Atletico Madrid – Fulham 12 May 2010

*matches in all competitions

Atletico last 5 matches:  

Atletico last 3 EL matches:

Fulham last 5 matches:

Fulham last 3 EL matches:

The first final of the new Europa League competition and with top names like Juventus and Liverpool knocked out it’s left for Atletico Madrid and Fulham to settle the scored this night in Hamburg.

Although neither of these teams are high in stats in their domestic leagues, both Atletico and Fulham have proven that they take this competition very serious and are eager to grab the trophy.

Atletico Madrid is 9th in the Spanish Primera Division and with no chances of claiming and European tournament spot for next season this trophy can prove as a savior for what has been so far a mediocre year.

The team’s form is not a great one with only 2 victories in the last 5 matches played in all competitions but their morale is very good as they went past English giants Liverpool in the semi-finals at the end of 2 very close matches.

Fulham was no doubt the surprise of this season in Europa League if not all Europe’s club competitions. Noone would have thought at the start that this small English team will be able to go past big names such as last year’s Uefa Cup winners FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Hamburger SV and especially Juventus.

Only 12th in the Premier League, their coach is confident that it’s team will lift the trophy at the end of the match and celebrate an historic achievement on German soil. They have lost the last 2 matches played but it’s not hard to figure out that they are thinking only at this final.

My tip:  Atletico Madrid to win ( 3-1 scoreline)

*matches in all competitions

Hamburg last 5 matches:  

Hamburg last 3 home matches: 

Standard last 5 matches: 

Standard last 3 away matches: 

The quarter-finals of the Europa League will kick off on the 1st of April with quite some surprises between the teams as giants of the European football failed to qualify further. Hamburg will welcome Standard Liege and the German side with the advantage of eliminating another Belgian team, Anderlecht in the previous round.

Hamburg is not showing a good form in all competition in which they have played recently with no victories in the previous 4 matches from which they lost 3 of them and ended in draw against Schalke 04.

Their main problem seems to be the away form as at home they are performing quite well, nonetheless the recent results made the exit the championship title chase in the Bundesliga, and this tournament may be their only trophy objective for this season.

Standard Liege has a great morale after starting the Belgian Pro League playoff with a victory against Charleroi and with 2 victories against the surprising Greek side Panathinaikos in the previous round they have made it clear that they take this competition seriously.

This will be the toughest opponent they have encountered yet and it’s yet to see if they can profit from Hamburg’s poor form and obtain at least a draw.

My tip:  Hamburg to win

*matches in all competitions

Wolfsburg last 5 matches:  

Wolfsburg last 3 home matches: 

Rubin last 5 matches: 

Rubin last 3 away matches: 

With the one all draw in Russia, Wolfsburg is certainly thinking of avoiding Sevilla’s faith in the Champions League and end up with a victory against Rubin Kazan.

Wolfsburg is showing an extraordinary form in all competitions, after the unfortunate first part of the season which left permanent marks especially in the Bundesliga where with only the 8th spot for now there’s little hope of claiming any places in the summer qualifications for an European tournament.

After an unbelievable string of 13 consecutive matches without victory, Wolfsburg managed to win 5 out of the last 6 played, their only interruption was suffers away to Rubin Kazan in a very close and difficult match.

With the Russian championship starting last week, current champions Rubin Kazan where quick to claim top spot with a 2-0 victory over Lokomotiv Moskva and travel to Wolfsburg with a good morale in consequence. The team will certainly report itself to CSKA and try to duplicate their performance by eliminating a favorite of the competition.

The away games have caused them quite some problems in Europe with the last 2 ending in defeat away to Inter and more surprisingly only a draw against Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Although a goalless draw will see Wolfsburg advance, this risky strategy is not what we would expect from them and with all hope gone in the Bundesliga this competition remains a good opportunity to show their real force.

My tip:  Wolfsburg to win

*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