NBA: Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls

After sweeping the season series vs. the Miami Heat in 2010-2011 but falling to them in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals,


the Chicago Bulls know that the regular season match ups between the two East titans don't mean much. But, that's not to say that a road victory over the Heat on Sunday afternoon wouldn't signal to the rest of the NBA that the Heat aren't going to just roll over the Bulls on their way to a second straight NBA Finals appearance.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, they're likely to be shorthanded in today's game. Though he's still being deemed as a "game time decision," it's unlikely that SF Luol Deng will take to the court in South Beach. In an interview before Friday night's game vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, Deng said that he is a "week away" from being able to play, though it's of course possible that that was an intentional smokescreen. The Bulls may also be without starting SG Richard Hamilton, who sat out on Friday night with a right thigh bruise.

The Heat meanwhile are now just up to full strength, with superstar SG Dwyane Wade back in the line up after recovering from a high ankle sprain, and sharpshooting bench mainstay Mike Miller fully healthy for the first time this season. The Bulls will still have advantages in the frontcourt, and of course no Heat point guard can match up with Derrick Rose, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough to overcome the Heat.

FC Barcelona vs Villareal Fc.

Despite Barca’s clear superiority heading into this Barcelona vs Villarreal match, Pep Guardiola is not taking this match lightly,


knowing very well that a slip-up at this stage of the season and standing 5 points behind Real Madrid, could spell real trouble to their hopes of securing another La Liga title.

After going 10 matches straight without a win, Villarreal found themselves in the relegation zone and out of European competition. They just recently broke that bad stretch by winning 3-0 against Sporting Gijon and climbing one step above the relegation zone. Jose Catala and Giuseppe Rossi remain out, but Marchena, Camunas, and Musacchio are expected to feature in this highly anticipated match for fans at the El Madrigal.

If you’d like to bet on Villarreal v Barcelona, odds deem the hosts as 9/1 underdogs while the draw is priced at 5/1. Our Barcelona vs Villarreal prediction sees Barca getting the much needed three points following their triump over Real Madrid. Watch here

La LIGA: Real Madrid vs Zaragoza

The leaders enter the weekend with a five-point advantage over rivals Barcelona, but after losing out to Pep Guardiola's men in yet another competition -


Madrid was eliminated by Barcelona in Copa del Rey on Wednesday - Real will be focused on preserving its first-place position to edge the Catalans in the title race.

Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka is wary of the threat that last- place Zaragoza can pose and insists that his side is focused on rebounding from its King's Cup exit in the proper manner.

"The squad is thinking about the match against Zaragoza, which will surely be difficult," said Karanka. "Despite the shape they're in, they managed to cause an upset against us last year. The squad only thinks about winning and giving another good performance."

Real Madrid's last La Liga loss came at the hands of Barcelona on Dec. 10 as the Catalans earned a 3-1 win at the Bernabeu. Since then, Madrid has won four-straight league games by a combined score of 17-5.

Zaragoza, which sits bottom of the table with just 12 points on the season, has drawn two-straight league games and is winless in its last 12 La Liga matches. It has not won since Oct. 16, a 2-0 defeat of Real Sociedad.

Barcelona looks to close the gap on Real Madrid as the reigning European champions head to El Madrigal to face lowly Villarreal.

The Catalans have lost just once in La Liga this season, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Getafe on Nov. 26. That result sparked a six-game unbeaten run that saw Barcelona take 15 points from a possible 18 and outscore opponents 21-5.

Villarreal, meanwhile, sits fourth from bottom on just 19 points. The Yellow Submarines defeated Sporting Gijon, 3-0, on Monday to snap a six-game winless run.

In Saturday's other two La Liga contests, Espanyol looks to extend its unbeaten run to six games when it hosts Mallorca at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat, and Athletic Bilbao looks to build upon its 1-0 win over Mallorca in Copa del Rey on Wednesday when it travels to the Teresa Rivero to face Rayo Vallecano

Liverpool vs Manchester United.

Midfielder Jay Spearing could be recalled to Liverpool's squad after missing three matches with a hamstring injury.

Manager Kenny Dalglish has to assess the fitness of his players after their Carling Cup exploits against Manchester City in midweek, with forward Craig Bellamy seemingly the most unlikely to play three games in a week. Striker Luis Suarez, suspended for racially abusing Patrice Evra in the two club's league encounter in October, serves the seventh game of his eight-match ban.

Sir Alex Ferguson will take a late check on his squad before finalising his line-up . Wayne Rooney and Phil Jones (both ankle) and Rio Ferdinand (back) are amongst those who are thought to be causing concern. Nani (foot) is expected to miss out, although there has been no official update on the winger's fitness since he limped out of last Sunday's win at Arsenal. Evra will play despite being assured of a hot reception from the Anfield crowd.

Copa Del Rey: Barcelona vs Real Madrid

Barcelona will be without Seydou Keita, who is away on African Cup of Nations duty with Mali. Pep Guardiola's side also have three players who have long-term injuries; Ibrahim Afellay and Andreu Fontas are both out with ligament injuries, while David Villa is sidelined for the foreseeable future with a broken leg.

Pedro returned from injury to feature in the 4-1 victory over Malaga at the weekend, but it is unlikely the Spaniard will oust Cesc Fabregas, Lionel Messi, or Alexis Sanchez from Guardiola's preferred front three.

Jose Mourinho's visitors go into the match with a 2-1 deficit from the first leg but the Real Madrid coach could opt for the same formation, with three midfielders and three attackers, albeit with a more positive gameplan than in the first match.

Pepe was left out of the squad for the victory over Athletic Bilbao because of a suspected calf injury and did not train on Monday so it is unlikely that the Portugal international will be fit. There are suspicions that Mourinho may be removing the defender from the limelight for a short period, after the outcry against his cynical stamp on Messi in Wednesday's first leg.

Lassana Diarra and Esteban Granero did not train on Monday either, but it is likely the former will be fit enough to come into the three-man midfield. Sergio Ramos also missed the session, but this was due to personal reasons and he is expected to play. Sami Khedira is unavailable, though, after being ruled out for a month with an ankle injury.

Liverpool vs Man City

Liverpool fell to 7th place in the Premier League this past weekend after a humiliating 3-1 defeat to Bolton.


Kenny Dalglish’s hopes of securing a Champions League spot are diminishing by the second but at the very least his team has a good shot to add a trophy to their collection for the first time in over half a decade. This is as good a chance as any for them to take on a side of Man City’s caliber, and with a 1-0 advantage anything but a ticket to Wembley will be a colosal failure on Dalglish’s resume. Gerrard’s penalty had determined the scoreline in the last Liverpool v Manchester City League Cup encounter earlier in the month, and we should another slow paced encounter today as was the case when the sides met at Anfield late in 2011 which ended in a draw.
Manchester City are coming off a close victory over Tottenham, but the sacrificial lamb ended up being Mario Balotelli who received a four match ban for his violent actions in that match against David Silva. The Sky Blues are already missing Vincent Kompany through suspension, and are also without the Toure brothers who are on international duty for the Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations. Still, they showed plenty of ability to score with Silva, Aguero and Dzeko last weekend.

Copa Match: Real Madrid vs Barcelona

Just before two teams that have already scored 203 competitive goals between them this season do battle once again, it might seem strange to talk about defense rather than glory in their extravagant attacking power.


But that's the groove I'm in right now.

The Copa del Rey has paired holder Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona again, this time in the quarterfinals, just as it did for an epic, bruising and ultimately deeply significant final in April. Los Blancos won that night at the Mestalla, and I, for one, was hugely pleased for one of football's all-time greats, Iker Casillas, after he finally lifted the trophy that had eluded him for so long.
Now we can enjoy two more Clasicos over the next eight days with all the operatic drama they unerringly present. The first one is Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu, and the return leg is Jan. 25 at Camp Nou.

Although I have never been afraid to admit that some of the ill will between the sides is important to make the dish nice and spicy, there are limits -- limits that I believe Jose Mourinho, Pepe and Marcelo ignored last season. So it's healthy to report that the buildup to these games has been significantly less provocative, angry and accusatory.

What caught my attention was when Xavi addressed the media Sunday in the aftermath of Barca making hard work of beating a bold and inventive Real Betis side 4-2 in one of the best matches of the season. As the little Catalan maestro turned to face yet another Madrid episode in his extraordinary career, he said: "We will go to the Bernabeu and try to be the main protagonists in the match. We will try to dominate possession -- keeping the ball is the best defense which exists."

Obviously, Xavi means that sincerely. It's the credo he has been taught since before he was a teenager during thousands of training hours in futbol base (youth football) at FC Barcelona -- and which, to be fair, is something that has come naturally to him while playing football as a kid in Placa del Progres, Terrassa.

For Barcelona, there have been many times, particularly under Pep Guardiola, when that ethos has soaringly, shiningly proven its efficacy. In Rome against Manchester United, Barca made good on Sir Alex Ferguson's prophecy that they can "kill you with their passing" while winning the 2009 Champions League. Ditto Wembley 2011. At the Bernabeu last month, Guardiola's team used its default style to first blunt and then destroy Real Madrid after falling behind to the fastest goal in Clasico history.watch here