2011 September | SoccerPunt.com - Soccer Predictions

Archive for September, 2011

27 Sep

Match preview: Marseille – Dortmund

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Didier Deschamps was in buoyant mood ahead of Olympique de Marseille’s Group F meeting with Borussia Dortmund, grateful for the diversion from a difficult start to their Ligue 1 campaign that has brought a solitary win in eight outings so far. The German side’s own title defence has been similarly faltering – unlike the team bus, stopped for speeding on the way to the airport on Tuesday morning.

Marseille
Coach Didier Deschamps
We are playing a team from Pot 4 [of the draw], a team supposedly a bit weak – that is not the case with Dortmund. Playing in the Champions League is a great parenthesis, a break in our season, and we have to be prepared for a team who like to go forward; they use the ball well. The 1997 final I lost against Dortmund [with Juventus] brings back bad memories for me, but on that night Dortmund were the better team. Yet that was a long time ago and I have no desire for revenge. This is different.

“We put Ligue 1 aside for one night. The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious club competition, with the best teams and the best players, and in this very exciting context we tend to play better”. There’s no need for extra motivation. Every club aspires to play in this competition, and today we are top of our group. I hope it will still be the case tomorrow night. I respect Dortmund’s quality but having six points tomorrow night would be ideal.

Weekend result
Saturday:Valenciennes FC 1-1 Marseille (Saez 90+2; Diawara 16)
Mandanda; N’Koulou, Diawara, Fanni, Morel; Lucho, Diarra (Kaboré 66); Valbuena (Azpilicueta 46), Amalfitano, A Ayew; Rémy (J Ayew 81)

• Souleymane Diawara’s first league goal since 11 April 2010 looked like earning previously bottom-placed OM their second win in three days until José Saez equalised in added time. Rod Fanni, dismissed on matchday one, was then sent off again on Saturday.

Team news
Fanni is suspended while André-Pierre Gignac (groin), Benoît Cheyrou (adductors) and Stéphane Mbia (broken metatarsal) are injured. Djimi Traoré (foot) was not included in the squad to face Valenciennes; Loïc Rémy started despite a groin problem.

Dortmund
Coach Jürgen Klopp
Marseille are an experienced team with an experienced manager. Their situation in the French league is not easy but they will try and use this European match to get over it. We are teams used to great support, and we look forward to playing at this stadium tomorrow. In preparation, we focused more on our way of playing rather than any individual players though.

French football has an impressive tradition, a model around a national team that has been an example in Europe. “We have three games to get points away from home, so we will try and start as early as possible; why not tomorrow?” Since [winning the UEFA Champions League in] 1997 the situation at Dortmund has changed. The European title means a lot for our club, but now we are a developing team. To develop even more, we need big games like these ones in the Champions League.

Weekend result
Saturday: 1. FSV Mainz 05 1-2 Dortmund (N Müller 33; Perišić 64, Piszczek 90)
Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotić, Hummels, Löwe; Gündoğan (Błaszczykowski 86), Kehl; Götze, Kagawa (Leitner 70), Perišić; Lewandowski (Barrios 75)

• Ivan Perišić and Łukasz Piszczek scored their maiden Bundesliga goals for Dortmund – the latter in his 40th top-flight appearance for the club – to earn Klopp’s team a first league away win in eight attempts, since a 3-1 triumph over FC Bayern München on 26 February.

Team news
Sven Bender suffered a hip problem in the matchday one draw with Arsenal FC, an injury which is keeping out Patrick Owomoyela while Marvin Bakalorz has not played this term because of an Achilles complaint.

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : OVER 2,5

Odd : 1.15

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction Marseille – Dortmund, free tips Marseille – Dortmund, soccer prediction Marseille – Dortmund, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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27 Sep

Match preview: Arsenal – Olympiakos

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Arsène Wenger’s assertion that Arsenal FC were a bit late leaving the station this season is just as appropriate for Wednesday’s Group F opponents Olympiacos FC, who had to wait until matchday one to start their campaign after their first two domestic opponents were relegated. They looked off the pace in a 1-0 defeat by Olympique de Marseille, and coach Ernesto Valverde concedes his side will be hard pushed to launch their challenge in London.

Arsenal
Manager Arsène Wenger
“We know we are a train that left “”the station “”a bit late, so we cannot afford any more to drop our consistency”. Any victory will help us. I’ve always been optimistic because I feel the players are mentally strong and focused. I’m impressed by the quality of all the players we brought in, not only on the football pitch, but also their mental attitude is absolutely fantastic. That’s what’s at stake for us – to show that we can deliver week in, week out.

We have a lot of respect for Olympiacos. I’ve seen the game against Marseille; they played well. In the Champions League, you never win easy. You have a chance to win when you give absolutely everything. We [have spent] 14 consecutive years in the Champions League; if we have not learnt that, then we are really stupid. If you do not prepare properly, you have no chance.

Weekend result
Saturday: Arsenal 3-0 Bolton Wanderers FC (Van Persie 46 71, Song 89)
Szczęsny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Arteta (Rosický 82), Song, Ramsey; Gervinho (Arshavin 78), Van Persie (Chamakh 86), Walcott

• Robin van Persie scored his 99th and 100th goals for Arsenal.

Team news
Gervinho (muscle injury), Laurent Koscielny (ankle) and Theo Walcott (knee) are all out after picking up injuries against Bolton. Johan Djourou (hamstring) and Yossi Benayoun (thigh) both missed that game, but Tomáš Rosický returned from a knee injury. Jack Wilshere will be out for four months after undergoing ankle surgery; Abou Diaby (ankle) and Sébastien Squillaci (calf) are yet to feature this season.

Olympiacos
Coach Ernesto Valverde
It’s going to be very difficult for us. The pace of Champions League matches is very different to the Greek game – very quick, very swift. Arsenal have a lot of quality players with a great deal of experience, but we have to focus on our game and try our best.

We are far better prepared than on matchday one [Olympiacos's first game of the season], but that does not mean it will be easy for us: we are up against the toughest of opponents. “We know we are underdogs, but why not come here and try to give a good account of ourselves to try and get a result?”

Football is sometimes simpler than people think. The team that wins is invariably the team that imposes its own style on the match; the one that has to adapt its style often loses. So we will try to play our natural game and see what we can do.

Weekend result
Saturday: Ergotelis FC 2-3 Olympiacos FC (Romano 55 85; Mirallas 4, Fuster 42pen, Marcano 76)
Costanzo; Torossidis, Papadopoulos, Marcano, Holebas; Modesto, Orbaiz; Abdoun (Ibagaza 62), Fuster (Javito 73), Mirallas (Mellberg 88); Djebbour

• Olympiacos’s first five league goals this term have each been scored by a different player: Marko Pantelić, Rafik Djebbour, Kevin Mirallas, David Fuster and Iván Marcano – his first for the club. It was only their second match as the first two were cancelled.

Team news
Fuster (thigh), Ljubomir Fejsa (groin), Giannis Potouridis (groin) and Ariel Ibagaza (right foot) are available after shaking off knocks. Giannis Fetfatzidis (abdominal problem), Giannis Maniatis (groin) and Francisco Yeste (rib/lack of fitness) have been ruled out.

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : OVER 2,5

Odd : 1.70

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction Arsenal – Olympiakos, free tips Arsenal – Olympiakos, soccer prediction Arsenal – Olympiakos, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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27 Sep

Match preview: Leverkusen – Genk

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Bayer 04 Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt is happy to portray his side as favourites as they aim to put their matchday one loss at Chelsea FC behind them at home against KRC Genk, but opposite number Mario Been feels confident the Belgian champions can post a positive result as long as they make the most of their chances.

Leverkusen
Coach Robin Dutt
We cannot really deny we are favourites, but Genk qualified for this competition by winning the Belgian title. We played them in a pre-season friendly and’ even though they did not have their full squad then, we could see they have quality.

If we want to leave Genk behind us in this group we have to win our home match. We will have to be focused to win this one. We have said that we want to finish second. You have to say that Chelsea are favourites to finish top and, despite a good performance, we could not get a result [at Stamford Bridge on matchday one]. It will be just as hard for the other teams in the group to get a result there, let alone to get enough points to deny Chelsea a top-two finish.

Weekend result
Saturday: FC Bayern München 3-0 Leverkusen (T Müller 5, Van Buyten 19, Robben 90)
Leno; Balitsch, Reinartz, Toprak (Friedrich 86), Da Costa (Bellarabi 64); Bender, Rolfes; Sam, Renato Augusto, Castro; Kiessling

• Danny da Costa, 18, made his Bundesliga debut as Leverkusen suffered a third successive defeat in all competitions.

Team news
Daniel Schwaab (knee) and Michael Ballack (flu) missed the Bayern defeat, but Gonzalo Castro returned from a groin injury and Bastian Oczipka was on the bench after seven months out with a broken ankle. First-choice goalkeepers René Adler (knee) and Fabian Giefer (concussion) are sidelined while Tranquillo Barnetta and Michael Ortega (both knee) are also out. Michael Ballack is still feeling under the weather following a bout of flu, though he has trained this week.

Genk
Coach Mario Been
We have several difficult matches coming up and have to give 100% in all of them. We know Leverkusen are quick at switching from defence to attack. They have an impressive stadium and it’s a very special feeling to be here.

Against Valencia, there were doubts before the game as to whether we could cope and in the end we won a point. The same goes for this match. The squad has developed nicely and we can get a result against Leverkusen if we stick to our game plan. Leverkusen have lost against Chelsea and Bayern, but those are two top European sides. Having also lost against Köln they’ll want to put things right now and will be really fired up to beat us. We will have to keep the ball well and seize our chances.

Weekend result
Saturday: Oud-Heverlee Leuven 1-1 Genk (Hayen 65; Vossen 45+2)
Köteles; Anele, Nadson, Simaeys, Pudil; Hubert, Tőzsér, Buffel (De Bruyne 70); Barda, Vossen (Dugary 66), Kennedy (Benteke 47)

• Elyaniv Barda was sent off on 55 minutes after Jelle Vossen scored his third goal in as many league games.

Team news
Kevin De Bruyne is back from a calf injury, but Torben Joneleit, who has torn cruciate ligaments in his left knee, and Stijn Wertelaers – broken nose and eye socket – are out

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : 1

Odd : 1.45

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction Leverkusen – Genk, free tips Leverkusen – Genk, soccer prediction Leverkusen – Genk, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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27 Sep

Match preview: Valencia – Chelsea

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There will be no room for sentiment when former Valencia CF favourite Juan Mata returns to Mestalla in the colours of Chelsea FC on Wednesday. Unai Emery has urged the Spanish club’s fans to come out in force, and his team to put on a show against opponents who are, according to André Villas-Boas, motivated and refreshed.

Valencia
Coach Unai Emery
Tomorrow is a big game with the usual complications, but we feel confident. We know all about Chelsea but also know that we are a very strong side, even more so here at Mestalla. We are only focused on ourselves and want to produce a great game and a victory for our fans. Tomorrow every player wearing blue [including Mata] will be our enemy.

Chelsea defend and attack their own way, and we’ll try to exploit this and hurt them. I expect a physical game and we have to be switched on. We respect all our rivals but this doesn’t affect our philosophy of playing football.

We want a full stadium and it’s our responsibility to put on a great show so the fans can enjoy a great game. I can’t promise victory, but we will give our all to get one. We played our best match of the season against Barcelona [2-2 last Wednesday], but every opponent is different and we have to adapt to them.

In the Champions League there are many great teams, and we’re one of them. Chelsea were the top seeds and we were in the second pot, but the favourites don’t always win.

Weekend result
Saturday: Sevilla FC 1-0 Valencia (Kanouté 18)
Guaita; Bruno (Barragán 46), Rami, Víctor Ruiz (Soldado 71), Mathieu; Jonas, Maduro, Tino Costa, Banega, Piatti (Canales 63); Aduriz

• A Valencia team with six changes from the midweek 2-2 draw with FC Barcelona lost for the first time in ten matches. Aritz Aduriz was sent off, but only after Sevilla had been reduced to nine men.

Team news
David Albelda bruised his back against Barcelona and did not face Sevilla. Mehmet Topal tore a shoulder muscle in the matchday one draw with KRC Genk.

Chelsea
Manager André Villas-Boas
Our motivation is at the top at the moment. I think we made good decisions regarding rest and active periods; we have a good relationship in that balance and it showed against Swansea because we had nine fresh players on the pitch. Tomorrow we can put 11 strong players on the pitch because the talent we have at our disposal is out of this world and we just hope to make the right decisions.

Different players react differently when coming back home or to an emotional place. You just have to wait and see if [Mata] is going to be involved.

Valencia will be extremely motivated. They had a good game against Barcelona but lost at the weekend against Sevilla. They will try to get the three points. We have to believe in our philosophy. The game will be very fast and intense, and if we get to win the three points tomorrow we will be in a very good position to go through.

I am friends with Unai; we talk from time to time. I think he is one of the best coaches in Spain and I am very impressed by the way Valencia play football and by the way Unai motivates his players.

Weekend result
Saturday: Chelsea FC 4-1 Swansea City FC (Torres 29, Ramires 36 76, Drogba 90+4; Williams 86)
Čech; Bosingwa, Ivanović, Terry, Cole; Mikel, Meireles (McEachran 83), Ramires; Mata (Malouda 60), Torres, Anelka (Drogba 79)

• Fernando Torres took his Chelsea goal tally to three after scoring for the second straight game, though he was then sent off. Didier Drogba, back from a head injury, struck for the first time since 16 April.

Team news
Michael Essien is out for the group stage with a knee ligament injury

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : 1

Odd : 3.25

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction Valencia – Chelsea, free tips Valencia – Chelsea, soccer prediction Valencia – Chelsea, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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27 Sep

Match preview: AC Milan – Viktoria Plzen

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AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri suggested the Italian title holders’ matchday one draw at FC Barcelona will mean little if they fail to build on it when FC Viktoria Plzeň come calling. Buoyed after a first win of the season at the weekend, he warned that a second is far from assured against the side coached by Pavel Vrba, who indicated that he has been doing his homework on the Rossoneri.

Milan
Coach Massimiliano Allegri
It won’t be easy. We have watched Viktoria’s play-off games and they are a well-organised team, with quality players on the counterattack. We should be wary at the back and can’t afford to underestimate them; nothing in football is simple these days. It’s a Champions League match against a team that performed well in the play-offs [defeating Rosenborg BK] and that has good quality.

We have to win if we want to build on the point earned in Barcelona. We have a chance to finish top and the next three games will be crucial to that, accruing points and making sure we then win the head to head [against Barcelona]. But, for the time being, we have to focus on Viktoria Plzeň. It will not be an easy match, but we are fully motivated. Saturday’s victory has brought confidence.

Weekend result
Saturday: Milan 1-0 AC Cesena (Seedorf 5)
Abbiati; Abate, Yepes, Thiago Silva, Taiwo (Zambrotta 52); Van Bommel, Seedorf, Nocerino, Emanuelson; El Shaarawy (Aquilani 66), Cassano (Inzaghi 82)

• Clarence Seedorf’s early goal earned Milan their first victory of their title defence. The 35-year-old has now scored in each of his 14 seasons in Italian football.

Team news
Gennaro Gattuso is suspended; Robinho (toe), Pato (thigh), Kevin-Prince Boateng (hip) and Philippe Mexès (knee) are all out. Allegri is hopeful Zlatan Ibrahimović (thigh) and Daniele Bonera (bruised rib) will be available.

Plzeň
Coach Pavel Vrba
My first impression of this stadium is a great one. It’s wonderful − back home we don’t have anything like it. We have to prepare, be humble and face it in the best way we can. I hope this chance to play in the UEFA Champions League will contribute to the development of Czech football.

I’ve watched four of Milan’s games, against Napoli and Udinese in particular, and I have garnered some ideas and inspiration. Naturally, we don’t underestimate anyone. This is an important moment in our season. I’m sure Clarence Seedorf will be important for Milan; he’s a great player in an excellent team. This game will have an important influence on my players, especially their futures. It will be a great occasion for them.

Weekend result
Friday: SK Dynamo České Budějovice 0-0 Viktoria Plzeň
Čech; Rajtoral, Čišovský, Bystroň, Limberský; Petržela (Hora 87), Horváth, Jiráček, Kolář, Pilař (Darida 71); Bakoš (Ďuriš 63)

• This was Plzeň’s first goalless draw in 42 league outings, since being held, also by České Budějovice, on 24 April 2010.

Team news
Goalkeeper Roman Pavlík is still to return after injuring his knee against Rosenborg on 27 July.

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : 1

Odd : 1.35

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction AC Milan – Viktoria Plzen, free tips AC Milan – Viktoria Plzen, soccer prediction AC Milan – Viktoria Plzen, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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27 Sep

Match preview: BATE – Barcelona

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“We’re thinking only about victory,” vowed FC BATE Borisov coach Viktor Goncharenko as he looked forward to Wednesday’s home meeting with FC Barcelona, a game the Group H giants will go into with “a large sense of responsibility” according to Josep Guardiola.

BATE
Coach Viktor Goncharenko
Barcelona are the best club in the world and their standard of play would unsettle anyone, but that’s only to be expected. It’s a shame our striker Vitali Rodionov is injured; he will be out for a long while. This is not a match where you want to experiment.

I asked Rubin Kazan coach Kurban Berdyev for some advice since he’s had success against Barcelona in the past. He gave me some great insights, but we will have to see on the pitch how useful his advice was. Either way, Rubin have set us a great example.

For ten days we have been thinking about how we’ll attack and how we’ll defend against Barcelona. Maybe that’s why we had a disappointing showing in the league. Whatever happens will help BATE take a step forward. If all we think about is avoiding defeat, that would not be progress. We’re thinking only about victory.

Weekend result
Friday: FC Belshina Bobruisk 1-1 BATE (Zubovich 46; Kontsevoi 6)
Gutor; A Volodko, Filipenko, Simić, Bordachev; Rudik (Likhtarovich 75), Olekhnovich, Baga (Aleksiyan 78); Bressan; Kontsevoi, Kežman (Gordeychuk 63)

• BATE extended their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions, six of them draws. They are 16 matches without defeat at home since the start of the season in April, scoring in all those fixtures.

Team news
Vitali Rodionov and Evgeni Kuntsevich are out long term with knee injuries. Aleksandr Pavlov (torn adductors) and Aleksandr Yurevich (torn ankle ligaments) are also sidelined.

Barcelona
Coach Josep Guardiola
Group stage matches are always a bit tricky. They differ from knockout games, when teams have a different approach. Tomorrow’s match can go a number of different ways, but we still need to play it. The same old three points are at stake and they are worth fighting for. So we are approaching this match with a large sense of responsibility.

The rules of football are the same for everyone. They tell you to study your opponents and we did exactly that in BATE’s case. You can’t find Belarusian league matches on our local TV channels, so we sent scouts to study BATE’s domestic matches and we also examined their play-off games against Sturm Graz. We always try to learn and the same rule applies here. Our scouts spotted some things which we’ll use.

Weekend result
Saturday: Barcelona 5-0 Club Atlético de Madrid (Villa 9, Miranda og 15, Messi 26 78 90+1)
Valdés; Alves, Busquets (Piqué 54), Mascherano, Abidal (Maxwell 81); Pedro, Thiago, Xavi, Fàbregas (Keita 72); Messi, Villa

• Barcelona are now 16 matches unbeaten since 30 April and have scored 31 goals in nine fixtures this season. It was Lionel Messi’s second Liga hat-trick in three games after the 8-0 defeat of CA Osasuna.

Team news
Andrés Iniesta and Alexis Sánchez have torn hamstrings, while Ibrahim Afellay is out for the group stage with a knee ligament injury.

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : OVER 2,5

Odd : 1.40

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction BATE – Barcelona, free tips BATE – Barcelona, soccer prediction BATE – Barcelona, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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27 Sep

Match preview: Shakhtar Donetsk – APOEL

Soccer picks

FC Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu warned his side to underestimate APOEL FC at their peril ahead of Wednesday’s Group G meeting. As the Ukrainian title holders opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 2-1 loss at FC Porto, APOEL shocked FC Zenit St Petersburg and Lucescu was impressed by a side whose style mirrors his own.

Shakhtar
Coach Mircea Lucescu
Our opponents come from Cyprus, but we will be up against a lot of Brazilian and Portuguese players. You have to remember that, in qualifying, APOEL defeated Slovan Bratislava, who in turn eliminated AS Roma in the Europa League. This is a well-organised team with an excellent coach. Their playing style that is quite like ours. APOEL like to control the ball, as they have a lot of experienced and very skilful players.

We cannot repeat the mistakes Zenit made [in losing 2-1 at APOEL on matchday one]. “I have studied APOEL’s games and I was impressed. I have done my best to explain to my players how strong they are”.

Weekend result
Saturday: FC Dynamo Kyiv 0-0 Shakhtar
Rybka; Srna, Rakitskiy, Chygrynskiy, Shevchuk; Hübschman, Mkhitaryan, Eduardo (Douglas Costa 58), Alex Teixeira, Willian; Luiz Adriano (Seleznyov 82)

• Shakhtar halted a run of five successive league defeats away by Dynamo to remain unbeaten 11 games into the domestic season.

Team news
Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Yaroslav Rakitskiy are suspended after being sent off on matchday one so Lucescu will choose from Olexandr Chyzhov, Serhiy Kryvtsov and Olexandr Kucher at centre-back. He has ruled out a return for the unfit Fernandinho.

APOEL
Coach Ivan Jovanovič
“We are underdogs in this group so our main goal is to give a good account of ourselves as we want to build the reputation of our team”, which is strong enough to compete in the Champions League. That’s also what I told my players before the Zenit match. We will try to play as well as we can, but there are things beyond our control because our opponents are, in my opinion, among the best ten sides in Europe.

I like how Shakhtar play and in Mircea Lucescu they have an excellent coach who always respects his opponents, and that often brings his team success. Anyway, we will try to prove that we deserve to play in this tournament. We have made important strides in our development and achieved a historic victory against Zenit – but we still have five games ahead.

Weekend result
Saturday:APOEL 1-0 Aris Limassol FC (Boaventura 86)
Chiotis; Paulo Jorge, Kaká (Morais 61), Boaventura, Poursaitides; Jahić, Pinto, Marcinho (Solari 79), Manduca, Tričkovski; Ailton (Charalambides 71)

• William Boaventura scored his first goal of the season as APOEL claimed their fourth successive win in all competitions to extend their unbeaten run to six games.

Team news
Tijani Belaid is still getting up to fitness after joining from Hull City AFC.

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : 1

Odd : 1.40

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction Shakhtar Donetsk – APOEL, free tips Shakhtar Donetsk – APOEL, soccer prediction Shakhtar Donetsk – APOEL, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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27 Sep

Match preview: Zenit – FC Porto

Soccer picks

As his FC Zenit St Petersburg side aim to get off the mark in Group G, Luciano Spalletti has urged his players to seize the moment against an FC Porto team still smarting from conceding a late equaliser against SL Benfica on Friday. The visitors arrive with three points already in the bag, and although their coach Vítor Pereira said they would go all out for another win, he expects this section to go down to the wire.

Zenit
Coach Luciano Spalletti
Porto are a club with great history who have played well for many years. Their strength can be measured by all the good players and coaches they have produced. There are big moments in life, this is one, and we’re ready for it. We will play to win, as against all other teams. It does not depend on the tactics – if we lose, something went wrong. The most important thing here is the right attitude and mentality; that will help us win.

Against APOEL we had a few moments of bad luck, for example Viktor Fayzulin hitting the woodwork; we will try and make as few mistakes as possible this time. The price of errors in the Champions League is much higher than in the Russian league. Any mistake will be taken advantage of by our opponents.

Porto are an experienced side that are ready for a high density of important matches [after the visitors' Liga game against SL Benfica on Friday]. “We have looked at the Benfica goals and will try and exploit the same things”. Vyacheslav Malafeev has improved markedly in recent days, but he will have to fully convince me of his fitness as we have Yuri Zhevnov, a goalkeeper in whom I have no doubts.

Weekend result
Saturday: Zenit 4-0 FC Tom Tomsk (Fayzulin 4, Shirokov 23, Kerzhakov 43 54)
Zhevnov; Criscito (Lombaerts 74), Alves, Luković, Anyukov; Danny, Denisov, Shirokov (Huszti 62), Fayzulin; Bukharov, Kerzhakov (Lazović 62)

• Luciano Spalletti’s side stretched their unbeaten run at home to 12 matches, winning eight and drawing four since a 2-0 cup defeat by PFC CSKA Moskva on 20 April.

Team news
Bruno Alves is suspended. Malafeev has a bruised thigh so Zhevnov kept goal on Saturday. Sergei Semak has a broken metatarsal.

Porto
Coach Vítor Pereira
Zenit are one of the strongest team in Europe, feature renowned players like Danny, Bruno Alves and Aleksandr Kerzhakov, while Spalletti is also known all over the world. This means we must be wary, but we will still aim for victory. There are three teams in this group – Zenit, Shakhtar and Porto – who have recently won European trophies and the fight will go down to the last games. As such, we can only play to win.

We were not satisfied with the result of the Benfica match. The last few minutes were especially annoying, but we are going to try and continue playing at the same high level. We have done our homework. We know Zenit’s strengths as a team and the individual characteristics of the players. Hopefully we’ll see a great match between two strong sides. “We are ready for their pressure, but it will not prevent us from playing our football and using our trump cards”.

Weekend result
Friday: Porto 2-2 SL Benfica (Kléber 37, Otamendi 50; Cardozo 47, Gaitán 82)
Helton; Fucile, Rolando, Otamendi, Pereira; Fernando, Guarín (Belluschi 77), Moutinho; Varela (Walter 86), Kléber (Cristian Rodríguez 80), Hulk

• Porto stretched their unbeaten Liga run to 45 games (39 wins, six draws), dating back to 28 February 2010 and a 3-0 defeat at Sporting Clube de Portugal.

Team news
Fredy Guarín is suspended.

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : X

Odd : 3.30

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction Zenit – FC Porto, free tips Zenit – FC Porto, soccer prediction Zenit – FC Porto, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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27 Sep

Match preview: Real Madrid – Ajax

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Real Madrid CF beat AFC Ajax 2-0 at home and 4-0 away in last season’s group stage, but will be without suspended coach José Mourinho as they take on the Dutch champions in Group D. Visiting boss Frank de Boer is eager for his side to show a marked improvement on those last meetings.

Real Madrid
Assistant coach Aitor Karanka
Our supporters always get behind us at the Santiago Bernabéu, especially in the Champions League – we are all pulling in the same direction, aiming at the same target. We have played three matches in a week but the players and technical staff remain united. Everything is always easier when you are united. Ajax are a better team this year than they were last season. They have been working together for years and we are braced for a tough match.

Weekend result
Saturday: Real Madrid 6-2 Rayo Vallecano de Madrid (Ronaldo 39 51pen 84pen, Higuaín 45+1, Varane 67, Benzema 73; Michu 1 55)
Casillas; Ramos, Varane, Albiol, Marcelo; Di María, Diarra (Özil 29), Alonso, Kaká (Khedira 59), Ronaldo; Higuaín (Benzema 59)

• Cristiano Ronaldo, who struck a Liga record 40 goals in 2010/11, registered his second hat-trick this term. He has scored ten in his last eight appearances for club and country. Ángel Di María was sent off just before the hour, with Raphael Varane later scoring his first Madrid goal.

Team news
Pepe (left thigh) and Fábio Coentrão (left calf) will miss the Ajax match through injury. Marcelo, like coach Mourinho, is banned but Ricardo Carvalho, who missed the win over Rayo with concussion, is available. Hamit Altıntop is nearing a return after a back injury that has so far denied him a debut.

Ajax
Coach Frank de Boer
If we play according to our beliefs and lose, I would be satisfied. If we are afraid like last year it will be a massacre. Our philosophy is to dominate and press forward but we are not dumb. We have been playing together for a year and that’s important. We have a lot of class and the team has grown up in the last year. We have to keep the ball to get chances.

Mourinho was a friend when I played at Barcelona. I spoke with [FC Barcelona coach Josep] Guardiola about this match because he knows Real Madrid well. Barcelona have an amazing squad – [they are] a team from another world. Real Madrid are improving but Barcelona are still the best team in the world.

Weekend result
Saturday: Ajax 1-1 FC Twente (Sulejmani 10; De Jong 87)
Vermeer; Van der Wiel, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Anita; De Jong, Eriksen, Janssen; Sulejmani (Enoh 63), Sigthórsson (Bulykin 81), Boerrigter

• De Boer’s team stretched their unbeaten run to 13 Eredivisie matches, but their ten-game winning streak at home in the Eredivisie ended. Ajax have not kept a clean sheet in domestic competition in 14 outings.

Team news
Nicolai Boilesen is out with a hamstring injury but Miralem Sulejmani (hamstring) and Vurnon Anita (ankle) both returned to action against Twente. Aras Özbiliz (ankle) Mats Rits (ankle) and Bruno Silva (shoulder) are out of contention.

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : OVER 2,5

Odd : 1.35

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction Real Madrid – Ajax, free tips Real Madrid – Ajax, soccer prediction Real Madrid – Ajax, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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27 Sep

Match preview: Bayern Munich – Manchester City

Soccer picks

FC Bayern München boss Jupp Heynckes and his Manchester City FC counterpart Roberto Mancini have no illusions about the task they face as their sides meet in Group A, but both seemed quietly confident of a positive UEFA Champions League result.

Bayern
Coach Jupp Heynckes
The group is very strong, containing four teams from the best four leagues in Europe. Manchester City are on a par with Manchester United at the moment – I think that says it all. They are one of Europe’s elite clubs. They will be a big challenge. This season they have very good individual players and have harmonised as a team. I am very impressed.

They have an Italian coach, but still they play quite attacking football. We anticipate a tactical game on a very high level. For viewers it will very, very interesting. The type of players they have tells us how we can expect them to play – quite attacking! But we are in a good shape and I am confident we can improve further. We are very well prepared. Man City have a very strong team but so do we. It will be a challenge for both clubs.

Weekend result
Saturday: Bayern 3-0 Bayer 04 Leverkusen (T Müller 5, Van Buyten 19, Robben 90)
Neuer; Rafinha, Van Buyten, Badstuber, Lahm; Tymoshchuk, Schweinsteiger; T Müller, Kroos (Robben 78), Ribéry (Alaba 82); Gomez (Luiz Gustavo 65)

• Bayern claimed their ninth successive win in all competitions, since a 1-0 loss to VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach on 7 August. That is also the only goal they have conceded in ten matches this season; they were last breached 848 minutes ago and have since scored 26 unanswered goals.

Team news
Heynckes confirmed that Jérôme Boateng, who joined Bayern from City this summer, would start on Tuesday. Arjen Robben (pelvic problem), Mario Gomez (adductors), Daniel Van Buyten (Achilles) and Luiz Gustavo (ankle) all returned to action against Leverkusen. Ivica Olić (hip) and Breno (knee) remain sidelined, though, and Holger Badstuber is a doubt with flu.

Manchester City
Manager Roberto Mancini
It is fantastic to play against a club like Bayern. We do not want to lose the game, that is for sure. We want to win it – as we always want to win. But we have to improve a lot. We are a good team already, but if we want to become a team like Bayern, to become part of the history of football, we have to learn a lot; we have just played one game in the Champions League.

Bayern are a great team, with a lot of great players and a very experienced coach. Mario Gomez is one of [those great players], but I am impressed by the whole team. It will be a tough game but I am sure we will do a good job. I have four great strikers, but I will decide [on the day] who will play against Bayern. They all are in a good shape. Edin Džeko can continue to score a lot for Man City. I am happy to have him here.

Weekend result
Saturday: Manchester City FC 2-0 Everton FC (Balotelli 68, Milner 89)
Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Nasri (Savić 83), Barry; Y Touré, Silva, Agüero (Milner 79); Džeko (Balotelli 60)

• Mario Balotelli and James Milner came off the bench to score as the Blues clinched their eighth successive home Premier League victory. They have conceded just two goals in their last 14 matches at the City of Manchester Stadium since the start of March.

Team news
Balotelli is suspended for the Bayern trip while Nigel de Jong has not played since injuring his ankle against Swansea City FC on 15 August.

Source: Uefa.com

Tip : OVER 2,5

Odd : 1.80

Bookie : Bet365

Competition: Champions League

TAGS: prediction Bayern Munich – Manchester City, free tips Bayern Munich – Manchester City, soccer prediction Bayern Munich – Manchester City, free soccer prediction, soccer predictions and tips, soccer predict, soccer picks, free soccer picks, free picks

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SoccerPunt.com - Free soccer picks

Archive for September, 2011

Match preview: Marseille – Dortmund

Match preview: Arsenal – Olympiakos

Match preview: Leverkusen – Genk

Match preview: Valencia – Chelsea

Match preview: AC Milan – Viktoria Plzen

Match preview: BATE – Barcelona

Match preview: Shakhtar Donetsk – APOEL

Match preview: Zenit – FC Porto

Match preview: Real Madrid – Ajax

Match preview: Bayern Munich – Manchester City

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