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Schalke 04 – VfB Stuttgart 12 March 2010

Schalke last 5 league matches:

Schalke last 3 home matches: 

Stuttgart last 5 league matches:

Stuttgart last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Schalke -2, Stuttgart -7

Schalke home table position: 3

Stuttgart away table position: 8

Friday match in the German Bundesliga with title contenders Schalke 04 welcoming mid-table Stuttgart for a very interesting match for the top standings configurations at the end of the week.

Schalke is revealing a great form in the domestic league ending in victory the last 2 matches played in the competition against uncomfortable competition Borussia Dortmund and away to Eintrach Frankfurt in a spectacular 4-1 display.

They reached the second spot of the table, trailing Bayern Munchen by only 2 points and profiting by Leverkusen’s downfall these past weeks. They look very strong when playing at home showing a statistic of 9 victories and 2 draws in 13 matches played and a very good goal ratio of 23 scored and only 9 conceded.

VfB Stuttgart made huge improvements from the poor display in the first half of the season and made a great leap in the table to the current 7th spot, still holding some chances of grabbing a spot in next season’s Europa League as they are 7 points from Dortmund and 4 from 6th Werder Bremen.

A great form for them as well these past few week with 3 victories in the last 5 matches played and losing only to Hamburg. Their statistic is still suffering from the first part of the season though with only 4 victories and 4 draws in 12 matches played away and a neutral goal ratio with 16 scored and conceded.

My pick:  SChalke 04 to win

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Lille – Liverpool 11 March 2010

*matches in all competitions

Lille last 5 matches:  

Lille last 3 home matches: 

Liverpool last 5 matches:

Liverpool last 3 away matches:

Europa League first leg of the 8th finals and one of the most interesting matches played on Thursday is this clash between Lille and Liverpool.

Lille is still in the fight for the title of champions in the French Ligue 1 but their good performances seem to have taken a turn for the worst with no victories in the last 2 matches of the competition, losing home to Auxerre and grabbing only one point from their trip to Saint Etienne.

These 2 results made them fall dramatically in the overall table, ending up now on the 6th spot but with only 4 points from leaders Bordeaux and Montpellier. They are a great team on home ground proving this with an incredible statistic of their results as they won 12 out of the past 13 matches played on their pitch also showing a great scoring appetite.

The fact that they have overcome an opponent such as Fenerbahce in the previous rounds says a lot about their intentions in the Europa League this year but with a team such as Liverpool their mission is very though.

Liverpool along with Juventus are the 2 giants that look like they don’t belong in this competition, one thing is shore though this tournament has showed over and over again that favorites often fall to the weakest of opponents.

This is joust a consolation run for Liverpool as they were aiming much higher in the Champions League but with oscillating results they managed only the third spot in the group. In the Premier League they are a long way from the top spot, settling for the 6th so far and joust as their adversaries suffered a defeat in the last match of the domestic league away to Wigan.

My tip:  Lille to win

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Real Madrid – Lyon 10 March 2010

*matches in all competitions

Real Madrid last 5 matches:  

Real Madrid last 3 home matches: 

Lyon last 5 matches:

Lyon last 3 away matches:

With a 1-0 result in the first leg for Lyon this should be a very interesting and disputed match and a chance for Real Madrid to show their strength in front of the home crowd.

Real Madrid is the clear favorite in this match with Olympique Lyon’s advantage of only one goal but the fact that the Spanish giants have no away goal may pose some problems and influence the overall result.

They are a real force on home pitch proving this with results in all competition from the Primera Division in which they have won all 13 matches played this season with an impressive goal ratio and also in the Champions League.

Lyon played a great match 2 weeks ago in the first leg between the 2 but their mission on Santiago Bernabeu is very hard, having to put up to the pressure of the supporters and a strong Real Madrid side on it’s own territory.

The French side suffered a setback and missed a great opportunity for the top spot last week as they settled with only one point from the trip to relegation bound Boulogne. They show some real problems in away matches lately with only one victory in the past 5 matches played in all competitions.

My tip:  Real Madrid to win (and qualify)

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Arsenal – FC Porto 9 March 2010

*matches in all competitions

Arsenal last 5 matches:  

Arsenal last 3 home matches:

Porto last 5 matches: 

Porto last 3 away matches: 

Second leg in this phase of the knock outs in the Champions League and Arsenal welcome FC Porto in their attempt to surpass a one goal deficit and make it to the next round.

A very close match in the first leg with FC Porto winning 2-1 in front of the home crowd but now things look very different as Arsenal is winning match after match in the English Premier League and sitting joust 2 points from leaders Manchester Unite and a Porto team that is having real difficulties in it’s domestic league with no chances for a championship title.

Arsenal is showing a superb form and with a total of 51 points their share the second spot of the Premier League with Chelsea ready to make a real surprise and aim for the first spot until the end of the season. The first leg results also favor the English side as the away goal could make a world of a difference but one threat for them comes from the growing list of injured players like Fabregas and Van Persie joust to name the top 2.

As expected FC Porto played a very good match in the first leg and managed the victory, but with joust 2-1 advantage their task is very hard on Arsenal’s pitch.

They are struggling in the Portuguese Liga having lost the derby match against Sporting Lisbon with an embarrassing 3-0 and last week managing only a draw against bottom side Olhanense.

My tip:  Arsenal to win (and qualify)

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Valencia – Racing Santander 8 March 2010

Valencia last 5 league matches:

Valencia last 3 home matches: 

Santander last 5 league matches:

Santander last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Valencia -3, Santander -16

Valencia home table position: 8

Santander away table position: 5

Last match of day 25 in the Spanish Primera Division and the only one to be played on Monday as Valencia welcomes a struggling Racing Santander.

With their main threat Sevilla losing in extra time on Saturday to Real Madrid it’s clear for Valencia that no matter the outcome of this match they will remain third in the table. Nonetheless it’s a great opportunity to consolidate their position and get a comfortable 6 point advantage over their rival as this is as far as they can get with giants Barcelona and Real Madrid out of reach for this season.

The team is showing increasing inconsistency in results lately, alternating between very good results on home pitch and painful defeats away as was the case last week when they where thrashed by Atletico Madrid 4-1. Their home statistic, at first glance isn’t very strong with 6 victories and no less than 4 draws, losing only against Real Madrid in a dramatic match but more important is the fact that they managed to win the last 4 played in front of their supporters.

Racing Santander has it’s own battle in the bottom of the table in their attempt to avoid the relegation zone. Before the leg started they where on the 16th spot with a total of 25 points, only 5 above the first team to go down Real Valladolid.

Surprisingly they seem to have a very decent away game with 4 victories and 4 draws in in 12 played but a negative goal ratio of 14 scored and 15 conceded but Racing Santander has now won any of the last 5 matches played in the Primera, claiming only 2 points in 2 draws and losing the last 3.

My pick:  Valencia to win

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Mallorca last 5 league matches:

Mallorca last 3 home matches: 

Gijon last 5 league matches:

Gijon last 3 away matches: 

Table positions: Mallorca -5, Gijon -10

Mallorca home table position: 3

Gijon away table position: 12

Seeking to continue it’s very good performance on home pitch, Mallorca will welcome an accessible Sporting Gijon in day 25 of the Spanish Primera Division on Sunday the 7th of March.

Mallorca is still in a great position regarding the overall table, now on the 5th spot with a total of 40 points, the vast majority of which managed on home ground. Joust 3 points form Sevilla and a Champions League spot and that says a lot as how competitive they are this season, if only the team could motivate themselves in away matches as well and their position will be greatly improved.

They are very strong in front of the home crowd with a very good statistic of 10 scored and only one defeat 1-2 surprisingly against relegation bound Tenerife but still holding a superb goal ratio of 26 scored and 6 conceded.

Sporting Gijon is mid table in the Primera, a comfortable position for them as they gathered 31 points but no real room for advancement as Villarreal and Getafe sit only 2 points above them but show more strength and consistency in their game.

Their main threat lyes in Atletico Madrid and Osasuna, both with only one point handicap. With an away statistic showing only 2 victories and no less than 6 defeats in all 11 played with a poor goal ratio of 13 scored and 19 conceded their attempt to grab any points from this match will be a growling task.

My pick:  Mallorca to win

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Marseille last 5 league matches: 

Marseille last 3 home matches:

Lorient last 5 league matches:

Lorient last 3 away matches: 

Table positions: Marseille -4, Lorient -9

Marseille home table position: 10

Lorient away table position: 9

Only 3 matches playing out in the French Ligue 1 this Sunday with Marseille welcoming Lorient regarded as an important one especially for the upper part of the table configuration.

Marseille is holding on to the 4th spot of the table but aims much higher to a Champions League spot at the end of the season, encouraged by their current form as they won all past 4 matches in the competition leaving them joust one point behind Lyon any only 3 from the top spot claimed by Bordeaux and Montpellier witch will go head to head in the same day.

They are the favorites in this match no question about it and the home pitch it’s yet another advantage for them as the good run has certainly influenced the attendance figures and fan loyalty. The home statistic looks solid as the team won 7 and ended 2 in draws in 11 played with a goal ratio showing 20 scored and 10 conceded.

Lorient is on a modest 9th spot of the Ligue 1 table, in terms with the team’s ambitions and objective as they cannot hope for much improvement during this season.

They have won 2 out of the past 5 matches played, somewhat surprisingly away to PSG in an embarasing 3-0 victory for the home side and last week home with Sochaux by the slightest of margins. Their record in front of their crowd is rather decent having won 5 games and ended 1 in a draw with the rest of 7 lost.

My pick:  Marseille to win

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Inter last 5 league matches:

Inter last 3 home matches: 

Genoa last 5 league matches:

Genoa last 3 away matches: 

Table positions: Inter -4, Genoa -9

Inter home table position: 10

Genoa away table position: 9

With rivals AC Milan becoming a real threat in the fight for the top spot, Internazionale Milan seem to have found their motivation and started winning matches in the last week with the hope of continuing this good streak against Genoa this Sunday.

Inter gained a great deal in terms of morale as they defeated Chelsea in the Champions League and managed to successfully complete their difficult trip to Udinese and claim the vital 3 points in a 3-2 victory.

They still maintain a 4 point advantage at the top of the Serie A table over second Milan and no less than 7 over AS Roma. The champions look very strong when looking at the home pitch statistic in the competition with 10 victories and 3 draws in all 13 played and a very good goal ratio for the Italian championship of 27 scored and 11 conceded.

Genoa is mid table for now in th standings with some hope of claiming a Europa League spot at the end of the season but with though opposition in achieving this from Napoli, Sampdoria and Cagliari.

They seem to be alternating good performances coped with 3 point results with poor displays especially when traveling. In away matches their statistic is awful managing to win only 2 and end 2 in draws in all 12 played and a negative goal ratio of 12 scored and no less than 23 conceded.

My pick:  Inter to win

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Real Madrid last 5 league matches:

Real Madrid last 3 home matches:

Sevilla last 5 league matches:

Sevilla last 3 away matches: 

Table positions: Real Madrid -2, Sevilla -4

Real Madrid home table position: 1

Sevilla away table position: 4

A make or break match for Real Madrid in their attempt to overcome Barcelona at the top of the Spanish Primera Division with this crucial and difficult match against Sevilla on Saturday.

Real Madrid is showing an impressive form in the domestic league with no less than 6 consecutive victories to date, their only mishap taking place in the Champions League where they where defeated by Lyon with the slightest of margins.

They managed to keep their perfect home record with 12 victories in 12 played on Santiago Bernabeu and with joust 2 points from Barcelona the fight for the champions title is in full throttle. Their appetite for attack would impress almost any adversaries as they managed to score no less than 41 goals on home ground whilst conceding only 8 and Higuain is their main weapon.

Sevilla has it’s own battle at the top of the table for a Champions League spot, currently with a 3 point handicap from their main competitors, Valencia, Mallorca is close behind and may cause a huge surprise this season.

They have won 2 out of the past 3 matches played in the competition but suffered a setback last week when they where held to a goalless draw by Athletic Bilbao. Sevilla’s home record is rather decent with 6 victories and 5 defeats in all 11 played looking like an all or nothing team but a modest goal ratio of 16 scored and 13 conceded.

My pick:  Real Madrid to win

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Fiorentina last 5 league matches:

Fiorentina last 3 home matches: 

Juventus last 5 league matches: 

Juventus last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Fiorentina -10, Juventus -5

Fiorentina home table position: 12

Juventus away table position: 3

Only 2 matches taking place in the Italian Serie A this Saturday and this clash between Fiorentina and Juventus is certainly a game of interest as both teams need all 3 points.

Fiorentina is in a downward spiral in terms of results, out of the Champions League they are struggling in the domestic league and now felt on the 10th spot with a total of 35 points and only one victory in the last 8 matches played.

Their recent performances has certainly taken it’s token on the team’s statistic and on home ground they are left with 7 victories one draw and no less than 5 lost showing a very weak goal ratio of 17 scored and 12 conceded in all 13 played.

Juventus is still in the books for a place in next season’s Champions League with their direct adversaries Palermo only 2 points above them after the direct match between the 2 last week.

Their results improved slightly recently and the team won 2 out of the past 3 matches in the Serie A. Juventus looks strong in away matches as they have won 6 and ended 2 in draws in 12 played so far with a modest goal ratio of 19 scored and 16 conceded.

My pick:  Juventus to win

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