looking to make an impact on home soil.

After a tumultuous summer, Malaga will just be pleased to be on the field but have an extra incentive to go through as this would be the club’s first ever Champions League campaign.

Despite a number of high-profile exits, they still have a plenty of class within their ranks and in youngster Isco, they have one of the most sought after players in Europe.

The playmaker has only improved since moving from Valencia last summer and will be looking to terrorise the Greek defence on Tuesday.

This looks almost too close to call and although the home side may win on the night, Malaga’s two goal cushion should see them through (Panathinaikos 8/1 to win 2-1).

The other game that jumps out is the clash between Udinese and Braga which is currently level at 1-1 (Udinese evens, draw 9/4, Braga 11/4 Match Betting).

Last week’s clash in Portugal was a typically cagey affair but the Italian side seem to open up at home so it could be a thriller at the Stadio Friuli.

As usual, forward Antonio Di Natale will be key to their chances of victory and despite his age, is still a top class player, as he showed at the recent European Championships.

The veteran always seems to produce in the big games so don’t be surprised if he pops-up with a vital goal.

Despite their lack of stars, Braga are one of those clubs who just seem to keep finding hidden gems before selling them on to Europe’s big clubs.

However, they do have a few recognisable faces, most notably former Newcastle man Hugo Viana who, despite never really living up to his hype, is still capable of turning any game on its head.

Like the first match this is likely to be very tight but Udinese are normally very strong at home and should just sneak through (Udinese 7/1 to win 2-1).

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Nottingham Forest

The Reds claimed a win on the opening day of the season with a 1-0 home victory over Bristol City, followed by a hard fought 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town in West Yorkshire in midweek from which they were unlucky not to claim the three points from.

Manager Sean O’Driscoll has made his side hard to beat in their opening games and it looks like Forest (7/2 – Promotion Outright) will be in the mix for the play-offs come the end of the regular season.

Backed by their new Kuwaiti owners, Forest have been able to make some strong signings over the summer and they are likely to add to the squad at the City Ground before the window closes at the end of the month.

The signing of Simon Cox from West Brom already looks like it will pay off over the course of the season, as he found the net against the Terriers on Tuesday and looked a threat throughout.

With the likes of Lewis McGugan  and Dexter Blackstock in their ranks, Forest have some real attacking threats who are bound to get chances presented to them on Friday night against a Bolton outfit who have already shown they can be vulnerable at the back this term.

The Whites had a rude awakening to life in the Championship when they were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Lancashire rivals Burnley last weekend.

That result at Turf Moor will have been a bitter pill to swallow for Trotters boss Owen Coyle against his former employers but he will have been pleased with his side’s display in midweek when they saw off Derby County 2-0 at the Reebok.

Bolton (7/1 – Championship Outright) will be a tough proposition on home soil this term, as they have been able to keep hold of many of their key players who dropped down from the Premier League last season.

Mark and Kevin Davies form the spine of the team in the upper half of the pitch and Coyle will need to keep both those players at the club beyond the transfer window if they are to be successful in the second tier of English football.

The strong back two of Matthew Mills and Zat Knight will be tough to break down and the pair of Keith Andrews and Chris Eagles in the middle of the park will add an extra attacking threat that Forest will have to be wary of.

This certainly looks like it will be a very close game and it could go either way, depending on who can make the most of their chances.

It looks like there could well be a share of the spoils which would probably make O’Driscoll the happier of the two managers as Forest (12/1 – Championship Outright) would maintain their unbeaten record in the league this season.

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Some 18 of the 24 teams that will make up next year’s Championship have experience in the Premier League, and every one of them will harbour a belief that they are capable of securing a return in the near future.

But some are closer than others, and it is Leicester, who last graced the top level of English football in 2004, that are fancied as the favourites to earn promotion back to the Premier League, priced at 2/1.

The Foxes have assembled a strong squad during the close season and look easily capable of overcoming the disappointment of missing out on the play-offs last term.

Expect former Everton man Jermaine Beckford to be at the forefront of City’s attacking threat, although they do appear short of other strike options at this relatively early stage of transfer window period.

Of the three teams relegated at the end of last season, it’s Bolton who many believe have the best chance of bouncing back at the first attempt.

In Owen Coyle, the Trotters have a manager who already has a Premier League promotion on his CV, and that experience at the top of the club should not be underestimated, to the extent that their 9/4 price seems rather generous.

Wolves endured a torrid time in the Premier League last season and their relegation back to the league they climbed out of three years ago appeared nailed on from an early stage of the campaign.

The club disposed of interim manager Terry Connor at the end of the 2011/12 campaign in favour of recruiting a relative unknown to oversee first team affairs, and what they hope will be a successful campaign in the Championship.

Stalle Solbakken is the man who’s been tasked with leading Wolves’ march back to the Premier League and, at odds of 11/4, they are fancied to be in the mix at the end of the season.

Solbakken made six appearances for Wimbledon in the 1997/98 season, but his lack of experience of the English game beyond that brief spell could hinder the Molineux outfit’s hopes of bouncing back at the first attempt.

Blackburn, meanwhile, have kept their faith in Steve Kean, who will be under great pressure from the club’s Indian owners to bring Premier League football back to Ewood Park.

But at 7/2 they are not fancied to be in the box seat for one of the three promotion places up for grabs, and it is difficult to see the 1994/95 Premier League Champions coasting to success next year.

Outside of those four, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United will head into the new season with renewed hope of sealing what their supporters believe is a long overdue return to one of Europe’s elite competitions.

The two clubs have proud histories at the summit of English football, but those memories of success in major competitions are becoming more and more distant.

Both teams head into the campaign under new managers, and it is Neil Warnock’s Leeds who have a particularly strong chance of defying their 4/1 price and earning promotion.

Warnock has masterminded countless promotions during his managerial career and knows exactly what it takes to turn also-rans into genuine promotion contenders.

Forest, on the other hand, opted to appoint a less well-known name following the departure of Steve Cotterill.

Former Doncaster Rovers supremo Sean O’Driscoll has been plucked from relative obscurity at Crawley and given the opportunity to earn a place in City Ground folklore by leading the team back to the Premier League.

At 7/2, they are expected to at least make the play-offs, but O’Driscoll’s lack of experience at the top end of English football’s second tier could prevent Forest from taking that final step and earning promotion.

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Last season marked a rare occurrence as it was only the second time in Premier League history that all three new boys survived as Norwich and Swansea flourished to seal mid-table finishes, while QPR survived relegation on a dramatic final day.

This season promises to be another challenge for the clubs coming up from the Championship as we look at who has the potential to finish top dog.

Reading came from nowhere to romp to the Championship title against the odds last season as boss Brian McDermott helped the Royals recover from their 2011 play-off final hangover in the opening half of the campaign to surge into top spot following an impressive post New Year winning run.

McDermott has wasted no time in bolstering his squad with Pavel Pogrebnyak, who scored six goals in 12 games on loan at Fulham last season, former England full-back Nicky Shorey and midfielder Danny Guthrie all adding Premier League experience to the ranks.

It will be a tall order for the Royals to survive (4/6 To Stay Up), but we feel the quality of players McDermott is adding to an already settled squad should keep their heads above water next term.

Southampton went up in the second automatic position after Nigel Adkins’ men suffered a slight case of the jitters when battling it out with the Royals for the title at the end of last season.

Adkins’ side were impressive at St Mary’s last season and they will be hoping to make it a fortress again as they bid to get a foot-hold in the Premier League.

The Saints chief will be banking on last season’s top scorer Rickie Lambert to take his prolific goal-scoring form into the top flight and hope £7million signing Jay Rodriguez can also make the step up.

Steve Davies will add some Premier League experience into the midfield after joining from Rangers, while Adkins is still looking for more new faces to further bolster a squad which could do with some more top-flight nous.

West Ham managed to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but had to do it the hard way in the end-of-season play-offs when they overcame Blackpool at Wembley.

Sam Allardyce’s men choked the most, particularly at Upton Park, in the second half of last season and that cost them automatic promotion. However, they rediscovered their form in the run-in and play-offs to seal a deserved return to the top-flight.

Allardyce’s squad possessed plenty of Premier League quality last season as the Hammers held on to the majority of their top players in order to give themselves the best chance of promotion and it paid dividends.

Experienced goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen will more then compensate for Rob Green’s departure to QPR on a free transfer, while midfielder Mohamed Diame has also arrived from Wigan and George McCartney’s loan move from Sunderland has been made a permanent arrangement.

The Hammers have Matt Taylor, Kevin Nolan, Carlton Cole and Mark Noble, who have all performed well in the Premier League in the past, while Allardyce will hope Ricardo Vaz Te, Nicky Maynard and Sam Baldock can make the step up with ease.

Despite finishing third, we feel Hammers (4/11 To Stay Up) look the best bet to cope with the transition of being back in the Premier League given that their absence was only a season, while the Saints and Royals have been missing for seven and four years respectively.

Big Sam has proven himself capable of keeping clubs in the top flight with Bolton and Blackburn so expect the Hammers to come out on top in the battle of the news boys, while only Southampton (5/4 to be relegated) are likely to be fall guys and drop back to the Championship come next May.

Prediction: West Ham Top Promoted Team @ 11/8

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Last season marked a rare occurrence as it was only the second time in Premier League history that all three new boys survived as Norwich and Swansea flourished to seal mid-table finishes, while QPR survived relegation on a dramatic final day.

This season promises to be another challenge for the clubs coming up from the Championship as we look at who has the potential to finish top dog.

Reading came from nowhere to romp to the Championship title against the odds last season as boss Brian McDermott helped the Royals recover from their 2011 play-off final hangover in the opening half of the campaign to surge into top spot following an impressive post New Year winning run.

McDermott has wasted no time in bolstering his squad with Pavel Pogrebnyak, who scored six goals in 12 games on loan at Fulham last season, former England full-back Nicky Shorey and midfielder Danny Guthrie all adding Premier League experience to the ranks.

It will be a tall order for the Royals to survive (4/6 To Stay Up), but we feel the quality of players McDermott is adding to an already settled squad should keep their heads above water next term.

Southampton went up in the second automatic position after Nigel Adkins’ men suffered a slight case of the jitters when battling it out with the Royals for the title at the end of last season.

Adkins’ side were impressive at St Mary’s last season and they will be hoping to make it a fortress again as they bid to get a foot-hold in the Premier League.

The Saints chief will be banking on last season’s top scorer Rickie Lambert to take his prolific goal-scoring form into the top flight and hope £7million signing Jay Rodriguez can also make the step up.

Steve Davies will add some Premier League experience into the midfield after joining from Rangers, while Adkins is still looking for more new faces to further bolster a squad which could do with some more top-flight nous.

West Ham managed to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but had to do it the hard way in the end-of-season play-offs when they overcame Blackpool at Wembley.

Sam Allardyce’s men choked the most, particularly at Upton Park, in the second half of last season and that cost them automatic promotion. However, they rediscovered their form in the run-in and play-offs to seal a deserved return to the top-flight.

Allardyce’s squad possessed plenty of Premier League quality last season as the Hammers held on to the majority of their top players in order to give themselves the best chance of promotion and it paid dividends.

Experienced goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen will more then compensate for Rob Green’s departure to QPR on a free transfer, while midfielder Mohamed Diame has also arrived from Wigan and George McCartney’s loan move from Sunderland has been made a permanent arrangement.

The Hammers have Matt Taylor, Kevin Nolan, Carlton Cole and Mark Noble, who have all performed well in the Premier League in the past, while Allardyce will hope Ricardo Vaz Te, Nicky Maynard and Sam Baldock can make the step up with ease.

Despite finishing third, we feel Hammers (4/11 To Stay Up) look the best bet to cope with the transition of being back in the Premier League given that their absence was only a season, while the Saints and Royals have been missing for seven and four years respectively.

Big Sam has proven himself capable of keeping clubs in the top flight with Bolton and Blackburn so expect the Hammers to come out on top in the battle of the news boys, while only Southampton (5/4 to be relegated) are likely to be fall guys and drop back to the Championship come next May.

Prediction: West Ham Top Promoted Team @ 11/8

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Premier League

Following on from last season it is widely expected champions Manchester City and local rivals Manchester United will again dominate the battle for the title, but what of those below them? Will it be the usual suspects of Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool in the frame for the top four or, like Newcastle last term, will there be a surprise package?

Assuming both Manchester clubs will take up two of the top four places, the race for the remaining two spots looks very competive with plenty of clubs hoping to stake realistic claims.

Arsenal

After a shocking start last season, the Gunners rallied and then, thanks somewhat to the goals of Robin van Persie, they managed to secure third place.

It was some achievement considering they were in the bottom half of the table early on and testament to boss Arsene Wenger’s determination to stick to his plan and ability to get results even when he was facing heavy criticism.

He looks like losing van Persie this summer, though, and fans will again be wondering if a top-quality replacement is not found then a title challenge looks as far away as it’s ever been over the past five years.

Wenger’s men are 4/9 to again make the top four, however, and there is an argument that is too short given the goings-on elsewhere, but it reflects the fact Arsenal remain very much experienced Champions League qualifiers.

Chelsea

Like Liverpool in 2005, Chelsea’s failure to make the top four last season mattered little in the end as they pulled off a big shock by going on to win the Champions League overall.

Their victories over Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the latter stages of the European Cup proved they can match – and beat – the very best in one-off games but there remain plenty of question marks over the Blues’ ability to mix it with the Manchester duo over the course of the campaign.

Roberto Di Matteo was rewarded with a permanent contract after he guided them to glory and the club have landed the highly-rated Eden Hazard, with several others set to follow him to Stamford Bridge.

Their hero in Munich, Didier Drogba, has gone so there is plenty of expectation on Fernando Torres’ shoulders to lead Chelsea back into the top four.

At 1/4 they are odds-on to make it and, provided they strengthen further, it should be achievable.

Spurs

It’s been a summer of change so far at White Hart Lane, with Harry Redknapp being ushered out and former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas replacing him.

The Portuguese’s appointment has been met with a mixed reaction from the club’s fans, some of whom believe his failure at Chelsea proves he cannot handle big players in a bigger league and is too inexperienced to threaten Sir Alex Ferguson, Roberto Mancini and Wenger.

However, plenty of others are willing to put his Chelsea spell to one side as a blip and say he is quite rightly regarded as one of the best young coaches around.

Time will tell while finding a replacement for Luka Modric, should he depart, will also be difficult. Expect Spurs to challenge again for the top four (7/4) but fifth might be best they can hope for.

The Others

Liverpool are next in the betting at 5/2 and it would be seen as an achievement if Brendan Rodgers does guide the Reds back into the top four after three seasons out of the big time.

It is do-able but only if the new coach’s methods at Anfield work quickly and at least three top quality signings arrive.

Newcastle (16/1) would have to go some way to repeating last season’s impressive campaign and it would be a major surprise if Alan Pardew gets the Magpies as close in 2012-13.

Everton (18/1) have exceeded expectations in recent years under David Moyes but a top-four return for the Toffees looks unlikely while, of the other outsiders, Sunderland (50/1), under Martin O’Neill or Aston Villa (80/1), under Paul Lambert, would be the two sides most likely to cause a huge shock and somehow muscle in on the top-four party.

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Hull City

The former midfielder has thrust himself into the managerial arena following the departure of Nigel Pearson from the KC Stadium to Leicester City (14/1 Championship outright).

And it was against the Foxes that Barmby secured a memorable win on Saturday, with Slovenia skipper Robert Koren bagging a late winner to give his side all three points in a 2-1 win.

It was a big win for the Humberside outfit, who were looking to avoid a third straight defeat, in what yet again is a closely-contested Championship this season.

Now Barmby will have his eyes firmly set on another home clash against Blues, who seem to be struggling to balance their Europa League and the domestic duties this term.

Manager Chris Hughton and his side were desperately unlucky not to secure at least a point in their last outing in Europe against Braga, with only a deflected goal being the difference between the two sides in Portugal.

Birmingham followed that up with a 1-0 defeat at Cardiff City at the weekend and they will have to start questioning where their priorities are this term.

Hughton’s men have three games in hand over some teams above them in the Championship and are still well in the promotion chase this season, as they hope to make a swift return to the top flight.

However, they are going to have to start winning games like this one on Wednesday night at the KC Stadium, which has proved a tough destination for teams to go in the past.

The Tigers (33/1 Championship outright) remain just two points off the play-off places themselves and, with the likes of Koren and the talented Matty Fryatt in their ranks, they should give Hughton plenty to think about.

As for the Blues (25/1 Championship outright), they have only managed one win in their last six outings in the Championship, with the Europa League clearly distracting the West Midlands outfit.

They too have dangermen in their side, with Chris Burke and Wade Elliott causing problems for teams out wide as they try to provide the service for the likes of Chris Wood, who scored nine goals in eight games earlier in the season.

However, after their win over Leicester and with Barmby still enjoying his honeymoon period at the KC, a travel-weary Birmingham are unlikely to get anything from this game on Wednesday.

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Both sides have made solid if unspectacular starts to the season and will be looking for an all-important victory as well as local bragging rights (12/5 draw).

Bilbao are currently in the midst of a cultural revolution after the board appointed the club’s first ever non-Basque coach in the form of Argentine Marcelo Bielsa.

Los Leones are renowned for their exciting, attacking football but have struggled this season due to the new coach trying to implement his own methods. However, they are currently on a run of three unbeaten after reverting to their previous style and will fancy themselves to shoot up the table and gain a European place.

Key to this will be the form of striker Fernando Llorente, who is now one of Europe’s premier strikers and has once again carried the side this term. If his teammates can provide him with the service, he will score and expect his performance to have a big impact on the result of the match.

The man most likely to be feeding Llorente will be talented youngster Iker Muniain who has established himself in the side this term. Muniain impressed for Spain in this summer’s European under-21 championships and has the talent to trouble any defence. Look for him to be buzzing in and around the penalty box as he is often the man to inspire his teammates.

Osasuna (7/2 to win) appear to be this season’s draw specialists, having taken a single point from each of their last three games.

Los Rojillos had a superb season last term, eventually finishing ninth. They will be aiming for a similar finish this campaign and will be looking to continue their good form on Monday night.

Like their opponents, most of their joy comes through their main striker Kike Sola, who has a habit of popping up with important goals at vital times.

Another man to look out for is midfielder Raul Garcia, who will feel he has a point to prove having been deemed surplus to requirements at parent club Atletico Madrid. He has since rejoined his home town side on a season long loan. Garcia was tipped for great things when he first moved to the capital but failed to live up to expectations. However, he still has the ability to change a game and will be eager to prove himself.

The match will undoubtedly be an exciting, end-to-end encounter and it’s almost too close to call. However, Bilbao are formidable at home and should just shade it (Bilbao 6/1 to win 1-0).

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