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Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain

Marco Verratti has claimed Diego Costa “uses warfare to win games” ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League trip to Chelsea.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has warned his team-mates to be on their guard for Diego Costa’s “warfare” when they visit Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

For the third season in succession, the reigning Ligue 1 and Premier League champions have been paired together in the knockout rounds, with each side claiming a slender away goals aggregate triumph apiece so far.

Similarly, the latest tie is finely poised – PSG holding a 2-1 advantage thanks to goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani either side of John Obi Mikel’s equaliser at the Parc des Princes.

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink is set to recall Costa to lead the attack after the striker sat out Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Stoke City due to a tendon problem.

Italy international Verratti professes admiration for Cesc Fabregas although he also admits a grudging respect for Costa’s uncompromising playing style, through which on-field confrontations with opponents are seemingly inevitable.

“I prefer entertaining football, but having a personality like Costa in your team is always good,” Verratti told the Guardian.

“He uses warfare to win the games, but I know him, he’s a good guy who transforms when he comes on the pitch.

“If I was to pick a player that I identify with in this Chelsea team it would be Cesc Fabregas. He makes you see what the game is about, he breathes football and you can tell by his way of playing how much he loves it.”

Verratti was not overly satisfied with PSG’s performance in the opening leg and is keen to avoid the “disaster” of elimination at Stamford Bridge.

“We confirmed we are a good team, but there are things we could have done better,” he said. “We could have put Chelsea in more trouble. We have to go to London and play our football, if we do anything else we’ll be in trouble.

“We need to keep the possession of the ball, attack and go for an early goal. These are the games that we wait for all season. Being eliminated in the Champions League would be a bit of a disaster.”

Verratti hopes to shake off lingering issues with a groin complaint to face Chelsea, with fellow midfielder Blaise Matuidi battling to overcome a thigh injury after Angel Di Maria returned to action for Saturday’s goalless draw against Montpellier.

Willian has starred for Chelsea in this season’s competition with five goals in seven appearances.

The Brazil winger was one of few players to emerge with any credit from Chelsea’s woeful start to their Premier League defence and, following a collective upturn since Hiddink replaced Jose Mourinho, he wants to reward the veteran tactician with silverware.

“We always have pressure to win titles at Chelsea and we know that,” he told the club’s official website. “We have to stay concentrated on this game.

“I hope we can give Guus a title. It would be great for us and for him so we will try our best to do that.”

Chelsea are set to be without captain John Terry once more, with the centre-back still troubled by a hamstring injury that has ruled him out of the past five matches. Former Barcelona winger Pedro could return from a similar complaint to boost Hiddink’s attacking options.

Opta Facts

  • Chelsea are in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons. They’ve reached the quarter finals on eight of these occasions.
  • Paris SG have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League for the fourth consecutive season, their best ever run. They’ve been eliminated in the quarter finals in the last three campaigns.
  • Paris SG and Chelsea are meeting each other in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the third consecutive season. They have so far progressed once each (Chelsea in 2013/14, PSG in 2014/15).
  • The record between Chelsea and Paris SG is perfectly balanced with two wins each and three draws, all in the Champions League.
  • Chelsea have won all three of their Champions League home games this season (8 goals for, 1 against).
  • Chelsea have scored in each of their last 22 Champions League home games. The last time they failed to was in April 2011 against Manchester Utd (0-1).
  • 57% of Chelsea’s goals have been scored from set-pieces (8 out of 14), the highest ratio among the 16 teams left in this season’s competition.
  • Paris SG have failed to score in five of their six away games against English clubs in European competition. The only exception being last season against Chelsea (2-2 in the second-leg of the last 16).

 

NaiajBet Odds

As at this post Chelsea’s  has 2.81  odd to win the match on NaijaBet while Paris SG has 2.66 odd to win the match also, while the odd to draw the match is 3.37

 

Real Madrid v Roma Preview

Real Madrid’s ominous home record will provide fearful reading for Roma ahead of their Champions League last-16 second leg

Miralem Pjanic has ambitiously called for Roma to produce the “perfect” performance as they look to overturn a 2-0 deficit to Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.

In-form Roma have won seven straight Serie A games, their only defeat since late January coming in this tie’s first leg on home soil.

The Serie A side now face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, where Madrid have won 28 of their last 33 Champions League games and have not suffered defeat by two clear goals since a 2-0 reverse to Barcelona in the 2010-11 semi-finals.

Regardless, Pjanic remains bullish over Roma’s chances, his confidence boosted by the capital club’s significant upturn in form since Luciano Spalletti replaced Rudi Garcia in the Roma dugout.

“This is the true Roma,” midfielder Pjanic told Roma Radio. “We will go to Madrid and try to put in a perfect performance.

“We know that it will be difficult but we will do our best nonetheless. Obviously we tried to score at least one goal during the first leg, although things were complicated and we will now try to complete a perfect match and hurt them whenever we can.

“I am feeling great along with the rest of the team. I like playing like this but that is obvious.

“Physically we are all fine and everyone knows what they must do on the field. We always have a team-mate free to which we can pass the ball and this demonstrates our confidence on the field.”

Madrid come into the contest in ominous form of their own, responding to last weekend’s derby defeat to Atletico Madrid by beating Levante 3-1 in midweek and then thrashing Celta Vigo 7-1 at the Bernabeu.

Cristiano Ronaldo – who opened the scoring in the first leg in Rome – netted four times against the Galician side, moving to second on the all-time Liga scoring charts, behind only great rival Lionel Messi.

With Karim Benzema still injured, the attacking burden will once again fall on the Portugal captain, although Gareth Bale returned from a calf injury with a goal from the bench against Celta and may get a start in continental action.

Midfield general Daniele De Rossi misses out for Roma, while Radja Nainggolan and Antonio Rudiger trained alone over the weekend and face late fitness checks.

Opta Facts

  • Real Madrid have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League for the 19th consecutive season, longest run in the history of the competition. They’ve reached the semi-finals in each of the last five seasons.
  • Roma are in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time since 2010/11. They were eliminated by Shakhtar Donetsk in the Last 16.
  • The only previous encounter between Roma and Real Madrid in the knockout stages of the Champions League saw the Italian side progress 4-2 on aggregate in the Last 16 of the 2007/08 edition.
  • Roma are one of three clubs to have registered more wins than defeats against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League, alongside Arsenal & Barcelona. The Italian side have won two, drawn one and lost one.
  • Real Madrid are one of two clubs still unbeaten in the Champions League this season, the other being Barcelona.
  • Real Madrid have won 28 of their last 33 Champions League games at the Bernabeu (D3 L2). The last time they lost by two clear goals at home was in April 2011 against Barcelona (0-2).
  • No team has scored more goals than Real Madrid in the Champions League this season (21, alongside Bayern Munich).
  • Meanwhile, Roma’s games have produced more goals than any other team in the competition this season: 29 (11 for, 18 against).

NaijaBet Odds

As at this post Real Madrid has 1.42  odd to win the match on NaijaBet while Roma has 7.35 odd to win the match also, while the odd to draw the match is 5.33

The Three Big Outright Market – Leicester City,Tottenham and Arsenal

It is becoming clearer that Chelsea can not defend their Premier League title in 2015-16. The fight on the table is at the pick with three clubs (Leicester City, Tottenham, Arsenal) running for the title. The current leading club is leading with just 2 points as at this time.

outright

The question is, Who will be on top come May? Could Leicester City, Tottenham or Arsenal get into the mix?

Can Leicester do the unthinkable? Will this finally be Arsenal’s year? At this stage last year, 13 points separated the top four, a gap which stands at just four points this season.

On NaijaBet.com, odd on Leicester City to win is 2.00, Tottenham to win is 3.90 and Arsenal to win is 2.37.

Some Insight Into The Present Top Three

Arsenal

Strengths:

Arsenal have the creative brilliance of Mesut Ozil and goals from the attackers of the calibre of Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez. A crucial new factor is the vastly experienced Petr Cech in goal – not just a calming influence and world-class goalkeeper, but also a personality who knows what it takes to win Premier Leagues at Chelsea.

Weaknesses:

Arsenal’s weaknesses are they have too many players in one position and not enough width and balance in their team. Defensively they can be suspect when they haven’t got the ball so they can be vulnerable when they don’t dominate the ball.

Mental fragility. Have not yet provided conclusive evidence that they have conquered this block – and suspicions that flaw remains were raised again by the shocking 4-0 loss at Southampton on Boxing Day. Arsenal also suffer too many injuries.

What manager Arsene Wenger says: “In 2015, if you look back and try to analyse, we have been consistent and overall we had quite a positive year. We have stabilised defensively and improved our record against the strong teams in the Premier League. So it looks like we are on the right trend, the right way.”

On NaijaBet.com, odd on Arsenal to win is 2.37.

Leicester

Strengths:

Goals and brilliance in the shape of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. Desire and intensity all over the pitch and an outstanding midfield player in N’Golo Kante. Atmosphere at the King Power Stadium is also a huge driving force.

Weaknesses:

Shallow depth of squad and it would be a devastating blow if either Vardy or Mahrez were to suffer any injury that would sideline them for a lengthy period of time. The size of their squad may also be examined by the intense pressing style employed by manager Claudio Ranieri and epitomised by Vardy, Mahrez and Kante. May run out of steam.

It’s probably a danger for them to think ‘we’ve got a chance’. All of a sudden they are thinking they have something to lose for the first time and it’s changed slightly. It was blasé and now they have something tangible to hold on to. All of a sudden then there’s a little bit of pressure.

What manager Claudio Ranieri says: “Every match is difficult for us. This league is very crazy…nobody wants to win the league. It’s very strange. We’re the basement and the other teams are a villa with a swimming pool. It’s not easy for us but we want to fight with everybody. It’s a miracle what we’re doing. I’d love this to continue but it’s not easy.”

On NaijaBet.com, odd on Leicester City to win is 2.00.

Tottenham

Strengths:

PM: A young, vibrant squad under the guidance of an outstanding young manager in Mauricio Pochettino who now has Spurs playing the intense pressing game he demands. They have a regular source of goals in Harry Kane also a shining star is emerging in Dele Alli.

Weaknesses:

Will the goals still come if Kane gets injured? And will they have the squad and the mental strength to cope if expectations rise further and they actually get close to that first title since 1961? They may – but it is an unknown quantity.

Spurs have been the most consistent in my view. When I saw them they lacked balance and width at home but they are tough to play against. They might just get away with Harry Kane. If he gets injured, can they replace him?

What manager Mauricio Pochettino says: “I think the numbers reflect that the title is always possible. You need to show the strength during the whole season, we start to speak today about the title, but it is still most important to work hard.”

On NaijaBet.com, odd on Tottenham to win is 3.90.

Highest Goal Scorer

More outright market available on NaijaBet, watch out for more highlight on outright market next week.

Who will be the top goalscorer in the Premier League this season?

Best Betting Odds Here

 

Win Big With NaijaBet by clicking On This Link Below

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26.12.2015 1 X 2
867294 13:45 Stoke City vs Manchester United 3.31 3.16 2.37
867288 16:00 Manchester City vs Sunderland AFC 1.23 6.87 12.52
867289 16:00 Liverpool FC vs Leicester City 1.94 3.82 3.82
867290 16:00 Tottenham Hotspur vs Norwich City 1.44 4.90 7.18
867291 16:00 Swansea City vs West Bromwich Albion 1.97 3.35 4.28
867292 16:00 Chelsea FC vs Watford FC 1.48 4.54 6.91
867293 16:00 Aston Villa vs West Ham United 2.64 3.18 2.89
867296 16:00 Bournemouth AFC vs Crystal Palace 2.41 3.35 3.05
867295 18:30 Newcastle United vs Everton FC 3.12 3.57 2.28
873523 20:45 Southampton FC vs Arsenal FC 3.61 3.56 2.08

Sports Betting Tips

swansea-chelsea_2460402b1

Are you looking to increase your chances of winning money betting on sports? Here at The Sports Geek our goal is to help you do just that.

On our site you will find sports betting tips and strategies, free sports betting picks, live online sportsbook odds, detailed sportsbook reviews, and lots more that will hopefully help you become a better sports bettor and increase your profits.

Below I will give you a run down on the most popular sections of our website that will help you with your sports betting, and our common goal of beating the bookies or making a profit with our betting.

Sports Betting Picks

The most popular section of our sports betting site is the Free Sports Picks Blog, which is updated daily with free picks. I’ve put together a team of expert sports bettors who are all very qualified to contribute to the site with their betting advice for the night’s action.

I am constantly reviewing the picks the team is putting out on a nightly basis to ensure we have only the highest quality information being posted in our Sports Picks Blog. We have certain team members dedicated to each league, so that they can keep their focus on just one or two sports. This allows each writer to specialize in his sports and hopefully give out picks with a very solid winning percentage.

We try to give out free picks daily year round, but there are some days where we just don’t have any advice to give out (often during the slower sports betting months such as June and July). You can sign up for our email list by clicking on the button at the top of this page to receive every pick we release in the free picks section via email.

I highly recommend you bookmark the Sports Picks Blog and check back daily to read up on all of our sports betting tips and picks.

Sports Betting Strategy

Another very popular section of The Sports Geek is our Sports Betting Strategy section.

We give you basic sports betting tips and strategies for those bettors new to sports betting, but we also have very in-depth sports betting strategy articles written by a once professional sports bettor, Jim, who has made thousands of dollars betting on sports in the past.

If you want to make more money betting on sports this is a section of The Sports Geek that you must spend some time reading through. The basics will help you get started on the right track, and the advanced articles will help you find edges over the sportsbooks and give you the best chance at winning.

Jim didn’t share these professional sports betting strategies and tips for free. I paid him thousands of dollars for this content to contribute to my goal of making this the best sports betting guide on the Internet. I hope you take the time to read through his articles. Here are a few to get you started:

Sports Betting Odds

This section of our website has two purposes. The first is to help beginner sports bettors understand how to read betting odds, including learning about the different types of odds you will see posted by the sportsbooks.

The second is to provide a live odds feed for bettors to compare the odds some of the top sports betting sites are offering. As any experience sports bettor knows, it is extremely important to compare odds and place your wagers using the best odds available to you. This is also referred to as “line shopping”. If you read any of our sports betting strategy articles you will know that this is a must if you want to make money betting on sports.

Visit our sports betting odds page today, and bookmark it for future use.

Online Sports Betting

Online sports betting is a billion dollar industry, and it’s becoming more and more each and every day. I’ve personally reviewed a number of the online sports betting sites so that I could review them and recommend only the best sites out there.

I will say that online sports betting may not be legal where you live, so please check your local laws before placing bets online at these sports betting sites. And I also want to point out that there have been “scam” type sites in the past known to steal money from their bettors, so make sure you stick with recommended betting sites we list here at The Sports Geek.

Lastly with online betting it is easy to get carried away and bet more than you can afford. Always make sure you gamble responsibly. If you have a gambling problem or know someone who does, please get help. Visit Gamblers Anonymous today to learn more about getting help with your sports betting or gambling problem.

Sports Betting in 2015

2015 is here and we are ready for another great year at The Sports Geek. Overall 2014 was a great year for us sports bettors, and we enjoyed the free picks provided by the guys at the blog throughout the year. When fall comes back around we hope for another winning football season from Will, Gino, and Brent. Until then we look for Kyle and Chris look to add to the profits covering baseball, hockey and basketball. We are looking forward to a profitable and enjoyable 2015 with you.

About TheSportsGeek.com

The Sports Geek was founded in 2008 by me, Kevin, and has continued to grow since. It started off as a small site and I had no real big plans for it, but as my passion for sports betting grew the website also grew with it. I’ve had a team of writers helping me give out free picks daily since about 2010 and we’ve had a lot of success with our picks. Because of the abundance of free sports betting information we offer at our site our following has continued to grow.

A lot of the articles written here at TheSportsGeek.com were written by me, but I’ve also hired a number of sports betting experts to contribute to the website. Currently our team includes six experts, which you can learn more about on our About Us page.

Our goal is to be the best website on the Internet for free sports betting information and picks, and we are constantly working on finding new ways to improve our site to best fit your needs as a sports bettor. Winning money betting on sports isn’t easy, but our goal is to educate every sports bettor as much as we can to help you in your goal of profiting with your betting.

 

Manchester United v Norwich City:Match Preview

Louis van Gaal is under pressure having gone five games without a win ahead of the visit of the Canaries on Saturday

David de Gea insists Manchester United are working hard to turn their form around as Norwich City prepare to head to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday.

Louis van Gaal’s side are without a win in their last five games in all competitions and are six points behind table-topping Leicester City following a 2-1 defeat at  Bournemouth last weekend.

However, United have been strong on their own turf this season and are yet to be beaten in seven home league matches.

With four fixtures in the space of two weeks approaching, including the visit of Chelsea, goalkeeper De Gea hopes hard work on the training ground pays off.

“We know that the month of December is always a tough one with a lot of fixtures, and the tiredness can build up, so we need to come out of it at the end with a few good results,” De Gea told United’s official website.

“We’re working on it right now. We’re training hard and we’re preparing well so we can go into those games at our highest level of fitness in order to get through December well-placed near the top of the league.”

Defensive injuries have forced Van Gaal to hand debuts to the likes of Guillermo Varela and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson. United, though, have been formidable at the back this season, conceding just 12 league goals and having kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League with nine. Norwich, by comparison, have kept the fewest (one).

The emergence of Varela and Borthwick-Jackson excites De Gea and he believes it signals a bright future for the club.

“I think we have a very young side and I think that the youngsters who are coming up through the youth ranks are fitting in really well,” he added.

“They are all good players and after all they represent the future of Manchester United and I reckon that gradually they will become the side of the future and we’re all delighted that they’re with us.”

Norwich have only beaten United twice in the Premier League, though neither of those came at Old Trafford.

Alex Neil’s side have only been victorious once in their last 11 games in all competitions and sit in the relegation zone due to an inferior goal difference to Swansea City.

The Norwich boss will remain without Andre Wisdom (hamstring) and Matt Jarvis (knee) as he looks to end a run of four straight top-flight defeats on the road.

Van Gaal could welcome Wayne Rooney back to the side with the striker’s recovery from an ankle injury that has kept him out since last month’s clash with Leicester nearing completion.

Should he feature at Old Trafford, the captain will become the 10th United player to reach 500 appearances for the club.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, however, will be suspended, but Chris Smalling (groin), Matteo Darmian (hamstring) and Ander Herrera (hamstring) could return.

Opta Facts

  • Manchester United have kept six clean sheets in their last seven Premier league games at Old Trafford.
  • Norwich City have won just one of their last 19 Barclays Premier League away games (W1 D5 L13).
  • Juan Mata has scored four goals in six Premier League appearances against Norwich.
  • Norwich have lost 11 and won two of their 14 Premier League meetings with Manchester United.
  • Wes Hoolahan has been involved in more goals in the Premier League this season than any other Norwich City player (seven – two goals, five assists).
  • Manchester United have won 10 and lost just one of their last 15 Premier league games at Old Trafford.
  • Wayne Rooney has netted three goals and provided three assists in four Premier League games against the Canaries.
  • Rooney’s next appearance for Manchester United will be his 500th for the club – only nine players have reached this landmark for the club.

NaijaBet Odds

As at this post Manchester United has 1.45  odd to win the match on NaijaBet while Norwich   has 7.74 odd to win the match also, while the odd to draw the match is 4.54

Betting: Ramos and Hiddink the early favourites to replace Jose Mourinho at Chelsea

After an disappointing start to their title defence the Portuguese boss has paid the price for poor results and the betting on who will succeed him looks particularly open

Jose Mourinho has left Stamford Bridge for a second time. Despite signing a new contract in the summer on the back of winning the Premier League title there has been a distinct change of mood around the club.

Another poor performance against surprise leaders Leicester City the club’s hierarchy have decided the time was right to part ways with the 52-year-old.

Leading the betting to replace him are two men both priced at 3/1 (4.00). Former Tottenham boss Juande Ramos has been heavily linked to the role as an interim measure, with a lack of suitable long term replacements available until the summer.

One man who could represent an interesting bet is Guus Hiddink at 3/1 (4.0), the former Netherlands boss spent time at Chelsea as the interim boss in 2009, a role in which he excelled, losing only once and winning the FA Cup. His commitments to the Russia job meant he left the position at the end of the season but having been extremely popular with the playing staff, he could be an ideal interim boss again for the struggling Premier League side.

One key factor in a next manager market at this stage of the season is that despite any potential replacement being termed an interim appointment, most bookmakers will pay out on them as the permanent manager if they take charge of 10 league games. Be sure to check the terms and conditions of your bookmaker of choice prior to placing a bet.

Carlo Ancelotti is another high profile free agent who is sure to attract the attention of Europe’s top clubs when there is a managerial free agent. He’s also a 4/1 (5.0) chance.

Ancelotti left Real Madrid in the summer and in that regard his recent club experience and considerable achievements would surely give him a significant advantage over Capello if the 56-year-old would consider returning to the club where he spent almost two years when replacing Guus Hiddink. Despite being sacked in his second year, Ancelotti did win a Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

Paddy Power offer 4/1 (5.0) that it is current Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola that replaces Mourinho, albeit that price looks a little short given that the former Barcelona man is under contract until the summer and unlikely to break his agreement with the Bavarian giants. There has also been significant interest from Manchester City and although Guardiola is believed to be announcing his decision to leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the current campaign, there will be plenty of suitors or the hottest managerial property in the world.

The same firm offer 10/1 (11.0) that it is former England manager Fabio Capello who replaces Mourinho, an option given the Italian’s availability.

Capello has confirmed that the job would interest him and has been vocal in his criticism of Mourinho in recent months, claiming that the players are mentally drained and “were no longer able to give him what he wants”. The 69-year-old’s last role in club football was in 2007 at Real Madrid, prior to spells with the Three Lions and Russia.

Having spent time at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, third favourite in the market is Brendan Rodgers at 6/1 (7.0).

This poses a difficult question for punters, namely, would the club opt for a man who knows the club, has previous experience and is potentially immediately available but has just been sacked from a position where he never won any silverware, even on a short term basis?

It seems unlikely that the London club would move to bring back Rodgers given the way he left Liverpool just a couple of months ago and his desire to have a longer break from . The current situation dictates that an interim appointment seems likely with a more permanent manager brought in after the current season has ended.

It may be a good time to stake on Chelsea. In their tomorrow match, Chelsea vs Sunderland, NaijaBet.com is tipping Chelsea to win at the odd of 1.28. Bet now

Stake And Win Big

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19.12.2015 1 X 2
851567 16:00 Everton FC vs Leicester City 2.03 3.66 3.66
851568 16:00 Chelsea FC vs Sunderland AFC 1.30 5.50 11.25
851570 16:00 Stoke City vs Crystal Palace 2.42 3.21 3.16
851571 16:00 West Bromwich Albion vs Bournemouth AFC 2.47 3.25 3.06
851573 16:00 Manchester United vs Norwich City 1.48 4.44 7.16
851575 16:00 Southampton FC vs Tottenham Hotspur 2.62 3.31 2.81
851574 18:30 Newcastle United vs Aston Villa 2.02 3.49 3.88
20.12.2015 1 X 2
851572 14:30 Watford FC vs Liverpool FC 4.02 3.48 1.99
851569 17:00 Swansea City vs West Ham United 2.07 3.40 3.80

 

21.12.2015 1 X 2
853359 21:00 Arsenal FC vs Manchester City 2.41 3.55 2.91

 

 

Leicester City vs Chelsea FC: Match Preview

Jose Mourinho agrees with Claudio Ranieri that a top-four Barclays Premier League finish remains possible for Chelsea and challenged the champions to kickstart their domestic resurgence against the division’s surprise package.

Monday’s match will have the two sides in somewhat of a role reversal from previous meetings, with Leicester the high-flying form side and Chelsea in need of points to move away from the lower reaches of the top flight.

Leicester are 17 points ahead of Mourinho’s men, although they could be toppled from the summit by Arsenal, Manchester City or Manchester United before the clash at the King Power Stadium.

Chelsea ensured UEFA Champions League progression with victory over Mourinho’s former club Porto in midweek, but languish in the bottom half after a shock home defeat to AFC Bournemouth last weekend.

Ranieri backed his former team this week to claim a top-four spot and Mourinho, who succeeded the Italian at Stamford Bridge when he started his first tenure at Chelsea in 2004, takes a similar view, while holding his opposite number in the highest regard.

“One year ago they were bottom of the league and Ranieri was sacked by the Greece national team for losing to the Faroe Islands, now he is the top manager in the Premier League and their players are top of the league,” said the Portuguese. “That’s the beauty, it’s fantastic.

“Nobody has any doubt that he hasn’t forgotten his time at Chelsea. Everyone who is at this club for a certain period of time likes the club very much and Ranieri is showing the nice feeling he has, but I also believe what he says [about a top-four finish].

“Before we lost three points against Bournemouth I was absolutely convinced about finishing fourth in the table and I was convinced about a great December for us. While it’s mathematically possible we have to try.”

Mourinho has a fully fit squad to choose from, while Matty James and Ritchie De Laet (ankle) are Leicester’s only absentees, the former having made his return from a cruciate ligament injury in last week’s Under-21s defeat to Villarreal.

Ranieri has Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez fit and firing, with the Englishman having scored or assisted in 13 consecutive Barclays Premier League matches.

Mahrez’s hat-trick ensured Leicester a 3-0 win over Swansea City last time out and captain Wes Morgan says his side have nothing to fear.

“[The pressure] is on Chelsea a little bit,” Morgan told the club’s website. “They’re not in the best of form at the moment and they should be doing a lot better.

“We can’t write them off because they’re a fantastic team with fantastic players. At some point we know they will come good and go on a run of winning games.

“Everyone expects them to win every game but we’re full of confidence and we should be looking to get a win.

“I think we just need to carry on playing how we have been. It’s worked so far this season, the boys know their jobs and their roles and we just want to continue our run.”

Chelsea (from): Begovic, Blackman, Courtois, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Djilobodji, Ivanovic, Rahman, Terry, Zouma, Fabregas, Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Matic, Mikel, Oscar, Ramires, Traore, Willian, Costa, Falcao, Kenedy, Pedro, Remy.

Leicester City (from): Schmeichel, Schwarzer, Benalouane, Fuchs, Huth, Morgan, Simpson, Wasilewski, Albrighton, Drinkwater, Dyer, Hammond, Inler, Kante, King, Mahrez, Schlupp, Dodoo, Kramaric, Okazaki, Ulloa, Vardy.

Match Appointments
Referee: Mark Clattenburg Assistants: S Beck, J Collin Fourth Official: G Scott

Match Facts
    – Leicester City have won seven and lost one of their last 10 Barclays Premier League home matches.
– Chelsea have won the last six BPL meetings with Leicester.
– Jose Mourinho’s side have won one of their last eight league away matches (W1 D2 L5).
– Since losing to Chelsea in April, Leicester have lost one of their last 19 BPL matches (W12 D6 L1).
– The Foxes have recovered 10 points from losing positions this season, more than any other team in the competition.
– N’Golo Kante has made more interceptions than any other top-flight player this season (64).
– Jamie Vardy has scored or assisted in 13 consecutive BPL games, beating Stan Collymore’s run of 12 set between March and August 1995.

NaijaBet Odds

As at this post Leicester City  has 3.13  odd to win the match on NaijaBet while Chelsea has 2.33 odd to win the match also, while the odd to draw the match is 3.43

Barcelona v Deportivo: Betting Preview

Concerns over the South American duo loom for the Catalans ahead of Saturday’s Liga clash with Deportivo at Camp Nou

Barcelona will face their final Liga match before the Club World Cup against Deportivo with concerns over the fitness of star duo Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Neymar, who has been nominated alongside Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the final three contenders for the Ballon d’Or for the first time in his career, picked up a groin injury in training this week and was forced to miss the 1-1 Champions League draw with Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

Messi, meanwhile, also sat out a recovery training session on Thursday, though the club cited “personal reasons” for his absence rather the hamstring problem it was feared he had suffered in Germany.

Both forwards are now in doubt for the clash with Deportivo at Camp Nou on Saturday and Barca will be anxious over their availability for the Club World Cup, with the European champions heading to Tokyo in the coming days.

With Neymar injured and question marks raised over Messi following that tough encounter in Germany on Wednesday, Deportivo full-back Luisinho believes they have a strong chance of extending their unbeaten run to six matches.

“It’s a pretty difficult game. We have the hope of taking something and the moment is good, because the team are going through a good moment. That’s ideal to play against Barcelona,” he said.

Ivan Rakitic, however, feels the difficult 1-1 draw with Leverkusen could serve Barca well for the coming challenges as they look to end 2015 on top of the Liga table and as the newly-crowned world champions.

“It’s always good to have a hard time. It’s good for what’s still to come this season,” he told BeIn Sports.

“They [Leverkusen] played very aggressively and we have to congratulate them. They started strong and that can help us.”

Barca coach Luis Enrique handed starts to youngsters Sergi Samper and Wilfrid Kaptoum against Leverkusen as a handful of first-team stars were afforded rests, meaning the line-up on Saturday should remain strong even if Messi and Neymar are unavailable.

Dani Alves is back after being banned for the Leverkusen game, while Sergi Roberto (ankle) and Jeremy Mathieu (thigh) could return to the matchday squad. Douglas (foot) and Rafinha (knee) are Barca’s only other long-term absentees.

Pedro Mosquera is banned for the visitors, who are likely to be without Oriol Riera (hamstring) and Celso Borges (foot), after both could only train separately from the main group on Wednesday. Federico Cartabia is also struggling for full fitness, while Luis Alberto (groin) and Fabri (knee) are out.

Key Opta Stats:

– Barcelona have won every home league game they have played this season (W7).
– The last side to stop Barcelona winning at the Camp Nou in La Liga was Deportivo in the last game last season (2-2).
– The last two Galician sides to have played at Camp Nou in La Liga secured points: Celta de Vigo won on MD10 in 2014-15 (0-1) and Deportivo drew on MD38 that season (2-2).
– The Riazor side have lost just one game away from home in La Liga this season (W3 D3), their best such record at this point since 2005-06.
– Deportivo are, alongside Atletico Madrid, the only Liga side yet to have been shown a red card this season.
– Luis Suarez and Neymar (eight apiece) have scored 16 out of the last 17 Barca goals at Camp Nou in La Liga.
– Messi has scored in his last five league appearances against Deportivo (10 goals).
– Lucas Perez has scored eight of the last 12 Deportivo goals in La Liga.

Opta Facts

  • Barcelona have won every home league game they have played this season (W7).
  • The last side to stop Barcelona winning at the Camp Nou in La Liga was Deportivo de La Coruña in the last game last season (2-2).
  • The Cule side have scored in all their 14 games this season, with an average of 2.4 goals per game, and they have scored in their last 28 league games, the longest such run since October 2013 (64).
  • The last two Galician sides to play at Camp Nou in La Liga secured points: Celta de Vigo won on MD10 in 2014-15 (0-1) and Deportivo drew on MD38 that season (2-2).
  • Deportivo de La Coruña have gone five games in a row without a defeat (W2 D2), their best such run in a single season since 2012-13 (7).
  • The Riazor side have lost just one game away from home in La Liga this season (W3 D3), their best such record at this point since 2005-06.
  • Deportivo are, alongside Atletico de Madrid, the only La Liga side yet to have been shown a red card this season.
  • Luis Suarez and Neymar (eight apiece) have scored 16 Barça’s last 17 goals at Camp Nou in La Liga.

NaijaBet Odds

As at this post Barcelona has 1.08  odd to win the match on NaijaBet while Deportivo de La Coruña  has 30.69 odd to win the match also, while the odd to draw the match is 12.38