HOFFENHEIM vs COTTBUS (GERMAN BUNDESLIGA)

hoffenheim will be looking to take advantage of bayern's slip last night, and could not have asked for a better fixture. cottbus at home. usually, cottbus will be easy meat, but hoffenheim will be missing their key players tonight. vedad ibisevic is out for the rest of the season, while carlos eduardo is injured. this will greatly handicap their offence, and with their defence not being their strongest point, i fancy cottbus on the handicap here.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on cottbus +1 @ 2.15 = $10.75

STOKE CITY vs MANCHESTER CITY (EPL)

frankly, this is a very tough match to call. the gulf in quality here is huge, but stoke seems very strong at home, while manchester city are poor away. however, that, i feel was the man city of old, and i do believe the new man city should be better than that, with the signings of de jong, bridge, and belamy. i believe that the pace of robinho and bellamy will tear stoke apart, but with comical defending at the back, man city could also let stoke back in. as such, i am not too confident of a win for city. i do, however, believe they will score first.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on manchester city to score first @ 1.80 = $9.00

NEWCASTLE vs SUNDERLAND (EPL)

Joey Barton and Owen are injured, bringing their injury list to a grand total of 12 players. Martins, Ameobi, Viduka and Owen out means Carroll and Xisco upfront, both who haven't shown that they are EPL quality. NZogbia, Guthrie and Joey Barton out means that they have to play Kevin Nolan and Nicky Butt in the centre of midfield, a 1) not too mobile and 2) not too creative pairing. I don't see how Newcastle are going to get goals in this match and I think Sunderland's confident run will get them at least a draw out of this match.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Sunderland level ball @ 2.06 = $10.30

i disagree. i feel that newcastle's signing of kevin nolan is a fantastic one, as he has all the battling qualities needed to keep them up this season. they haven't won for quite a while, and surely, at home, against sunderland, they should be good enough to at least draw this.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Newcastle level ball @ 1.84 = $9.20

FULHAM vs PORTSMOUTH (EPL)

1) Fulham are strong at home. Brede Hangeland is a giant and will be able to deal with Peter Crouch.
2) Portsmouth have key players like Kranjcar out injured and Belhadj out suspended, and they will be missing the creativity of these 2 down the left flank.
1+2=3) Fulham will win at home against a Pompey side that haven't been convincing with Tony Adams taking charge of a sinking ship ever since Harry Redknapp left.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Fulham -0.5 @ 2.04 = $10.20

BOLTON vs TOTTENHAM (EPL)

Spurs come into this match on the back of a morale boosting 3-1 thumping of Stoke, where they showed the class that everyone thought they would have at the start of this season. Luka Modric has been getting better and seems to be more comfortable with the EPL after his bad start to the campaign, which was worsened by an injury. New signing Palacios will start and add grit and determination to the midfield, which Spurs have sorely lacked when away from home, and the partnership of Defoe Pavlyuchenko should be able to trouble Bolton's defence. Bolton have lost Kevin Nolan and he is a key man for them, so I don't see them winning this match.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Spurs level ball @ 1.87 = $9.35

tottenham have a great chance to post back-to-back wins, which hasn't happened for as long as i can remember. this is a bolton side which will be low on confidence after giving up a two-goal lead to blackburn, of all teams. i think the gulf in quality will tell in this game, and i firmly believe that tottenham can push bolton all the way.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on spurs level ball @ 1.87 = $9.35

Roland's prediction: $5 on Spurs level ball @ 1.87 = $9.35

WEST HAM vs HULL CITY (EPL)

west ham have been in fine form of late, but now with bellamy gone, i don't see them packing enough punch to hold their current good position in the table. hull city have been on a run that is too bad, even for their shitty standards. now that they have strengthened, i think they have a good chance of getting a result at upton park. kevin kilbane and jimmy bullard will add bite and energy to their midfield, while upfront, daniel cousin and manucho look like they could forge a useful partnership.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on hull city +0.5/1 @ 1.89 = $9.45

SINGAPORE vs JORDAN (ASIAN CUP QUALIFIERS)

singapore were whacked 6-0 by iran last time out, but only after we were reduced to ten men. the thing about singapore is, we are very good at holding other teams, and i do believe that at home, we can be counted upon to at least not concede. and if we can do that, then level ball looks a good bet as we might just sneak a goal. singapore will want to show the fans that they are worth supporting, and this is a must-win game.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on singapore level @ 2.15 = $10.75

MALAGA vs ATLETICO MADRID (SPANISH LA LIGA)

atletico have not won their last 3, while malaga are unbeaten in 8 of their last 9. surely there's something wrong with the stats you see above, and i think atletico will look to put it right, by picking up an away win at malaga.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on atletico level @ 1.775 = $8.875

BOLOGNA vs AC MILAN (ITALIAN SERIE A)

ac milan have been poor away from home, while bologna have hit some form in recent games, and have gone unbeaten in the last 9. i don't think there's a better time to back ac milan to break the unbeaten run by bologna, and i think they might even win by more than one. beckham's arrival means that the milan midfield, while old, now has some bodies willing to put in the hard work, which is crucial in away matches.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on milan -0.5/1 @ 1.92 = $9.60

AZ ALKMAAR vs DE GRAAFSCHAP (DUTCH EREDIVISIE)

az alkmaar are tops in the eredivisie, and deservedly so. they play a fluid attacking game and it has gotten them the results this season. they have won their last 7 though, and i think they are due a bad result. de graafschap should no longer be considered whipping boys, as they have secured the signing of ben sahar on loan, and he has shown in recent friendlies that he is looking sharp and will add some potency up front. i think they will nick a goal, and that means the handicap for them is worth taking.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on de graafschap +2 @ 1.85 = $9.25