xtremer11
10-04-2007, 02:25 PM
Fiorentina vs FC Groningen (First Leg 1-1)
Fiorentina should be confident of seeing off Dutch-outfit FC Groningen. A fortnight ago Franco Semioli scored a second-half equaliser to earn La Viola a 1-1 draw in an entertaining match at rain-swept Euroborg.
This is the first time in their history that Fiorentina have played against Dutch opposition in a European knockout tie. Groningen only finished eight in the Eredivisie last season but qualified for the UEFA Cup through the controversial play-off system in Holland.
Their most famous past players are undoubtedly the Koeman brothers, Erwin and Ronald, who starred for the club in the early 1980s. Real Madrid winger Arjen Robben also started his career at Groningen.
This will be the second occasion that Groningen have faced Italian opposition. In the 1982/83 UEFA Cup the Dutch club met Inter and won 2-0 in the home leg at Euroborg. However they were convincingly trounced 5-1 at San Siro by a team boasting the likes of Giuseppe Bergomi and Alessandro Altobelli.
Past encounters between Italian and Dutch squads in Europe are slightly favourable to the former and out of 87 meetings; Italian teams have won 36, the Dutch 29, with 22 ending in draws.
Although Viola won't fill their best palyers (keeping an eye on the Serie A), they have sufficient debth and they should be able to beat Groningen. Holland teams are well known with their weak defence and playing against a well organised Fiorentina side, which has a good result from the first leg, i can see them loosing with diference.
Pick: Home win -1,5AH , Over 2,5 goals
Blackburn Rovers-Larissa
(first leg 0-2)
Blackburn must overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Larissa, and try to do so without captain Ryan Nelsen, who has a pulled hamstring.
Jason Roberts is also out with a thigh injury, but Benni McCarthy, left out against Sunderland at the weekend, is due to be recalled.
Since beating Rovers, Greek Cup winners Larissa have not won either of their last two matches.
Blackburn (from): Friedel, Enckelman, Emerton, Samba, Ooijer, Warnock, Bentley, Dunn, Savage, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, McCarthy, Derbyshire, Tugay, Mokoena, Rigters, Khizanishvili, Brown.
Blackburn need 2 clean goals and they should be able to get them if they score an early goal. They have the players , in the likes of Pedersen and Bentley, who will break the defencive wall that Larissa will make.
Pick: Home win, Blackburn to qualify
BATE v Villarreal (first leg 1-4)
Villarreal also look comfortable having carved themselves a healthy lead in the first game in El Madrigal last month, but like Atlético have been talking about maintaining their winning streak in order to retain confidence for the league game at the weekend against Osasuna. Nihat scored twice in the opening match against BATE, while Marcos Senna and Jon Dahl Tomasson added one each to leave the Yellow Submarine in a commanding position.
Having ended last term with eight consecutive victories, which saw them qualify for the UEFA Cup via the league, Manolo Pellegrini's side have only allowed themselves one slip up this season. The five-goal defeat by Madrid has proven to be a one-off as Villarreal have won all six of their other matches. The win over BATE was followed by home victories against Real Murcia and Athletic Bilbao and an away victory at Racing Santander.
The Belrusian outfit have not been doing too badly on the domestic front either as they top the Vysshaya Liga by 11 points from their nearest rivals, Shakhtyor, and have a game in hand. Since they lost at Villarreal, Ihar Kryushnko's team have won at home against Gomel and then been held to a draw at Naftan. Despite being so dominant in their own league, it will still take something big for them to overhaul their visitors in Europe.
Pellegrini is preparing to rotate his squad for the trip to Minsk, where the game is being played, and will give the quarter of Diego López, Diego GodÃ*n, Rio Mavuba and Bruno Soriano a rare run out. Diego López will start in goal, while GodÃ*n is set to partner Fuentes in the centre of the defence with Mavuba and Bruno in the centre of the park. Cani and MatÃ*as Fernández will also be given starts, having only been given bit-part roles so far this term.
Villareal are just too strong for BATE. Although the yellow submarine will rest some key players, the reserves will want to shine in this game. Maybe a narrow Villareal win, but i'm quite sure they will get it
Pick: Away win, Over 2,5 goals
Fiorentina should be confident of seeing off Dutch-outfit FC Groningen. A fortnight ago Franco Semioli scored a second-half equaliser to earn La Viola a 1-1 draw in an entertaining match at rain-swept Euroborg.
This is the first time in their history that Fiorentina have played against Dutch opposition in a European knockout tie. Groningen only finished eight in the Eredivisie last season but qualified for the UEFA Cup through the controversial play-off system in Holland.
Their most famous past players are undoubtedly the Koeman brothers, Erwin and Ronald, who starred for the club in the early 1980s. Real Madrid winger Arjen Robben also started his career at Groningen.
This will be the second occasion that Groningen have faced Italian opposition. In the 1982/83 UEFA Cup the Dutch club met Inter and won 2-0 in the home leg at Euroborg. However they were convincingly trounced 5-1 at San Siro by a team boasting the likes of Giuseppe Bergomi and Alessandro Altobelli.
Past encounters between Italian and Dutch squads in Europe are slightly favourable to the former and out of 87 meetings; Italian teams have won 36, the Dutch 29, with 22 ending in draws.
Although Viola won't fill their best palyers (keeping an eye on the Serie A), they have sufficient debth and they should be able to beat Groningen. Holland teams are well known with their weak defence and playing against a well organised Fiorentina side, which has a good result from the first leg, i can see them loosing with diference.
Pick: Home win -1,5AH , Over 2,5 goals
Blackburn Rovers-Larissa
(first leg 0-2)
Blackburn must overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Larissa, and try to do so without captain Ryan Nelsen, who has a pulled hamstring.
Jason Roberts is also out with a thigh injury, but Benni McCarthy, left out against Sunderland at the weekend, is due to be recalled.
Since beating Rovers, Greek Cup winners Larissa have not won either of their last two matches.
Blackburn (from): Friedel, Enckelman, Emerton, Samba, Ooijer, Warnock, Bentley, Dunn, Savage, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, McCarthy, Derbyshire, Tugay, Mokoena, Rigters, Khizanishvili, Brown.
Blackburn need 2 clean goals and they should be able to get them if they score an early goal. They have the players , in the likes of Pedersen and Bentley, who will break the defencive wall that Larissa will make.
Pick: Home win, Blackburn to qualify
BATE v Villarreal (first leg 1-4)
Villarreal also look comfortable having carved themselves a healthy lead in the first game in El Madrigal last month, but like Atlético have been talking about maintaining their winning streak in order to retain confidence for the league game at the weekend against Osasuna. Nihat scored twice in the opening match against BATE, while Marcos Senna and Jon Dahl Tomasson added one each to leave the Yellow Submarine in a commanding position.
Having ended last term with eight consecutive victories, which saw them qualify for the UEFA Cup via the league, Manolo Pellegrini's side have only allowed themselves one slip up this season. The five-goal defeat by Madrid has proven to be a one-off as Villarreal have won all six of their other matches. The win over BATE was followed by home victories against Real Murcia and Athletic Bilbao and an away victory at Racing Santander.
The Belrusian outfit have not been doing too badly on the domestic front either as they top the Vysshaya Liga by 11 points from their nearest rivals, Shakhtyor, and have a game in hand. Since they lost at Villarreal, Ihar Kryushnko's team have won at home against Gomel and then been held to a draw at Naftan. Despite being so dominant in their own league, it will still take something big for them to overhaul their visitors in Europe.
Pellegrini is preparing to rotate his squad for the trip to Minsk, where the game is being played, and will give the quarter of Diego López, Diego GodÃ*n, Rio Mavuba and Bruno Soriano a rare run out. Diego López will start in goal, while GodÃ*n is set to partner Fuentes in the centre of the defence with Mavuba and Bruno in the centre of the park. Cani and MatÃ*as Fernández will also be given starts, having only been given bit-part roles so far this term.
Villareal are just too strong for BATE. Although the yellow submarine will rest some key players, the reserves will want to shine in this game. Maybe a narrow Villareal win, but i'm quite sure they will get it
Pick: Away win, Over 2,5 goals