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Fulham’s over-achieving squad have been given an instant reward for knocking holders Shakhtar Donetsk out of the Europa League. Roy Hodgson takes his players back to Serie A where he once coached Inter Milan, to take on the best-supported club in Italy, Juventus.

The contrast in the European pedigree of the two clubs is stark- Juve are one of a handful of teams to win all three major European trophies and actually reached three Champions League Finals in succession from 1996-1998, such was their dominance.

Juve have appeared in nearly every season of European competition since it began in the 1950s. For Fulham this is just their second European campaign- the last one ended at the third round stage of the UEFA Cup in 2002/03, after the Cottagers came through the Intertoto Cup qualifiers. 2009/10 is their first direct entry to the main draw.

Individual Talent V Team Ethic

While Fulham are doing extremely well in the Premiership and have a number of internationals on their books, Juve- as ever- have some stellar names in their ranks. Six of Italy’s 2006 World Cup winning squad play their trade in Turin- they are supplemented by Brazilians like Diego, Felipe Melo and Amauri plus Davide Trezeguet, Christian Poulsen and Jonathan Zebina.

In theory Fulham should be easily outmatched and yet Juventus are not as good as the sum of their parts. They are only fifth in Serie A, having been beaten nine times in the league this year. That form cost Ciro Ferrara his job in January just as Claudio Ranieiri lost his position at the end of last season.

Juve have not quite been able to retain their former pre-eminence in Italy after their demotion to Serie B for match-fixing. Getting back up proved no problem but taking on the likes of the Milan clubs has been more difficult.

Hodgson’s Tactics Guarantee Close Game

Hodgson has few peers when it comes to setting up teams to stifle the opposition. There is every chance that the London club will come away from Turin with the tie still alive.

To hold the Italian side goalless would probably be asking too much- and Fulham have to play without their best midfielder Danny Murphy- but their well-drilled back four and hardworking forwards could keep the home side to a single score.

A scoring draw or even a single goal defeat would set the tie up for the second leg and open the possibility of a victory that would even surpass Fulham’s efforts against Shakhtar.

Fulham’s work ethic may well surprise and frustrate Juve.  Expect the Italians to eventualy come out on top but it will not be the rampaging win that many have backed.

PartyBets.com Prediction: Juventus to win and under 2.5 goals scored at 2.50.

Tonight sees another seven Europa League fixtures as we get ever closer to the quarter finals.

Atletico Madrid (1.73) V Sporting Lisbon (4.50)

Hamburg (1.65) V Anderlecht (5.00)

Lille (2.80) V Liverpool (2.40)

Rubin Kazan (1.95) V Wolfsburg (3.75)

Benfica (1.95) V Marseille (3.75)

Panathinaikos (1.65) V Standard Liege (5.00)

Valencia (1.80) V Werder Bremen (4.00)

Tom Europa League fulham, Juventus

Nicklas Bendtner being described as a hero? Who would have thought that based on Saturday’s wasteful finishing? In fact, who would have thought that based on an entire season of wasteful finishing? Not Arsenal fans, that’s for sure!

But last night Nicklas Bendtner was being hailed as a hero as he netted a hat-trick to lead the Gunners to a 5-0 rampage over Portuguese opponents Porto.

Even the 60,000 crowd at the Emirates were happy with his performance – and that’s a rare occurrence considering his ongoing inability to bag the goals and win over the Arsenal faithful.

It’s true, his finishing leaves a lot to be desired most of the time, and he may need four or five great chances just to score one goal… but didn’t Andy Cole make a career out of just that?

Will Bendtner Solve Arsene’s Striking Woes?

Last night, Bendtner showed that he can be the talisman that Wenger has been searching for since the departure of Emmanuel Adebayor last summer.

And it’s no coincidence that his first senior hat-trick for Arsenal came on the back of a woeful display against Burnley on Saturday, in which he wasted at least five golden opportunities, two of them virtually open goals.

Bendtner has responded to the criticism and bounced back in the same way that Theo Walcott did against Burnley following a poor performance while on international duty the week before.

Is this a sign that Arsenal’s youngsters are finally coming of age? If it is, the Gunners have a great chance of capturing both the Premier League and Champions League this season.

Maybe Arsene was right after all.

Only A Matter Of Time Before He Came Good

Bendtner’s heroics didn’t come as a surprise to us though, in yesterday’s match Champion’s League prediction preview we stuck our necks out and backed the Dane to score and Arsenal to go on and win.  I don’t know what it was but sometimes you just get that gut feeling that a player could be in for a fantastic night.

Bendtner would have been mortified after the weekend’s display but the lad has a huge amount of confidence and a lot to prove.  Against a flashy yet spineless team like Porto, Bendtner was always likely to have plenty of oportunites to score.

The question was whether he would have the courage and composure to take those chances.  Well, he certainly has and maybe now his critics will finally show him the respect he deserves.

We have two more Champion’s League fixture tonight featuring some of the greats of European football.  We’ve got the lowdown in today’s champion’s League preview where we have backed both the Real Madrid and Man United to progress to the quarter-finals.

Tom Champions League arsenal

The 3-2 comeback win over Sevilla on Saturday night which took Real Madrid back to the top of La Liga has sparked a huge expectation around the club and Real Madrid will be heading into this crucial second leg tie with Lyon full of confidence.

Real Madrid are desperate to reach this seasons final of the Champions League, which will be held in the Bernabeu.

As top goal scorers in La Liga and having a very strong home record there is the basis for optimism that Madrid can turn this tie around especially with the form of Cristiano Ronaldo (4.00 to score first, 1.60 to score anytime).

However, Real Madrid have not progressed past this stage of the competition for five years and were woeful in France when Lyon secured a 1-0 win.

Absent from the line up for Real on Wednesday night will be Xabi Alonso and Marcelo who picked up suspensions, so it is clear that this match is not a foregone conclusion and los Blancos are going to have to work hard to turn this one around.

Lyon will be hoping star man Lisandro Lopez (11.00 to score first), will make it an uncomfortable night for Madrid who cannot afford to concede an away goal.

The French giants are not the dominant force they once were in France but they do have some players who are capable of unlocking the Madrid defence at the Bernabeu and an away goal would put them firmly in the driving seat.

This is the acid test for the Galacticos 2.0, after the millions spent on assembling this squad they need to progress further than this stage of the competition. Last season saw Liverpool take Madrid apart with a 5-0 aggregate win at this stage and defeat to Lyon will not be acceptable.

Back Real Madrid to turn this one around and blow Lyon away 3-0 and Ronaldo to score first at 19.00.

Beckham Returns To Old Trafford

Tonight’s other Champion’s League match sees AC Milan travel to Man United for the second leg of their tie.  Trailing 3-2 from the first leg AC have it all to do.  They are an experienced team with an astounding Champion’s League pedigree but the equation in front of them is nothing if not daunting.

The Italians must win by two clear goals or at least 4-3 if they are to progress to the quarter-finals, a 3-2 win will take the tie to extra time.  Ronaldinho caused United no end of problems at the San Siro and he will be the key man if AC are to beat United but he is unlikely to be afforded the same time and space that he enjoyed back in February.

The Brazilian star is out at 9.00 to score the first goal and 3.60 to score at anytime, well worth a bet given his current form.

However, the smart money must go on Man United to qualify.  They looked a far more clinical team and with home advantage are the clear favourites to go through.

Back Man United to win and over 2.5 goals scored in the game at 2.80.

Tom Champions League Lyon, real madrid

England – Tonight Arsenal seek to overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit to Porto in the last sixteen of the Champions League. Current form and statistics suggest that the Gunners will take their place in the quarter-finals.

Generally, in two leg European ties when the first leg ends 2-1, the advantage lies with the away side, thanks to the goal scored on the opposition pitch. In around 57% of ties the team finish the job in front of their own fans but it is a slender advantage.

However, this is the third time Arsenal have encountered Porto in the past four seasons. The last two meetings were at the group stage and while Arsene Wenger’s side found it tough in Portugal- one draw and one defeat- they enjoyed two comfortable home victories.

Arsenal Desperately Seeking Goalscoring Star

Arsenal are in good form and should have enough to beat Porto at the Emirates, despite their lack of a top goalscoring striker. With Robin Van Persie injured and Emmanuel Adebayor sold, Arsenal don’t have one striker who leads the team. The absence of an attacking talisman might cost them further into the competition.

Porto are a solid Champions League team who always perform reasonably well but the need to sell their best players always weakens their impact. For instance, nearly all the side that won the competition with Jose Mourinho in 2004 had left within two years.

Arsenal suffered another grievous injury blow last weekend when Aaron Ramsay was stretchered off at Stoke but the team’s reaction to events has been impressive. The players bonded to win the match in the Potteries and carried that resolve into Saturday’s win over Burnley.

Andrei Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky will be available for Tuesday’s game and their craft and guile at this level, even without excellent Cesc Fabregas, should give Arsenal the edge in the midfield areas.

Wenger’s other main issue is who to pair at the back with Thomas Vermaelen. Sol Cambell has a knock and William Gallas may not be back in time- Mikel Silvestre may have to deputise.

Can Hulk Make It An Incredible Night For Porto?

Porto are only third in their league having lost several players in the summer. Colombian forward Falcao does top the scoring in Portugal though and along with the strangely named Hulk, he can test Arsenal’s defence.

But if Arsenal take control of the central areas, the supply to the front men will be limited and Porto’s defence doesn’t look capable of forcing a clean sheet. The London club must start as strong favourites to progress even without their captain.

Arsenal go into the game as clear favourites to win at 1.65 with Porto way behind at 5.25.  There’s no doubting that it would take a super-human effort from Porto to beat the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium but they are capable of snatching a vital away goal against what is likely to be an unusual Arsenal back-four.  Both teams to score at 1.84 doesn’t seem like a bad shout.

Anybody see Nikolas Bendtner’s dreadful display on Saturday?  Pretty shocking but it would not be a surprise to see the Dane get on the score sheet tonight and Arsenal to progress to the quarter-finals and you’d be certain to get a great price on that bet.

PartyBets.com Prediction: Bendtner to score and Arsenal to win at 2.90

There are another three Champion’s League fixtures this week;

Fiorentina 2.75 V Bayern Munich 2.50

Man United 1.75 V AC Milan 4.50

Real Madrid 1.30 V Lyon 9.00

Tom Champions League arsenal, porto