Mallorca vs Deportivo La Coruna

22/3- La liga is getting more and more interesting as the season is approaching its end, while most leagues have teams fighting it out at the top La liga is also seeing a  battle between 8 teams to keep away from the relegation zone. This weekend two such teams fight it out when the 11^th placed Mallorca play hosts to the 13^th placed Deportivo La Coruna. While Deportivo have shown good form in recent matches and have won 5 of their last 10 matches, lost 3 and drawn 2 the home team have only managed a couple of victories in the last 10 matches and have lost one match while all other matches have been draws. The last time both these teams played each other was earlier this season and the match ended as a draw. Looking at the overall record between the two sides Mallorca have a slight edge as they have won 6 of the 21 games played in the last 15 years while Deportivo have managed only 5 victories. A notable fact is that though the teams are separated by 2 positions on the points table they are on the same number of points.

Mallorca have been in decent form but have not been able to win a match for quite some time now but they have not lost many matches either but last week’s loss against Espanyol would be a big concern as they are only a couple of points away from the relegation zone even though they are on the 11^th spot.

Deportivo on the other hand would be high on confidence after they were able to beat the league leaders and defending champions, Real Madrid at home last week. Also their performance away from home has been decent this season and they would be looking at some points from this match.

Prediction: 1-2, Deportivo win

Weekly Comic 22/03/08

Everton vs West Ham

22/3- Everton are currently on the fifth position and are clear off the nearest team by a good 6 points and if we go by the form the team has been throughout the season they would surely have no threat and would qualify to the UEFA cup next year as the fifth best team in the premiership this year. In an attempt to keep their position Everton get ready to play hosts to the tenth placed West Ham United this weekend. While Everton have been a very good team, West ham have only put up a moderately good performance. Also while playing at home Everton have had a marvellous record and their form is also quite good and hence West ham need to be a little careful. Everton have just lost one of their last 5 matches while they have won all the other 4, West Ham United on the other hand have been able to manage 2 wins in the last 5 matches while they have ended on the losing side on 3 occasions. Everton would have the home advantage and with the home crowd supporting them they would surely start as the favourites.

Everton come into this match after they had to face defeat against Fulham in an away tie last week and hence the team would be desperate and eager to score some points. Playing against an opponent like West Ham United the team would go for a win and would aim at scoring a full three points and anything less than that would be a disappointment.

West Ham United on the other hand come into this tie after they beat a higher ranked Blackburn in a home tie and hence would be confident but their form away from home has not been that great and against a team like Everton that might be exploited.

Prediction: 1-0, Everton win

Blackburn vs Wigan

22/3- Blackburn, currently placed on the 9^th spot, is probably one of the few teams that still has the chance of making it to the top 6 as most of the other teams in the top 6 have ensured their position. The difference between Blackburn and the team lying on the sixth position is a mere 4 points and with 8 matches to go before the season ends Blackburn do have a realistic chance but they would have to get back to winning ways and in an attempt to do that they would take on the ever improving Wigan this weekend. Blackburn playing at home would start off as favourites against the visiting team that is placed 12^th on the points table but as per current form there is not much of a difference between the teams. While Wigan have 2 wins, 2 draws and a single loss in their last 5 matches, the home team has 2 wins, 2 losses and a single draw in the last 5 matches. The only advantage that Blackburn would carry is the support of the home fans and playing in a familiar atmosphere.

Blackburn come into this match after they had to face defeat against West Ham last week, this would have impacted their confidence and would like to show some form against Wigan while playing at home this weekend. A victory here can help the climb some places and with regained confidence they can probably look at giving their best to end up in the top 6 by the end of the season.

Wigan on the other hand have come a long way from being a team that featured in the relegation zone and their climb has been based on strong and consistent performances against stronger opponents. They would like to get at least a draw in this away tie as that should be sufficient to help them maintain a safe spot away from the relegation zone.

Prediction: 0-0, draw

Aston Villa vs Sunderland

22/3- Aston Villa are just a point behind the sixth placed team, Portsmouth, and they would like to overtake them in order to grab the as there are nearly 4 teams fighting it out for the spot. In an attempt to get to the top 6 teams of the premiership Aston Villa play hosts to the 17^th placed team from Sunderland. The fact that makes this match even more interesting is that even Sunderland is just a position away from the danger zone or the relegation zone and with the safety margin being just a couple of points they would not like to be defeated. In fact the match can be an open affair where both sides would go for an outright win because they would want to achieve a target, while the home team would like to make it to the top six and are just a position away, the visiting team would like to remain in the top draw. Aston Villa have had a mixed bag form in the last 5 games with 2 draws, 2 victories and a single loss while their opponents, Sunderland, have registered only a single win and a single draw with three losses in the last 5 matches.

Having won 3 of the last 5 home matches and drawn the remaining two Aston Villa would start off as favourites but last week’s loss to Portsmouth in an away tie would have hurt the team and might have also affected the confidence of the players. They would like to put a strong performance against a team like Sunderland so that they can revive the dream of making it to the top 6 before the end of this season.                                                                        

Sunderland on the other hand would want to somehow manage to get some points off this match, even a point in this away tie may be useful as the point difference between teams at the bottom of the table is very less.

Prediction: 2-1, Aston Villa win

Middlesbrough vs Derby

22/3- Middlesbrough are placed at the 13^th position and are a mere 6 points above the relegation zone, they are in a safe zone but looking at their upcoming matches they would rather want to increase this 6 point gap this weekend when they play hosts to the bottom of the table Derby as their next two matches are against Chelsea and Manchester United. Middlesbrough have not been the best team in the tournament but while playing at home they have been a force to reckon with and against a team like Derby they would surely be looking at a full three points, anything lower that that would be an under achievement and a big disappointment as well. While the home team has registered just two defeats in the last 5 matches their performance cannot be said to be bad but the problem is that they have won just one match while the other two matches have been draws while the visiting team has drawn just 1 of its last 5 matches while the other 4 have been losses.

Middlesbrough have this golden opportunity to score 3 points and move further away from the relegation zone and also keep up their confidence before taking on tougher opponents. The home crowd and support would be a definite advantage for Middlesbrough but they would be looking at players like Downing to score and make immense of this easy match. Also Middlesbrough would be happy for a fact that their opponents have no away victories this season.

Derby on the other hand would be happy even if they can manage to take a point from this away tie as they have struggled to get points from matches this season and have been by far the weakest team in the premiership.

Prediction: 2-0, Middlesbrough win

Middlesbrough vs Derby

22/3- Middlesbrough are placed at the 13^th position and are a mere 6 points above the relegation zone, they are in a safe zone but looking at their upcoming matches they would rather want to increase this 6 point gap this weekend when they play hosts to the bottom of the table Derby as their next two matches are against Chelsea and Manchester United. Middlesbrough have not been the best team in the tournament but while playing at home they have been a force to reckon with and against a team like Derby they would surely be looking at a full three points, anything lower that that would be an under achievement and a big disappointment as well. While the home team has registered just two defeats in the last 5 matches their performance cannot be said to be bad but the problem is that they have won just one match while the other two matches have been draws while the visiting team has drawn just 1 of its last 5 matches while the other 4 have been losses.

Middlesbrough have this golden opportunity to score 3 points and move further away from the relegation zone and also keep up their confidence before taking on tougher opponents. The home crowd and support would be a definite advantage for Middlesbrough but they would be looking at players like Downing to score and make immense of this easy match. Also Middlesbrough would be happy for a fact that their opponents have no away victories this season.

Derby on the other hand would be happy even if they can manage to take a point from this away tie as they have struggled to get points from matches this season and have been by far the weakest team in the premiership.

Prediction: 2-0, Middlesbrough win

Tottenham vs Portsmouth

22/3- Tottenham, placed eleventh on the points table get prepared this weekend to take on the sixth placed Portsmouth in a home tie after the fantastic performance they put up last week. While the home team is trying to get an entry in the top half of the points table by the end of the season the visiting team would be trying to keep their sixth spot, an improvement would get them a berth to European competitions next year. While Tottenham have won just two of their last five matches, their opponents come into this match after having won 4 of the last 5 matches played by them. Also the two sides have contrasting styles of play while Tottenham have been relying on their forwards to score the goals, Portsmouth have been a team that has defended well and conceded very few goals and are not that heavily dependent on their frontline. The home support that Tottenham would get can be the difference between the two sides as the defensive skills of Portsmouth would be tested against the attacking skills of Tottenham.

Tottenham would be hoping to strike goals and break the Portsmouth defence, Robbie Keane has been their main striker with 14 goals this season and he would be the player who would be expected to deliver for his team. Head coach Juande Ramos would be happy to see an injury free squad and hence could choose his best team to get on the field for the tie.

Portsmouth on the other hand would be aware about the importance of this match, with just 8 more matches to go before the end of the season they would want to keep and improve the sixth position and they cannot afford to lose points in this tie as seventh placed Aston Villa are just a point behind them.

Prediction: 2-2, Draw

Sampdoria vs Cagliari

Sampdoria are winners of 3 straight and will be going for their 4^th when they return home to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at Marassi to host a Cagliari outfit who are also on a winning streak of their own. The sardi have responded with back to back wins as they make one last, late season push in hopes of staving off relegation in miracle fashion.

The blucerchiati enter week 30 of Serie A in 6^th place of the league table with 45 points. Their 3 match win streak has seen them make up 6 points on AC Milan and they now sit just 1 point back of 5^th place Milan and 1 point ahead of 7^th place Udinese. They have produced 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in their last 5 games and the unbeaten run stands at 4. Sampdoria manager Mazzarri believes his side is playing its best football of the season and the ironic point is that they have won all 3 of their matches without their most emblematic striker- Antonio Cassano- who has been out suspended. This match to Cagliari will be his 4^th match out due to suspension. He joins Lucchini and Delvecchio on the suspended list while Montella and Volpe remain out injured. Campagnaro should once again be available and he is expected to start on the bench.

Cagliari are in last place of the Serie A table with 24 points for the year. They are 2 points back of both Reggina and Empoli and if the season were to end today, all 3 clubs would drop to Serie B. However, Cagliari have shown some life of late. They are winners of 3 straight matches at home and have produced 3 wins and 2 losses over their last 5 games. On Wednesday they held serve over Atalanta by a score of 1-0 at the Stadio Sant’Elia. However, if they are to pull off the miracle and climb out of last place and the relegation zone, they must continue to win. The injured list this week consists of Marchini, Shala, Bianco and Parola who is currently listed as very doubtful while Fini is out suspended. With both Fini and Parola missing, manager Ballardini looks ready to go with Cossu in central midfield with Biondini and Conti on the flanks.

Cagliari’s resurgence this week has been inspiring but now cold, hard reality is about to set in as they must win away from home. There is a reason why Cagliari are currently 20^th out of 20 Serie A clubs and their numbers away from home speak volumes as to why. In 14 road games they have 1 win, 3 draws and 10 losses while scoring 11 goals and conceding 29. Those numbers do not bode too well for an away day against a quality side like Sampdoria who have won 3 straight and have AC Milan in their crosshairs.

Prediction: Sampdoria (2-0)

Torino vs AC Milan

Torino play host to AC Milan at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino as both clubs look to rebound after losing their matches at home during the midweek fixtures of week 29. Torino are battling to achieve a safe middle of the table position in order to stave off relegation, while AC Milan are in a neck and neck fight with Fiorentina for a spot in the Champions League.

Torino are in 14^th place of the Serie A table with 31 points. They sit one point back of 13^th place Siena and 2 points ahead of 15^th place Parma. On Wednesday they were tripped up by Udinese at home by a score of 0-1. It was Toro’s 2^nd loss in 4 days and they also failed to score for the second straight time. They have produced 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses over that span but scored only 3 goals. Following the match the club received some terrible news when it was confirmed that defender Gianluca Comotto had suffered a ligament injury which has effectively ended his season. He will join Zanetti, Sereni, and Barone on the injured list while Lazetic will sit out suspended. This is not the way they wanted to come into this big match at home to AC Milan.

As for the rossoneri they too are coming off of a bad loss at home. AC Milan were bested by Sampdoria on Wednesday at the Giuseppe Meazza by a score of 1-2. It was their second consecutive loss by the same score after having fallen to AS Roma 3 days prior. Carlo Ancelotti’s club are now in 5^th place of the Serie A table with 46 points. They are 4 points back of 4^th place Fiorentina and 1 ahead of 6^th place Sampdoria. The biggest concern this week continues to be the condition of world footballer of the year Kaka’ who is dealing with a right leg injury. His inclusion for this contest will probably be a match time decision. He joins Ronaldo, Cafu, Serginho and Inzaghi on the injured list at this time. Look for Pato to start as the lone striker with Gilardino covering Kaka’s spot alongside Seedorf.

Neither side comes into this contest with much confidence. They have combined for 4 losses over the last week and injuries are an issue on both sides. The possible absence of Kaka’ for the visitors cannot be overstated but AC Milan have produced one of the best records away from home in Serie A with 8 wins (the most in the league) and 3 draws from 15 matches. Torino have just 4 wins at home in 15 matches. If Pato and Seedorf are inspired, they could pull out the 3 points.

Prediction: Draw (0-0)

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