SOCCER FOOTBALL 24H

Middlesbrough v Man City Sunday 30 April, 14:05 Middlesbrough Boro gave themselves a lifeline with a  hard-fought 1-0 home win  over rock-bottom Sunderland on Wednesday night, their first victory in the Premier League since December 17. That leaves them in 19th on 27 points, still six points from safety with four games to play. Realistically there is not much hope, with away fixtures at Chelsea and Liverpool to come even if they emerge unscathed from this match. Gaston Ramirez  is available after suspension but Daniel Ayala, Victor Valdes and Grant Leadbitter are all doubtful. Man City This is a  quick turnaround  from Thursday's scrappy, fractious goalless draw in the Manchester derby, which kept them just ahead of United in the battle for Champions League places. City are fourth on 65 points with United fifth on 64, both with five games to play. The two Manchester clubs could both make the top four as third-placed Liverpool are only just...

Real Madrid v Valencia Saturday, 15:15 Live on Betfair Live Video For most managers, rotation is a necessary evil. You have to keep your key men fresh, even if it means risking dropped points. Zinedine Zidane, however, probably doesn't feel the psychological weight of it, because pretty much every time he puts out his so-called B-team,  good things happen . Against Deportivo La Coruña, Zidane left out Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Casemiro, Dani Carvajal, Keylor Navas, Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić in Deportivo La Coruña. Gareth Bale, Pepe and Sergio Ramos were also absent. But  the back-ups did the business again , firing Madrid to a 6-2 victory that will have settled some nerves after their Clásico collapse. There should be some returnees on Saturday, but it will be tough to leave out some of those who shone at the Riazor.  Isco , for one, is in great form.  Marco Asensio  is improving by the week.  James Rodríguez  now has three goals in one-and-a...

RB Leipzig v Ingolstadt Saturday April 29, 14:30 To some people, RB Leipzig will always be an  object of scorn,  an entity to be feared as a harbinger of doom when it comes to German football tradition. Die Roten Bullen will never escape the fact that their wealthy owners Red Bull simply bought a licence from an existing fifth-tier club, and are using the club primarily to sell energy drinks. However, there is a hell of a lot to like about the Bundesliga's newest club. The youngest squad in the league has manfully dealt with the pressure of an inaugural season in the top flight, and if they win this weekend, then the title race will be pushed into May. RBL have played some of the most  exciting football  in Germany this season, and coach  Ralph Hasenhuttl  has cemented his reputation as a rising star. Above him, sporting director Ralf Rangnick has helped to knit together a talented group of youngsters. There is talent throughout the team. Centr...

Nantes v Lorient  (8th v 16th) Sat, 19:00 BST Lorient are fighting for their lives at the foot of the table and their need for points should make this an open and entertaining match. The visitors have staged a remarkable recovery in recent weeks, recording four wins from their last five matches to climb out of the bottom three. They're only 2pts above the relegation zone, however, so have a long way to go until they'll feel safe. It's significant that  Lorient's recovery has been based on excellent attacking play rather than stoic defending: they've scored 13 times in their last five games, but have conceded in nine of their last 10 fixtures  and have Ligue 1's second-worst defensive record. Nantes are in mid-table with little to play for but that didn't stop them winning 2-0 at Caen last weekend. A large crowd should ensure a motivated performance and the return after suspension of striker Prejuce Nakoulma, who's scored five times in hi...