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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England are currently the third favourites to win the World Cup, behind Brazil and Spain, and despite not seemingly have the class of those two sides England could still start the World Cup as favourites, with the bookies at least.

The England World Cup Odds are 11/2 with most bookies and just half a point ahead are Brazil at 5/1 and half a point in front of them are Spain at 9/2. That means there is basically nothing in it at this point. There is always plenty of patriotic money for England in the weeks leading up to the World Cup and things at the World Cup 2010 should be no different.

Should England really expect to be favourites for the World Cup though? At the moment they are considered third best therefore should be getting to the semi final and then winning the third place playoff. That would be England’s best performance for twenty years.

To be fair, England’s route to the semi final isn’t really that hard. Presuming England win their group they should then face Ghana, Serbia or Australia in the Second Round, either way it is a winnable game. After that things get a bit tougher against likely opponents Argentina but they have not been at their best recently so England should be able to beat them.

Should England reach the World Cup Semi Final they are likely to play Brazil, which will probably be the end of England’s World Cup hopes, but over one game England are capable of beating Brazil and then it is time to start dreaming about World Cup glory. Unfortunately Spain are likely to be lying in waiting for the winner of the England v Brazil semi final.

Wolfsburg last 5 league matches:

Wolfsburg last 3 home matches: 

Bochum last 5 league matches:

Bochum last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Wolfsburg -11, Bochum -13

Wolfsburg home table position: 12

Bochum away table position: 12

Dramatic change for Wolfsburg in terms of play and results lately in all competitions as the team seems to have left behind their poor season so far and a new chance to advance and build on their position is this match against Bochum in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Their victory over Schalke 2 weeks ago marked the end of the incredible 10 game streak without victory for Wolfsburg. The good results continued with a victory by the slightest of margins against Hannover in the domestic league but also the trashing of Villarreal in Europa League that meant the German side advanced in the next phase of the tournament.

The team is still to improve on it’s statistic as at home they have won only 4 matches and ended 2 in draws from 12 played with a negative goal ratio of 25 scored and 28 conceded revealing a real problem in defense.

The draw seems to be the proffered result for Bochum as they finished this way 4 out of the past 5 matches played in the Bundesliga and now the team is on the 13th spot of the table with a total of 27 points.

A very atypical statistic for them as the team seems to play better in away matches than at home managing 4 victories and 3 draws in 12 matches played whilst traveling and as expected a negative goal ratio with 10 scored and 16 conceded.

My pick:  Wolfsburg to win

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Lens last 5 league matches:

Lens last 3 home matches:

PSG last 5 league matches:

PSG last 3 away matches: 

Table positions: Lens -13, PSG -12

Lens home table position: 8

PSG away table position: 12

A great opportunity this week for many of the players to get some much needed rest as international friendlies where played on Wednesday and back to the league football this weekend and this interesting match in the French Ligue 1 as Lens welcome PSG with little separating them in the table.

With 26 matches played so far, Lens is situated in the lower part of the table with a total of joust 33 points, below PSG in the standings only due to a weaker goal ratio as the teams share the same amount of points.

The team has won 2 out of the past 5 matches played and both where on home ground, from where much of the overall points come. Their statistic on home pitch is rather good for a team in their position with 7 victories and 3 draws losing only 3 matches in all 13 played with a goal ratio of 17 scored and 11 conceded showing a good defense with less than one goal conceded per match.

Yet another terrible season for PSG, the team form the capital city is continuing it’s downward spiral that begun a few years back and for this season it looks that they will have to settle for a middle of the table spot and no participation in any European tournaments.

Their current form is awful with only 4 points managed in the last 7 matches played, a victory against Toulouse and a goalless draw against Nancy losing the rest of 5. Their last victory in an away match in the Ligue 1 dates back from the start of December and that was obtained against the last spot holders Boulogne followed by 5 defeats and one draw bringing the away statistic to 3 victories and 3 draws with 7 losses and a negative goal ratio of 16 scored and 18 conceded..

My pick:  Lens to win

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Sporting last 5 league matches:

Sporting last 3 home matches: 

Porto last 5 league matches:

Porto last 3 away matches: 

Table positions: Sporting -4, Porto -3

Sporting home table position: 8

Porto away table position: 4

Derby match in the Portuguese Superliga as Sporting Lisbon welcome rivals FC Porto in a match that is certain to draw huge crouds to Estadio Jose De Alavalade on Sunday.

Neither of the 2 teams living up to expectations this season and the statement is more true for Sporting Lisbon as the team sits on the 4th spot of the table and with little chance of advancing this year. They have a total of just 29 points in 20 matches played in the competition and the current form does not give much hope for improvement any time soon. Only one reason for joy, their qualification in the next phase of the Europa League as they eliminated Everton this week.

Their home ground statistic is very poor with only 4 victories and 3 draws in 10 matches played and a similar goal ratio of 11 scored and 10 conceded which is totally unacceptable for a team playing in front of the home crowd.

Although FC Porto is joust one step above Sporting Lisbon in the table the gap between the 2 teams is great. Porto has a total of 43 points, no less than 14 above their adversaries in this game and with some hopes for the top spot as they are 6 points from leaders Benfica.

Their run lately has been good with 3 victories in the last4 played and a big plus in morale as they eliminated Arsenal in the Champions League and head on to the next round. They are one of the strongest teams on home ground but the away play is rather modest with a record of 4 victories and 2 draws in 9 played but a good defense as they conceded only 6 goals whilst scoring 15.

My pick:  FC Porto to win

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