Birmingham city vs Arsenal

23/2- Arsenal have won 8 of the last 10 matches played in the EPL and the remaining two have been draws, they are currently on a winning streak having won their last 4 games and with a record like this they travel to take on the 17^th placed Birmingham this week. Birmingham on the other hand have won just a single match in the last 10 games played and are under serious threat of entering the relegation zone. The last time they won a match was Christmas last year but then on it has been a series of losses and draws. Birmingham get into this match after two consecutive draws in the last two matches, one being at home while the other playing away from home. Earlier this season when both the teams clashed the match ended in a draw and Birmingham would be happy if they could repeat the same result playing at home. The overall record would also make the visitors the favourites as they have won 6 of the 9 matches played between the sides in the last 15 years while there have been 2 draws.

Arsenal are sitting pretty on the top of the points table and they would be looking to extend their 5 point advantage they have over the closest rivals Manchester United to eight points after this away encounter. In Adebayor and Fabregas the side has the deadliest of combination and can break apart the defence of any opposition, the fans would be hoping to see their team exerting pressure on Manchester United by gaining an 8 point lead over them.

Birmingham City on the other hand are out of the relegation zone just on goal difference and they would at least like a point out of this tie against the leaders while Arsenal would not want to give a single bit at this point of the competition. The match promises to be an interesting one in any case.

Prediction: 1-3, Arsenal win

Torino vs Parma

Torino are home to Parma in week 24 for a match that could go a long way in determining the fate of these two clubs that find themselves in the wrong half of the Serie A league table. The contest will be played at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino.

Torino are currently in 13^th place of the league table with 25 points for the season. This leaves them just 1 point behind 12^th place SS Lazio and 2 points up on Catania. They are coming off of a 0-0 draw away to Siena last week. The victory extended the club’s unbeaten run to 4 consecutive matches. That 4 match unbeaten run includes victories over Reggina and Palermo by scores of 3-1 along with an impressive record of just 2 goals conceded over those 4 games. Still, as positive as their current run has been only 4 points separate Francesco Novellino’s side from the relegation zone and that makes every home match a key game. Il Toro will be missing Rubin, Dellafiore, Oguro and Bjelanovic to injury while Motta is out suspended. Top scorer Rosina who leads the club with 6 goals, will start up front with Stellone in 4-4-2.

Parma were held to a 0-0 draw at home last week by AC Milan at the Stadio Ennio Tardini. The two dropped points at home have Parma in 18^th place of Serie A with 21 points for the year. They are 3 points ahead of Reggina and just behind 17^th place Siena on goal difference. If the season were to end today they would make the drop to Serie B. Their winless run continues and about the only positive news for manager Di Carlos this week is that a couple of players who have been out of action for a while, Coly and Cigarini, are close to action and have been included in the squad list for the visit to Torino. Look for both players to get some action in the second half while Parma go with their base 4-4-2 featuring to scorer Corradi in attack.

The trends are not good for Parma coming into this contest. Torino have been playing very well and at home in particular thanks to some superb defensive work. Meanwhile, the gialloblu have yet to win a single match away from home this season. Look for i granata to pull out a positive result.

Prediction: Torino (1-0)

Reggina vs Juventus

Reggina and Juventus face off in a meeting of two sides going in opposite directions. Reggina are losers of 4 straight matches while Juventus visit the Stadio Oreste Granillo in the midst of a 14 match unbeaten run.

The side managed by Renzo Ulivieri are in serious danger as they prepare to host the mighty Juventus. Not only did their 1-3 loss at home to Udinese last week extend their winless run, but they are now in 19^th place of Serie A with 18 points. They are 3 points back of 18^th place Parma and 3 points ahead of last place Cagliari. A loss this week to Juve coupled with a Cagliari victory could land them in last place. An even more disconcerting fact about Reggina’s current woes is that 3 of their 4 losses have been at home. The injured list this week includes Garcia, Joelson, Missiroli and Ceravolo. Ulivieri has confirmed two changes to the starting eleven with Cirillo and Tognozzi coming on for Vigiani and Cozza.

Juventus won a big match last week when they took care of AS Roma in the derby by a score of 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. With the win the vecchia signora have climbed to within 1 point of Roma in 3^rd place of Serie A. This week while Reggina do appear to be a club that Juve should be able to handle, manager Claudio Ranieri will be missing a number of players. The list of unavailable players includes Buffon, Andrade, Marchionni, Zebina, Iaquinta and Trezeguet. In the case of Trezeguet, he is the club’s and Serie A’s leading scorer with 15 goals to date. Look for Grygera, Sissoko, Del Piero and Palladino to come into the starting eleven.

Juventus are currently in superb form having gone unbeaten since the month of October while Reggina don’t appear capable of beating anyone these days. However, Juve will be missing key players at many different positions including their top striker and their starting keeper. In addition, la vecchia signora have won only 5 of 11 matches away from home and a prone to drawing. Therefore, Reggina should at least be able to keep it close though Juventus overall class should get them the three points.

Prediction: Juventus (1-2)

Champions league: Fenerbahce vs. Sevilla

Turkish multimillionaire Aziz Yildirim has created in Fenerbahce a team worthy of taking the reins from Galatasaray and has made history as this is the first time Fenerbahce have qualified for the knock out stage of the Champions League. Their coach is the legendary Brazilian midfielder Zico, who has been allowed to do things his way and the side is fast becoming one to be feared by their opponents.

Sevilla travel to Turkey hoping to book a place in the last eight of the competition, but they will have to brave a hostile environment and some very good players if they want a good result here. The Spanish side will encounter some familiar faces, too. Roberto Carlos, who played for Real Madrid for ten years, seems to be having a great time of it in Turkey, and ex-Atlético Madrid striker Kezman is also getting minutes. The real star of the team though, is Brazilian Alex. He’s in red hot form and should prove very difficult for Sevilla to stop.

The Spaniards will be without central defender Javi Navarro and also the Uruguayan striker Ernesto Chevantón, who was operated this week. The good news is that both Adriano and Keita are back from their one match suspension and will be available for this clash.

I’m going for a home victory in this first leg. Fenerbahce will be too strong I think for this Sevilla side that is always difficult to tell how they will play. Their terrible away record in the Spanish domestic league got a little better at the weekend with a solid four – two win over Espanyol, although the home side is now struggling to maintain their hold on the European spot. With that win Sevilla went up to sixth in La Liga and are now in a UEFA cup spot, but they will not be content with anything except finishing in the top four.  My money is on Fenerbahce then, but the tie won’t be settled in Turkey but in the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in the return match.

Prediction: Home win (2-1)

Champions league: Celtic vs. Barcelona

Celtic Glasgow have an uphill task if they want to defeat the mighty Barcelona and advance to the next round. Despite getting eight wins form the last eight games, they must be very aware of the fact that they are not the favorites to go through, and aren’t even favorites to take the win on their home soil. The Scottish side is currently second in the league and four points behind leaders and arch rivals Rangers. Manager Gordon Strachan has a young side who are looking for European glory. If they are capable of reproducing their league form in the Champions League they might have the possibility of pulling off an historic victory. Celtic have scored thirteen times in their last three games and if they want to put any goals past in form Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes they will need to be at the top of their game.

Barcelona meanwhile pulled off an important league victory at the weekend to narrow the gap between leaders Real Madrid to five points. Their two – one away win at Zaragoza though was over shadowed by bad refereeing decisions and neither of their goals should have counted. Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball to control it in the first goal and the winner came from an inexistent penalty. The Catalan side have now gone twelve games without losing, though six of those matches ended in draws. They will also be paying a lot of attention to AC Milan’s last match at the Celtic Park stadium, where the Italian giants were dramatically beaten by two goals to one.    

In team news Samuel Eto’o should make a reappearance in this match after his African cup duty. He arrived back in Barcelona with a small injury and coach Frank Rijkaard decided to leave him out of the Zaragoza game. Leo Messi and Yaya Touré need to be careful with the yellow cards as they are both just one short of a suspension, but if this first leg is going well they might try to provoke the referee into giving them one in order to sit out the second game at the Nou Camp.

Celtic’s Scott Brown will definitely miss this clash as he has already seen three yellow cards and he will be an important absentee for the Scottish outfit.

Celtic’s great win over AC Milan was one for the history books and I doubt whether they will be able to pull it off again here. I’m going for a narrow Barcelona win, who will probably do as little as possible, knowing that in the return game in Spain they will have all the advantage.

Prediction: Away win (0-2)

Champions league: Roma vs. Real Madrid

The Champions League makes a welcome return this week and there are some mouth-watering games on offer. Roma play hosts to Real Madrid in a first leg tie that is completely up in the air. Real Madrid are showing signs of weakness when they play away from their Bernabeu stadium and lost by two goals to one at struggling Betis at the weekend. Bernd Schuster’s men only have themselves to blame, though. Drenthe scored the opener after just seven minutes and Madrid’s dominance was total for the first thirty minutes but them seemed to fall sleep, allowing Betis to turn the game around with two goals in four minutes. Madrid still have a five point lead at the top of La Liga, but maybe this is leading them into a false sense of security. They are treating away games with a blatant lack of compromise as they are under the (false) impression that they can resolve everything at home. This may be the case here against Roma as well. Madrid won’t be too upset if they were to lose this match, as long as they get on the score sheet.

Roma meanwhile are doing very well in the Serie A and are in second place, with a huge eleven point gap between leaders Inter. They have only lost three league games all season, but two of those have come in February, including a one nil away defeat at the hands of Juventus at the weekend. More importantly though is the fact that Roma haven’t conceded a goal at their Olímpico stadium since the one – one draw against Manchester United at the beginning of December.

Madrid will be without some key players in this first leg. Central defender Pepe is still side lined with a calf strain, and Robinho, Wesley Sneijder and Marcelo will also be absent. Roma on the other hand have an almost fully fit squad for coach Luciano Spalletti to choose from, with only Juan and Mirko Vučinić on the sidelines, although the latter may be fit enough for this clash.

Real Madrid have never lost in Italy against Roma, but curiously have only won one Champions League away game in nine attempts. I’m going for a narrow one – nil home victory here and I can see Madrid going through to the next round with a good win in the Bernabeu stadium.

Prediction: Home win (1-0)

Lazio vs Atalanta

Lazio return to the Stadio Olimpico looking to bounce back from an ugly loss away from home last week to Empoli when they host Atalanta. Atalanta were also disappointing last week as they dropped 2 points at home and they have now combined with Lazio to win just 2 of their last 10 matches.

The biancocelesti are in 13^th place of the Serie A league table with 23 points on the present campaign. They are 1 point behind 12^th place Torino and just ahead of 14^th place Catania on goal difference. Last week they were surprise losers away to relegation battlers Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani by a score of 1-0. With the loss Delio Rossi’s side have now posted just 1 win to go along with 2 draws and 2 losses in their last 5 games. The injured list this week includes Firmani, Zauri and Mutarelli while Kolarov is out suspended. Lazio will go with a 4-3-1-2 featuring Mauri playing behind Rocchi and Goran Pandev. Pandev is the club leader in goals scored with 8.

Atalanta were held to a 2-2 draw at home last week in their match to Fiorentina at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri D’Italia. The two points dropped at home leave Gigi Del Neri’s side in 8^th place of the league table with 30 points for the year. They are 1 point behind 7^th place Sampdoria and 1 point ahead of 9^th place Genoa. Just as Lazio, they have produced 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses over their last 5 games. The list of unavailable players for the trip to Rome this week is extensive and it includes Talamonti, Costinha, Forsyth, Carrozzieri and Radovanic. Given these absences and the fact that Atalanta are on the road, Del Neri will adopt a defensive formation with only Floccari upfront at the striker position with top goal scorer Doni playing behind him in a 4-4-1-1.

This could prove to be a very tough match for Lazio. They have been extremely inconsistent all season long, especially at home where they have already managed to lose 5 times. Meanwhile, Atalanta have lost just 4 road matches this season while winning 3 and drawing 4. While the bergamaschi might not be able to pull at a victory they should at least be good enough to hold out for a draw.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Napoli vs Empoli

Napoli return to the Stadio San Paolo to host Empoli in a Serie A match where both sides are in desperate need of points. Napoli’s recent dry spell in terms of points has seen them fall back to the pack in the middle of the league table, while Empoli are currently in the relegation zone and every remaining match is a final for them.

Napoli were beaten on the road in week 22 on their visit to Sampdoria by a score of 2-0 as the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. It was a very complicated match for the partenopei as they were missing 6 starters either through suspension or injury. That result drops Reja’s side to 11^th place in the league table with 27 points. They find themselves 1 point back of 10^th place Palermo and 3 ahead of 12^th place Torino. They have just 1 win from their last 6 matches. Things are a bit more manageable on the injury front this week with only Iezzo, Cupi and Garics ruled out while Contini is suspended. The good news is that Blasi returns to the midfield and Reja is going to shake things up a bit with 3 strikers in a 4-3-3 set. The clubs two leading scorers- Lavezzi and Zalayeta will be joined by Mannini who will operate on the right win.

Empoli come into this contest in 18^th place of the league table with 19 points. They are 1 point behind 17^th place Parma and 1 point ahead of 19^th place Reggina. If the season were to end this way they would be making the drop to Serie B. The club picked up a huge victory at home last week by defeating SS Lazio 1-0 at the Stadio Carlo Castellani. That win represents their only victory over their last 5 matches to go along with 1 draws and 3 losses. This week manager Malesani is missing just one play through injury in Mchedlidze while Vannucchi will sit out suspended. Top scorer Pozzi will be the lone striker in a 4-4-1-1.

This contest will be a real test of character for Napoli. If they are going to make a run at a European cup qualifying spot they must take care of business at home. Empoli have managed just 1 win to go with 2 draws and 8 losses away from home. Napoli cannot let this opportunity slip away and should get the points this week.

Prediction: Napoli (2-1)

Genoa vs Sampdoria

Genoa and Sampdoria meet in another installment of the Genoa derby at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at Marassi. With Genoa having spent a good part of the decade in Serie B, this match up has not been a prevalent making it all the more special this time around. The two sides are coming off of positive results in week 22.

Il grifone find themselves in 9^th place of Serie A with 29 points on the present campaign. They sit 1 point back of 8^th place Atalanta Bergamo and 1 point ahead of 10^th place Palermo. They are coming off of a 1-1 draw away to Livorno a week ago at the Stadio Armando Picchi. They are unbeaten over their last two matches. There are some important absences this week for manager Gasperini with Wilson out injured while Sculli and Santos are both suspended. Gasperini was having trouble finding a replacement for Sculli upfront to go along with Leon so he has finally decided on switching his formation this week to a 3-4-3 with Leon, Borriello, and Rossi featuring in a 3 man attack. The good news is that starting keeper Rubinho will be able to start despite a scare earlier in the week because of injury.

Sampdoria held serve at home last week with a 2-0 victory over Napoli. The win leaves them in 7^th place with 31 points, 2 back of 6^th place Udinese and 1 ahead of 8^th place Atalanta. They are playing very well of late and have posted 3 wins and 1 draw over their last 5 matches while conceding just 2 goals over their last 4 games. The injured list remains virtually unchanged this week with Montella and Sammarco out while Gastaldello is suspended. This will allow manager Mazzari to go with a 3-5-2 that will be very close to his ideal starting eleven with both Bellucci and Antonio Cassano in attack.

While the blucerchiati have lost 8 of 11 road matches this season, this is no ordinary day away from home. A derby is always something special and with both sides separated by only 2 points in the league table expect this match to be very close and hard fought.

Prediction: Draw (0-0)

Fiorentina vs Catania

Fiorentina face off against Catania at the Stadio Artemio Franchi looking to get back on track after having gone winless of their last two matches. Catania are in a poor spell of their own which has seen them drop into the bottom third of the Serie A league table.

Cesare Prandelli’s side had been on a fine run until they fell at home to AC Milan two weeks ago and that was followed by a 2-2 draw away to Atalanta last week at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri D’Italia. That draw has the viola in 4^th place of Serie A with 38 points for the season. They are 6 points back of 3^rd place Juventus and 1 point ahead of AC Milan. Morale is a bit higher in the lead up to this contest given that Fiorentina are coming off of a big win in their UEFA CUP match away to Rosenborg on Thursday which saw them run out 0-1 winners thanks to a goal from Adrian Mutu. The challenge now for Fiorentina is to build off of that victory and secure the points at home this week against Catania. Among the players out injured this week are Osvaldo, Vieri and Gobbi while starting defender Ujfalusi is out suspended. On the bright side, play maker Liverani is expected to return from injury.

Catania have really hit tough times of late. Last week they dropped all 3 points at home by a score of 0-2 against league leaders Inter Milan at the Angelo Massimino. The loss drops them to 14^th place in the league table with 23 points which are good enough for a 3 way tie with Livorno and Lazio. The loss extends their unbeaten run to 6 matches of which they have lost 4, two in a row and have score just 1 goal over their last 4 straight. Manager Baldini will need to work very hard to try and find a way to put a quick end to this stretch before it lands them in the relegation zone. The two players ruled out for this match are Sabato and Japan’s Morimoto. Catania should go with their base 4-3-3 featuring Martinez, Spinesi and Colucci in attack.

Fiorentina have the edge in this match. While they did slip up at home two weeks ago Catania are no AC Milan. Making matters worse for the visitors this week is the fact that they have yet to win a single match away from home this season. Catania provide Fiorentina with a wonderful opportunity to get back to their winning ways.

Prediction: Fiorentina (2-0)

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