4 SATURDAY VISION, APRIL 4, 2015 GOOAL! GOOAL! SATURDAY VISION, APRIL 4, 2015 5 EUROPEAN FOOTBALL PREVIEWS EUROPEAN FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

FRANCE SPAIN ITALY TABLE Pos Team P W D L F A Pts

1 Juventus 21 18 2 1 51 15 56 21. ASJuventus Roma 2128 1520 57 11 4555 1114 5067 32. NapoliAS Roma 2128 1314 511 33 4439 2321 4453 43. FiorentinaLazio 2128 1216 54 48 4051 2327 4152 54. InterSampdoria Milan 2128 128 912 44 3837 2428 3348 6 Torino 21 8 8 5 34 27 32 5. Napoli 28 13 8 7 47 36 47 7 Parma 21 8 8 5 32 27 32 NO LOOKING 6. Fiorentina 28 12 10 6 41 31 46 8  Verona 21 10 2 9 35 34 32 7. Torino 28 10 9 9 32 30 39 9 AC Milan 21 7 7 7 34 31 28 108.  ACLazio Milan 2128 97 711 78 2741 2935 2838 119.  Genoa 2127 97 610 88 2337 2733 2737 Saturday, 6pm  Guingamp v O. Lyon 1210. AtalantaInter Milan 2128 97 310 119 2142 3036 2437 Saturday, 9pm 1311.  SampdoriaPalermo 2128 58 711 99 2538 3241 2235 Lorient v Rennes 1412.  CagliariUdinese 2127 48 99 810 2031 3136 2133 Metz v Toulouse 15  Udinese 21 6 2 13 20 32 20 13. Empoli 28 6 15 7 30 30 33 Lille v S. de Reims 16  Chievo 21 4 6 11 16 27 18 14. Sassuolo 28 7 11 10 34 43 32 Montpellier v Bastia 17  Bologna 21 3 9 9 20 36 18 Nice v E. T. Gaillard 15. Chievo Verona 28 8 8 12 21 30 32 18  Sassuolo 21 4 5 12 22 46 17 Sunday, 3pm 16. Verona 28 8 8 12 33 48 32 BARC 19  Livorno 21 4 4 13 19 37 16 Bordeaux v R. Lens 17. Atalanta 28 5 11 12 23 38 26 Sunday, 6pm 20 Catania 21 3 5 13 13 37 14 Nantes v Caen Barca eye to extend lead 18. Cagliari 28 4 9 15 34 53 21 Sunday, 10pm 19. Cesena 28 4 9 15 25 49 21 Marseille v PSG 20. Parma * 26 3 3 20 21 53 9 MADRID “With the three great players we Saturday, 5pm Despite his troubles off the pitch, PSG’s star striker Ibra- have up front, we haven’t had to Sevilla v Bilbao himovic has hit form just in time for the French Classique arcelona coach re- change the way we play but we do Saturday, 7pm, SS7 deliver a lot of balls to them because turns to Celta Vigo’s Balaidos sta- Cordoba v Atletico B we know they will create scoring Napoli meet Roma dium on Sunday looking to consolidate Saturday, 9pm chances. Almeria v Levante a four-point advantage at the top of La “We still dominate games. The Saturday, 11pm, SS5 Marseille, PSG face off in Liga against the team he led success- style and philosophy remain the Malaga v Sociedad in battle for Europe fully last season before taking over at same. Barca always has to be the Sunday, 1pm, SS5 MILAN break added to the troubles team that takes the initiative.” R. Madrid v Granada the Nou Camp. as forward Gervinho suffered Real host struggling Granada and Sunday, 6pm, SS5 Following a three-year stint in charge of a thigh injury in Ivory Coast’s third-placed Valencia are at home to Valencia v Villarreal he battle for a Cham- Barca’s B team, Luis Enrique’s management friendly against Equatorial Villarreal on Sunday. Sunday, 8pm pions League place career stumbled at AS Roma in 2011-12 Guinea on Sunday. crucial French Classique Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid Getafe v Deportivo T ‘ ’ before he won plaudits for inspiring modest should add extra spice The hosts may also be Saul Niguez has warned Sunday, 10pm, SS3 Celta to a ninth-placed finish in Spain’s top to Saturday’s meeting of without talismanic forward PARIS much will be at stake at the Stade stages of the season as he faces a four-match ban for com- his team-mates of the perils of taking C. Vigo v Barcelona flight last term. who is still Velodrome. ments he made about the referee following PSG's 3-2 defeat Cordoba lightly on Saturday. Monday, 9pm old rivals AS Roma and A former Barca and Spain midfielder, recovering from a thigh injury. t’s the country’s biggest ri- With Belgium forward Michy Batsh- at Bordeaux last month. Luis Enrique is a confirmed disciple of Reuters Espanyol v Elche Napoli, yet the build up uayi making a big impact and Ayew Ibrahimovic has been called before the league's disciplinary to the game suggests Although much is at stake, valry, and it will be of crucial the Catalan club’s possession-based, Roma’s disappointing recent I hitting top form at the right time, the commission on April 9. attack-minded playing style. it could be played in a importance this year. final sprint for the title might well LA LIGA TABLE form and the early kickoff Celta’s continued success despite a lukewarm atmosphere. With eight rounds of games remain- turn in favor of Marcelo Bielsa’ side. Pos Team P W D L F A Pts could result in the match TABLE limited budget suggests his positive influence Both teams have suffered a ing, everything is up for grabs in the Marseille is not involved in any other being played in a half-empty on the club has lingered long after his depar- 1 FC Barcelona 21 17 3 1 57 13 54 recent slip in form and this, French league as Marseille hosts bitter competition this season while PSG, Pos Team P W D L F A Pts Stadio Olimpico. ture. Celta are 10th with 10 games left and 21. Atlético Barcelona Madrid 2128 1722 32 14 5280 1417 6854 combined with a Saturday rival Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, has to cope with a hectic schedule 1 Juventus 21 18 2 1 51 15 56 Local media said that only have claimed some impressive wins this season, 32 Real Madrid Madrid 2128 1721 21 26 6078 2126 6453 lunchtime kickoff and the setting up what is set to be an exciting as it aims for an unprecedented 21. ASParis Roma St Germain 2130 1516 511 13 4555 1128 5059 5,000 tickets have been sold including a 1-0 upset of Barca at the Nou Camp 4 Athletic Club Bilbao 21 13 3 5 41 27 42 fears of fan violence surround- end to the season. quadruple. 3 Napoli 21 13 5 3 44 23 44 3 Valencia 28 18 6 4 52 22 60 so far and predicted a crowd 2. Olympique Lyon 30 17 7 6 57 24 58 in November. ing the fixture, is expected to “Paris are favourites to win the title, “We all know that the game next 5 Villarreal 21 11 4 6 39 22 37 of around 40,000, around half 43. FiorentinaOlympique Marseille 2130 1217 56 47 4060 2331 4157 They also drew 2-2 at Atletico Madrid in Sep- 4 Atletico Madrid 28 18 5 5 53 23 59 leave the Stadio Olimpico half but we will play with our weapons weekend is super important,” said 6 Real Sociedad 21 10 6 5 42 30 36 the stadium’s capacity. 54. InterMonaco Milan 2129 158 98 46 3835 2421 3353 tember and followed that up by surprising the 5 Sevilla 28 17 4 7 51 33 55 empty. and try to make them tumble,” said Marseille defender Rod Fanni. “We Tickets will not be sold to 6 Torino 21 8 8 5 34 27 32 champions 2-0 in Galicia in February. 7 Sevilla 21 8 7 6 39 34 31 Roma’s grip on second place Marseille winger Andre Ayew, who have an all-conquering mindset.” 5. St Etienne 30 14 10 6 37 24 52 6 Villarreal 28 14 7 7 43 26 49 residents of Naples, although 7 Parma 21 8 8 5 32 27 32 8 Levante 21 7 6 8 22 30 27 has been slowly loosened scored four goals in the 11 “Clas- 6. Girondins Bordeaux 30 13 9 8 38 37 48 7 Malaga 28 13 5 10 31 31 44 Napoli fans who live else- siques” he played with the southern 8  Verona 21 10 2 9 35 34 32 Direct playing style 9 Espanyol 21 7 5 9 25 27 26 since the start of the year, and where in Italy can buy them. Ibrahimovic back in form 7. Montpellier HSC 29 13 6 10 39 32 45 9 AC Milan 21 7 7 7 34 31 28 After leaving Celta and taking over from Gerardo 108 ValenciaAthletic Club 2128 117 46 1011 2827 3333 3925 their nine-point cushion over club. “The championship is starting Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s struggles and 108.  LilleLazio 2130 117 78 711 2727 2926 2841 Martino at the end of last season, Luis Enrique has third place has been slashed now.” antics of recent weeks have made way 119 GranadaReal Sociedad 2128 97 39 1110 1933 2737 3624 Reuters 119.  GenoaNantes 2130 107 610 810 2324 2730 2740 guided Barca to the top of La Liga, where they to one point, while they have PSG and Marseille are locked in for stunning displays. 1210 GetafeCelta Vigo 2128 97 38 1111 2229 3431 3524  hold a four-point advantage over second-placed dropped 14 points behind an intriguing three-way battle for the Since being sent off for a rough 1210. AtalantaEn Avant Guingamp 2130 127 33 1115 2132 3041 2439 Saturday, 1.30pm Real Madrid. 1311 RayoCelta de Vallecano Vigo 2128 116 42 1115 2733 3450 3522 runaway leaders Juventus. title, with PSG leading Lyon by one tackle on a Chelsea player at Stamford 1311.  SampdoriaStade Rennes 2130 510 79 911 2528 3237 2239 AS Roma v Napoli, SS5 They are through to the last eight of the Cham- 1412 EspanyolOsasuna 2128 96 47 1112 1832 3437 3422 Meanwhile, Napoli have point and Marseille in third place one Bridge and insulting a French referee 14  Cagliari 21 4 9 8 20 31 21 Saturday, 4pm 12. Nice 30 10 7 13 33 37 37 pions League and the final of the King’s Cup and 15 Almeria 21 6 4 11 22 40 22 dropped from third to fifth point further back. Lyon travels to last month, the Sweden international 15  Udinese 21 6 2 13 20 32 20 13 Getafe 28 8 5 15 24 39 29 Atalanta v Torino Guingamp on Saturday. 13 Bastia 30 9 10 11 30 34 37 have a chance of repeating 2009’s unprecedented 16 Malaga 21 5 6 10 19 27 21 after failing to win any of their Cagliari v Lazio has made amends on the pitch. 16  Chievo 21 4 6 11 16 27 18 treble of European and Spanish league and Cup 14 Eibar 28 7 7 14 26 38 28 The match between PSG and 14. Caen 30 9 8 13 44 44 35 17 Elche 21 5 6 10 19 32 21 last four Serie A games. Genoa v Udinese The 33-year-old forward made 17  Bologna 21 3 9 9 20 36 18 15 Elche 28 7 6 15 23 52 27 Marseille became popular during the 15. Stade de Reims 30 9 8 13 36 50 35 crowns. Only the top two in Serie A v Parma the most of the international break, 18  Sassuolo 21 4 5 12 22 46 17 18 Real Valladolid 21 4 7 10 24 37 19 1990's when the arrival of prominent Barca centre back Gerard Pique said on Wednes- 16 Deportivo Coruna 28 6 8 14 23 44 26 qualify directly for the Cham- Palermo v AC Milan scoring three goals in two matches for 16. Evian Thonon Gaillard 30 11 2 17 32 46 35 Messi and his Barcelona 19 Rayo Vallecano 21 5 1 15 21 51 16 stars such as Enzo Francescoli, Rudi 19  Livorno 21 4 4 13 19 37 16 day the team had remained true to its playing style pions League group stage Sassuolo v C. Verona Sweden, after bagging eight goals and 17. FC Lorient 30 10 4 16 34 41 34 teammates will not take 17 Almeria 28 6 7 15 23 42 25 Voeller and in France 20 Catania 21 3 5 13 13 37 14 the foot off the pedal as but had also become more direct, exploiting the 20 Real Betis 21 2 5 14 18 47 11 while third place earns a place Verona v Cesena providing two assists in his last six 18 Levante 28 6 7 15 23 52 25 ignited a strong enmity between the 18. Toulouse 30 9 5 16 31 49 32 they seek to maintain talents of their fearsome attacking trio of Lionel in the final qualifying round. Saturday, 7.30pm league games with PSG. Ibrahimovic Fiorentina v Sampdoria, SS9 sides. It lost its glamour with Mar- 19. Racing Lens 30 6 7 17 27 47 25 their lead in the La Liga Messi, and Luis Suarez. 19 Granada CF 28 4 11 13 18 43 23 Roma have drawn eight of is available for the match in Marseille standings Saturday, 10pm seille’s decline but with the nine-time “I think the team still has the same philosophy their last 11 league games but he might be missed in the closing 20. Metz 30 5 8 17 22 42 23 20 Cordoba 28 3 9 16 20 46 18 Juventus v Empoli, SS9 champions’ resurgence this season but we have a lot of options,” Pique told reporters. and even the international