Week-end football preview

The Dubai Carnival started with a lot of expectancy on Thursday, and if the results of the first meeting are of any indication, it seems that the trend of Godolphin and Mike de Kock taking most of the headlines (and prizes) is set to continue. Godolphin bagged a treble and the South African stable got a double. As I was mentioning previously, this can be good from a punting point of view, as long as the right horses from these stables are picked (can't pick all of them obviously). Will surely be following the Carnival closely to look for good punting opportunities.

Back to football where there's another busy week-end in all the European leagues. Man City are hosting Wolves and I don't think Man City will lose this game. Wolves often keep games tight on their travels as they usually keep their discipline and it's hard to break them down. They play fast counter-attack football which sometimes can give them results as in Anfield some time back. But this City team is really coming together despite the off-field or training bust-ups that make the headlines for the wrong reasons. Man City are not Liverpool and will have too much quality for this Wolves side. Man City as a draw-no-bet is my recommendation.

I also like Chelsea's chances against Blackburn. I don't think a 7-0 rout against Ipswich means that they are totally back on track. They still have a confidence to build and winning consistency to find before they can regain their fear factor again. However, it can't get worse for them than the previous weeks, and they will have plenty of chances against this average Blackburn side. Chelsea is a draw-no-bet recommendation.

Tough game for Man Utd against Tottenham; a real test for Fergie's men and this can be the game the Red Devils lose their unbeaten tag. I think it will be an open game where both teams will have their chances. That's why it's impossible to predict the outcome on that one.

In Spain, Barcelona is hosting Malaga. I don't need to write much here, and Barcelona is favoured to win this. Real Madrid travel to second-bottom club Almeira and Ronaldo is probably relishing this encounter to augment his goal tally. Madrid legs might be tired after the Copa del Rey match against Athletico Madrid on Wednesday, but they have a full squad to rotate from, and should be able to prevail at the end. I recommend a win on Casillas and his teammates.

Win: Real Madrid, Barcelona
Draw-no-bet: Chelsea, Man City