Tag Archives: League

Europa League Preview

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Hopes are high that we could have a British winner of the Europa League this year as Liverpool, Manchester City and Rangers gear up for their respective last-16 clashes. At least two out of three will fancy their chances of getting through to the next round – given the opposition – and should they reach the quarter-finals they will start to believe their name could be on the cup.

Braga v Liverpool

The Reds are coming into form just at the right time and will be confident of achieving a positive result in Portugal after Sunday’s win over Manchester United. While Liverpool didn’t have to be at their very best to get the better of their arch-rivals, manager Kenny Dalglish will have taken a lot of pride in the way they went about their job.

While the Europa League might be seen as a distraction in the early stages it is starting to get serious now and with the Reds desperate for silverware expect a professional performance from the Merseysiders.

Braga are 15/8 to win the first leg and that might be seen as a good bet when you consider their home form this season.

The Portuguese team have lost just three times at home and took the scalp of Arsenal in the Champions League group stages.

However, Liverpool proved against Sparta Prague and Napoli they can be resilient and that could be the order of the night before going for it in the second leg at Anfield.

Match Bet – Liverpool and Braga to draw @ 11/5

PSV v Rangers

Not many expected Walter Smith’s men to get through the last round after being paired with Sporting Lisbon but they deserve their place in the last 16 after a good display in Portugal.

Just as it looked like it would be heartbreak for the Gers, Maurice Edu popped up to send them through on the away-goal rule. While Sporting was a tough mountain to climb the challenge of conquering PSV will be even harder.

The Eindhoven outfit are currently top of the Eredivisie and have only lost three league games all season.

They are also unbeaten in the Europa League and Rangers will have to be at their best to avoid losing this tie in the first leg. Rangers made a habit of frustrating teams on their way to the 2008 final and will have to employ those tactics again if they want to survive.

Match Bet – PSV to win @ 6/5 with a minus one handicap.

Dynamo Kiev v Manchester City

Manchester City can count themselves lucky they were given such an easy route through the last 32 of the Europa League, taking just 12 minutes in the second leg to end the tie after drawing 0-0 in the first leg in Greece against Aris.

While they enjoyed an easy trip in the last round a game in Kiev is going to be a very different proposition. Dynamo are traditionally very strong at home and with City boasting a team of players who don’t always show much passion for the game they might not fancy potentially -7 conditions.

City, who are the 19/5 Europa League favourites, will probably come through the tie but they might have to come from behind in the second leg. While Kiev are traditionally good at home they are also fairly ropey on the road, although they did win 4-1 in Turkey against Besiktas in the last round. An upset could be on the cards in this tie.

Match Bet – Dynamo Kiev to win @ 6/4

Elsewhere, arguably the tie of the round gets underway in Germany when Bayer Leverkusen host an out-of-sorts Villarreal.

The Spaniards were well beaten on Saturday by Atletico Madrid and could be on the end of another sound beating at the Bay Arena, with Leverkusen 21/20 to win what should be a close game.

It should also be a good night for Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg, despite their travel sickness. They take on FC Twente in Holland and can be backed at 9/5 to win the first leg of that contest.

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Wednesday Champions League

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Crouch Lennon

Tottenham have looked far from out of their depth in the Champions League so far but they come up against a Milan side out for revenge after the first-leg result, while Schalke and Valencia sit level. There must be a winner in both ties so who will be celebrating at the final whistle?

Tottenham v AC Milan

Spurs have surpassed many people’s expectations in their first Champions League adventure and they are holding a one-goal advantage over AC Milan following the first leg.

A late Peter Crouch goal, which came from a superb speedy break from winger Aaron Lennon, means Harry Redknapp’s side hold the upper hand against the team currently sitting top of Serie A.

There is no doubting the attacking potential of AC Milan as they can boast the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Alexandre Pato, but Spurs have shown this season they can rip teams apart with their own prowess going forward.

For that reason, it is going to be vital for Spurs that they can get Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart on the pitch. The duo have been missing for several weeks but Redknapp has admitted both could play at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night.

Spurs are 6/5 to win the game while Milan are 11/5.

Milan are likely to come to north London and attack, with their confidence boosted from a 1-0 win over Juventus at the weekend. If they go hell for leather they will cause problems for a Spurs side that has been leaking goals in recent weeks.

They let in three at Wolves on Saturday and another three to Blackpool in the previous game and, with no disrespect to those two teams, they do not boast the same attacking threat as Massimiliano Allegri’s side.

It is 8/11 for both teams to score and 12/5 for there to be 4 or more goals in the game, which could look good bets given the attacking talent on show.

There is also the underlying tension that is likely to still exist from the fracas that took most of the headlines after the first leg. Genaro Gattuso is not travelling to White Hart Lane due to a four-match suspension handed out for his headbutt on Joe Jordan, but even without his presence there could be some animosity on and off the pitch.

Spurs will be hoping all the headlines are made on the pitch this time around and they can get the right result to extend their maiden voyage into the Champions League and write another chapter in the history of the club.

Schalke v Valencia

Schalke and Valencia go into their last-16 second-leg level at 1-1, so the German side’s away goal could come into play at the end of extra time. Felix Magath is under massive pressure after they dropped to tenth in the Bundesliga, courtesy of a 1-0 defeat to Stuttgart on Saturday, and he needs a result to appease the baying crowd.

Schalke’s Champions League exploits have been the only saving grace for their suffering fans, but they do boast the attacking experience of Raul and if Klaas-Jan Huntelaar recovers in time to play, they could cause Valencia problems.

The Spaniards sit third in La Liga after their 2-1 win over Real Mallorca and that game was their third in a row where they have won despite going behind. They even managed to rest top scorer Roberto Soldado for that game, while the experienced pairing of David Albelda and Joaquin should both be back from injury.

It was hard to separate the two teams during the first leg in Spain and a second draw in 90 minutes is 9/4. If there is a result within the allotted 90 minutes then Schalke are 6/4 to get the win.

Both sides should fancy their chances of getting the victory but given the host’s struggles then Valencia at 9/5 to get the win could be seen as a good bet.

However, if Schalke and Valencia let the nerves of making the final eight get to them it could be a tense game and 21/10 for there to be 1 goal or less could come into the equation.

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City favourites in Europa League

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Three British teams will be bidding to qualify for the next stage of the Europa League when the competition resumes next month. Manchester City, Rangers and Liverpool all play their first-legs of the Round of 32 during the week of February 14, with the reverse legs taking place a week later.

Rangers take on Sporting of Portugal at Ibrox in the first leg, with the two teams going into the ties with very different records behind them in Europe this season (Rangers 5/4 to qualify).

Sporting topped Group C in the Europa League, with four wins from their six games including an impressive 2-1 away win at Lille, who finished as the group’s other qualifiers. The Portuguese side scored 14 goals in the round as they won all their three home ties including a 5-1 thumping of Gent and a 5-0 win over Levski Sofia.

Sporting had a major blip in the play-off round when they lost their first leg 2-0 at home to Brondby and looked to be heading out. But they responded in style, winning 3-0 in the return in Denmark to go through.

Sporting sit third in the league thanks to four wins in their last six games, and have three in-form strikers. Helda Postiga and Carlos Saleiro have each scored four goals from nine games this season, while Yannick Djalo has three from 10.

Rangers’ lone success in Europe this season has come from a 1-0 home win over Bursaspor, though the only time they have been outclassed was in the 3-0 defeat to Valencia. They conceded just one goal over two games against Manchester United, so will come into the Europa League with some confidence (Rangers 66/1 to win Europa League).

Since their shock 2-0 defeat at home to Hibernian in November, Rangers have won five of their seven games, the only loss coming in the January 2 Old Firm game.

Manchester City will face a trip to Aris on February 15, with the Greeks having surprised many by pipping 2010 winners Atletico Madrid into the second qualification spot in Group B behind Bayer Leverkusen (City 1/8 to qualify).

Aris beat Atletico 1-0 at home and won the away game 3-2, so they deserved their place in the Round of 32. Fourth in the Greek Super League, Aris qualified by finishing fourth in last season’s play-offs.

The Thessaloniki-based side boast seven current internationals, including Christos Aravidis, Athanassios Prittas and Michaelis Sifakis of Greece and Toja of Colombia.

The Greeks have struggled for goals in their domestic league in the current season, but Croatian striker Danijel Cesarec has scored four in seven Europa League games.

City were level with Manchester neighbours United at the top of the Premier League going into this weekend’s fixtures, though having played two games more (City 4/1 favourites to win Europa League).

They will have few fears of going to Greece, having already won six Premier League games away from Eastlands and finished top of Group A in the last round.

City beat Lech Poznan 3-1 at home and Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 at the City of Manchester Stadium, and finished the group ahead of the Polish team on goal difference.

Roberto Mancini’s side have been second in the table for the past four weeks and went into this weekend’s games having won six of their last eight Premier League games.

Like City, Liverpool must start on the road when they go to Sparta Prague on February 17 (Liverpool 1/6 to qualify).

Sparta were a distant second to CSKA Moscow in Group F, losing just once but only winning two games. They beat Palermo 3-2 at home at Lausanne-Sport 3-1 away, but were well beaten 3-0 by the Russians in Moscow.

Sparta won the Gambrinus liga last season, as well as the Supercup, but are four points behind leaders Viktoria Plzen after the first 17 games of the current season.

Liverpool qualified for the Europa League by finishing seventh in the Premier League last season, but have been hugely disappointing in the first half of the current campaign and axed Roy Hodgson as manager earlier this month (Liverpool 13/2 to win Europa League).

The Liverpool supporters got their wish when legend Kenny Dalglish took over at the helm, but they will need to turn their season around quickly.

Liverpool completed a good 3-1 aggregate win over Trabzonspor in the play-off stage, having seen off Rabotnicki 4-0 in the qualifying round.

In the group stage, they finished top by three points over Napoli having been undefeated in their six games. They only conceded three goals in the round and enjoyed a 4-1 home win over Steaua Bucharest and beat Napoli 3-1 at Anfield.

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Sunday Premier League previews

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Chelsea v Aston Villa

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti hopes being generous to his team will spur them on to victory against Aston Villa on Sunday (Chelsea 1/ 4 to win).

The Italian normally makes his players analyse their previous performance on video ahead of each game, to try and learn from their mistakes.

But Ancelotti has spared his squad that chore following Monday’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Two days later, his relieved players were able to grind out a precious 1-0 win over Bolton at Stamford Bridge to end their worst Premier League run for 11 years.

The victory kept their faltering title defence alive and gave them a much-needed boost ahead of Sunday’s visit of Aston Villa.

“I didn’t show the video against Arsenal,” Ancelotti said. “I normally do show. When the moment is not so good, you don’t have to kill!

“I can show them in the future but not now.”

Chelsea moved up to fourth place by beating Bolton, and will aim for back-to-back wins for the first time in two months.

“This is a very important moment for our players, physically,” Ancelotti said. The team has to show its fitness. We worked very hard for two weeks without a game and the players are in a very good condition.”

Villa’s confidence, already undermined by Boxing Day’s 2-1 home defeat to Tottenham, is at a new low ebb following the 4-0 drubbing at Manchester City on Tuesday (Villa 12/1 to win).

Ashley Young and Emile Heskey will be restored to the starting side after overcoming injuries, but Luke Young has yet to recover from an ankle knock.

Branislav Ivanovic is banned after picking up his fifth booking of the term, so Ancelotti must decide between Jeffrey Bruma and Paulo Ferreira as his replacement.

Wigan v Newcastle

Wigan hope an encouraging result at home to Arsenal last time out has laid the platform for victory over Newcastle at the DW Stadium (Wigan 6/4 to win).

The Latics secured a 2-2 draw against the Gunners on Wednesday, courtesy of a late own goal by Sebastien Squillaci which moved them out of the relegation zone. And that result came hard on the heels of the impressive 2-1 win at Wolves on Boxing Day.

Wigan know they could find themselves back in the bottom three by the time they kick off against the Magpies, but have a fine home record to fall back on. They have lost only three home games all season and are unbeaten in their last six games at the DW Stadium.

Newcastle’s leading scorer Andy Carroll is a major doubt after picking up a thigh strain, but Shola Ameobi is fit again and could be given his chance (Newcastle 9/5 to win).

Captain Kevin Nolan is back after serving a one-game ban, while Jose Enrique and Sol Campbell are both available after injury.

Wigan may give new signing Adrian Lopez his chance against Alan Pardew?s men, and are forced into at least one change.

Striker Charles N’Zogbia is banned for the next three matches, while Antolin Alcaraz has only a 50 per cent chance of playing due to a thigh problem.

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Sunday Premier League previews

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Chelsea v Aston Villa

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti hopes being generous to his team will spur them on to victory against Aston Villa on Sunday (Chelsea 1/ 4 to win).

The Italian normally makes his players analyse their previous performance on video ahead of each game, to try and learn from their mistakes.

But Ancelotti has spared his squad that chore following Monday’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Two days later, his relieved players were able to grind out a precious 1-0 win over Bolton at Stamford Bridge to end their worst Premier League run for 11 years.

The victory kept their faltering title defence alive and gave them a much-needed boost ahead of Sunday’s visit of Aston Villa.

“I didn’t show the video against Arsenal,” Ancelotti said. “I normally do show. When the moment is not so good, you don’t have to kill!

“I can show them in the future but not now.”

Chelsea moved up to fourth place by beating Bolton, and will aim for back-to-back wins for the first time in two months.

“This is a very important moment for our players, physically,” Ancelotti said. The team has to show its fitness. We worked very hard for two weeks without a game and the players are in a very good condition.”

Villa’s confidence, already undermined by Boxing Day’s 2-1 home defeat to Tottenham, is at a new low ebb following the 4-0 drubbing at Manchester City on Tuesday (Villa 12/1 to win).

Ashley Young and Emile Heskey will be restored to the starting side after overcoming injuries, but Luke Young has yet to recover from an ankle knock.

Branislav Ivanovic is banned after picking up his fifth booking of the term, so Ancelotti must decide between Jeffrey Bruma and Paulo Ferreira as his replacement.

Wigan v Newcastle

Wigan hope an encouraging result at home to Arsenal last time out has laid the platform for victory over Newcastle at the DW Stadium (Wigan 6/4 to win).

The Latics secured a 2-2 draw against the Gunners on Wednesday, courtesy of a late own goal by Sebastien Squillaci which moved them out of the relegation zone. And that result came hard on the heels of the impressive 2-1 win at Wolves on Boxing Day.

Wigan know they could find themselves back in the bottom three by the time they kick off against the Magpies, but have a fine home record to fall back on. They have lost only three home games all season and are unbeaten in their last six games at the DW Stadium.

Newcastle’s leading scorer Andy Carroll is a major doubt after picking up a thigh strain, but Shola Ameobi is fit again and could be given his chance (Newcastle 9/5 to win).

Captain Kevin Nolan is back after serving a one-game ban, while Jose Enrique and Sol Campbell are both available after injury.

Wigan may give new signing Adrian Lopez his chance against Alan Pardew?s men, and are forced into at least one change.

Striker Charles N’Zogbia is banned for the next three matches, while Antolin Alcaraz has only a 50 per cent chance of playing due to a thigh problem.

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New Year’s Day Prem League Bets

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West Brom v Man Utd (12.45pm)

West Brom have been starting games poorly and conceded after three minutes against Blackburn last time out. They have only been ahead in three of their 19 Premier League matches this season and have relied on second half goals to pick up points.

Meanwhile, Manchester United remain unbeaten but have won only once away from Old Trafford in the Premier League this season, and that was courtesy of a very late winner at Stoke. United’s midfield has been shown up for not being able to control matches when they are ahead.

Bet: Man Utd HT/Draw FT in Double Result at 18/1

Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers (3pm)

Roy Hodgson has two games to save his job and he needs to win both of them. The atmosphere will be tense at Anfield and Liverpool need to make a good start to keep the crowd from getting restless. Expect a better performance than against Wolves but there probably won’t be many goals unless the Fernando Torres of two seasons ago suddenly turns up.

Bolton have not scored an away goal since November 13 and have lost three straight on the road, all by 1-0. They also lost narrowly to Liverpool at home in October to a late goal from Maxi Rodriguez.

Bet: Half Most Goals: Second Half Evens (This has come in four of the last six times they’ve met.)

Man City v Blackpool (3pm)

Man City are looking much closer to the finished article after back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Aston Villa recently – but facing Blackpool will not be as easy. The Seasiders are a canny, counter-attacking side and have Charlie Adam back from suspension.

Ian Holloway’s side are unbeaten in seven (with their ‘first team’), having won four and drawn three and look, on paper, capable of keeping the score down.

Bet: Under 2.5 goals 6/4

Stoke City v Everton (3pm)

Stoke have not beaten Everton since 1982 and have found recently that their physical approach has not been good enough to get a result against David Moyes’s well-prepared sides. The Potters have taken one point from their last three home games while strikers Kenwyne Jones and Ricardo Fuller have mustered three goals between them in the last two months.

Bet: Everton 9/5

Sunderland v Blackburn (3pm)

The Black Cats saw their impressive home record spoiled by Blackpool last time out in a game which they dominated but could not score in. Unless Danny Welbeck, Asamoah Gyan and Darren Bent suffer another off day, they will be able to score against a Blackburn side who have conceded 14 in their last four away matches.

Bet: Darren Bent First Goalscorer 7/2

Bet: Sunderland to win -1 Handicap 9/4

Tottenham v Fulham (3pm)

Spurs are very short at 2/5 to win this one, but they are in good form and have talismanic playmaker Rafael van der Vaart back and pulling their strings. The Dutchman is as short as 18/5 in the Enhanced First Goalscorer market – the same as striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Harry Redknapp will have to make changes as Spurs have been worked hard in their last two matches to win with ten men, so there could be some value in the First Goalscorer market.

Bet: Peter Crouch 9/2 Enhanced First Goalscorer

Bet: Jermaine Jenas 12/1 First Goalscorer

West Ham v Wolves (3pm)

It is another must-win game for West Ham and they cannot afford to throw away another lead at home as they did against Everton on Tuesday.

Wolves will be buoyant following their win at Liverpool and could take the points at Upton Park if they play with the same verve. However, a safer bet would be to take the visitors to score the last goal in the match, as they have done in six of their last eight matches.

Bet: Last Goal Wolves 7/5

Birmingham City v Arsenal (5.30pm)

Birmingham grabbed a point with a last-minute equaliser against Man Utd on Tuesday while Arsenal floundered at Wigan a day later and Arsene Wenger has been moaning about the inequity of the fixture list.

He will make a raft of changes for this one and recall his big guns for a match which they should win, but have recently had bitter experiences in. The last two meetings at St Andrews have been draws and this could turn out to be another.

Bet: Draw 13/5

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Midweek Premier League previews

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With the festive fixture list underway we have a look at the games which will be coming up thick and fast over Tuesday and Wednesday as clubs look to still a march in the title race or the relegation battle.

TUESDAY

Man City v Aston Villa

City will look to continue the way they left off against Newcastle at St. James’ Park, where they picked up a richly deserved three points.
Carlos Tevez seems to be back in favour with the City fans, after his two goals and all-round work rate impressed them on Boxing Day, helping them move into second as their title odds were cut to 8/1.
City need to make Eastlands a fortress in the second half of the season to keep alive their title challenge, but Villa will be encouraged by Everton’s success there last time out.
Gerard Houllier still has plenty of critics in the stands at Villa Park, and their away record is simply not good enough – they have lost four of the last five on their travels.

Stoke v Fulham

Stoke have finally got the monkey off their backs, with Boxing Day’s 2-0 win at Blackburn being the first December game they have won since reaching the Premier League in 2008.
They have already beaten Fulham this season, albeit in the Carling Cup, and their recent record is good enough to suggest they can repeat the feat.
In their last seven games, the Potters have won four and drawn two, the home defeat to Blackpool earlier this month their only blip.
Fulham were desperately disappointing at home to West Ham on Boxing Day, especially against a team with a shocking away record and with a manager under severe pressure.

Sunderland v Blackpool

Blackpool’s recent inactivity may come back to haunt them as they have twice had games called off because of the bad weather.
However, in between their postponements they beat Stoke 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium, picking up their fourth away win in the Premier League.
Having already won at Anfield, Blackpool (15/8 to be relegated) will have few fears about going to the Stadium of Light, especially after Sunderland’s defeat to Manchester United on Boxing Day.
Sunderland, though, have not lost in nine home games so far this season and have only conceded five goals in those games.

Tottenham v Newcastle

Spurs have only been beaten once at White Hart Lane in the Premier League this season, though they do average one goal per game conceded.
Tottenham continued their push for a top four finish with victory over Villa on Boxing Day and are 8/5 to achieve their goal of returning to the Champions League.
Newcastle were well beaten at home by Manchester City on Boxing Day, and have not been at their best away from the North East – they have conceded 15 goals in their eight Premier League games away from home.
The Magpies were poor in their last away game, going down 3-1 at West Brom on December 5, and new boss Alan Pardew will want to stamp his own authority on the club with some transfer movement in January.

West Brom v Blackburn

Two teams who were poor on Boxing Day hope to make a swift return to form at the Hawthorns.
West Brom lost 2-0 at Bolton, while Blackburn went down by the same scoreline at home to Stoke City.
The Baggies’ home form has enabled them to reach mid-table, they have only been beaten twice at the Hawthorns in the Premier League, though last month’s 3-0 home defeat to Stoke showed their frailties.
Blackburn fans are hardly unanimous in their backing of Steve Kean, and his time in charge could hardly have started less impressively as they hardly had a shot on goal against Stoke on Boxing Day and could have lost by more than two goals.

West Ham v Everton

The pressure is still not completely off Avram Grant, even though he has technically achieved what the board asked him to which was to win one of three specified games.
The Hammers, on their day, should be capable of beating Everton and their 3-1 win at Fulham will have boosted their confidence.
Everton have been inconsistent and badly need goals. Having their game on Boxing Day postponed might work in their favour, though, as it has eased their festive schedule.
David Moyes’ team have only won twice on their travels this season, but have kept things tight – they have drawn five away games and only conceded nine goals in as many games away from Goodison Park.

Birmingham v Man Utd

Birmingham know they can drop into the bottom three if they lose here, with both Fulham and West Ham waiting to take advantage.
The Blues have only lost once at St Andrew’s all season, but need to start turning draws there into wins – they have only three so far.
United’s away record continues to mystify; they have only won at Stoke in the Premier League, and drawn all their other six away matches.
Their 2-0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford on Boxing Day kept them in pole position in the Premier League, but Sir Alex Ferguson will want them to kick on now and translate some of their home form (they have won nine and drawn one there) into away success.
Michael Owen did not make the squad for the Sunderland game, but with the festive programme set to test every team’s strength in depth it could signal a recall for the former England international.

WEDNESDAY

Chelsea v Bolton

Chelsea (2/1 Premier League outright) have been done few favours by the TV schedulers, having to play on Monday and then again two days later – especially as their first game is the tough visit to the Emirates Stadium.
They face a Bolton team high on confidence after a 2-0 win against West Brom on Boxing Day.
Owen Coyle’s men are in fifth place in the Premier League but in reality that position may be false – they have played more games than virtually all their rivals and have only won twice away from home.
Bolton only lost 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last season, and with Chelsea faltering recently they might fancy their chances of securing a point on this visit.

Wigan v Arsenal

Wigan picked up a very useful three points at Molineux on Boxing Day, and are not the easy-beats many predicted at the start of the season.
They may face a scrap against relegation until the end of the season, but they have enough flair players to suggest they can cause some upsets, including against the Gunners who they beat 3-2 at the same ground last season.
Wigan don’t score enough goals, they have only managed eight at home while conceding 17. That will encourage Arsenal, who are the second-top scorers on their travels this season.
If Arsenal can end their recent barren spell at home against Chelsea on Monday, they will go to Wigan on a high and be confident of staying on pace for a title shot.

Liverpool v Wolves

Liverpool have only lost once in the Premier League at Anfield this season, and conceded a miserly six goals there.
Wolves go to Merseyside having picked up just one point away from home this season and only scored five goals in their eight away games.
Mick McCarthy’s men will be at a low ebb after losing a ‘six pointer’ against Wigan on Boxing Day, while Liverpool will be well rested after their game was postponed.
With the Premier League being the tightest it has been for years, Liverpool know that every point is vital. They could go in either direction – the Reds are seven points behind fifth-placed Bolton, and six ahead of the relegation zone.

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Trio target Premier League

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Trying to call who will win promotion from the Championship this season is a bit of a lottery again this season – as it has been in past campaigns.

Teams’ stock will rise and fall throughout the season, however there are a few teams that have shown the potential to reach the top flight.

A club whose stock has dropped in recent weeks, though, is Queens Park Rangers (4/9 to win promotion).

Neil Warnock’s side went the first 19 games of the campaign without defeat and shot to the top of the Championship table.

However, recent defeats at the hands of Watford and Leeds United have got Rangers on a slide and with a difficult game against Swansea on Boxing Day they could go yet another game without a win.

Much of their success this season has been founded around the talented Adel Taarabt who has been one of the players of the Championship so far.

This is both a blessing and a curse for Rangers as teams have learned to neutralise Taarabt which in recent weeks has led to defeats.

QPR are still serious title challengers as having gone so long without defeat who says they cannot do it again and ease themselves into the Premier League?

A team that were early title favourites this season were Cardiff City (3/4 to win promotion).

The Welsh side have only managed one win in their last seven league clashes which is clearly not title-winning form.

However, the Bluebirds have played some of the best football in the league this season and, despite their poor run, still sit in third place in the Championship.

Cardiff boast the top goal scorer in the league in the shape of the now-capped England international Jay Bothroyd.

The former Arsenal Academy player has 13 goals in the league but has been on a dry spell having dealt with injuries.

The Bluebirds team suffered heartbreak in the play-off final last season as they lost to Blackpool, but they have not let that affect them and they are still a favourite to win promotion this term.

A club that know all about play-off heartbreak in recent years is Leeds United (3/1 to win promotion).

The Whites started the season hoping to consolidate a place in the second tier after three years languishing in League One.

Manager Simon Grayson and others at Elland Road would maintain that is still their primary goal, however after a nine-game unbeaten streak and a rise into the automatic promotion positions, their targets may have changed.

Leeds have struggled defensively for much of this season but the introduction of Andy O’Brien from Bolton Wanderers has been one of their best loan deals in years.

The Whites have an abundance of attacking talent with the likes of Luciano Becchio, Max Gradel, Robert Snodgrass, Davide Somma, Ross McCormack and Billy Paynter on board.

Grayson’s side have a big four games coming up as they take on Leicester City, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Cardiff.

The Leeds boss has stated that the club will be taking stock after those matches that come in quick succession over the busy Christmas period.

If the West Yorkshire can maintain their form they might have a chance of being in the running for a return to the top flight.

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Champions League preview

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The line-up for the last 16 of the Champions League has now been revealed with some interesting match-ups. We’ll have a look at each one in turn and try to determine who might make it into the quarter-finals.

Arsenal v Barcelona

Arsene Wenger said he knew that the Gunners would land the most difficult tie of all and he was proved right as the names were drawn out of the hat. The Catalans were too good for the Londoners 12 months ago and, if anything, are a better side now. Pep Guardiola says he is scared of facing Wenger’s men but deep down inside Barca will fear nobody on their march to the final.

Prediction: Arsenal 11/4 to qualify

AC Milan v Tottenham

Spurs have a confidence about them in Europe that suggests that they could progress from this tie, despite Milan’s current standing in Italian football. The San Siro outfit are six points clear in the league table but just how strong is Italian football? Harry Redknapp has instilled a belief in his players that they can win any match and the 3-1 victory over Inter Milan proved that they can.

Prediction: Spurs 10/11 to qualify

FC Copenhagen v Chelsea

The Blues are clearly not the same side that they were at the start of the season and the Danes might see this as one they can win. But there is plenty of time for the west Londoners to regroup for the Champions League knock-out stage and they might be a different side again come March.

Prediction: Chelsea 1/12 to qualify

Marseille v Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has already stated that he feels this will be a difficult tie as the French side are notoriously hard to beat on their own patch. The Red Devils are unbeaten in the top-flight this term and, while that might not be the case when these two sides square off, they will surely have too much for a Marseille side who are currently fifth in the Ligue 1 standings.

Prediction: United 1/5 to qualify

Inter Milan v Bayern Munich

Jose Mourinho is now long gone from the San Siro and it shows as Inter are languishing in seventh place in the Serie A standings. Bayern are also enduring a torrid time domestically as Borussia Dortmund continue to run away with the Bundesliga. This is difficult one to call but the Germans are just favoured to sneak through over the two legs.

Prediction: Bayern 10/11 to qualify

Real Madrid v Lyon

The El Clasico hammering aside, Mourinho has enjoyed an excellent start to his time in charge of Real and that should continue with progression to the last eight of Europe’s elite club competition. Lyon are right up there in the French league but it will be a step up facing the Spanish giants who will have thoughts of winning the competition for no other reason than to prevent Barca from doing so.

Prediction: Real 1/5 to qualify

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk

Neither of these sides will really entertain thoughts of winning the Champions League but the Italians are tipped to progress to the next round despite the Ukrainians’ easy passage into the last 16. They topped Arsenal’s group with 15 points but will find the knock-out round a different kettle of fish against the experienced Serie A side.

Prediction: Roma 8/13 to qualify

Valencia v Schalke 04

Schalke topped their group in qualifying but it was far from the ‘group of death’ while Valencia scored goals for fun in finishing runners-up to United. The Germans are not enjoying a good time of it domestically and are precariously close to the drop zone in the Bundesliga and the Spaniards’ pedigree should see them through this one.

Prediction: Valencia 8/15 to qualify

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Sunday’s Elite League preview

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Juventus host Lazio in Serie A’s crunch clash on Sunday and, fresh from their fine 3-1 win over champions Inter last weekend, the capital club are good value at 7/2 to secure an away triumph to underline their title credentials.

Mauro Zarate and Sergio Floccari were both on target in the win last weekend and have hit three and five league goals respectively this season to help fire Lazio up the league.

Juve are 4/5 to win (the draw 5/2) but were held 1-1 by Roma last week and will be desperate for a win to keep the pressure on leaders Milan at the top of the table.

However, the Old Lady have been shipping goals at home – they have conceded 11 goals in Turin this term, a league-high – and attack-minded Lazio will look to pile on the pressure as they go for their first win at Juve since 2002.

Totesport are offering EVENS on over 2.5 goals in the game which appears good value with both sides expected to go for the win on Sunday and Juventus are the most prolific side in the league, scoring 29 goals so far this season.

Elsewhere in Serie A, Milan (3/5) should be too good for Bologna (5/1) while Napoli, at 2/1, offer value for a win at Genoa as they look for back-to-back victories following the late 1-0 success over Palermo last time out.

In Spain this weekend, expect Real Madrid (1/4, the draw 5/1) to overcome Real Zaragoza (9/1) away from home while Barcelona should have little trouble seeing off Real Sociedad, who are a huge 28/1 to cause a massive shock as the big two keep up the pace at the top of La Liga.

Malaga head to Hercules with a draw looking the most likely outcome 23/10 while Getafe could cause a small upset by beating Villarreal at home (7/5) while Espanyol, who are currently fourth, are available at a tempting 13/5 to secure all three points at Athletic Bilbao.

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