Not able to complete previews for Spanish La Liga. So here are my predictions

Atl.Madrid vs Betis DRAW

Sevilla vs Villarreal (Sevilla WIN)

Valladolid vs Dep La Coruna DRAW

Malaga vs Numancia DRAW

Huelva vs Osasuna (Huelva WIN)

Getafe vs Mallorca (Getafe WIN)

Ath.Bilbao vs Gijon (Gijon WIN)

Almeria vs Santander (Santander WIN)

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Fiorentina vs Catania

Espnsoccernet: “I am expecting a good test against Catania on Sunday. (Catania coach Walter) Zenga and (Fiorentina coach Cesare) Prandelli are both top coaches but have very different characteristics.

“I am not sure what I will do if I should score this weekend but I will certainly give my all for my team.”

“We like his way of working and the fact that he has the desire to improve. He also keeps the group united. It was important for us that he has settled in well here in Catania.

“With time we have gotten to know each other better and our understanding has progressed. Zenga has obtained important results and has fully embraced our long term plans.

“Our programme calls for constant improvement but the priority remains our Serie A status which is part of the heritage of this city.”

Zenga’s immediate goal will be aiming to avoid a fifth away defeat in Florence.

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli will have to make do without suspended midfielder Felipe Melo. Marco Donadel is the favourite to fill in for the Brazilian.

Juan Vargas is expected to come in for Manuel Pasqual at left-back in the only other change to the side that thumped Torino 4-1 last weekend.

Martin Jorgensen and Massimo Gobbi remain sidelined through injury.

Goal.com: The Viola have enjoyed five wins and one draw against the Sicilian side and they are the favourites to take maximum points when the Rossoazzurri come to town on Sunday afternoon.

Gilardino and company have racked up 22 goals and conceded 14. Half of those scored have come from the former Parma man himself, such is his stunning form this term. The money the club paid for his was well spent and Catania will not fancy their chances of marking him.

A goalscoring problem seems to be holding Catania back from playing to their full potential. The attacking threat is almost non existent.Prediction 2-0

I will have to agree with Goal.com’s prediction. Stats are too compelling to bet against Fiorentina.

Fiorentina WIN

Genoa vs Atalanta

Espnsoccernet: Diego Milito (Genoa) has set his sights on playing in the Champions League with the Ligurian side after scoring to beat city rivals Sampdoria last weekend.

The Argentinian maintained his place at the top of the Serie A goalscoring charts with his 12th goal of the season to earn the Rossoblu their first derby victory in seven years.

“Maybe I can get another goal against Atalanta, but the important thing is the team wins to improve our league position,” he added.

“It will be a really hard game because they have some top quality players and they are having a great season,” he explained.

“We have got to have the right attitude for this game.”

Genoa coach Gian Piero Gasperini will be without Andrea Gasbarroni once again while Giuseppe Biava is suspended.

Raffaele Palladino could return to the three-man attack with midfielder Omar Milanetto sacrificed while Sokratis Papastathopoulos should step into the three-man defence.

Goal.com: The Genoa tifosi will be confident of collecting all three points because while Gasperini’s men have been brilliant at home, Atalanta have been rather poor away from the Stadio Atleti Azzurri D’Italia this season.

Atalanta have all the pieces necessary to achieve a similar finish to last season. Captain Cristiano Doni shows no signs of slowing down at 35 years of age, as he continues to direct the offense. Meanwhile, Sergio Floccari has picked up where he left off last season and perhaps even added a little more to his game as he contributes with goals and assists.

Atalanta have a fairly difficult task taking on Genoa at the Marassi, as they have only dropped two points there all season. Prediction 2-1

Genoa are being rated as favourites by the Asian bookies giving away -0.5 goal to Atlanta. Based on the news, I would have to go with Genoa win.

Genoa WIN

Inter vs Chievo

Espnsoccernet: Chievo have won just two games this season and are rooted to the bottom of the table.

Portuguese boss (Inter) - whose side go into the match on the back of a 2-1 Champions League defeat at Werder Bremen - warned Inter fans not to expect an emphatic victory against the Flying Donkeys

Inter will be without injured defender Marco Materazzi against Chievo. Adriano is doubtful with a thigh injury.

It has not been an easy run of fixtures either recently with defeats to Milan, Juve and Roma in their last five matches, and the Flying Donkeys face another test of their mettle tomorrow with a trip to the league leaders.

“In my opinion Inter have the tightest formation and not just in Italy. We will have to be perfect, not allow them any space and not forgot to impose our style.

“They are great champions and I’m aware it will be difficult to win. Difficult but not impossible.

Goal.com:

A match against bottom side Chievo, then, should not theoretically provide any problems for Inter, although traditionally this has always been a tricky fixture for the Italian champions, who have beaten Chievo at home just three times out of six. In the most recent meeting between the sides at San Siro, Inter nearly gave away a 4-0 lead, allowing Chievo to come back to 4-3 in the final minutes. There will also be pressure on the team to both bounce back from their latest European setback, and to take full advantage of the Juventus-Milan match later that night.

Against Inter, Chievo will obviously not be under any pressure to get a result, which could make them more dangerous.

Curiously enough, Inter haven’t managed to win by more than one goal in any of their home games this season, while romping to 4-0 and 3-0 wins respectively against Roma and Lazio at the Stadio Olmpico, and they also beat Torino and Palermo away from home with comfortable margins. However, against Chievo it’s unlikely we will see Inter struggle in front of their home fans again. Prediction 2-0

Asian bookies are giving Chievo -1.5,-2 head start. I think this is a bit too high. If inter were to win this game, it will not be more than 1 goal margin. However, I believe Chievo would be able to hold back the Inter attack. Inter quite possibly would field a weaker side to experiment on Chievo.

Inter vs Chievo DRAW

Palermo vs Siena

Espnsoccernet:

“Palermo are a compact side and they help each other out and press all over the pitch. We will need to produce our usual performance - and, I repeat, our usual attitude,”

Rossettini has played down the absence of suspended Palermo star Fabrizio Miccoli.

Palermo will be wary of Siena this weekend after the Robur came away from Sicily with a shock 3-2 win last season. However, the memory of that defeat should provide motivation for the Rosaneri.

Palermo have relied on their home form to carry them up the table. Ballardini’s side have only lost twice at the Renzo Barbera throughout the current campaign and have scored a great deal of goals in front of their own fans.
Marco Giampaolo’s men are enjoying a good run of form at the moment, as they have accumulated 10 points in their last six matches, including a fantastic victory over their bitter Tuscan rivals Fiorentina at the beginning of November.

Palermo are playing at home and this will be a substantial advantage for the Sicilians against a team that are considered relegation candidates. The talented Palermo unit should control the game and a win for the home side looks likely. With Miccoli missing, the performances of players like Cavani and Simplicio will be key to a Sicilian win on home turf. Prediction 2-1

Palermo WIN

Reggina vs Sampdoria

Espnsoccernet: Struggling Sampdoria are hoping to overcome the absence of midfield duo Gennaro Delvecchio and Daniele Franceschini when they meet Reggina tomorrow.

The Blucerchiati make the journey south to Reggio Calabria hoping to earn their first win on the road this season at the Stadio Oreste Granillo, having only managed to collect one point on their travels due to their inability to score goals.

They have notched just two goals while conceding 12 away from home.

Reggina are a club Mazzarri knows well as he once coached them.

Goal.com: Reggina have been a tough nut to crack in front of their passionate supporters and should be able to take something out of the match. It just remains to be seen whether they can take the full compliment of points or settle for another disappointing draw.
Samp’s form on the road has been woeful to say the least as they haven’t managed a win yet this season and their only positive result was a draw against Siena. Things doing get any easier for Mazzarri’s men as they travel down south to face a Reggina side who are no pushovers at home. Prediction 2-0

I believe Sampdoria will come out with a good result here tonight.

Reggina vs Sampdoria DRAW

Roma vs Cagliari Prediction

Espnsoccernet:

Brighi, who struck the opener in Roma4s 2-0 triumph over Bordeaux in Tuesday4s Champions League, will serve a one-match ban this weekend.

The good news for Roma boss Luciano Spalletti is that midfielder David Pizarro has recovered from injury in time to replace Brighi.

“Our aim is to finish in the top four and we will not give up.

“In the Champions League and on the domestic front we will fight until the end.”

Cagliari are level on 20 points with Roma and they travel to the Italian capital full of confidence after their 1-0 win against Palermo.

Montenegrin forward Mirko Vucinic is expected to return to Roma4s starting XI having fully recovered from a muscular problem.

I think Roma will beat Cagliari with home form and huge morale boost at home.

Roma WIN

Udinese vs Lazio

Espnsoccernet: Udinese midfielder Gaetano D4Agostino has vehemently denied there is friction in the Bianconeri dressing room ahead of Sunday4s game against Lazio.

Last weekend4s 3-0 thumping by Atalanta marked their fifth consecutive league defeat and saw the Friuli side drop to 10th in the standings

“We are going through a difficult moment but this makes us all the more united.

“The fact that we have decided to train away from the city is in order to be together, talk to each other and focus.”

Udinese have given away 10 goals in their last five games while finding the net only twice.

“We have faced difficult situations before but nothing like this one,” the Italy international said.

“We are not accustomed to losing.

D4Agostino expects a difficult encounter against a Lazio side that like Udinese, started the season well but are now struggling.

“Lazio are tough opponents,” he warned.

“However, we cannot focus on them but on ourselves. It depends on us. We just need one win to get our confidence back.”

Lazio are indeed in need of a win themselves after taking just one point in their last four games.

The visitors will be without suspended midfielder Cristian Brocchi.

Em… bad things are coming out of Udinese. Prepare for a one sided victory from Lazio.

Lazio WIN

Juventus vs Milan

It is the meeting with Juve captain Del Piero that most excites the South American star.

“Alex is my idol,” he said.

“He is a better free-kick specialist than I am, and I have no problem in stating that.

“He strikes the ball in such a manner that the trajectory is strong and unpredictable. If I were a goalkeeper, I wouldn4t know where to stand.”

“It would be important to win this game but not crucial for the Scudetto race,” he said.

“We are not even half way through the season. We have to keep working hard, and it will pay off.”

The Rossoneri will have an added motivation to win, because they hope to dedicate the victory to injured midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.

The hosts will be without suspended defender Nicola Legrottaglie.

Juventus vs Milan DRAW

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Hoffenheim vs FC Schalke 04 Prediction

Goal.com: struggle.  Ralf Rangnick’s side is, if not the best conditioned team in the league, the hardest working.  Thus far, their tireless effort has seen Hoffenheim rise to the top of the table, but it will take more than just speed to beat the well-disciplined Schalke defence, which has leaked in just 15 goals thus far.

It may at first seem a very difficult call, but I’m going to have to tip this one to Hoffenheim.  Schalke’s defense has been remarkably effective this year, but not on the road.  Hoffenheim, on the other hand, have a plus-15 goal differential at home and have defended their home turf well, winning seven and drawing one.  With news of Bayern’s dropped points, Hoffenheim will be extra motivated to win and be crowned winter champions. Prediction 3-1

Asian handicap are also favouring the home side. They are -0,-0.5 favourite. I am favouring a home win as well. Schalke’s defence will be no match to Hoffenheim’s attacking flair. Easy Home win for me

Hoffenheim WIN

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Portsmouth vs Newcastle United Prediction

Espnsoccernet: “At the moment their attitude and professionalism is first class and I couldn’t wish to manage a better group of players,” said the former Arsenal captain (Tony Adams).

“They’ve got a great togetherness and team spirit. I knew that. It’s one of the main reasons why I took the job in the first place.

Portsmouth will be without defender Younes Kaboul (ankle). Glen Johnson is fit after shaking off a minor knee problem but Papa Bouba Diop is suspended.

Kinnear will make a late decision on Nicky Butt (hamstring), Damien Duff (groin), Shola Ameobi (foot and ankle) and Danny Guthrie (hip).

Goal.com:

In front of their own fans, Portsmouth have lost just twice in eight fixtures so far and are only five points away from 5th place.

In the head-to-head meetings between the two sides, Pompey are unbeaten in the last three and have never lost to Sunday’s opponents in the Premier League at Fratton Park.

On-loan star Armand Traore is back in training, but will not be ready for Sunday’s game. Neither will Younes Kaboul, who has an ankle problem or forward John Utaka, with the 26-year-old Nigerian still struggling with a hip injury. Prediction 2-1

Portsmouth are -0,-0.5 favourites in this match up. Looking at the way Newcastle play last weekend, they deserve to lose this match. Portsmouth aren’t impressive themselves being held up by lowly West Brom last week away from home. With home advantage, they might just be able to take all three points from the visitors.

Portsmouth WIN

Chelsea v West Ham United: Preview

Espnsoccernet: West Ham travel to Stamford Bridge with just one victory from 10 matches, a run that has left them 16th in the Barclays Premier League table.

But despite the recent lack of success - they failed to secure a single point in four games throughout October

West Ham’s long-term absentees Kieron Dyer and Dean Ashton are out.

Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari must decide whether to stick with France striker Nicolas Anelka or recall Didier Drogba.

Goal.com: West Ham’s record at Chelsea is poor, having lost their last six Premier League games to the Blues; yet they will be boosted by the fact that they recently returned from Anfield with a hard-fought point and will be hoping to go one better at the Bridge.

Chelsea have been less than convincing at home in recent weeks yet West Ham’s dismal form suggests they are unlikely to cause a stir across town.

The Hammers are struggling in front of goal whilst Chelsea boast the league’s topscorer in Anelka and are also able to welcome back Didier Drogba.

Although Zola will be desperate for a result against his former club, the Blues look likely to inflict more misery on their former favourite.Prediction 1-0

Easy pick for me this one.

Chelsea WIN

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Was not around the whole day today. Only able to post predictions for 3 bundesliga games. The Arsenal game has already started. I think I’ll have to stop and only write predictions for tomorrow’s game. Stay tune for tweets though.

 

 

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Hamburg SV vs Eintracht Frankfurt Prediction

Espnsoccernet: A victory over Eintracht Frankfurt is all Hamburg wants for Christmas, according to sporting director Dietmar Beiersdorfer.

Alex Silva is expected to return from an ankle injury, most likely at the expense of Collin Benjamin, while Guy Demel (suspended), Thimothee Atouba (Achilles), Bastian Reinhardt (ankle), Nigel de Jong (knee), Romeo Castelen and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting (both knee surgery) will be sidelined.

Oka Nikolov (foot), Christoph Preuss, Christoph Spycher, Ioannis Amanatidis (all knee surgery), Zlatan Bajramovic (toe), Umit Korkmaz (broken foot), Alexander Meier (unfit) and Chris (shoulder surgery) are missing for Frankfurt.

Hamburg are a good team. Playing at home against a weakened Frankfurt team, they should wrap this up for Christmas.

Hamburg WIN

 

Hertha Berlin v Karlsruhe Prediction

Espnsoccernet: The Serbia star, who has four goals to his name this term, is rumoured to be on his way out during the winter break after losing his starting spot and falling out with coach Lucien Favre.

Hertha might have to replace Josip Simunic tomorrow with the skipper nursing a calf injury.

“Karlsruhe will be difficult to beat,” he said. “The result against Bremen will give them a boost.

Goal.com: Karlsruhe bagged a vital win last weekend at home to Werder and will wan to build upon that this weekend. 

Asian bookies are giving away a goal to guests. It is a little bit high and I think the most is a one goal margin victory for Hertha. Results are showing that Hertha is a strong team and seeing them play with Schalke last week, Hertha has certainly got an edge.

 

Hertha WIN

VfB Stuttgart vs Bayern Munich Prediction

After a shaky start, it has been all smiles in Munich, who last Friday drew level on points with league leaders Hoffenheim thanks to a 1-0 victory.

Their confidence received a further boost on Wednesday when they posted a 3-2 victory at Lyon in the Champions League.

“We can be very pleased,” manager Uli Hoeness said. “Four wins, two draws, no losses - we have played a great Champions League group stage.”

Goal.com: “If we can reproduce the kind of aggression and determination that we saw in the past three matches, then I firmly believe that we have every chance of beating Bayern. If you allow them the space to play football, they will leave you with no chance” he added.  

“I have explained to the team that we are not at the end of our journey.   We have no need to be afraid of them, but instead, go into the game with a healthy amount of respect for their ability and then attempt to force our qualities on the match” the VfB trainer concluded.  

Goal.com: The trio of Lucio, Zé Roberto and Lukas Podolski, who were missing from the trip to Lyon, are back in contention after recovering from a mixture of injury and illness. All three have returned to training and are set to play a role on Saturday. Franck Ribéry is a doubt, however, with a sore shoulder. Prediction 1-2

Bayern are -0,-0.5 favourites despite playing away from home. Its difficult to split the sides just by looking at the past encounters. I will follow the bookies.

Bayern WIN

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Dortmund vs Gladbach Prediction

Espnsoccernet: “We have got to give it our all for one last time,” Klopp said. “There can be no excuses. This has got to be our game. Everybody wants the three points.

“There are almost seven weeks until our next competitive match so nobody can be thinking they feel tired on Friday night.”

 

Such high morale boost at the Dortmund camp. Surely a win by the home side. Asian bookies are rating Dortmund very highly giving away 1 goal to Gladbach.

 

Dortmund WIN

Klopp is also calling on the fans to give his team one more lift this year.

“The atmosphere has got to be electric,” he said. “Everything has got to be right on Friday.”

 

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Instead of waiting for someone to come advertise on my website, I thought it’ll be entertaining that I add some banned commercial on the right sidebar for the time being. Enjoy.

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West Ham vs Tottenham prediction

Espnsoccernet: Zola is still without striker Dean Ashton (ankle) ahead of the match against Tottenham on Monday night while Lee Bowyer is attempting to shake off a knock and hopes to be involved.

Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric will have his groin injury assessed ahead of the game while skipper Ledley King could return if his knee is ready for action, and Jermaine Jenas is fit following a toe problem.

West Ham are also protecting a three-match unbeaten run, with clean sheets in all three games, and Redknapp is pleased to see Zola remaining in football as a manager.

Goal.com: Redknapp has not lost a game when visiting Upton Park since leaving the club in 2001, but Gianfranco Zola’s men will be eager to correct that statistic and climb up the table.

The Hammers are unlikely to make changes to the side that collected a point against Anfield, though Lee Bowyer may recover from a knock to force himself into contention for the starting 11.

Tottenham’s defence has been problematic this season, and Craig Bellamy is exactly the sort of striker that could cause them problems. If he is given a run at Ledley King, who is permanently attempting to nurse his knee to recovery, or Michael Dawson, who has displayed ill-discipline and struggles against forwards with genuine pace, the Welshman could add more goals to a rather bare tally of just one for the season.

Asian bookies indicate that this is an even match up. Recent Meetings are favouring Tottenham win. I am favouring a win for West Ham.

West Ham WIN

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FC Koln vs Hamburg Prediction

Espnsoccernet: “We need to turn things around against Hamburg,” he said. “A victory would give us new self-confidence. We need to do all we can to be victorious.”

Hamburg will be full of confidence going into the match following their 2-0 victory at Slavia Prague, which assured Martin Jol’s side a place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup.

“Judging from the mathematics and probability, Hamburg will have an advantage against us,” Daum added. “But we have had that kind of situation before.”

Jol is sweating on the fitness of centre-back Bastian Reinhardt, who limped off in the 77th minute.

Thimothee Atouba (Achilles) and Nigel de Jong (knee) will be sidelined for the visitors, while Umit Ozat (heart problems) and Kevin McKenna, who is suspended, are missing for the hosts.

5/5 past meeting has gone to Hamburg. Asian bookies have placed Hamburg as slight favourites in this match up. I would have to agree.

Hamburg WIN

Wolfsburg vs Hannover 96 Prediction

Espnsoccernet: A good performance from Hanke is just what Hannover need, especially with Jan Schlaudraff on the sidelines due to a groin injury.

Wolfsburg will also enter the match on a high after securing passage to the UEFA Cup knockout stages for the first time in the club’s history.

A 3-2 victory over Portsmouth - their third successive win in the competition - has left coach Felix Magath satisfied.

“It is a great feeling to have already booked our ticket through,” he said.

“We are playing offensively and successfully. We are still involved in three competitions and have good chances in all of them - there is nothing we can complain about.”

These 2 sides always put up a lot of goals. However, picking a winner is easier said than done. There is no real trend in the past results. Asian bookies however are giving guest Hannover a 1 goal advantage which I think is quite ridiculous. I think a draw would be fair judging on the past results.

Wolfsburg vs Hannover DRAW

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