United players need to show a response to the 3:1 defeat at Goodison Park that came in the worst possible time, just as they were closing in on Chelsea. West Ham, on the other hand, finally escaped from the danger zone with two comprehensive home wins and the Hammers are in a good position to try and spring a surprise at Old Trafford.

United hammered at Goodison

The 3:1 defeat at Goodison Park was very hard to swallow for Sir Alex Ferguson as his side were supposed to put extra pressure on Chelsea with another convincing win but they utterly failed and are now no less than four points adrift of the Blues. Maybe the players became too complacent after the impressive victory at San Siro or maybe they were just too tired, but they still failed to show a mental strength needed to win such an important game. The players will have problems recovering for what was a big blow to their title ambitions and they face a tough task against revived West Ham, which why you shouldn’t even consider odds of 1.22 offered by Pinnacle on home win as there is absolutely no value in them.

After yet another poor performance of his centre-back pairing, Sir Alex Ferguson should finally turn to Nemanja Vidic, who’s been training for almost three weeks now but is yet to feature in 2010. Underperforming Berbatov will probably make way for Paul Scholes, with Rooney set to be deployed as a lone striker, while Giggs, Hargreaves and O’Shea remain sidelined. The hosts are bound to go all guns blazing at the Hammers as they desperately need a win and should score at least one goal but seeing they also conceded in every one of their last three games, backing both teams to score at 2.25 offered by William Hill looks like the right thing to do.

Back in business

Everybody knew West Ham had more than enough quality to escape the drop but even their own fans started fearing for survival after Gianfranco Zola’s side missed a couple of great chances to steer clear of the bottom three. Nevertheless, the Hammers finally came good, mostly thanks to their impressive home run that saw them take 10 points from 4 games at Upton Park, without conceding a single goal in the process. Going into the United game high on confidence, the Hammers stand a decent chance of creating a surprise since they are no longer under pressure and that should result in a good performance. With Zola’s side rediscovering their scoring form, backing West Ham to score at 2.10 offered by Boylesports looks like a real banker.

We don’t expect to see any changes to the starting line-up, not after such a good performance against Hull, which means Carlton Cole and Guille Franco will continue in attack, while Mido, Noble and Collison face a real battle to return to the side. Herita Ilunga, Kieron Dyer, Danny Gabbidon, Benny McCarthy, Zavon Hines, Calum Davenport and Louis Boa Morte remain sidelined but as the team have already shown, their absence should not be a problem.

Betting verdict

The hosts are in poor spirits after the Everton defeat and they seem too dependent on Waynee Rooney, who will be given a special attention by West Ham defenders. The Hammers, on the other hand, are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and they will be a tough nut to crack at Old Trafford. The best United can do here is record a narrow win.

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Last weekend Werder demolished Hannover 5:1 away, and got back in the race for European positions. League leaders easily handled current champions, Wolfsburg, thus announcing that they are taking over the title.

Only one defeat in the last eleven duels

Werder scored even four goals in the first half in Hannover, thus announcing that the crisis days are finally over. Werder also made it to the Cup semifinals, where they will have to face Augsburg and we expect them to save the season through the Cup finals that will lead them to Europe. Champions League is mission impossible after the terrible run of results, so the points from this match won’t mean much to Werder. Having in mind that Werder are hosting Leverkusen only three days after the game against Twente, we think that William Hill’s offer of 1.73 for the hosts not to win is worth a shot.

Still, the tradition in the duel against Leverkusen absolutely favours the hosts that lost only three games to Leverkusen in Bremen, while they won even fourteen. Werder’s good attack suggests another exciting affair against Leverkusen and having in mind that the hosts can’t boast a good defense lately, we think that Bet 365’s offer of 1.53 for both teams to score is worth the money.

Leverkusen want a replay from last season

Only one goal ahead of Bayern is keeping Leverkusen on top of the standings. Last weekend Leverkusen deserved to take three points in the duel against Wolfsburg at home, which proved that the draw in Bochum was just a bad day and not a dip in form. Last season Leverkusen celebrated 2:0 in Bremen and that was their only win over Werder in the last eleven duels. Still, the visitors will try to make the best use of the fatigue of the home squad, which is why we expect them to start the game aggressively towards Wiese’s net. Sporting bet offer 2.20 for the visitors to score over 1.5 goals.

The good news for the club is that Kiesling is back in his scoring form and now he is again on top of the score sheet with thirteen goals. This regular German international is practically flawless this season, so Werder defense should fear him. Odds for Kiesling to score are 2.00 offered by 888 Sport.

Betting verdict

As we have already mentioned the hosts will probably secure a place in Europe through the Cup, so they don’t need the points from this derby. On the other hand, fresh Leverkusen players arrive to Bremen to repeat the success from last season and move farther ahead of Bayern on top. Even though tradition favours the hosts, the visitors are much better at the moment and it would be no surprise if they took the spoils from Weser stadium this season.

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Wolves’ negative run of 12 winless games continued last weekend, when they lost 2:1 in Leverkusen. On the other hand, Schalke have gone ten games without losing, while last weekend they easily beat Koln in front of their fans and took three precious points.

Keeper Lenz is the weakest link in the champions’ squad

Wolfsburg’s poor performance, to say the least, coincided with the injury of firs—choice keeper, Bengalio who will miss the most of the season. Keeper Lenz was tragic character of the last match as well, after clumsy reaction during a free kick, when he practically gave the chance to the rivals to score, but that was not all, he scored an own goal later on. The last time wolves won on home ground was over four months ago, it was against M Gladbach and they have managed only to draw few games since, while they lost most of the games at Volkswagen arena. The good news for the home fans before the duel against Schalke is the fact that their favourites lost only once to Royal blue at home and it was seven years ago. Having in mind that the hosts have no materialization problems, while the defense yields before the rivals’ attacks, we think it would be best to take Bet35’s offer of 1.67 for both teams to score.

Edin Dzeko is by far the best scorer in the team; he has scored ten goals, seven of which he scored in the last ten rounds. He is also a nightmare for Schalke’s defense, as he scored four goals in the last three duels, which is why we have no doubts that this Bosnian international will continue the good form. Odds on Dzeko to score are 2.62 at 888 Sport.

Magath is back to Volkswagen arena to take the title from his former club

Matip’s score minutes before the break saw Schalke break Koln’s resistance in Gelsenkirchen. Farfan doubled the lead later on and the blues kept the lead and recorded a routine win that kept them in the title race with Bayern and Leverkusen. Since Magath, who lead Wolfsburg to the title, took over, Schalke play quite different than they did for years in the past. Having in mind that trophy-winning coach knows the rivals very well, we have no doubts that he will find just the right way to take new points. Precisely that is why Magath opted for an extremely offensive approach with three forwards to revenge for the defeat from the first part of the season. Wolves defense, lead by keeper Lens doesn’t seem convincing at all and having in mind that the visiting attack won’t hesitate, we think that Sporting Bet’s offer of 2.38 for Schalke to score more than one goal might just pay off.

Just like Dzeko is a nightmare for Schalke, Kevin Kuranyi means the same to Wolfsburg, as he has scored six goals in the last seven duels against Wolfsburg. Second best scorer of the league has no intention of stopping there, but he wants to impose his quality to the national squad boos and earn a place in South Africa this summer. That is why we have no doubts that Kuranyi will be the biggest threat for the wolves’ net and Bwin offer 2.40 for Kuranyi to score.

Betting verdict

After a tough game in the suburbs of Valencia against Villarreal, the question is how tired the Wolves will be to face Schalke and continue the positive tradition against them. Lead by title wizard, Magath Royal blue arrive to fight his former club and they will know each weak point of the rivals, which is reason enough to back Schalke here.

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After a goalless affair against Schalke in front of their fans, Freiburg suffered a new defeat this time in Frankfurt, but thanks to poor result of rest of the rivals, they managed to stay above the dangerous zone. Hertha are waking up slowly, but they can’t seem to record a result better than a draw and finally move away from the bottom.

A ninety-minute goal broke Freiburg’s fans and players heart

Relegation contenders, Freiburg opened the score in Frankfurt unexpectedly, mostly thanks to the mistake of home defense. After that Freiburg defended in numbers and held on to a draw for the last hour on the pitch, until the last minute when one of Frankfurt’s numerous attacks was materialized. Coach Robin Dut is aware that a triumph over Hertha would be one step forward in their struggle to survive, which is why he opted for a pretty offensive formation with even three forwards. Having in mind that Freiburg outclassed Hertha in the first match in Berlin and the formation of the hosts, we expect a lot of goals in this match. Odds for home side to score are 1.31 at Betfair.

Team’s best scorer is Cameroonian Mohammadou Idrissou who hasn’t scored since he came back from the African Cup. The results depend a lot on this striker, as well as Freiburg’s destiny in Bundesliga and since Idrissou was the scorer in the first match against Berlin side, we think that Bwin’s offer of 2.90 for Idrissou to score is worth a shot.

To be or not to be for Hertha

Berlin side missed a fine chance to close the gap behind relegation contenders, as they only drew 1:1 with Mainz. The match in Freiburg is crucial for Hertha, as a triumph would help them a lot in the relegation battle, while a defeat would kill their last hope for survival. Coach Funkel lifted the team’s spirit and they lost only in Bremen in the last five rounds. Hertha won’t calculate in this match and only a win would keep their hopes alive, which is why we expect them to be extremely aggressive. Sporting bet offer 2.65 for the visitors to score more than one goal.

Hertha brought a big signing, Gekas on loan from Leverkusen in winter transfer window, who will stay in the club till the end of the season. The experienced Greek contributed to the win over Hannover and he was also the scorer last weekend in Bremen. Three seasons ago he was Bundesliga’s top scorer, so his performance will be crucial for Hertha’s future in Bundesliga. So think about Bet365’s offer of 3.40 for Gekas to score.

Betting verdict

The duel of these rivals is a direct clash in the relegation battle and none of the teams will settle for a defeat. The hosts will try to repeat the success from the first part of the season, when they celebrated a convincing win in Berlin, while motivated Hertha will try to record third win this season. Even though we slightly favour the visitors from the capital, we still think that it is bet to bet on over 2.5 goals here, especially because the tradition agrees with us.

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Last weekend Valencia struggled to take a point against Gijon, thus confirming that they haven’t yet handled their crisis. On the other hand Getafe also drew in the last round, after losing three points in the last moments of the match against Almeria.

Big blow in Bruges for shaken Los Che

Valencia won only one of last five games, which is a reason for worry. After an excellent breakthrough Juan Mata helped his side to a point in Gijon, while in the midweek game Los Che lost in Bruges, mostly thanks to the red card for David Silva. Coach Emery was evidently angry at the referees in Europa League, as his players were practically beaten and the referee didn’t even react. Precisely for that reason Emery will have to do without his left back against Getafe, as Mathieu got injured, while Del Horno was sent on loan to Valladolid. Since the hosts are out of form and they usually concede against Getafe, we think that Betfair’s offer of 1.60 for the hosts to concede might pay off.

Los Che play much better away this season, while they are quite unpredictable at home. Still, the good thing is the excellent tradition against Getafe that tells us that Valencia have never lost against these rivals at Mestalla, as far as the league games are concerned. Also team’s best scorer David Villa is an expert on duels against Getafe and since Messi stepped in on top of the score sheet ahead of him, we have no doubts that he will do anything to improve his scoring record. Bwin offer 1.90 for Villa to score.

Getafe haven’t yet drawn an away game

Getafe dropped the victory in the last round, after they conceded a last-minute goal against Almeria. The visitors are still not giving up their European ambitions and they are only three points behind sixth-placed La Coruna. In order to make their European dream come true, Getafe must improve their away form, as they took only three points in the last five games. Coach Michel can count on Manu del Morall in this game. Precisely this player was fatal for Los Che defense in the first game, when he brought three points for his team, so we have no doubts that he will look forward to create some more problems for the incomplete defense of the hosts. Odds for Manu del Morall to score are 3.75 at 888 Sport.

Getafe usually conceded a lot when they play away, though they rarely concede more than one goal, except for the games against Mallorca, Real and Barcelona. Odds on the visitors to concede under 1.5 goals are 1.62 at Sporting Bet.

Betting verdict

In the last five games Valencia have won only one game on home ground and it was against Zaragoza, which speaks best of their form. Getafe can’t boast good away form, especially on this ground, but still they seem better than the hosts. Having in mind that the visitors haven’t drawn a single away game, we think that this is the perfect chance for that to change.

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