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WATCH: Back Suarez maul through the Boquerones in 4/1 double says Graham Hunter

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Don’t get caught like a wet fish, get onto Suarez to break a surprising Barca duck against the Anchovies in one of the tightest title tussles in recent memory.

Malaga vs Barcelona

This is important for Barcelona. They’re wo points off top, with Real within a victory of over taking them, and even Villarreal closing in in fourth place. With a fixture against league leaders Atleti coming next weekend, this is must-win for the Catalonians. But they’ve had it tough against Malaga in the past. Worryingly, relegation threatened Granada have more goals away from home than Barcelona, while Malaga have the best home defence in Spain. Missing Gerard Pique will give the current Malaga squad a chance of scoring their first goal against Barca at home in eight years. Their best hope is Roque Santa Cruz, but maybe throw a peso on Charles as well. But I think Suarez will do the damage in the second half at.

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Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla

Atleti won’t want to show any cracks and drop points at home to Sevilla. But the away side have only lost once in their last eight, and already have victories over Real and Barcelona this season. They’ll be gunning for revenge after the leaders beat them 3-0 in their own backyard. Diego Simone is unbeaten in fixtures against them though, and has a striker desperate to break the 100-goal mark in La Liga in Fernando Torres. El Nino’s last goal in May of 2015 took him to 99, and he’s to score anytime against Sevilla. If you’re smart though, you’ll back Griezmann at.  I don’t think Atleti will lose, but a draw at is tempting. If you think there’s an upset, take Gameiro anytime at

Real Betis vs Real Madrid

This one is a little bit dodgy, because we don’t know who’ll be on the pitch, and who’ll be on the sidelines. Betis are close to securing Juande Ramos as their new manager, and he could make his return against he team he was in charge of in a trophyless 2008-9 season. Gareth Bale is missing with another calf injury, and Karim Benzema is facing a late fitness test. Whether Cristano could steer his side past a sinking Betis is questionable. If Benzema plays, Madrid will win so a wincast isn’t the worst bet. But wait for news before splashing the cash.

Deportivo La Coruna vs Valencia

Gary Neville is fast learning the difference between punditry and management. He still hasn’t got a league win while in charge of Valencia. And against a side who have only lost two of their last eight games at home, I struggle to see how he can get one this weekend. I would be backing a score draw though at .Both teams have scored in over half of Valencia’s matches, and 60% of Deportivo’s.

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Graham Hunter: Real and Barca to come through tricky tests with this 17/2 double

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FC Barcelona v Valencia, Saturday 3pm

At the Camp Nou, just over a year ago Valencia stuck their leg out and Barcelona tripped flat on their face.

Effectively it was the defeat which cost Barça the title.

A win would have seen them pipping Atleti to win the league on goals scored.

Barça led 1-0, they pulled back to 2-2 but ended up losing at home to Valencia for the first time since Luis Enrique played against them in autumn 2003.

Camp Nou

In fact Los Che’s previous six visits had all been defeats and they’d conceded a whopping 21 goals.

Paco Alcácer scored the winner that day and it may be worth noting that he has 3 in his last 5 since returning from injury and 12 for club and country this season.

Both Celta Vigo and Málaga have managed 0-1 wins at Camp Nou in the last few months – mainly by playing a terrific, but exhausting, pressing game which capitalises on one of those rare days when not only do Luis Enrique’s team make a single crucial mistake in defence but, somehow, look nervy and imprecise in front of goal.

So, if you fancy Valencia, how to calibrate your chances?

Last week in Sevilla Barcelona committed two pretty horrible mistakes, Claudio Bravo and Gerard Piqué ending up with fingerprints on the crimes, to toss away a 2-0 lead.

But in Paris on Wednesday, despite regularly gifting the ball to PSG, Barcelona finished devastatingly well.
It does feel like there’s been a drop in concentration in using the ball – perhaps Valencia will have their scoring chances.

Lionel Messi

FYI: Leo Messi has played Valencia twenty times scoring fifteen goals [nine of them at the Camp Nou]. However he’s only actually hit the net in eight of those twenty matches – ie less than half the time.

His goals come in clutches, sometimes threes and fours. Thus, if he scores and you’re ‘in-play’ you may fancy backing him to do so again?

FYI[ii]: Diego Alves has always loved testing himself against Barcelona. Not only was he super in Barcelona’s 90th minute away win earlier this season [Sergio Busquets] he has often played absolutely unbelievably at the Camp Nou. Is he good enough to thwart Messi, Suárez and Neymar??

FYI[iii] Kick off times really shouldn’t be important in a grown-up world but, hey, astrologists still make a damn fine living from making things up in the newspapers so the world’s not perfect. Ergo, the last time Barcelona lost at home it was a Saturday and the kick off time was 4pm Spanish.

Just like this….. Again, if you are on this match ‘in-play’ don’t be fooled into believing that if it’s a draw with just a couple of minutes left, and with a return Champions League quarter final coming up on Tuesday, that Barcelona will ‘settle’.

They only have a two point lead over Madrid and nothing, nothing at all, other than a win here will serve if they are going to win the title.

Valencia choose from: Diego Alves, Yoel, Cancelo, Barragán, Mustafi, Otamendi, Vezo, Orbán, Gayà, Javi Fuego, Felipe Augusto, Parejo, André Gomes, Feghouli, Rodrigo, De Paul, Negredo and Alcácer.

Neymar is back on goal form, Parejo’s worth a small investment, Alcácer too. Major pressure on the league leaders. None of the three results would be a shock but … perhaps Barcelona to demonstrate how much they want this title?

Hunter’s Tip: Both teams to score and Barcelona to win at 7/5 

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Deportivo v Atlético, Saturday 5pm

It’s a central theme of Atlético’s title-defence season – key players missing because of suspension.

Not disastrous here, only Gabi is out, but he’ll be followed by fellow midfielder Mario Suárez on Wednesday against Real Madrid. All of which means that a pretty remarkable story should keep growing.

Tiago said his goodbyes to fans and team mates after the Champions League final having failed to renew his contract with Atleti – a deal with Chelsea was as good as signed. But the Portuguese never put pen to paper, financial terms and his fear about how much playing time he’d get brought things to a grinding halt.

His agent got back in touch with Atleti and Diego Simeone insisted to the men in grey suits that he be re-hired.

Nice call Cholo. The Portuguese should start against Depor, he’s played 25 games in la Liga this season and, with five, is third top scorer for the reigning champions in their league defence.

It’s also his best goal total for eight years.

It may guide you that in six of the last seven Depor v Atleti fixtures at the Riazor there’s only been a single goal victory margin, or no goals at all.

Atleti choose from:
Moyá, Oblak, Godín, Siqueira, Gámez, Ansaldi, Juanfran, Miranda, Giménez, Tiago, Koke, Raúl García, Arda, Saúl, Cani, Griezmann, Raúl Jiménez and Fernando Torres.

No Mandzukic, no Mario, no Gabi – training suggests a likely XI of Oblak; Juanfran, Giménez, Godín, Gámez; Tiago; Raúl García, Koke, Saúl, Arda; Griezmann

New coach Victor Sánchez brings back Luisinho and Juan Domínguez but Helder Postiga’s still out.

Victor chooses from:
Lux, Manuel Pablo, Álex Bergantiños, José Rodríguez, Lucas Pérez, Medunjanin, Juan Domínguez, Juanfran, Sidnei, Fabricio, Cuenca, Laure, Luisinho, Toché, Cavaleiro, Oriol Riera, Lopo and Fariña.

Hard and hostile for Atleti here – might they drop two points in a score draw? Not an outlandish idea I’d say.

Hunter’s Tip: Both teams to score and the match to finish as a draw at 7/2

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Real Madrid v Málaga, Saturday 7pm

The Málaga brand of football is pretty much like what they used to say about Guinness – sound as a pound on home territory, doesn’t travel well.

How Málaga need a widget.

In fact the this mob have proved the old Robert Louis Stevenson thing about it being ‘better to travel hopefully than to arrive’

Santiago Bernabeu

In 32 visits to Real Madrid’s ground their happy northward journey has ended, embarrassingly, without a single victory.

However, might the fact that Madrid have the ‘Derbi’ against Atletico in the Champions League on Wednesday give Javi Gracia’s sprightly, fun-to-watch team an edge?

Might it, also, make them a bit more chipper about their chances that Karim Benzema, eight goals in his last nine appearances against Málaga, is out injured?

How much do an away win at the Camp Nou and a home draw with champions Atlético [last week] strip away the ‘beaten before we take the field’ malaise which affects so many of La Liga’s minor teams at the Bernabéu?

Those are some of your decisions.

“The fact that Málaga won at the Camp Nou has focussed our attention on them, it means we’ll not take them lightly” Carlo Ancelotti promised on Friday

In midweek Madrid were thwarted by a superb Jan Oblak performance. Without the 22 year old Slovakian performing heroics Carlo Ancelotti’s men would have scored three, maybe four times.

Is Carlos Kameni, a little flappy last week, capable of the same? Having made a habit of beating Madrid while at Espanyol [three of his first four game against them were wins] he’s tasted nothing but defeat in this fixture since joining Málaga.

Thirty two conceded in fifteen games. If this helps your punt you can be wholly sure that Gracia’s team will play to win. They’ll press, they’ll try to pass the ball forward whenever possible and they’ll not abandon their front-foot, passing game Cristiano Ronaldo I hate to emphasise what John Cleese would call ‘the bleedin’ obvious’ but Cristiano Ronaldo is your ‘go-to’ man here. One of his best records is against Málaga – 13 in 14 meetings.

Might Modric be a dark-horse ‘anytime’ bet? He was pinging the ball at goal in midweek – shooting boots on. Should be fun, should be open … should be a home win by a two goal margin.

Madrid choose from: Casillas, Keylor Navas, Pacheco: Varane, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Carvajal, Arbeloa, Nacho: Kroos, James, Bale, Lucas Silva, Modric, Isco, Illarramendi, Ronaldo, Chicharito and Jesé.

Hunter’s Tip: Real Madrid to win by exactly 2 goals at 3/1

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Granada v Sevilla, Sunday 4pm

Glass half-full or half-empty for Unai Emery? After Thursday’s dramatic and draining comeback win over Zenit [2-1] he’ll be pleased not to have to travel too far to play Granada on Sunday. But he could probably have done without the extra ‘edge’ of an Andalusian derby against a team desperate to claw its way out of the relegation threat they face.

There’s also the extra buzz for what is an aggressive home support that Andalucia’s ‘big boys’, Sevilla, have only played at Los Cármenes three times in the last forty years. It’ll be like there’s a bounty on their heads. Regional pride will see to that.

Yet Granada have been surrender-monkeys recently – white flag at the Bernabéu when losing 9-1 a couple of weeks ago, a sea of white flags last weekend losing 3-0 at Almería

Your big evaluation here is: ‘when will Sevilla’s huge European exertions cost them a ‘hangover’ in La Liga?’

Not here you’d hope. This is a mighty season for Unai’s squad and it would be such a damp squib if it teetered now.

Bacca’s goal against Zenit made it seven scoring headers from Sevilla’s players in their last ten matches. It’d be logical if their second half impact won Denis Suárez and Mbia starting places on Sunday. Each of them, plus Aleix Vidal, might be worth backing.

Finally, Sevilla’s league season only has seven matches left. I don’t know if I can hold on that long without a lame Dick Emery joke. So long as they keep winning I won’t have to reach for …. ‘Ooh they are awful, but I like them…’

Hunter’s Tip: Sevilla -1 goal at 12/5

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Big guns to battle through

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The Champions League action continues on Tuesday with a number of intriguing ties, most notably Malaga’s (50/1 Champions League Outright) trip to Panathinaikos and Udinese’s clash with Braga.

There’s still plenty to play for in both match-ups so it is sure to be an evening of classic European footballing action

The first match between Panathinaikos and Malaga was a true tale of two halves as the Spaniards dominated the opening 45 minutes before their Greek opponents hit back in the second and in the end were unlucky not to get more in their 2-0 defeat (Panathinaikos 11/8, draw 12/5, Malaga 7/4 Match Betting).

This was partly because they opened up as the game went on and produced some of the most exciting football of the whole round.

The man mostly responsibly for this was the performance of winger Ibrahim Sissoko, who looked superb in the first leg and will be looking to make an impact on home soil.

After a tumultuous summer, Malaga will just be pleased to be on the field but have an extra incentive to go through as this would be the club’s first ever Champions League campaign.

Despite a number of high-profile exits, they still have a plenty of class within their ranks and in youngster Isco, they have one of the most sought after players in Europe.

The playmaker has only improved since moving from Valencia last summer and will be looking to terrorise the Greek defence on Tuesday.

This looks almost too close to call and although the home side may win on the night, Malaga’s two goal cushion should see them through (Panathinaikos 8/1 to win 2-1).

The other game that jumps out is the clash between Udinese and Braga which is currently level at 1-1 (Udinese evens, draw 9/4, Braga 11/4 Match Betting).

Last week’s clash in Portugal was a typically cagey affair but the Italian side seem to open up at home so it could be a thriller at the Stadio Friuli.

As usual, forward Antonio Di Natale will be key to their chances of victory and despite his age, is still a top class player, as he showed at the recent European Championships.

The veteran always seems to produce in the big games so don’t be surprised if he pops-up with a vital goal.

Despite their lack of stars, Braga are one of those clubs who just seem to keep finding hidden gems before selling them on to Europe’s big clubs.

However, they do have a few recognisable faces, most notably former Newcastle man Hugo Viana who, despite never really living up to his hype, is still capable of turning any game on its head.

Like the first match this is likely to be very tight but Udinese are normally very strong at home and should just sneak through (Udinese 7/1 to win 2-1).

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Home advantage to see Poles through

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Group A has possibly been the most exciting pool at Euro 2012 and Saturday is likely to see yet more twists and turns as the Czech Republic take on the inspired co-hosts Poland (Czech Republic 12/5, draw 12/5, Poland 6/5).

With Russia facing Greece in the other game, both teams go into the match in Wroclaw knowing a victory will see them through to the quarter-finals and keep alive their dreams of European Championship glory.

After a disappointing start to the tournament, the Czechs (4/5 to qualify) now appear to have found their form and produced a superb first half of free-flowing football as they defeated Greece in their second game of the tournament.

However, there were certainly times when they looked shaky, most notably at the back where Michal Bilek has been forced to rearrange his rearguard due to both injuries and poor form.

The unfamiliarity will surely mean that Chelsea shot-stopper Petr Cech will be regularly called upon on Saturday and he’ll be desperate to make amends, after his mix-up with Tomas Sivok allowed the Greeks back into the game on Tuesday.

The Poles (6/4 to qualify) came into the competition as the lowest-ranked side but have punched above their weight and now stand on the brink of qualifying for their first ever European Championship quarter-final.

Franciszek Smuda’s men disappointingly drew their opening game against Greece, despite getting off to the perfect start by taking the lead early on, but they showed their resilience on Tuesday, coming back from a goal behind to seal a famous draw against Russia to set up the showdown with the Czechs.

The hero that night was undoubtedly captain Jakub Blaszczykowski (9/2 to score at anytime) whose wonderful equaliser in Warsaw gave his side renewed hope after all looked lost.

The captain is one third of a trio of Borussia Dortmund players, alongside Robert Lewandowski and Lukas Piszczek, who have continued their Bundesliga form into the tournament and carried their country towards the knockout stages.

Their performances will be vital to any chance the Poles have of succeeding and look for Blaszczykowski to try and drag his side over the line.

This looks almost too tight to call and will certainly be a cagey affair. With the game being played less than an hour from the Czech border, it’s also going to be a vibrant atmosphere and both teams will certainly not be able to complain about a lack of support from their fans.

However, home advantage often counts for so much at these tournaments and the inspired Poles may just sneak through to the quarter-finals, but only by a single goal (Poland 13/2 to win 1-0).

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Celtic to come through Hibs test

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It’s been a difficult campaign for Neil Lennon and Celtic (8/15 in the match betting) so far, but things could be looking up and they should see off Hibernian (5/1) on Wednesday to book their place in the last four of the Scottish Communities League Cup.

Lennon’s Bhoys sit 10 points behind Old Firm rivals Rangers in the SPL with the 4-2 defeat at Ibrox in September the low point of the season so far. They do have a game in hand and will hope to claw back that deficit as the season goes on but they can forget about their league woes in midweek when they travel to Edinburgh for the Hibs clash.

A 2-0 win over Ross County in the last round has set up the Easter Road meeting and, while Lennon is expected to make changes for the game, the Northern Irishman insists he is taking the competition seriously and is focused on securing a semi-final spot.

Lennon’s side got a much-needed 2-1 win over Aberdeen on Sunday thanks to Charlie Mulgrew’s winner. He has been a rock at the back and is expected to play in Edinburgh alongside first-team regulars Beram Kayal and Joe Ledley, who all featured against County in September in the last round.

Kayal, in particular, was impressive in the win over the Dons after it was announced last week he had agreed a new, long-term contract at Celtic Park. He has yet to score this season but might be worth a a punt at 4/1 to score anytime in this one.

Looking at the goalscorer markets more closely, Gary Hooper is the 7/2 favourite to score first – as he looks to repeat the feat he managed against Ross County – but better value can be had elsewhere. Ivan Sproule (Hibs) looks tempting at 10/1 to open the scoring while Ledley at 9/1 is attractive for the visitors.

Hibernian will be without on-loan Richie Towell as he can’t face his parent club so that means manager Colin Calderwood must change the side which beat St Mirren 3-2 in the SPL on Saturday.

Mark Brown should start in place of Graham Stack, continuing as goalkeeper for the League Cup campaign, while Calum Booth could return.

Calderwood’s side will be revved up for the clash and will fancy their chances of at least taking the game to extra time but we expect Celtic to come through without too many problems – with the draw/Celtic – HT/FT at 10/3 well worth a bet.

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United ready to edge through

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Manchester United will have to overcome some poor home form in Europe this season to defeat Marseille, while defending champions Inter Milan face the prospect of a last-16 exit on Tuesday.

Manchester United v Marseille (7:45pm)

The Premier League leaders look too good to slip up against Marseille, but recent results would suggest that it will be a tight affair.

Although they have been dominant at Old Trafford in the league, with 13 wins and no defeats in their 14 home fixtures, performances in Europe have been far less impressive.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men scored just two home goals in the group stages and picked up just one win in their three home matches – a 1-0 success over Bursaspor.

Having failed to score a valuable away goal in France in a goalless first leg, Fergie will be wary of conceding which could entirely change the complexion of the tie.

Marseille, in contrast, impressed on their travels during the group stage. The French champions won two of their three matches on their travels, scoring ten goals in the process, with their only defeat coming at Chelsea. Marseille are also unbeaten in their last five domestic away games.

United should be too strong for their opponents but it will be a nervy night for the home fans and they may not be able to relax until late on.

Match Bet:  Draw HT / Man Utd FT @ 3/1

Bayern Munich v Inter Milan (7:45pm)

Bayern will start this game as favourites having already won 1-0 in the first leg in Milan and will be seeking revenge for last year’s defeat in the final to Inter.

A struggle in the league this season has led to Bayern deciding to part company with Louis van Gaal at the end of the campaign, but the Dutchman will be out to enhance his reputation with a good run in Europe.

A 6-0 home win over Hamburg at the weekend will have bolstered confidence and they should have enough to hold off an inconsistent Inter.

The Milan giants have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, winning two and drawing one of their three Serie A games since the home defeat to Bayern.

Similar to their city rivals, Inter are likely to put in a better second-leg display but are likely to be rueing that home loss by the end of the night.

Match Bet: Draw @ 5/2

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The Rams plough through the snow

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Bet on the ChampionshipThe winter chill has hit a number of games in the Championship this weekend, with ties at Doncaster, Hull, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Portsmouth all falling by the wayside.

However, there are still some exciting clashes in the second tier and with the league being so close, there could be a few teams that shoot up the table this weekend.

Derby County take on a free scoring Norwich City side, who go into this game after they drubbed local rivals Ipswich Town 4-1 at Carrow Road last time out (Derby 21/20, draw 9/4, Norwich 5/2).

Canaries striker Grant Holt was in fine form in that match as he bagged a hat-trick in the East Anglia derby.

Holt has now got seven goals in the Championship this season and will be looking to continue his prolific goalscoring form at Pride Park on Saturday.

The Rams have been in mixed form of late but still find themselves in fourth place in the league despite losing two of their last three games.

Nigel Clough welcomes key playmaker Kris Commons back to the side after the Scottish international missed the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Burnley last week.

Commons has scored 10 goals for Derby this season and will prove a threat to Norwich.

With this being a fourth against fifth game it’s going to be close but with Commons back in the side the Rams could just grab a win in this one.

In the only game to go ahead in a snow struck Yorkshire, Leeds United take on Crystal Palace at Elland Road (Leeds 8/11, draw 5/2, Palace 18/5).

The Whites are unbeaten in their last six Championship games and will be confident going into this game.

Leeds have an abundance of striking options to choose from, with Luciano Becchio, Davide Somma, Max Gradel, Billy Paynter and Ross McCormack all battling for a place in the starting eleven.

Palace, who currently sit in 22nd place in the Championship, will be heading north on the back of a resurgence after a terrible start to the season.

The Eagles have won three of their last four games – against Coventry, Doncaster and Watford.

They will believe that they can get something from Elland Road on their current form but the Whites should win this one as they look to climb back into the play-off spots.

The game at Portman Road looks set to go ahead as Ipswich Town look to use the confidence boosting win over West Brom in midweek as a springboard in the league.

However, they take on high flying Swansea City, who currently sit in third place in the Championship.

The Swans lost their last game at home 2-1 to Portsmouth but Ipswich have lost their last four games in the league including that disappointing defeat to Norwich.

Swansea are full of confidence and could compound Roy Keane’s misery on Saturday (Ipswich 17/10, draw 11/5, Swansea 6/4).

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