Schalke 04 vs Eintracht Frankfurt Football Prediction and Betting Tips

Schalke head into this game looking to get into their first final since 2011. They couldn’t have come into this game from a better position than being second on the Bundesliga table and from the back of an impressive 2-0 win over local rivals, Borussia Dortmund. They now look set to compete in next season’s Champions League, but winning the DFB Pokal would be a fitting end to an impressive season for them. Bastian Oczipka and Max Meyer were rested for Schalke game against Dortmund at the weekend, but they are both expected to start in this game. The last week has been one of its kind for Frankfurt. They were unhappy with Bayern Munich’s announcement that their manager, Niko Kovac would be their next manager at the end of this season. That announcement was followed by a 4-1 loss to their fellow top-four competitor Bayer Leverkusen. The good news from that game was that Mexican winger Marco Fabian marked his return from a long time out with a goal in that game, he should keep his place in the line up for this match. top scorer, Luka Jovic should also be recalled here.

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AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester United Match Preview, Match Prediction and Betting Tips

Bournemouth travelled far to the north-west last weekend to play Liverpool at Anfield and they left the famous Premier League title with nothing to show for it after Liverpool won 3-0. Considering Liverpool’s form at the moment, that is not a result to be ashamed of. They welcome Manchester United to the Vitality Stadium and they would be looking to frustrate Jose Mourinho further. They are not in the best form they can be at the moment with just one win from their last eight Premier League games although they have proven to be very difficult to beat as they have just three losses in their last 15 games, a run that stretches to December, winning Chelsea and Arsenal in the process, these results has helped them to climb to 11th on the league table and banished or relegation fears. After beating Manchester City the previous weekend to delay their ultimate crowning as English champions, Manchester United lost their very next game at home to West Brom last weekend to help crown Manchester City champions with 4 games to spare. That loss ended their five-match winning run and means they have now failed to win 7 of their last 16 Premier League games. They have also won their last two away league games by 3-2 which shows that their defence could easily be breached.

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Pep Guardiola ready to fight Manchester United for Bayern Munich star

Pep Guardiola may have just won the English Premier League, but the Spaniard does not appear to be satisfied just yet as he has begun plotting for how to retain the title. Guardiola had the luxury of having some of the best players in the world at the moment in his Manchester City as they ran to the league title and won the Carabao Cup but he has decided to add yet more quality in his midfield as most of his midfielders are ageing. One player whom Guardiola desperately wants to bring to the Etihad is Bayern Munich’s Tiago Alcantara, but he faces competition from Manchester United. The Red Devils have made Alcantara a priority signing ahead of next season as they face losing at least two key midfielders. Guardiola has managed Alcantara twice in the past and maintains a good relationship with the 27 years old whom he took with him to Bayern Munich from Barcelona when he left the Catalans. He now wants to manage him for the third time. It is unclear at the moment if Alcantara would want to leave Bayern, but if he fails to win the Champions League again this season, he may move to the Premier League and test himself there.

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Brighton vs Tottenham Match Preview, Match Prediction and Betting Tips

No one expected Brighton’s game against Crystal Palace last weekend to be a thriller, but it turned out otherwise. The Eagles raced to a quick 2-0 lead in the opening 15 minutes, but Glen Murray got one back for the Seagulls only for Wilfried Zaha to increase Palace’s goal count to three. In the end, the first half ended 3-2 and there were no more goals in the second half. That defeat means Brighton are winless in their last five games, losing four of those matches. They are gradually slipping towards relegation and they need to arrest that slide as soon as possible even though they still have a seven-point cushion on the drop zone. They play all of the top four teams in their next five games which is their last five of the season, so they would be looking for the Maximum points here. Tottenham are seven points ahead of Chelsea in the race for the top four, but they would want to finish the season ahead of Liverpool who they have a game in hand on. They failed to beat Manchester City at the weekend despite the poor run of form that Pep Guardiola’s men are on and they would be looking to get back to winning ways here. They have seven wins from their last nine competitive games and would be playing Manchester United in the FA Cup at the weekend.

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Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich Football Prediction and Betting Tips

Bayer Leverkusen are looking to reach their first final since 2009 and their fans would be hoping that they can carry their fine league form and eliminate the Bundesliga champions in this game. They are almost certain to play Champions League football next season with a four-point cushion on the fourth position. However, they are coming up against a strong Bayern Munich side in this game as the Bavarians chase yet another treble under Jupp Heyckes. Lucas Alario is available despite being suspended for Bundesliga games and he should partner the red-hot Kevin Volland here. Bayern Munich rested most of their biggest stars in their weekend 5-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. Sandro Wagner helped himself to a brace but he should give way for Robert Lewandoski here.  James Rodriguez scored a stunner of a free kick the last time these teams met and should be in the starting line up here. However, Arturo Vidal pulled up in training after suffering the reoccurrence of a knee injury and he would not be involved in this game. These two sides last met in the  DFB Pokal in 2015 with Bayern Munich winning the quarterfinal game on penalties as the sides could not be separated after 120 minutes.

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West Ham vs Stoke City Match Preview, Match Prediction and Betting Tips

Just over a month ago, West Ham were on a brink of collapse following a 3-0 home loss to Burnley and the ensuing chaos with fans protesting against the club’s board. However, credit to the players as they have turned things around a little with 4 points from their last two games the last of which was a creditable 1-1 draw at Chelsea. They are now 14th on the league table, 6 points from safety and with a high degree of confidence as they approach this game which should see them get all three points against a Stoke City side that looks almost certain to finish inside the relegation zone. Despite a change in management, Stoke City have been woeful this season and their recent form does not suggest they would survive relegation. Their 2-1 loss to Tottenham in their last league game made it 9 games without a win for Paul Lambert’s men. The fact that the last four have been defeat shows how much of fight the Potters lack as the season gradually draws to a close. Stoke City have just one away win all season and they have not won an away game since their win over Watford in October last year, they now have seven losses from their last 11 on the road making it more difficult to see them beat a West Ham team that has lost just once in their last six home games.

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Mainz vs Freiburg Match Preview, Football Prediction and Betting Tips

Mainz 1-1 draw at Cologne the last time out may not be good enough to take them off the relegation spot, but it was a good result that and an invaluable point added to their bid to avoid the drop this season.They have another opportunity to push themselves towards safety here as Freiburg have looked out of sort recently, but Mainz also need to do better as they are winless in 6 games, drawing 4 and losing two, they are also on a run of just two wins in their last 17 matches. They would be without Giulio Donati for this game as a result of Red Card suspension. Freiburg are also winless in their last 6 games drawing two and losing the rest including their last three games that have ended in losses to Stuttgart, Schalke 04, and Wolfsburg. After Wolfburg’s draw against Augsburg on Friday, a win here would help Freiburg move above them and go 6 points above their host, but a loss could see Mainz move ahead of them on the league table. Freiburg won their home match 2-1 when these sides last met, but they have never won a game at Mainz, losing 5 and drawing 3.

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Steven Gerard lined up to become manager of Championship club next season

Liverpool legend, Steven Gerard has been targetted as a new manager of Championship side, Ipswich Town as the former Liverpool captain has been impressing in charge of the club’s Under 18s this season. Gerard was offered the managerial position at MK Dons last summer but rejected the offer claiming he was not ready for that level of management just yet. He has now spent this season studying under Jurgen Klopp and several teams are expected to want to prise him away from Liverpool at the end of the season. Ipswich Town managerial position became vacant last week after Mick McCarthy decided to walk away from the club early as he was expected to leave at the end of the season. The club’s owner, Marcus Edwards is taking his time before making a new managerial appointment, but he is said to have made contact with third parties over making Gerard the Tractor Boys manager next season. Gerard is expected to be ready for first team management soon, but it remains unclear if he would want to remain in Liverpool and continue learning or he would take the plunge into professional management after this season.

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