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Overview:
This is definitely the game I am waiting for months. Barcelona have dominated Real Madrid in recent meetings, especially in the League. Jose Mourinho’s tactics have failed to upset Barcelona in their previous three league meetings, in fact Barcelona hammered them 5-0 in this fixture last season.

With only four points separating both sides, a win is essential for Barcelona while a draw is as good as a win for Jose Mourinho’s side – with only four games remaining after this. The instructions will be clear for Pep Guardiola – attack and win the game while I can see Mourinho trying to sit back and hit them on the counter. Yes this is a very dangerous game to play, especially against Barcelona BUT Mourinho have succeed in doing so – remember Inter Milan knocking out Barcelona in the Semi-Final 2 years ago?

The”key player” in today’s game will have to be the “coolness” of both sides. With this game expected to be a fiery one, either side cannot afford to have their players sent off as this will change the entire structure of the game.

Verdict:
Both side suffered defeat in midweek and will want to recover to salvage their season. Neither team can afford to sit back and relax as the next five days will determine the outcome of their season. Despite both clubs losing away in midweek, Real Madrid in my opinion is in a better position as they have grab that crucial away goal, unlike Barcelona who failed to do so. Yes I would agree that Bayern Munich is by far a better team than Chelsea but when we reach the semi-final stage, anything can happen and despite Barcelona dominating the entire game in midweek, and they failed to score. Therefore, we cannot assume that Barcelona are in for an easier game compared to Real Madrid.

All eyes are on Messi and Ronaldo – each with a record breaking 41 La Liga goals this season. Despite Messi being labelled as a better player by many, I believe Ronaldo should be the one taking the “extra” credit. Messi seems to be at his best playing alongside Xavi and Iniesta but you put them out of the picture Messi has struggled, especially playing for Argentina. Messi will once again be the central of attention in this game BUT I am expecting Ronaldo to break his duck and prove to the world that he is the better player. Yes I have said this before and Ronaldo has let us down BUT it must be sooner rather than later Ronaldo comes good.

Barcelona have the tendency to switch from 4-3-3 to 3-4-3 formation midway through the game should things don’t go right, however, it is unlikely that Barcelona will be able to do this today as Madrid will hit them on the counter – especially with the pace Ronaldo and co possess.

Keeping their heads cool will be important for Jose Mourinho’s side. Madrid will have a decent chance in getting a result as long as they can end the game with all eleven players on the pitch.

Take Madrid and accept the generous head start. Barcelona are favourites but I am expecting an upset today.

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Real Madrid +1 with DAFABET

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Overview:
Arsenal will take on high-flying Chelsea in today’s crucial Premier League tie. The season is pretty much over for the Gunners with yet another trophy-less season while Chelsea is fighting for glory in Europe and a spot in Champions League next season.

Arsenal are currently 5 points clear of Spurs with Arsenal playing a game extra, Spurs could be breathing down their necks should Arsenal lose today and Spurs win their remaining games. As for Chelsea, they are currently in 6^th position two points behind Newcastle and Spurs. Many are tipping Chelsea to claim the 4^th spot, especially with their recent success under interim manager Roberto Di Matteo. However, let’s be fair, Di Matteo has definitely done better than AVB, but I don’t think Chelsea are playing any better than they were before. They had the extra luck that they were lacking before and they had a good game plan set out by Di Matteo BUT performance wise have been the same. Yes they managed to secure massive wins against Benfica and Chelsea BUT in all three of the games, Benfica and Barcelona dominated the game – so I shall not jump to conclusion that Chelsea is now stronger under Di Matteo. 

Arsene Wenger will be disappointed with his side. Arsenal recent performances have been fairly average and Wenger is expecting a bit more from them despite another trophy-less season. Wenger will head into today’s game without Benayoun and Mikel Arteta, Mertesacker and Wilsher while Diaby and Coquelin have recovered.

As for Di Matteo, Drogba is likely to miss the game as he picked up an injury in midweek and is unlikely to be risked ahead of the crucial 2^nd leg against Barcelona. David Luiz is extremely doubtful while Ivanovic is suspended.

With Arteta out injured, Ramsey might get his chances in the starting 11 as Wenger will continue to deploy his 4-2-3-1 formation. As for Chelsea, Di Matteo is likely to re-shuffle his team around with several key players being rested. The likes of Terry and Lampard are likely to be rested. Torres should start up front in a three man attack.

Verdict:
Chelsea might be having a good week after securing a massive result in midweek BUT lets be honest, they scored from their own real chance in the game. Barcelona had almost 80% of possession(yes possession don’t win you games) but the Chelsea players will definitely be tired. The Barcelona players were passing the ball around and making them chase continuously throughout 90 minutes.

I am expecting Di Matteo to rest several key players for this game as they have another difficult game four days’ time in the Nou Camp. It will be obvious that Barcelona will once again dominate that game and pass the ball around like they did, and should the Chelsea players be tired and give them any space, Barcelona will punish them.

The main recent why Arsenal has struggle for goals in recent weeks is mainly because of the drop of form in RVP. RVP has not been hitting the back of the net like he did during winter and Arsenal have found it relatively hard to score goals when RVP don’t score even when they dominate the game. However, with this being a London Derby, I am expecting RVP to give in a little bit more in this game – just like he did against Chelsea earlier this season.

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Arsenal -0.5 with DAFABET

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With Stoke City holding Manchester City at the weekend, Manchester United can now finally put some distance between themselves and City with a win against Fulham. United are currently level on points with City but with a game in hand, they could well be three points clear and given that United have a relatively easier fixtures in the remaining eight games, United would be firm favourites.

As for Fulham, back to back defeats have saw them dropped down till 12^th spot and their dreams of qualifying for Europe have died off as it is unlikely that they would be able to qualify for the Europa League.

The main problem for Fulham have been their away form, winning only once in their last six and twice all season long. Martin Jol will definitely be banking on Russian Paval Pogrebnyak as he has scored the winner against United in the 2008 European Super League.

United’s recent performance have been good. Their movement from defense to attack has been good and the return of Valencia down the right flank has helped United tremendously.

Sir Alex Ferguson will once again be without Nani, Owen, Vidic, Anders Lindegaard and Fletcher while Cleverley, Phil Jones and Smalling are healthy once again and ready for selection. As for Martin Jol, he has no new injury concern but will be without Grygera, Sidwell and Sa.

Verdict:
Many people including myself have underestimated the importance of Paul Scholes to Manchester United. Yes I have agree that he even in his twilight years of his career, he is still a decent player BUT I was not expecting him to make such a crucial impact to this United team. Since his return, United have won nine and drawn one of their ten games Scholes has featured in. Scholes will once again be a key player in today’s game as his ability to switch the ball from one flank to another will allow United’s wingers and fullbacks to exploit Fulham’s defense.

Like Scholes, Valencia is crucially important to United as the Ecuadorian has pick up his game in the past few months. His movement have been superb and his threat down the right flank is likely to draw one or two defenders towards him and leave space for Rooney and co.

Despite Hernandez not scoring as many goals as he did last season, the Mexican is constant threat to defenders as he is a modern era poacher, similar to Ruud Van Nistelrooy with a bit more to offer.  With United focusing their attacks down the flanks and Valencia drawing plenty of attention, I am expecting Hernandez to be at the right place at the right time and score at least once tonight.

Take United and give the -1.5 or -1.75 headstart. YES a rather big handicap considering their poor results earlier this season  and has resulted in many people losing trust in United when United are giving up a big handicap BUT please remember that United is a strong team at home over the past 10 years if not more.

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Man United -1.5 with DAFABET

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Since losing to Manchester United in January, Arsenal have been moving up the table steadily. In fact, they have won their last five games in a row, including some superb result such as the 2-1 win against Liverpool and some superb display against Blackburn and Tottenham. With another season without any silverware, Arsenal’s main aim must be qualification for Champions League next season. With Chelsea having a difficult game today against Manchester City, Arsenal could well put 6 points between them and 5th spot, Chelsea. As for Everton, their season is almost done – can’t see them dropping into the relegation zone and also can’t see them pushing for Europe. So the only thing to play for, in my opinion, is their contracts and future at Everton. Rumours are going round that Everton do not look healthy financially, the players might have to take a cut in wages or they might have to sell a few of them. Everton have enjoyed a good run in results in recent weeks until their 3-0 defeat against Liverpool.

Since the turn of the year, Everton have defeated Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs – three of the top five BUT despite the good results against the big boys, Everton are still lying in mid-table on 10th. One would expect them to at least be competing for a place in Europe after three massive wins.

David Moyes will be without Darron Gibson, Rodwell and Seamus Coleman who are all out injured while Wenger will be without Coquelin, Mertesacker and Wilshere who are all sidelined for at least another few weeks. Thomas Vermaelen is doubtful for this game while this game might just be too soon for Diaby who has just recovered.

Verdict:
 We all know the player to watch out for is RVP. RVP is one of the hottest striker in the league with 26 goals to his name this season. With the kind of form he is in, he is likely to score at least once tonight, therefore Everton will have to buck up in defense. Wenger will once again play his 4-5-1 formation and the key player will once again be Rosicky. Despite poor display from the Czech captain in previous season and earlier part of the season, Rosicky in my opinion has been one of the better players in this Arsenal line up in the past few months. His line up between defense and attack has been superb.

Everton will not only have to cope with RVP and Rosicky BUT also the pace of Walcott and Gervinho or Alex down the flanks. With Arsenal only giving -0.25, my money is on them. Arsenal are firm favourites in my opinion to claim all three points. However, having said that, Arsenal LEVEL BALL would be my pick for a banker bet as I CANNOT CANNOT see Everton winning.

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Arsenal -0.25 with DAFABET

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This is a massive game for both clubs, draw will not be good enough for either side and only a win could help them. For City, they are currently 4 points behind city rivals United having played a game less. Anything but a win might just give Man United the edge to go on and win the league. As for Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are 3 points and 4 points clear of Chelsea respectively. A win today would still give them a glimmer of hope for a Champions League spot but a defeat would almost be impossible for Chelsea to qualify for Champions League next season via berth spots UNLESS something miracle happens.

Manchester City this season have been superb at home. With 14 wins from a possible 14 games, there is nothing more you can ask from them at home. On the other hand, Chelsea downfall this season has been on the road. They have only managed to win 5 of their 14 away games, drawing 5 and losing four. The main reason for them to struggle on the road is simply because of their lack of goals scored. Chelsea have only average 1.2 goal a game on the road while conceded 0.92 goal a game on the road.

Moving on, the media has been suggest that Tevez might make a comeback today against Chelsea give that he has a superb record against them. However, let me remind you that despite such good records, Tevez might struggle as he has yet to play a competitive game since September last year! So the key decision for Mancini’s side would be should he stick with the players he has been for the entire season or does he drop one of them and put Tevez in. A gamble that is worth taking considering City have struggle to score goals recently BUT could easily backfire.

Mancini will be without Lescott who is out with a groin injury while Kompany should recover and start this crucial game. Pablo Zabaleta and Gareth Barry are fit once again and should be included in the lineup. As for Chelsea, they will be without inspirational skipper John Terry.

Verdict:
It was a massive relieve for Chelsea fans as Fernando Torres finally broke his 25 hours goalscoring drought. However, let us not forget that Chelsea was playing against a NON-Premier League team.

With John Terry not playing tonight, David Luiz and Garry Cahill is expected to start in central defense – and here comes my major concern. We all know Luiz have some wild ideas from time to time and start running around with the ball or put his team in danger BUT with Terry beside him, we often see Terry instructing him or covering up for him. However can Cahill do the same as Terry? I have doubts in that as Cahill is still trying to settle in.

Silva might have dropped off the spotlight since the turn of the year and the likes of Nasri, Milner, Johnson and Toure not playin gas well as they did at the start of the season BUT With Chelsea being so poor on the road, I cannot see how can there be any value in backing the away side despite the +0.5 head start. YES, I do agree that Man City have struggle recently and it could be that their players are running out of steam BUT Tevez and co should have enough oil in their tanks to reach the finish line today and claim all three points.

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Man City -0.5 with DAFABET

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Hello Hello! It’s been a while since I last made a preview, I apologize for that – took extended leave and had to sort out several stuff before I could make a comeback and NOW im fully committed in making picks once again.

We’ve seen some fantastic results in the round of 16 2^nd leg Champions League results and there’s definitely more to come. Chelsea will take on Napoli tonight in this “made or break” game which could well seal the faith of several senior players in the squad. We all know that everybody is given a chance at Chelsea but when you fail to live up to expectations, your time is up!

Heading into this game, Chelsea are 3-1 down on aggregate and will require to score a win by two clear goals or three goals if Napoli scores two or more, which is very likely!

With Chelsea needed everything in their tank to secure a 1-0 win against Stoke at the weekend, some of the players might feel the effects of it. Frank Lampard and Drogba both had played 90 minutes compared to Hamsik, Cavani and Levezzi who played approx.. 45 min each.

Team News:
Chelsea will receive a massive boost as John Terry is back in defense for them while Raul Meireles is suspended for this game and Jose Bosingwa is out injured.

As for Napoli, they have no real injury concerns apart from Miguel Britos and Gianluca Grava. So a full strength squad to select from by Walter Mazzarri.

Verdict:
I cannot understand what difference would Di Matteo make to AVB. AVB in my opinion is a fairly decent manager BUT the players just would not give him enough respect simply because his CV was not as good as others that managed them in the past.

The pressure are on the Chelsea players to score as early as possible and we all know home advantage does play a role in these sort of two leg games BUT Chelsea are struggling. The players that once dominated Europe and England for Chelsea have reach their twilight years of their career. Napoli on the other hand are on a rise with Cavani, Levezzi and Hamsik leading their lines.

Chelsea will dominate the game, no doubt about that but I am expecting Napoli to hit them hard on the counter attack and if Napoli scores first or scores in the first half, I am expecting a massive drop in confidence amount the Chelsea players. Chelsea’s midfield will definitely find it hard to find some space as Napoli is likely to set up a 5 men midfield.

Take Napoli at a +0.75 head start. Yes Chelsea might just win this game by the odd goal, but I cannot see them winning this by 2 clear goals and progress to the next round.

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Napoli + 1 with DAFABET

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Overview:
Regardless of the result, everybody in Swansea colours are celebrating today as this is a big gme for them and they players and fans will love it. Nathan Dyer who has admired United all his life is hoping to put on a show for them BUT time and time again we have seen how these sort of pressure pull down a players performance.

With Nani play two games in the past week for Portugal, Fergie might just leave him on the bench as Ashley Young is back together with Giggs.

The key part in Swansea’s play is to keep the ball and we all know apart from the big teams such, United tend to control the ball instead of letting their opponents control them. So if United are able to break Swansea’s play and control the ball, Swansea might be in for a difficult night!

Rooney is having some sort of “goal drought” as he has been playing a deeper role in recent weeks but with Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs and Park all available for selection, I am expecting Rooney to start up front. Rooney will be eager to play again having miss all the games with England over the past week and his hunger might just see him score a goal or two.

There are no real injury concern for Swansea as Stephen Dobbie is set to return together with Neil Taylor but Steven Caulker will still be out. As for United, Ashley Young is likely to return into the start line up together with Giggs while Smalling might have recovered from his injury but is unlikely to be risked. Welbeck and Tom Cleverley will miss tonight’s game.

Verdict:
Under no pressure at all and no expectation, Swansea will not be expecting a win here against United. However, some might feel that with no pressure under their belt, Swansea might just play a level better BUT football is something that you have to apply a certain amount of pressure on your players for them to perform. You cannot allow them to be to take things too easily.

This is the sort of game at the start of the season, everybody will be expecting Manchester United to hammer Swansea – as they were hammering Arsenal and Chelsea. However, with United not at full throttle in recent weeks, Swansea might have a shoot at this but in my opinion, even with United not at full throttle, they will just grind the results they need to get all three points.

With the handicap at -1, it was a little tempting to back the home side BUT have look into the starting eleven that would start for United, most of the players had the week off. Rooney was not involved in any of England’s game and key players such as Ferdinand, Vidic, Fletcher, Park, Ashley Young and Carrick not heavily involved over the past week, United would be as fresh as any the other teams without international involvement.

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Manchester United – 0.75 with DAFABET

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Overview:
Norwich have done well this season, lying unexpectedly at 9th position at the moment. Their home form has been good but Norwich has only rely on playing attacking football and you cannot afford to do so against top teams.

It will not be easy for Norwich to go all out attack and expect something and in fact Arsenal could just easily exploit them with the pace of Walcott and Gervinho down the flanks.

Wenger will be delighted with his side recent performance, without a doubt and facing Norwich today might be a great as they look for their 5th straight win. The key player for Wenger would definitely have to be RVP as he has been on the headlines of almost every newspaper in the past few weeks – simply because he cant stop scoring and simply because he is the one getting the results for Arsenal.

As for Norwich, the key player would have to be John Ruddy. Ruddy has displayed some eye catching performance this season and his ability will once again be tested.

Paul Lambert will head into today’s game with some positive news as Russell Martin has recovered from an ankle injury while Bradley Johnson is also available. However, Lambert will still be without Elliot Ward, Zak Whitbread, Daniel Ayala and James Vaughan. As for Wenger, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Jack Wilshere, Sagna, and Diaby are all out injured.

Verdict:
The international break might have just put some momentum off Wenger’s side who has done brilliantly over the past few weeks. Nevertheless, I have to be with the away side simply because I cant see an upset here today.

Arsenal have disappoint me time and time again this season, especially their 4-3 defeat to Blackburn. Let’s hope that nothing of this happens today. RVP has been scoring almost a goal a game and without a doubt Norwich would have target him as the danger man but if Norwich only focus on him, there will be heaps of space for Walcott and Gervinho to run into – especially with Lambert expecting to start with a make-shift defense of Barnett, Martin, Tierney and Naughton.

With the handicap at -0.75, there isn’t much for me to ponder about. If the handicap was at -1.5 than maybe Norwich might have a good fighting chance but as far as I see it, an away win!

Shady Recommends:
Arsenal -0.75 with DAFABET

Overview:
This is one game that won’t attract much viewers across the globe compared to other bigger games but in terms of betting, this game will definitely attract “bargain hunters”, in my opinion. Udinese lying on the top of the Seria A host relegation bound Bologna.

With Juventus taking on Ac Milan later on today, this will be a great opportunity for Udinese to go above Napoli should the win today. Francesco Guidolin will definitely be aware of that, as Udinese rested several key players in the midweek game against Celtic.

Udinese have played well this season and looks more solid in defense but compared to previous seasons, they might just lack some firepower going forward. Antonio Di Natale have been single handily scoring the goals for Udinese in previous seasons as well as this season but if the other team can keep him quiet, it makes me wonder who will Guidolin rely on to get him the goals.

Bologna form has simply be awful and I am rather surprised that they are still in the Seria A. Bologna have yet to win since April and during this period, they have only avoided defeated in three games. Udinese on the other hand are performing fairly well in my opinion since the departure of their key player in the summer. They are unlikely to push for the Seria A title but I am expecting Udinese to finish in the top 5 this season.

To make matters worse for the away side, Bologna will be without Jean Francois who was injured in the last game against Inter. Federico Agliardi is likely to come in for him BUT I am uncertain of his goal keeping ability at the top level.

Verdict:
This has surely got to be one of the better bets of the night. I cannot any reason for Udinese not win today considering an unimpressive Inter Milan can defeat Bologna on the road 3-1 last weekend. Udinese might have lost several key players in the summer BUT their playing style and tactics remain pretty much the same.

I am expecting their hardworking midfielders to undo this Bologna defense at least once, if not more, while it is unlikely that Bologna will score today as they lack severe firepower up front. Udinese have a good goalkeeper and it wont be easy for Bologna to beat Samir Handanovic.

With the handicap a -1, my money is on Udinese as I am expecting them to win by a 2 or 3 goal margin. However, with Udinese not scoring as many goals as they used to be, there might be an outside chance of Udinese winning by a single goal margin.

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Udinese @ -1 with DAFABET

Overview:
Despite winning in midweek, I believe Inter will still have to improve on their performance should they wish to finish in the top 3. It will be a massive disappointment for Inter should they drop outside the top 3 and fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.

In the midweek game, Ranieri opted to start with Cambiasso and Zanetti in central midfield and this is one of the biggest mistakes, in my opinion. Both of them are defensive minded players and have nothing much to offer going up front and more importantly both of them lacks pace. With both of them not pushing forward, this will make life difficult for the Inter forwards.

As for Napoli, they did well to secure a massive win in Europe in midweek, but came to a consequence of losing out hit man Cavani. Villarreal had their chances but failed to take any of them and Napoli just took advantage of the chances they had. Cavani has been a key player for Napoli and he will be badly missed, without a doubt. His ability to score goals and assist makes him one of the most feared strikers in Italy.

With Cavani out Mazzarri is likely to start former Inter player, Goran Pandev in Cavani’s place to partner Lavezzi in attack supported by Hamsik. Mazzarri is expected to stick to his preferred 3-4-3 formation. Without Cavani, the burden will definitely fall to Hamsik as he will play a key role for Napoli. The Slovakian will be responsible for pulling the strings and scoring the goals.

Verdict:
This is definitely one of the games you want to put your hands on. Inter Milan have been going downhill since the departure of Jose Mourinho. Claudio Ranieri is Inter’s 4^th manager just in a space of two years and to make things worse, we all know that Inter are missing several key players, especially in midfield.

The game against CSKA in midweek shows it all. Inter were lucky to score three goals but they had nothing to offer going forward as they just lack creativity. With Sneijder out, Ranieri have to rely heavily on long balls and set play and I cant see Inter taking all three points today, especially if Napoli scores an early goal. The lack of pace in this Inter side will definitely be a factor in today’s result.

Many are ruling out chances of Napoli to get something out of the game because of the absence of Cavani in this Napoli side, but with the handicap placed at +0.5 for Napoli, you can’t get any better deal this week in the Seria A. Yes Inter might just sneak one goal and keep Napoli out BUT if you’ve seen how Inter performed in recent week, more particularly in midweek, you would say that Napoli +0.5 is a good bet as Inter seriously lack creativity and pace in midfield.

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Napoli @ +0.5 with DAFABET