Lyon – Le Mans 15 May 2010

Lyon last 5 league matches:

Lyon last 3 home matches:

Le Mans last 5 league matches:

Le Mans last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Lyon - 3, Le Mans - 18

Lyon home table position: 7

Le Mans away table position: 19

End of the road for the 2009-2010 season in the French Ligue 1 with this last round playing out on Saturday and Olympique Lyon in desperate need of a victory to grab their spot for the Champions League against an already relegated Le Mans.

Lyon’s form has taken an important plunge in the last part of the season and the team has only 2 victories in the last 5 matches played in the competition, really complicating their position and in case of a negative result here they can end up with only and Europa League spot.

Not even the home ground form remained untouched as they ended 2 of the last 3 matches played in draws leaving them with 11 victories and 4 draws in 18 played.

This should be a really relaxed trip for Le Mans, no real motivation for them other than prestige as they have a total of 32 points and are already relegated.

They have one of the poorest records for away play of all teams in the Ligue 1 as they managed only 2 victories and 2 draws losing the rest of 14 and achieving a disastrous goal ratio of 14 scored and no less than 32 conceded.
My pick: Lyon to win

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Europa League Final

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)

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Palermo – Sampdoria 9 May 2010

Palermo last 5 league matches:

Palermo last 3 home matches:

Sampdoria last 5 league matches:

Sampdoria last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Palermo – 5, Sampdoria – 4

Palermo home table position: 2

Sampdoria away table position: 8

One of the most interesting matches in the Italian Serie A with 2 more legs to go as Palermo and Sampdoria are in a direct battle for the 4th spot which bring access to the Champions League in the summer.

Palermo definitely has the upper hand in this match as they play in front of the home crowd and with this match solved their last round trip to an already relegated Atalanta should not be a problem.

They are very strong on home ground with a statistic only second to champions Inter that reveals 13 victories and 5 draws with no defeats in all 18 played and a very good goal ratio of 33 scored and only 13 conceded.

With a 4 game winning streak, Sampdoria managed to overcome Palermo in the table but they have a difficult schedule as they will welcome a competitive Napoli team in the last leg.

Their away statistic is far from impressive with only 6 victories and 3 draws to their name in all 18 matches played and a terrible goal ratio of 17 scored and 30 conceded.

My pick: Palermo to win

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Real Madrid – Athletic Bilbao 8 May 2010

Real last 5 league matches:

Real last 3 home matches: 

Bilbao last 5 league matches:

Bilbao last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Real - 2, Bilbao - 8

Real home table position: 2

Bilbao away table position: 7

With bitter rivals Barcelona facing a very difficult trip to Sevilla this Saturday, Real Madrid will want nothing but a victory at home against Athletic Bilbao.

Real Madrid are trailing first spot holders Barcelona by only one point and after a superb victory away to Mallorca, they only need for their rivals to lose or make a draw for them to take the first place and with it the champions title after 2 more rounds.

They still hold a superb record on Santiago Bernabeu with 17 victories and one painful defeat in El Clasico with a goal ratio of 55 scored and 17 conceded.

Athletic Bilbao is 8th is the table with a total of 51 points, only 1 point separating them for a spot in next season’s Europa League preliminaries making them highly motivated to tackle any opponent.

No victories for them in the last 5 matches played in the Spanish Primera Division, claiming only 3 points from them and falling rapidly in the ranks. Their away statistic is as modest as their position with only 4 victories and 5 draws in all 18 played making a victory on Real’s pitch highly unlikely.

My pick: Real Madrid to win

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Lille – Marseille 8 May 2010

Lille last 5 league matches:

Lille last 3 home matches:

Marseille last 5 league matches:

Marseille last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Lille - 2, Marseille - 1

Lille home table position: 1

Marseille away table position: 1

Two more rounds to go in the French Ligue 1 and Olympique Marseille will havea relaxed trip to OSC Lille after grabbing the champions title last week.

Lille on the other hand need nothing else but a victory in this match if they are to hold chances to the second spot they now hold. Their biggest threat is Lyon which sit just 2 points behind with one match less played and with very good odds of surpassing them as their schedule is far easier.

Only 2 victories for them in the last 5 matches played but still retaining the best statistic for home play with 13 victories and 3 draws in all 18 played and an impressive goal ratio of 43 scored and only 13 conceded.

Olympique Marseille managed to beat the odds, and with a superb push in the last stages grabbed the title of champions in France. They won the last 5 matches played but it’s pretty sure that they will not push as hard in this match.

They hold the best statistic for away play with 9 victories and 6 draws in 18 played but it’s hard to see them grabbing any points from this as Lille are very motivated to fight for their chance at a Champions League spot.

My pick: Lille to win

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There is a famous saying in football and it goes like this ‘You Can Never Write Off The Germans’. Despite this saying everyone seems to be writing off Germany once again for the World Cup 2010 and that could be a costly mistake.

People have been saying Germany are not the team they have been and that much is probably true, in the past their team has been full of great stars such as Jurgen Klinsmann, Andreas Moller, Franz Beckenbauer and so on. Now their stars are players such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and although he is not a bad player, he is certainly not in the class of his predecessors.

Everyone wrote Germany off in Euro 2008 but they still reached the final, eventually being beaten by the favourites in the World Cup 2010 Betting, Spain. At the World Cup 2006 Germany finished third, again going out to the eventual winners of the tournament Italy, and it took extra time to knock out Germany on that occasion. Even in the 2002 World Cup they reached the final, the Brazilians beat Germany on that occasion.

So it look to take a special performance to knock out Germany in a major tournament and in the qualifying they proved they are as solid and efficient as ever, remaining unbeaten for the entire group stage. However good or bad you are thinking Germany are, they remain maybe the hardest team to beat in the World, yet the Germany World Cup Odds suggest they are probably only going to get to the quarter finals this year at best, they are surely worth a decent bet.

Werder Bremen – Hamburg 8 May 2010

Bremen last 5 league matches:

Bremen last 3 home matches: 

Hamburg last 5 league matches:

Hamburg last 3 away matches: 

Table positions: Bremen - 3, Hamburg - 7

Bremen home table position: 7

Hamburg away table position: 8

Last round in the German Bundesliga with Bayern Munchen already Champions and today’s host, Werder Bremen on their way to claim the third spot and enter the Champions League next season.

With a total of 60 points, this is as high as Werder Bremen can go as they have a 4 points gap from second Schalke 04 but face threats from next in line Leverkusen which sits just 2 points below and Borussia Dortmund that has a 3 point gap but better results in the direct matches, making this game against Hamburger SV a crucial one.

Werder Bremen has won all past 4 matches on home ground but they statistic in front of the home supporters is not that great, still baring the marks of the mediocre start of the season with 8 victories and 5 draws in all 14 played.

Hamburg is in a difficult position and on the 7th spot now they could miss the participation in Europa League if they fail to win this and Stuttgart wins away at Hoffenheim. So things are very complicated but one thing is sure, their current form cannot compare to Werder Bremen’s.

Their away statistic is mostly dominated by draws with 5 victories and 7 draws in all 16 played and a poor goal ratio of 31 scored and 28 conceded showing a good offensive but at the same time a poor defense.

My pick: Werder Bremen to win

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Valencia – Xerez 4 May 2010

Valencia last 5 league matches:

Valencia last 3 home matches:

Xerez last 5 league matches: 

Xerez last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Valencia - 3, Xerez - 20

Valencia home table position: 5

Xerez away table position: 17

Mid week round in the Spanish Primera Division and this match with Valencia welcoming Deportivo Xerez along with 3 others.

If Valencia’s position seems to be sorted as they hold on to the third spot with a total of 65 points, 6 above Mallorca with 3 matches to go, at the relegation zone still all teams keep hopes of remaining in the first league.

Valencia is in a good form with 3 victories in the last 5 played including the last 2 against Deportivo la Coruna and more importantly away to an uncomfortable Espanyol. As far as the home statistic goes, their record is very good with no less than 11 victories and 5 draws in all 17 played.

Deportivo Xerez is last in the table but with a total of just 30 points they are only 5 points from Malaga and the 17th spot that will keep them in the Primera Division one more season.

They managed to claim 7 points in their last 4 matches played and with 2 other matches against Zaragoza and Osasuna they might be able to achieve what most thought impossible. Only 2 victories, 5 draws and no less than 10 defeats whilst playing away but one thing is shure, they will not make Valencia’s mission easy.

My pick: Valencia to win

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Real Madrid – Osasuna 2 May 2010

Real Madrid last 5 league matches:

Real Madrid last 3 home matches:

Osasuna last 5 league matches: 

Osasuna last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Real Madrid - 1, Osasuna - 12

Real Madrid home table position: 2

Osasuna away table position: 10

Still trailing Barcelona by one point in the Spanish Primera Division with 4 more rounds to go, Real Madrid welcomes Osasuna this Sunday on Santiago Bernabeu hoping that their bitter rivals will stumble against Villarreal.

Real Madrid are clear favorites to grab all the points in this match and if all goes as planed they will dispose of Osasuna in stile. The clash between the 2 teams has always been a spectacular one with tension fairing.

The Spanish giants made their home ground a fortress this season, with only Barcelona managing to grab points from them and leaving a statistic of 16 victories and one defeat completed with an overwhelming goal ratio of 52 scored and 15 conceded.

Osasuna with their 12 spot in the rankings and a total of 39 points have nothing to worry about, a huge distance separates them from the danger zone bu as well any advancement in the table is very difficult with opposition from Espanyol and Atletico Madrid.

They have lost all last 6 matches played away making their record on other stadiums a very poor one with 4 victories, 2 draws and no less than 11 defeats with a disastrous goal ratio of 13 scored and 25 conceded.

My pick: Real Madrid to win (over 3 goals)

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Lille – Nancy 2 May 2010

Lille last 5 league matches:

Lille last 3 home matches:

Nancy last 5 league matches:

Nancy last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Lille - 3, Nancy - 12

Lille home table position: 1

Nancy away table position: 4

Only 4 more rounds to go in the French Ligue 1 and Lille need to secure their spot in the Champions League for next season as they face pressure from Montpellier and Olympique Lyon, making this match with Nancy very important.

Lille has a total of 61 points, 5 less than second spot holders Auxerre but are encountering some difficulties lately as they managed only 2 victories in the last 5 played and grabbed only one point in the last 2.

The team maintains the best statistic for home play of all teams in the competition with no less than 12 victories and 3 draws in all 17 played thaws making them clear favorites to win this.

With a total of just 44 points, Nancy is sitting comfortably at the middle of the table with no worries what so ever about relegation but with little room to move upward as well.

This ending of the season seems to have caught them in an upward trend as they managed 2 victories in the last 3 played and even in the last 3 away matches claiming 7 points.

My pick: Lille to win

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