WCR Weekend Soccer Predictions

I thought I’d try to do something different this week and make predictions for the Top Five games of the weekend involving WCR Top 25 Clubs.  I’ll take a look at the last five matches that each club has played and try to make predictions based on that data.  There’s nothing scientific about any of this, I just have a little time on my hands.  What do you think of the predictions?  Let me know.  (The clubs will let me know when they play the games.)

Chelsea vs. Aston Villa

Chelsea  (last five) – at CFR Cluj (T 0-0), at Stoke City (W 2-0), at Portsmouth (W 4-0), vs Manchester United (T 1-1), vs Bordeaux (W 4-0).

Aston Villa (last five) – vs PFC Lovech (T 1-1), vs Sunderland (W 2-0), vs Queens Park Rangers (L 0-1), at West Bromwich Albion (W 2-1), at PFC Lovech (W 3-1)

Both clubs have played well recently, but nobody in the world is playing better than Chelsea, who is undefeated and has only given up a single goal in its last five matches.  Aston Villa has also played well, but hasn’t faced the same type of competition that Chelsea has faced.

Prediction:  Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0  (Final Score Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0.  Not bad, if I do say so.)

Barcelona vs. Atletico de Madrid

Barcelona (last five):  at Shakhtar Donetsk (W 2-1), at Espanyol (W 2-1), vs Real Betis (W 3-2), at Sporting Gijon (W 6-1), vs Sporting CP (W 3-1)

Atletico de Madrid (last five):  vs Marseille (W 2-1), vs Sevilla (L 0-1), at Getafe (W 2-1), vs Recreativo (W 4-0), at PSV Eindhoven (W 3-0)

These are two of the hottest clubs in the world right now, with nine victories in their last ten games.  Barcelona has been scoring goals, especially late goals, like they are going out of style, though it is also having problems keeping the ball out of its own net.  Barcelona has too much fire power, I think, and is playing at home, so I’m going in that direction.

Prediction:  Barcelona 3 Atletico de Madrid 1  (Final Score Barcelona 6 Atletico de Madrid 1.  A buttkicking is a buttkicking.)

Sporting CP vs Porto

Sporting CP (last five):  vs Basel (W 2-0), at Benfica (L 0-2), vs OS Belenenses (W 2-0), at Barcelona (L 1-3), at Sporting Braga (W 1-0)

Porto (last five):  at Arsenal (L 0-4), vs Pacos de Ferreira (W 2-0), at Rio Ave (T 0-0), vs Fenerbahce (W 3-1), at Benfica (T 1-1)

Both of these clubs have been playing well at home, but having severe difficulty in away matches.  Only one club, of course, will play at home in this match and that club is Sporting CP.  I think that Porto is still the stronger club, however, so I’m not willing to send them away from this match without a point.

Prediction:  Sporting CP 1 Porto 1  (Final Score:  Porto 2 Sporting CP 1 - Not correct, but not too far off.  I'll take it.)

VfB Stuttgart at Werder Bremen

VfB Stuttgart (last five):  vs Cherno Morets (T 2-2), at Borussia Dortmund (L 0-3), vs Arminia Bielefeld (W 2-0), vs Karlsruher (W 3-1), at Cherno Morets (W 2-1)

Werder Bremen (last five):  at Inter Milan (T 1-1), vs Hoffenheim (W 5-4), at Erzgeberge Ave (W 2-1), at Bayern Munich (W 5-2), vs Anorthosis Famagusta (T 0-0)

This is another match between two teams that are playing well, with only a single loss among the clubs’ last ten matches, collectively.  I’m going to go with Bremen in this match because of the great road results it has had against good clubs recently in away matches – a draw at Inter Milan and a dominating victory at Bayern Munich.

Prediction:  Werder Bremen 3 VfB Stuttgart 2  (Final Score:  VfB Stuttgart 4 Weder Bremen 1 - Well, at least I got the total number of goals correct . . .)

Manchester City vs Liverpool

Manchester City (last five):  vs Omonia Nicosia (W 2-1), at Wigan Athletic (L 1-2), at Brighton & Hove Albion (L 2-2), vs Portsmouth (W 6-0), at Omonia Nicosia (W 2-1)

Liverpool (last five):  vs PSV Eindhoven (W 3-1), at Everton (W 2-0), vs Crewe Alexandra (W 2-1), vs Stoke City (T 0-0) at Marseille (W 2-1)

When Manchester City has looked good this season, it has looked really good.  On the other hand, Liverpool has looked good this season even when they’ve looked bad.  Liverpool is on a roll right now and I don’t expect to see it end this weekend.

Prediction:  Liverpool 2 Manchester City 1  (Final Score:  Liverpool 3 Manchester City 2.  Close enough.)