Live on Sky Sports 1. Kick off 12.45pm

Jaymes Monte looks at the first of the weekend’s Premier League matches where Tottenham are aiming to move clear of those chasing that coveted fourth Champions League spot.

Luka Modric has thrown down the gauntlet to his Tottenham team mates by stating that a successful season for them would be to win the FA Cup and claim fourth spot in the Premier League. Not that Spurs or Harry Redknapp have ever shied away from the fact that they are having a tremendous season which could reap endless rewards but a public statement from one of their top players that they are not content with a Europa League spot is of great significance.

Modric is beginning to once again reach the top of his form since returning from the broken leg that he suffered back in August of this season, marking the occasion with a fantastic goal against Everton two weeks ago. It is a timely boost for Redknapp who has mounting injury concerns ahead of this weekend’s game against Blackburn where he will be without Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King in defence and Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas in midfield. However, he has a selection headache of the desirable kind at the top of the pitch where he must decide which two of his three in-form strikers will start the game.

Against a Blackburn side with such a miserable away record this looks like a must win for Spurs if they are to maintain those fourth place aspirations. Sam Allardyce’s side have won just one of their 14 league away games this season so it is no surprise that they are as big as 9.0 to win this weekend. In fact it is perhaps a little unexpected that Tottenham aren’t even shorter than the 1.48 price that they can currently be backed at.

Blackburn’s main problem away from home has been finding the back of the net; since the turn of the year they have only managed a solitary goal from open play on their travels in the league. That leads to the 2.1 on their being less than 2.5 goals looking like a good value bet. Even though Tottenham can be lethal when hitting full stride at White Hart Lane I typically like to have confidence in both teams getting on the score sheet before I can back over 2.5, especially at odds below 2.0.

There were a lot of handbags being waved about in the aftermath of Blackburn’s recent defeat to Liverpool; mainly, it has to be said, by Rafael Benitez. The Liverpool manager mocked Allardyce’s style of play and bemoaned the tough tackling attitude that the visitors had taken, however, with Blackburn sitting seven places higher in the Premier League’s fair play table it would suggest that the Spaniard might want to look closer to home before criticising others.

There is little to separate Rovers and Spurs in the disciplinary stakes this year where both average around 1.6 yellow cards per game, and the reverse of this fixture ended with just one booking. I don’t see any reason why this game will be any more troublesome for referee Howard Webb and backing ‘5 pts and under’ at anything around the 2.5 mark is advisable.

Being involved in the earliest kick-off of the weekend has huge advantages providing you can take all three points. Redknapp knows that a win would heap the pressure onto Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City and certainly make that 4.6 on Spurs attaining a top four finish shrink considerably.

• Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 2.1.

Kilmarnock v Celtic

Robbie Keane returns to the scene of his instantly forgettable Celtic debut in this lunchtime kick-off on Sky Sports 2. The Hoops were humbled by a goal to nil when they visited Rugby Park at the beginning of February. It was a result that all but killed off the SPL challenge for the season and tomorrow is another must-win game in the short and inglorious reign of Tony Mowbray.

The Scottish Cup represents Celtic’s only realistic chance of silverware and defeat tomorrow could be the straw that finally breaks the camel’s back as far as the patience of the Hoops fans goes. For Killie to make it two wins on the trot against Celtic it’s 8/1 at Betfair, whilst the draw, which would force a replay is 7/2 at Betfair. Mowbray’s men are just 4/9 (Blue Sq) to win in the 90 minutes.

Celtic will be relieved to hear that Kevin Kyle looks set to miss out for Killie as he bossed the front line last time round. His absence compounds the fact that Killie haven’t scored in the last three and goals have been a struggle all season – they’re the joint second lowest scorers in the SPL. A clean sheet for Celtic is 1/1 (Paddy Power) and although they’ve been few and far between this term one shiny light in the last few weeks has been apparent return to form of Polish number one Artur Boruc. A Celtic win to nil is priced at 13/10.

Robbie Keane will be …ahem.. keen to banish the demons of his debut and he’s 7/2 (Bet365, Paddy Power) to net first. He’s now scored 5 in 6 for the Bhoys and is 1/1 (Boylesports) to score anytime. Keane could be partnered by one one from Fortune, Rasmussen and Samaras so either of those bets could be a decent option.

With this looking like last-chance-saloon for Mowbray and his side I can’t see them taking this game lightly. Kilmarnock’s poor run of form doesn’t suggest they can cause an upset either. With the Hoops too short at 4/9, the win to nil looks the best value at 13/10 (Paddy Power).

If you’re looking for more chat and inspiration pop on over to the Selectabet Forum and see what our members are saying about the weekend’s games and loads of other betting events. It’s totally free to join and there’s 10 x £10 free bets from Bet365 for the first 10 members to reach 100 posts. Click here to visit the forum.

Mr Fixit (Daily Record)

HOMES

• Coventry, Ipswich, Watford, Northampton, Motherwell, Inverness
• Best Odds: £10 pays £233.90 at Ladbrokes (Get a £10 free bet)

AWAYS

• QPR, Colchester, Gillingham, Rochdale
• Best Odds: £10 pays £614.10 at Skybet (Get a £10 free bet)

DRAWS

• Birmingham v Everton, Brentford v MK Dons, Huddersfield v Norwich, Hamilton v St Mirren
• Best Odds: £10 pays £1,239.80 at Ladbrokes (Get a £10 free bet)

TOP TREBLE

• Swansea, West Brom, Northampton
• Best Odds: £10 pays £35.70 at Boylesports (Get a £20 free bet)

SUPER SINGLE

• Motherwell 8/7 (betChronicle)

BONKERS BET

• Hibs 3 Ross County 1 11/1 (Skybet)

Sam Spread (Daily Record)

• Buy Everton Supremacy at 0.2
• Sell goals total at 2.3 in Motherwell v Hearts

Andy Totham (The Sun)

TOT’S TREBLE

• Ipswich, Bristol Rovers, Northampton
• Best Odds: £10 pays £45.00 with enhanced odds at Coral (Get a £10 free bet)

TOT’S LONGSHOT

• Ipswich, Swansea, Newcastle, Bristol Rovers, Bradford
• Best Odds: £10 pays £260.00 with enhanced odds at Coral (Get a £10 free bet)

Stuart Lovell (The Scottish Sun)

BEST DOUBLE

• Ayr, Brechin
• Best Odds: £10 pays £40.50 at William Hill (Get a £25 free bet)

BEST TRIXIE

• Coventry, Millwall, Southampton
• Best Odds: £10 pays £102.00 at Skybet (Get a £10 free bet)

Andy Townsend (The Star)

STAR BETS

• 4* Arsenal
• 1* Hull 0 Arsenal 2
• 1* Diaby to score the first goal
• 1* Bendtner to score anytime
• 1* Under 2.5 goals
• 1* Hull not to score
• 3* Sunderland v Man City – Draw
• 1* Sunderland 1 Man City 1
• 1* Bent to score first goal
• 1* Bellamy to score anytime

Dale Tempest (The Star)

DALE’S DOUBLE

• Bolton v Wigan – Draw, Burnley v Wolves – Draw
• Best Odds: £10 pays £130.00 with enhanced odds at Skybet (Get a £10 free bet)

Mike Triffitt (the Star)

TRIFF’S TREBLE

• Barnsley, Brighton, Chesterfield
• Best Odds: £10 pays £100.00 with enhanced odds at Skybet (Get a £10 free bet)

Tony Cascarino (Racing Post)

TONY’S TIPS

• Everton
• Sunderland
• Sunderland v Man City – Over 2.5 goals
• Barnsley

Dan Childs (Racing Post)

DOUBLE

• Watford, Bradfrod

ACCA

• Ipswich, Coventry, Brighton, Huddersfield

FIRST GOALSCORER YANKEE

• K Nolan (Newcastle), S Jackson (Gillingham), G Murray (Brighton), R O’Donovan (Hartlepool)

OTHER ENGLISH RECOMMENDATIONS

• Ipswich
• Watford
• Brighton
• Exeter
• Port Vale

EUROPE

• Napoli
• Borussia Dortmund
• Athletic Bilbao

NON LEAGUE

• Salisbury
• Solihull – Draw no bet

Steve Davies (Racing Post)

SCOTTISH PICKS

• Queens Park
• Elgin v Livingston – Over 3.5 goals
• Peterhead
• Robbie Keane to score first

Kevin Pullein (Racing Post)

• Both halves to have same number of goals – Motherwell v Hearts

3pm Betting Boys (Daily Mirror)

THE ACCA

• Leicester, Oldham, Torquay, Barnet v Accrington – Draw

SIX HOMES

• Spurs, Coventry, Doncaster, Bristol Rovers, Millwall, Stockport

EURO ACCA

• Sporting Gijon, Lorient, Napoli, Nice

FOUR AWAYS

• Nottingham Forest, QPR, Rochdale, MK Dons

LONG SHOT

• Frank Lampard to score first and Chelsea to win 4-0 (45/1 Bet365)

SPECIAL BET

• Most Bendtner shot to be off target v Hull (1/1 Paddy Power)

GOALS GALORE (both team must score)

• Boro v Newcastle, Reading v Bristol City, Orient v Walsall, Chesterfield v Port Vale, Dagenham & Redbridge v Rotherham, Sunderland v Man City

Good luck with your bets today. Don’t forget to post your tips in the comments below.

Last week was a bit of a result for both Lawro and me. His virtual £10 bets would have posted a profit of £125.89, whilst mine returned a £91.14 win.

If you think you can beat Lawro and prove to be a top tipper leave your predictions in the comments below for a bit of fun.

To take part just leave your predictions in the comments below along with the odds for each one. Remember it’s a virtual £10 bet on the result and one on the correct score for each game and we’ll see who wins the most money this weekend.

Here’s mine and Lawro’s predictions for this weekend’s games (odds from Bet365);

Spurs v Blackburn

• Lawro’s Predictions: Spurs (4/9 Bet365), 2-0 (6/1 Ladbrokes)
• Selectabet’s Picks: Spurs (4/9 Bet365), 2-1 (15/2 Skybet)

Birmingham v Everton

• Lawro’s Predictions: Draw (23/10 Paddy Power), 1-1 (6/1 Skybet)
• Selectabet’s Picks: Everton (6/4 Blue Sq), 0-1 (7/1 Ladbrokes)

Bolton v Wigan

• Lawro’s Predictions: Bolton (23/20 betChronicle), 2-1 (17/2 Sportingbet)
• Selectabet’s Picks: Draw (12/5 Skybet), 2-2 (16/1 Sportingbet)

Burnley v Wolves

• Lawro’s Predictions: Burnley (7/5 betChronicle), 2-1 (9/1 betChronicle)
• Selectabet’s Picks: Draw (12/5 Skybet), 1-1 (13/2 Canbet)

Chelsea v West Ham

• Lawro’s Predictions: Chelsea (1/4 Expekt), 2-0 (11/2 Skybet)
• Selectabet’s Picks: Chelsea (1/4 Expekt), 3-1 (12/1 Betfair)

Stoke v Aston Villa

• Lawro’s Predictions: Draw (23/10 Coral), 1-1 (6/1 Canbet)
• Selectabet’s Picks: Stoke (12/5 Expekt), 2-0 (17/1 Expekt)

Hull v Arsenal

• Lawro’s Predictions: Arsenal (4/9 Paddy Power), 0-2 (7/1 betChronicle)
• Selectabet’s Picks: Arsenal (4/9 Paddy Power ), 1-2 (8/1 Ladbrokes)

Man Utd v Fulham

• Lawro’s Predictions: Man Utd (1/4 Coral), 2-0 (11/2 Betfred)
• Selectabet’s Picks: Man Utd (1/4 Coral), 3-0 (15/2 Canbet)

Sunderland v Man City

• Lawro’s Predictions: Draw (12/5 Skybet), 1-1 (13/2 Canbet)
• Selectabet’s Picks: Man City (5/4 VCBet), 0-2 (11/1 betChronicle)

Liverpool v Portsmouth

• Lawro’s Predictions: Liverpool (2/7 Paddy Power), 2-0 (11/2 Betfred )
• Selectabet’s Picks: Liverpool (2/7 Paddy Power), 1-0 (7/1 VCBet)

Good luck with your predictions for the weekend.

Here’s this week’s exclusive column from Mr Fixit in association with our friends over McBookie.com…

BOOKIES once paid out at 1000-1 on Arsenal to win the league unbeaten so maybe you can understand their reluctance to go big on Rangers.
The Ibrox men have a minimum of 14 games to play as they chase the SPL title, Co-op Cup and Scottish Cup.
And to remain unbeaten on three fronts McBookie.com make the Ibrox men 6-1.
It might seem a tad skinny but Rangers look capable of doing it, having carved out a 13-point lead at the top, reached the Co-op Cup Final and tomorrow facing Dundee United for a place in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

McBookie.com have priced up how many trophies the Ibrox men will win and offer SPL 1/100, Co-op 2/13, Scottish Cup 7/4, SPL/Co-op 1/6, CIS/Scottish Cup 2/1, SPL/Scottish Cup 7/4 and Treble 9/4.

Gers are 3/10 to beat Dundee United tomorrow and should do so although it’s likely to be close. The Arabs are 8/1.

Celtic’s only chance of a trophy is the Scottish Cup and that thought should drive them towards victory at Kilmarnock. That and the fact it was Killie who spoiled Robbie Keane’s debut with a win at Rugby Park last month. The Hoops are 2/5 with Killie 6/1.

Joining the Old Firm in the last four should be Hibs as they bid to end their more than 100-year wait for the trophy.John Hughes’ men face First Division Ross County at home and anything but a win will be a disaster. Hibs are 8-13 with County 8-1.

The final tie is an-all First Division affair between Dundee and Raith Rovers. First Division leaders Dundee are 1/2 to go through but promotion is their priority and I could see the Kirkcaldy men causing a surprise. They are 9/2.

Motherwell can keep up their late bid for third spot in the SPL by beating Hearts at home. Craig Brown’s on-form side are 11/10 with the Jambos 12/5.

St Johnstone (9/5) should win at relegation favourites Falkirk while Hamilton could draw with St Mirren.

Inverness looks best bets at 4/7 to see off Morton at home while Brechin are the same price to dump Arbroath.

Third Division leaders Livingston are 4/9 to stay on course for the Third Division title by winning at Elgin.

• Scottish treble: Motherwell, Inverness, Brechin

By signing up at McBookie.com via Selectabet you can claim 10% cashback on any losses you make on sports bets. How’s that for an insurance policy? Click here for more details.

Rudi Garcia’s side boast one of the strongest home records in European football and Rafa’s Reds may encounter the second tricky away match of the week, says Betfair’s Richard Aikman

Liverpool know that this tournament represents their only hope of silverware this season and coach Rafa Benitez, who has twice won this trophy, will throw everything at it in order to silence his growing legion of detractors. However, if the Reds think the trip to Lille will be any more straightforward than Monday’s disappointing trip to Wigan, which ended in 1-0 defeat, they’ve got another thing coming.

The French side are lying just four points behind leaders Bordeaux in Ligue 1 and have already shown their pedigree in Europe, overcoming Genoa 3-0, knocking six goals past Genk, firing eight goals past Slavia Prague and eliminating Fenerbahce in the last round.

Rudi Garcia’s side 3.05 are unbeaten at home in Europe this campaign, winning five of six matches and drawing the other against Valencia, and have lost just once in 16 European home matches, but Benitez, who openly criticised his side this week for that lack of attacking cohesion, will hope LOSC’s recent run of three matches without a win and just one clean sheet in 12 Championnat and Europa League matches, means his chastened charges can expose a soft underbelly.

The absence of Yossi Benayoun (ankle) will deprive the Reds of some much-needed attacking guile, but they do have Fernando Torres back now, in addition to defender Daniel Agger. Lille, meanwhile, are ruing the loss to injury of their star man Gervinho and right-back Mathieu Debuchy.

This match is so evenly balanced that the draw looks the most probably outcome at 3.35 but the best betting opportunity lies in the fact that it’s been 20 league and European matches since Lille failed to score (in-running punters might be interested to know that ten of Lille’s 17 Europa League goals this term have come between the 76th and 90th minute). Garcia’s men, as Ligue 1’s top goalscorers, will almost certainly find a way past Pepe Reina, while a rare attacking approach from Liverpool may well produce a goal flurry at the Lille Métropole.

Best Bets: Back over 2.5 goals @ 2.32; Back both teams to score @ 1.72

Juve are not at their strongest and the Cottagers could get a result from the biggest game in their European history, Betfair’s Richard Aikman tells you why

In a contest between two wily old coaches entertainment goals are likely to be at a premium when Juventus and Fulham clash at the Stadio Olimpico.

Having had the misfortune to witness at first hand one of the most uneventful matches in European football in Turin last week, there is little to convince this writer that Fulham’s trip to northern Italy will be much different to that goalless draw between Juve and Ajax.

Bianconeri coach Alberto Zaccheroni and opposite number Roy Hodgson know each other well from the latter’s Serie A days and age has not dimmed either elder statesman’s pragmatic approach. Although Juventus reacted well to their 2-0 home loss to Palermo by beating Fiorentina 2-1 at the weekend, the Viola had half an eye on their Champions League match with Bayern Munich, and were unfortunate to emerge pointless from that match.

Juve 1.59, who have won just once in six home European matches, are missing key personnel in attack with Amauri, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Mauro Camoranesi out injured. On the plus side Diego is in form at last, as is Felipe Melo, but the Brazilian enforcer is suspended, while Giorgio Chiellini and Gianluigi Buffon – Juve’s most consistent performers this campaign – are also out injured.

These problems would normally be music to the ears of the side who knocked out holders Shakthar Donestk, were they not without the creativity of Danny Murphy (suspended) and Clint Dempsey (injured); the drab 0-0 FA Cup draw with Tottenham on Sunday particularly showed how much they miss the former Liverpool midfielder.

Fulham’s best chance to sneak a very attractively priced away win 7.0 is likely to come from set-pieces as goalkeeper Alex Manninger is still prone to fumbling crosses and the likes of Brad Hangeland could take advantage of the brittle Bianconeri rearguard, (a 1-0 away win might be worth an 18.5 punt) but a low-scoring draw looks the most likely outcome.

• Best Bets: Back the draw @ 4.3; Back under 1.5 goals @ 3.5

AC Milan have a mountain to climb in the second leg after their 2-3 reversal at the San Siro and despite the fact that Leonardo’s side are likely to crash out at this stage, they are over-priced to win on the night, says Betfair’s Dave Farrar.

We’re left with an interesting conundrum ahead of Manchester United’s attempt to seal their quarter final place against Milan. By far and away the likeliest outcome on Wednesday evening is that United will end up qualifying, but they are unbackable to do so at1.09, so we have to ask ourselves where the value may lie.

Milan’s second goal at the San Siro made a big difference to this game. If the task facing Leonardo’s side had been a three goal win, then you’d have felt that the Rossoneri would have pretty much given up the ghost, but now they know that a 2-0 scoreline would take them through, Milan’s very experienced squad can see light at the end of the tunnel. Win 2-0, and they are through, and remember that they know a thing or two about Champions League turnarounds, having been on the wrong end of one a few seasons ago against Deportivo La Coruna.

Milan won’t be at all phased by Old Trafford. They have already won in the Bernabeu this year, and on Saturday night they tried to squeeze the life out of Roma and hit them on the break. They accomplished the first part, but not quite the second, and that will be their gameplan again on Wednesday. I thought that over 2.5 goals were overpriced for the first leg, but given the fact that United don’t have to win, and that Milan will not want an open game, I think that 1.96 is about right for this second leg, and I’m far more interested in the Match Odds market.

United are a good football side, but not a great one, and they have thrown in some shocking performances this season. If they aren’t at their best on Wednesday, then they could be caught cold, particularly given that Marco Borriello will be back to lead the line for Milan. They’re a far better team with him in it, and he is likely to take any chance that comes his way. The benefit we have from backing Milan to win the game, but not necessarily to qualify, is that, if they are leading by a goal late on, United won’t have to score to make it through. And I like the idea of sitting on a Match Odds bet, albeit one which requires a leap of faith, which is based on at outcome with which both teams will be happy. I think that United will be tentative, that Milan are good enough to expose that, and that the Rossoneri have every chance of winning the game at a decent price, without necessarily going through.

BEST BET:

• MILAN to beat MANCHESTER UNITED @ 5.3
• MARCO BORRIELLO to Score at any time @ 4.0

Real Madrid v Lyon

Many were surprised by Real’s demise at the hands of Lyon in the first leg and the French outfit know that an away goal at the Bernabeu would really set the cat amongst the pigeons. Betfair’s Dave Farrar talks us through what might happen on the night.

Given Real Madrid’s frightening form at the Santiago Bernabeu, it’s awfully tempting to take the 1.6 about them qualifying against Lyon. Lyon thoroughly deserved their 1-0 first leg win, but it was interesting to see them going all out for a second goal.

Claude Puel and his team know that you need a significant advantage to hold on to if you’re heading for a Wednesday night date at one of Europe’s most imposing stadia. The problem with backing Real to go through is that a Lyon goal in Madrid throws the tie hugely in the French side’s favour, and even though Real have won 13 out of 13 in La Liga here, they haven’t always done so by the margin they’ll need on Wednesday.

They’ve conceded in five of those wins, and both Deportivo and Sevilla (on Saturday night) were beaten 3-2, a scoreline that would take Lyon through. If Real do go all out from the first whistle, then they had better be careful. And Lyon are on a good run themselves.

Written off for the title at the turn of the year, they have remained unbeaten since, and have conceded only four goals in all competitions since the start of January. If anyone can keep Real quiet, it will be Puel’s well drilled Lyon. I don’t think that Puel will play for a 0-0. He’s too aware of the significance of an away goal, and what he needs to do is strike a balance between trying to grab something at the other end, while making sure that his team isn’t left overexposed. I think that this is a game largely for trading.

Over 2.5 goals are currently at 1.65, but Real can take a while to get going and tend to overwhelm teams in the second half of matches. I’ll be trying to back the overs at near the 2.0 mark, and am confident that I will have a chance to at least trade a position.

Given the significance of an away goal, I’ll also be backing Lyon to qualify should Real take the lead, as I expect them to. You always see massive overreactions in Champions League markets on nights like this, and the French team’s price will almost certainly be too big if Real score. So those are the two angles that I’ll be looking to exploit, but I appreciate that the job of this column is to tip something from the go. So I’ll tentatively suggest that Lyon may be able to keep things quiet until half time, and that they’re certainly overpriced to do so, and also that the Frenchmen can stay within range of Real and possibly do enough to put the Spanish giants out.

• BEST BET: 0-0 HALF TIME CORRECT SCORE @ 4.0
• RECOMMENDATION: LYON + 1.5 Goals (Asian Handicap) @ 2.1

Also, pay us a visit at the Selectabet.net Forum where you can join in the betting chat on more than just football. It’s completely free to sign up and there’s free bets available for those of you who post the first 100 comments.

HOMES

• Arsenal, West Brom, Crystal Palace, QPR, Notts County, Cowdenbeath
• Best Odds: £10 pays £156.20 at Blue Sq (Get a £50 free bet)

AWAYS

• Bolton, Swansea, Motherwell, Alloa, Clyde
• Best Odds: £10 pays  £1,893.90 at Bet365 (Get £200 in free bets)

DRAWS

• Preston v Doncaster, Tranmere v Leeds, Oldham v Orient, Stenhousemuir v Peterhead
• Best Odds: £10 pays £1,414.90 at Skybet (Get a £10 in free bet)

SUPER SINGLE

• Clyde
• Best Odds: £10 £37.50 at Ladbrokes (Get a £10 free bet)

BONKERS BET

• Kilmarnock 1 Rangers 2
• Best Odds: £10 pays £100 at Betfair (Get a £25 free bet)