Category Archives: Betting picks

Villareal v Malaga – Andalusians need Champions League points

Posted on April 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Even with Valencia taking the point at Santiago Bernabeu in the last round, Malaga advanced to the third spot on the table – and automatic Champions League qualification – with a dominant home victory over Racing Santander. The rich club owned by a Qatari investor is looking to establish themselves as a European powerhouse, and in order to do that they’d need a victory against the struggling Villareal side.

Even among the competition of the likes of Valencia, Atletico Madrid with Radamel Falcao, Europa League favorites Athletic Bilbao and do-or-die Levante, Malaga managed to show the most steady form during the season and have now, in its very finish, reached the third spot on the table. The battle for the third spot, and also for being recognized as the third-strongest team behind the untouchables, has been going on for the entire season, and Malaga is favored to win the honours.
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Borussia Dortmund v Bayern – A title-deciding clash in Dortmund

Posted on April 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Borussia Dortmund is currently three points ahead of Bayern in Bundesliga, and with a victory would seal off the title for the second year in a row. However, a defeat would see them trailing on goal-difference, and that’s exactly what Bayern is hoping for. Whoever wins this match will win the German title, with only four rounds remaining after this derby.

Good news for Borussia Dortmund is that Mario Gotze is approaching full fitness and the key midfielder just might be ready for the big match. It would be a welcome addition to an already strong squad which is playing very offensive short-passing football whose strong point is disrupting the defence. It is of no problem at all for Borussia Dortmund to get a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, they do that several times per match regardless of their opponent.
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Wolverhampton v Arsenal – Gunners will continue the winning streak

Posted on April 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Everyone is beating Wolverhampton these days, and the helpless soon-to-be relegated team has six straight defeats. The last time the Wanderers took a point on Molineux Stadium was seven home matches ago against Norwich. As opposed to them, Arsenal are no wanderers. They’ve won eight of their last nine matches.

The Gunners did have to work hard but eventually took a victory against Manchester City with a late goal by Mikael Arteta. What’s interesting to note is that the Citizens sent zero shots on target towards Arsenal’s goal. The last time they recorded such performance was – last season away against Arsenal.
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Newcastle United v Bolton Wanderers – The Magpies want the Europa League

Posted on April 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

Newcastle United still has a good chance of pushing Chelsea out of the fifth spot on the table and qualifying for Europa League next year, and they’re one of the few English clubs who would enjoy playing in that competition and wouldn’t consider it an embarassment.

Chelsea has a more difficult schedule than Newcastle, as they have to visit Arsenal, while for the Magpies only the small matches remain. And they have fared quite well for the entire season against inferior opponents. Newcastle will still have to do without Fabricio Coloccini, and it seems like midfielder Danny Guthrie will miss this match after also missing the victory over Swansea 0-2 on Friday.
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Wofsburg v Borussia Dortmund – Is Magath a miracle maker?

Posted on April 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

The underachieving Wolfsburg side has been the laughing stock of Bundesliga, and that especially goes for Felix Magath’s unique ways of handling the team. When Wolfsburg was near the relegation zone, Magath stated he’ll win the title next season, and recently his team made heads turn with four consecutive victories and 12 goals scored. Is Magath a miracle maker afterall?

Wolfsburg, tied at 40 points with Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart, and one point behind Hannover, could get closer to catching an Europa League spot if they beat the champions.

Felix Magath was showing strange methods of dealing with an underachieving side. For three consecutive weeks he was finding a player, or players, to blame for the defeat and he would put them on the transfer list or chase them out of the club. Even worse, he’d allow some of them to return. Week after week Magath would be angry with the players, only to suddenly change his approach and stop talking with the team – he refused to say a word to any player for two weeks.
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Chelsea v Wigan Athletic – Both teams desperate for points

Posted on April 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

Chelsea is currently five points behind Tottenham on the Premier League table and is eager to catch their rivals to get a Champions League qualification spot and to avoid having to play in the Europa League next season. Wigan is only one point deep in the relegation zone and the team currently on a four-match undefeated streak needs every point they can get.

Chelsea interim manager Roberto di Matteo managed to pull the squad out of the slump which they were in. Chelsea had brought a 3-1 deficit from Naples in the Champions League at the time, and wasn’t holding a Champions League qualification spot in the Premiership. The season was looking grim.
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Blackburn v Manchester United – The hunger for victories

Posted on March 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

United’s hunger, of course. If there’s one thing which could become a trademark of the Manchester side, it’s their furious finishes of the season. United is at its best when the push comes to shove, and where most other teams lose their nerve, Manchester United is able to put together a run of victories to take the title. And the next one in line are the Blackburn Rovers, who had surprisingly beaten Manchester United on Old Trafford 2-3 earlier in the season.


Sir Alex Ferguson has done this before – winning the title. He has also done it after being far behind in the first part of the season, the most famous example being 1996 when Newcastle was stormed over in the Spring after leading the table for the whole season. Ferguson is relying on his most experienced players such as Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney to win the title, and experience and composure matter more than anything else in a situation such as this one.
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Osasuna v Real Madrid – Osasuna to repeat victory over Barcelona?

Posted on March 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

Two months ago, Osasuna did the impossible and won 3-2 against Barcelona in a dominant performance. They recorded only one defeat since, and are a contender for one of the top spots in Spain. Real, who just played in Nicosia in the Champions League and won 0-3 with three late goals, is still six points ahead of Barcelona

Osasuna is sixth on the table, but given the situation in Spain Primera, they are among the many teams which are chasing a European spot, and even the third spot, to win the “rest of the league” behind Real and Barcelona. They are currently only four points behind third-placed Valencia and are hoping, just like the others are, that Valencia won’t be able to keep up because of their Europa League duties.
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Manchester City v Sunderland – The race for the title continues against the Black Cats

Posted on March 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

Manchester City is three points behind Manchester United on the ladder and they have a tougher schedule, too. If they want the City-United match on April 30th to matter, the Citizens need to win all their remaining matches. They are hosting Sunderland as Manchester United is traveling to play Blackburn in this round

Manchester City barely rescued a point at Stoke-on-Trent in the last round, ruining the big victory against Chelsea a week ago.

The pressure seems to be reaching new heights in Manchester City as Patrick Vieira, a City executive, has made some interesting comments lately. First he made a serious remark that the referees are helping Manchester United to win the title because Fulham wasn’t awarded a late penalty kick in a 1-0 loss at Old Trafford, and then said bringing back Paul Scholes from retirement was a sign of weakness. “We’re glad to have Carlos (Tevez) back”, Vieira said about their own desperate move.
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WBA v Newcastle – The Magpies seek revenge for a 2-3 home defeat

Posted on March 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

West Bromwich Albion, mostly safe from any relegation worries, was throroughly outplayed by Wigan in a 1-1 draw. In the meanwhile, Newcastle broke their four-match winless streak by taking out Norwich, and still dream of a European competition next season. The Europa league spot is only two points away

The Magpies seem to react poorly to defeats – earlier in the season a 3-1 defeat by Manchester City sent them in a six-match winless streak. Granted, their next opponents were Manchester United and Chelsea, but Newcastle also got only one point from the following duels with Norwich, Swansea and Albion – WBA beating them on home soil with 2-3.
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