Champion League Match Preview : Arsenal vs Villareal

Barcelona had won 1-0 over AC last night, and in order to prevent the scenario of having an all Spanish affair in this year Champion League final will rest on the shoulders of Gunners.

Tonight the 1st leg will be played at Highbury, Arsenal seem to have a better chance as especially that the visitors have practically scraped through to come this far (they beat Rangers and Inter on away goal successively).

The visitors will be without 2 key defenders, Gonzalo Rodriguez and Juan Manuel Pena who were injured. A good news for Gunners, as to stop Thierry Henry you will have to have your best defenders on the field. Fortunately though the Gunners will miss their suspended Jose Reyes but the return Ljungberg does not make the situation any easier.

Diego Forlan will lead the attack for the visitors, with Riguelme acting as a ammo delivery from mid field.

But they are definitely a shade slower in their built up when compared to the the astute Henry, van Persie and Adebayor leading the Gunners' attacks. Equally fast are their team of midfielders of Hleb, Ljungberg, Pires and the very versatile Fabregas.

Both teams have been weakened by the absence of their seasoned defenders, what with Lauren, Campbell and Ashley Cole missing from the Gunners' rear ranks. That would leave the striking prowess as the decisive factor in this very crucial match.

However, the Gunners are definitely way ahead of their visitors and with this match to be played at home we can expect an easy win for the home side!

EPL Match Preview : Man United vs Sunderland

This is the only match on Good Friday and Man United will want to use this match to sent a clear message to Chelsea, that the race for premiership title is far from over. United was in no doubt start as a big favourites here with their run of a 9 straight win, and hopefully to make it 10 tonight so that they are able to cut the Chelsea’s lead at the top to just 4 points.

Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy is expected to start this match as Louis Saha sustained an injury in training and will start on the bench. Gabriel Heinze, who just recovered from a long injury since last September, may come on as a substitute.

A look at Manchester United's home record shows that they have scored the most goals in the Premiership. Their home form is among the best with 66 goals and have won 12, drawn 3 and only 1 defeat.

As for Sunderland, though might be a confirm relegation for them this year and even though by having one of the worst away records, but they do not get thrashed when they lose their matches. In fact their last match was a 2-2 draw with Everton. Prior to that draw they lost to Bolton 2-0 and lost to Manchester City by 2-1.

Rory Delap who broke his nose in the abandoned match with Fulham may started as the 1st 11 to play this match despite his injury. Steve Caldwell might return after a hamstring injury while Argentinian Julio Arca is not likely to make a return in this match

A win for the home side will meant a final nail to the visitor’s coffin.

Take Manchester United and give the 2 1/4 ball but in case Manchester United wins by just 2 goals, then be prepared to lose half the bet then.

EPL Match Preview : Tottenham Spurs vs Man City

After 2 successive wins here at White Hart Lane, Spurs is seems like to getting back onto their winning track once again. However, their good run was halted last weekend when they went down 1-3 to Newcastle at St. James Park.

Spurs have a very good home record here only one defeat (0-2 to Chelsea) in the 16 matches played. Robbie Keane is in extremely good form as he finds the net quite regularly. But there is some concern for his other 2 strike partners, Mido and Defoe. Mido has been rumoured to be leaving White Hart Lane, while Defoe to be up for transfer.

Spurs lying 4th on the table, is fighting for the Champion League qualifiers with in form Arsenal, who is jut 2 points behind with a match in hand (away to Portsmouth).

At Man City side, Jol will most likely be without Ledley King today though he will welcome back Teemu Tainio (recovered from throat infection) into the side. But then they are not without problems of their own. Andy Cole was suffering from a knee injury. That task is now left on the shoulders of Trevor Sinclair and Vassell.

Fortunately, Pearce may be able to call upon Claudio Reyna who has recovered after a long period on the dressing table. Key midfielder, Joey Barton is suspended and City will find that to be a big handicap especially when they have to come up against the likes of Jenas and Edgar Davies in that arena of action.

With all areas of consideration, a home win seems to be a right choice to bet on.

Serie A Match Preview : Lazio vs Empoli

Both sides goes into this fixture with something to aim for. Lazio is looking for the UEFA Cup spot, while Empoli will want to stay away from the relegation zone as they are just only 4 points away from the danger zone.

Lazio however will start as favourites here as they will have home grounds advantage and on top of that have only been beaten just once at home all season. They have won 8 times and drawn 6 at home. Last weekend they managed a 2-0 home win over Sampdoria and are now same points with Chievo As Lazio will faced the Serie A leaders Juventus next week, they will have to ensure that they are able to get the win here.

The recent form of Empoli was good, where since after the defeat to A.C Milan, they have won three straight matches in a row now beating the likes of Chievo, Reggina and Livorno.

But looking at their away form, though they did beat Reggina, they however were beaten by A.C Milan 3-0 and also by A.S Roma 1-0. Both sides are in the top 5 and it will be a tough task for Empoli to pull a draw here as Lazio will want to get maximum points here.

To make things worse for the visitors, they have lost a total of 11 times away from home and also one the worst defence with 30 conceded on their travels.

Take Lazio to win this match and give the 3/4 ball away here.

EPL Match Preview : Fulham vs Portsmouth

Fulham will welcome Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth side who is 2nd from the bottom with just 24 points and facing the fate of being relegate.

Fulham are particularly strong at home as they have won 5 out of their last six matches. On the other hand, the visitors might have a surprise 4-2 win over West Ham in their last away match, but it surely does not hide the fact that they are a poor side away from hoem and have already lost five of their last six games away from Fratton Park.

It is really hard to see Pompey pulling off their third win here when you look at their other away games they have gone down to Aston Villa 1-0, Chelsea and Newcastle both 2-0. In those games they have failed to score. Portsmouth have not even managed a win at Fulham's grounds going all the back to 1985, so if Harry Redknapp's side is going to avoid the drop, they have to be all out today.

Pompey captain Dejan Stefanovic is back tonight but is unlikely to be fully fit after eight weeks on the sidelines with a broken ankle. Andy O'Brien or switch Linvoy Primus copuld be dropped to the right back position should Stefanovic return in this match. In attack, Redknapp has to decide whether to stick with record signing Benjani Mwaruwari or recall Svetoslav Todorov to partner Tresor Lomana Lua Lua in attack.

At Fulham, Wayne Bridge might have to go through a late fitness test, who is doubtful with a hip problem. Senegalese Papa Bouba Diop is out of this match as his recovery from a toe injury is taking longer than expected. Claus Jensen is also out with a groin problem while American defender Carlos Bocanegra will be given a late fitness test who is doubtful with a thigh injury.

Though I am a supporter of Portsmouth, but I really doubt they can win at this match. Take Fulham and give the 1/2 ball away here.