Cop del Rey, Quarter Final, 2nd Leg (Agg: 2-1)

Live on Sky Sports 2. Kick off 9pm

A 2-1 lead from the first leg has put Barca in pole position to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals at the expense of their greatest rivals but it should still be a cracking El Clasico when both sides square up again on Sky Sports tonight.

The burning question is whether Jose Mourinho will stick or twist. In the first leg he tinkered with his formation, bringing in Carvalho at the heart of defence, allowing Pepe to cause havoc, sorry, give more defensive protection in midfield. It worked. For 45 minutes. But Barca proved that they couldn’t be shackled for ever and overcame the half-time one-goal deficit to record their third consecutive win over Real.

If he has ambitions of leaving the Nou Camp still in the competition Mourinho simply has to be more offensive. That could lead to an open game, one that would suit Barcelona if truth be told. They’re best priced at 4/6 (Ladbrokes) to win the match but I’m never a fan of backing a team at odds on in game they dont’ need to win. Remember a draw suits Barca given their one-goal advantage so tread carefully if you’re backing them.

Arguably the draw may a result that both would settle for; Barcelona would go through, Real would avoid a fourth defeat in a row at the hands of Guardiola’s men. Blue Sq and William Hill go 10/3 on it being all square and if you’re looking for value that could be your best bet.

There’s usually goals when these two meet and both teams have scored in the last 5 encounters. A repeat is priced at 8/13 with Paddy Power.

The way things are set-up I think it’ll be another goal-fest and although I like the look of 4/7 (Betfred) on over 2.5 goals I prefer the 11/8 at Paddy Power for just one more goal in the over 3.5 goals market.

Selectabet’s Best Bets

• Over 3.5 goals 11/8 (Paddy Power)
• Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 2 16/1 (Blue Sq, 888 Sport)

Carling Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg ( Agg. 1-0)

Live on Sky Sports. Kick off 7.45pm

Kenny Dalglish didn’t miss his players when he took a swipe at their performance in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Bolton but will he get the desired response tonight that will see them through to a Carling Cup final place against Cardiff?

The Reds lead 1-0 from the first leg but their home form this season must be a concern going into a game with a top-of-the-table City side who will be in high spirits after a last-minute win over title contenders Spurs at the weekend.

Liverpool have won just 4 home league games this season from 11. Having said that, they remain unbeaten at home with the other 7 being drawn; a result that would suit them this evening.

The return of Steven Gerrard to the Liverpool side hasn’t exactly sparked them into life and scoring goals still seems to be a big problem, especially with the misfiring Andy Carroll still looking as sharp as a deflated balloon.

You’d have to expect City to give it a go and being just one game away from Wembley I can see Mancini going for it. If the first goal goes to City we’ll have a real game on our hands. Bet365 go 11/10 on City striking first and that has to be worth a look as they seek to get back into the tie.

The way things are going for City at the moment they look most likely to progress. They’re simply a better team than Liverpool at the moment and William Hill’s 7/4 on them winning in the 90 minutes looks too good to ignore. Remember the away goals rule only applies AFTER extra time so any kind of 1-goal win for City takes the tie to extra-time. Should City be a goal up towards the end of the game then it might be a case that both sides will settle for the additional 30 minutes – I certainly wouldn’t want to be any kind of bet that relied on Liverpool chasing it at that stage when extra-time is looming.

Selectabet’s Best Bets

• Man City to score first 11/10 (Bet365)
• Man City to win 7/4 (William Hill)

On Tuesday night, Cardiff City host Crystal Palace in the first semi-final. Palace have a slight advantage going into the game at the Cardiff City Stadium, having won 1-0 in the first leg at Selhurst Park. That game was somewhat controversial, with a seemingly good goal by Cardiff’s Kenny Miller being chalked off for ‘a foul’ on the goalkeeper which didn’t appear to be there.

That will no doubt increase the passions from within the Cardiff camp. There will be a huge crowd packed into the Cardiff City Stadium as the Welsh capital will be backing the Bluebirds to make the trip to the English capital for the cup final. It could be an intimidating atmosphere for what is a relatively young Palace side.

Both sides have done terrifically well to get this far and ensure that the Football League will be represented in the final. Palace, of course, knocked out Manchester United at Old Trafford in one of the earlier rounds, and possess one of the hottest talents in English football in Wilfried Zaha.

It’s going to be a close game to call. I think that with home advantage in the 2nd leg, Cardiff have enough to win the game. But will that be enough to qualify? If Palace score, then City need to score three in order to make the final, and that will be a tough ask.

Cardiff are 5/6 (Blue Sq) to win the game, with Crystal Palace 17/20 (Sportingbet) to qualify. I fancy a 2-1 Cardiff win on the night which is available at 15/2 (Bet365, betVictor, Ladbrokes).

On Wednesday evening, Manchester City travel to Anfield to face Liverpool, with the Reds in the driving seat having nicked a 1-0 victory at the City of Manchester Stadium a fortnight ago.

A Steven Gerrard penalty was enough on that occasion and they will be looking to defend that lead. However, if the defend it in the way they defeated at the Reebok Stadium at the weekend when they lost 3-1 to Bolton, they will miss out on the trip to Wembley.

Their form has not been great. The loss of Luis Suarez to a ban has been a big blow to them. Andy Carroll has been moved into the firing line and he is incredibly out of form, although in his defence, Liverpool fail to play to his strengths.

So if they are going to score and make their chances of getting through better, they will be relying on goal from other sources such as former City favourite Craig Bellamy, Argentinian Maxi Rodriguez and of course captain Gerrard again.

City have a blow of their own through a ban, with captain Vincent Kompany suspended for the infamous tackle in the Manchester derby in the FA Cup. He sits out the final game of that suspension, so that means that Montenegran Stefan Savic is likely to continue to deputise. That is certainly one area which the Reds may be able to take advantage of, as Savic has struggled to fill the Belgian’s boots and gave the penalty away in the first leg.

I expect it to be a tight and tetchy encounter with few goals. I find Manchester City trememdous value at 7/4 (Boylesports, Stan James, 888 Sport). And they are 21/10 to qualify for the final with bwin. My scoreline prediction is Manchester City to win 2-0 which can be backed at 14/1 (William Hill).

SPL

Kick off: 12:30 Saturday 21st January. Live on ESPN

Top of the table Celtic have the chance to extend their lead to 5 points in this lunchtime kick-off ahead of Aberdeen’s visit to Ibrox.

A win for the Hoops would be their 12th SPL win on the bounce and they should be capable of bagging all three points at a struggling St Mirren.

The Buddies have won just 1 league game in 8, although notably that was against Rangers on Christmas Eve. On occasion they’ve also made things tough for the Hoops, with two narrow 1-0 wins amongst their last 5 victories over the Paisley side.

In fact St Mirren have failed to net in the last 5 against Neil Lennon’s men, their last goal against Celtic coming in Tony Mowbray’s last game in charge, a 4-0 win for the Saints in March 2010.

An early goal for Celtic in this one should settle it. If it comes in the first half hour then they should run out convincing winners. Perfect for accumulators at 2/5 (William Hill) but not ideal on the singles market. So I’d recommend going with the Bhoys to win to nil, something they’ve achieved in 7 of their last 11 matches and as mentioned above all of the last 5 meetings between the two sides. This is much more appealing at 5/4 with Ladbrokes.

With Southampton’s interest in Gary Hooper seemingly cooled he can now concentrate on scoring the goals to take Celtic to the title. Whilst out with a minor injury he’s seen strike partner Antony Stokes level with him in the scoring charts. Last weeks’ strike against Dundee Utd moved the Englishman one goal ahead and he can add to his tally at St Mirren Park. He scored a hat-trick in Celtic’s 5-0 win in the corresponding fixture in November and is 3/1 (Paddy Power, SkyBet) to open the scoring.

Selectabet’s Best Bets

Celtic to win to nil 5/4 (Ladbrokes)

Gary Hooper to score first 3/1 (Paddy Power, SkyBet)

There’s plenty of potential giant killings amongst the fixtures so here’s my picks for this weekend’s matches.

MK Dons v QPR

One tie that will get a few of the underdog backers excited is at Stadium MK where the in-form MK Dons host Premier League side QPR. Karl Robinson’s side are currently 4th in League One, placing them 31 positions behind their opponents but there’ll be a much more level playing field on Saturday at 3pm.

Rangers will be without Traore and Taarabt on African Cup of Nations Duty and the much-maligned Joey Barton through a debatable suspension. It’s also questionable just how seriously Neil Warnock will take the game with vital Premier League points a much more valuable commodity for the club than an FA Cup run. Anything less than a fully committed Rangers could find themselves out of the competition at the first hurdle for the 12th season in a row.

In contrast to QPR (just 1 win in 10) the Dons are on a fine run of form with just one defeat in 10 so go into the game as the form side. They’ll be without top scorer Charlie McDonald but at 9/5 (Blue Sq) look a decent bet to make it to Round 4. There’s also value for money in siding with the home team to score 2 or more which can be backed at 11/8 with SkyBet.

Derby v Crystal Palace

At Pride Park there’s an all-Championship clash between Derby and Crystal Palace. The Eagles have suffered a virus that has affected most of their squad this week so it’s unlikely they’ll be at full-strength. Add to that the fact that they’ve the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Cardiff on Tuesday and Dougie Freedman would be forgiven for fielding some ‘fringe’ players in this tie.

Derby can lay claim to being the form side in the Championship and have impressed with wins over Hull, West Ham and Leeds in recent weeks – all of whom sit above them in the table. Perhaps they’ve finally ‘turned the corner’.

Money has been coming in for the Rams so get on the 6/5 at William Hill before it disappears.

Chelsea v Portsmouth

Chelsea have been notoriously unreliable for us punters this season. 3 draws followed by a defeat to Aston Villa meant they were left off a lot of coupons last week when they duly obliged with a win at Wolves. That hasn’t stopped the bookies pricing them up short to win over Pompey at just 1/5.

That’s not worth it but there is still value to be had in the game. Despite such short odds to win the Blues are a much more tempting 1/1 (Paddy Power, SkyBet) to win to nil. To be fair they’ve not kept too many clean sheets of late, in fact none in their last 6 but that run can’t go on forever.

Pompey are on a reasonable run of form themselves but haven’t exactly been banging them in, just 8 goals scored in their last 9 and they’ve drawn a blank in 7 of their 12 away games this season. Recent history doesn’t point to many goals for Portsmouth in this fixture either, they’ve scored just twice in the last 10 meetings, conceding 22.

Back Chelsea to win to nil at 1/1 with Paddy Power or SkyBet

It’s Cup weekend north and south of the border so that can only mean one thing – Goals Galore.

Teams will be going all out to make it to the next round so hopefully we can expect some open games and plenty of goals hitting the back of the net.

Here are my top tips for games where both teams will score;

Newcastle v Blackburn

One of the outstanding all-Premier League ties of the third round sees on-song Newcastle host a free-scoring Blackburn side.

Although bottom of the league Rovers have scored 29 goals this season, more than Liverpool and anyone else in the bottom half of the table so they’re always good for a goal.

Newcastle proved on Wednesday just how deadly they can be in front of goal, especially Demba Ba who is on fire.

I expect both teams will field relatively strong sides so goals could be on the cards.

• Both teams to score is 5/6 with Ladbrokes.

Fleetwood v Blackpool

The localest of local derbies this weekend is at Conference club Fleetwood who host near-neighbours Blackpool in what should be a passionate affair.

Some think this could be where the upset of the round comes from and with Fleetwood in fine form they’ll fancy their chances against their more-illustrious opponents. Fleetwood are current second in the Blue Sq Conference but notably are top scorers with 57 in 26, over 2 per game. They’re also unbeaten in their last 5 and have lost just once at home in the league.

Last season followers of the Both Teams to Score Market had Blackpool marked down week in week out. This season they’ve not been quite so entertaining but you’d expect they’ll breach the Conference side’s defence at least once due to their greater quality.

• Back both teams to score at 8/11 with Ladbrokes.

Peterborough v Sunderland (Sunday)

Martin O’Neill may be tempted to rest a few players in favour of picking up Premier League points in their upcoming fixtures but he’ll not want to derail the momentum that he’s built since arriving at the Stadium of Light so I think the Black Cats will be well up for this one.

Their opponents too will also see this as a chance to claim a Premier League scalp so it should make for a good cup tie.

As far as goals are concerned the signals are good. Peterborough have scored in each of their last 17 matches – quite a record and at home they’ve failed to find the target just once in 12 league matches, keeping just one clean sheet in that time too. 44 scored versus 41 conceded make them the most entertaining to watch in the Championship.

Sadly the same can’t be said for Sunderland but under O’Neill they’ve looked a different animal. 4 goals away to Wigan in midweek will have boosted their confidence as will picking up 13 points from 18 since O’Neill’s arrival. Away to lower league opposition could be tricky but they’ve at least got a goal in them.

• Back both teams to score at 4/6 with Ladbrokes

Airdrie v Dundee Utd

Finally in Scotland look out for goals when 2nd Division Airdrie welcome SPL side Dundee Utd.

The Diamonds have been prolific in front of goal and equally profligate in defence this season, scoring 44 and losing 40 in just 19 league games, that’s an average of over 4 goals scored in each of their games. At home they’ll put up a decent fight against United.

The Terrors are in a bit of a slump at the moment and I’d be more concerned about them scoring in this one than Airdrie, however they have netted in their last 5 matches  and failed to score in just one away league match all season so the signs are good that they’ll find the net in this one.

• Back both teams to score at 4/6 with Coral.

Accumulator

All four both teams to score bets can be backed as an accumulator at best odds with Coral, where a £10 four-timer will pay £78.20.

Scottish Premier League

Kick off: Monday 2nd January 3pm

On paper this looks like yet another tricky one for Rangers but historically they’ve found Motherwell a soft-touch and this could be just what the Gers ordered after Wednesday’s defeat to Celtic.

A 17-point swing at the top of the SPL must have dented Rangers morale but how they respond, starting tomorrow, will determine whether they’ve a title challenge in them or not. 3 defeats in their last 6 make this a must-win, even at this stage of the season.

There will be plenty who fancy a bit of 10/1 (Chandler, Betfair) about a ‘Well win but they’d do well to check out how Motherwell normally fare against the Gers. Their last 8 meetings reads W0 D2 L6. If that’s not bad enough the goals for and against columns in the last 8 makes for embarrassing reading; Rangers 32 Motherwell 7. That should go some of the way to explaining the odds of just 4/11 (Paddy Power) on the home win.

For me though I simply couldn’t trust this Rangers side to carry my money at such short odds against a side that’s third in the table so I’m looking elsewhere for value.

Despite the recent hammering that Rangers have dished out to Motherwell (3-0, 5-0, 6-0, 4-1, 4-1) this one looks a whole lot closer. I think Rangers will win it but by just a single goal, which can be backed at 5/2 (Bet365)

Nikica Jelavic is apparently attracting some interest from the EPL but his form has dipped of late. If he is to move on Craig Whyte must be hoping the hitman can return to his best in order to boost any transfer fee. Many of his goals have come from the spot and that makes him even more appealing in the goalscorer markets. He’s 8/11 (Blue Sq) to net anytime but also represents a decent small-stake bet to bag the first at 13/5 with Bet365.

Selectabet’s Best Bets

• Rangers to win by 1 goal 5/2 (Bet365)
• Jelavic to score anytime 8/11 (Blue Sq)

Scottish Premier League

Live on Sky Sports. Kick off: Monday, 2nd January, 12.15pm

There may have been fireworks in the capital to welcome in 2012 last night but there’s a good chance there’ll be a few more at Easter Road in tomorrow’s lunchtime kick-off.

It’s hardly been a vintage year for the two Edinburgh clubs but nothing raises the temperature of both sets of fans quite like the old derby. It will be Pat Fenlon’s first derby in the Hibs dugout, whilst for Hearts boss Paulo Sergio it’ll be a case of trying to rally his troops yet again, against the backdrop of unpaid wages and an uncertain future.

But fair play to the Jambos. When some may have written them off due to Mad Vlad delaying the player’s salaries, the squad have got their heads down and got on with it, picking up 7 points from their last 9. They can also go into the derby in good heart based on an 8-match run of games without defeat to their greatest rivals.

You have to go back two full calendar years for Hibs last victory in this fixture, a 1-0 win at Tynecastle in may 2009. No wonder then that the bookies make Hearts favourites at 11/8 (Ladbrokes) and the Hibees outsiders at 23/10 (William Hill).

On current form that’s hard to disagree with but this is a derby and anything can and usually does happen. A major concern for Hibs will be the fitness of Garry O’Connor. His toe injury may yet rule him out but if their top scorer does make it then 23/10 on the home win looks the value call.

In a game that’s seldom without incident you could do worse than back a red card. Problem is that the best price is a measly 21/10 at Chandler. Instead you might want to consider Bet365’s 1/1 on there being over 5.5 cards in the game. That will look especially appealing if Hearts doubt Ian Black makes the starting XI – he’s always good for a booking on these occasions.

Selectabet’s Best Bets

• Hibs 23/10 (William Hill)
• Over 5.5 cards 1/1 (Bet365)

With Barcelona out in Japan taking part in the FIFA World Club Cup, Real have the chance to reclaim their spot at the top of the league table and put behind them the 3-1 defeat by their bitter rivals last weekend.

They couldn’t have asked for a much tougher task though leading up to the short winter break. Sevilla lie in fifth position but have began the season well. Their defence is strong with goalkeeper Javi Varas establishing himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in La Liga, and players like Fernando Navarro and Jose Caceres give them a strong base in front of him.

Their defence has, in fact, shipped less goals than Madrid, but at the other end, they come no near Jose Mourinho’s side. Real Madrid have amassed a huge total of 50 goals so far this campaign, whereas Sevilla have found the net just 16 times in their 15 matches. But they do possess the dangerous forwards in the form of former Spurs and West Ham star Frederic Kanoute and Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo.

It should be an interesting encounter. Sevilla will likely be looking to maintain that good defensive record while trying to catch Real on the counter attack just as they did in the Camp Nou where they came away with a highly creditable 0-0 draw.

Looking at last week’s El Clasico, Real really struggled to create against Barca, relying a bit too heavily on winning free kicks around the edge of the penalty area for Cristiano Ronaldo, who failed to convert them. They may find it tough to break down the stubborn Sevilla rearguard too.

I think it’s going to be a very tight game, which may well be decided by the odd goal. Believe me, it is a much closer call than the bookmakers may have you think.

Selectabet tips:

• Sevilla to win handicap +1 – 9/5 (Paddy Power)
• Under 2.5 goals – 6/4 (William Hill, Ladbrokes)
• Correct score: 0-0 – 18/1 (Sportingbet)

Barclays Premier League

Kick off: Saturday 3pm.

United will need to dust themselves down after Wednesday’s surprise exit in the Champions League and focus on attempting to close the gap on their city rivals at the top of the Premier League, with a visit from Mick McCarthy’s Wolves.

Few predicted United’s demise in Basle but in hindsight all the signs were there; the Swiss caused the Red Devils lots of problems in their 3-3 draw at Old Trafford, whilst United have failed to score more than once outside a Champions League match in 6 domestic matches. All is not well with the red half of Manchester.

Fortunately then that it’s Wolves that come calling on Saturday and three points should be a relative formality for a scorned United. McCarthy famously ‘rested’ some of his squad on his last visit there and with games against Stoke and Norwich on the horizon he may chose to do so again. Even if he goes full strength United should land the odds at a paltry 1/4 (Victor Chandler).

If you fancy United’s week to go from bad to worse it’s 14/1 (Bet365, Betfred, Totesport) that Wolves stun them and nick all three points.

On the goalscorer market I wouldn’t be having a go at any of United’s front men who have looked a bit blunt recently. Having scored his first senior goal last weekend Phil Jones followed that up with a late one in Switzerland on Wednesday. He’s a huge 9/1 (Titan Bet) to make it three in three but there’s a chance he may be forced to play a bit deeper and deputise for Vidic.

If so, it could mean a start for Darren Fletcher in midfield. The Scot has already notched twice this season and with Rooney and co misfiring of late he could be the man to get on the scoresheet at 6/1 (Titan Bet).

Personally I think Wolves will feel the force of Fergie’s wrath and it’ll be a pumped up United that take to the field. I’ll be on them to get back to goalscoring and wining ways, backing them to beat the Asian Handicap of -2, at 6/5 with Bet365

Selectabet’s Best Bets

• Man Utd -2 on Asian Handicap 6/5 (Bet365)
• Darren Fletcher to score 6/1 (Titan Bet)