La Liga

Villarreal vs Real Madrid

Date: September 23th Time: 18:00 (GMT)

Ernesto Valverde Certain That Villarreal Will Beat Real Madrid

Villarreal coach Ernesto Valverde has proclaimed that his side are capable of beating Real Madrid on Wednesday night at El Madrigal.

"We have to win and I believe, sincerely, that we will win against Real Madrid," Valverde told the club's official website, villarrealcf.es.

"We lacked a little intensity against Athletic [Bilbao], which we will certainly have tomorrow.

"Apart from that, we must have all the right answers if we want to win because Real Madrid are very effective in front of goal and could beat us on any move."

Although they were defeated 3-2 defeat against Athletic last weekend, Valverde insists that his side are still in good spirits and are ready to take on los Blancos.

"We are encouraged despite the game the other day, which was very hard. Having little time to rest is almost better in these situations, because you forget about the previous bad game.

"It's necessary for us to win soon, and the best time is tomorrow against Real Madrid."

Let's watch who will be the winner...

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Carling Cup

Manchester United vs Wolverhampton

Date: September 23th Time: 19:00 (GMT)

As Manchester City found out last weekend, it is never easy to play at Old Trafford, even when the visiting team is able to score three goals.

Mick McCarthy’s side are more than capable of pulling out an upset, and it must be noted that United have already fallen this season to Premier League newcomers Burnley. While Wolves are capable, the fact that United have won the League Cup two out of the last four seasons might dent their chances of securing an upset.

Even though Ferguson is expected to name a slightly younger side, it is hard to bet on the reigning Premier League champions being dumped out of the League Cup at this stage in the competition at home.

McCarthy’s priority this season is undoubtedly to keep Wolves in the Premier League, meaning a second-string side could be produced for the trip to Old Trafford, giving United an unquestionable advantage in this encounter.

Let's watch who will be the winner...

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Carling Cup

Chelsea vs QPR

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

Joe Cole and Yuri Zhirkov are set to make their first appearances of the season for Chelsea after assistant boss Ray Wilkins confirmed they will start.

A host of academy and fringe players will also be in the squad.

QPR midfielder Ben Watson is cup-tied but Adel Taarabt is over a bout of mumps. Matt Connolly has yet to recover from a virus and fellow centre-half Fitz Hall (groin) is still sidelined.

Let's watch who will be the winner...

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Italy Serie A

Udinese vs AC Milan

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

AC Milan coach Leonardo is convinced his side will continue to improve as the early season woes are buried.

The Rossoneri face a tough test away to Udinese tomorrow, but the Brazilian in confident that his men will get the result he wants.

"We always have to do well and be good in all situations," Leonardo told the press.

"Udinese have good players and they will play a different game than us.

"I think my team can grow. Being the favourites is not easy. We have to take things one step at a time to see what we can do."

Leonardo is in no mood to speak about winning the Scudetto this season and has set Champions League qualification as the side's benchmark.

"Our objective is to get into the Champions League. We have to be there, we know this. The club wants this too, but we have to take each game as it comes," concluded the coach.

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Italy Serie A

Inter Milan vs Napoli

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

Inter Still Stumbling Along

Although results-wise, Inter’s start to the season has been good, the only time they’ve truly looked convincing as a team was in their 4-0 win over city rivals Milan in the derby. After the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it was expected the side would improve as a collective unit, but that hasn’t really happened yet, as now they are mostly relying on individual moments from either Diego Milito or Samuel Eto’o to win games.


A perfect example was last weekend’s match at Cagliari. The home side took a deserved lead in the first half with a penalty by Jeda and had some chances to double their lead before the break. However, two cold-blooded finishes within five minutes early in the second half by Milito saw Inter turn the match on its head. In the remainder of the game, Cagliari continued to create chances, but Jose Mourinho’s side held firm to earn three crucial points.


Of course, many new players have arrived at the Pinetina this summer, contrary to the last few years when the team was left largely unchanged. So it could be some time before we will see the kind of free-flowing football Inter showed against Milan on a regular basis. However, it is good news that the team still has that mental strength and defensive solidity which distinguished them in their successful recent seasons. Winning matches without playing well like they did at Cagliari is absolutely crucial in a league, although it usually doesn’t pay in the Champions League.


Against Napoli, a team who haven’t started the season well at all, Inter could have a chance to reach the top of the table, as current table leaders Juventus and Sampdoria face tricky away games against Genoa and Fiorentina respectively. However, they’ll first have to deal with a team which, especially on their own ground, has often caused Inter problems in recent years.


Unconvincing Start By Napoli

It seems Roberto Donadoni’s Napoli are continuing where they left off at the end of last season, which is definitely not a good thing. After a strong performance in the opening match at Palermo, which they lost very unluckily, the Partenopei registered a routine win at home against Livorno, but were then thrashed 4-1 at Genoa and held to a drab goalless draw at home by Udinese last weekend.


Last season Napoli started off very well, reaching the fourth place at one point, but performed worse than a relegation-threatened side in the second half of the season, which eventually led to coach Edy Reja getting sacked. Former Italy coach Donadoni was then appointed, and although results only improved slightly, he was allowed to stay on.


Once again the Napoli faithfull's expectations were raised high, but the early signs aren’t positive. On the other hand, the team has an impressive strike force, which was recently strengthened with the signing of Italian international Fabio Quagliarella from Udinese. The pairing of Quagliarella and Ezequiel Lavezzi has yet to fully realise its potential, but once their understanding improves, the goals will likely start coming thick and fast.


After a disappointing couple of results, Napoli travel to San Siro to face Inter, hoping to invert the recent trend against the Nerazzurri at San Siro. Interestingly, results of fixtures between Inter and Napoli in the last two seasons have been identical. At home, Inter prevailed 2-1 on both occasions, while at the San Paolo Napoli won 1-0 both in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009.

Let's watch who will be winner...

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Italy Serie A

Palermo vs Roma

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

Palermo are coming off a disappointing 1-0 loss to Parma, and coach Walter Zenga is hoping for a positive reaction when his side host Roma on Wednesday evening.

"Tomorrow those who are doing better [physically] will play. I hope for a big victory against Roma," he was quoted as saying by Datasport.

"I ask the lads to take the field with confidence and continue with the good work we have undertaken so far."

Nonetheless, the former goalkeeper is not underestimating his opponents or the influence the referees have had on the Rosanero's season thus far.

"Roma have no weaknesses. They have great players like [Francesco] Totti, [Daniele] De Rossi, [David] Pizarro, [Mirko] Vucinic, and a good coach in [Claudio] Ranieri," he said.

"I am not making excuses, but it is undeniable that [match officials] have penalised us, and it is right to point them out."

Let's watch who will be the winner...

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Italy Serie A

Lazio vs Parma

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

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Italy Serie A

Fiorentina vs Sampdoria

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

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La Liga

Getafe vs Valencia

Date: September 23th Time: 20:00 (GMT)

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Italy Serie A

Siena vs Chievo

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

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Italy Serie A

Bari vs Cagliari

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

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Italy Serie A

Bologna vs Livorno

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

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Italy Serie A

Atalanta vs Catania

Date: September 23th Time: 18:45 (GMT)

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