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Home rule in Europa quarters

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Following the drama of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday and Wednesday, it’s the Europa League last eight ties that take centre stage on Thursday. Here we preview the four first-leg matches.
Despite no English involvement, there is still plenty for punters to consider in Europe’s second tier competition as it nears its conclusion, with veteran European campaigners Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Schalke and Sporting all still involved, while Manchester United’s conquerors Athletic Bilbao will be hoping to build on that famous triumph at Old Trafford.

AZ Alkmaar v Valencia

AZ remain, along with German underdogs Hannover, the outsiders to go on and win the Europa League (both 16/1 outright) but they will fancy their chances of at least holding Spanish giants Valencia at home in the first leg.

The in-form Dutch side are an attractive 13/8 to come out on top on Thursday, with Los Che available at 17/10 and the draw 9/4. That maybe just the astute bet here but a home win is the prediction.
AZ have had a superb season so far, and are currently top of the Eredivisie, losing just five league games all season, while they are unbeaten in six domestically. Add to that the fact they saw off a talented Udinese side in the last round and Valencia have plenty to fear ahead of this intriguing clash.

Prediction – Home win.

Atletico Madrid v Hannover

This is the home banker of the four games on Thursday and it’s hard to look past a comfortable win for the Spanish side (take 2-0 at 11/2).

The German outfit have exceeded expectations to get this far in the tournament and are a creditable eighth in the Bundesliga but will surely find it tough going in the intimidating Vicente Calderon.

Atletico are odds-on (1/2) to win the first leg while Hannover (6/1) are rightly the outsiders. However, recent form has been good with two impressive wins over Cologne and Standard Liege (4-1 and 4-0) before a narrow 2-1 defeat at in-form Bayern Munich last time out.

That will give the visitors hope of causing an upset on Thursday and it’s likely to be tight in the first half but Atletico should ultimately prevail (HT/FT – Draw/Atletico – 10/3).

Prediction – Home win.

Schalke v Athletic Bilbao

Bilbao will be bouyant following the superb deserved two-leg triumph over United and will rightly now fancy their chances of progressing even further in the competition. They can be backed at a value 10/3 to win the Europa League outright and they have the talent to go to Schalke and win this week (Bilbao 23/10, Schalke 23/20, draw 12/5).

The Gelsenkirchen-based side emphatically beat FC Twente 4-1 last time out in the competition to book their last-eight place so will again be difficult to beat in front of a passionate home support and they go into the game on the back of a three-game winning in the Bundesliga. However, we fancy an away win here to keep the Bilbao bandwagon on course.

Prediction – Away win.

Sporting Lisbon v Metalist

Another home win looks on the cards in this one as Portuguese giants Sporting host the Ukrainian underdogs (Sporting EVENS, Metalist 11/4, draw 12/5).

Sporting produced their best performances of the season to see off Manchester City in the last round and they now take on a weaker Metalist for a place in the semi-finals. They will not underestimate their opponents and a disappointing domestic campaign to date, which has left them fifth in the table, points to the fact all is not well at the club, but don’t be surprised to see a comfortable home win here.

Metalist are third in the up-and-coming Ukraine league (behind the traditional big two of Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk) and were extremely impressive when seeing off Salzburg 8-1 on aggregate in the last round but this is another test completely and first-leg disappointment looms for the visitors.

Prediction – Home win.

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Reds to rule Merseyside

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Saturday brings us the first of two big derby matches in the Premier League this weekend as Liverpool make the short trip across Stanley Park to neighbours Everton in the lunchtime kick-off. There are also five 3pm kick-offs including Manchester United playing host to Norwich.

Everton v Liverpool (12:45pm)

The last time the Reds went to Goodison Park they had Roy Hodgson in charge and lost 2-0, a result which dropped them into the relegation zone.

Less than a year on and Liverpool are looking up, rather than over their shoulders, after the return of Kenny Dalglish and a spending spree that would make most clubs jealous.

While Dalglish’s new recruits haven’t completely gelled yet there are signs the Reds will challenge for top honours this season.

In contrast to Liverpool’s spending spree Everton haven’t had two coins to rub together recently.

David Moyes has done the best he can with the tools on offer and while the Toffees have made a good start you get the sense injuries will begin to take their toll.

Already Moyes is waiting on news over whether or not Tim Cahill will be fit to start. If he doesn’t you can’t see the Blues threatening Liverpool too often.

The Reds have a good squad at their disposal and should have too much strength in depth for their local rivals.

Match Bet – Draw HT/Liverpool FT @ 9/2.

Manchester United v Norwich

Could United’s near-perfect start to the season be coming to an end?

Back-to-back draws might have brought the Old Trafford faithful back down to earth a bit after flying out of the blocks, especially after throwing away a 2-0 lead against Basel.

They now welcome a Norwich side who have won their last two matches, making up for a rocky start to the season.

The Canaries have already shown their quality against the top teams in the division, giving Chelsea a bloody nose before eventually losing 3-1.

A similar result at Old Trafford looks to be on the cards, and with Wayne Rooney back Sir Alex Ferguson’s men look to have too much for Norwich.

Match Bet – United with a -1 handicap @ 1/2 and United to score in both halves @ 8/11.

Aston Villa v Wigan

Alarm bells should be ringing at Wigan already given recent performances, four straight defeats in all competitions sending them towards the wrong end of the table.

Roberto Martinez says he doesn’t regret turning down the Villa job in the summer but if his charges don’t pick up their games soon then he might start.

The Latics have looked poor recently and while Villa haven’t been pulling up trees they should be too good for Wigan.

Alex McLeish’s men were dreadful in the first half against QPR but improved after the break to keep their unbeaten start to the season going.

It will be tight at Villa Park but the home side should once again just do enough to secure maximum points.

Match Bet – Villa to keep a clean sheet @ 11/10.

Blackburn v Man City

All is not well at Eastlands and Roberto Mancini will probably be glad for the distraction of this game, rather than having to answer more questions about Carlos Tevez.

The Argentine has been suspended and as such won’t be able to disrupt City’s preparations for the trip to Ewood Park.

City’s excellent start to the season is over after the defeat to Bayern Munich but they should keep their Premier League title campaign on track against Blackburn.

If City were poor on Tuesday night then Blackburn were worse when meekly losing to Newcastle last week.

Steve Kean’s time in the Ewood Park hot seat could soon be coming to an end and this game will only hasten his exit.

Match Bet – Man City with a -1 handicap @ 11/8.

Sunderland v West Brom

Both teams have failed to get into their stride this season and are in desperate need of a win to kickstart their campaigns.

Sunderland have struggled for consistency, following up their 4-0 win over Stoke by losing to Norwich.

Steve Bruce has also had to deal with off-field problems involving Titus Bramble so, like Mancini, will be glad of the distraction of a game.

The Black Cats’ record against West Brom isn’t great, losing the last three, while Bruce has never beaten a side managed by Roy Hodgson.

However, given both teams have been struggling a draw looks to be the obvious choice.

The Baggies will take a point but the result is unlikely to relieve the pressure that is building on Bruce at the Stadium of Light.

Match Bet – Draw @ 12/5.

Wolves v Newcastle

The Toon have probably been the surprise package of the season so far, lifting themselves into fourth with three wins out of six.

Alan Pardew looks to have recruited well and with Hatem Ben Arfa fully fit Newcastle should have no fears over relegation.

At times the Toon have struggled on the road but this season they have won three out of five away from St James’ Park in all competitions.

With Wolves struggling for goals in the league recently a Newcastle win seems the obvious choice, the Toon having conceded just three goals in the league.

Mick McCarthy’s men made a bright start to the campaign but three straight defeats have given Wolves fans a dose of reality.

Match Bet – Newcastle win @ 2/1.

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Adebayor won’t rule out January move

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Manchester City’s (11/8 to beat Liverpool) Emmanuel Adebayor has hinted he could leave the Eastlands club in the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old was left on the bench when City (8/13 for a top four finish) started their Premier League campaign at Spurs last weekend, and sought out boss Roberto Mancini to discuss his future at the club.

“I had a chat with the manager after the Spurs game which was good. But managers can change,” he told The People.

“Today they love you and then you think you are going to be moving.

“I don’t want to look too far into the future. Who knows? By January maybe the manager will tell me to leave – or maybe I will ask to leave.

“What is important for me is to have clear focus on playing for City and fighting for my place in the team and that is what I intend to do.

“As a footballer you have lots of difficult times. Being sat on the bench for the first game of the season at Tottenham was tough for me and I admit I was a little bit upset.”

Adebayor, capped 38 times by his country, made his name with Metz when he scored 17 goals in 35 games in the 2002-03 season, before a spell with Monaco which saw him help the French club to the Champions League final.

He spent three years at Arsenal, bagging 46 goals in 104 appearances for the Gunners, before City paid a fee of around £25million for him in July 2009, and has since scored 14 goals in 26 games.

Adebayor says his outlook on the game, and life in general, changed after he was involved in a near-death experience when the Togo team bus he was travelling on was ambushed by gunman en route to the African Nations Cup earlier this year.

An assistant coach and the team’s press officer – plus a driver – were killed and Adebayor said he was forced to re-evaluate his life.

“I have the chance to be alive when I could have been dead after what happened at the Cup of Nations,” he added.

“That experience can maybe make me a bit awkward as I know what I want now. My priority from now on is always going to be my family.

“But, you have to fight for your place. I am very happy to be part of this club and I love the challenge of making it at City.

“Now I’m waiting for my chance. I’m playing for one of the big teams in England and all I need now is to be playing games and scoring goals.”

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Crouch tips King to rule

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Peter Crouch has backed his Spurs team-mate Ledley King to be one of the best defenders at the World Cup (6/1 England to win the World Cup).

Despite experiencing continual problems with a knee injury King managed to play a vital role in Spurs’ Champions League qualification and has been rewarded with a spot in Fabio Capello’s 30-man provisional squad (England 1/3 to win Group C).

Crouch has known King since they were trainees together at White Hart Lane and has always been convinced of his quality: “I’ve known Ledley since I was 13 in my first spell at Spurs.

“He was fantastic even then. Even then you knew he was going to be world class and he has proven that.

“As long as he can prove his fitness, he will be up there as one of the best centre-halfs at the World Cup.?

King has won 19 caps for England, but has not played for his country since Fabio Capello became manager.

The Italian selected the Tottenham star for his first England squad, only for King to withdraw due to injury. Capello then picked King again for the 2009 games against Slovakia and Ukraine, but he was removed from the squad after being assessed by England’s medical staff.

Crouch though, thinks that King can overcome his injury worries to cement his spot in the final squad: “He has proved his quality this season, hopefully he has proved his fitness.

“He played the last three games of the season, all for the 90 minutes, he came through those and trained this week with England as well.

“Ledley has to be managed a bit different to the rest of the players. He has to do his own thing and train when he feels capable of it.

“Without a doubt, the manager thinks it is worthwhile him coming and, on his day when he is fit, there are not many as good as him.”

King doesn’t train with the rest of the first team squad at Tottenham, as the club seek to manage the swelling on his knee after games.

The 29-year old rarely plays in more than game per week due to the swelling, but managed to play in all three of the games in Spurs’ vital last week of the season.

King has been tipped to play in a defensive midfield role for England at the World Cup, if Gareth Barry is unable to recover from injury, having previously performed in the position for both club and country.

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