The Premiership

Arsenal   -   Wigan            1.17   -   21.00
So Steve Bruce is to be the new Wigan manager. Is he longing back to the Championship? He has been promised a battle fund of ￡15 million and he needs every penny as the present Wigan squad is not strong enough for the Premiership, with or without E Heskey. Incidentally, Hesky could be back for this match.

Arsenal will be without van Persie and as many as five midfielders.  Fabregas, Flamini, A Hleb, Diaby and Gilberto are all out of tomorrows' game. Defender Senderos will be back.The remaining midfielders are Rosicky, Denilson, Eboue, maybe Walcott and Diarra. That could be a worry, but remember that Arsenal are only facing Wigan. However it is out of the question to take this 1.17 on the home win. All the absentees require a better price, no doubt about that.

Birmingham   -   Portsmouth         3.30   -   2.40
As many as six Portsmouth players have been playing international games this last week. Utaka and Kanu were also supposed to play for Nigeria, but were ruled out with injuries. Sol Campbell and Kranjcar we saw in the England -Croatia encounter. Bouba Diop will be back to play. Expect Utaka and probably also Kanu to recover in time for this match.

Several well known managers have been contacted by the Birmingham board as a replacement for Bruce but for this match they will be coached by E Black, the Brums number 2. He will have the same group of players available as Bruce had two weeks ago, when Birmingham suffered an unlucky 1-2 derby loss against A Villa. Weighing up the pro and cons, I will opt for the draw. (3.30)

Bolton   -   Manchester Utd        8.50   -   1.50
United will be without Rooney, Scholes and G Neville and it is quite possible that C Tevez will be left out of this match due to fatigue (jet legged). If so, United  will only have one striker for this match, L Saha. Vidic will not leave for the Serbian international. Surely this match will be tougher for United than the bookmakers indicate. As I have pointed out more than once this season, the round after the international break is never easy for the major clubs.

Both the Bolton aces Anelka and Hadji-Diouf return for this game and offensively Bolton can have no complaints. The Bolton players will work like mad men. There is no pressure this time and I would recommend a bet on Bolton. To ask an outright win is maybe asking too much, but take a look at the Asian market. Home win! (8.50)

Derby   -   Chelsea       14.00   -   1.30
School boy standard defending from Derby two weeks ago at home to W Ham (0-5). Their coach got it all wrong and for once I blame the boss for the heavy defeat. He used some kind of man marking that did not work at all.

I don’t expect Chelsea to offer a strong performance this weekend but they have enough quality in their side to see off this poor Derby side.  Malouda and P Cech are major injury doubts, Carvalho and Ferreira are out for sure, but Ashley Cole  is ready for his come back. J Terry will have to wait till next week. Personally I would not dream of backing this 1.30.

Everton   -   Sunderland        1.62   -   6.50
Andy Johnson returns and Everton have all five strikers available again. Arteta is fit again, A Stubbs as well and Everton come with their strongest squad.

Sunderland have lost their strong defender Nosworthy to an injury but his colleague G Halford will be back. Veteran striker A Cole could be involved and D Whitehead will be ready as well. They both featured in a midweek friendly. Lousy price on the home win (1.62). Sunderland are no pushovers.

Manchester City   -   Reading       1.62   -   6.80
City are 7-0-0 at home and Reading are 0-1-5 away from home, which doesn’t exactly inspire a bet on Reading. The only Reading point was from their season opener at Old Trafford (0-0). Elano, M Petrov, Corluka and M Richards, all important City players, have been away on international duties, while R Dunne sat out the Eire fixture vs. Wales. He suffered an injury but he will back tomorrow.

Reading look alright, only missing their winger G Little and M Duberry. Home win I guess (1.62), but I have no intention of backing City.

Middlesbrough   -   Aston Villa       2.85   -   2.70
Boro probably needed the break and this weekend their key defender J Woodgate will be back. J Arca, Rochemback and Mido are all struggling but hopefully one or two of them will make it.

Villa have no injuries to report but several of their best players have been playing midweek internationals. The odds say it all, an evenly matched affair is expected, but I prefer the home win (2.85).

Newcastle   -   Liverpool         3.75   -   2.10
The home side will be without M Owen and a multitude of defenders are on the injury list (S Taylor, Faye, Cacapa and S Carr). Both S Given and N Butt are available again while M Viduka and O Martins will play upfront.

The Liverpool midfielder Benayoun is out injured and it could be that many of their big stars suffer fatigue after their midweek exploits. They will have two fresh players however as both F Torres and H Kewell will be ready for this game. The Danish defender D Agger is fit to play again. In a few days Liverpool play their must win game with Porto and this trip to St James comes at an awkward moment. I can’t see Liverpool getting more than a point from this match. OK, the draw (3.35).

Fulham   -   Blackburn         3.00   -   2.60
You often get very interesting, high scoring games between these two sides, but maybe not this time. That is not the way that the present Fulham side play their football, nor Blackburn either. Two previously suspended defenders will be back for Fulham,  P Konchesky and Omozusi.

It could be that Robbie Savage will return for Blackburn, maybe Derbyshire as well, but S Reid will not make this game. I prefer the away win (2.60).

West Ham   -   Tottenham        2.85   -   2.60
I felt that there was every reason to oppose West Ham two weeks ago away to Derby, but the Hammers embarrassed me by outclassing Derby 5-0.  I could not possibly imagine that Derby would offer such a lame display. L Bowyer actually looked like a real class act, moving freely in and out of the Derby defence. Unfortunately he is suspended for this game but both S Parker and D Ashton will be available again.

Tottenham remain undefeated since J Ramos took charge and I have a feeling that they will remain unbeaten for a while. Jol was a bit unlucky as Spurs played more or less against all the best Premiership sides at the start of the season and they have a few easier fixtures now. Both the Frenchmen Kaboul and Malbranque are major injury doubts. I am far from certain, but I prefer the away win (2.60).

Serie A

Genoa   -   Parma           4.70  -   1.91
I was convinced that Totti should be back for Roma, but he will not be involved. No Aquilani either and Taddei is considered an injury doubt. Expect Vucinic to fill in for Totti again.

A fully fit Genoa squad and they will use Leon, Borriello and Sculli as strikers, their favourite trio.I like this Genoa side and with Leon in their starting line up anything might happen. Still, Roma are so effective against optimistic home sides. Their swift counter attacks are lethal. Away win (1.91).

Inter   -   Atalanta           1.30   -   13.00
Materazzi will at last be back in the Inter squad but definitely out are Figo, Stankovic, Toldo, Cesar and Vieira. Atalanta are likely to field the same starting eleven in this match as they intended against Milan two weeks ago, so no Zampagna or De Ascentis this weekend either.

Doni will play just behind their lone striker Floccari, with S Inzaghi on the bench. Atalanta have so far only lost one league game and the 1.30  on the home win is not the greatest price that I have seen lately.

Cagliari   -   Milan          6.60   -   1.67
A new coach at Sardinia, Sonetti the old Cagliari favourite, is back in the saddle. His intention is to use Foggia in the hole behind the two strikers Aquafresca and Matri. Sounds like a very sound move. Missing for the home side are D'Agostino and Marchini, but D Lopez is fit again.

Milan will be without Jankoulowski and Emerson. One or two of their players have of course been involved in mid week internationals. Kaka, for instance played for Brazil late on  Wednesday night. Ronaldo from the start is a possibility. Milan are 3-1-1 away from home and 15-4 is the goals tally. I can’t help it, I just cannot use this 1.67. Quite impossible odds and this is a no bet game, or something on Cagliari.

Empoli   -   Torino          2.38   -   3.45
It is tight at the bottom but at the moment Empoli are the definite bottom side in Serie A. They will have Marchisio, Giacomazzi and Busce available for this match but Vanigli, Balli and Adani are all missing.

Recoba is fit to play for Torino again along with Barone but now Di Michele is out of action. I am waiting for both Recoba and Di Michele to both be in the Torino starting line up. It is bound to happen, but I am beginning to doubt it. Torino have drawn four of their six away matches. Why not another draw! (3.00)

Juventus   -   Palermo         1.70  -   6.60
Molinaro and Nedved are back for Juventus with only Chiellini and Andrade missing this match.

Palermo are the team that drives you crazy. They played with a severely weakened team two weeks ago at home to Napoli, but they won the match deservedly, 2-1. Most of their players, including Amauri and Migliaccio will be back for this match, but Miccoli  is out and Capuano is a doubtful starter. Palermo will field a 3-5-2 formation with Amauri and Brienza up front. Palermo are hard to beat and I cannot recommend any one to back this 1.70 on the home win. Away win then? Not my choice.

Lazio    -   Parma          1.90   -    5.50
Several players return for the home side, such as Pandev, Mauri and Siviglia. Unfortunately both Mutarelli and Mudingayi are suspended with Zauri, Behrami, Del Nero, Diakite and Cribari on the injury list. Rocchi and Pandev will play upfront, backed up by Meghni. Mauri will be on the bench. Parma will be without the suspended duo, Coly and Morfeo.

It has not been easy for Lazio in Serie A this season. They are 2-4-5 after eleven rounds of league football and that is not good enough for the Champions League participants. Next week it is time for a Champions League game again and there is no guarantee that Lazio will be fully focused on this meeting with Parma. Still, the value is on the home win (1.90).

Livorno   -   Sampdoria      2.85   -   2.85
A new coach comes along and Livorno wake up from their slumbers. Two away wins on the spin and 6 goals scored. I never saw it coming, I have to confess. The only absentees this weekend are A Filippini and Vidigal.

Montella will not be back for Sampdoria and he is joined by Cassano, Delvecchio and Palombo on the Sampdoria injury list. Sampdoria have won their two last games (both 3-0 wins) after a poor spell. Two positive sides on Sunday in other words but Livorno have yet to win a home game. The outcome? Score draw of course (2.90).

Napoli   -    Catania         1.80   -   6.00
Blasi returns for Napoli and they will be at full strength on Sunday. I was slightly disappointed by their effort against a weakened Palermo side a fortnight ago but perhaps they function better as underdogs.

Catania will be without the suspended Vargas and Terlizzi plus the injured Sardo but they hope to include Martinez, Stovini and Edusei for this match. Catania are 0-5-1 away from home and that suggests the home win I guess! (1.80).

Reggina   -   Fiorentina        4.33   -   2.10
New Reggina coach and they have picked up 4 points from their last two games with Ulivieri in charge. They are nevertheless bound to struggle with a limited squad, but then again, there are plenty of limited squads in Serie A. Reggina will probably be without Cozza again.

Fiorentina are plagued by injuries. Their star Mutu is on the sidelines, as well as Liverani, Gamberini and Santana. Montolivo is an injury doubt, but Kuzmanovic will be back to play. Pasqual is out, suspended. Osvaldo will replace Mutu, with Vieri on the bench. Maybe Reggina will not lose this match. 1X then!

Udinese  -   Siena        1.60   -   7.00
Strong season so far for Udinese, in fact they are only 3 points behind the leaders Inter. Only Zapata and Mesto are out of this fixture. Vergassola will be back for Siena who have only enjoyed One win so far (1-6-5). Could be that everything points to the home win but I cannot back Udinese as mega foavourites. No bet then!

The Championship

Sheffield Utd   -   Plymouth       1.91   -   4.50
I am supporting the home win (4.50). There was some devastating news for Plymouth and their supporters this week when it was announced that their manager  will leave for Championship rivals Leicester. Holloway has worked wonders with Plymouth and he is close to irreplaceable for the club. For this match the manager less Plymouth will be without the suspended defender Timar.

S United are 3-3-0 in their last six league games, with wins in their last 2 and they should soon be able to enter the play off zone.  Rob Hulse played for the S United reserves in midweek and with him fit again the club has seven strikers at their disposal. L Hendrie could be back. Home win for S United (1.91).

Q P R   -   Sheffield Wednesday         2.40   -   3.10
I cannot resist the odds on the home win (2.40). Signs of better football by QPR since their Italian boss De Canio took charge of the club. They try to keep the ball on the ground, using some neat passes and that is a rarity in the Championship. The young Chelsea talent S Sinclair scored his first goal for the club against C Palace two weeks ago. QPR have signed the Derby midfielder B Malcolm on loan and he joins their squad immediately. D Blackstock and P Kanyuka played in a reserve match this week and they could be ready this week end. Blackstock fit at last and  that is great news.

With 3-1-0 in their last 4 games, maybe the break came at the very wrong time for Sheffield. Their midfielder G Whelan will probably miss this match. I am backing QPR, despite the good S W form. Home win! (2.40).

Bristol City   -   Leicester        2.00   -   3.85
Will Bristol City bounce back after their 0-6 loss against Ipswich? Not necessarily and I am prepared to back Leicester.(3.85). Bristol City have over achieved this far and I cannot imagine that they will remain in the play off zone for much longer. Both their full backs B Orr and  M McAllister are suspended this weekend but L Carey will hopefully be fit to play,

First game for new Leicester boss Holloway. He will be without their striker C Cort but both A Sheehan and S Clemence will be available for this match. The ex - Fulham striker Collins John will play up front instead of C Cort.  Backing Leicester. (3.85)

La Liga

R Zaragoza   -   Getafe             2.00   -   4.50
I am almost devoid of ideas in La Liga this time but I will take a punt with the away win for Getafe (4.50). Getafe have won their last three league games, all by  2-0, vs. A Bilbao, Osasuna and Barcelona. I have been involved in their recent upsurge and Getafe are definitely one of my lucky sides this season. There have been some doubts concerning their keeper Abbondanzieri, Uche and D Cortes, but they have all been cleared to play.

It is not working for Zaragoza this season, but they are still a good side at La Romareda, but it is not a fortress any more, as they lost their last home game vs Valladolid, 2-3. Their defensive line is shaky to say the least. Valladolid scored their 3 goals during a very short spell. This weekend they will be without three defenders, Diogo, Chus Herrero and Pavon. The first two played from the start in their last league game (loss to Betis, 1-2). Luccin is out suspended, and we will not see Matuzalem, Generelo or S Fernandez either. Surely Getafe are in with a decent chance this time. (4.50)

Sevilla welcome back F Kanoute from injury. Dragutinovic also returns but his defensive colleague D Alves is out, suspended. Luis Fabiano, the Brazilian striker, could be rested for this, their home game with Mallorca. Moya and Dorado will be missing for Mallorca and it is distinctly possible that the Venezulean forward Arango will be rested with Tuni filling in. Likely home win for Sevilla, but questionable odds. (1.65) Could be that we will see some 3-5 goals in this match.

I had some ideas concerning the Murcia - Real Madrid fixture but I will probably leave it be. Murcia will change their team in 5 positions, including new a new strike force. Baiano and Inigo from the start instead of I Alonso and Goitom. Richi and Abel on the midfield and De Coz instead of the suspended Mejia in defence.

The Dutch duo Van Nistelrooy and Robben will be available for Real Madrid again. Robinho, the best Real player this season, played for Brazil the other day and maybe he will sit this one out. How motivated will Real be on Sunday? Same old question after the international break. The odds on the Murcia - Real Madrid game is  6.70 -  1.60. OK, something on Murcia then!

French League

Nancy   -   Lille           2.00   -   4.25
Lyon's main challengers for the title, Nancy, have one injury doubt ahead of this game. Their defender Biancalani risks missing the match.  Another defender, Sauget, should be available again. At home Nancy are 6-1-0.

Lille miss three players who all played in their last fixture. Cabaye, Plestan and Franquart will not be available tomorrow, Taravel and Maric are also out and Makoun and Kluivert look like they will be missing again. Rami will make a return. It will be tough for Lille tomorrow and I am happy with 2.00 on the home win.

St Etienne   -   Sochaux         2.00   -   4.50
I will support the home side (2.00). St Etienne can generally be trusted at their own place. They are 4-2-0 in their home fixtures. Tomorrow they welcome back their previously injured strikers, Ilan and Gomis, and they should be able to help St Etienne to their 5th home win. One absentee however is their defender Varrault.

For Sochaux, Grax is playing again but another striker, Erding is out suspended. Dagano will probably come in for Erding. Josse remains sidelined. St Etienne then! (2.00)