Some Fans Are On The Pitch...

This weeks title is an allusion to the fact that a number of leagues are already decided as we enter the final few weeks of the seasons around Europe. Last weekend saw Borussia Dortmund and Charlton both seal their leagues and provide decent paydays for all who followed me in on them pre-season. Real Madrid also as good as wrapped up La Liga by finally beating a tired looking Barcelona at the Camp Nou. We also saw a swing in the race for the Premier League title letting Man City back in and making Monday night's Manchester derby the biggest for quite some time. Midweek was taken up by European competition semi finals once again. In a massive upset both of Spain's giants exited the Champions League to leave Chelsea and Bayern to play out the final in Munich. There can rarely have been a bigger shock than Chelsea somehow losing one centre back early to injury and falling one behind, then losing their moronic captain to a sending off and going two behind, before scoring themselves and somehow holding on for a memorable victory. Once Terry had been removed I even found myself able to get behind them! Barcelona were reduced to looking like Arsenal can at times, with no idea how to breach a committed and disciplined defence. I'm no hater of them, although they can be boring, but I think the more deserving side on the night won. In the other semi Real raced into a two goal lead, both courtesy of Ronaldo, and then seemed confused as to how to approach the rest of the match. This apprehension allowed Bayern to come on to them and they duly scored to take the tie to extra time and then penalties. After a selection of poor penalties and misses Bayern won through Schweinsteiger's cool fifth penalty. In the Europa League we will see an all Spanish final contested by Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao in Bucharest. Both these sides have entertained for much of the tournament and possess strikers in Llorente and Falcao that many big clubs covet. In Bilbao's case it is just reward for the bold decision made in appointing Marcelo Bielsa as manager and letting him try to change their entire playing style. Music comes courtesy of The Ramones with the belting Commando. West Brom v Aston Villa, Saturday 1500 A Midlands derby with lots riding on it for the away side. West Brom have looked good again this season under Roy Hodgson's astute management and he will surely have taken some satisfaction in beating Liverpool at Anfield last weekend. He may well not have been the right man for the job when there, but he was chased out in a disgusting manner and in Dalglish, the fans choice, they have looked even worse for large spells. Hodgson has made WBA hard to beat with a defence first back four and two central midfielders who know they should always make sure the defence is protected before venturing forward. He has an enviable choice of forwards with the unpredictable Odemwingie, hard working Shane Long and also the immensely strong Marc-Antoine Fortune to choose from. Odemwingie is a fantastic player when the mood takes him and can link very well with Yusuf Mulumbu. With both these starting Villa's defenders wont be looking forward to the trip to the Hawthorns. Villa are yet to pull clear of the relegation fight and the reverse from 1-0 up to 2-1 down in five minutes at home on Tuesday shows how poor they are. They have not won in over ten matches now, and look poor and the back and worse in attack. The loss of Darren Bent to injury has shown the paucity of attacking options McCleish has at his disposal. With his normal choice to have nine behind the ball and one up top it doesn't work when the one is the god awful Emile Heskey. At Heskey's peak I thought he was pretty dire, and as he approaches the end of his career he looks dreadful. Villa's chairman should hang his head in shame if they go down as McCleish's record clearly showed he was a poor manager and the fans made their feelings clear from the moment it was mentioned. Back West Bromwich Albion at 2.2 with Stan James. Norwich City v Liverpool, Saturday 1730 After all the talk of how brilliant Brendan Rodgers is, it is Paul Lambert who is now getting some credit. And rightly so with his Norwich side looking to finish the highest of all the promoted clubs, and also having rarely looked outclassed by any side this season. With the amount of times I tipped them this season it is obvious I thought they had enough to stay up, and even flourish, but they were tipped by many to go straight back down. Their collection of players who have been excellent at lower levels and hungry to prove themselves has worked wonders, and has probably helped to keep a good spirit with no obvious stars to rock the boat. From the goalkeeper John Ruddy (ex-U's didn't you know!?), right through to hulking striker Grant Holt they have all performed when called upon. The fact these two have been mentioned as outsiders for England's Euro 2012 squad tells you how well they've done. They played well at Anfield and earnt a draw and they are more than capable of going one better at Carrow Road. Liverpool eh? What a shower they've been since xmas. If Kenny stays next season I would seriously advise laying them every week as I am certain it will yield profit over the course of a season. They were possibly unlucky last week to lose to WBA at Anfield having dominated play and with only a silly mistake allowing Odemwingie in to score. However comma the lack of goals is no rare occurrence this season and is a problem Dalglish should have done better in fixing. He spent a fortune on Carroll, and then Downing and Adam as they could presumably provide good balls for the big man to contest. Downing has been horrendous with not a goal or assist to his name in the league and Adam has become the scapegoat for large sections of the crowd for the overspending on average players. If Kenny clings to his job expect much of the same next season, I have no faith he can adjust to the modern game tactically or scout properly. Back Norwich Draw No Bet at 2.75 with Paddy Power. Man City v Man Utd, Monday 2000 The Big One! I am loathe to give a prediction for this match at this moment before there is any team news. I would be inclined to follow City's home form and also their better recent form, but they are quite short at 2.2ish at present. I'll wait and those who follow on Twitter @TopTopTips will see my prediction on Monday afternoon/evening. Getafe v Mallorca, Saturday 1700 Two sides with little to play for meet on Saturday evening in Madrid. Getafe sit three points off Athletic Bilbao for a Europa League place next season, but are in eleventh spot as their are still so many sides with hopes of a European spot in Spain this season. At home this season they have again been in good nick with a record of eight wins, five draws and only three losses. Their away form has let them down to the extent that they are where they are in the league, but at home in their little bowl ground they are very hard to beat. They have also won the last four home matches by a combined score of eleven to two and have beaten Valencia 3-1 in that run. They could yet get a Europa spot if they can pull something out in their away matches as well as at home. Mallorca sit one spot below Getafe, but have been more bothered with relegation than Europe for much of the season. They are another of the many sides in Spain that are completely broke, actually in large debt, due to the TV monopoly Barca and Real hold at present. On the road they go four wins, five draws and eight losses scoring seventeen and conceding twenty six so far. They have actually won two of the last five away, but they were tight victories over the two hopeless bottom clubs and should be treated as such. Back Getafe at 2.0 with William Hill. Bologna v Genoa, Sunday 1130 Bologna have been on a very good run since xmas seeing them only lose three times having lost nine before the break. They looked to be a certainty for the drop, but have made themselves very tough to beat and ground out victories that would have been losses before. They have won four, drawn three and lost two at home since the change of manager at xmas and that's a respectable record that would have made mid-table a certainty over the whole season. They have tailed off slightly of late with two 1-1 draws in their last two matches having seen themselves all but safe now. Some of you may have seen the pictures of the Genoa match last weekend being halted by their Ultra's screaming for play to stop and the players to remove their shirts as they weren't fit to wear them. Thankfully after some talking between players and fans this was halted and the match was resumed. Unfortunately they still saw Genoa lose 4-1 to Siena at home, combined with the 1-0 loss to AC on Wednesday they are one point above the Serie B play-off now. It sort of serves them right for allowing the big clubs to cherry pick their best players for a few years now and has left them a shadow of the side that was challenging for Europe 3 years ago. Back Bologna at 2.7 with William Hill. Hamburg v Mainz 05, Saturday 1430 Hamburg have appeared many times on the column this season due to them being absolutely awful. They can still be relegated to the Bundesliga II for the first time in their history if the results in the last two games go against them. They have snuck a draw and a win out of their last two matches to fortunately leave them five points clear of the relegation spots with two to play, but many would not have shed a tear at them departing as they offered little to the neutral. The summer transfer policy of Frank Arnesen signing the players he brought to Chelsea as youths and never made the grade proved as bad as it sounds. Many were hopelessly out of their depth thrust into a major European league and huge changes will be needed to stop next season being another battle for survival. A home record of won only three, drawn six and lost seven means that they have actually been worse in front of their critical fans than on the road. Mainz have been up and down all season long. They definitely have the capability to give most teams a tough game, as seen in holding Bayern to a draw the weekend before last, but have struggled for consistency. They have been draw specialists on the road with a lack of goals meaning they have struggled to convert these into wins. They go two wins, eight draws and six losses away and have very little to play for now. I think with Hamburg all but safe Mainz should be able to play out another low scoring draw here. Back the Draw at 3.5 with Ladbrokes. Trabzonspor v Galatasaray, Saturday 1700 Last weekend Gala let us down in somehow conspiring to dominate and lose at home to eternal city rivals Fener. This should be a different match altogether. Conspiracy theories abound that after Fener bought the title from Trabzon last season they may well ease off in this and go all out against Fener later on to deny them another crown. Regardless of this Gala have much the better side and Yilmaz is once again missing for Trabzon. As mentioned last week Yilmaz is central to Trabzon's success recently, this season he has scored thirty two of his sides goals, over half. They still had too much for Besiktas last weekend in his absence, but Gala will be a much harder proposition. Gala will be really motivated for this with the perceived injustice of losing to Fener's only two shots last Sunday afternoon. Gala had all the play, and should have been well ahead, but failed to take their chances and Fener punished them. In all honesty the only side that have looked any where near Gala's level this season are Fener, and they should still clinch the title by beating Trabzon and Besiktas in the play-offs. They are strong at the back and all the way through the side and have no injury concerns again. Back Galatasaray at 2.25 with SportingBet. Fenerbahce v Besiktas, Sunday 1700 Fener will be on a high after the previously mentioned win against Gala in their rivals stadium last Sunday. Whilst they may not have deserved it on passages of play, this will probably only fuel their confidence going into this match. Their weakness this season has been away from home and their less than stellar back four. Both of these problems should be untested in the main by a Besiktas side that have again been hit and miss in the play-offs. The attacking threat of Moussa Sow and Alex Da Silva should be more than enough to see off Besiktas and put pressure back on Gala. Besiktas should have given a weakened Trabzon side last weekend, but managed to lose 1-0. They were devoid of ideas for the most part and this has been the case quite often away from home this season. They have some players of very decent pedigree such as Simao and Quaresma, but they only seem to turn it on infrequently and most regularly at home. They are bottom of the Super Final group now and look destined to finish there. Back Fener -1.0 Asian Handicap at 2.06 with BetVictor.

A Right Royal Midweek...

The title this week refers to my attendance at the Reading v Notts Forest match midweek where a late Mikele Liegertwood goal confirmed Reading's return to the Premier League next season. Having been languishing in 16th as late as November it is a fine achievement by Brian McDermott and his players to haul themselves to a position where a positive result over the weekend could actually see them win The Championship. With the change of ownership expected over the Summer it should be interesting times ahead. It has been fairly quiet apart from that match domestically with the Champions League and Europa League Semi Finals taking centre stage. Both Spanish sides were strongly fancied to meet in the final of the Champions League, but both go into their home second legs with one goal deficits to overcome. They will both definitely like their chances of overturning them though with their wealth of attacking options and vociferous home support. I would expect the Chelsea match at some point to again descend into a fine show of cheating. With the likes of Drogba, Busquets, Alves etc all in action, it can only really be that way. The Europa League matches were again the more exciting ones to watch for a neutral with plenty of attacking and less gamesmanship on the whole. Atletico Madrid won 4-2 in the all-Spanish match against Valencia and should now hold on for the final. Sporting take a 2-1 lead to the cauldron that is San Mames against Athletic Bilbao. Having scored freely all season, Bilbao will fancy their chances of progessing. Music this week is from Beatsteaks with Hello Joe. Arsenal v Chelsea, Saturday 1245 Straight off the back of the aforementioned Champions League Semi Final is Chelsea making the short hop across London the take on Arsenal. Arsenal's fantastic post-xmas run that took them from a distant fifth right up to third has faltered somewhat of late. They have traditionally struggled against the relegation candidates at the tail end of seasons and losing to Wigan on Monday continued the trend. They were incredibly sluggish to start and had fallen two behind in fifteen minutes and whilst they dominated much of the rest of the match, they failed to convert this into goals. It has been noticeable lately that Van Persie seems to have been slightly subdued and they really need him firing again to start getting some goals. This should provide the perfect opportunity. Chelsea managed to escape from their home leg with Barcelona with a 1-0 win. With around 25% possession and four shots compared to Barca's twenty five, they may well consider themselves lucky. Didier Drogba was also doing his level best to remind everyone why he used to be so widely despised. He went down like a proverbial sack of shit everytime anyone from Barcelona got near him. He also reminded us of his undoubted quality when scoring the decisive goal. It is a crying shame that he will probably be remembered as a lesser player because of his histrionics, but he'll only have himself to blame. I really think they might leave something out of this match after Tuesday's exertions. Also Drogba has been the difference against both Spurs and Barca and I would fully expect Torres to take his place and give him a rest. Back Arsenal at 2.0 with BetVictor. QPR v Tottenham, Saturday 1730 I haven't gone back and checked all my blogs individually, but I don' think I've backed QPR more than once all season. It has been with good reason to be honest, they've been pretty much hopeless until very recently. In saying that their away form still leaves plenty to be desired, but they are at least picking up some points at home now to leave them with a chance of escaping from relegation. I'm definitely no huge fan of Mark Hughes managerial abilities, but after spending a lot of money in January to try and turn things round, it does look like he may well have done enough. As mentioned they have been particularly good at Loftus Road and have been unbeaten in their last four home matches, beating Arsenal, Liverpool and Swansea in that time. Bobby Zamora finally looks to have found some form and that bodes well as he is a useful player for a struggling side. Spurs season has absolutely imploded since being 2-0 up against Arsenal. Redknapp's lack of rotation has been an issue raised by people before and it once again looks likely to cost Spurs the Champions League place they looked assured of in February. The likes of Luka Modric and Scott Parker who cover a lot of ground every match looks shattered at present, and I don't foresee them getting a rest. Every summer Redknapp asks for investment in his squad to take them on a level, and every summer he buys players for this reason and ignores them. Steven Pienaar being a recent example. The constant forgiveness of Gareth Bale's far too regular forays into the centre of the park is also another reason Modric's effectiveness has been curtailed as he all too often finds Bale in the way. Basically, if these matches are Redknapp's England audition, he is not covering himself in glory at all. Back QPR Draw No Bet at 3.0 with Bet365. Barcelona v Real Madrid, Saturday 1900 El Clasico returns on Saturday night! It's now all to play for in the Primera with Real drawing with Malaga, Valencia and Villarreal of late to cut their lead to just four points. Barcelona have now won eleven matches in a row in La Liga and can go within a point of Real with five to play with a home win on Saturday night. The win is priced up around the 1.66 mark, and that certainly seems fair, but I will be looking for some extra value elsewhere for the benefit of the column. They can often be slow to go ahead in matches as they wear teams out slowly with their passing and movement and it they never seem in a rush to score. This has often been the case against Real where they can be safe in the knowledge that hotheads like Ramos, Pepe and Ronaldo will be likely to blow up if things are not going their way. For this reason I think their could be a chance of level scores at the break before they go on and win. Needless to say Real could really do with not losing this or the pressure will really begin to tell. Unfortunately they again lost composure against Bayern Munich late on on Wednesday night to leave themselves in something of a poor mental state. Whilst I have all the respect in the world for Mourinho's ability to carve out winning teams, the man's petulant child act is often carried across to his players when things do not go their way. This can be seen in numerous matches between these two giants where Mourinho has so far failed to get a league win against their rivals. All too often they get frustrated with Barcelona's dominance and lose their cool. Patience is the only thing asked against Barca and I again fail to see Real keeping their cool. Back Draw/Barcelona Half Time/Full Time at 5.0 with Coral. Real Sociedad v Villarreal, Sunday 1100 Next up from La Liga is this seasons major disappointments Villarreal travelling to Sociedad. Sociedad are the other Basque side along with Bilbao and suffer a bit in comparison. They relaxed their own Basque's only policy a number of years ago in an effort to improve the clubs fortunes, and it has been something of an intermittent success. Under John Toshack they almost won the Primera title around a decade ago, but have ambled along ever since. This season has been no different in that respect. They rely on excellent home form to cover up the fact they are often pretty poor on their travels. The backing they receive at home is excellent and along with Bilbao's home support is most similar to England in terms of passion in all of Spain. This season they go seven wins, five draws and four losses from sixteen home games scoring twenty four and conceding sixteen in that time. This is an excellent record in a league containing powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona. Villarreal have been a huge disappointment this season and look likely to begin a decline in standards. Under Manuel Pellegrini they were a force to be reckoned with across the continent due to his numerous South American contacts and fine tactical acumen. Since he left though the brilliant signings and attacking flair have all but disappeared. Nilmar was the sole bit of flair left and he looks a shadow of the player of two years ago thanks to the lack of support he receives. Guiseppe Rossi also being injured for the whole season has not helped, as he was by far their most regular supplier of goals. Their away form reads won two, drawn three and lost eleven. They have only scored a paltry nine times and have conceded a whopping twenty nine. This looks a foregone conclusion. Back Real Sociedad at 2.4 with BetVictor. Catania v Atalanta, Saturday 1945 Over to Serie A and it's Montella's overachievers Catania hosting another surprise package in Atalanta. I have previously mentioned the fine job Montella is doing in keeping Catania's heads well above water with a limited budget and in only his second managerial role. Many expected a season of struggle for the Sicilian's, and it is to Montella's great credit they have never looked anything like in trouble. He is surely destined for bigger things at some point. They sit in eighth position and it has mostly been their away form that has stopped an astonishing push for a European place. Their home record is won eight, drawn five and lost only three with twenty two scored and only twelve conceded. They are without a win in five, but I think this is a good opportunity to get a win again. Atalanta have also done very well to avoid being anywhere near the relegation places and sit comfortably in mid-table in eleventh spot. Similarly to Catania they have been reliant upon good home form for this, and have been very hit and miss away from home. Their record away is won four, drawn seven and lost five, they have only scored seventeen in those games and that is the main reason for all the draws. This lack of goals is due mainly to not having a prolific striker and therefore basing their tactics around packing the defence and midfield and hoping to nick a goal for a win. It works sometimes, but against Catania's mean defence it may come unstuck. Back Catania at 2.25 with BetVictor. Juventus v Roma, Sunday 1945 Juventus are still unbeaten this season and an awful lot of that is down to the defence that Antonio Conte has built his side upon. They are happy to grind out results and it's easy to understand why he has gone down this route. Juve have not fully recovered from their demotion to Serie B in terms of free-flowing football and crushing all before them. The quickest route to success is often to make your team hard to beat and then move on from there. It is much easier to build a solid defence and midfield, then search for those players who will provide the flair and know-how further forward. In all thirty two matches this season Juve have only conceded eighteen goals and will always fancy themselves to keep a clean sheet and nick a goal or two. Roma have featured many times in their attempts to try a whole new way of approaching the game in Italy. As mentioned many times before, this has had very mixed results so far. There have been some excellent results, but there have been weeks where it has looked dreadful. Similarly some signings have been excellent and some have been major disappointments. Bojan Krkic has always been marked up as one to watch since his Barcelona B and Spain U21 days, but it looks like he has failed to live up to his reputation. Former Chelsea reserve Fabio Borini has looked a much better player than Bojan, and he never got a look in at Chelsea. Back Juventus To Win To Nil at 2.37 with SpreadEX. Werder Bremen v Bayern Munich, Sunday 1430 The title was pretty much decided in Germany last week in the favour of all those who followed me in on 6.5 shots Dortmund retaining their crown. Bayern failing to beat Mainz away left Dortmund needing only a win this weekend to confirm their title. Bremen should see this as a great opportunity to get something from what would normally be a match they would not expect to win. They have not had the best season in recent memory, but they can still qualify for the Europa League if they get the results and others go their way. They've been good at home for much of the season and go won eight, drawn four and lost three. They've scored twenty eight and conceded eighteen in that time to leave them looking a tough match for anyone. Bayern now will be focussing their attention on the Champions League tie with Real Madrid as the league is all but a forgone conclusion. I would expect to see the likes of Robben, Ribery and Schweinsteiger all rested this weekend so they are as fresh as can be to try and cling on to their 2-1 lead at the Bernabeu. This will leave them open to a poor result here, and they have had a few already this season away from home. The 0-0 at Mainz last week was a case in point where they find it very hard to get good results if they don't get an early goal. They can get frustrated and for all Mario Gomez's goals, he is still not the type to create a chance out of nothing. Back Werder Bremen at 3.25 with SportingBet. Trabzonspor v Besiktas, Saturday 1700 We again head to the Super Lig Championship play-offs this weekend and we have Trabzon hosting Besiktas this weekend. Trabzon are missing their only reliable goalscorer this weekend in Buruk Yilmaz and this will definitely effect their chances of a win. They don't score any anyway and Yilmaz has over half of them. He has scored thirty two out of the sixty goals Trabzon have netted this term and you can imagine in his absence that will really hurt their chances of victory. Trabzon have also lost five out of seventeen at home this term, which is not that bad in most leagues, but as one of the Turkish Big Four you would possibly expect slightly better. Besiktas have proven to once again be a mixed bag of a side. They have often chosen to sign players with big reputations who have not quite turned it on in the major leagues on big salaries. The likes of Simao, Guti and Quaresma have looked like mercenaries a lot of the time and only turn it on sporadically. In saying this, they do show why they have played in far better competitions when they can be bothered. Manuel Fernandes is the exception to this rule. He impressed a few years ago when on loan at Everton from Valencia and I was surprised when seemingly only Besiktas took a punt on him. He has been probably the best central midfielder in the Super Lig and will certainly make Trabzon's midfield sweat. Back Besiktas Draw No Bet at 2.87 with Stan James. Galatasaray v Fenerbahce, Sunday 1700 Without a doubt the biggest match in Turkey is the Gala v Fener match. It is a huge match on any occasion, but this has been turned into all but a title decider with Gala so far ahead. They sit nine points ahead of their Istanbul rivals at present and should they win it will be over bar the shouting or some sort of monumental collapse. If you also factor in the fact away fans are unwelcome at any of these play-off games it is another card in Gala's favour. In the regular season Gala only drew three and lost one at home from seventeen, scoring thirty eight and only conceding fourteen. It is a phenomenal record and shows exactly how far ahead of the rest of the field they have been. Fener have been almost equally as dominant at home this season, but their away record has been way off the mark. They have won six, drawn five and lost six on their travels and it is this that leaves them trailing so far behind Gala this time out. Even the signings of the likes of Moussa Sow in January have failed to arrest this disparity in their form and they wont relish this trip at all. They failed to beat Gala in their previous league meetings, and I would expect them to fail again and watch their eternal rivals celebrate wrapping up the title. Back Galatasaray at 2.1 with Stan James.

The End Is Nigh...

Last weekend saw us make a small profit overall, which was added to again slightly midweek for followers on Twitter. You can find me @TopTopTips if you're interested in a few more non-blog tips. It does tend to be the only place where I publish midweek as I haven't the time to do a full article midweek.

There has been an awful lot of football between the weekends this time. Most major European leagues have had a full programme of fixtures in the absence of the UEFA competitions. In England we saw Man City gain slightly on city neighbours United after thrashing WBA 4-0 and seeing United surprisingly lose 1-0 to a resurgent Wigan side. With United being five points clear still they really should hang on, but they haven't impresses in ages and had better hope this was a small stumble and not the wheels coming off.

In Germany there was a top of the table clash between giants Dortmund and Bayern Munich in Dortmund. BvB had let their lead slip to just two points heading into the match and had looked a shadow of themselves at times recently. Bayern have been blowing sides out of the water over the last month and would look for a win to get ahead and steam to the Bundesliga title. Fortunately for those that followed my advice and backed Dortmund for the title at 6.5 pre-season and backed Dortmund to win this match were happy as Dortmund managed a 1-0 win. They really should now have enough to get over the finishing line in first place.

Music comes from In The Red with To Shake To Tremble.

Liverpool v Everton, 1230 Saturday

First up is the FA CUP Semi Final between the two Merseyside clubs. Liverpool's league form has been the worst in the whole division except for Wolves for the past ten matches. This has seen them slip from having a slim chance of a Champions League spot, to having more chance of finishing in the bottom half of the table. This has been attributed by those that still think Kenny Dalglish has the faintest idea what he's doing, to the side concentrating on the cup competitions. This would be understandable as the match got very close, but to slack off for over a month is no preparation for any match at all. The club sacked Damian Comolli this week, the head of player recruitment, in a move which presumably places blame at his feet. I would agree he should take a share of the blame, but to continue with Dalglish would still see them in dire straits, in my opinion. This is no bad thing for us though, as laying Liverpool should continue to make us money.

Everton started the season terribly, before having their usual revival, and are now looking likely to finish ahead of Liverpool. The January signings of Landon Donavan and Steven Pienaar on loan and Nikola Jelavic from Rangers have both been successful. Donovan added a spark to their play and made those around him improve their efforts before returning to LA Galaxy. Pienaar has returned and again showed the form he was never afforded the opportunity to show at Spurs and Jelavic has been a revelation. The Croatian has shown lots of nice touches, some powerful play and has added goals to a side that constantly struggles in front of goal. Everton come into this match off the back of thrashing Sunderland 4-0 midweek and full of confidence. They will see this match as a chance to add some silverware to have something tangible to show for Moyes brilliant reign.

Back Everton at 3.25 on Betfair.

Tottenham v Chelsea, 1800 Sunday

The other FA Cup Semi Final sees Chelsea lining up against Spurs. Spurs league form has completely petered out of late in much the same way as Liverpool's has. They look devoid of motivation at times, and the players that have served them so well for a lot of the season seem to be failing to find their form at this crucial point in the season. Aaron Lennon's injury combined with Luka Modric and Scott Parker's combined loss of form and Gareth Bale refusing to stick to his best position are all contributing. Some of this can sadly be laid at Redknapp's door. Bale should be pulled aside and told in no uncertain terms that he serves the team far better on the wing than in the centre. Modric and Parker have played nearly every minute of every match and are now shattered. And with all his signings there really should be a replacement for Aaron Lennon. They still should really be concentrating on Champions League qualification, but will want to reach the final of this too. It may well be another match too far sadly.

Chelsea have looked more resilient under Di Matteo's management than they did under Villas Boas earlier in the season. This has stabilised their performances somewhat, but has done nothing to address the major issues of the sides rapidly increasing age and deteriorating abilities. Di Matteo has restored the likes of Lampard and Drogba to the starting line up, and it is still just about getting results, but they are not the force they once were. Lampard in particular has had his role restricted to playing in front of the defence lately as another man in their own half to aid the defence. Personally I think they have better players in the squad for that role, but if it keeps morale up then I can see the argument for it. Chelsea have been hit and miss, but seem to be raising themselves for the big games.

Back Chelsea at 2.9 with BetVictor.

Athletic Bilbao v Mallorca, 1700 Sunday

A team that has featured often this season in the column are Athletic Bilbao. I thought it would be interesting to see how Marcelo Bielsa got on once appointed, and it certainly has been that! He has transformed a side renowned for getting by on a physical approach to one that is now still keeping a physical edge, but also playing some fantastic stuff. They have progressed to the Europa League Semi Finals and will be very keen to win a first competition in a few years. They are also in the Copa Del Rey final in Spain, but face Barcelona so have a much smaller chance in that. These cup exploits have effected their league form. They have been as high as fifth, but have slipped out of Champions League contention of late. They have also not been as dominant at home as they usually are. They have only won seven of sixteen at home and can definitely be beaten there.

Mallorca have again struggled to keep their heads above water for large chunks of the season. They are another side that is permanently without cash in La Liga and are without any unpolished diamonds of late. They have had the likes of Samuel Eto'o in the not so distant past to give them that extra bit of class and then an extra cash influx when it comes to selling these stars on. This season they have been a comfortable mid-table side, they've won enough to keep well clear of the dross at the bottom of the table. This midweek they had an excellent result too, presumably as the pressure is off and they can now play for fun. They won away at Santander 3-0 and looked excellent from the off. With Bilbao's eyes elsewhere, they could take advantage again.

Back Mallorca and the Draw Double Chance at 2.25 with Coral.

Udinese v Inter Milan, 1945 Saturday

A clash of two sides whose fortunes have vastly differed this season. Udinese have fallen off the chase for the Serie A title in the last month, but there should be no shame in that for a side who sold their best three players last summer. They were unbeaten at home until well into the new year and have not been soundly beaten all season. They're a very organised side with the goals of the evergreen Antonio Di Natale and some South American flair chucked in for good measure. Di Natale again scored in the 3-1 win against Parma last weekend. They were then beaten 3-1 by Roma in midweek. But, Di Natale never plays two matches in a row in any sort of fitness now and Roma are very good when the mood takes them. Udinese still go eleven wins, four draws and a solitary loss at home, and have scored twenty eight whilst only conceding ten. They should have enough to see an Inter side in permanent transition.

As mentioned Inter are again in transition. The second new manager of the season was appointed just over a week ago with youth team boss Stramaccioni stepping up. Claudio Ranieri initially holted an alarming start to the season, but recently results had again gone south. This did seem to coincide with the return to the side of Wesley Sneijder. The Dutchman is some player when on top of his game, but that has not been the case since the World Cup Final for me. That season ended with Inter winning the treble of Serie A, Copa Italia and the Champions League and Holland reached the World Cup Final with Sneijder integral to both sides. He has always had issues with his attitude, and he seems to believe his career has peaked I think and eased right off. He strolls around quite often now seemingly believing he should always have the ball, but then does little with it.

Back Udinese at 2.5 with William Hill.

Hamburg v Hannover 96, 1430 Saturday

First up from Germany is the clash between strugglers Hamburg and upwardly mobile Hannover. Hamburg's issues have been listed here before, but basically can all be levelled at the feet of Sporting Director Frank Arnesen. His policy of buying half of the Chelsea youth team he put together has not worked, mostly because they are nearly to a man, dreadful. The likes of Jeffrey Bruma and Michael Mancienne may have been well spoken of three years ago, but now people have seen how they have developed it is now wonder Chelsea were willing to give them away. They have slipped perilously close to a first ever relegation being now two points above the last relegation spot taken up by Hertha. They still desperately need points, but are not looking likely to get many.

Hannover have again exceeded expectations this season. As it's now two seasons in a row of achieving above predicted wisdom, those predictions may well be revised next term. They are a well drilled unit of a team who rely upon a tremendous work ethic and no stars to mention. They have had Mame Diouf, formerly of Man Utd, scoring a lot since signing in January, but he is hardly a star. He fits well into their system as he is a physical player who can thrive without a lot of support. This is ideal for a side who don't commit many forward. They do have a pretty poor away record, and for that reason I'll be backing a draw.

Back the Draw at 3.1 with Boylesports.

Besiktas v Galatasaray, 1700 Saturday

The Super Lig enters it's first year of end of season play-offs this weekend. Thanks to the corruption charges against Fener last season the powers that be decided this would be the best way to ensure fairness. Gala have dominated proceedings so far and will be slightly disappointed to have their lea halved, but confident of holding on for the title. They have by far the best team in the division, with strength in every position. Muslera in goal is likely to get a huge move I would imagine on the back of a very impressive seasons performances. Then you have Mellberg at centre half and the power of Felipe Melo in midfield. Up front you also have the guaranteed goals of Milan Baros, and also Johan Elmander fining the divisions defences easy pickings most weekends.

Besiktas picked up enough after xmas to push through to a spot in the top four and a chance to battle for the title/Champions League spot. They've been hit and miss for a while now, and have gone down the route of overspending on 'names' from abroad like Quaresma and Guti in recent years. Whilst they do occasionally shine, they look much closer to being there just for the money nine times out of ten. They have been decent at home, but for a top side four defeats is actually a few over the season. I would expect Gala's team to triumph in this one.

Back Galatasaray at 2.37 with BlueSq.

Fenerbahce v Trabzonspor, 1700 Sunday

The other two sides involved in the play-offs are the remaining giants of Turkish football in Fener and Trabzon. Both have had spells where they've flatered, but come through strongly. Fener have the individual players to do brilliantly, they're possibly better than Gala on paper, but often it all doesn't quite fit. The signing of Moussa Sow in January showed intent on their part, and he does look very good, but it isn't enough to make them complete. The defence can be very brittle and can be gotten at. They will likely fall short over the course of the play-offs as Gala are a far better away side.

Trabzon had problems keeping up with domestic football whilst they were left in European competitions, but have since picked up since their exit. The goals of Yilmaz have again made draws into wins for them. There is no more reliable scorer in Turkey than Yilmaz, he scores all sorts too, including freekicks. He has been in good form of late, and that bodes well for Trabzon's Super Lig challenge as he makes them look a much more threatening outfit. They've drawn their last four too, including the same match two matches ago. It was 1-1 in that one, and I'm tempted to have a half stakes punt at the same occurring again.

Back 1-1 Correct Score for half stakes at 6.5 with Ladbrokes.

For a little extra treat I've cast my eyes over the Grand National. I would back Black Apalachi EW and also Seabass and Giles Cross on the nose. I wouldn't be putting the rent on them though!

Some Eggceedingly Good Tips...

Good evening all. It was a better weekend last time out for us with a return to profitable ways. The best price for me was the ridiculous almost 3.0 on Newcastle to beat Liverpool at St James Park. I understand that Liverpool have spent a lot of money, and therefore should be a good side, but all they've shown this season is that they are anything but good. At present you could argue noone barring Wolves is playing worse in the entire league. Sometimes these opportunities present themselves where anyone can see that the price is wrong and should be taken up by punters everywhere to get one over the bookmakers.

We also saw something of a procession in the Champions League with the three big favourites of Real, Barca and Bayern all progressing with relative ease to the Semi-Finals. Chelsea again made hard work of beating Benfica, but did manage to progress to take on Barcelona in a couple of weeks time. I can only see that match going the way of the Catalan side. Chelsea have built their entire team around John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba since Mourinho's reign. The system was designed to have a holding midfielder who did nothing but prevent a ball over the top exposing Terry's lack of pace, this player also did the dirty work freeing up Lampard to concentrate on only attacking and Drogba was good enough to feed off scraps and bulldoze a path on his own. Now that all three of these have aged and their talents waned the whole thing looks slow and ponderous. The lack of a class defensive midfielder now also means that they no longer have that solid look that they have been renowned for.

This weeks music is from Tim Barry with Moving On Blue.

Bolton v Fulham, Saturday 1500

As we get to the business end of the season Bolton are another side who seem to have realised they are going down unless they put some performances in. I am still shocked that Owen Coyle seems to have been left immune from criticism from either the mass media or Bolton's supporters. After an initial flurry of results immediately following his appointment, the Trotters have been pretty dire. It also seems every season he relies upon borrowing one good player from a better club to drag Bolton to safety. First it was Jack Wilshire from Arsenal, then Daniel Sturridge of Chelsea and lately it has been Ryo Miyaichi of Arsenal who is providing a touch of class. He and a rejuvenated Martin Petrov are currently bombing down the flanks and causing opposing sides problems.

Fulham have again failed to address their poor away form. It has been a little better this time compared to recent seasons, but if they ever aim to move above mid-table they really need to do better. They also seem to have slowed down since thrashing Wolves 5-0 around a month ago. This is something you often see as the season draws to a close and a side has very little left to play for. Fulham are in no danger of relegation, and they are miles off challenging for a European place, so they seem to have eased off. The January signing of Pavel Pogbrebnyak also looked inspired, but after his flurry of goals, he too seems to have taken an edge off his efforts.

Back Bolton at 2.62 with SkyBet.

Liverpool v Aston Villa, Saturday 1500

This could be a horrific game to watch. As already mentioned, Liverpool look nothing short of dreadful at the moment. If reports are to be believed this week the American owners of the club have asked 'King' Kenny to submit a report on how he feels the season has gone. They are currently on course for their worst season since the 50's so I would have to say it has been something of a disappointment. It really is very easy to criticise the signings made over the Summer as well as Andy Carroll, but they were all hugely over-priced and none have performed well. The strangest thing to me is that Stewart Downing was signed with the impression given it was to supply Carroll with crosses, but the two have not played together often enough to do that. Jordan Henderson looks far too raw, and Charlie Adam looks horrendously out of his depth and too slow. Basically I think the whole thing needs another overhaul, with pace being a key element missing, and if Dalglish is again allowed to preside over it I'll be amazed.

Villa fans never wanted Alex McCleish as manager, and it is now obvious why. The man had taken Birmingham down twice in three seasons and had them playing some of the worst football in the entire Premier League during his time there and Villa supporters wanted no part of that. He has somehow managed to take Villa to the brink of a relegation fight in only one season. The players look absolutely miffed about the 'style' of football they are being asked to play, and N'Zogbia has even publicly described it as 'the worst season of my career'. Emile Heskey is still being regularly played, the centre backs look like an accident waiting to happen, and most painfully for Villa fans the promising crop of youngsters the club has are not being used at all. Even saying all this though, Villa are not easy to beat. McCleish's tactics at every side he has managed have been to pack men behind the ball and try and nick a goal and Liverpool will have to break them down to get a win, something they look incapable of at present.

Back Aston Villa and the Draw Double Chance at 2.75 with Stan James.

Espanyol v Real Sociedad, Saturday 1700

In Spain there is still the possibility that any side between fourth and ninth could qualify for the Champions League next season. At the bottom of that group in ninth is Espanyol with forty one points so far. They have got this high up the league mostly on the back of some very good home form. Their home record reads won eight, drawn two and lost five. They did also lose last week at home to an in-form Malaga side who are looking to cement that Champions League spot after heavy investment over the last year. Their two home matches before that though were won by a combined scored of 8-2. This is a much more realistic view of how good they can be against sides that aren't up for it when visiting.

Sociedad are these days pretty pleased if they stay away from the relegation spots having been something of a force in the late 90's and early 00's. They are now eight points clear of the final relegation place and should be safe for another season in the Primera next term. They haven't been too bad at all at home, but on the road they've been dreadful for the most part. They have won just three matches, drawn two and lost ten away from home and it is this that has them well away from European spots. Their away goal difference is also minus seventeen and now they're seemingly safe I can't see them getting anything from this match.

Back Espanyol at 1.9 with Bet365.

Levante v Atletico Madrid, Sunday 1100

Another couple of sides who still have hopes of Champions League qualification are Levante and Atleti. Levante were widely expected to again struggle in the top flight as they are completely broke, play in a run-down stadium and have an ageing, small squad. But they have occupied the fourth spot in the table for most of the season, only recently relinquishing it to Malaga. They had looked lethargic for a while in truth, but no side had won enough to take the fourth spot from them. However, they do seem to have found an extra bit of gusto again of late. Their home record is also excellent as many sides do not like travelling to the rougher part of Valencia to their ramshackle home. Their home record is won eight, drawn three and lost four. In this time they have only conceded sixteen goals to show that their strength is a very good defence.

Atleti have now progressed to the Europa League Semi Finals and will be looking to win the competition to salvage what has been another topsy turvy season for them. They have rallied enough under Diego Simeone in the league to also now be able to qualify for the Champions League. However comma with their poor away record this might well prove beyond them. Away from home they have only won two matches, drawing five and losing eight. A big part of this record is that they have struggled for goals, only scoring thirteen in these fifteen matches. Falcao often seems lacklustre when travelling and without him firing they look short of ideas. I would imagine this will be a tight game, but Levante can definitely sneak it.

Back Levante to win 1-0 for half stakes at 9.5 with William Hill.

Atalanta v Siena, Sunday 1400

Sunday afternoon and we have a mid-table clash from Serie A. Both sides will be fairly happy to have ended the season free from the worries of relegation. Atalanta's season has seen them giving some very good sides a tough match at home and it is this home record that has seen them safely in mid-table. Their home record reads won seven, drawn six and only lost two. In these fifteen matches they have scored nineteen, but only conceded eleven goals. Even in the notoriously defensive Serie A that goals against record is excellent and they deserve praise for it having not spent any money really.

Siena have also avoided the threat of relegation, and similarly it is due to a good home record. The reason they do find themselves in the bottom half of the table is a horrible away record. They have won a solitary match on the road and have drawn six and lost seven. In fourteen away matches they have only scored nine goals, and obviously this makes it very difficult to beat sides when goals are so rare. Atalanta will fancy another home victory in this.

Back Atalanta at 2.5 with BlueSq.

Freiburg v Nurnberg, Saturday 1430

Freiburg have been near to the the threat of relegation for a lot of the season, but have now pushed on and won four of their last five matches to put themselves as good as safe. That they have done this does make it seem like they could have done a lot better with a bit more effort this season, but that is no reason to put us off backing them. Possibly their most impressive win came last weekend against Leverkusen and consigned their manager to the chop. They won 2-0 away and could have had more, such was their dominance. Their home record is mixed with five wins, four draws and five defeats, but it is their position as one of the most in-form sides that has me interested.

Nurnberg, on the other hand, have lost their last four games and would probably just like this season to end so they can start again. They were on the cusp of a chance of a European place, but this poor recent run has left them in lower mid-table no man's land. They have been poor away from home all season and a record of won four, drawn one and lost nine will attest to. They have also only scored nine goals in those thirteen matches and that is simply dreadful in a league where goals are a regular fixture.

Back Freiburg at 2.15 with SkyBet.

Schalke 04 v Hannover 96, Sunday 1430

Both sides that meet here were in action in the Europa League last night, but both exited the competition. In truth Hannover didn't do nearly enough against Atletico Madrid to deserve to qualify, but Schalke provided two excellent matches against Athletic Bilbao. Their were goals galore and it was a shame to see either side exit the competition. Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Raul both got a goal and both impressed immensely. After a number of moves to big sides it seems Huntelaar has finally found a home and has scored fifteen goals in his last thirteen matches. Raul has also found some excellent form in the twilight of his career and seems to be enjoying a free role behind the Dutchman. They are on the rise in the league too and are still looking for automatic Champions League qualification.

Hannover make life hard for themselves by not scoring very many goals, and this again cost them last night. The January signing of Mame Diouf from Man Utd has been a good one, but even his good form can't mask the fact the rest of the side needs to start contributing. They are a solid, hard-working outfit, and any side that beats them will have earned it, but the addition of some flair would add an extra dimension to their play that they sorely miss at present. They are up to fifth in the table, but are too far from Schalke to qualify for the Champions League. Their home form is excellent, they are unbeaten still, but their away form is not up to scratch. They have only won two matches, drawing five and losing seven. As mentioned they struggle for goals and have only got ten in those fourteen matches. I don't see them getting anything at all here.

Back Schalke -1.0 Asian Handicap at 2.19 with BetVictor.

There may be some Turkish tips on Twitter over the weekend for those following @TopTopTips, but due to it being the last match before the play-offs there is still some debate as to how some teams will approach their matches if they have nothing to play for. This uncertainty means I'll not dive in yet.