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Manchester duo in for tough night

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Champions League action returns this week and with the group stages reaching a climax, the top two clubs in England will be looking to confirm their places in the knockout stages on Tuesday.

Manchester City made a slow start to what was seen as the group of death but have now been cut into 5/1 to win Group A after back-to-back wins over whipping boys Villarreal.

The Premier League big spenders have dominated domestically so far, opening up a five-point lead in the table, but have failed to transfer that free-scoring form onto the European stage.

The match betting suggests City will fight Bayern Munich for top honours in the group in the final round of matches, with Roberto Mancini’s men priced at 21/20 to win in 90 minutes.

However, Napoli have a tremendous record at the Stadio San Paolo in European competition and look the value bet at 11/4 to make home advantage count, while the draw is on offer at 12/5.

Beating Villarreal has not been a problem for any of the other three sides so far so two wins on the bounce is little to write home about for City, especially as they needed an injury-time winner to secure a win at the Etihad in the first of those meetings.

Although flying high in the Premier League, Roberto Mancini’s men were well-beaten by Bayern Munich in September – and are still dealing with the fallout to a degree in the sense that Carlos Tevez has gone AWOL – while the Citizens were held by Napoli in Manchester in the opening game of the group.

The Azzurri’s counter-attacking style posed plenty of problems for City that day and with the FA Cup holders facing group leaders Bayern in the final round of matches, they are likely to be going for the win rather than relying on getting something out of their finale to make the knockout stages.

That could leave their defence, which has struggled to keep clean sheets, exposed again while Walter Mazzarri’s men have already proved they are no easy-beats having held Bayern in Italy to a 1-1 draw.

Napoli, who beat Villarreal 2-0 in their home opener, are actually unbeaten in 10 home matches since returning to European competitions in 2008 after 13 years, while Tony Kroos’s early strike for Bayern ended a run of 573 minutes in without conceding a goal at home in Europe.

City have yet to win away against a Serie A side, with their last three matches all ending 1-1, but this is not your average side and Mancini has of course got a wealth of options at his disposal.

Still given Napoli’s home record it is hard to see value in City’s price so the Italians at 11/4 offers plenty of value, with the draw next best at 12/5.

Group C is perhaps a lot tighter than many people had envisioned with Manchester United and Benfica topping the group on eight points, while there is a distinct possibility that Basel could make it three teams on 11 points come the end of the group stage.

These two played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in the opening round of matches with Benfica having the best of the game, but United are 8/15 favourites in the match betting to make home advantage count.

The 2011 beaten finalists do have a tremendous home record in the competition, having tasted defeat just once in their last 34 matches, with Benfica available at 6/1 to upset that run and the odds, while the draw is on offer at 3/1.

United have never lost at home to Portuguese opposition either but there has been a change in attitude in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side since they suffered the embarrassing 6-1 defeat at home to arch rivals City.

The defence had been living a charmed life up to that point – Basel were unlucky to only get a point after scoring three at Old Trafford – and the City humiliation has changed the thinking at the club.

United have not conceded a goal in the five matches since the derby nightmare so do not expect a gung-ho approach, particularly with Benfica yet to taste defeat on their travels in Europe this season.

United have been grinding out narrow wins without impressing anyone other than for the fact that they are winning without playing well, but Benfica are perhaps not in the best nick either – having been held by Basel at home last time out.

The Portuguese giants have been relying heavily on the goal-scoring talents of Rodrigo so if United can keep him quiet, another narrow win is on the cards.

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Everton make life tough for United

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There was no Europa League action on Thursday which means a full Premier League programme on Saturday to get stuck into with some intriguing matches lined up, not least the opener of the day when Everton host Manchester United.

Everton v Man United 12.00

United of course will be looking to put the so-many-wrongs of last Sunday’s 6-1 humiliation on home soil to arch rivals Manchester City behind them and are 4/5 favourites in the match betting to do precisely that.

Diehard Red Devils may point to the sending off just after half-time when the score was 1-0 and the fact that three goals were scored in the dying moments as reasons not to get too carried away by the defeat, but defensive frailties have been there for all to see for some time.

Only Chelsea will know how they only managed to score one at Old Trafford while Basel will be disappointed with a 3-3 draw in Manchester after missing a hatful.

Stoke, Liverpool and Norwich may all feel they could have got more than they did as well…but Manchester City put it all together to reap the rewards.

Goodison Park has been a hard place for Unuited to go in recent seasons (not least on the back of a hammering) as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have picked up just two points from their last three visits.

David Moyes side look a big price at 4/1 to emerge with the three points but given their struggles in front of goal, 5/2 on the draw looks a distinct possibility.

Chelsea v Arsenal 12.45

Chelsea’s good run came to an end at Loftus Road last weekend but they had been reduced to nine men, and even then Andre Villas-Boas’ side created enough chances to win, let alone draw.

Back on home soil, Chelsea will be a tough nut to crack having already won four from four and there is every chance that record will continue against the Gunners (Chelsea 8/13, Draw 14/5, Arsenal 5/1 in the match betting).

The Gunners have shown improved form of late, winning seven of the last eight, but they are yet to win away from home in the Premier League this season, while enduring the division’s joint-worst defensive record after conceding four goals in four games.

West Brom v Liverpool 17.30

Roy Hodgson’s side have started to recover from a disappointing start to the season and should have plenty of confidence going into the clash and are priced at a tempting 3/1.

Successive wins over derby rivals Wolves and Aston Villa have pushed the Baggies up to 12th in the table, and they won this fixture last season 2-1 – despite Hodgson having left Anfield.

Liverpool’s progress has faltered slightly after successive draws but they only have themselves to blame after missing a host of chances against Manchester United and Norwich.

The Reds are evens favourites in the match betting to convert opportunities into three points but given the fact they have only kept clean sheets against sides that have been reduced to ten men, West Brom may well be able at least to secure a draw, currently on offer at 12/5.

Elsewhere, Norwich have shown that they can mix it with the big boys and should be able to justify evens favouritism by recording a third straight home win over Blackburn, who have yet to win on the road this season in the top flight.

Swansea have also surprised many with their start to life in the Premier League and are the only team to have not conceded a single goal at home this season.

Whether that is enough to tempt punters in at 11/10 remains open to question as they have managed just five goals at home, while it is worth remembering that Bolton’s two wins this season have both come on the road.

Sunderland have hardly made the Stadium of Light a fortress this season which makes it tough to call the match against poor travellers Aston Villa, as it is with Wigan and Fulham, who boast just two wins between them, although Man City look to be the day’s safest bet against Wolves at the Etihad, following the second string’s 5-2 demolition job at Molineux in the Carling Cup.

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Tough night for home nations

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While Wales and Northern Ireland don’t have much to play for on Tuesday night there is still plenty on the line for Scotland as their hopes of Euro 2012 qualification go right to the wire. However, the Scots face perhaps the trickiest test of the three home nations as they have to go to Spain looking to get a result, while Wales head to Bulgaria and Northern Ireland visit Italy.

Spain v Scotland (7:45pm)

We better start with the game that matters first, the Scots needing to match or better the result the Czech Republic achieve against Lithuania to reach the play-offs.

Craig Levein’s side are in pole position for second spot after an unconvincing 1-0 win over Liechtenstein on Saturday night but will be up against it in Alicante.

The Spaniards might have already secured top spot in Group I and be planning to rest a number of star players but they are still the world and European champions, if Scotland fans needed reminding.

The chance for some of Vincente Del Bosque’s lesser known players to stake a claim for a regular starting berth could spell trouble for Scotland’s injury-ravaged squad.

Levein could well be without Kenny Miller for the clash due to a groin injury, while Barry Bannan, Craig Mackail-Smith and Darren Fletcher all face late fitness tests.

Heartbreak has normally been in store for the Scots in these must-win qualifying games and against Spain its tough to see anything other than a result which will leave them without a summer of international football to look forward.

Match Bet – Draw HT/Spain FT  @ 9/2

Bulgaria v Wales (7:05pm)

Having started their campaign so poorly who would have thought Wales would head into their last game with a chance of finishing a respectable third in Group G.

The Welsh lost their first four matches before mounting a revival under Gary Speed, albeit too little too late in terms of qualifying for Euro 2012.

Under Speed Wales have improved dramatically, beating Montenegro and Switzerland and putting in a good shift against England in their last three games.

In Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey Wales have two of the hottest prospects in European football, while Jack Collison, Joe Ledley and Ashley Williams have all shown recently they can cut it on the international stage.

They head to Bulgaria to face a team really out of sorts and looking for a pick-me-up to avoid finishing bottom of Group G.

Lothar Matthaus has left his role as Bulgaria coach and the team are in desperate need of a new manager based on their shambolic showing in the 3-0 friendly defeat to Ukraine on Friday. Bulgaria look ripr for the picking so a rare away win could be on the cards for Wales.

Match Bet – Wales to win @ 3/1

Italy v Northern Ireland (7:45pm)

Much like Bulgaria Northern Ireland are in the midst of their own managerial crisis after Nigel Worthington confirmed his departure from the national set-up.

Things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Irish since the 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands in August, a result which left them in with a shout of reaching Euro 2012. They have since lost their last three qualifiers and have nothing to play for when they head to Pescara.

Worthington’s last game in charge could be a messy one as he has already lost a whole host of players to injury, including Chris Brunt, Sammy Clingan, Lee Camp, Grant McCann and Kyle Laffery. It could be a baptism of fire for some of Northern Ireland’s youngsters as they face an improving Italy side.

Cesare Prandelli has already helped Italy cruise through to the Euro 2012 finals and much like Spanish counterpart Del Bosque, the game with Northern Ireland is a chance to try out some young talent.

No matter who Prandelli puts out expect there to be a few goals and a comfortable win for the Italians.

Match Bet – Italy 3-0 @ 6/1

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Celts face tough opposition

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England’s friendly with the Netherlands on Wednesday may have been called off but Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland are all in action – and all three face some difficult opponents.

The Premier League clubs may be angered by an international fixture list so close to the start of the season but for the fans, and of course punters, it will surely whet the appetite for the new campaign.

Wales face Australia at the Cardiff City Stadium in what should prove a huge test for Gary Speed’s side.  The Socceroos are 23rd in the Fifa world rankings table, while Wales are 112th in the table but it should be a tighter affair than the rankings system suggests.

Former Sheffield United boss Speed will be able to call on Spurs wideman Gareth Bale for the first time since taking charge of the national side.

The Spurs schemer has missed the first four games of Speed’s tenure through injury but is now fully fit and is expected to be included in the starting line-up.

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey will captain the side, while Craig Bellamy should also be included in the starting XI and Australia coach Holger Osieck admits he expects a tough test in Cardiff.

“I rate Wales pretty highly,” explained Osieck.

“Knowing some of the individual quality. If you look at Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale, Craig Bellamy, Robert Earnshaw, they are top-class players and the rest are not bad either.

“We are facing a very strong team.”

Wales are 2/1 to beat Australia, who have Premier League stars Mark Schwarzer and Tim Cahill in their ranks, the visitors are the 11/8 favourites and the draw is priced at 9/4.

Scotland face Denmark at Hampden Park and boss Craig Levein has been left without regulars Darren Fletcher, James McFadden and Craig Gordon.

However, Liverpool new boy Charlie Adam and Blackburn summer recruit David Goodwillie have been included in the squad and will be keen to cause Denmark problems in Glasgow.

Scotland are 9/4 to take all three points, the draw is 9/5 and Denmark are the 6/4 favourites to seal an away victory.

Adam is the most likely candidate to take the Scots’ set-pieces and the mercurial midfielder does have a knack of hitting the target in dead-ball situations, as he did on the final day of the season for Blackpool under extreme pressure at Old Trafford.

Adam is 9/1 to open the scoring at Hampden and 5/2 to score at any time.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland host Croatia at the Aviva Stadium and the Italian tactician has seen his side heavily hit by injuries.

Jon Walters, Marc Wilson, James McCarthy, Seamus Coleman and Kevin Doyle have all been ruled out through injury, but West Brom new boy Shane Long is fit and will replace Doyle in the starting line up.

Croatia are 6/4 to win the fixture, while the hosts are 7/4 and the draw is priced at 23/10.

Wales and Scotland have both been drawn in qualifying Group A ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the duo will be treating their respective matches on Wednesday as warm-up fixtures ahead of the qualifying campaign.

Speed and Levein will also be keeping an eye on events in Dublin as Croatia are the top seed in Group A, while Serbia, Belgium and Macedonia complete the group.

Wales are priced at 66/1 to emerge top of the pile in Group A, Scotland are 14/1 and Belgium are the 15/8 favourites to secure top spot and book a place in the World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

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Pearce faces tough Danish test

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An England Under-21 side weakened by injuries will have it all to do when they come up against their Denmark counterparts in a tough-looking friendly in Viborg.

The Danes will be hosting the European Under-21 Championships in June, although they have been drawn in a different group to Stuart Pearce’s team, who are 6/5 to win Thursday’s match.

Denmark qualified for the tournament as hosts, but England struggled to join them, finishing as runners-up to Greece in Group Nine before sealing their place in the finals with a narrow 2-1 play-off success against Romania.

With another friendly against Iceland on Monday to prepare for, Pearce selected a big squad for the double-header although five early withdrawals have lessened his options.

Jack Rodwell, Gary Hooper, Mark Davies, Henri Lansbury and Alex Smithies have all dropped out as Pearce continues to ponder his options as he attempts to pick a 23-man squad for this summer’s extravaganza.

Celtic striker Hooper’s injury is particularly unfortunate as the prolific former Scunthorpe United star was set to win his first cap for his country, while Huddersfield goalkeeper Smithies has returned to his club with a slight injury.

Everton’s Rodwell is probably the highest-profile absentee, although Jack Wilshere – a regular in the Under-21 side until recently – is now an established fixture in the senior squad.

The withdrawals could hand chances to the likes of Ipswich Town teenager Connor Wickham and Chelsea starlet Josh McEachran, who were part of last year’s Under-17 Championship winning team.

England’s last game was February’s disappointing 1-0 defeat to Italy in Empoli while Denmark, 9/5 to win the match and 11/5 to draw, are coached by Keld Bordinggaard, although ex-Dundee and Celtic midfielder Morten Wieghorst will take on the role after this summer’s tournament.

The Danes were beaten 2-1 by ten-man Spain last month but are an attractive side that includes the likes of Villarreal’s Nicki Bille Nielsen and Jens Stryger Larsen of Brondby.

Reading goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen is also among their ranks while the goals are most likely to come from Lille’s Emil Lyng or Soren Frederiksen of Copenhagen.

Last month, Fabio Capello’s senior side were forced to come from behind before beating Denmark 2-1 in an international friendly, but the youthful Danish side could have the edge in this one – they 11/2 to win it 1-0 – as Pearce continues to juggle his resources.

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Chelsea face tough Cottage test

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Current Premier League champions Chelsea head to Craven Cottage on Monday evening to face a Fulham (to beat Chelsea – 19/5) side who have experienced a good run of form of late.

Fulham, who have seven points from their last three league games, welcome the Blues to the Cottage where they haven’t lost in any competition since December 26.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have picked up six points from their previous three league games which gives Fulham the slight advantage with regards to recent form.

New boy David Luiz is set to make his full debut for the Stamford Bridge side, having signed for £21.3million and Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping that he fits into a Chelsea backline who have struggled since the injury to Alex this season.

Jose Boswinga is a doubt with an injury, while Yuri Zhirkov is still sidelined with a calf injury so Ancelotti’s defensive options are currently bleak.

The Blues have conceded four goals in their last three games across all competitions and it has proven to be a big problem for the side who have faltered in their title defence.

The west London club are now 13 points behind Manchester United in the Premier League, albeit with a game in hand. Ancelotti admitted recently that the title is now beyond them and that Champions League football the priority for Chelsea this season.

Fulham will be licking their lips at the prospect of a derby game against a Chelsea side low on confidence.  The league game at Stamford Bridge finished in a 1-0 win to Chelsea back in November, an Essien strike separating the sides, but Fulham have made a fortress at the Cottage recently and will fancy their chances.

The Cottagers have kept a clean sheet in their previous three home games and Chelsea appear to be suffering from the old ‘too-many-chiefs-and-not-enough-Indians’ dilemma with their attacking options.

£50million man Fernando Torres has had a poor season by his standards, Didier Drogba is not the player he was and Nicolas Anelka has only recently started to regain his form.  But truth be told, regardless of the class of these three, getting them to gel as a three-pronged attack in what will be only their second game as a unit will be a big ask.

Problems in defence for Chelsea, and issues to sort out in attack, means that Fulham, although seven league places behind their London neighbours, are worth a bet and stand a great chance of claiming all three points (Fulham to win 1-0 – 9/1).

Fulham will want star midfielder Clint Dempsey to be on form, as Bobby Zamora will not play despite making a return for the reserves recently.  The American Dempsey (to score anytime against Chelsea – 5/2 fav) has scored nine league goals this season and is well worth a punt to ruin Chelsea’s season even further.

No player at the Stamford Bridge club is yet to reach ten league goals for the season.  Drogba and Florent Malouda have both scored nine league goals this season.

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Brown faces tough start

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The Championship is looking as closely fought as most people expected before a ball was kicked, with only 14 points separating play-off places and the relegation zone. Any team putting together a good run can catapult themselves up the table, so which teams are set to be celebrating on Saturday evening…….

Preston v Leicester

Preston are really struggling this season and Phil Brown has a task on his hands to turn things around. Take a look at the strikers each respective team has brought in this week – Sven has persuaded Yakubu to drop down to play for Leicester, while Brown has got Nathan Ellington from Greek side Skoda Xanthi.
Leicester are a growing force, they beat Swansea a fortnight ago before drawing with Manchester City in the FA Cup. You would expect Sven’s boys to have too much and take all three points to add to Preston’s misery (Leicester are Evs to win the game).

Swansea v Crystal Palace

New Palace boss Dougie Freedman faces a tough trip to South Wales, as Swansea are riding high in the table and bounced back from their defeat to Leicester by beating Colchester 4-0 in the FA Cup last time out. The Swans (4/7 to win the game) have lost some consistency in recent weeks, but Scott Sinclair remains a striker in form capable of hurting a leaky defence – something which Palace possess.
Brendan Rodgers has the perfect motivation for improvement and that is the fact Swansea could overtake second-placed Cardiff if they win and Norwich do them a favour – something that could happen as Paul Lambert’s side are riding high themselves this season. (Norwich 5/4 to beat Cardiff)

Bristol City v Middlesbrough

Both these teams need to put some results together to help them begin to climb the Championship table and lower league opposition in the FA Cup last weekend beat both. The statistics for this game show that Bristol City are inconsistent at home and Boro are terrible on the road, but Tony Mowbray’s side have struggled to score goals on the road. All pointers suggest a draw in this clash at 23/10.

Burnley v QPR

Managerless Burnley face a tall order against top-of-the-table QPR on Saturday, but the loss of Jamie Mackie could have a large impact on Neil Warnock’s side. Nevertheless, you would expect the attacking flair of Rangers (7/4 for the win) to be too much for a Burnley side, who seem to follow a win with a loss, according to their recent form.

The Best of The Rest

Across the rest of the games, Leeds (1/2 to win) should get their season back on track following a faltering period by beating a struggling Scunthorpe side, who are short of real firepower.
Ipswich will be on a high after their Carling Cup win over Arsenal and the ‘new manager syndrome’ should be enough to get them at least a draw at Millwall – priced at 12/5.
Doncaster (7/5 to win) play host to Reading and the home side should come out on top, while another home victory in Yorkshire seems on the cards as Hull face Barnsley at the KC Stadium (Hull 4/5 to gain the points).
Sheffield United (11/5 to win) have only won once on the road all season, but could add to that when they travel to an inconsistent Coventry.
Watford (20/23) will beat Derby and continue the plaudits for Malky Mackay, while Nottingham Forest (8/11) should boost their promotion chances with a win over struggling Portsmouth.

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Fletcher ready for tough encounter

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Midfielder Darren Fletcher has revealed that Manchester United are expecting a tough clash with Valencia in Wednesday’s Champions League encounter (Valencia 13/8 – 90 minutes).

The Red Devils have travelled to Spain without the injured Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia and Ryan Giggs, while Paul Scholes has been left at home to rest for United’s next Premier League clash with Sunderland (United 8/13 – 90 minutes).

They Old Trafford outfit have yet to hit top gear this season and could only manage a 0-0 draw with Rangers in their opening match of Europe’s elite club competition.

Domestic form at home has been good with three wins from three matches, but they have yet to win away from Manchester, with three draws on their travels to date.

Contrastingly, Valencia are riding high at the top of La Liga, with 13 points from their first five games, and Fletcher believes that United will have their work cut out to compete with a side who have comfortably dealt with the loss of high-profile players David Villa and David Silva.

“It is going to be a difficult match,” he said. “People might say it is not the same Valencia because they have lost Villa and Silva.

“But as we have seen at Manchester United, when you lose good players others step up to the mark and take on more responsibility. They have had a fantastic start.”

Michael Carrick could well be set for his first start since August’s Community Shield, as he was on the flight to Spain on Tuesday morning.

His passing ability may give the former Tottenham schemer the edge in selection with ball retention, according to Fletcher, key to success against the best in Europe.

“We have picked up experience of playing in Europe and we have confidence,” he added. “We know how to cope with the travel and the different styles of play.

“Against Spanish sides, keeping the ball is key. If you give the ball away cheaply, you might not see it for a few minutes and they will punish you.”

Michael Owen could be set for another run-out, after netting the equaliser that gave United a point against Bolton on Sunday, with in-form Dimitar Berbatov certain to start at the Mestalla Stadium.

Rooney’s ankle problem is not thought to be too serious but another week out of the spotlight could also help him come to terms with the tabloid allegations about his private life which, according to Sir Ales Ferguson, have been affecting the England star’s performances this term.

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Roma face tough Sampdoria Serie A Title Test

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Roma De Rossi 226x300 Roma face tough Sampdoria Serie A Title TestIn what is turning out to be an exciting race for this season’s Scudetto, Roma currently leads Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan by just one point at the top of Serie A.

After coming from a goal down at half-time to defeat their fierce city rivals Lazio 2-1 in the ‘Eternal City Derby’ last Sunday Roma (1.45) once again will be playing with the pressure on them against another tough opponent. Sampdoria (7.00) are expected to provide a hard test for their title hopes this weekend as the fourth-placed Doriani are in the thick of the battle for the final Champions League place.

Sampdoria are currently in great form and looking good for a fourth place finish, they are certainly good value at 7.00 to win this match. They have a tremendous talent and former Roma player in their ranks in Antonio Cassano. The hitman has been on target in the last three matches and will pose a real threat on Sunday.

Roma skipper Francesco Totti knows the threat Cassano poses when he told press: “He is a player who can make the difference whenever he wants to. He can do incredible tricks. But let’s hope he leaves them at home on Sunday.”
Antonio Cassano is 10.00 to score the first goal which looks too good value to turn down.

Roma have a good record against Sampdoria though and are unbeaten in their last nine league meetings against the Blucerchiati (5W 4D).

At the Olimpico, Roma are unbeaten against Sampdoria in their last eight games (6W 2D), with the hosts having the better in the last three fixtures without conceding a single goal.

Last Sunday’s win in the derby against Lazio extended Roma’s unbeaten run to 24 league games (18W 6D).

Back a determined Roma to continue their good record against Sampdoria with a win and over 2.5 combined goals scored in the game at 2.20 with PartyBets.com.

Related posts:

  1. Serie A Predictions: Roma Won’t Handle The AC Milan Onslaught
  2. Eternal City Derby Too Close To Call
  3. Serie A Predictions: Europa League Sides Face Tricky Return


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O’Neill: It will be tough to finish fourth

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Aston Villa boss Martin O'NeillAston Villa boss Martin O’Neill accepts that it is “tough but not impossible” for his side to finish in fourth place after their 2-2 home draw against Everton on Wednesday evening. They are 25/1 to realise this target.

The draw took Aston Villa to within seven points of Manchester City in fourth, having played the same number of games. This has led O’Neill to claim that his side will need to win all of their remaining five games if they are to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

Their campaign started well but a disastrous March, in which they only won one League game, saw the Midlands outfit slip down the table. Manchester City (4/9 to finish fourth) and Tottenham Hotspur (2/1 to finish fourth) are in fourth and fifth respectively and many see the battle for fourth being between these two sides. However, they have more difficult run-ins than Liverpool and Aston Villa so the door may still be open for the two outsiders if they can sort their consistency issues out.

Speaking after Wednesday’s game, O’Neill stated; “I thought before the game that we probably had to win the whole lot of the matches that were left to give us a proper chance (of the Champions League).

“It would have been a tall order and I would have thought that, certainly after this result, to give ourselves any chance we’ll have to win all five.

“It’s not impossible but it will be tough. You’d need a bit of luck here and there but we’ll go to Portsmouth on Sunday and we’ll give it everything.”

Villa face a tricky trip to Portsmouth this weekend and are 8/13 favourites to secure the win. The South Coast side are 4/1 whilst the draw is 11/4. Should they be able to navigate this clash – and their next two against Hull City and local rivals Birmingham – they could be going into the game against Manchester City on 1 May in a significantly stronger position.

Meanwhile in the race for fourth, Tottenham Hotspur kept the pressure on Manchester City by beating local rivals Arsenal 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Wednesday evening. This severely dented the Gunners’ title hopes and moved Spurs to within one point and one place of fourth.

Both sides meet each other on May 5 at Eastlands in what could be a fourth place decider. However, there is plenty of football still to play before then and both sides face tricky fixtures this weekend.

City are at home to local rivals and title chasing Manchester United and are 17/10 to pick up the three points. United are 11/8 to get the win they need to keep their title hopes alive whilst the draw is 12/5.

Spurs don’t have it any easier as they host league leaders Chelsea at White Hart Lane. Tottenham are 11/4 to keep their assault on fourth place on track whilst the Blues are 10/11 to move three points closer to the title. The draw is 12/5.

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