German Bundesliga 2009/10
Hannover 96 vs FC Nurnberg
AWD Arena (Hannover), 30 January 2010, Kick-off, 22:30 (GMT +8:00)
Hannover 96
Hannover are four points ahead of second from bottom Nurnberg and should be seen as favourites to improve their position in the Bundesliga. Compared to Nurnberg, who have lost 7 games on the road, Hannover have lost only 4 games at home, including a 5-2 victory over Freiburg, the team sitting on top of them in the league. In addition, a victory over Nurnberg tonight could put them above Freiburg, if they lose at Leverkusen on Monday, so a win is a must for the home team. Hannover would be encouraged that they hold a stronger head-to-head record over Nurnberg.
FC Nurnberg
Nurnberg drew 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt at home last week but their form on the road is a cause for concern. Three losses in their last three away matches, eight goals conceded and none scored. On top of that, they have not beaten Hannover since May 2007. They lost at home to Hannover earlier this season have conceded 2 goals to the same opposition in the last 3 meetings.
Match Prediction
The head-to-head suggest that Hannover should be able to overcome Nurnberg in this bottom of the table encounter. Hannover have scored two goals in each of their last three encounters and kept a clean sheet in their first encounter this season. They have, however, found goals hard to come by recently so a 1-0 win tonight should not be too far off from the actual score.
France Ligue 1 2009/10
Montpellier vs Olympique Marseille
Stade de la Masson (Montpellier), 31 January 2010, Kick-off, 04:00 (GMT +8:00)
Montpellier
Montpellier surprised even themselves this season, finding themselves sitting second behind league leaders Bordeaux and three points ahead of their rivals tonight. They have however, ended the year on a low, losing two consecutive games at home before finally picking up a narrow win against Nice in their first match back from the winter break. Montpellier have not beaten Marseille since 1999 and may find it tough to milk a win from this one tonight.
Marseille
A win tonight would see Marseille leapfrog above Montpellier in the table. They are still searching for ther first win on the road since 17 December 2009 and a match against an opponent they have beaten six times in seven encounters should provide the perfect opportunity to get a first win for the new year. But they should be cautious seeing that this season, there have been a lot of surprises, more so since Montpellier have been on form for the whole of last year, despite suffering a drop of form at the turn of the year.
Match Prediction
Marseille should fancy themselves to win this encounter but Montpellier may have other ideas. A draw looks likely but do not be surprised if the home team post a win in front of their home crowd. It would definitely be a tight game considering that both teams hold a good goals per game ratio, there should be goals for both sides tonight,
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