ISA Match Preview : Genoa vs Parma

Both Genoa and Parma are looking for a win tonight. Genoa had not won a single match for the last 3 matches. They had suffered 3 defeats in a row. Genoa has a strong home form before losing to Chievo in their last match. They will learn from that game to avoid a fourth home loss of the season.

Genoa will miss the service of a few key players who may not be field tonight, such as Alberto Gilardino, Luca Antonelli, Cesare Bovo and Emiliano Moretti.

On the other hand, Parma managed to stay unbeaten before their defeat to Roma. Parma is at the 15th spot of the table. A win tonight for Parma will allow them to climb over Genoa with one game in hand.

Sebastian Giovinco is still the man to watch tonight, as he was the one who scored the goal that allow Parma to defeat Genoa in week 6. There is not much injury in Parma team.

Though I predict a draw for this game, but I will still very much want to take a risk on placing on Genoa to win by a 1 goal margin here.

EPL Match Preview : Manchester City vs BlackBurn Rovers

Manchester City currently is leading at the top of the table with 60pts in hand. There are only 2pts difference between the first two team now. Manchester United is at the second place now.

Manchester City have only one aim for this match, they need to win, such that they can extend their lead to 5pts away from Manchester United There are not much injury problem in Manchester City squad. Carlos Tevez had apologized to the team and they could field him if the team’s manager, Roberto Mancini chose to.

Blackburn are currently fourth from bottom, they are in a very dangerous position of getting relegated as they are having the same point with Wolves, who is now lying third from the bottom and inside the relegation zone. Steve Kean may choose to have the same team that beat Queens Park Rangers recently. Jason Lowe is suspended after receiving his 10th booking of the season. Gael Givet and David Dunn remains to be sidelined.

This is a match that needs not much consideration on which side to bet on. Manchester City is definitely my choice for tonight’s match. It is just how much goals and win by how big is the margin. My prediction is that Manchester City will win by at least 2 goals tonight.

FA Cup Match Preview : Liverpool vs Brighton

Liverpool is looking for a cup double this season. They have already qualify for the Carling Cup Final on the 26^th February and FA Cup is the next target that they are looking for. The Reds last won the FA Cup in 2006, tonight’s match against Brighton seems like an easy task for them to qualify to next round of the competition.

There is no fresh injury in Liverpool’s camp now and Kenny Dalglish is expected to name a strong starting line up against Brighton. Luis Suarez who had make the headline again after refusing to shake hand with Patrice Evra in last weekend games with Manchester United, will expected to be field again, along with Steven Gerrad and Andy Carroll. Maxi Rodriguez, Charlie Adam, Martin Kelly and Jack Robinson could all take part in the fixture.

Brighton will have Will Buckley back after missing the midweek match with Millwall, Vicente Rodriguez will face a late fitness test. Gary Dicker and Tommy Elphick are still inside the injury list. Matt Sparrow also unavailable as he will be serving the last game of his three-match ban picked up against Leicester. Brighton have won 2 of their last 3 games away and they are unbeaten in 4 games.

Liverpool are the big favourites in this match. I could not think of any reason that Liverpool will lose this game. However it will be at Liverpools own peril if they are to take things easy. I expect Liverpool will win by this game for at least 2 goals margin.

FA Cup Match Preview : Stevenage vs Tottenham

Stevenage has a good home record this season. They had loss only 3 matches at home. They are now currently in the 6^th position of the English League One and they had not been beaten in their last 6 games in all competition. There are no fresh injuries in the host camp. Craig Reid, their striker has already recovered from an injury which is definitely a morale boost to the team.

Harry Redknapp is almost certain to be the next England coach. He will want to bring back some trophy for this team before he leaves to coach England. The team is currently in the 3^rd position in Premier League with just 7 points behind Manchester City. They are a strong contender to win the Premiership. Rafael Van der Varrt has been ruled out for this game, but Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon who had both sit out of last weekend match against Newcastle United may have the chance to play tonight as they had both recovered from an injry. Sandro and Younes Kaboul could boost the squad if they can prove their fitness before the game.

Though Stevenage looks strong at home, but Tottenham is one class above them. I would have no hesitation to take Spurs for a win tonight by at least 2 goals.

FA Cup Match Preview : Chelsea vs Birmingham

After being defeated by Everton last weekend in the Premiership game, Chelsea is aiming to recover its reputation and morale by winning this game tonight. But Birmingham will not be letting the Blues to have an easy task over them. It may be the end of Chelsea’s manager Andre Villa Boas at Stamford Bridge, should the Blues are beaten again.

Chelsea will be without skipper John Terry due to a knee injury. Ashley Cole is also in doubt of being fielded tonight. Drogba and Salomon is away due to Africa Cup.

Birmingham is unbeaten in the last 13 games in all competitions. Their defence has been solid, which they conceded only 3 goals since the turn of the year. Birmingham’s manager is all out to create a shock here. The injury list include Marlon King, Nikola Zigic and Guirane N Daw, who will miss the match tonight.

Though Chelsea looks a bit shaky now, but it is unlikely they they will go down again especially when playing in their own backyard. I believe Chelsea will win the match tonight with only 1 goal margin.

FA Cup Match Preview : Sunderland vs Arsenal

Martin O’ Neill suffered his first taste of defeat as Sunderland manager last weekend due to the last minute goal from Thierry Henry. However, history will not be repeating again in tonight’s match when both teams met again in within a week.

Sunderland will most probably to field and unchanged team which met Arsenal last week. David Vaughan, Wes Brown & Titus Bramble will continued to be ruled out from playing due to injury.

As for Arsenal, Henry will no longer be available as his loan had already expired and returned to New York Bulls. Arsenal will only have Robin Van Persie as their main attacker. A 4-0 defeat by AC Milan in last Champion League Match has put even greater pressure on the team as they had not won a single silverware for the past few years.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may have the chance to play again after begin left out against Milan. However, Laurent Koscielny who had picked up a knee injury during the match with AC Milan may not be playing.

This is a match hard to predict. Both sides have the chance of winning. By taking in the facts of home ground advantage, Sunderland seems to have a higher chance of winning. But my gut feeling for Sunderland to win is not that high. I will go for a draw.

Champion League Match Preview : Zenit St. Petersburg vs Benfica

Zenit St.

Petersburg will be playing their first competitive match as the Russian Premier League will only restart two weeks later. First time in their history, Zenit is going to play at this stage. They had not lose a single match in their last 15 games in all competition.  The injury list include, Aleksandr Anyukov, Danko Lazovic, Roman Shirokov Aleksanr Bukharov and Vyacheslav Malafeev.

Benfica has an outstanding performance by winning over Manchester United. Similar to Zenit, they had not lost a single match for the past 11 games that they played in all competitions. Javi Garcia will not be playing in tonight’s match due to suffering a knock last week.

Both sides have never met before in European competition, and it will be a tough match for predict on who will win. Buying a draw is a good consideration. However, on all matches with even strength, I will consider the home ground advantage that the home team have. Hence, I will recommend for a home win tonight.

Champion League Match Preview : AC Milan vs Arsenal

This will be the last game for Thierry Henry in wearing Arsenal shirt before heading back to USA. Henry had scored a late winner goal for Arsenal in last week match against Sunderland, but it may not be easy for him if he is begin fielded.

Aresenal will be going to Italy without defender Per Mertesacker. Abou Diaby is also out with a muscle problem, Carl Jenkinson remains doubtful with a fracture in his back.

AC Milan came in second in the group stage. Alessandro Nesta has resumed full training for AC Milan but still unsure of whether he will be in the first eleven in tonight’s match. Mark van Bommel and Ibrahimovic who are unavailable in last weekend match against Udinese should be in the starting line up tonight.

Arsenal may try to win the game via counter attack. However they got only one person to rely on, that is Robin Van Persie, who had scored 7 goals in his last six games.

Both teams met in the 2007/08 season, with Arsenal winning the game by scoring 2 goals at the last 10 minutes. However, it will not be easy for Arsenal to repeat the history again this time as AC coach had alread told the media that they will not repeat the same mistake as last few seasons where they lost to a English club side at this stage of the season.

Home team will always have an advantage in most of the soccer matches, so I predict AC Milan will win by a one goal margin.

Champion League Match Preview : Bayer Leverkusen vs Barcelona

In tonight’s Champion League match, Bayer Leverkusen, currently lying on the 6^th position of the domestic soccer league will face one of the toughest opponent in the tournament, Barcelona.

Barcelona had tasted their second lose of the season last weekend. The 3-2 defeat by Osasuna had caused them to be 10 points behind Real Marid. However, Barcelona is still a strong contender in the Champion League campaign. They had qualified for the Copa del Rey final and they may want a second trophy. Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas are set to be featured in tonight’s match after a rest against Osasuna.

Leverkusen had lost quite a few players after finishing in 2^nd place last season. Star players like Arturo Vidal and Patrick Helmes had opt to leave the club. Leverkusen did well to reach the knockout stage too, finishing 2^nd in their group. However, they had also faced some issues, where they had not won a single match for the past 3 matches. Furthermore, they had to play without three important players namely, Michael Ballack, Eren Derdiyok and Sidney Sam tonight as they are all on the injured list.

Everything seems to be pointing against Leverkuson, however Leverkusen were the last German side to beat the reigning European champions on German soil. That is a 2-1 win in the 2001-02 Champions League first group stage. Barcelona has only 4 win and 3 draws in their last seven trips to Germany.

I believe it will be another draw tonight.

Serie A Match Preview : Inter Milan vs Novara

Inter Milan will go into the encounter with Novara after a 4-0 defeat at Roma last weekend. The defeat from last week was the second loss in the three games that Inter played.

Inter are currently 5^th in the standings, five points behind Udinese, who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot. With a win in this match, Inter will be able to narrow the gap to 2 points between them and Udinese. Udinese had lose 1-2 to  AC Milan on Saturday.

There are not much injury at the host side except Brazilian right-back Maicon, who are currently serving a one-match ban will definetly be out at tonight’s match.

Novara are currently lying at the bottom of table. They are still searching for their first away win. The goaless draw with Cagliari last week was the only clean sheet that Novara is able to keep in this season. Novara had not won a single league match since November 26 and have failed to score in 10 out of their 22 match in Serie A so far.

Novara will be without the services of Francesco Marianini, Takayuki Morimoto and Carlo Alberto Ludi due to injury.

Backing on Novara for a win tonight will be a too risky choice to make. Inter Milan is my choice in this match.

La Liga Match Preview : Espanyol vs Real Zaragoza

Espanyol will be welcoming Zaragoza in one of the La Liga Match tonight. This match will be kicked off early than the others.

Espanyol is currently occupying 5^th spot of the table with 32 points in hand, had won lost only 2 matches while playing at home (6 won, 2 draw, 2 lost), and had not lost a single match for the past 5 matches played.

However, not all are a bed of roses for the Barcelona-based side. Striker Juan Albin has suffered from a minor recurrence of injury, which will kept him out for 4 months, while Alvaro Vasquez may continue to stay on the bench. Coutinho and Kalu Uche should be able to feature.

On the other hand, Zaragoza is at bottom of the table, with only 12 points and without a win for all the away matches played (0 won, 3 draw, 8 lost). Zaragoza had not won a single league match since the mid of October last year.

Javier Paredes of Zaragoza, has been cleared to play after his fifth yellow card of the season.. However, Carlos Aranda will be definetly out tonight, so Helder Postiga will be the only striker with Luis Garcia in support.

A win tonight will be important for both sides, as Espanyol will be one step closer for a Champion League entry, while Zaragoza are fighting to move out from the relegation zone. Although that Zaragoza had a 2-1 victory over Espanyol in the most recent match, a repeat of the history may not be that easy. Espanyol will definetly have a higher chance of winning if they can continue with their current form.

EPL Match Prewview : Sunderland vs Arsenal

Martin O’ Neil, the recent appointed Sunderland manager has enjoyed great success since taking over at the Stadum of Light. Sunderland was undefeated for the last 3 Premier League games with a win over Swansea (2-0), Norwich (3-0) & Stoke City (0-1) respectively.

On the other hand, Arsenal have won only one of their last 3 Premier League games. Arsenal has lost to Manchester United (1-2) and managed a scoreless draw with Bolton during their last away match. However, they had a thumping 7-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers in their last game.

There are some injuries from both side. Sunderland will be without Marcos Angeleri , Nicklas Bendtner , Titus Bramble, Wes Brown, Lee Cattermole , Matthew Kilgallon and David Vaughan , while Arsenal will miss Abou Diaby, Carl Jenkinson, Andre Santos and Jack Wilshere. Gervinho is away on international duty due to the Africa Cup of nations

In tonight’s match, Robin Van Persie is still the man that Arsene Wenger will rely on to score a goal against Sunderland. Robin van Persie  is currently leading in the goal scoring chart with 22 goals this season. He also managed to score the Gunners' fastest-ever goal in the Premier League when they met Sunderland earlier in the season, when he managed to put the ball past the goalkeeper in 29 seconds.

Sunderland are undefeated in their last three league games against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light. But they did lose their last clash at the Emirates Stadium as Arsene Wenger's men secured a 2-1 result.

The asianhandicap for this match is as follow :
Sunderland (+0.5) Arsenal (-0.5)

Our recommendation is to take Sunderland as we predict that it will ends in a draw.