Chelsea to halt Manchester United’s winning run, Inter to win battle of Milan

PREMIERSHIP

Chelsea vs Man United
David, an avid follower of these predictions, wrote in to say that lately I get other Premier League predictions right but fail miserably with Man United, and looking back at their games against Tottenham, Liverpool and Man City (but not Aston Villa) I must admit he is right.
So David, you can look away now because I don’t seem to have learnt my lesson as I choose Chelsea over Louis Van Gaal’s men! Momentum and the law of averages count for a lot in sport, and under their Dutch master United’s record against the big teams is second to none too.
But I feel that Van Gaal’s protégé Jose Mourinho will be up to the tactical challenge, not only of stopping big Fellaini as the English press has hyped up, but also of disrupting United’s effective triangles on the left and right, unsettling the rhythm of conductor Carrick, and pressing the defenders high to stop them passing the ball out.
And yet Mourinho is not only going to work on stopping United but will, I reckon, try to ambush them by getting onto the front foot early and looking to take the lead, as he did against Man City last season when everyone thought he would pack the bus. By their early season standards, Chelsea have been playing ugly recently, but crucially also winning ugly. And for United, this is not at Old Trafford where they have been virtually untouchable this season. Home win

Man City vs West Ham
Man City have been hammered by all and sundry for their recent slide, but here is an opportunity for them to stop the rot and leap forward again. Should Man United fail to win at Stamford Bridge, City can get close to them and to Arsenal who will instead be playing in the FA Cup this weekend.
West Ham can be stubborn, especially against the big teams, but they have not been in god form lately and at the Etihad there is not a better chance for Yaya Toure, Silva, Nasri, Navas and Aguero to get back their oft times irresistible swagger than this. Home win

FA CUP

Reading vs Arsenal
In the two Chelsea loanees Nathan Ake and Nathaneil Chalobah, Reading has solid midfielders; in Hal Robson-Kanu and Jamie Mackie they have Premiership experience; in Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Kwesi Appiah they have African strikers with an eye for goal.
They can also call on the services of renowned English Illusionist Uri Geller to work some magic if they so wish, but I believe the Gunners who have been in dazzling form lately will hypnotise them too. Away win

Aston Villa vs Liverpool
Benteke and Agbonlahor have been scoring goals lately (and they will their chances against a shaky defence), while Sanchez and Fabian Delph have been immense in midfield for Aston Villa.
The spirit and fight are up too for Tim Sherwood’s men, but even if Liverpool are short on natural goal scorers at the moment, if Sterling, Coutinho and Ibe are on the same wavelength they should overwhelm Villa’s rearguard.
In Lucas, Allen and Henderson Liverpool also have a more industrious and complimentary midfield that should give the Reds the edge in what should be a fiercely contested match. Away win

LA LIGA

Barcelona vs Valencia
A very tough fixture for Barcelona for which they should be thankful that they are at home after their midweek travels in the Champions League. Valencia will have higher energy levels and have been brilliant from back to front, but at the Camp Nou Barca can ride on their fans and that unstoppable front three of Messi, Suarez and Neymar. Only Messi was missing from the score sheet in Paris, so Valencia beware. Home win

Real Madrid vs Malaga
Having been allowed back into the title picture by Barca last weekend, Real Madrid will not let up and Malaga are in trouble at the Bernabeu as the full force of that scary attack is unleashed on them. Benzema, Bale, James Rodriguez, Jesse will be accompanied by Modric and Isco at some point, and then you have the insatiable Cristiano Ronaldo in relentless pursuit of another personal milestone. Home win & Over

Deportivo vs Atletico Madrid
The champions of Spain had a tough midweek fixture, but they are a super-fit team with plenty in reserve in the likes of Fernando Torres, Raul Garcia and Tiago. Away win

SERIE A

Juventus vs Lazio
If there is a team capable of taking points off Juve in the Serie A right now it is Lazio which is having such an incredible season. After Juve’s midweek exertions, I fancy that to be the case. Draw

Inter Milan vs AC Milan
This enigmatic derby is the predicting man’s nightmare, and can turn or anything from a gross individual error to a big refereeing decision, correct or not. If chances drop to both sets of forwards in the game however, I fancy the Argentine pair of Mauro Icardi and Rodrigo Palacio to do better than their opposite numbers. Inter Milan have more goals out of midfield too, with Freddy Guarin, Xherdan Shaqiri and the like. Home win

Roma vs Atalanta
Home win

Cagliari vs Napoli
Away win

BUNDESLIGA

Hoffenheim vs Bayern
‘Over’

Dortmund vs Paderborn
Home win

Frankfurt vs Moncehngladbach
Away win

Leverkusen vs Hannover
Home win

Wolfsburg vs Schalke
‘Over’

LIGUE ONE

Lyon vs St Etienne
Home win

Nice vs PSG
Away win

Monaco vs Rennes
Home win