Genoa vs Parma

Genoa face off against Parma in a match up of sides sitting in the wrong half of the Serie A league table. The two sides are separated by just two points with Genoa currently in 15^th place with 16 points just behind Torino on goal difference. The visiting Parma are in 12^th place with 18 points and are just behind AC Milan on goal difference.

The grifone are coming off of a 1-1 draw away to Empoli last week at the Stadio Carlo Castellani. That result has stretched their winless run now to 9 matches. Their last win was a 2-0 victory over Cagliari in mid October. The side managed by Gasperini will have a couple of important absences this week especially in the back line. In addition to the suspended Nova, both Danilo and Bega are out. At this time Gasperini is leaning towards keeping his 3-4-3 formation with De Rosa and Santos coming on to fill in the holes in the 3 man back line. On a bright note striker Di Vaio is available and will start on the bench.

Parma come into week 17 having held serve at home in their last match with a convincing 3-0 victory over Reggina at the Tardini stadium. Defensively they have been playing very strong at home, having posted back to back shut outs over Empoli and Reggina. The problem has been scoring away from home which they have not been able to do in their last two road contests. In fact, Parma are winless on the road all season. This week manager Di Carlo looks set to repeat the same starting eleven that got the job done a week ago. It will feature the usual 4-4-2 with Bernardo Corradi joined by Gasbarroni upfront and goal scoring defender Paci at the back. Both Paci and Falcone will have their hands full this week with Genoa’s Borriello who has already scored 7 goals this season.

Genoa are anything but a lock at home with just 2 wins in 8 matches so far. However, Parma have yet to win a single match away from home this season managing instead just 2 draws and 5 losses. Despite these numbers, Parma are certainly the side in best form and the fact that Genoa will be using a make shift defense could prove crucial. Look for Parma to hold out for at least a point.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Arsenal vs Tottenham

22/12- The league leaders, the Gunners, will be a confident unit after their last week triumph over Chelsea that helped them not only to maintain the top spot in the points table but also fade away the questions raised after their loss to Middlesbrough a couple of weeks ago, which was their first loss in the premiership this season. And facing Tottenham at home would not be a great issue but the only concerning fact for the Gunners is that the spurs have struck form and are visiting the Emirates stadium after two consecutive wins over Portsmouth and Manchester City, two teams which have been performing quite well in the premiership.

 

The spurs will enter this match on a positive note as they had done last week against Portsmouth and beat them 1-0 in their backyard. However the problem for them is that their most prolific striker stands suspended and cannot participate in the tie and this absence of striker Keane can be a huge loss to the spurs in such an important tie. But they can take heart from the fact that they have won the last two games without him. The spurs are placed on the 12^th spot and are 4 points behind West Ham, so they would be hoping to make some ground so that the spurs can come close to the top half of the table.

 

Arsenal on the other hand are a fairly non-depleted side, most of their major players are in form and fit as well, they have been great in the centre and at the front end. Their defense was also well organized against the Blues in the last game and the home support should be able to drive them to a 3rd consecutive victory.

 

Prediction: 2-0, Arsenal win

Fulham vs Wigan

22/12- This is a classic bottom of the table tie, while both clubs are fighting hard to avoid relegation. Fulham are a depleted side with most of their defensive and mid field options suffering from injuries. While Fulham enter this match with the last matches ending as losses, Wigan have managed a 5-3 triumph over Blackburn last week and that would be a great moral booster. If any of the team can manage to get an outright win here they will be in a position that they go to Christmas outside the relegation zone and that can be really helpful to the side’s chances of progressing further after Christmas.

 

Wigan have a full fledged side to select from and hence they can afford to have their best team play this match. The side appears to benefit a lot from the return of Heskey and the form of striker Bent is also an auspicious sign for the club. The team does have the spark to get them out of the position they are in and they can hope for better performances in the coming time. The thing that Wigan need to beware of is defensive lapses as they have often lost matches because of that and have recorded the second highest number of losses this season.

 

Fulham probably would expect to revive after Christmas as half of their defensive side looks injured and the same applies for the center field. As of this match, Fulham should be happy with a draw and if they win they should take it as a bonus. However as of the current time and form Wigan look set to win their first match away from home and would be expecting to enter into the Christmas break with a nice position on the points table as the first half of the season has not been that pleasing for them.

 

Prediction: 1-2, Wigan win

Liverpool vs Portsmouth

22/12- The match between two teams with similar performance charts would be seen when Portsmouth visit Anfield as both teams have done really badly at home while they have been in sublime form while playing away, while Liverpool’s away form has been the best this season in EPL, Portsmouth come a close second. Hence quite strangely playing at home the Reds have history against them. Both teams are also coming on the back of home losses, while Man U beat Liverpool 1-0, Portsmouth were beaten by Tottenham in a home tie and hence both are looking for some points to revive their season campaign, Liverpool have dropped a position and would be looking to climb back to 4^th spot at least.

 

Liverpool have an inspirational captain and a prolific scorer in Gerrard and Torres has been a great support but they need to combine to deliver in this home tie. Coach Benites would be hoping that his side can come up with a spirited performance and delight the crowd with their 4^th home win this season. A win here would take Liverpool closer to 4^th placed Manchester City and help them to continue their pursuit for the title this season and a moral booster especially for performance at home is vital for them. But this pressure of winning can be a factor going against them.

 

Portsmouth on the other hand are a competitive team and since they are playing away from home they stand a good chance as they have a great away record. They are on the 8^th position but they have played a match less than most of the other top teams. They have a full strength team and with Mwaruwari in striking form, the supporters will hope that the others can play around him. A lot would also be expected of Kanu and he is another player who can single handedly change the entire match.

 

Prediction: 2-3, Portsmouth win

  

Aston Villa vs Manchester City

22/12- This seems to be the most interesting tie for the week, with Manchester City climbing to the 4^th spot after their last week’s victory and Liverpool’s loss to Man U at Anfield and they will be visiting the consistent Aston Villa who are placed on the 7^th spot just 3 places behind the visitors. While Manchester City would be hoping for a full 3 points in order to increase their chances of overtaking Arsenal and capturing the 3^rd spot on the table, Villa would be keen to gain some spots on the table as well and a win would take them just a point adrift of their 4^th placed opponents.

 

Not much time ago Aston Villa were on a points riot and won 4 matches in a row but it was followed by a couple of losses to Arsenal and Portsmouth which has probable shaken their confidence and that showed in the last week’s draw against a weak Sunderland team. Villa however should be much comfortable playing at home and the crowd support is always a big advantage. The team also looks intact with all their main player remaining fit fireworks can be expected from Agbonlahor, Barry and company.

 

Manchester City on the other hand have some injury worries and in form striker Blumer has been lately suffering from a hamstring problem so a lot will depend on the performance of Petrov and Bianchi as they are the other two expected scoring players. Manchester City have been the best team at home but their away record this season is not that impressive but in football nothing can be said. A lot will be at stake when the whistle blows at Aston Villa and the team that might win this battle may just find itself in a great position on the points chart.

 

Prediction: 2-1, Aston Villa win

 

Real Zaragoza vs Valencia

22/12- Two sides with a flair in the beginning have been falling back off late, Valencia, one of the best sides away from home have been struggling at home and this is resulting in a severe drop in their standings on the points table while the home side Real Zaragoza have been struggling everywhere and have only managed draws and losses in the last few matches and hence both the teams have lost out on the initial momentum they build in the beginning of this season. One major reason for disappointing performances is the loss of key players at the wrong time, in fact both the sides are plagued with injuries and are having to play with a second string team.

 

Valencia have been without their three top scorers Morientes, Baraja and Villa Sanchez and they have scored 12 of the 20 Valencia goals this season. This is also the reason probably that Valencia are having to content with draws in the premiership and the Champions League as Valencia initially had a record of wins and losses only, they have just drawn a single match in Laliga this season. Valencia would just be hoping that they would be able to keep up their away form even in the absence of their star players.

 

The fact that makes this match even more interesting is that the home team will also be getting on the field without some important players like Pavon, Miranda and a few others who have been sidelined due to injury, the only good thing for them being the presence of top scorer Milito. Valencia are a better team on paper though and their away form looks to be good as well but what will count is how much of their form is sustained after the loss of key players.

 

Prediction: 1-1, draw

Almeria vs Getafe

22/12- Booth teams are coming off matches where they have lost out to the opponent’s dominance. While Almeria suffered a 3-1 away loss to the bottom table occupants Real Betis, Getafe lost with the same margin at home against a strong Villareal. There is not much to choose between the teams though Almeria is 3 places higher than Getafe the actual point difference is just one. Almeria should be rather confident though as they would have a strong home support as well as the last two games they played in their backyard they defeated teams like Valladolid and Sevilla. The biggest problem though is their goal scoring ability, they have just scored a total of 14 goals in 16 matches and 6 of them have been netted by striker Sanchez, so basically Almeria depend a lot on him to convert and hence they can win. But the fact remains that when at home Almeria have hardly given away goals as well so the story may be that the home side might not allow goals and if their striker fires, they win.

 

Getafe on the other hand have faced two back to back defeats and are hoping to pick up some points at least in this away tie. The team this season has not been about individual brilliance or star performance but several players have put their hands up at different times and hence possibly their top 2 goal scorers Rodriguez and Sousa have just 3 goals each even though they have nearly 1 goal every match. Their away form has also not been great and hence too much resilience cannot be expected but the visitors would have to show heart and courage.

 

Though there is little to choose from, Almeria at home and in better form look favorites

 

Prediction: 2-0, Almeria win

Weekly Comic 21/12/07

UEFA Cup Group C: AEK Athens vs. Villarreal

Villarreal travel to Greece in this last group stage match of the UEFA cup to take on AEK Athens. Three points will make certain the Spanish side win the group and so avoid the more difficult teams in the next round, but this match won’t be as easy as their last UEFA outing when they beat Elfsborg. Group C is wide open going into this last week, with four of the five teams still in with a chance to qualify. Czech side M. Boleslav has the hardest task though, needing to beat Fiorentina away to grab a place in the last thirty two.  

AEK Athens are currently third in Group C and two points behind leaders Villarreal. In their domestic league they are heading the table with the same points as Olympiacos, who beat them at the weekend, ending AEK’s five match unbeaten run. Villarreal got a precious away win to fellow UEFA cup contenders Getafe by three goals to one and ended their run of three domestic games without a win. More good news for Villarreal came when Turkish striker scored twice in the game, proving that he is at his best level again after having problems with injuries. The ‘yellow submarine’ can also travel to Greece knowing that they don’t have any serious injury problems and after next weekend’s league game against Recreativo de Huelva, can look forward to some days off as there aren’t any matches during the Christmas period in Spain.

AEK Athens coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer knows a lot about Spanish football and Villarreal, having been in charge of Mallorca, Betis and Barcelona. When he became coach of AEK he took some Spanish players with him, most notably ex Villarreal defender Rodolfo Arruabarrena. The Spaniard now faces his old companions for the first time in this difficult game.

This match is going to be very hard to predict. Both sides are qualified, but both also know how important it is to finish top of the group. I’m going for a home win here; winning in Greece is never easy, especially against this Athens side who really deserve to win something for their fans and come out of the shadow of  Olympiacos.

Prediction: Home win (2-1)

UEFA Cup: Group B: Athletico Madrid vs. Panathinaikos

This is one game I am dying to see. Both sides are playing brilliant, attacking football at the moment and both would do anything to finish this group stage at the top and avoid some difficult opponents later on.

Athletico Madrid are on something of a roll at the moment and can’t really do anything wrong. They are third in the league for the first time in years (normally at this time of the year they are engrossed in a relegation battle) and have now gone eight games unbeaten, a run which includes six consecutive wins. At the weekend they dropped two points away to Recreativo, but still managed to keep a clean sheet. Their defense, which earlier on in the season was leaking goals all over the place, has seen a great improvement which has played an important role in their new found success. During their eight game unbeaten run they have also managed to keep the number of goals conceded down to four, and three of those came in the four-three home win over Villarreal. They now have to show Greek team Panathinaikos that they can transfer their league form to the UEFA competition. The 2004 Greek champions are also third in their current league (which is made up of sixteen teams as opposed to the twenty clubs in Spain), and have conceded just five goals all season (twelve games). Curiously, their ten match unbeaten run ended on Saturday with a one nil away defeat to modest Panionios, which might well effect their morale.

As both teams have already qualified for the next round of the competition, there will be fewer nerves on show and more room for some good football. I’m backing Athletico Madrid for this one. Playing at home gives them a great advantage and with the defense now playing as well as their superb strikers and can’t see the Greek outfit stopping them. I doubt though if there will be that many goals, as Panathinaikos have a very good back four.

Prediction: Home win (2-1)

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