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Monday’s O Jogo lauded Portugal for a performance roughly translated as “This is Royal” against the Netherlands and expectations are now high for another regal performance when they attempt to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2012 at the expense of Czech Republic on Thursday.
All roads lead to Stadion Narodowy with the Portuguese priced up 8/11 (90 minutes) to turn in the same stellar performance which saw the Dutch end a demoralising stay in Poland and Ukraine on Sunday night in Kharkiv (Czech Republic 4/1 draw 12/5).
Headline-maker Cristiano Ronaldo (4/1 Euro 2012 Top Goalscorer) finally translated his Real Madrid form with a brace but the support cast of team-mates Miguel Veloso and Joao Moutinho should not be underestimated.
The Santiago Bernabeu favourite should be taken up at 3/1 (First and Last Goalscorer) to frank his form against a Czech Republic side which, despite finishing top of Group A, conceded more goals than scored.
Positive noises about the spirit of the squad at the Opalenica training camp were tangible and in stark contrast to Holland, viewed by many as a collection of square pegs in round holes.
Add to this confidence and momentum and suddenly Portugal look like dangerous opponents heading into the business end of the marquee tournament.
The Czechs never turned up against Russia but creditable wins against Greece and Poland is proof enough that Michal Bílek’s men should not be taken lightly, although a clean sheet against the co-hosts stopped a run of five games conceding in all competitions.
The Portuguese are by no means watertight so a high goals projection seems a fair suggestion but the attacking menace of Ronaldo, Nani, et al gives them the edge.
A Deco-inspired Portugal were comfortable 3-1 winners against Czech Republic in Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, a game in which Ronaldo also found the net, and Seleccao fans will be hoping history repeats itself.
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Tuesday sees the return of the Carling Cup, with three quarter-finals set to take place. For those fans of teams in blue it could be a good night as Chelsea, Manchester City and Cardiff all look poised to march on into the last four.
Arsenal v Manchester City 8pm
This match at the Emirates Stadium brings together two of the in-form teams in the country, with the Gunners looking to dent City’s hopes of total dominance. Both teams endured tough matches at the weekend, Arsenal putting a lot in to come from a goal down to draw with Fulham, while City hung on grimly to claim a point at Liverpool.
Both teams are likely to radically alter there respective line-ups, with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expected to rest top scorer Robin van Persie, along with Theo Walcott, Thomas Vermaelen and Alex Song. City boss Roberto Mancini will also make alterations, the difference being the players the Italian can bring in look far superior to the ones at Wenger’s disposal.
With City scoring goals from all over and Arsenal’s defence very leaky Tuesday’s match promises goals, with over 2.5 goals available at 4/6. The tie should be wrapped up by full-time so City at 11/8 looks to be the bet for this one.
Chelsea v Liverpool
These two clubs have made no secret of their lack of interest in the Carling Cup this season, Andre Villas-Boas missing Monday’s press conference before the game, while Kenny Dalglish said weeks ago he would be sending out a youthful looking line-up.
Dalglish has bemoaned the timing of the match, coming 48 hours after their barn-storming encounter against Manchester City. Much like Arsenal, Liverpool are likely to struggle if they get their second string involved given their lack of strength in depth. With Chelsea having had an extra day to recover and with a bigger squad at their disposal you’d expect Villas-Boas’ men to go through.
However, it is unlikely to be easy for the Blues and if you fancy them to reach to the semi-finals 4/11 to qualify, rather than to win in 90 minutes, might be your best bet. Elsewhere, with a tight game in prospect the draw HT/FT at 5/1 might be worth looking at.
Cardiff v Blackburn 7:45pm
Everything looks set for a cup upset at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night, with the home side having won six of their last eight matches. Malky Mackay has done a great job in lifting the Bluebirds after more play-off heartache in May, their recent run propelling them up to third in the Championship.
In contrast to Cardiff’s fantastic run, Blackburn have continued to toil at the bottom of the Premier League, going down meekly at Stoke on Saturday. The weekend’s results leave Blackburn rooted to the foot of the league and Steve Kean will see this quarter-final tie as nothing more than a distraction in their fight against the drop.
Blackburn will do well to reach the semi-finals, given their current form, with Cardiff 6/4 to win the tie inside 90 minutes.
The Bluebirds recent good form has been helped by Peter Whittingham’s run of scoring in four out of the last five games.
The former Aston Villa winger is 9/4 to score again against Rovers.
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With the January transfer window coming to a close on Monday at 11pm, and so many players with their futures unclear, which clubs will look to make some last minute moves?
The end of the window has been an exciting time in terms of transfers in the past, with some big deals such as Andrey Arshavin moving to Arsenal from Zenit St Petersburg with just minutes to go.
This year there are a number of players who look set to make last minute moves either on permanent or loan deals.
The biggest name floating about is that of Spanish World Cup winner Fernando Torres.
Chelsea (7/1 to win the Premier League) have already had a £35m deal turned down by Liverpool for their star striker, which prompted the 26-year-old to hand in a transfer request.
The Reds turned down the request, however the latest news is that the Merseyside club would be willing to sell the player to the Blues but for no less that £50m.
If Roman Abramovich has the money in the coffers, Torres could make the sensational move to Stamford Bridge on Monday.
Former Chelsea winger and England international Shaun Wright-Phillips is another player who could be on the move before the window closes.
His current club Manchester City (12/1 to win the Premier League) have apparently turned down a transfer request from the player but are willing to send him out on loan till the end of the season.
Newcastle United and Fulham have been linked with the midfielder but it looks like Bolton are the front-runners to gain the player’s services for the rest of season, with Owen Coyle keen on signing the 29-year-old.
Former Magpies striker Obafemi Martins could be set for a return to the Premier League if he can complete his move to Birmingham City in time. The 26-year-old is on the verge of a deal that would see him move from Rubin Kazan to St Andrews.
One of the most exciting prospects from League One could be lapped up by one of the Premier League giants Manchester United or Arsenal.
Southampton’s Alex Chamberlain, who has been described as the next Theo Walcott, is the exciting 17-year-old who has been linked with a transfer up to the Premier League.
With Arsenal’s record of developing and playing youngster such as Walcott, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, they will be favourites to snap up the midfielder who has scored six goals for Southampton (17/10 to win League One) this season.
The final day should be full of movement with team’s desperate to freshen up their squads before the window closes.
Watch this space.
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Portsmouth striker John Utaka feels this summer’s World Cup could see huge success from an African teams, with his Nigeria (11/2 to be Top African Team) side leading the way.
The forward is hoping to be part of the Super Eagles squad for the tournament and will be looking to play some part in their Group B games against Argentina, South Korea and Greece.
Utaka was not involved in the African Nations Cup but is hopeful of making it into the World Cup and he thinks Nigeria (9/2 to win Group B) can take “full advantage” of the thousands of African fans who will flood to the tournament.
Even though Nigeria have to face one of the pre-tournament favourites in Argentina (8/1 – World Cup 2010 Outright) in their first game on June 12th, the forward thinks they can “do well” against their South African opponents and also prove themselves a “tough nut to crack” for any sides they come up against.
Speaking about their opening game (Argentina 4/7 to win, Nigeria 4/1, draw 13/5 at World Cup match bets), Utaka told Nigeria’s sports daily Complete Sports: “It’s a game both sides want to win. But to the surprise of many Nigerians, the Super Eagles stand a chance of winning that game in my own opinion.”
If Nigeria make it out of Group B they are could face the likes of France, Mexico or even World Cup hosts South Africa in the second round, but Utaka thinks the Super Eagles could go even further than this.
“We can go all the way to the semi-finals of South Africa 2010 World Cup no doubt. It may look daunting, but it is possible if we put in adequate preparations and then believe in ourselves,” he said.
Nigeria only recently got a new coach, with former Sweden boss Lars Lagerback replacing Shuaibu Amodu, and he got off to a winning start with a 5-2 victory over Congo DR.
Another forward hoping to impress the new manager is Everton striker Victor Anichebe, who has just returned from a serious knee injury and told EvertonTV he is still “hopeful” about his chances off making it into the Nigeria World Cup squad.
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With just two or three games left for all the teams involved, no club has taken a firm grasp on fourth position in the Premier League- which brings with it the coveted final qualifying place for next season’s Champions League.
You can bet on: Who will win the Premier League
That place has belonged to Liverpool for the past four seasons but the Anfield club remain the outsiders among the four clubs still chasing the berth. However, Aston Villa are right back in the hunt after a weekend when Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City failed to boost their chances.
For several weeks Manchester City seemed to be in prime position but their last minute loss in the Manchester derby opened the door to the chasing teams. Spurs stepped in with dramatic wins over both Chelsea and Arsenal.
Unfortunately for Harry Redknapp, next up on the fixture list was a trip to Old Trafford and his squad couldn’t pull off a third straight victory over one of the top three. On the same day Manchester City had a tough visit to Arsenal and could only force a scoreless draw.
On Sunday Aston Villa were able to take advantage by winning the Second City derby. It left them level on points with Spurs but having played a game more. Man City lie one point further back but with three to play and Liverpool are two off the pace with just two games to go.
The joker in the pack is that while Spurs and Man City have the extra game, it is against each other – and on top of that Aston Villa visit Eastlands next. For Villa fans there is a dream scenario where the Villains triumph in Manchester and then City beat Spurs in their extra game.
It could leave Villa and Spurs going into the final Sunday on 67 points, with Man City one behind on 66. Spurs would probably retain the initiative though, as their goal difference is currently ten better than the Midlanders. The legacy of the 7-1 drubbing at Chelsea could come back to haunt Villa in a big way.
You can bet on: Who will win the Premier League
Spurs end their campaign at relegated Burnley which is a difficult match to judge- the Clarets could be demoralised and easy meat- or released from pressure and keen to go out on a high. Mid-table sides who are safe would be more predictable opposition.
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