Erm...right. (and a look back at November)

Rubin Kazan v Shamrock Rovers 1/1 

Malmo v AZ Alkmaar 2

Metallist Kharkiv v Austria Wien 1 and over 2,5 combined goals scored

Maribor v Club Brugge 2 either at halftime or fulltime (Brugge were 0:3 down till the 75th minute...just to win 4:3. Casual.)
Sporting Braga v Birmingham City over 2,5 goals

Stade Rennais v Udinese over 2,5 goals

Celtic v Atletico Madrid  both teams to score

Standard Liege v Hannover 1 either at halftime or fulltime

Vorskla Poltava v FC Copenhagen exactly 4 goals

Rapid Bucuresti v Hapoel Tel-Aviv both teams to score

Legia Warsaw v PSV Eindhoven X/1 (incredible fans as per though, some pics here and here)

Tottenham v PAOK Salonika 1 to score over 1,5 goals (PAOK were reported to have parked an entire bus depot in its box).


Also, this being the last set of forecasts in November, a little round-up is due; out of 68 games I got 39 right which leaves me with a 57% correct results. To put it in perspective, if that number would appear on my diploma I'd probably struggle to find employment.


In a rather funny game at Old Trafford (were Palace inflicted yet another painful defeat on United, this time eliminating them from the Carling Cup), Darren Ambrose scored an absolute stunner:

And, as Movember is coming to an end, I think QPR's own Shaun Derry should be awarded a special prize as he really pulls off the American biker look (with everything it entails):

'Yes sir, here's my wallet, would you like my house keys too?'


I think I'll concentrate on something I've been willing to write over the next few days so no tips tomorrow but hopefully I'll be able to put in a few for the weekend!

Europa League, part 1

Cardiff City v Blackburn over 2,5 goals

Chelsea v Liverpool 1 at halftime or fulltime

Arsenal v Man City both teams to score 

Napoli v Juventus X at halftime or fulltime 

Parma v Verona 1 

Barcelona v Rayo Vallecano 1 to win and over 3,5 combined goals scored 

2 out of 6. Probably still a lot better than Torres' goal scoring record at Chelsea.


Final November predictions:
 

Rubin Kazan v Shamrock Rovers (17:00) 1/1 (1.40)

Malmo v AZ Alkmaar (18:00) 2 (1.50)

Metallist Kharkiv v Austria Wien (18:00) 1 and over 2,5 combined goals scored (2.25)

Maribor v Club Brugge (18:00) 2 either at halftime or fulltime (1.53)

Sporting Braga v Birmingham City (18:00) over 2,5 goals (1.85)

Stade Rennais v Udinese (18:00) over 2,5 goals (2.00)

Celtic v Atletico Madrid (18:00) both teams to score (1.67)

Standard Liege v Hannover (20:05) 1 either at halftime or fulltime (2.00)

Vorskla Poltava v FC Copenhagen (20:05) exactly 4 goals  (5.75) ---> this is a pretty wild guess, I admit.

Rapid Bucuresti v Hapoel Tel-Aviv (20:05) both teams to score (1.75)

Legia Warsaw v PSV Eindhoven (20:05) X/1 (7.50)

Tottenham v PAOK Salonika (20:05) 1 to score over 1,5 goals (1.50)

Round-up + Tuesday Tips

Stoke v Blackburn 1

Chelsea v Wolverhampton Daniel Sturridge to score any time

Norwich v QPR both teams to score

Sunderland v Wigan 1

Liverpool v Manchester City X

Atalanta Bergamo v Napoli X either at halftime or fulltime

Lazio v Juventus under 2,5 goals

Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid over 4,5 goals

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke 04 Robert Lewandowski to score any time

Toulouse v Valenciennes under 2,5 goals

Bolton v Everton Klasnic to score any time

Manchester United v Newcastle United over 1,5 goals in the 2^nd half 

Palermo v Fiorentina 1

Siena v Inter Milan X (last minute goal for Inter...)

AC Milan v Chievo 1 to score in both halves (4:0 at half-time which prompted Milan to start playing the 'let's get to Chievo's penalty are and then pass it all they way back to our goalkeeper' nonsense).

Rayo Vallecano v Valencia both teams to score

Lille v Brest Eden Hazard to score any time (he was described as 'magical')

PSV Eindhoven v FC Groningen Wijnaldum to score any time

FC Twente Enschede v Vitesse Arnhem 1 to win and over 1,5 goals combined

FC Porto v Braga 1

Celtic v St. Mirren Anthony Stokes to score at any time

Korona Kielce v Legia Warszawa X/2

Lech Poznan v Widzew Łódź 1

Lechia Gdańsk v Ruch Chorzów under 2,5 goal

15/24.

No goal of the weekend this time (however Schlaudraff's volley, Inigo Martinez's incredible winner in Sociedad's 3:2 victory over Betis and Feret's first goal for Rennes against Evian are all damn good) but a definite oddity of the week if not month. Cashpoint SC Rheindorf Altach compete in the Austrian Bundesliga and with a name and a crest like that

it's quite easy to poke fun at them. However, the twist lies beyond the comedy crest, it's their manager's name. Adolf Hütter. I'm not entirely sure what his parents were thinking when deciding to name their son 'Adolf', especially in Austria and with a surname resembling a certain historical, rather negatively perceived surname, but one thing is certain - their sense of humor is questionable at best. 




Finally, a few tips for today's action:


Cardiff City v Blackburn (29.11, 19:45) over 2,5 goals (1.80)


Chelsea v Liverpool (29.11, 19:45) 1 at halftime or fulltime (1.53)

Arsenal v Man City (29.11, 20:00) both teams to score (1.53)

Napoli v Juventus (29.11, 19:45) X at halftime or fulltime (1.60)

Parma v Verona (29.11, 19:45) 1 (1.70)

Barcelona v Rayo Vallecano (29.11, 20:00) 1 to win and over 3,5 combined goals scored (1.70)

A handful of big fixtures across Europe...

A handful of big fixtures across Europe over the next couple of days – Marseille face PSG, Sporting entertain Benfica and Catania travel to Lecce. La Gazzetta dello Sport hailed the last fixture as the biggest game since the 1934 World Cup final where, of course, Squadra Azzurra won their first World Cup title.

Let's have a look at some selected games then.

Stoke v Blackburn (26.11, 12:45) 1 (1.75)

Both sides are struggling, with Stoke seemingly unable to match their very succesful European campaign with the domestic duties and Blackburn...just generally being painfully average at best (and just very bad most of the time). 14 conceded in the last 4 games and back to back defeats at home mean The Potters really need to find form or else it might be too late. With Peter Crouch doubtful they'll have to rely on the services of messrs Fuller, Walters, Jerome and Jones and Blackburn are likely to miss Samba and Olson. Stoke could seek consolation in the fact they've had only 1 point more at that stage last season but it's a bit like comparing saying that despite a bad start you're still doing better than, say Wigan – this is not an excuse. Speaking of which, Tony Pulis is not a man looking for them – however if his team fail to bounce back now (with an entire week to prepare for it) he might just start blaming the towel boys for not providing Rory Delap with perfectly dry ones.

Chelsea v Wolverhampton (26.11, 15:00) Daniel Sturridge to score any time (1.75)

Chelsea had the worst start to the season since Roman Abramovich took over in 2003 and their Champions League problems are only making it worse. Villas-Boas claims he doesn't need help but it seems that if Chelsea do not win this fixture he might need Usain Bolt's advice, especially keeping in mind what happened to previous, mildly unsuccessful Chelsea managers. Daniel Sturridge is one of the players who still look menacing and with Anelka's impending departure combined with the need to get 3 points I think AVB might start the young striker. Wolves are without Jamie O'Hara and Stephen Hunt which is definitely going in Chelsea's favour.

Norwich v QPR (26.11, 15:00) both teams to score (1.65)

Norwich only once failed to score at home (v WBA, back in early September) and QPR have registered 3 of their 4 wins on the road this season, twice scoring 3 goals (v Stoke last week and v Wolves 2 months ago). I think it's going to be an open game with both teams really going at it and extending their dream of finishing in the top 10.

Sunderland v Wigan (26.11, 15:00) 1 (1.67)

Sunderland have difficulties finding the net however Wigan have managed to concede nearly 2 goals a game on average....which is extremely worrying when you think we're fast almost in December. Sunderland have only lost 2 out of 6 games at home soil. Steve Bruce won only 28% of games at Sunderland but with the return of Seb Larsson – who normally inspired the side to at least try to play attacking football – they should have just enough to win and make that winning record look a tad more respectful. Also, Mohamed Diame has scored in each of his two visits at Sunderland. Fact.

Liverpool v Manchester City (27.11, 16:00) X (3.20)

The big question is how Mancini's boys are going to bounce back after the mid-week defeat at Napoli? Last time (0:2 v Bayern, when the whole Tevez saga really kicked-off) they went on to demolish Blackburn 4:0. However Liverpool haven't lost since the mid-Septmeber 0:4 drubbing at White Hart Lane and have produced football of a very high tactical quality at Stamford Bridge which proved enough to get a vital 2:1 victory. Much ink has been spilled (including the virtual one which yours humbly has engaged in, too) over the attacking prowess of The Citizens and it's going to be extremely interesting to see them clash with the defensively resolute and dangerous on the break Liverpool. Charlie Adam's searching passess will be extremely dangerous, espcially when one realised how adventurous City's full back are; but then again, Aguero could quite literally turn Skrtel upside down with his ability to change direction in a split second.

Atalanta Bergamo v Napoli (26.11, 19:45) X either at halftime or fulltime (1.60)

Napoli are surely going to be elated with their victory over Man City on Tuesday. A really good all-round performance from the entire team – with special mentions going to Cavani, de Sanctis and midfield general Gargano – has seen off an incredibly potent force. However Atalanta are unbeaten at home and have lost only 2 games so far; don't be deceived by their 13^th position, it's just that the Serie A table is flat like Ally McBeal. There won't be many goals scored – Napoli conceded only 7 overall and Atalanta scored a misrable 5 at Atleti Azzurri d'Italia – and noe also needs to take into consideration that Napoli have a very important game v Juventus next week.

Lazio v Juventus (26.11, 19:45) under 2,5 goals (1.75)

The second takes on the first. Lazio haven't lost in 9, Juventus are yet to find a side better than them in the league. Lazio don't score much at Stadio Olimpico; Bianconeri aren't exactly Real Madrid of the 50's away from their ground (I was this close to writing Delle Alpi, sadly it's not with us anymore...). Antonio Conte, himself a strong and spirited midfielder for Juve, recently masterminded a back to back wins over Fiorentina, Inter and Palermo owing much to the great form of his attacking midfielder Claudio Marchisio. Only Napoli and...Juve are better defensively than Edoardo Reja's side (8 as opposed to 7 conceded). I believe we're in for some solid football here albeit not one with many goals. Under 2.5 goals seems like a safe prospect.

Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (26.11, 19:00) over 4,5 goals (2.65)

El Madrileno derby, something at least half of the city looks forward to every half a year or so (or, well, most of the seasons when they are in the top flight). Real are enjoying a superb spell of form, beating every opposition. Atletico, on the other hand, are typically inconsistent – 4 wins, 4 draws and guess what, 4 defeats. Their games are usually very exciting for neutrals and this one should provide a lot of goals too although this could quickly turn into one way traffic, provided the three attacking muskeeters Arda Turan – Jose Antonio Reyes – Diego will be cut off this should be more than enough to nullify the threat posed by Adrian (who will most probably start, in light of Falcao's continuing health issues). Atletico last beat their arch-rivals back in the 99/00 season so when they boasted players like Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Kiko up front (and, funnily enough, got relegated) and no one expected Clarence Seedorf to lose those beautiful dreadlocks.

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke 04 (26.11, 14:30) Robert Lewandowski to score any time (2.45)

One of the biggest rivalries in Bundesliga. Schalke have got a far better record agains Jurgen Klopp's side, losing only 3 of the last 25 games! Borussia have beaten Bayern last week only to minimise their chances of progression to the knock-out stages of the Champions League by losing 2:1 to Arsenal (mathematically they can still go through with other results going their way). They have not only lost on the pitch but have also lost Sven Bender who have arguably been one of the strongest links in Dortmund. Schalke will probably play Raul lurking just behind Huntelaar which, in the absence of Farfan, works quite well for them. However, Lewandowski has scored all his 8 goals at Signal Iduna park and having only assisted to his teammates lately is most definitely wanting to finally leave his mark in a massive game like this one.

Toulouse v Valenciennes (26.11, 18:00) under 2,5 goals (1.50)

Valenciennes have won 2 of their last 32 (!) away games. Now that's a shocking bit of statistics. Toulouse haven't been impressive as of late either, scoring a laughable 1 in 6 of their last games. Toulouse manager, Alain Cassanova, has been experimenting with the out-of-favour 4-1-4-1 formation but with Daniel Braaten often acting as a second striker and the midfield looking quite compressed. There's also a man called Pele in the Toulouse team, any relation to either the Brazilian Pele or Abedi Pele has not been established. There really isn't that much you can say about this game.

And finally some more fixtures I had a closer look at:

Bolton v Everton (26.11, 15:00) Klasnic to score any time (3.00)

Manchester United v Newcastle United (26.11, 15:00) over 1,5 goals in the 2^nd half (1.95)

Palermo v Fiorentina (27.11, 14:00) 1 (2.20)

Siena v Inter Milan (27.11, 14:00) X (3.25)

AC Milan v Chievo (27.11, 19:45) 1 to score in both halves (2.05)

Rayo Vallecano v Valencia (26.11, 17:00) both teams to score (1.95)

Lille v Brest (26.11, 20:00) Eden Hazard to score any time (2.70)

PSV Eindhoven v FC Groningen (26.11, 19:45) Wijnaldum to score any time (no odds on bwin)

FC Twente Enschede v Vitesse Arnhem (27.11, 15:30) 1 to win and over 1,5 goals combined (1.65)

FC Porto v Braga (27.11, 18:15) 1 (1.44)

Celtic v St. Mirren (26.11, 15:00) Anthony Stokes to score at any time (no odds on bwin)

Korona Kielce v Legia Warszawa (26.11, 17:00) X/2 (5.00)

Lech Poznan v Widzew Łódź (27.11, 16:00) 1 (1.50)

Lechia Gdańsk v Ruch Chorzów (28.11, 17:30) under 2,5 goals (1.62)

Bonne chance!

A rather miserable evening. Not even the beautifully crafted move from Legia to make it 1:0 v Zagłębie (which can be viewed here) or the weighted lob from Razvan Rat to slot it home

could make it any better.  

Bayer Leverkusen v Chelsea X at either halftime or fulltime

Valencia v Racing Genk Roberto Soldado to score at any time

Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund over 2,5 goals

Marseille v Olympiakos Piraeus under 2,5 goals

Zenit St. Petersburg v A.P.O.E.L. Nicosia 2:1, 3:1, 4:1

Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Porto both teams to score

BATE Borisov v Viktoria Plzen 1

AC Milan v Barcelona 1X

Legia Warsaw v Zagłębie Lubin 1 (1.40)

At least the last week will be extremely interesting with no less than 6 tickets to the knock-out round up for grabs.

Champions League, part deux (and some Polski League)

Despite spending most of time reading about/ watching/ discussing football, I'm still a final year student so excuse the lack of any write-up regarding the today's games. I sometimes need to do some work and catch up on some sleep too...I know, how cliche, right? Regular service should be resumed for the weekend games. Below are...you know the drill by now.

Bayer Leverkusen v Chelsea (23.11, 19:45) X at either halftime or fulltime (1.62)

Valencia v Racing Genk (23.11, 19:45) Roberto Soldado to score at any time (1.35)

Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund (23.11, 19:45) over 2,5 goals (1.83)

Marseille v Olympiakos Piraeus (23.11, 19:45) under 2,5 goals (1.83)

Zenit St. Petersburg v A.P.O.E.L. Nicosia (23.11, 17:00) 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 (4.40)

Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Porto (23.11, 19:45) both teams to score (1,65)

BATE Borisov v Viktoria Plzen (23.11, 18:00) 1 (2.15)

AC Milan v Barcelona (23.11, 19:45) 1X (2.00)

Legia Warsaw v Zagłębie Lubin (23.11, 17:30) 1 (1.40)

A night to remember

If you're a Napoli supporter, that is....although then you have other things to worry about, like your garbage being collected --> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7266755.stm

Bayern Munchen v Villareal 1 to score in both halves

Napoli v Manchester City both teams to score

CSKA Moscow v Lille under 2,5 goals scored in the game

Trabzonspor v Inter Milan X at either halftime or fulltime (with an absolute golaso from Altintop, ignore the slight deflection):

Manchester United v Benfica 1 to win 2:1 (damn you, Pablo Aimar...)

Otelul Galati v Basel 1^st falf X, 2 to win the game

Lyon v Ajax Amsterdam both teams score in the game

Real Madrid v Dinamo Zagreb 1 to win by 3 or more goals (I have to admit that this was probably the fastest bet that I've ever got my way)

More to come tomorrow!

 

Champions League tonight!

Bayern Munchen v Villareal (22.11, 19:45) 1 to score in both halves (1.62)

Even despite the defeat against Dortmund on home soil over the weekend and Villareal's victory over Betis it's difficult to expect Juan Carlos Garrido's players – without a single point in this year's competition – to be an obstacle to Bayern who could secure their progress to the next round with a win today. Gomez, Robben, Ribery and Muller are lethal this season and should be too hot to handle for Villareal.

Napoli v Manchester City (22.11, 19:45) both teams to score (1.67)

Definitely THE game tonight. It seems that whoever takes that one is almost guaranteed to go through. Napoli have drawn 1-1 in Manchester and have a good European home record – the last team to beat them at San Paolo was Eintracht Frankfurt (however this is largely due to the fact that the 2011/12 campaign is the first after a 13 year long break...although I guess they could take at least some consolation from the fact it'll take Frankfurt even longer to get back to European cups). One of the most formidable attacking forces in Europe meets a resolutely organised and highly-motivated side. Walter Mazzari is aware of this game's magnitude and he knows perfectly well 1 point won't be good enough so I don't think the goalless draw v Lazio just a few days ago is a good indicator of what we're going to see.

CSKA Moscow v Lille (22.11, 17:00) under 2,5 goals scored in the game (1.85)

CSKA have a decent record against French opposition in Moscow – winning 2 (4:0 v Auxerre en-route to the UEFA Cup glory in 2005 and 2:0 v PSG in the Champions League group stage game the same season) and losing 1:2 v Marseille in the 05/06 Champions League group stage. Vagner Love provided both goals in that 2:0 victory; he will need to step up and deliver as CSKA's best striker Doumbia is out injured. Lille have dropped down a gear or two in relation to what they were showing throughout the early stages of the season – with 3 rather unconvincing draws in as many games (two away from home) they will need to attack from the outset. CSKA have lost to Rubin over the weekend but with the better situation in the table, Lille who will have to go forward from the first minute and tough weather conditions with the temperature expected to drop below 0, I fancy CSKA to win with under 2,5 goals scored in the game. Interestingly, the odds are perfectly equal for both outcomes (at 1,85) so it's a very evenly matched encounter.

Trabzonspor v Inter Milan (22.11 19:45) X at either halftime or fulltime (1.62)

Trabzonspor's 1:0 victory over Inter in the first leg was arguably the biggest shock that gameweek. Inter recovered, 3 wins in 3 games; Trabzonspor's record isn't nearly as good as they drew 2 and lost comprehensively away to CSKA. Inter is struggling domestically (finding themselves in the 16^th position only 3 points away from relegation zone) but so far they seemed to be able to cast that aside in Champions League; however they will face a difficult task as they travel without the injured Wesley Sneijder. In a pre-match conference Senol Gunes said he wants a double over Inter...will the Avni Aker Stadium packed with loud and relentless Trabzon fans help them achieve that? I think they might hold Inter out to a draw.

Manchester United v Benfica (22.11, 19:45) 1 to win 2:1 (8.25)

Manchester United won their first European Cup in 1968 facing the famous Benfica team lead by the "Black Pearl", Eusebio. Since then the two sides have met a number of times but never at such level. United are currently topping the group but only on goal difference. They have been far from convincing recently (including Champions League) but 3 straight 1:0 wins in the EPL and 5 straight clean sheets in all competitions have surely helped them regain confidence after the 1:6 v Man City at Old Trafford a while ago. Benfica go into the game tonight remembering they have arguably been the dominant side when the sides first met in September. They have also performed very well in the Primeira Liga so far and are yet to be beaten (8 wins in 10 games including a valuable 2:2 draw at Estadio Dragao against champions Porto). This game is even more interesting if one bears in mind that United haven't lost at home in the Champions League in 2 years (they have been very close had it not been for Ashley Young's header in dying minutes of the game v Basel) and Benfica have a perfect record on the road. Pablo Aimar claims Benfica are ready for the challenge. I'm not so sure about it and think Ferguson has finally managed to re-instill the right frame of mind in his players although Benfica will be the toughest opponent United had to play since the Manchester derby. 2:1 to Man United after a close game.

Otelul Galati v Basel (22.11, 19:45) 1^st falf X, 2 to win the game (5.00)

When the groups have been drawn many have wondered whether Galati will rise to the task; and until now the doubters have been right. Dorinel Munteanu (who is the most-capped Romanian player of all times with 134 caps for his country) side are as bad at home as they are away; in fact, their only goal came at St Jakob Park in the first leg. Basel, on the other hand, still retained their chances of progressing and are now sitting at 3^rd spot with 5 points in 4 games; a victory in Romania may put them back in contention for progression to the knock-out phase. Comfortably leading the pack in the league – 9 wins in 10 as opposed to Otelul's 6 in 13 in Liga 1 up until now – means both teams are going to be up for it albeit for different reasons. One of those games which could turn into a real goal feast or turn the most avid football fan into an opera-lover. Well, that's probably impossible but you get what I'm trying to say here. 

Lyon v Ajax Amsterdam (22.11, 19:45) both teams score in the match (1.78)

Lyon have been very inconsistent in Ligue 1 – and the patchy win lose win lose displays mean they are now sitting only in 5^th, 7 points adrift the leaders PSG. Only 4 points in as many games in Champions League have put them in 3^rd spot and they need a victory to go level with Ajax and keep the dreams of going through alive. Ajax have experienced a similarily changing fortune this season, 21 points in 13 games is far below what the Amsterdam fans expect from their players. A lot of people thought that Frank De Boer might be the man for the job and even though talents of another batch of academy-nurtured players have exploded (like the apparent 30m Euro price tag slapped on midfielder Christian Eriksen or the much coveted Siem de Jong) the flippant nature of the youngsters seems to be taking the better of the team. Lyon lost to a very solid Rennes side at home but will be strengthened by the return of Lisandro Lopez (after being out for around 3 months with an ankle injury); Ajax let a 2:0 lead against NAC Breda at AmsterdamArena slip away in the last 8 minutes but are in the better starting position than Remi Garde's team. Ajax scores loads more after the break and I've initially wanted to go for both teams scoring in the 2^nd half but strangely bwin doesn't offer odds for that one...so both teams to score it is.

Real Madrid v Dinamo Zagreb (22.11, 19:45) 1 to win by 3 or more goals (1.45)

Madrid haven't been in that good a form...well, for a pretty long time. Top of the league, scored 4 more than Barcelona – almost inconceivable only a while ago – and enjoying a great spell of from from a few more players giving Ronaldo even more chances to show off his talents. Dinamo have the worst record in Champions League thus far with 9 conceded and 0 scored. Ex-Dinamo player Robert Prosinecki has said in an interview that if Dinamo park the bus, play bravely and hope it just won't be Madrid's day they stand a chance. That's quite a few 'ifs' to be perfectly honest. The experienced Joe Simunic partnered by the ex-Sporting Tonel won't enough to stop the pacey feet of Di Maria and Benzema.

Weekend 1 round-up

Man City v Newcastle; over 1.5 goals in the 2^nd half

Wigan v Blackburn; both teams to score

Sunderland v Fulham; X at halftime or fulltime

Napoli v Lazio; X2  

SC Heerenveen v RKC Waalwijk; 1 to win both halves

Schalke 04 v FC Nurnberg; Klaas Jan-Huntelaar to score at any time

Legia Warszawa v Lechia Gdansk; 1 to win without conceding

Barcelona v Real Zaragoza; Leo Messi to score at any time

Montpellier v Marseille; over 2.5 goals 

Dijon v Girondins Bordeaux; over 2.5 goals

PSG v AS Nancy; Nene to score at any time

Stuttgart v Augsburg; 1

Bayern Munchen v Borussia Dortmund; Thomas Muller to score at any time 

Real Sociedad v Espanyol; X halftime or fulltime

Rangers v St. Johnstone; Nikica Jelavic to score at any time

9/15. Pretty average although you can't complain when one of your bets is defeated by a goal of this quality (and Nene missing a few chances, too)...

And also:

Could you please do it in the first half next time, Gerald?

The international break is over...

...and we're back to club football! Here are some predictions for the upcoming weekend. All odds are taken from bwin.com.

Man City v Newcastle (19.11, 15:00); over 1.5 goals in the 2^nd half (1.80)

Man City is definitely one of the 'in-form' teams in Europe's top flights at the moment, they've won all but one game in the Premier League so far and have been faring alright in the Champions League, too. With Yaya Toure and either Gareth Barry or Nigel de Jong in the centre of the park the atacking players have the comfort to freely combine to produce some exhilirating football up front and they have done so to devastating effect – scoring 39 goals in 11 games in the league alone. The Newcastle side they're facing is the only other unbeaten team in the league however Alan Pardew's team is yet to beat an opposition from the top 10 - they've drawn with Spurs, Arsenal and Villa, scoring only 2 in the process. Newcastle's away record is nevertheless quite impressive as it includes beating the Europa League sensation Stoke (always very strong at their home turf) and a 1-0 win over Sunderland in the hotly contested Tyne Wear derby. In all but one of the last 6 games Newcastle scored at least 2 goals; both teams scored the majority of their goals in the second halves, too. At 1.80, over 1.5 goals in the 2^nd half, looks like a good call.

Wigan v Blackburn (19.11, 15:00); both teams to score (1.67)

If Blackburn have done only one thing worth mentioning this season – beating Arsenal 4:3 after a thrilling game – then Wigan have not even done that. Having scored 7 in 11 games and losing their last 8 they have the worst goal record in the entire league. Blackburn, on the other hand, have the second worst goal record (joint with Stoke) and have also conceded a staggering 24 in 11 league games (and haven't kept a clean sheet in cup games either). Abysmal defending meets a rather laughable strike force at the bottom of the table; however, last season when the two met it finished 4:3 to Wigan (remember that crazy February weekend with over 40 goals in 8 games?) and when's a better time to change something in your team than an almost 2-week long international break? With the odds at 1.67 this six-pointer could produce a completely unexpected goals bonanza.

Sunderland v Fulham (19.11, 15:00) X at halftime or fulltime (1.60)

Fulham are not exactly convincing away – only 4 points out of possible 15. Similarly, Sunderland have not won too many fans over with their performances at the Stadium of Light – with 1 win in 5 games they occupy 15^th spot. In Fulham's defence, Martin Jol's team is doing rather well in the Europa League where they have all but qualified. Their lacklustre form in the domestic competition might be a sign of the team which still haven't found its rhythm in the weekend-to-midweek-fixture system, however their fans surely hope Jol has found the right formula during the international break. Damien Duff, elated with Ireland's qualification for the Euro 2012 is going to threaten the rather resolute Sunderland's back line and with Seb Larsson suspended for 3 games, the Black Cats might find it difficult to produce quality in Fulham's third. 

Napoli v Lazio (19.11, 19:45) X2 (1.72)

Lazio are impressive on the road this season, having won 4 out of 5 and drawn the remaining one. Napoli seem to be focusing on the Champions League (and understandably so as they haven't played in the competition for quite a few years now!) and this reflects their Serie A form which seems to follow a pattern of lost-draw-win. At San Paolo they've beaten the leaders Udinese (joint with...Lazio) but have also lost to the relative outsiders Parma or drew with Fiorentina which is mediocre at best this season. It does look as if Napoli are able to motivate themselves extra for the 'big' games (AC Milan, Inter, Udinese – all won) but with a massive home fixture to Man City on Tuesday they might have to play cautiously as not to compromise their chances of progression to the knock-out phase. 

 

SC Heerenveen v RKC Waalwijk (19.11, 18:45) 1 to win both halves (2.00)

Heerenveen are on a very good run of form, they haven't lost since the 1-5 drubbing against Twente on 20 August; they have won 5 out of 9 games played since then and 3 of the last 3 (putting 4 past Utrecht and ADO Den Haag). Bas Doost and Oussama Assaidi have been particularly impressive, notching 8 and 7 goals respectively. Waalwijk on the the other hand, have endured a miserable run of 5 games without a win and have only scored 2 in those. Their away form is just as bad (4 lost out of 6) and with Abe Lenstra ground starting to resemble a stronghold it is difficult to see past the home team in this one. 

 

Schalke 04 v FC Nurnberg (19.11, 14:30) Klaas Jan-Huntelaar to score at any time (2.00)

Nurnberg have leaked 20 in 11 games and Huntelaar has scored 10 in 11 (and an impressive 21 in 19 in all competitions this season). Schalke have been on a good run of form as of late and Nurnberg just can't find the winning formula for over 2 months now. Even with Farfan out, The Hunter (as Huntelaar's has aptly been nicknamed) should be able to find the net.

Legia Warszawa v Lechia Gdansk (19.11, 17:00) 1 to win without conceding (2.05)

Legia has not conceded a goal in the Polish Ekstraklasa in 6 games and in the meantime have also qualified to the knock-out stage of Europa League after only 4 group games. Lechia have recently sacked Tomasz Kafarski after the goalless draw against Widzew, which was symptomatic of their goal scoring malaise this year; they have managed only 6 in 13 games and 1 in the last 7. Legia's Kuciak has gelled with the back four almost immediately and this seems to have given the entire team a lot of confidence when going forward. With the stakes being still relatively high it seems to be a good time to bet on Maciej Skorza's outfit. 

 

Barcelona v Real Zaragoza (19.11, 19:00) Leo Messi to score at any time (1.35)

Barcelona are undisputed favourites of this one, in fact if they win by less than a 2 goal margin it might come as a bit of a shock. Zaragoza are struggling for goals – only 12 in 11 and no wins away from La Romareda. Gone are the days of D'Alessandro, Milito, Aimar, Ayala...sorry, got a bit carried away there. Messi is a goal machine at Camp Nou and this game shouldn't be any different from the previous ones where he's scored 23 in 18.

And some more fixtures I've been contemplating putting money on (but couldn't be bothered to do a write-up on).

Montpellier v Marseille (19.11, 20:00), over 2.5 goals (2.10)

Dijon v Girondins Bordeaux (19.11, 18:00) over 2.5 goals (2.15)

PSG v AS Nancy (20.11, 20:00) Nene to score at any time (2.10)

Stuttgart v Augsburg (20.11, 14:30), 1 (1.40)

Bayern Munchen v Borussia Dortmund (19.11, 17:30), Thomas Muller to score at any time (3.00)

Real Sociedad v Espanyol (20.11, 11:00) X halftime or fulltime (1.60)

Rangers v St. Johnstone (19.11, 16:00) Nikica Jelavic to score at any time (no odds on bwin, worth looking into though).

Hello there!

I'm Michal and I love football in all forms and shapes. I like betting as well and want to use this blog as a platform to share my thoughts and predictions regarding fixtures worth putting a proverbial 'fiver' on. However, a word of warning is due here; being the outspoken person I am, I will – probably rather regularly, too – give my views and opinions on all matters related to the beatiful game, be it a match-fixing scandal in the Albanian Second Division or Ronaldo's weekly spending on styling gel. The less relevant the better as someone somewhere must surely have said.

First tips coming soon so stay tuned!

MK