SOCCER FOOTBALL 24H

Super Pav Juventus v Cagliari Saturday, 19:30 Live on Eleven Sports 2 On paper, Juventus' encounter with Cagliari this weekend looks straightforward enough. But as we saw against Genoa there is a chance the Old Lady's head will be turned by the  visit of Manchester United  in midweek. Massimiliano Allegri  has recently got angry with his players for "leaving games" early and  last weekend's win in Empoli was unconvincing . Juventus fell behind and looked tired. In the end a soft penalty and a world class strike from  Cristiano Ronaldo  turned the game around in the second half. The Bianconeri got away with it and always have that extra club in the golf bag. Cagliari coach  Rolando Mara n will be realistic about his chances of flying back to Sardinia with a positive result. But the tendency of Juventus to think they can afford to take their foot off the accelerator mixed with occasional lapses in concentration are straws worth clutching at. ...

Newcastle United v Watford Saturday 03 November, 15:00 House that Ashley built has shaky foundations When a manager is warning all and sundry that it's going to be a long hard season, things rarely end well.  Rafa Benitez  banged the drum for further investment in his Newcastle squad, only to find that he had to sell the drum. By Premier League standards, Benitez has had to take a few risks. He traded  Salomon Rondon  for Dwight Gayle, and so far that swap has benefited West Brom more than Newcastle. He took the plunge by signing Yoshinori Muto from Mainz, but the Japanese speedster has only scored one goal in nine Premier League appearances. Ki Sung-yeung has only played three times in the league, and Federico Fernandez has been part of a defensive unit that has leaked 14 goals in ten games. Newcastle have failed to win any of their first ten games of the Premier League season ( Opta tell us they have never failed to win in the first 11), and they have...

Valladolid no pushovers in the capital Real Madrid v Real Valladolid Saturday, 15:15 Live on Betfair Live Video So long,  Julen Lopetegui ; we barely knew ye. Yes, Real Madrid parted company with their manager on Monday, bringing to an end  one of the great five-month career trajectories in football history . From pain with Spain to his slow-motion march towards the Berbabéu trapdoor, Lopetegui has seen all his dreams go up in smoke in double-quick time. Still, at least Madrid were respectful and classy in their goodbye statement. Oh no, wait. With their move for Antonio Conte on ice for now - Sergio Ramos will be delighted - Madrid will be led by  Santiago Solari  this weekend. And while a home game against newly-promoted Real Valladolid looks like the ideal clean slate on paper,  Los Merengues would do well not to underestimate their visitors . The White and Violets were tipped for an instant return to Segunda by many - this column included - after...

Rossoneri always concede Udinese v Milan Sunday, 19:30 Live on Eleven Sports 2 and Betfair Live Video There are slim pickings in what looks to be a fairly uninspiring weekend in Serie A, with Roma's trip to Florence and this game in Udine the two fixtures which stand out. I'm struggling to split Roma and La Viola , but there's a bet in this game, based on Milan's propensity to concede goals.  We can back Both Teams To Score here at around the 1.90  mark, and that looks to be a fairly healthy proposition.  Milan are the only side in Serie A this season not to keep a clean sheet , and there are reasons to think that Udinese can at least score against them. They have a front line of recent Azzurri debutant Kevin Lasagna and the in form Rodrigo De Paul, and Milan look so vulnerable defensively that you have to believe that Udinese can create chances. But they're also vulnerable at the back,  picking up just one point from their last five games , conceding at...