Rangers

Walter Smith’s Gers have been left in pole position to retain the title after Celtic lost 3-2 at Inverness in their game in hand last week to keep them a point at the summit.

Rangers showed no signs of nerves at the weekend as they thrashed Hearts 4-0 at Ibrox, while Celtic (2/1 Outright) kept the pressure on with a 2-0 win at Kilmarnock on Sunday.

Rangers will have the advantage of trying to open up a four-point gap this week against Dundee United, before Neil Lennon’s Hoops face a trip to Hearts on Wednesday.

Therefore it is imperative that they don?t blow a big opportunity, but United arrive full of confidence having picked up a shock 3-2 win at the same venue just over a month ago on April 2 (66/1 Dundee United 3-2 Correct Score).

But the Gers exacted revenge with a 4-0 win at Tannadice later in April and have an awesome overall record against their opponents with 56 wins from their 85 meetings so they will no doubt be feeling like they have the upper hand.

Rangers, who are also in an eight-match unbeaten run, will be lifted for the game by the news Craig Whyte has completed his takeover to boost their finances going into the future.

United arrive in buoyant mood following Saturday?s comprehensive 4-0 win against Motherwell and they know a second successive win at Ibrox will keep alive their hopes of pipping Hearts to third place finish and a Europa League spot for next season.

Boss Peter Houston knows that if Rangers win the SPL and Celtic win the Scottish Cup then the Terrors would get European football courtesy of a fourth-placed finish.

But he wants his side to do it for themselves by bouncing back from two straightaway-day defeats and re-enacting their display at Ibrox last month.

“We got rid of some silly mistakes, defensively we were solid,” Houston said.

“In the middle of the park I thought Scott Robertson and Morgaro Gomis bossed it, and Jon Daly scored the perfect hat-trick with left foot, right foot and header.”

Both sides have plenty to play for but Rangers? need for the points is greater and there really can be only one winner at Ibrox on Tuesday.

Prediction: Rangers Home 90 Minutes @ 2/9

Value Bet: Jelavic 1st Goalscorer Rangers Win 2-0 Scorecast @ 12/1

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Roy Hodgson

Now Hodgson’s Liverpool (13/2 to win the Europa League) are in the knockout stages of the same competition and are looking to go that step further and lift the trophy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on May 18.

The Reds finished top of Group K to qualify for the later stages and Hodgson has avoided the temptation of over-playing his key men in the competition.

Captain Steven Gerrard, who has now returned to action after suffering a hamstring injury over a month ago whilst playing for England, scored four goals in the group stages.

Star striker Fernando Torres has only featured twice in the Europa League and is bound to play a bigger role the further the Merseyside club go in the competition.

Considering their inconsistent form in the Premier League it’s difficult to know which Reds team will turn up for their next European clash – against Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic on February 24.

However, with Hodgson’s experience in the competition, Liverpool could repeat the feat of winning the second biggest prize in European football as they did in 2001.

Premier League big spenders Manchester City (4/1 to win the Europa League) are currently the favourites to lift the trophy in Dublin.

Roberto Mancini’s men sit in second place in the top flight and have transferred that form into the Europa League as they too finished top of their group.

The Blues look like they have managed to keep hold of their key player Carlos Tevez and like Torres for Liverpool, he should be more of a presence as City take on Greek side Aris Salonika.

City should progress to the latter stages of the competition if you consider the strength in depth of the star-studded squad at Eastlands.

A threat to their hopes of winning the Europa League could be if the Blues stay in the hunt for the Premier League title and Mancini is forced to rest players in the European games.

However it’s doubtful City fans would have too many problems with that scenario.

The British team with by far the hardest draw in the knockout stages are SPL title holders Rangers (5/4 to qualify for next round) as they face Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.

They too will be looking to go a step further from 2008 when they lost in the Europa League final against Russian side Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester.

The Gers qualified for the knockout stages after they finished third in their tough Champions League group which included Manchester United and Valencia.

With Walter Smith#s team challenging at the top of the SPL table with Old Firm rivals Celtic, it might be too difficult for the Scottish side to battle on both fronts.

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England

The Manchester United star caused a storm last week by stating he was ready to call time on his Old Trafford career, but then had a change of heart and agreed a contract extension with United to keep him at the club until 2015 (Manchester United 9/2 to win the 2010-11 Premier League).

The 25-year-old’s private life has also dominated the front and back pages in recent weeks, but Capello claims the only thing that counts for him is the striker’s actions on the pitch. With just one league goal to his name this season, a penalty against West Ham, Capello has told Rooney he needs to find his form or risk losing his place in the England side.

“If he’s (in form) I’ll play him, otherwise no,” Capello told RAI. “For anything else, you’ve got to ask (Manchester United boss Sir Alex) Ferguson.”

Rooney has struggled for form since the end of last season and failed to deliver for England at the World Cup in South Africa during the summer.

Ferguson stated earlier in the campaign the striker was suffering with an ankle problem, which Rooney later denied, although he is now sidelined with an ankle injury which will see him miss Tuesday’s Carling Cup showdown with Wolves at Old Trafford.

Mexican striker Javier Hernandez is expected to be rested, after hitting a brace against Stoke on Sunday, and Ferguson could hand Michael Owen the chance to impress against Mick McCarthy’s men.

The United boss set to make plenty of changes to his starting XI in order to give his first choice players a rest ahead of a crucial Premier League showdown with Spurs on Saturday (Manchester United 2/7, Draw 4/1, Wolves 11/1 – Match Betting).

Rooney could possibly return to action on November 10 when United make the short trip across Manchester to face fierce rivals Manchester City at Eastlands, despite initial reports suggesting he could be out of action for over three weeks.

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Chelsea

The Spain international pulled up with a problem towards the end of the World Cup 2010 final, and recent scans indicated that he had torn a thigh muscle that could keep him out for about three weeks.

This is believed to have left new boss Roy Hodgson mulling over a conundrum that often plagued his predecessor Rafael Benitez during his reign on Merseyside.

The former Reds manager often ushered the prolific goalscorer back onto the pitch early owing to a lack in depth of attacking options, which often meant that the forward would be playing in pain either through injury or through recovery.

Now reports are emerging claiming the west London club are plotting to capitalise on this, by making it clear to Torres that they would use him sparingly to give him as much time as possible to make a recovery from any injury that he may face if he should move to Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool, for their part, are believed to be in line to reject any offer that may come their way for the sale of the Spaniard, but it has been speculated that they may change their outlook if Torres should ask to be allowed to leave the club.

It’s understood Hodgson is desperate to meet with the Kop idol to thrash out his future, as he wants a firm answer to be able to plan for the future either with or without him.

Liverpool are believed to want as much as £50 million for the striker, despite his injury-riddled recent past and a relatively underwhelming World Cup campaign on a personal level.

Meanwhile, the Blues step up their pre-season preparations this evening with a friendly at Crystal Palace (Blues 7/2 for the victory).

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