Universitatea Craiova 3:0 "U" Cluj

Universitatea Craiova vs "U" Cluj
Romanian Liga I, 17h30
These teams are two of the better supported sides in Romania. Universitatea Craiova represents a region with very passionate people and has been the proudness of its fans. "U" Cluj is the most popular team in almost 1/3 of Romania. Both have something in common. They've started a resurgence in seek of performance that has eluded both for some decades.
The hosts have put Piturca in charge, who coached the national team at Euro 2008. He is a very respected manager in Romania, having also been a very good footballer. He has brought fresh air to a youthful team that was underachieving, having won just 2 points in 4 games before his arrival. With Piturca on the bench they've managed 2 wins, a loss and a draw against the second placed team, Rapid.
"U" Cluj have promoted this summer after almost a decade of lower league football and have great ambitions. The guests have started very well, positioned in 8th spot after 9 games with 14 points. They've beaten Dinamo Bucharest away, as well as last season's runners up. They have also drawn with the reigning champions and also against Vaslui, both 1-1; while beating the current leaders.
Claudiu Niculescu is the main striking power, at 34. He scored 6, but has a total of 145 goals in the Romanian First Division, which is the 2nd highest at the moment behind ex-teammate and good friend Danciulescu. Niculescu has great respect for the opposite coach, while the latter has said that they will take every measure needed in order to keep the striker at bay. Piturca said "U" Cluj is a team that can always score 3 times in a game.I have to mention the fact the "U" has scored in every single game this season.
I tip "U" Cluj to score at least once today, at 1/2.

Manchester City 1:1 Juventus

Manchester City vs Juventus
Uefa Europa League, 21h05
Juventus have a mediocre start of the season, condimented with a couple of thumpings (4-0 at Udinese and 4-2 at home to Cagliari). The bianconeri are really scoring for fun under new coach Del Neri, but also tend to concede a lot of goals (see consecutive 3-3 results against Sampdoria and Lech Poznan and a 1-3 loss to Palermo, all at home). They changed a lot of personel during the summer, bringing in Bonucci, Pepe, Quagliarella, Aquilani or Krasic (all at huge costs) and selling the likes of Diego, Camoranesi, Trezeguet, Giovinco or Poulsen. Having in mind the injury suffered by Buffon, they have brought in Storari from Milan, whose play was bad to this moment in the season. Expect him to concede a couple tonight.
Manchester City have had a big test at the weekend, beating free-scoring Chelsea, 1-0. Mancini imposed a defensive approach and it was the way to win against the Blues. City have had another busy summer, bringing in players for huge sums of money, like David Silva, Kolarov, Jerome Boateng, James Milner, Balotelli, Adam Johnson or Yaya Toure. The Sky Blues are on a high and I think Mancini will drive them to UCL qualification come next summer. They've won their previous game in this competition, away at Salzburg
I tip City to win, at 2/3.

Athletic 1:3 Barcelona

Everton 3:3 Manchester United

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona
Spanish Primera Division, 22h00
The Basques have a good start of the campaign, just 2 points behind their opponents. Bilbao have always had been so powerful at home, that Barca will find it again so difficult in San Mames.
Messi is injured, while Puyol is doubtful.
I tip Athletic not to lose this one, at evens.

Everton vs Manchester United
English Premier League, Saturday 13h45
The club football is back after the international fixtures and I am picking an intriguing encounter to analyze. Everton take on Manchester United at Goodison Park and the stats are not on the hosts side. Everton has only one point from 3 games compared to United's seven. Everton are used to getting off to poor start of the season. The last couple of season's it was the same old story for them, having to get back in the pack. The good news for David Moyes is the fact that he has his three better players injury-free and we will enjoy watching Tim Cahill,  Mikel Arteta and Steven Pienaar battling out with Sir Alex Ferguson's troops.
Last year's corresponding feature finished 3-1 for the hosts. United will have had more players on international duty and maybe that will be a disadvantage. Rio Ferdinand, Hargreaves and Anderson will miss out, while Rooney was doubtful but will play following the press scandal he was involved in last week.
I tip Everton not to lose this tie, at 4/5.

Blackburn 1:2 Arsenal

Blackburn vs Arsenal
Premier League, 13h45
Arsenal are looking for an away win since March. The good news for the Gunners is that Fabregas and Van Persie could feature after injuries that prevented them to play 90 minutes in the previous games.
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has not lost to Wenger at home. He managed 4 wins and 3 draws in the past while coaching Bolton, Newcastle and Rovers. A win for the hosts would mean their 1000th top flight victory.
I tip Blackburn not to lose, at 11/10.

Lille 2:0 Vaslui

Lille vs Vaslui
Uefa Europa League Play-Off, 20h45
It will be a difficult task for Lille tonight, as they were kept quiet a week ago in Romania. It was a goalless draw in the 1st leg and I believe Vaslui are to be taken seriously. The Romanian team has a decent coach and very good athleticism which will pose the hosts some threat. The technique of the visitors is above average as they include two of the best players in Romania, Sanmartean and Wesley.
Lille drawed 3 matches out of 3 in Le Championat scoring only once in the process, while Vaslui managed only 5 points from a possible 15. These are quite low performances for two teams that must be challenging for the title.
I tip Vaslui not to lose in 90 minutes, at a huge 6/5.

Vaslui 0:0 Lille

Vaslui vs Lille
Europa League Play-Off, 19h00
Lille have finished 4th last season in France, just outside the UCL spots, which should have been heartbreaking. They managed to keep hold of their most important men, Gervinho and Eden Hazard. They are wanted by clubs in England and Spain.
Vaslui finished 3rd in Romania last season and have also been finalists of the domestic Cup. They appointed ex Real Madrid and Spain U21 caretaker Lopez Caro as coach and brought in a number of players to force a push for the title this season. Among them are Spanish centre-back David Rivas and Brazilian forward Adailton. Also, they do have good players like Gladstone and Wesley, while you should watch for the likes of Papp & Sanmartean .
I tip Vaslui not to lose tonight, at 2/3.

Werder 3:1 Sampdoria

Werder Bremen vs Sampdoria
Uefa Champions League Play-Off, 20h45
This should be the most mouth-watering tie of this stage of the competition, as two big clubs from football history battle it out for a place in the UCL group stage. Both teams played Uefa Cup Finals in the 90's, but Werder has played in the UCL recently and should have the experience on their side. It should be also mentioned that Werder were finalists in the last Uefa Cup, in 2009.
Sampdoria lost their coach this summer, who signed for Juventus. The Bluecerchiati finished 4th in Serie A with main striker Gianpaolo Pazzini summing up 19 goals.
Werder has just lost Mesut Oezil to Real Madrid, but will have Aaron Hunt to throw in the battle instead. Otherwise the team has a great goalscorer in the Peruvian Pizzaro, helped by a attacking minded formation. Watch also for Hugo Almeida and Marko Marin. Brazilian centre-back Naldo is the only major absentee.
I tip Werder to win it, at 2/3.

Zenit 1:0 Auxerre

Zenit vs Auxerre
Uefa Champions League Play-Off, 20h45
Auxerre managed to take 3rd place in Le Championnat at the photo-finish against Lille. That was a big feat for the team that has a history in the 90's Uefa Cup, but since then have been quite mediocre in the domestic league, finishing each season mostly just above the relegation zone. Coach Jean Fernandez did not make significant changes to last season's squad. Auxerre started the season with two draws.
Zenit are half-way across the Russian league, leading the tables and still being undefeated in 16 games. In the previous round of the UCL they defeated Unirea Urziceni, 1-0 on aggregate. The financial status of the home side is so very powerful, that they've recently added Bruno Alves to their squad. Coach Luciano Spaletti can count on a string of quality players like Bystrov, Anyukov, Malafeev, Rosina and Danny.
I tip Zenit to win this game, at 6/11.

Netherlands 3:2 Uruguay

Netherlands vs Uruguay

World Cup Semifinal, 20h30
Both teams had a very good tournament so far. The Netherlands have won all their games in the competition. Coach Bert van Marwijk assembled a team that is feared by everyone. They managed to come from behind and beat Brasil by 2-1 in the Quarterfinal stage. That proved the hunger for success that one can find in the Oranje camp. With a win tonight, it will be their first World Cup Final since 1978. That team is said to be one of the best in football, lead by the great Johan Crujff.
Watch for the likes of Robben, Snejder and van Persie.
Uruguay have their self a pedigree in this competition. They've won it twice and played another final, but all of those achievements came early in football history.
They won the WC in 1930 and 1950. The Final they lost was back in 1970.
Qualifying to the Semifinal stage came at a huge price. They've lost Luis Suarez through suspension. He handled the ball which was going into the net in the dying seconds of the game against Ghana. The opponents eventualy missed the penalty. Suarez and Forlan are the best assets this team posesses. That's why I think tonight the Netherlands will keep the attacking threat posed by Uruguay at bay.
I tip the Netherlands to progress to the Final, at 5/11.