Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich v FC Basel

Bayern Munich bounced back domestically when demolishing Hoffenheim 7-1 on Saturday and their impressive home record in Europe makes them difficult to oppose (Bayern Munich 1/2, FC Basel 6/4 – To Qualify).

The Bavarians have built up an impressive run of 11 wins in 12 Champions League matches at the Allianz Arena and also have a 100 per cent home record in three games against Swiss visitors.

True, they were dealt a shock when Valentin Stocker’s 86th-minute goal at St. Jakob-Park condemned them to a 1-0 first-leg defeat, but club officials have already stressed there can be no more excuses (Bayern 1/5, draw 9/2, FC Basel 9/1 – 90 Minutes).

“That will give us a boost. I am confident the squad has that hunger again,” said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes after the Hoffenheim rout. “That was important for Tuesday.”

Another incentive for the Bundesliga giants is the fact that Munich will host the Champions League final on May 19.

“Basel is a very important game for the way the rest of the season will run. We have to do that again against Basel,” Munich president Uli Hoeness told German television channel ZDF.

Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez (5/2 – First Goalscorer) and Jerome Boateng are all nursing knocks but are expected to play, while Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger came on for the final 20 minutes against Hoffenheim – over a month after he tore ankle ligaments.

Basel should not be dismissed given that they were undefeated on their travels in the group stage, holding Manchester United and Benfica and beating FC Otelul Galati – but their record in Germany is less encouraging, with one win, two draws and three defeats.

The return leg offers Basel livewire Xherdan Shaqiri (10/3 – Anytime Scorer), who has signed a pre-contract agreement with Bayern, the chance to showcase his talents in front of his future employers.

Inter Milan v Marseille

Inter Milan ended a run of nine games without a win in all competitions with a 2-0 victory against Chievo in Verona on Friday and can edge what should be a close encounter against Didier Deschamps’ strugglers (Inter Milan evens, draw 9/4, Marseille 9/4 – 90 Minutes).

The Nerazzurri have already beaten French opposition at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza this season, prevailing 2-1 against Lille on match day four, and their overall home record against Ligue 1 clubs is W5 D3 L3.

Friday’s win reduced under-pressure coach Claudio Ranieri to tears and Inter will be expected to progress in front of their home fans – but must recover from Andre Ayew’s injury-time header in France on February 22.

Diego Milito (3/2 – Anytime Scorer), who scored in stoppage-time, has urged his team-mates to use the Chievo win as a catalyst for an end-of-season flourish and they can draw comfort from winning over half – 15 out of 28 – of Uefa competition ties in which they lost the first leg away from home.

He told Sky Sports Italia: “Tuesday’s match is massive and we’re desperate to do well. And we’d then have everything to play for – this team has already shown it’s capable of going all the way.”

Marseille’s form has nosedived since beating Inter at Stade Velodrome and they have not scored in four Ligue 1 defeats since their first-leg success.

Deschamps was unbeaten against the Nerazzurri as a player, but Marseille have not been further than the last 16 since lifting the trophy in 1993 and their current form means that statistic is likely to stay unchanged.

Tuesday’s recommendation is a Bayern Munich and Inter Milan ‘To Qualify’ double which pays better than 3/1.

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Lille v Inter Milan

It’s fair to say that since Jose Mourinho left the San Siro things have rapidly gone downhill for the 2010 champions. Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Catania leaves them one place outside the relegation zone in Serie A, with current boss Claudio Ranieri facing a massive challenge to get things back on track. The distraction of a Champions League game might be just what they need and Ranieri will hope they can produce a repeat performance of the one which saw them win 3-2 at CSKA Moscow on their last European outing.

French champions Lille will certainly pose a stiff test but with Inter priced at 11/5 for the win, it is tough to ignore such an inviting offer. Inter will have Wesley Sneijder back for the game to add to what is a squad already full of quality. Lille have so far picked up two points from their opening two matches and might be struggling to cope with the demand of playing twice a week given their small, but talented, squad. If you aren’t feeling brave enough to back Inter the draw is 23/10, while Lille are 5/4.

Real Madrid v Lyon

Having worked his magic at Inter, Mourinho is currently turning Real Madrid’s squad of superstars into a force to be reckoned with. Setting aside a shock defeat to Levante – Real have looked good, maybe even good enough to challenge the might of Barcelona this year. Mourinho has got Kaka back to somewhere near his best, while in Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain he has two of the hottest strikers in Europe. Higuain made it back-to-back hat-tricks at the weekend, while Benzema will be keen to make an impression against his former club.

Lyon aren’t the side they once were, when winning Ligue 1 titles came as easy to them as breathing, and could be in for a tough night at the Bernabeu. With Real at the short price of 2/9 you might want to look towards a scorecast, with Higuain to score first and Real to win 3-0 priced at 22/1.

Napoli v Bayern Munich

These two teams have enjoyed good starts to their Champions League campaigns and whoever comes out on top in their back-to-back matches, is likely to go on and top the group. The Italians might have slipped up against Parma at the weekend but they are a tough nut to crack at home, avoiding defeat in their last nine European matches at the San Paolo.

Bayern have perhaps been the most impressive side in Europe so far this year, their wins against Manchester City and Villarreal coming at a canter. In Mario Gomez they also have a striker who could score with his eyes closed it seems, the German banging in 10 in eight games so far. Bayern will go in search of the win but will be happy with a point, a result you can back at 12/5, with the Germans evens and Napoli 11/4.

Elsewhere on Tuesday there should be a straight forward homes win for AC Milan against BATE Borisov, while CSKA Moscow will hope to get their first win against Trabzonspor. Ajax will hope they can keep their hopes of qualification alive with a win at Dinamo Zagreb, while Benfica could sneak a win at Basel.

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Juventus v Inter Milan

Inter Milan seek a fourth successive Serie A win when they travel to a Juventus side still harbouring ambitions of winning the Scudetto (Inter 8/5 to beat Juve).

The defending champions are five points adrift of Milan and just two points behind second-placed Napoli with a game in hand.

Juventus, despite trailing the leaders by 11 points and sitting in eighth place, will be relishing the fixture.

“Inter versus Juve or Juve versus Inter have always been important games, always charged with tension,” said Inter president Massimo Moratti.

“The important thing is that everything goes smoothly. We know it’s an important game for us and for them.

“It’s always been the derby d’Italia and, regardless of the teams’ positions in the standings, it remains like that.”

It’s a game that is crucial to Inter’s Scudetto chances, feels their midfielder Wesley Sneijder. The Nerazzurri have two massive games on the horizon, as they go to Fiorentina on Wednesday.

“We are closing the gap with Milan,” said Sneijder. “If we win against Juventus and Fiorentina then I really think we can win the Scudetto.

“The game at Juve is crucial for us while we also cannot miss the opportunity to gain ground when we face Fiorentina.”

Juve halted a run of three games without a win by beating Cagliari 3-1 in Sardinia in the last round (Juventus 7/4 to beat Inter), but have won just one of their last three games at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico.

“We saw the real Juve against Cagliari,” said Juve defender Andrea Barzagli. “Now we are looking to find continuity in results. I expect an open game, with this game crucial for both sides.”

Inter will be without Argentina striker Diego Milito, who is sidelined for a month with a thigh injury, as well as suspended defender Cristian Chivu.

Juve have recovered midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who sustained a muscular injury against Cagliari.

Deportivo La Coruna v Villareal

Villarreal, third placed going into Sunday’s away trip, bid to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat to Levante last time out (Villareal 21/20 to beat Deportivo).

Juan Carlos Garrido’s men had looked unstoppable on their own patch prior to that defeat, and with Valencia breathing down their necks in the race for third spot, they can ill afford further slip-ups.

Giuseppe Rossi, however, is enjoying the best form of his career, topped off with an international goal for Italy in the week.

Deportivo are struggling, and Miguel Angel Lotina has been under further pressure this week after last weekend’s hammering at Getafe (Deportivo 12/5 to beat Villareal).

This game arrives a week too soon for Deportivo winger Andres Guardado, who is due back in training within the next seven days.

Villareal striker Marco Ruben is doubtful, while defender Angel is out for the entire campaign, but Nilmar returned to action last week and is likely to start.

The home team have been largely disappointing and are currently sitting in 17^th, with only a point separating them from the bottom three.

However, the Yellow Submarines’ last two visits to the Riazor ended in losses for them and of their 12 visits they have won three and drawn two – the last victory coming on the final day of the season in May 2008.

Roda JC v Ajax

Ajax coach Frank de Boer has left his side in no doubt about his feelings following last weekend’s 2-0 win against De Graafschap (Ajax 17/10 to beat Roda).

Ajax picked up the points, but de Boer was far from satisfied and wants an improvement against Roda.

“I think this match may determine our course for the remainder of this season”, de Boer said. “The away game at Roda is a traditional tough one, but I feel like we are ready. We’ll have to do better than last week against De Graafschap, because if we don’t, we’ll lose for sure.”

This fixture is statistically likely to end in a draw – the teams have finished all-square in 15 of the 37 meetings, including last season?s 2-2 draw.

Mounir El Hamdaoui scored twice when Ajax beat Roda at home earlier in the season, and is set to feature again, though de Boer is not saying whether he will use him up front or as a left winger.

Gregory van der Wiel, who played in the 3-1 win of the Netherlands against Austria on Wednesday, is suspended.

Roda JC will miss Laurent Delorge, who is still out with a back injury. The midfielder who played four Eredivisie matches for Ajax in the 2007/2008 season, has been a key figure for Roda this season (Roda 16/5 to beat Ajax).

Lille v Toulouse

Lille will still be on top of the table when they tackle Toulouse on Sunday, but could have had their advantage cut to two points if PSG win on Saturday (Lille 4/9 to beat Toulouse).

Lille have only lost twice this season, and are five points ahead of PSG with a goal difference that is eight better. Toulouse are seventh in the table but on a reasonable run, having won four of their last eight games.

Goalkeeper Mickael Landreau, who signed a contract extension this week to keep him with the club until summer 2014, will make his 500th Ligue 1 appearance.

However, rather than focusing on his own achievement, Landreau, who signed from Paris St Germain in summer 2009, is concentrating on helping Lille to victory as they look to maintain a healthy lead.

Landreau said: “The most important thing is to get the win. To be on top of the table, after all these years, is something fantastic.

“My approach remains the same: I’ve always been meticulous in my preparation. I must say that, for my 500th, I’m very happy to play it at home rather than on the road.

“I’ve always had a good relationship with the LOSC fans and it has been at this club that I’ve found everything I was looking for: ambition, serenity and enjoyment.”

Toulouse manager Alain Casanova believes Lille have all the necessary qualities to become champions (Toulouse 11/2 to beat Lille).

He told www.tfc.info: “They produce a quality game and have great spirit, especially attacking-wise. They have principles that have been the same for quite some time.

“This is a team capable of being very aggressive and very reactive as soon as they have lost the ball.

“This team has everything to challenge for the title and advance with it today.”

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Inter

The Nerazurri are undefeated when taking on Lazio at the Olimpico since December 2003 and have not conceded a goal in their last three visits, scoring seven goals in the process.

Rafael Benitez’s side bounced back to form with a convincing 5-2 home win over Parma last week – without the suspended Samuel Eto’o.

But they are going to have to cope without him again for this clash with second-placed Lazio, plus key absentees Julio Cesar, Maicon and Walter Samuel.

Wesley Sneijder (6/1 First Goalscorer) is expected to be handed the ‘Steven Gerrard’ role in the formation Benitez found moderate success with at Liverpool.

Sneijder has been pushed up to play with Goran Pandev (11/2) but it was Dejan Stankovic (15/2) who found all the space as he bagged a hat-trick last week at the San Siro.

Lazio’s Brazilian schemer Hernanes and Argentinian hitman Mauro Zarate were marked out of last week’s 1-1 home draw with lowly Catania and must have an impact on the match if the Biancoceleste are to avoid dropping points for the third straight week.

The Spanish title race continues on Saturday when Barcelona (2/9) travel to Pamplona to face struggling Osasuna and Real Madrid (1/3) entertain dangerous Valencia.

Jose Mourinho must ensure his side do not suffer another blow to their morale following the 5-0 Monday night humbling at the hands of the champions.

The Portuguese coach will bring Alvaro Arbeloa in for the suspended Sergio Ramos and bank on a much better performance from Real than the hollow showing at the Nou Camp.

Ricardo Carvalho is also suspended while Gonzalo Higuain has been ruled out for two months because of a back problem.

Lionel Messi is expected to shake off a knock picked up in the ‘Clasico’ to be fit for the trip to Pamplona, but Gabi Milito remains sidelined.

Osasuna have been unable to use their training ground due to heavy snow in the north of Spain this morning.

The pitch at the club’s Reyno de Navarra stadium was also covered in thick snow, but ground staff are working hard to clear the surface for Saturday’s game which is not thought to be under threat at the moment.

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Rafael Benitez’s men have picked up one point from their last two league matches and will be desperate to get their title defence back on track, particularly after rivals AC Milan and AS Roma won on Saturday night.

Cambiasso and Milito were injured on international duty with Argentina and are joined on Inter’s injury list by Thiago Motta, Ivan Cordoba, Goran Pandev and David Suazo. Youngsters Jonathan Biabiany and Philippe Coutinho are expected to start on the wings once more, having excelled against Bremen, while Samuel Eto’o is freed up to play down the middle.

But Inter’s problems pale in comparison to those of the hosts, who were beset by internal strife before the international break.

Cagliari coach Pierpaolo Bisoli froze out his captain Daniele Conti and his vice-captain Alessandro Agostini after the pair came to blows.

The club claims the issue has been resolved, although both players are expected to be on the bench on Sunday. The row was the last thing Bisoli needed after rumours emerged suggesting that the players were unhappy with his methods and that his job was at threat.

Cagliari were known for their attacking style under ex-coach Massimiliano Allegri, but they have lost their verve and Bisoli must rediscover it soon, for his own sake and that of the team.

Four of the six Serie A fixtures the Sardinians have played this season have ended 0-0.

However, Cagliari are free from injury and suspension worries.

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Bari

The Brazilian scored his first goal of the season in Bari’s 2-2 draw at Napoli last week, which they followed up with a 0-0 draw against Cagliari at the weekend.

The minnows remain unbeaten in Serie A after opening up the campaign with a 1-0 home defeat of mighty Juventus.

“I have already scored in Milan with Udinese,” said Barreto. “That was against the Rossoneri. This time it could be the occasion to do it against Inter too,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“When you play in a stadium like San Siro there is no need for motivation.

“It’s stimulating to show yourself in Italy’s most important stadium. If we play like we can then Inter will be in trouble. Playing Bari is not easy for anyone.”

Giampiero Ventura’s outfit must overcome an Inter side who finally appear to be settling down under Spanish tactician Rafael Benitez.

Inter won at Palermo – where the Sicilians hadn’t lost for 18 months – at the weekend and played their best football of the season, showing the old team spirit fostered by ex-bpss Jose Mourinho to come from behind.

The 2-1 win should get the media off Benitez’s back after lacklustre showings against Bologna, Udinese and Twente.

Cameroon hitman Samuel Eto’o struck twice in eight minutes in Sicily, his fifth and six goals of the campaign already, and he is now overshadowing last season’s hero Diego Milito for Inter.

Benitez’s only absentee is Thiago Motta, who is expected to return from injury in two weeks.

Bari’s injury victims include Salvatore Masiello, Jaime Romero and Alessandro Gazzi.

Bari stunned Inter not once but twice last term, holding the treble winners to a 1-1 draw (13/2 in Correct Scores) at San Siro on the opening day and a 2-2 (20/1) draw at the Stadio San Nicola in January, a match they had led 2-0.

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Inter Milan

Inter could not find a way past the packed Bologna defence at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, but Moratti was not concerned by the lack of a cutting edge in their play.

“We always started with a draw for three years now so I think, if nothing else, it was good luck.” he said.

Rafael Benitez’s team hit the bar in the second half but created few chances with a strong line-up, missing just Maicon and Dejan Stankovic from the team that lost to Atletico Madrid in Monaco on Friday.

The manner of that UEFA Supercup defeat was more worrying as the Jose Mourinho’s treble winners were comfortably second best on the night to the Spaniards.

Moratti admits AC Milan’s capture of Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a season-long loan from Barcelona makes them a stronger force than last season, when they finished 12 points behind Inter in third place.

“Yes, they have a good team,” he said.

“They have a formidable attack, and finally become something more like real competition for us.”

AC Milan (2/1) defeated Lecce 4-0 at the San Siro to go top of the standings after week one’s fixtures.

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The Argentina captain has confirmed that he wants to leave the Anfield club in the current transfer window after becoming disillusioned on Merseyside.

Mascherano has not travelled with his team-mates to their Europa League qualifier against Turkish side Trabzonspor and he could have played his last game for the club.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to follow former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez to Inter all summer and according to the club’s sporting director, Marco Branca, the San Siro outfit have made a firm for the player.

He said: “I sent an offer to Liverpool by fax on Tuesday and I am waiting for a reply from them.

“We’re not speaking to the player at the moment because we want to do this in the right way and make sure that Liverpool are happy.

“We’ve made a very good offer, around the amount they are asking for. We have a strong team here, the best in Europe, but we would like to add one or two players to make us even stronger.”

Inter (Evens – Serie A outright) have reported to have made a bid of around £20m for the defensive midfielder as they look to retain their Serie A title.

The blue side of Milan had an outstanding campaign last season, winning the domestic double and the Champions League under former manager Jose Mourinho.

Benitez will be keen to continue that success with Inter and the bid they have put in for Mascherano is understood to be more than a rival offer from Barcelona.

The Catalan club made an offer of around £16m for the midfielder – which Liverpool have rejected – however Barca star Lionel Messi has urged the Premier League club to sell the player this summer.

He said: “Javier won’t play for the club again, I can assure you of that, and I think the Liverpool coach knows that now.

“Javier’s family are unhappy and the pressure of seeing that is making him depressed. Liverpool must act humanely and let him go.”

Mascherano was a favourite of Benitez and he could be persuaded to join the Italian club because he would face a tough challenge to break into Barca’s star-studded midfield, which includes the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.

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Harry Redknapp’s men were rewarded for their aggregate win over Young Boys by being drawn in Group A along with Inter, Werder Bremen and FC Twente.

Spurs club secretary Darren Eales told Sky Sports: “They say there are no easy games and it’s certainly true of the group we’ve got.

“We’re certainly not looking too far ahead, we’re just looking to give a good account of ourselves and we’re looking at getting into the knockout stage first, that’s our first aim.”

There is also a ‘Battle of Britain’ clash to look forward to in the first round, with Manchester United drawn to face SPL champions Rangers in Group C.

Sir Alex Ferguson will come up against his former assistant Walter Smith, while Spanish side Valencia and Turkish debutants Buraspor make up the group.

Reacting to the draw, United chief executive David Gill admitted: “There is the Rangers connection, we played them back in 2003/04 and Alex and Walter Smith go back a long way.

“It will be a great occasion, I’ve spoken to Sir Alex and he’s looking forward to it.”

Premier League (England 7/4 Champions League Winning Nation) champions Chelsea will start their bid for a first European Cup success in Group F, where they will face Marseille, Spartak Moscow and MSK Zilina.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have a tough looking group, with Arsene Wenger’s men paired with Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga and Partizan in Group H.

This year’s ‘Group of Death’ appears to be Group G, where three previous winners will go head-to-head.

AC Milan will come up against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid (9/2 to win 2010-11 Champions League), while Ajax and Auxerre make up the four-team group.

2008-09 winners Barcelona are in Group D along with Panathinakos of Greece, Danish outfit Copenhagen and Russians Rubin Kazan.

Last year’s runners-up Bayern Munich will be confident of their prospects, with Roma, Basel and CFR Cluj making up Group E.

Group B looks the weakest of the eight groups, with former semi-finalists Lyon paired with Benfica, Schalke and Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

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Inter Milan

Mascherano has said that he would relish the chance to follow new Inter boss Rafa Benitez out of Liverpool to the San Siro, stating that he was already learning Italian.

However, his potential plans to move to Serie A could be scuppered as Moratti has stated that a number of issues stand in the way of the move.

“Mascherano is a strong player, but it is unlikely that he will arrive,” Moratti said.

“He simply costs too much and it is not certain that Liverpool will sell.”

Brazilian midfielder Melo has now caught the eye of the Inter president who believes the player would be an “intriguing” prospect if he could be tempted to come to the San Siro.

Melo is currently at Serie A rivals Juventus and Moratti has revealed that his club are looking to bring the player to Inter.

As for players leaving the San Siro, former Inter boss Jose Mourinho has declared his interest in bringing wing-back Maicon to his new side at Real Madrid.

It could be possible that the former Chelsea (13/8 to win the Premier League) manager could attempt to bring Argentina striker Diego Milito and Mario Balotelli to the Santiago Bernabeu but the Inter president is keen to keep hold of his top players as they look to retain the Italian league title.

“Balotelli is our future and Milito won’t move,” Moratti added. “Maicon? We’ll have to wait and see about him.

“We want to start the new season again as we ended the last one. We want to win everything possible next term.

“I’m convinced that we can win the Scudetto for the next two years, but in order to stay in contention in the Champions League then we’ll need a real top signing,” he added.

It seems that Mascherano may still be at Anfield next season as Liverpool look to regain their top four status.

The 26-year-old is currently with the Argentina World Cup squad in South Africa as they prepare for their knockout game against Mexico on June 26.

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