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Strange happenings last weekend, as I picked five of six correct matches last week and nailed two scores cold (Napoli/Milan and Shrewsbury/Man U). Let’s see if I can stay hot this week:
1. Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid, Saturday, 10:00 a.m EST, beIN Sports
Derby day in Madrid sees the host, Real Madrid, and it’s top scoring La Liga offense welcome the stingiest defensive side in all of Europe, crosstown rivals, Atletico. Real’s goal scoring juggernaut of Ronaldo and Benzema will surely test Atletico’s solid back four led by their captain, Diego Godin.
The real question will be whether Atleti’s coach, Diego Simeone, can coax a goal out of Antoine Griezmann and his attacking counterparts. Throw in the fact that Atleti leads their rivals by one point in the table with neither side wanting Barcelona to get further away and a classic could be on hand.
Prediction: Expect a physical affair, as Atletico will try to match Real’s flashiness with grit, 1-1.
2. Liverpool v.s Manchester City, Sunday, 11:30 a.m. EST, beIN Sports
Silverware is up for grabs at Wembley on Sunday as Jurgen Klopp attempts to secure his first trophy as Liverpool’s manager. Manchester City enter the League Cup final humming after a midweek triumph in Ukraine that saw their three key offensive components (Aguero, Silva and Yaya) notch home impressive goals.
With their chances of a Premier League title fading, expect the Citizens manager, Manuel Pellegrini, to field a top class squad in what may be his last chance to win a cup before he is shown the door this summer.
Prediction: City prevails on penalties 6-5 as Joe Hart backs up a save with the winning goal from the spot.
3. Manchester United vs. Arsenal, Sunday, 9:05 a.m. EST, NBCSN
Red vs. Red at Old Trafford as Manchester United welcomes Arsenal to the storied grounds. Louis van Gaal can breathe, at least for the time being, after the Red Devils finally dispatched Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday, 5-1. Arsenal had a less successful midweek, losing 2-0 to Barcelona at home.
Arsene Wenger must rally his team, for dropped points in the final third of the season can be disastrous. Wenger must get production out of the best midfield in England, especially Mesut Ozil, who looked out of sorts against Barcelona
Prediction: Wenger won’t be happy, 1-0 Red Devils.
4. Juventus vs. Inter Milan, Sunday, 2:45 p.m. EST, beIN Sports
Juve’s domestic streak of consecutive victories was halted at 15 by their 0-0 draw with Bologna last week but the Old Lady must feel quite spry after battling back from an 0-2 deficit to Bayern Munich to salvage a level score in their first leg of the Champions League knockout phase in the midweek. The Bayern tie extended Juve’s unbeaten streak to 17 games in all competitions.
The Serie A leaders welcome an Inter team looking to make a late season push into the Champions League. The Milan side is only four points behind Fiorentina for the last spot in Europe’s most distinguished tournament.
If Inter is going to escape Turin with three points they will need production out of Mauro Icardi. The Argentinean youngster has three goals in his last four starts and is Inter’s leading scorer with 11 league goals.
Prediction: Juventus keep their unbeaten streak going, 1-0.
5. Tigres vs. America, Saturday, 8:00 p.m. EST, Univision Deportes
The match of the week in Mexico is easy: Tigres vs. America. While neither side is in the top spot in Liga MX, both are expected to be near the top when the playoffs start.
America will be shorthanded as forwards Oribe Peralta and Darwin are both suspended after receiving red cards last weekend during their 3-3 draw with Cruz Azul. Tigres will look to their French scoring machine, Andre-Pierre Gignac who has seven goals in six league games.
Prediction: America misses their attackers as Gignac scores twice, 2-0 Tigres.
