Saturday’s sole live action comes from ESPN and in this game we will see if Man City can recover from their loss against Everton with a win at home to Fulham. Man City may be going through a bit of a blip at the moment but they have won all eleven home games this season and look highly likely to record another win in this match against a team who has won just once on the road all season. The odds of 1/3 on City aren’t going to make anyone rich but it is worth including in any accumulators this weekend.

Both live games on Sunday are on Sky Sports 1 and the first of these fixtures is Newcastle v Aston Villa. Newcastle have been in great form despite the loss of Demba Ba to the African Cup of Nations, they have moved up to fifth place this week and should welcome back Ba plus new signing Papiss Demba Cisse for this match. Aston Villa have looked pretty poor all season and have won just three times on the road all season, Newcastle have more wins than that in their last six matches, and Newcastle look a value play at current odds of 11/10.

The second match in Sunday’s double header is probably the game of the weekend, Chelsea v Man Utd. United haven’t won at Stamford Bridge in the league for almost ten years and Chelsea have only lost once in eleven league games recently. Chelsea have struggled to win matches too though, five of their last eight have ended all square and with both teams looking unlikely to win the draw looks a really good bet in this match at odds of 23/10.

There is a great match to look forward to on Sky Sports 1 on Monday night too, Liverpool host Tottenham. Spurs won this reverse fixture 4-0 earlier in the season (the score could have been twice that) and also won 2-0 at Anfield last season. Spurs have improved since then and are eleven points above Liverpool this season so it is a big surprise that you can get 11/4 on Spurs, it was only a couple of weeks ago that they should have won at Man City and unless they massively under perform they should win this match at great odds.

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Valencia last 5 matches: 

Valencia last 3 home matches: 

Barcelona last 5 matches: 

Barcelona last 3 away matches: 

*matches in all competitions

We have reached the semi-finals stage on the Copa del Rey with the prime favorite Barcelona up against a though adversary as they travel to Valencia for the first leg of the tie.

Valencia sailed past Levante in the previous round of the Cpa del Rey, trashing their adversaries with the aggregate score of 7-1, after a 4-1 scoreline at home and a clear 0-3 victory away.

Their biggest name defeated so far in the competition has been Sevilla, which they just edged due to an away goal, but Barcelona is another matter. Not a great form for them in recent matches if we take out the cup as Valencia failed to win any of their past 4 games in the Primera Division but they still hold chances, especially in this home match.

Barcelona on the other hand, defeated their arch rivals in the previous round with an aggregate score 4-3 against Real Madrid and are now considered top favorites for the trophy.

Morale in the team is not that high after they conceded yet another blow in the league with a goalless draw against Villarreal so this will be a crucial match for them in terms of confidence.

My pick: Barcelona to win ( over 2.5 goals )

Barcelona last 5 matches: 

Barcelona last 3 home matches: 

Real Madrid last 5 matches: 

Real Madrid last 3 away matches: 

*matches in all competitions

Second leg in the most interesting quarter-final of the Copa del Rey as Real Madrid travel to their biggest rival Barcelona trying to restore the one goal deficit from last week’s match.

Barcelona has the upper hand in this double leg battle as they managed a superb performance last week on Santiago Bernabeu, surpassing their opponents from start to finis, and grabbing a well deserved 1-2 victory.

They should now have an easier match on home pitch, at least in theory, as the biggest derby in football can change the victorious side fast. They managed to build on their success and trashed Mallorca 1-4 in the weekend, keeping their morale at top levels. Barcelona’s tactic should remain the same and no big changes should occur from last week’s cup game, with the Catalan keeper still needing to prove it’s value for the fans.

Real Madrid apparently with a mountain to climb, after they employed an ultra defensive tactic in the first leg, stunning every one as they held back on home ground, is expected to change formation.

They will clearly need to go on the offensive and this in turn can leave big gaps in their defense. So far Mourinho has been clearly inferior to it’s direct opponent and it will be interesting if he can make the change.

My pick: Barcelona to win ( over 2.5 goals )

The early kick off on Saturday sees Norwich host Chelsea and it is no surprise that Chelsea have been on the drift in this match as Norwich bring the same form as Chelsea into this match (two wins, three draws and one loss). Chelsea are out to 4/6 whilst Norwich have been backed into 5/1 but the best bet could be the draw at 3/1. All of Chelsea’s recent matches in the Premiership have been close, they haven’t won by more than one goal for two months and away at a team who has lost just three from ten at Carrow Road this season it looks well worth opposing Chelsea in this Sky Sports 2 fixture.

The Saturday evening game will be shown on ESPN and features struggling Bolton and top four chasing Liverpool. Bolton has often been a tough place to go but not this season, Bolton have the worst home record in the league with just four points picked up from ten games. Liverpool meanwhile actually look better away from home, they have the fifth best away record in the league and have won half their away matches and it is a little surprising to see Liverpool available at 4/6 in this match, that looks a price well worth taking advantage of.

The first game in Sky Sports 1’s Super Sunday line up is Man City v Tottenham, a game which Spurs will be looking to win to put themselves firmly in the title race. Man City have been extremely strong at home this season, winning all ten home matches in the league, scoring 31 goals and conceding just 4. Crucially in this match Spurs will be without their top scorer Emmanuel Adebayor who is on loan from Man City and that could be the biggest nail in Tottenham’s coffin for this match, another City home win looks likely and at 10/11 we are getting a more generous price than we should be really.

Super Sunday concludes with Arsenal v Man Utd, Arsenal fans will be hoping for a big performance that will draw a line under the 8-2 loss suffered at Old Trafford earlier in the season. Arsenal still have some defensive problems going into this match and it is easy to see why they have struggled recently, they have lost their last two away matches and their last three home games have seen them draw with Wolves and beat Everton and QPR 1-0. Man Utd meanwhile haven’t quite been at their best either but they still have the best away record in the entire league (seven wins, two draws and a loss) and they are worth backing in this match and fair odds of 13/8.

Are these really the best bets from the week’s live Premiership action? Which game are you most looking forward to betting on? Let other football fans know YOUR thoughts on the best bets this weekend by entering the discussions at OLBG.com.

*matches in all competitions

Real Madrid last 5 matches: 

Real Madrid last 3 home matches: 

Barcelona last 5 matches: 

Barcelona last 3 away matches: 

The first El Clasico of 2012 as Real Madrid faces Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, a two leg knock-out anticipated by many to establish the trophy winners.

Above all this will be once again a duel of coaches, a personal battle fought by Mourinho and Guardiola, won in latest matches the superior tactic of the Catalan coach.

Real Madrid has a slight advantage over their rivals as they have the home pitch and a better morale due to their position in the Primera Division table compared to Barcelona.

They suffered a painful defeat in their last game played against their rivals as Barcelona managed to humiliate Real Madrid on Santiago Bernabeu, 1-3 the final score.

Barcelona is seen as the favorite as far as betting odds go but their latest games played away have revealed problems with the team once thought to be invincible.

Their one all draw away to Espanyol followed by their 1-2 victory against Osasuna have raised flags in Barcelona’s squad with the team not being able to score whilst leaving gaps in defense.

My pick: Draw ( over 2.5 goals )

The first live game is the early afternoon Sky Sports 1 kick off on Sunday, a game that features a resurgent Newcastle side against relegation threatened QPR, for whom Mark Hughes will be having his first game in charge. Newcastle suffered a bit of a blip last month but have won three of their last four games including a win over Man Utd, Unfortunately for Newcastle they will be without Demba Ba and Chieck Tiote who are at the African Cup Of Nations. Ba has scored eight of Newcastle’s last ten goals and one of those other goals was an own goal so Newcastle’s form over the next month is likely to really suffer. QPR have picked up just two points from their last eight games but a new manager, especially a good one, often brings about improvement (just look at O’Neill at Sunderland) and QPR should be able to get at least a draw from this match and the draw looks the best bet at 11/4.

The second live game on Sky Sports 1 on Sunday is Swansea v Arsenal which looks a very interesting game. Man Utd are still the only team to win at the Liberty Stadium this season so this will be a tough game for Arsenal who have won just four of their ten away matches this season. Swansea have drawn half of their home games this season and the draw could be the most likely result at 11/4. An much safer bet, albeit at shorter odds, is under 2.5 goals which can be backed at 10/11 with most bookies. No team has scored or conceded fewer home goals than Swansea this season and all but two of their home games have had under 2.5 goals. The game at the Emirates between these two teams earlier in the season was also low scoring (1-0) and everything points to a low scoring game here.

The final live game of the weekend is also on Sky Sports 1 and takes place on Monday night, title hopefuls Man City take the short trip over to Wigan who are hoping to avoid relegation this season. Man City should win this but their form has dipped a little recently and without Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany, who are at the African Cup Of Nations and suspended respectively, they are not likely to be at 100%. Wigan have home advantage and have done better than expected at home in recent matches with draws against Chelsea and Liverpool. Betting on them to get a draw against even better opposition might be a bit risky but they should be able to get on the scoresheet and the odds of evens on both teams to score looks the best bet in this match at more than twice the odds of a Man City win.

Are these really the best bets from the week’s live Premiership action? Which game are you most looking forward to betting on? Let us know your thoughts on the best bets this weekend.

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*matches in all competitions

Lyon last 5 matches: 

Lyon last 3 home matches: 

Lille last 5 matches: 

Lille last 3 away matches: 

Quarter finals in the French Coupe de la Ligue on Wednesday with a very exciting fixture as Olympique Lyon hosts OSC Lille for a place in the semi-finals.

Lyon with the advantage of the home pitch for this all important knock out game and a very good form showed in recent games in all competitions.

They went past Saint-Etienne in the previous round, managing a 1-2 victory and they are set to go head to head with one of the favorites for the trophy. With no less than seven victories in their past 8 games played, Lyon shows a great defensive strength coped with a good morale and an appetite for trophies.

Lille managed a comfortable 3-1 victory over Sedan in the previous round but despite placing themselves above Lyon in the Ligue 1 table, they managed only one victory in the past 3 games played.

They still hold a good chance in this battle especially if their defense will hold up in the first half but the disadvantage of the arena and their modest results in latest matches gives them a great disadvantage.

My pick: Lyon to win ( under 2.5 goals )

The first live game of the weekend is Birmingham v Wolves which is live on ESPN early on Saturday afternoon. This fixture has been a Premiership game and a Championship game in recent years and this year it’s an FA Cup Third round match. More commonly than not this game ends all square, four of the last seven league meetings at St Andrews have been draws and with Birmingham unbeaten at home in the league this season and Wolves owning the joint worst away record in the Premiership this game looks set for a draw at 23/10.

ESPN also has the rights to the Saturday evening game between Bristol Rovers and Aston Villa, clearly in the hope that they witness a giant killing here. Aston Villa are struggling at the minute with just seven points picked up from their last six games but it’s still asking a lot of Bristol Rovers who are 19th in League Two currently. Bristol Rovers have lost more than half their home games and a Premiership team of Aston Villa’s talent should win this at 4/7 which is probably a fair price.

The best game in the Third Round should be Man City and Man Utd and it should also provide the best bet. Man City have a recent 6-1 win at Old Trafford and should be even better for this game being at Eastlands where Man city have won every league match this season. Man Utd come into this off the back of two losses and worryingly they have shipped six goals in those games and it’s difficult not to see Man City getting a few goals in this game. Man City are 23/20 to win this game and that looks a very good bet for Sunday’s early kick off on ITV1.

The other live game on ITV1 on Sunday is Peterborough v Sunderland and Martin O’Neill will be hopeful of a cup run with the team now looking pretty safe in the Premiership. Peterborough are 15th in the Championship and in form Sunderland look a value bet at evens with most bookies at the time of writing, but with Peterborough losing just one of their last six it isn’t a bet to put maximum faith in.

On Monday night ESPN will be showing Arsenal v Leeds. Last season Leeds knocked Man Utd out in this stage of the competition and they’ll be looking to do the same to Arsenal, especially if Robin Van Persie is rested for Premiership duties. Leeds have only picked up seven points from their last six league games which isn’t great but they have only conceded eight goals in that time. Only one of Arsenal’s last twelve games in all competitions have been won by more than one goal and Arsenal to win this by a one goal margin could be the best bet at 10/3.

Are these really the best bets from the week’s live FA Cup action? Which game are you most looking forward to betting on? Voice your tips on the best bets in the FA Cup Third Round this weekend with other avid football fans at sports community site OLBG.com.

*matches in all competitions

Barcelona last 5 matches: 

Barcelona last 3 home matches: 

Osasuna last 5 matches: 

Osasuna last 3 away matches: 

Second day in the Spanish Copa del Rey and FC Barcelona takes that stage as they welcome an uncomfortable Osasuna team.

Barcelona displaying a superb form in recent matches with no less than seven straight victories, an impressive appetite for goal scoring a strong defense.

They trashed the virtually unknown L’Hospitalet in the previous round with an outstanding 10-0 aggregate looking keen on grabbing the trophy they lost last year against Real Madrid in the final.

Osasuna is known as a very challenging team to Spain’s top teams, with the power to motivate themselves and a determination that is to be appreciated.

Their form is great at the moment as the team managed four victories in their last 6 games played only to position themselves on a honorable 5th spot in the Primera Division. Most likely they will play a very defensive game here hoping to strike back on home ground but although their run is good in terms of results, their defense has flaws, Osasuna conceding goals in all past 6 matches played.

My pick: Barcelona to win ( over 2.5 goals )

*matches in all competitions

Real Madrid last 5 matches: 

Real Madrid last 3 home matches: 

Malaga last 5 matches: 

Malaga last 3 away matches: 

Start of the 8th Finals in the Spanish Copa del Rey on Tuesday with Real Madrid hosting the first of the two leg knock-out against Malaga in the last match of the day.

Real Madrid the clear favorite for the victory here and a strong opponent to Barcelona this season for the trophy. The two giants are set to go head to head in the next round if all goes to plan and the winner will most likely take the Copa del Rey trophy home.

Three straight victories fro Real Madrid before the short winter break and a good morale as they lead in the Primera Division table should make for an accessible match on their own pitch.

Malaga, although experiencing major changes last summer, has failed to impress so far this season as they stand on a modest 9th spot of the Primera Division.

They made it into this stage of the Copa del Rey by passing a difficult opponent in the past stage, a victory by the slightest of margins against Getafe on home field followed by a two all draw away.

My pick: Real Madrid to win ( over 2.5 goals )