Easter Monday

Manager Neil Warnock and his men were held to a 2-2 draw against Cardiff City on Saturday which meant the celebrations had to be put on hold.

However, a win over Hull City at Loftus Road on Monday would secure the Hoops the Championship title and a return to the big time (QPR 3/4, draw 13/5, Hull 10/3).

The Tigers were largely disappointing over the weekend as they went down 4-2 against a Middlesbrough side who will want to put this season behind them as quickly as possible.

Hull are by no means out of the race for the play-offs though, as only three points separates them from the top six.

Rangers will be looking to Adel Taarabt for more inspiration on a big day, and the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is in fine form after bagging a brace against the Bluebirds on Saturday.

Both Hull and Rangers will be desperate for the points but with home advantage and the talented Taarabt in their ranks, the Hoops should get themselves over the finishing line.

Cardiff City are currently a point off the automatic places, with Norwich City holding that vital second spot in the Championship.

The Bluebirds are hitting form at just the right time and they will be full of confidence as they head to Deepdale to take on Preston North End (Preston 21/10, draw 5/2, Cardiff 11/10).

Strikers Jay Bothroyd and Craig Bellamy are back in the goals and the pair will be a threat to any side for the rest of the campaign.

Preston took a major blow to their hopes of avoiding the drop as they went down 4-0 to Millwall at the Den on Saturday.

Manager Phil Brown has a decent record of getting teams out of trouble, however this task seems to be a bridge too far and Cardiff are likely to condemn North End to League One next season.

The race for the fourth play-off place is really heating up with five teams battling for the one spot.

Nottingham Forest currently hold the crucial last play-off place and they make the journey south to face Bristol City (Bristol City 17/10, draw 12/5, Forest 7/5).

The Reds were handed a big slice of lucky pie on Saturday as they recorded a 3-2 victory over a determined Leicester City side.

Captain Paul McKenna struck a late volley at goal which squeezed through the hands of Chris Weale to fall into the net and secure the three points for Forest.

Bristol City will be disappointed with their 3-2 defeat at the hands of struggling Sheffield United at the weekend and will now be without Nicky Maynard for the game on Monday.

The striker was given a red card at Bramall Lane and will have to watch from the sidelines for this game.

City are no pushovers at Ashton Gate and they could hold Forest to a draw on Monday.

Leeds United are out of the play-off places for the first time since November after they were held to a goalless draw against Reading on Saturday.

The Whites dominated much of the second half but could not break the deadlock at Elland Road and now face a tricky away trip to Crystal Palace, who are fighting for survival (Palace 13/8, draw 5/2, Leeds 7/5).

Palace played out a 0-0 draw of their own against Doncaster in their last outing which leaves them just three points clear of the drop.

The London club will be desperate to get something out of this game but with the attacking threats that Leeds possess, it should be a crucial away win for the West Yorkshire side.

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‘Gers have had their midweek game at St Johnstone postponed because of the snow, which means the Hoops have the opportunity to go top of the table before the small matter of the Old Firm derby on Sunday.

Celtic won’t yet have the services of former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg, who looks likely to sign in the New Year.

However, the Bhoys will go into this game looking to avoid dropping yet more points as they have drawn three of their last four games – at home against Dundee United, Inverness CT and Kilmarnock – in the SPL

Managerless Motherwell have struggled since the departure of Craig Brown to Aberdeen earlier in the month.

‘Well have lost their last two games which have been at Fir Park against Hearts and Rangers which are by no means easy fixtures.

Celtic will be favourites to make it three defeats on the trot for Motherwell and it’s doubtful that they will scupper their chance to go top of the table.

Hearts have played some excellent football in recent months with boss Jim Jeffries picking up the manager of the month award for November.

The Edinburgh club are undefeated in their last seven games in the SPL and will fancy their chances on Wednesday when they take on St Mirren (3/1 – match betting).

Hearts ran out 3-0 winners when these sides met earlier in the season at the Tynecastle Stadium and they will be confident of beating St Mirren who currently sit six points above the relegation zone.

The biggest game of the midweek fixtures is at the bottom of the table as Hamilton take on Aberdeen.

This match is crucial for both sides as the Dons sit just three points ahead of Hamilton who are rock bottom of the SPL (Hamilton 6/4, draw 23/10, Aberdeen 9/5 – match betting).

Even at this relatively early stage of the season if Aberdeen can pull of an away win at New Douglas Park, the Accies will be in serious trouble at six points adrift from safety with wins hard to come by.

Despite not being able to win in their last five outings, Hamilton have been hit badly by the weather in recent weeks and do have two games in hand over Aberdeen.

It’s going to be a real tight game in Hamilton but the home side could pull off the win against Brown’s men because it could be relegation for the Accies if they don’t.

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Carlo Ancelott

The duo both missed the latest round of international games, but that has allowed the Italian manager to assess the rehabilitation of his captain and vice-captain at Chelsea’s Cobham training base.

Chelsea have had an impressive start to their Premier League season and are the only side with maximum points from their first three games.

In that time the Blues have scored 14 goals and conceded none and their fans will be hoping that impressive record can continue against West Ham at Upton Park this weekend (West Ham 15/2, Chelsea 1/3, draw 18/5).

The Hammers are currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League with three defeats from three games, and things could be looking even worse for their fans as Ancelotti has claimed there is a chance that both Lampard and Terry could line up for the game.

“Lampard had surgery on Tuesday and I think that he will start to train this week. I don’t know when but we will see how he trains and we will take a decision for the game against West Ham,” said the manager.

“Terry didn’t have surgery but he used the last week to improve his hamstring. He will start to train with the squad this week and I think he will be able to play against West Ham.”

After the West Ham game, Chelsea then get their Champions League campaign underway with a trip to play Slovakian side MSK Zilina (Chelsea 11/2 to win tournament).

For all their success since Roman Abramovich took over the West London club, the Champions League trophy has been the one that has eluded them over the years.

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien recently said that he was confident that curse could be broken this season, especially after the club looked so impressive winning their first ever league and FA Cup double last season.

The Ghana star said the club aim to “win every competition” they enter and, while they seem a certainty to get out of the group with MSK Zilina, Spartak Moscow and Marseille (Chelsea 2/9 to win Group F), he thinks they stand a great chance of winning the Champions League.

“As a player you get the inner feeling that something big is around the corner and I feel the same way I felt last season when we won the double,” said Essien.

“However I am sure we can go one further and add the big one – the UEFA Champions League to our collection of trophies.”

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Fulham

The Cottagers are stepping up their pursuit of Jol as they try to replace Roy Hodgson, and it looks as though they are closing in on their man after it was revealed the former Tottenham boss is ready to quit Ajax.

Jol has always been high on Fulham’s wanted list but there was always a big question mark over whether he would be willing to walk away from the Dutch giants.

The chance to return to the Premier League would always be tempting to Jol, but it would also take a lot to walk away from a club like Ajax who will be in the Champions League next season.

However it seems as though Ajax are unwilling to give Jol the kind of backing he wants in the transfer market this summer and that could result in him jumping ship to Fulham.

“My understanding is that talks have already begun with Fulham,” Ajax youth coach Arnold Muhren revealed. “I wouldn’t blame him if he left. Fulham is a good club. They play good football and they reached the Europa League final last year.

“Maybe he is thinking that there are better prospects for him at Fulham. If he thinks he can’t win the Dutch league at Ajax then he might leave.”

Replacing Hodgson was always going to be an almost impossible job but Jol could prove to be a very good appointment for Fulham if they can wrap up a deal.

Jol took Spurs to the verge of the Champions League before he was ousted and he has what it takes to continue all the good work that Hodgson did at the Cottage.

If Jol is to take charge he will wants assuarnces over how much money he will have to spend and he will also want to make sure there is no need to cash in on the likes of Brede Hangeland and Bobby Zamora.

Fulham are hoping to land Jol in the next few days and it looks as though he is almost certain to be in charge when the Cottagers kick off the season at Bolton on August 14th. (15/8 to win).

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Avram Grant

The 55-year-old is the favourite to take the Upton Park post having seen his Pompey side lose in their second FA Cup final in three seasons.

Grant said that leaving the troubled south-coast cloub was one of the most difficult decisions he has to take in his football career so far.

He said: “After a lot of soul searching and under the circumstances, I’m taking a different direction.”

“Portsmouth has given me a feeling of home away from home. I might be leaving Portsmouth physically, but you cannot take Portsmouth away from me and my heart,” he added.

If the Israeli does arrive in at the Boleyn he will take over a side that just avoided relegation last season under former manager Gianfranco Zola.

The Italian was sacked at Hammers manager on May 11 and since then the club, under the chairmanship of David Sullivan and David Gold, have been in the process of selecting a new boss.

Reacting to speculation about Grant, a club spokesman said: “West Ham United can confirm the club is making good progress in the search for a new manager and the appointment will be made by early June.

“The club is in the middle of a thorough selection process which could continue over the next 12 days before being finalised.

“The new manager will then have a month to prepare for the start of pre-season, with all at the club determined to improve on the previous campaign.”

Portsmouth are now in the process of finding a new manager with reports suggesting goalkeeper David James has said he would like the role.

The club’s administrator, Andrew Andronikou, has said that the England goalkeeper, who is likely to be on the plane to South Africa for this summer’s World Cup, has expressed an interest in becoming involved with management.

However, Andronikou did add that the club feel it may be a bit early for James, who will be asked for his input on the new manager, to be considering because he still is performing well on the pitch.

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The curtain falls on the Spanish domestic season tonight with the encounter between Atletico Madrid and Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey Final.

This game could easily go all the way and end up being decided on penalties such is the closeness of each side’s abilities. The draw is available at 3.25, with the inform goal machine Diego Forlan going at 6.00 to score the first goal at PartyBets.com.

Chance to silence sceptics

Both sides have performed inconsistently throughout the 2009/10 season but both managed to salvage their season’s right at the end. Atletico Madrid enjoyed Europa League success with a 2-1 win after extra time against a determined Fulham side in Hamburg, whereas Sevilla came out on top of an epic tussle with plucky Real Mallorca in a fight for fourth place and Champions League football next season. Both sides now have the chance to turn their season into a truly memorable one.

Sevilla (2.60) finished five places higher than Atletico (2.60) in the final league standings and go into the final as slight favourites. However, Sevilla coach Antonio Alvarez has stated that the two sides will be evenly poised at Camp Nou.

“I do not like to go in as favourites. That can stir up the pride of the opposition. We come with a 50 per cent chance. It is you [the media] who have to say those things, we respect Atletico Madrid a lot,” he said at a press conference.

Advantage Sevilla

Sevilla managed to find some winning form in the run-in, winning six and losing three matches of their last nine. Atletico on the other hand have already proven this season they can win cup competitions and produce the goods in the games that really matter.

These two sides played each other twice this season with Atletico winning their home match 2-1 and Sevilla winning 3-1 at home as well.

You Can Bet On This Outcome: Atletico Madrid v Sevilla

The team news for Sevilla is that Brazilian forward Luis Fabiano is injured and will play no part in the Final. Fernando Navarro will be missing from the weakened defence and Avero Negredo is suspended.

Atletico face no major injury worries and welcome back their star players who were given a rest at the weekend.

Related posts:

1. Back Sevilla To Beat Getafe In Copa Del Rey Semi Final
2. Atlético Madrid and Valencia Clash in all-Spanish Europa League Quarter-Final
3. La Liga Predictions: Atletico Madrid On Path To Europe

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Roma have turned up the heat on Inter Milan in this season’s title race and nothing but a win over their city rivals on Sunday will be acceptable if they are to land the Scudetto.

It would be a mistake to judge this match based on current league standings with Lazio languishing down by the relegation zone, Roma are going to be favourites but a win for Ranieri’s side is far from a safe bet.

Lazio have been playing well in recent games and are unbeaten in their last five having won 3 and drawn 2. Roma are on an incredible run which has taken them all the way to the top of the league and are unbeaten in 8 matches having won all of their last 5 outings.

Roma just edge Lazio in recent head to head meetings having won 3 of the last 5 clashes with Lazio claiming the other 2. When they last played each other in December Roma won 1-0.

With just five games left to the conclusion of the Serie A season, this derby will be a closely contested encounter with both sides having a lot to lose in defeat. Because of this and the fact this tie has not ended in a draw for three years, back it to end all square in a 2-2 score line available at 12.00 with PartyBets.com

Related posts:

1. Fiorentina V Roma Will Be Too Close To Call
2. Roma Stay Top After Derby Win Over Rivals Lazio
3. The Big One: Inter Take On AC In Milan Derby Clash