MIDDLESBROUGH V SOUTHAMPTON

The late game in the Championship sees Nigel Adkins’ Saints make the long journey to the north east to face a Boro side still in with a slight chance of making the play-off places, with the visitorslooking to secure the win which would seal a second successive promotion and Premier League football at St Mary’s next term.

Tony Mowbray’s side, who are four points off the play-offs with two games remaining, will know how their main rivals for a top-six spot – Backpool and Cardiff – have fared by the time the action gets underway at the Riverside and if one of them slips up the Teessiders will look to pounce.

However, it is Boro’s home form which has left them outside the play-off places as they have been dismal in front of their despondent fans for the majority of the campaign.

The midweek goalless draw against bottom club and already-relegated Doncaster means Boro have only won seven games at the Riverside this season with their away form keeping them in the fight.

Mowbray’s side, who should have Faris Haroun fit and Joe Bennett available to face the Saints, started 2012 in second spot in the Championship, but one win in 10 has cost them dearly, while they have also only won one game in matches against the top five clubs this season.

Southampton will arrive in confident mood and Adkins will no doubt hope Birmingham, Cardiff and Blackpool all win in their respective 3pm matches as that would see Boro have nothing to play for.

However, they probably won’t need any favours to see off Boro on their own patch as they have only lost once in the last five trips to the Riverside and their current form has seen them pick up 10 wins in their last 15 league games, with just two defeats in 17.

Adkins, who is set to name an unchanged side, watched the Saints thump Boro 3-0 at St Mary’s in October and another comfortable win is on the cards.

Prediction: Southampton Away Win 90 Minutes @ 6/5
Value Bet: R Lambert 1st goal Southampton 2-0 Scorecast @ 30/1

BLACKPOOL v BURNLEY

An unpredictable Lancashire derby is probably the last thing Blackpool boss Ian Holloway wanted at this stage of the season as his side look for the win to seal a play-off place.

To make matters worse they have only defeated the Clarets once in 15 years at Bloomfield Road – a 3-0 win in 2008 – and were well beaten 3-1 at Turf Moor earlier in the campaign in a third straight defeat against their rivals.

However, with a top-six place guaranteed if they bag the three points, expect the hosts to continue their good recent form which has seen them go unbeaten in five.

Holloway will hope to have striker Stephen Dobbie fit from a stiff back, while Kevin Phillips is back in training after a hip problem. Keith Southern serves the last of a three-match ban, while defender Craig Cathcart is doubtful due to a cyst.

Burnley arrive in decent form as they are unbeaten in four matches and could draw three games on the bounce for the first time this season on Saturday.

Eddie Howe, who has injury concerns over strikers Jay Rodriguez and Martin Paterson, knows they only have pride left to play for but a good result against their big rivals and a chance to give their fans the bragging rights will no doubt inspire a performance.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 11/4
Value Bet: Burnley/Draw HT/FT @ 16/1

CARDIFF V LEEDS

Cardiff go into their clash with Leeds on home soil in the knowledge that they will be in the play-offs for a third successive season if they win the match.

The Bluebirds defeated Derby 2-0 in midweek which made it eight games unbeaten, while they are also 11 games unbeaten in games against their opponents.

However Malky Mackay’s plans have been hit by the loss of influential midfielder Craig Conway for the rest of the season with ankle ligament damage, while striker Rudy Gestede is struggling with a hip problem and midfielder Don Cowie is carrying a minor knock.

Neil Warnock will bring his Leeds side to South Wales looking to spoil the party,after they failed to prevent Blackpool from boosting their play-off aspirations in midweek.

The Whites have lost four of their five previous matches, including the last two away, so will not be full of confidence, while they are missing defender Darren O’Dea who saw red against Blackpool and striker Billy Paynter is out with an Achilles injury.

Cardiff have the momentum and desire for points and we can’t see anything other than a banker home win from this match-up.

Prediction: Cardiff Home Win 90 Minutes @ 8/11
Value Bet: Cardiff To Win 3-1 Correct Score @ 12/1

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Concentrating on the chase for European places first, Osasuna entertain Espanyol in a match that will have a huge bearing on the top six finishers – and potentially even Champions League qualification.

Osasuna have been something of a surprise package this season and currently lie in sixth place in the table, with a recent 2-0 win over Levante keeping them very much in the top-four mix.

Los Rojillos have built their success around their home form, having lost just three times this season at the Reyno de Navarra, and they are the 6/5 favourites in the match betting, with Espanyol priced at 11/5 and the draw at 9/4.

Although it was no disgrace to lose to Real Madrid, the 5-1 scoreline looks particularly unfavourable given the league leaders’ recent form and Osasuna will go into the game on the back of a 6-0 hammering at Rayo Vallecano – their first win in four games.

Taking on Osasuna appears to be the way to go although Espanyol have struggled to pick up wins on their travels – with just three this season.

However, they have lost just one of their last six and could capitalise on Osasuna’s recent troubles to pick up at least a point to boost their own chances of European qualification.

Real Sociedad appear to have turned a corner with four points from their last two games – ending a three-match losing streak – which has given them some breathing room as they are now nine points above the relegation zone.

The Erreala have a decent record at the Anoeta, particularly given their lowly position of 15th place in the league, with just four defeats suffered in front of their own fans.

Sociedad are the favourites in the match betting at 6/5, with the draw on offer at 11/5 and Betis at 15/8, which is perhaps not surprising given their home record.

However, Betis have won five times on the road this season and, although they have also lost 10 times with no draws, only three clubs have won more on the road and look the value in the betting to beat a side two places lower in the table.

The last match of the evening sees Barcelona looking to narrow the gap at the top of the standings to just a point, with Real Madrid not in action until Wednesday.

There is certainly plenty of incentive for the Catalans to take this match seriously which is reflected in the match betting as they are 1/14 to record a 15th win out of 16 games at the Nou Camp this season, with no defeats and one draw.

It is hard to see Getafe doing the double over Barca, following a 1-0 win at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez in November, although the more fanciful punter can get 28/1 on the away win, and perhaps more realistically 10/1 on the draw.

However, that surprise success earlier this season for Getafe will merely provide further ammunition for Barca to ensure the three points on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola’s men also have scored 90 goals this season, 60 of which have came at home, whilst they have only conceded a mere eight.

Barca’s disadvantage to Real has come about because of their away form but on home soil they have proved nigh on impossible to stop and they should pile the pressure on their arch-rivals with another win on Tuesday.

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Sweden v Japan

Sweden’s impressive 3-1 victory over Australia has raised expectations that they can become world champions (7/2 – Outright) for the first time in their history.

They were beaten finalists in 2003 – when they lost to hosts USA – but this present team appear to have the mental determination to go one better this time around.

Skipper Caroline Seger sums up the confidence currently to be found within the Swedish camp when she said in the build-up to the semi-final: “This is our time. Everything is going our way, we have more self-belief and we are playing extremely well together.”

That is certainly a reflection of a confident squad and one pulling in the same direction so, with that in mind, we can only see one winner on Wednesday, despite Japan’s famous 1-0 triumph over Germany in the last eight (Japan 9/2 – Outright).

They will not be taken lightly by the Swedish women but such is the mood and apparent momentum in the Sweden camp a narrow win (Sweden 5/4, Japan 9/5, the draw 21/10 – match prices) for Thomas Dennerby’s side looks on the cards.

Verdict: Sweden win
Value bet: Draw/Sweden – HT/FT – 21/5.

USA v France

USA are the real powerhouses of women’s football and, along with Germany, have dominated the game for the past few years (USA – 11/10 – Womens World Cup Outright).

The Americans have already won two World Cups, in 1991 and 1999, and have the fantastic record of making it at least into the semi-finals in every tournament, so without question they will be heavily fancied to see off France and book a final place (USA 9/10, France 13/5, the draw 11/5 – match prices).

They have had some criticism in Germany for adopting a physical and direct approach at times but no-one can say it hasn’t been effective with impressive group wins over Korea and Colombia before they slipped up against Sweden when losing 2-1 in their final group game.

In the end that result mattered little and USA then went on to beat Brazil on penalties in the quarter-finals to underline their mental toughness when the pressure is on.

It is likely to be a clash of styles in Monchengladbach with France (9/2 – Outright) so far making it into the last four thanks to some neat football and the goals of Gaetene Thiney and Marie-Laure Delie up front.

Coach Bruni Bini believes the fact France have already played in Monchengladbach and their slightly longer recovery period between their quarter-final win over England and the semi-final gives them the advantage going into the game.

However, do not be fooled by that talk as a very fit USA side will be ready for the game and are rightly viewed as favourites to progress. Their experience, form and mental strength are not in question and another final place beckons.

Verdict: USA win.
Value bet:  USA to win 4-0 – 33/1.

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The pre-tournament totesport market had Uruguay down as the team who would stroll into the last eight along with Chile, while Peru and a youthful Mexico side were tipped to drop out of the running.

But, like Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay have yet to win after two group games, while Peru’s win against Mexico has given them the upper hand in terms of qualification along with the Chileans as the two sides go head-to-head in a game where a draw could be enough to send both through.

Uruguay must win against Mexico, who could also still qualify, and hope results go in their favour to progress so it is set to be an evening of twists and turns.

Chile v Peru

The Pacific ‘Clasico’ in Mendoza sees two teams in good form go head-to-head in a match which will have the added spice factor of the two neighbouring countries not exactly being the best of friends in the political world.

Chile (8/11 To Win) have been well backed in the tournament with 30,000 fans coming across the border into Argentina to see a draw with Uruguay and a 2-1 win against Mexico in which they battled back from a goal down.

The likes of Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal are both in impressive form and coach Claudio Borghi will be hoping they can shine again against the Peruvians as they aim to go one better than four final defeats in the past.

The 1975 champions Peru (18/5 To Win 90 Minutes) also drew with Uruguay and defeated Mexico in their group games so there is little to divide the sides in terms of form ahead of this clash.

Hamburg striker Paolo Guerrero is the man in form for Peru with goals in both games to date as he has helped the Incas to overcome the unavailability of stars such as Claudio Pizarro and Jefferson Farfan.

A draw could be enough to send both teams through but neither side is going into the clash thinking that way as they go for the win to be certain of a quarter-final spot.

Games involving Peru don’t usually bring a lot of goals to the table – they have kept clean sheets in four of their last six games – so don’t expect a goal-fest.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 9/4
Value Bet: 0-0 Correct Score @ 6/1

Uruguay v Mexico

This is the more interesting clash as both sides know they must win the game in La Plata to have any chance of reaching the last eight.

Uruguay’s prospects have not been helped by the loss of striker Edinson Cavani due to the twisted knee ligaments he suffered in the 1-1 draw against Chile, while left-back Martin Caceres is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament.

Abel Hernandez and Cristian Rodriguez are favourites to replace Cavani while Alvaro Pereira is likely to drop back from midfield to defence to replace Caceres, with Alvaro Gonzalez taking his place in midfield.

But with the likes of Diego Forlan and Liverpool hitman Luis Suarez set to be involved, you can’t help but think they will find another gear when it matters to get more goals.

Mexico have been in disarray since arriving for the tournament as invitees given that they had already won the CONCACAF Gold Cup so opted to look to their younger squad members to bring them success in Argentina.

With the loss of eight members of the regular national team and false drug allegations also hampering the Mexicans, it is no surprise they have narrowly lost their opening group games.

They must win (Mexico 11/2 To Win) and hope to secure a last-eight spot via a best third-placed finish, but coach Luis Fernando Tena’s men could well be jetting home after this game.

Prediction: Uruguay To Win 90 Minutes @ 1/2
Value Bet: Uruguay 3-1 Correct Score @ 11/1

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