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2004-01-03 Terrassa - Cordoba

Well, great odds in every bookie for this match!

Terrassa has'nt won still in their ground, and despite their last improvements and not-very-bad results, they are still a "neither fish nor flesh" team. 0-5-3 is their record at home... And only in the last weeks is that they are avoiding the relegation spots in the table. For tommorrow they will miss some players like Cristian Garcà­a, Toà±o Jubera and Alberto Méndez, but none of them is a VIP player (if Terrassa has some).

When Cordoba and Terrasa met, the result was 3-0 for Cordoba, but they are clearle a typical Segunda team: good results at home, and few points earned in away games... All in all, I trust them for a victory tommorrow, and only Sanchez is expected to be out for this match. Cordoba's form is average, nothing to cheer about, and they have gained 1 single win away this season, but I hope this will be their 2nd. Larrainzar, Villa, Berruet, are players that can make the difference. And odds, by the way, are very good!

Line ups:

Terrassa: Morales, Besora, Rubén, Capà³, Héctor, Navas, Recio, Gallego, Monty, Quique Martà­n and Maykel. Cà³rdoba: Jaàºregui; Larrainzar, Ramà³n, Berruet, Juanmi; Pablo Sierra, Francisco, Gracia, George; Villa and Gonzà¡lez.

Pick: A, Odds: 3.20, Stake: 5, Bookmaker: Interwetten

Racing Santander - Barcelona X

Racing Santander is 0-1-3 in last 4 at home and have only scored 1 goal. They are only 2-1-5 at home this season. Racing coach has full team available and is expected to field a more defensive line-up and let Barcelona control the game.

Barcelona is 1-1-2 in last 4 away. Dutch internationals Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars will miss the game due to injuries. Thiago Motta and Gabri Garcia are also still out injured.

When played at Santander's "El Sardinero" the stats are 2-5-2 in last 9 games. Last season the game ended 1-1.

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Malaga - Real Sociedad 1

Malaga is 5-1-0 in last 6 at home. Only 4 goals conceeded while 14 scored. In last 2 they have beaten Barcelona 5-1 and Mallorca 3-1.

Real Sociedad is without a win in 9 games. They have lost last 3 overall with 1-9 in goalscore. Away they are 0-1-5 in last 6 games.

Real Sociedad is missing very important players as Darko Kovacevic, Xabi Alonso, Agustà­n Aranzabal and Sander Westerveld.
Malaga is 2-0-1 in last 3 at home against Sociedad. ]

Penso che l'assenza degli ormai anziani Kluivert ed Overmars farà  benissimo a Barca. Vado su Barca, vamos. :smoke:

Quanto a Malaga, non saprei, Societad dovrà  cominciare a vincere (non so perché mentre scrivo questo mi viene in mente Leverkusen della scorsa annata) ma con tutte ste importantissime !!!! assenze, sembra una passeggiata per i padroni di casa, tuttavia no bet for me.

FT Terrassa [1 - 0] Cordoba

41' [1 - 0] Gallego

Despite Osasuna's lofty position in the Spanish top flight where they occupy the fourth and final Champions League place, coach Javier Aguirre is refusing to get carried away.

He's not making a place in Europe one of his aims for this season. The fans are certainly excited, though, because the Pamplona club is enjoying one of its best ever seasons.

Normally the men from Pamplona, the city where the world famous Running of the Bulls is held each year, would be nervously looking behind them and aiming for survival. But they can travel to face Athletic Bilbao on Sunday with a different perspective.

Not so for Aguirre, though. A highly regarded coach after his rescuing of Mexico from a woeful start to lead them to qualification to the last World Cup is realistic about what Osasuna can achieve.

"Our objective now is not Europe - that is clear," he said. "We are not designed for Europe, we are designed so that we do not go down to the segunda division and for that aim we are working.

"I don't want to deceive anybody about it but later if things turn out well then we will welcome it. I hope that we will continue playing like we have been doing this year and that the fans enjoy watching us play. I would like the club to grow as a team with more members and we gradually improve."

Aguirre admitted that he has been taken aback by the way Osasuna have performed this season.

"It has surprised me, I hoped that the team would improve and I would improve but I would never have imagined that we would be in the position of contesting a Champions League or a UEFA Cup place now," he said.

"I wanted to be working between the eighth and the 15th position now, a comfortable place, but it seems to me that to stay in fourth place all the season will be too much for us."

Osasuna will travel to San Mames with Jose Manuel Mateo, Inaki Munoz and Pierre Webo likely to return to the starting line-up. Moha (Mohammed El Yaagoubi) and Cesar Cruchaga are both suspended for the game while Richard Morales, Ivan Rosado and Antonio Lopez will have late fitness tests.

Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde believes that the way his team performs against Osasuna will be a good indication of how well they will do this season.

The Basque outfit is currently two places off the aim of a place in Europe and is playing well after a disappointing start to the campaign.

"We must make sure that the Christmas break does not affect us and that we return to play good football," he said.

"It will be a difficult game after the stoppage and possibly I am worried because I do not have good experiences in these situations.

"We will have to be focused, we are expecting a hard month and we will have to recharge the batteries fully. It is important that we maintain our position in the zone we are currently in," he said.

"This is a long road and we need to continue until the end. The places in the league are not decided until the final few weeks of the championship and we need to be in the right position at that time."

Questa sì che è bella: l'allenatore di Osasuna che dice: nooooooooooooooo. noi non vogliamo l'Europa, rimanere alla 1° Liga è il nostro obiettivo : Home win At. Bilbao @ 2.00 :smoke: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke: