[Mario]

Spain La Liga
12/12/2014

Almeria vs Real Madrid

Home - Almeria
Last away matches - L-W-D-L-L-W

Almeria is in big trouble and at the last thing they need now is a match at home against fearsome Real. If they have to play it away it would be already lost match, but at home they always hope that will be able to make a surprise, which is really difficult to happen in this situation. Almeria won the last time in the championship at the end of September and that happened away against Deportivo, but we need to say that they still haven’t won at home in this season. Since the aforementioned victory in La Coruna they drew only two times and lost six. During the period they won only once but in the Cup against Betis and again away. In the last round Eibar outclassed them and that was the end for coach Rodriguez, which is quite expected outcome after the aforementioned negative series. The team will lead till further notice his assistant Jaime Ramos and he has nothing to lose in this match. It is a good news that midfielder Verza is back in the team after expiration of the suspension, while the rest of the team will probably stay the same.

Away - Real Madrid
Last away matches - W-W-W-W-W-W

What to say about what Real has done in recent months then that such dominance hadn’t been seen for a long time and such a long series of victory. It is currently 19 victories in a row, which is an absolute record when it comes to the European football and the new objective is figure of 24 victories, which is an absolute record of Brazilian Curitiba. They have favourable schedule for breaking that record, but the twentieth victory shouldn’t slip out of their hands because Almeria is weaker at this point for several classes.Besides playing great in La Liga, Real shines in the Champions League ending the group stage with maximal six wins and an excellent goal difference, which only four teams had managed to do by now, including Real itself a couple a years ago. They steamrolled Ludogorets by 4-0 on last Tuesday, although a combined team run on the pitch. Now will be certainly stronger, for Pepe, Benzema, Marcelo and Carvajal who rested on Tuesday but who will play now. Injured Modric is still out of the team, while a new concern is the J. Rodriguez injury and who also will not play this match.

Asian Handicap
Home - (+2.00)
Away - (-2.00)
Pick - Real Madrid (-2.00)
Odds - 1.76
Stakes - 8/10
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English Premier League
12/13/2014

Burnley vs Southampton

Home - Burnley
Last away matches - L-W-L-D-L-D

Burnley FC have completely reversed their fortunes from looking like the worst team in the English top-flight to suddenly playing as if their lives depended on it. They have gone unbeaten in 4 of their last 5 Premier League matches, picking up more points in this stretch (8) than they had in their previous 10 outings (4 points). The return from injury of last year’s Championship Player of the Year Danny Ings has given this team renewed vigor and some much-needed attacking quality. The young Englishman has now scored 3 goals and provided an assist in his last 4 appearances for the club, but until Sam Vokes can get back from his lengthy injury spell on the sidelines, the offense is clearly relying too heavily upon one player. This was evident last time out in their 0:2 shutout against Queens Park Rangers, who have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season. The Clarets posted 15 total shots in that match, but with just 3 going on target, their finishing is a glaring problem headed into the weekend. Coming up against a team that will be determined to get back to winning ways, Burnley are likely to find themselves stuck in the relegation zone for at least one more week.

Away - Southampton
Last away matches - L-D-W-W-L-W

Southampton FC have taken a massive dip in form after winning 12 of their previous 13 competitive matches. Since that remarkable run from the surprise team of the EPL this season, the Saints have fallen back into 6th place in the table with just 1 point from their last 4 outings. However, that point came on the road against an in-form Aston Villa team, and their 3 defeats came against the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal. Only the Arsenal game did they look completely outmatched, and even there they still nearly bagged a point with some resolute defending. But manager Ronald Koeman will be scratching his head after losing to his Dutch compatriot Louis Van Gaal last time out, as the Saints admittedly outplayed the Red Devils all over the pitch. If it weren’t for some horrendous finishing and a few moments of class from Robin van Persie, points were available. But so goes the unforgivable nature of football and the up-and-down madness of the Premier League, and the visitors must have short memories and storm Turf Moor in a very winnable game. Considering Graziano Pelle’s excellent display last time out saw him return to the score sheet, we fancy the Saints to be rewarded this time for a solid display on the road.

Asian Handicap
Home - (+0.75)
Away - (-0.75)
Pick - Southampton (-0.75)
Odds - 2.01
Stakes - 9/10
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English Premier League
12/13/2014

Chelsea vs Hull City

Home - Chelsea
Last away matches - L-D-W-W-D-W

Chelsea FC showed that they were mortal after all when they traveled to St. James’ Park last weekend, where the Blues fell to Newcastle 1:2 despite having an extra-man advantage in the dying minutes of the match. However, Chelsea still sit in an excellent spot in the league table with a 3-point lead on 2nd place, Manchester City. The Citizens are closing in on Jose Mourinho’s men, and considering City are set to play 5 rather average teams in their next 5 PL outings, Chelsea would be well-advised to not overlook their upcoming competition, starting with a struggling but talented Hull City squad. In the Tigers’ return to the top-flight last season, the Blues claimed both matches 2:0, and the hosts’ performance over the midweek serves to reinforce the likelihood of their victory this weekend. Against a solid Sporting Lisbon team in the Champions League, Chelsea steamrolled through the Portuguese club to a comfortable 3:1 win, with Andre Schurrle looking particularly impressive and drawing praise from his manager as a result. Furthermore, Diego Costa, John Terry, and Branislav Ivanovic are all expected back in the starting lineup, and this match could turn into another multiple-goal victory for the powerful hosts.

Away - Hull City
Last away matches - D-L-L-D-D-L

Hull City may have managed to avoid defeat for the last 2 matchweeks, but both games ended in draws and mean the Tigers have accumulated just 4 total points through their last 8 Premier League matches. As a result, they now find themselves way down in the relegation zone in 18th place, and it has been a shocking turn of events for a club that invested so heavily over the summer and looked so promising at the start of the season. Manager Steve Bruce is a good manager with plenty of tricks up his sleeve, but it appears that nothing can go his way at the moment, and a trip to Stamford Bridge is a daunting task for a struggling, non-confident team that will be forced to play without their in-form summer signing Mohamed Diame once again. The visitors desperately need Nikica Jelavic to step up and find his goalscoring boots if they stand a chance this weekend, and while the Croatian hasn’t scored since an early-October clash with Crystal Palace, he has been absent in 4 of their last 8 Premier League matches. He will be looked to as the difference-maker this Saturday for an attack that has managed to score just 2 goals in their last 7 PL outings, though even if he can get on the score sheet, keeping Chelsea’s high-flying offense out of their own net on a few occasions will be a near-impossible task. Diame and Snodgrass continue to be absent but are Bruce’s only injury concerns.

Asian Handicap
Home - (-1.75)
Away - (+1.75)
Pick - Chelsea (-1.75)
Odds - 1.71
Stakes - 8/10