La Liga

Both teams will be desperate for the points, with newly promoted Granada still to seal their top flight status while Sevilla know they will need to win if they’re to have any chance of making a late run for the European places.

The home side have been in shocking form of late, having lost four of their last five matches in the league. However, they may have garnered some confidence from their last match when despite losing 5-3 at Barcelona, they caused the Blaugrana a number of problems and at one stage looked as if they had done enough to earn a vital point at the Nou Camp.

Their inability to avoid conceding once again showed them up and following the news that talismanic defender Pape Diakhate has been ruled out for the season, the ‘El Grana’ rear-guard is likely to come under even more scrutiny.

However, they have the talent and experience to keep a clean sheet and in veteran Noe Pamarot, they have a player who knows what it’s like to defend at the top level. The former Spurs man will undoubtedly need to put in a strong performance on Monday and his contribution could see his side sneak a vital win (Granada 13/2 to win 1-0).

Sevilla have once again flattered to deceive this season and, having won just one of their last four outings, hardly deserve to have any success. However, due to the nature of the league this year, a win on Monday would see them move into the top half of the table and leave them just two wins from the Champions League spots.

Despite their continued struggles, there is no doubt that with the talent at their disposal, they should be much higher in the league (Sevilla 6/1 to win 1-0).

One such star who seems to typify this is the recently re-signed winger Jose Antonio Reyes. The former Arsenal man returned to the club in January and many expected he would finally start to prove his worth after years of struggling to justify his reputation. Although there’s no doubt he has impressed during his latest stint at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, he is yet to find the net for Michel’s side. He will be looking to break his duck in this local derby.

Reyes’ ability could see his side home in what could be a tight match. Every season a team makes a late run for the European places and it could be Sevilla’s turn this time around so look out for them to take the points in a single goal victory (Sevilla 17/2 to win 2-1).

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Republic of Ireland

The Irish qualified for their first major tournament since the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea thanks to a 5-1 aggregate victory over Estonia in the qualification play-offs.

And having been drawn in Group C alongside Croatia, Spain and Italy (Ireland 11/1 – Group C Winner), Trapattoni has been keen to organise testing friendly matches, starting against the Czechs who have also qualified for this summer’s European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

However, the Italian tactician’s plans for the game have been disrupted by injury problems to key players after Richard Dunne and Darron Gibson were ruled out earlier in the week, while Stephen Kelly and Keiren Westwood have since withdrawn from the squad after suffering thigh and wrist problems respectively.

It paves the way for young Sunderland starlet James McClean to feature, while centre-back Shane Duffy is also in line for his debut.

Czech Republic, who are in a group with Poland, Russia, and Greece at Euro 2012, sit nine places below the Irish in 29th position in the FIFA rankings but boast a great record for qualifying for the European Championships having reached every one since their independence in 1992.

Therefore Michal Bilek’s men will no doubt arrive in Dublin looking to fine-tune their tactics and show their credentials ahead of the summer showpiece tournament.

Bilek does have injury problems to contend with too as Arsenal star Tomas Rosicky has been ruled out of the game after he suffered a back strain in the 5-2 north London derby win against Tottenham, while key defender Roman Hubnik has a foot injury.

Jiri Strajner and David Limbersky have been called up as their replacements and will no doubt aim to force their way into Bilek’s plans as the clock ticks down towards Euro 2012.

Despite the fixture being a friendly both sides are likely to look for a morale-boosting victory and it is sure to be a competitive affair.

Ireland have a good record against the Czech Republic in friendly internationals on home soil with respective victories in 2000 and 2004, while they drew 1-1 in their last European Championship qualifier in Dublin in 2006.

The Czechs have not won in Ireland since a 3-1 friendly victory in 1994, while they came out on top in the previous meeting between the sides when Marek Jankulovski scored the only goal of the Euro 2008 qualifier for the hosts in September 2007.

It is likely to be a close-fought encounter but expect Ireland, who have not lost since a 3-2 home defeat against Uruguay almost 12 months ago, to just edge it against a Czech side which has won their previous three games.

Prediction: Home 90 Minutes @ 13/10
Value Bet: Ireland To Win 2-1 Correct Score @ 8/1

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