#daglashen

[betscorer-blog]

Arsenal vs. Manchester City

Venue: Emirates Stadium, London Kick-Off: 16:00 GMT The Gunners are threatening to deliver the fatal blow to Manchester City's title ambitions. The Citizens are really feeling the heat, having slipped five points behind rivals Man United in the Premier League race and should they fail to defeat Arsenal, they might as well consider that it's all over. Of course there will still be six games to go, yet it will be simply suicidal for the Red Devils to waste such a huge points advantage in the remaining rounds. You may expect little sympathy from Arsene Wenger's side, who has seen quite a few players lured away from the Emirates to join the wealthy Citizens. Wenger was clearly frustrated when asked about the latest rumours that Robin Van Persie could be involved in a summer saga. The fans will also give an unpleasant welcome to Samir Nasri, who returns to face his former club. Arsenal's seven-game winning streak came to an end last week, when they lost to QPR. They are fighting to hold a place that will give them a Champions League ticket for next season, but they cannot take anything for granted since there are quite a few contenders already. German defender Per Mertesacker (DF, 21 apps / 0 goals) remains sidelined and there is always the name of Jack Wilshere on the injury-list, but the good news for Wenger are that he is able to choose from a nearly full-strength squad for this game. Manchester City has already defeated Arsenal twice in the season. Their 1-0 win in the Carling Cup put an end in a woeful run of 28 games without a victory away at Arsenal in all competitions. That might be encouraging for Roberto Mancini's side, yet can they do it for a third time in a row? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Sunday is "Judgement Day" for Mancini, who has found himself in a whole lot of mess lately. It was all praises and joy for the Italian manager back a few months, when the Sky Blues were appearing strong and confident. However, following their exits in the Champions League and the Europa League, as well as their failures in the FA Cup and the Carling Cup, the tide changed. As long as Man City was hot in the EPL title race, Mancini's hope were pinned at winning the crown. Now that it's looking to get beyond reach, he is receiving a lot of criticism. Mancini welcomes back Argentinean forward Sergio Aguero (27 apps / 17 goals), midfielder Samir Nasri (23 apps / 4 goals) and defender Joleon Lescott (24 apps / 2 goals) for the crucial visit to the Emirates. One final chance and that's it... I will back the Citizens to keep their chances alive, securing a refund with a draw no bet option. Possible line-ups: ARSENAL: Szczesny - Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs - Arteta, Song, Rosicky - Walcott, Gervinho, Van Persie. MANCHESTER CITY: Hart - Zabaleta, K. Toure, Kompany, Kolarov - Barry, Y. Toure, Nasri - Aguero, Dzeko, Balotelli. H2H STATS 05/01/2011 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 0-0 (X) 29/04/2010 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 0-0 (X) 04/04/2009 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 2-0 (1) 25/08/2007 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 1-0 (1) 17/04/2007 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 3-1 (1) 22/10/2005 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 1-0 (1) 04/01/2005 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 1-1 (X) 01/02/2004 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 2-1 (1) 10/09/2002 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 2-1 (1) 28/10/2000 Arsenal vs. Manchester City: 5-0 (1)

[betscorer-blog]

Augsburg vs. Koln

Venue: SGL Arena, Augsburg Kick-Off: 14:30 GMT A battle for survival, with Augsburg enjoying a five-game unbeaten run and FC Koln trying to recover from last week's heavy beating at the hands of Bundesliga leaders Dortmund. The hosts are boasting a record of 12 draws in the league, most of them in the second half of the season. They were lucky to salvage a point last weekend, when Verhaegh's late goal leveled the game at Bremen. Coach Luhukay has made clear that he is not taking the poor performances of their next opponentsn into consideration and perhaps he might even be a little cautious about it. Forward Torsten Oehrl remains sidelined due to a thigh injury, while midfielders Marcel de Jong (12 apps / 1 goal) and Akaki Gogia (12 apps / 0 goals) are also unavailable. Stale Solbakken is under heavy pressure and he is having trouble to cope with some of the stars in his team. Podolski is nowhere near his standards lately, while he is said to be interested to move to Arsenal in the next transfer window. Things are not looking good for the Billy Goats, who have lost eight of their last 11 matches. Fortunately they aren't already inside the danger zone, due to their wins over rock-bottom Kaiserslautern and Hertha Berlin. Croatian midfielder Mate Jajalo is suspended for the trip to Augsburg, but besides him there aren't any new concerns for the visitors. I frankly think that Augsburg is a bit overestimated here by the bookies, basically due to the chaotic situation in their opponents' camp. Somehow, I think that an electric shock is needed to Koln, following the 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Dortmund. You may have seen a strong reaction from teams who find themselves in a similar situation and a good example of that is Hertha. Last week the Berliners managed to fight back after a 6-0 defeat to Bayern and they earned an emphatic 3-1 victory at Mainz. Why not a similar scenario here? Possible line-ups: AUGSBURG: Jentzsch - Verhaegh, Sankoh, Langkamp, Ostrzolek - Callsen-Bracker, Hosogai, Koo, Baier, Bellinghausen - Molders. KOLN: Rensing - Brecko, Sereno, Geromel, Eichner - Clemens, Lanig, Riether, Peszko - Podolski, Novakovic. H2H STATS 07/05/2008 Augsburg vs. Koln: 0-2 (2) 14/08/2006 Augsburg vs. Koln: 1-3 (2)

[betscorer-blog]

APOEL vs. Real Madrid

Venue: GSP Stadium, Nicosia Kick-Off: 19:45 GMT It will be a case of "David vs. Goliath" when APOEL faces Real Madrid on Tuesday. For the first time ever a team from Cyprus reaches the knock-out stages of the Champions League, so it is reasonable to say that they are living a fairytale at the moment. After the triumph over Lyon, most of APOEL players were saying that they were hoping to avoid Barcelona and Real Madrid in the next stage. However the draw wasn't favorable at all, as it set up a historic encounter with the Merengues. The scorer of the single goal against Lyon, Gustavo Manduca, is suspended for tonight's match, but besides the Brazilian forward Ivan Jovanovic has no other significant worries. The Serbian manager has acknowledged that eliminating Real Madrid would be a dream, yet he has asked his players to remain focused and gear up for the challenge of their lives. Real Madrid are six points clear at the top of La Liga and they are favorites to reach the Champions League Final in Germany. Jose Mourinho tried to keep a low profile in the press conference ahead of Tuesday's match, suggesting that APOEL should be given respect due to their achievements so far. The Special One has experienced a strong resistance in Cyprus, when Anorthosis held his Inter side to a draw. I am sure that he will not underestimate the Cypriot underdogs. Midfielder Xabi Alonso is suspended and he joins injured-hit Lassana Diarra on the sidelines. I find it hard to say much when there is such a huge gap separating the two teams. Real Madrid can ease past APOEL in both matches. However what I would like to point out is that the Cypriots have an athletic squad which can press a lot and give their opponents a tough time. If Real Madrid doesn't find an early goal, I think that the odds for an Under 2.5 goals scenario are bigger than what the prices offered suggest. Chances are that APOEL will not score and Real Madrid will not fire on all cylinders in the first leg. Possible line-ups: APOEL: Chiotis - Poursaitides, Paulo Jorge, Oliveira, Boaventura - Pinto, Nuno Morais, Sousa, Charalambides, Trickovski - Ailton. REAL MADRID: Casillas - Arbeloa, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo - Khedira, Granero, Ozil, Kaka - Ronaldo, Benzema.

[betscorer-blog]

OFI vs. Panathinaikos

Venue: Theodoros Vardinogiannis, Heraklion Kick-Off: 17:30 GMT Panathinaikos is in a state of shock, having suffered consecutive blows in the past 48 hours. First of all, the Members of the Board resigned yesterday and the future of the Club is uncertain. There is an urgent need for a cash injection in order to avoid trouble with UEFA licencing, but right now nobody is willing to spare any money at all. Following the riots in the derby against rivals Olympiakos, which forced the referee to abandon the game on the 87th min, Panathinaikos lost the game 3-0 on paper. In addition, 3 points were deducted from them and a furher 2 points will be deducted next season. The Greens will have to play the next 4 home games without their fans and they will also have to pay a 252.000 EUR fine. There is hardly any motivation for the remaining matches of the season, as the title has vanished and the best Panathinaikos can do is to compete for a ticket to the Champions League Qualifiers in the play-offs. Most of the fans are worried about the status of the Club and its future, rather than the outcome of any game and I am sure that the morale of the players has also hit an all-time low. Even manager Jesualdo Ferreira has revealed that he doesn't see anything that could keep him in his place next season. Regarding the trip to the island of Crete, midfielders Kostas Katsouranis (21 apps / 4 goals) and Simao (20 apps / 1 goal) are suspended. The star of the team, Sebastian Leto (17 apps / 15 goals) remains sidelined with a lengthy injury, as well as defender Mattias Bjarsmyr (9 apps / 0 goals), striker Rudolf Gergely (5 apps / 0 goals) and defender Giorgos Ioannidis (4 apps / 0 goals). French defender Jean-Alain Boumsong (13 apps / 3 goals) has shaken off his injury and he is expected to take his place in the starting line-up after nearly two months out of the action. OFI had a midweek Cup game against Olympiakos, which they lost 1-0. The Cretans are on a downtrend, as they have managed to earn just one point in the last five league matches. Goalkeeper Polychronis Vezyridis (8 apps), who took the place of Roy Carroll ever since his departure for Olympiakos, has been involved in a doping scandal and he is not available today. Defender Boldiszar Bodor (DF, 14 apps / 0 goals) is injured, however coach Nikos Anastopoulos has no fresh concerns ahead of this game. Anastopoulos used to be one of the most prolific strikers in Greece, during his football days. He is a leading figure of Olympiakos' history and that adds extra motivation to take advantage of Panathinaikos' problems and pile the misery on the Green camp. The prices have changed dramatically in most bookmakers, following the rapid developments in Panathinaikos. However, there is still value to my eyes. As a matter of fact, if OFI had more days to rest, I would take a bigger risk and back the straight home win at any odds above 4.00. I am going to stick with the home win with a Draw No Bet Option, which is still offered above 3.00, since I believe that the visitors will not have their minds on the game at all. H2H STATS 21/12/2008 OFI vs. Panathinaikos: 0-3 (2) 06/04/2008 OFI vs. Panathinaikos: 4-1 (1) 01/10/2006 OFI vs. Panathinaikos: 3-3 (X) 06/11/2005 OFI vs. Panathinaikos: 0-2 (2) 25/05/2005 OFI vs. Panathinaikos: 1-2 (2) 31/08/2003 OFI vs. Panathinaikos: 1-3 (2) 05/01/2003 OFI vs. Panathinaikos: 0-2 (2) 09/02/2002 OFI vs. Panathinaikos: 0-1 (2) 29/10/2000 OFI vs. Panathinaikos: 0-0 (X)

[betscorer-blog]

Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich

Venue: Borussia Park, Moenchengladbach Kick-Off: 19:30 GMT Bayern Munich can still make dreams about a treble this season, as they are competing in all three tournaments up to now (the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League). The Bavarian giants are firing up on all cylinders lately, having scored 20 goals in the past three matches. They cruised to an emphatic 7-0 victory over Basel in the second-leg of their Champions League tie and they demolished both Hoffenheim (7-1) and Hertha Berlin (6-0) in the league. Jupp Heynckes has silenced his critics following those impressive performances and he is now looking to take revenge for the two defeats suffered earlier at the hands of Borussia. Not an easy task, as Bayern doesn't have fond memories of their visits to Moenchengladbach. However, the Reds can be inspired by the fact that Bayern has never been eliminated in the Cup from Gladbach. In the six Cup clashes between the two teams, the first four were decided in extra-time or even penalty shoot-outs. Bayern emerged victorious in all occasions and they also won the two most recent encounters in the DFB Pokal. The Bavarians will miss midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger (15 apps / 3 goals) and defender Daniel van Buyten (13 apps / 4 goals) for the trip to Borussia Park. Borussia grabbed a vital 2-1 victory at Leverkusen on Saturday, but the three-game winless streak prior to that game had denied them a chance for the Bundesliga title. Of course, none would have expected such a successful run from the Foals at the beginning of the season. But Lucien Favre has taken the maximum from his players and created a team which plays attractive football. Gladbach has already beaten Bayern twice this season (1-0 at Munich and 3-1 at home), getting a league double over the Bavarians for the first time in their history. Grabbing a third in a row has been described as a "mission impossible" by director of sport Max Eberl. Statistically, that might be right. Yet I doubt that the hosts aren't fired up for the semi-final. Midfielder Patrick Herrmann (19 apps / 6 goals) is available again after a lengthy injury and that might be regarded as a good sign from Lucien Favre. Herrmann was the man of the match in the 3-1 triumph over Bayern back in January, scoring two goals for his team. Defender Tony Jantshke (25 apps / 0 goals) returns also, after missing Saturday's game due to suspension. I was initially thinking about taking a long-shot at Over 3.5 goals (which William Hill offers at 3.00) since Bayern's front line is on fire lately and that may lead to an open game early-on. However I chose the Asian Handicap of (+0.75) on Borussia instead, as the line is obviously wrong here. Having two outcomes in your favor and half your stake back in case of Bayern's win by one goal is quite safe in this match. I maybe wrong of course, but I don't think Bayern will have a walk in the park on Wednesday. Possible line-ups: GLADBACH: Ter Stegen - Jantschke, Stranzl, Dante, Daems - Neustadter, Nordtveit, Wendt, Arango - Reus, Hanke. BAYERN MUNICH: Neuer - Lahm, Boateng, Badstuber, Alaba - Luiz Gustavo, Kroos, Robben, Ribery - Muller, Gomez. H2H STATS 20/01/2012 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 3-1 (1) 06/11/2010 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 3-3 (X) 24/04/2010 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 1-1 (X) 15/11/2008 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 2-2 (X) 05/05/2007 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 1-1 (X) 27/11/2006 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 1-3 (2) 30/10/2004 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 2-0 (1) 18/10/2003 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 0-0 (X) 10/08/2002 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 0-0 (X) 28/07/2001 Gladbach vs. Bayern Munich: 1-0 (1)

[betscorer-blog]

Nancy vs. Montpellier

Venue: Marcel Picot, Tomblaine Kick-Off: 18:00 GMT Montpellier's fairy tale continues as the team from southern France is the top-form team in Ligue 1 at the moment. Unbeaten during 2012, MHSC is trailing big spenders PSG by a single point and the fans are making dreams about winning the title for the first time in their history. Coach Rene Girard has built a wonderful team, which is running an eight-game undefeated streak (6 wins - 2 draws). They could have already climbed at the top if they hadn't concede a late equalizer against PSG or at least if they didn't slip up at Dijon. Girard is not giving up the chase, despite the fact that the chairman of the club Louis Nicollin said in an interview on Friday that he doesn't believe in Santa Claus. Of course, even a second place will be a huge success for Montpellier, since it will automatically send them in the Champions League Groups. Nancy are engaged in a relegation battle and they are currently out of the danger zone just on goal difference. A couple of weeks earlier they stunned Lyon, but that was their only win in the last six rounds. Jean Fernandez is hoping to have Daniel Niculae (21 apps / 6 goals) available for the visit of high-flying Montpellier, as the Romanian striker struggled with a hamstring problem lately. ASNL boss will definitely miss defender Jean Calve (8 apps / 1 goal), defender Helder (8 apps / 0 goals) and forward Benjamin Jeannot (6 apps / 0 goals). Both teams are in desparate need of points for different reasons. The hosts are fighting to keep their top-flight status, while the visitors want to keep up the pressure on the league leaders. I expect to see a tight game, where the inferior team (in this case Nancy) will try to hold off the opposition and avoid trailing the score early on. Nancy has been a tough nut to crack at Stade Marcel-Picot and if you take a closer look in the stats, you will notice that 10 out of the 14 matches were tied at half time. What's more interesting to observe is that Montpellier approaches the games conservatively. It is worth noticing that 10 out of their 11 last matches (both home and away) were draws after the end of the first half. I strongly believe that another 0-0 at half time is a highly possible scenario. H2H STATS 30/01/2011 Nancy vs. Montpellier: 1-2 (2) 24/04/2010 Nancy vs. Montpellier: 0-0 (X) 20/08/2004 Nancy vs. Montpellier: 1-0 (1)

[betscorer-blog]

Lorient vs. Brest

Venue: Stade du Moustoir, Lorient Kick-Off: 18:00 GMT Twelve matches without a win have pushed Lorient close to the danger zone, just one point clear of 18th-placed Dijon. Coach Christian Gourcuff was relieved about the point earned at Toulouse, which brought a four-game losing streak to an end. However, his team is still looking for its first win since November 27th and the pressure is piling on him. The upcoming fixtures involve some crucial matches against teams that have the same goal as Lorient and that's of course to avoid getting into a relegation dogfight towards the end of the season. Gourcuff welcomes back quite a few regulars ahead of Brest's visit. Midfielders Mathieu Coutadeur (20 apps / 2 goals) and Yann Jouffre (20 apps / 3 goals), as well as striker Jeremie Aliadiere (11 apps / 2 goals) have all shaken off their injuries and are available again. Moreover, Togolese midfielder Romao (23 apps / 1 goal) returns after serving a suspension. At the moment the physio room is not as crowded as it used to be and the missing players are Gilles Sunu (FW, 15 apps / 1 goal), Arnaud Le Lan (DF, 5 apps / 0 goals), Benjamin Lecomte (GK, 5 apps) and Julien Quercia (FW, 3 apps / 0 goals). Brest is currently sitting 12th in the table rankings, yet they are just three points clear of the danger zone. The visitors have a woeful record on the road, as they haven't won any match so far and they have scored just 4 goals (the poorest scoring record on away matches from all the teams in Ligue 1). Defender Omar Daf (8 apps / 0 goals) is suspended, while forward Alexandre Alphonse (5 apps / 0 goals) picked up an injury and he will sit out. In addition, there are the long-term absentees of Gregory Lorenzi (DF, 12 apps / 0 goals), Larsen Toure (FW, 8 apps / 1 goal), Jonathan Ayite (FW, 6 apps / 0 goals) and Diallo Guidileye (6 apps / 0 goals). There are some good news though for coach Alex Dupont, as midfielder Benoit Lesoimier (25 apps / 3 goals), defender Jonathan Zebina (22 apps / 0 goals) and midfielder John Culma (13 apps / 0 goals) return to the squad. This is a local derby between two teams from the Britanny region. Lorient had the upper hand in the recent encounters and FCL can leapfrog their opponents if they win on Saturday. Christian Gourcuff's side has been a slow-starter in most home games. 8 out of the 13 games at Stade du Moustoir were goalless draws at half time. On the other hand, Brest has drawn more games in the first 45 mins than any other team away from home (10/13) and they have failed to score in the last trips to Lorient. This looks like a good match to bet on the half-time draw to my eyes. H2H STATS 29/01/2011 Lorient vs. Brest: 2-0 (1) 17/04/2006 Lorient vs. Brest: 5-0 (1) 16/12/2004 Lorient vs. Brest: 3-0 (1)

[betscorer-blog]

Panetolikos vs. Ergotelis

Venue: Panetolikos Stadium, Agrinio Kick-Off: 15:15 GMT The win at Xanthi kept Panetolikos' chances to avoid relegation alive, yet it will be worthless if they fail to win on Sunday. The clash with Ergotelis is like a final for the Canaries, who find themselves stuck in the danger zone and they have a mountain to climb in the remaining fixtures. Seven rounds remain and if you take a closer look at the schedule you will see that Panetolikos will have to face PAOK (H), AEK (A), Olympiakos (H), OFI (A), Aris (H) and Panathinaikos (A) in the next matches. Facing the TOP-4 teams (Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, PAOK, AEK) in the last rounds would be the worst possible scenario for a team struggling to survive in any league, so that gives you a better perspective about the importance of this match for the hosts. Recently-appointed Takis Lemonis is hoping to have defender David Addy (20 apps / 1 goal) available again, since the Ghanaian left-back has resumed training. He cannot count however on the services of defenders William Edjenguele (16 apps / 2 goals) and Dimitris Koutroumanos (12 apps / 0 goals), as well as goalkeeper Srdjan Blazic (GK, 12 apps) who remain sidelined. Panetolikos is a team that most of the fans here in Greece would regret to see it go down to the 2nd division. The reason is that the club represents a big region in the western part of Greece and it has dedicated fans who pack the stadium and create an enthusiastic atmosphere. Seven games without a win have pushed Ergotelis close to the danger pit and some fans are getting frustrated with the manager. Nikos Karageorgiou was relieved to get the back-up from the president of the club earlier this week, however he is not feeling comfortable at all. For the trip to Agrinio, the visitors are missing forward Sergio Leal (17 apps / 2 goals) and midfielder Michalis Fragoulakis (20 apps / 3 goals), who are both serving a suspension. Defender Georgi Shashiashvili (18 apps / 1 goal) returns to the squad, yet Sunday's game comes too soon for Argentinean midfielder Diego Romano (8 apps / 2 goals) who resumed training on Friday after a long-term injury. Since I mentioned above the remaining fixtures for Panetolikos, let's have a look at the next matches of Ergotelis. The Cretans will face Kerkyra (H), PAS Giannina (A), Atromitos (H), Doxa Dramas (A), Levadiakos (H) and Xanthi (A). You can easily notice that they have much more hopes of earning points, since four of these games are regarded as "six-pointers". The dilemma for me was whether to choose the Home Win or the Draw at Half Time in this tense game, which could be decided by a single goal. Both picks are priced evenly (around 2.00), but I decided to back Panetolikos due to the urgent need of points for the hosts.