Germany

The Germans came into the competition with high hopes of going all the way and they have not disappointed to date, with two typically efficient performances to take maximum points.

But they need to finish the job on Sunday as a sequence of results, however unlikely, could end their participation in the summer’s showpiece event.

Defeat to the Danes, coupled with a 2-0 victory for Portugal over Holland would see Joachim Low’s side on the plane home, with thee teams on six points but with the Germans third on goal difference (Denmark 5/2 To Qualify).

While a Portuguese victory is by no means out of the question, Germany are strong favourites to beat Denmark and have already made it clear they will not just play for a point as their result will have a huge bearing on the other teams in the group.

Indeed Netherlands defender John Heitinga has revealed that some of Germany’s players have promised to help the Oranje by beating Denmark, as a 2-0 victory by the Netherlands over the Portuguese, coupled with a German triumph, would see the bottom nation rise to second and, remarkably, take their place in the quarter-finals.

It looks set to be a fascinating and dramatic finale to Group B this weekend with several twists and turns along the way but the one constant is that the Germans will go out and put on a professional display.

Mario Gomez’s brace proved decisive against the Dutch and Low would have loved to rest the Bayern Munich man for the final group encounter had Germany already secured their passage into the last eight but he will probably get the nod up front in a relatively unchanged starting XI.

A couple of early goals would settle the nerves and mean that the coach could rest some of his stars towards the latter stages of the match and it would surprise nobody to see the 1996 winners secure a comfortable win.

The worry for the Germans is if Denmark manage to score first as victory for Morten Olsen’s men will see them through to the last eight.

It is likely they will then park the proverbial bus to try and hang on to what they have and frustrate their illustrious opponents.

The Danes have punched about their weight in Euro 2012 to date and somehow managed to beat Holland despite conceding the majority of the possession.

They were the beneficiaries of some woeful Holland finishing but defeat to Portugal brought them back down to earth.

They are a solid side with few stars but Nicklas Bendtner’s brace almost gave them a point that would have put them in a much stronger position as regards qualification.

But having to rely on the 24-year-old for goals is never a good thing as he has hardly been prolific in his club career to date and chances will be few and far between against Sunday’s opponents.

The Danes are likely to have to score twice to win the match and it is open to question if they have it in them to do that.

Their defence was found wanting against Portugal with both full-backs given the run-around and they will need to tighten up this weekend otherwise it could be their final match this summer.

Despite the possible permutations for the final group standings, it is Germany who hold all the aces and it is almost unthinkable that they will not get the required result to continue their march towards the final.

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Bolton V Macclesfield (Winners home to Swansea)

It’s been a season to forget for the Trotters (1/4 to win) and Saturday’s defeat at Manchester United in the league means they are just a point ahead of bottom-of-the table Wigan in 19th place.

So this is hardly the time to welcome League Two side Macclesfield (11/1) to the Reebok seeking a giant-killing.

The first game ended 2-2 a couple of weeks ago (draw 9/2 – match prices) and Macc will again fancy their chances of hurting a Bolton side short on confidence and quality at the minute.

It could end up going to extra time but back the Premier League strugglers to eventually book their place in the fourth round, if only just – with draw/draw – HT/FT at 15/2 worth a punt.

Prediction: Home win (aet).

QPR v MK Dons (Winners home to Chelsea)

Mark Hughes began his tenure in charge of Rangers with a narrow defeat at Newcastle on Sunday but he will have seen enough from his new side to believe they have enough to see off the Dons at home (QPR 4/5, MK Dons 10/3, draw 13/5 – match prices).

Like the Bolton-Macclesfield tie, this was heading for a shock until a late equaliser rescued the top-flight side but you sense MK Dons’ best chance of making it through and getting a crack at Chelsea in the fourth round has now gone.

Their players will be well rested after their home clash with Carlisle was called off on Saturday but, with the R’s squad out to impress their new boss, this should be a fairly comfortable home victory with QPR to win 3-0 at 12/1 particularly appealing.

Prediction: Home win.

Leicester v Nottingham Forest (Winners home to Swindon)

This East Midlands derby ended in a 0-0 stalemate at the City Ground earlier in the month so they go at it again at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday (Leicester 8/11, Forest 4/1, draw 5/2 – match prices).

The game may well come as a welcome distraction for struggling Forest, who were beaten 3-0 by Championship leaders Southampton on Saturday – a result that leaves them in the final relegation spot in the table.

Leicester also lost at home at the weekend, 2-1 against Barnsley, and are in desperate need of some inspiration following a disappointing season to date.

Nigel Pearson’s return as manager has not had the desired effect of moving them up the Championship and they remain firmly in mid-table, despite spending heavily in the summer and many back then tipping the Foxes for automatic promotion.

So a Cup run could be just what the doctor ordered for these two sleeping giants. Expect a tight game with Leicester just about squeezing through.

Prediction: Home win.

Millwall v Dagenham & Redbridge (Winners home to Southampton)

The Lions (2/5 to win – match prices) will probably still be in shock following the 6-0 home defeat against Birmingham City on Saturday so will be desperate to get that out of their system and see off League Two outfit Dagenham and Redbridge (15/2) in this replay.

The Daggers are in a relegation fight and lost 1-0 at home to Hereford on Saturday but will approach the trip to The Den with nothing to lose.

Expect a reaction from Kenny Jackett’s side, though, and another home win looks on the cards here.

Prediction: Home win

Wrexham v Brighton (winners home to Newcastle)

Welsh outfit Wrexham (7/4 – match prices) are enjoying a fine season in the Conference and stayed on course for a return to league football when they won 2-1 at Tamworth over the weekend – three points that moved them back to the top of the table.

Securing promotion is likely to be their priority this season but, with the prospect of a potential home date with Newcastle to play for in the fourth round, they will also be desperate to progress past Championship side Brighton (6/4).

This tie was another that ended 0-0 first time around and it should be tight again but there is scope to back the non-leaguers here to cause the upset of the night.

Prediction: Home win.

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Manchester United

United have shown only glimpses of their best form this season but they hit the heights in no uncertain terms against the Germans in the first leg last week and, but for Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer, could have doubled their goal tally at the Veltins-Arena.

Their passing and movement off the ball was as good as it has ever been and the only disappointing factor on the night was the number of chances that went begging.

But far from building on that success, the Red Devils went and lost to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium to allow Chelsea back into the Premier League title race.

Will that reverse affect them at all on Wednesday? Probably not, as Sir Alex Ferguson will no doubt try to drum into his charges that this is a totally different kettle of fish and they hold all the aces thanks to the two goals scored in Gelsenkirchen.

A United performance anywhere near the quality of last week’s away-leg showing and Schalke will be blown away, but it has to be remembered that the Bundesliga side did put five goals past Inter Milan at the San Siro in the quarter-finals (United 4/9 to beat Schalke).

It is open to question whether or not they could ever repeat that performance, and how good Inter actually are, but Fergie will take no chances and will look to go for the jugular with a couple of early goals at Old Trafford.

The Scot would love to kill off the contest by half-time in order for him to rest some key players ahead of what has now become the most important Premier League game of the season when Chelsea come calling on Sunday.

Conversely, Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping that Schalke can do them a favour and stretch the tie out for as long as possible.

It is likely that Wayne Rooney will partner Javier Hernandez once more up front, as the pair ripped the Schalke rearguard to pieces seven days ago, but Dimitar Berbatov will probably see some action if there are early goals after recovering from injury.

The Germans will need to score early to have any chance of rescuing the tie and it is almost inconceivable that the hosts will not put at least one in the back of the net, making an already difficult task virtually impossible for Ralf Rangnick’s side.

But, being German, Schalke will never give up and surely they cannot play as badly as they did on their own patch last week?

United still have plenty to play for this season and will want to put down a marker for the final if, as seems likely, they go on to face Barcelona, and will be looking for a solid display with no slip-ups at the Theatre of Dreams (Barcelona 8/15 to win Champions League).

One defeat will not cause panic in the ranks, as they have been in pressure situations before on numerous occasions both domestically and in Europe, and what better way is there to bounce back from defeat to the Gunners than putting on another scintillating display to show the world just how good they actually are.

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Aston Villa

The draw took Aston Villa to within seven points of Manchester City in fourth, having played the same number of games. This has led O’Neill to claim that his side will need to win all of their remaining five games if they are to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

Their campaign started well but a disastrous March, in which they only won one League game, saw the Midlands outfit slip down the table. Manchester City (4/9 to finish fourth) and Tottenham Hotspur (2/1 to finish fourth) are in fourth and fifth respectively and many see the battle for fourth being between these two sides. However, they have more difficult run-ins than Liverpool and Aston Villa so the door may still be open for the two outsiders if they can sort their consistency issues out.

Speaking after Wednesday’s game, O’Neill stated; “I thought before the game that we probably had to win the whole lot of the matches that were left to give us a proper chance (of the Champions League).

“It would have been a tall order and I would have thought that, certainly after this result, to give ourselves any chance we’ll have to win all five.

“It’s not impossible but it will be tough. You’d need a bit of luck here and there but we’ll go to Portsmouth on Sunday and we’ll give it everything.”

Villa face a tricky trip to Portsmouth this weekend and are 8/13 favourites to secure the win. The South Coast side are 4/1 whilst the draw is 11/4. Should they be able to navigate this clash – and their next two against Hull City and local rivals Birmingham – they could be going into the game against Manchester City on 1 May in a significantly stronger position.

Meanwhile in the race for fourth, Tottenham Hotspur kept the pressure on Manchester City by beating local rivals Arsenal 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Wednesday evening. This severely dented the Gunners’ title hopes and moved Spurs to within one point and one place of fourth.

Both sides meet each other on May 5 at Eastlands in what could be a fourth place decider. However, there is plenty of football still to play before then and both sides face tricky fixtures this weekend.

City are at home to local rivals and title chasing Manchester United and are 17/10 to pick up the three points. United are 11/8 to get the win they need to keep their title hopes alive whilst the draw is 12/5.

Spurs don’t have it any easier as they host league leaders Chelsea at White Hart Lane. Tottenham are 11/4 to keep their assault on fourth place on track whilst the Blues are 10/11 to move three points closer to the title. The draw is 12/5.

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