The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo overshadows the game and is why we see Barcelona as marginal favourites for the final in Valencia. This is the third Clásico of the season and Barce have won the other two, the last 4-3 at the Bernabeu last month.
 

This is a good opportunity for Barce to win something, but they looked sorry for themselves at Granada over the weekend, when you would normally have expected wounded champions to come out fighting after midweek Champions League elimination to a domestic rival. Hard to see how they will not be fired up tonight, but they "worry" me at present, Real will not want to lose a third derby of the campaign and they will, I feel be extra motivation from the players to prove they can win without Ronaldo. It must be tough for world class players to hear that their chances of victory depend on one individual, regardless of how talented he may be. Real are actually 8-1-1 without Ronaldo this season and the only defeat came at Dortmund, where they were defending a big first leg lead. Across those ten matches, they have actually been more prolific without the Portugese superstar, scoring 2.8 goals per game and boasting an almost identical win record. One player who seems to thrive at least in a goalscoring sense without CR is Gareth Bale , who has scored 8 in 8 in Ronaldo's absence, 11 in 30 when he plays and others, like Angel Di Maria boast similar stats.
 

You could make a statistical case for Gerard Piqué being a bigger loss defensively for Barce, than Ronaldo is offensively for Real and I would not rush to bet the Catalan side at present and certainly not because you know who was missing. Gareth Bale to score anytime at circa 2.75-3.0 looks too generous and he has scored five in his last five starts, if you can find that and want a small investment, I would suggest that was the best value on offer (0.75 units).
 

 

Premier League: Everton - Crystal Palace
 

Everton need five wins to ensure a hugely valuable Champions League place and it will surely be all about the result for them. They have still to host both Manchester clubs and the return to Goodison of fomer boss David Moyes with United on Sunday, casts a long shadow over this game. The Toffees are very solid at home and are 8-0-0 in 2014 in league and cup, however, the recent win over Arsenal aside, it is a while since they put anyone else to the sword here and 4 of their other last five wins, have all been by a single goal and all against teams "similar" to tonight's opponent ( Villa, West Ham, Cardiff and Swansea). Palace have dome incredibly well under Tony Pulis, they have hauled themselves up into midtable and probably have enough points in the bag already to secure survival, they owe much of this to their home form and tightening up at the back, they have lost six on the road under Pulis, by two at Tottenham and Arsenal and the other four, including trips to Chelsea and Manchester City, by a single goal.