One man who definately wont start is striker Wayne Rooney who was confined to bed over the weekend and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping he will have recovered in time to face Norwich at Carrow Road on Sunday.

Nani, Ashley Young, Javier Hernandez, Tom Cleverley, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have all been promised starting berths after recent absences, whilst Anderson (knee) and Michael Owen (thigh) have returned to training.

Ajax won a second consecutive Eredivisie game with a 4-1 demolition of NEC Nijmegen to suggest a welcome return to form domestically. However, Frank De Boer’s side were outclassed at home by the Reds in the first leg last week and this hasnt been a good season for the Dutch.

United had no league fixture at the weekend after being knocked out of the FA Cup but have got back on track at home since the shock New Year’s Eve defeat to Blackburn, racking up three straight wins at Old Trafford.

Betting Tips

Usually the price on United would tempt me in this game but as it could be a reserve side and the fact they even know they can lose by a goal and still go through I can’t jump in at odds against, instead I’m going take a chance on the Dutch side grabbing a draw in what could be a dour contest. The price available is an attractive 4/1 with Skybet.

Striker David Nugent insists promotion is not beyond the grasp of Nigel Pearson’s side, fresh from their stunning FA Cup victory at Norwich.

He said: “This game is live on TV and we have a chance to show the world we are a good side, and that we want to get into the play-offs.

“We want to show the rest of the Championship we are not lying down yet – but we seem to get sloppy against the teams below us in the league. We have to put it right because it will cost us a play-off place if we don’t start picking up results quickly.”

Derby keeper Frankie Fielding has demanded a response to Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at Southampton.

He said: “We shouldn’t beat ourselves up because the lads have been superb at times. But we do need to go out and produce a ­performance.”

Matt Mills is facing an uncertain future at Leicester after being frozen out by Nigel Pearson, defender Mills has not been named in the 16 man squad and could be a shock casualty this summer less than 12 months after his £5m move from Reading.

Betting Tips

Leicester have became such a hard side to either back or lay this season as inconsistency has totally ruined the pre season favourites chances of automatic promotion, the same side that lost 3-0 at home to Millwall then turns up at league leaders Southampton and wins the game 2-0.

With that in mind the value bet could be to go with Derby, available at a very large 5/2 with BetVictor.

The side chasing Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga lead by just Mehmet Topal’s goal from the first leg of their Europa League round-of-32 tie at the Britannia Stadium, the main problem is that fatigue and injury have caught up with Stoke in their 42nd match of the season, a long list of absentees making their chances of emulating Manchester United, Chelsea and Leeds appear remote.

Valencia showed last week they were comfortably a level above the side from the Potteries with a 1-0 victory at a ground where many had predicted that the continental style of football would struggle.

Stoke know they cannot mix it with Valencia on the floor so will again look to score goals via the long throws of Rory Delap and set plays, it didnt work last week and it’s even less likely to work at the Mestella where the bigger pitch will make it even easier for Valencia to keep the football.

Betting Tips

Hard to see anything other than a home win, Tony Pulis is set to rest quite a few first teamers so it appears he has even given up any hope of getting anything out the game, heavy hitters can pile into Valencia at 4/9 whilst the value seekers can go with Valencia -1 at evens, both should be paying out come the end.

Five times World Champion Raymond van Barneveld (3/1 to win the match) is unbeaten so far after the first two weekly rounds having draw the first two matches against Simon Whitlock and against reigning World Champion Adrian lewis.

He was second favourite in both matches due to his recent poor form and it is true to say he will be a long second favourite against Taylor this week but he seems to have found his mojo again looking tough to beat, a third successive draw for the popular Dutchman is on offer at 11/2.

15 times World Champion Phil Taylor (2/9 to win the match) is also unbeaten so far in the McCoys Darts premier league having beaten Kevin Painter last week in Aberdeen by eight legs to five having trailed 4-1 at one stage. His nine dart finish in that match sparked him into life as he won leg and after leg to take the victory.

Like Barney (20/1 to finish top), the Power (4/9 to finish top) has also faced and drawn with Jackpot Adrian Lewis this season during week one in Manchester. It was an enthralling match up between two Stoke mates that was played in a great spirit and we expect the same in this match, however Barney is incredibly popular and with no Irishmen in the tournament this year the Dutchman will be the crowd favourite on the night.

Betting Tips
Barney needs to start winning if he is to keep in touch with the leaders but unfortunately he is playing the best and most successful party in the sport. We like Taylor to win this one but it will go all the way to 8-6 (Taylor) paying out 9/2.

The defending champion Gary Anderson (4/7 for the match) got his season up and running in round two with a big win over new boy Andy Hamilton, coming out on top by a 8-2 scoreline infront of his aberdeen faithful, if he can repeat that impressive winning margin it would pay out 16/1 but we think this will be alot tighter.

Although James Wade (5/4 for the match) is coming off the back of two defeats he hasn’t been hammered winning four and five legs respectively and he did run into two players who were just superb on the night, James Wade to win this one by a 8-4 scoreline at 10/1 whilst a reverse of his first round scoreline 8-5 would be on offer at 11/1 – we think there is value in both of these.

There is a big difference in the tournament betting between these two considering they are both previous winners of the competition, to finish top of the tree after the regular weekly rounds Gary Anderson is backable at 10/1 whilst James Wade is huge at 33/1, those odds will come tumbling with a Wade victory on Thursday night.

Betting Tips
We can see the upset this week in Belfast and are taking James wade to win this match 8-6 which is on offer at 6/1.

He then ran into the Champion Gary Anderson in red hot form in his home stop on the premier league tour, the Aberdeen crowd cheered him on to a 8-2 win -. a succesive 8-2 defeat for Hamiton would pay out 10/1, obviously the big will be hoping to avoid that though.

Jackpot Adrian Lewis has yet to register a victory in this years McCoys Premier League darts after two successive draws but he has been against the biggest names in the tournament in week one and two, a pair of players with 20, yes twenty PDC and BDO World titles between them.

Week One pitted him against his team-mate for the recent World Cup Phil Taylor, the pair successfully won the pairs championship just a week before the Premier League started and then went on to share the 14 frames of round one 7-7.

That result was mirrored when Lewis met a re-energised and rejuvenated Raymond Van Barneveld in Aberdeen last week which also ended in a 7-7 draw. A third sucessive draw for Jackpot is on offer at 5/1.

Betting Tips
This Stoke darting derby looks a little one sided in the build up to it as Adrian Lewis has come through the hardest games on paper with two draws so now it should start to get a little easier. Lewis to beat his neighbour Hamilton 8-4 paying out 5/1 and getting his first win of this season.

Simon “the wizard” Whitlock (1/3 to win) is unbeaten this season after two rounds of play as he got a good draw against five times World Champion Raymond Van Barneveld after trailing 4-2 at one point but would ultimately be disappointed he didn’t take the win as he did lead 7-5 before a fighting comeback from the big Dutchman. A repeat of his 7-7 draw against Barney in his match against the Artist would pay out 5/1.

In week two the Wizard put a spell on the The Machine James wade running out a comfortable winner by a 4-2 scoreline in Aberdeen last week to put him three points and top of the premier league.

Tournament betting for these two is a tempter as to finish top of the league in the regular season the Aussie Whitlock is an atttractive 13/2 whilst Kevin Painter is the overwhelming outsider at 100/1, considering he aready has a win under his belt that price seems massive, alternatively Painter is 15/8 to finish bottom of the pile at the end of the weekly rounds.

Betting Tips
Despite the disparity in the odds we think it will be a lot closer than the bookies are predicting and Painter will push Whitlock deep into the match. We like Whitlock 8-6 Painter paying out 9/2.

England’s batting was woeful, skittled out for less than 200 on four occassions in three tests is just not acceptable, in particular the second test chasing a paltry 144 to win they were skittled out by Ajmal and co for just 72.

The turnaround has come in the one day internationals when a change of format, captain and line up brought the required change of fortunes, gone were the indecisive batting to be replaced with assured play and finally some centuries from the top order.

A tale of two batsmen, in the first two ODI wins skipper Alistair Cook made back-to-back tonnes to see them home and when he fell in the final two Kevin Pietersen was on hand to remind everyone why he was once ranked the top batsmen in the world.

KP scored 112 not out in the third One Day Internation and went beyond that to 130 in the fourth, more pressure in the fourth as England played a much changed team and found themselve 64-4 until Kieswetter and Pietersen steered them to the verge of victory.

Pietersen is on offer at 3/1 to be the leading English batsmen at just in front of Alistair Cook at 7/2, bit of value a bit further down has to be Ravi Bopara at 5/1 with Bet365.com.

The series was a complete reversal of the test matches with England winning 4-0. The Bowling department did its job as well with Stephen Finn finally thrown into the action and he didnt disappoint, by far and away the best bowler in the One Day series with 13 Pakistani wickets in the four matches.

Pakistan have had a massive bowling threat for the who tour and in the ODI series Saeed AJmal was again their hero taking ten of the 18 English wickets to fall for the four matches played, pity he could only bowl ten overs pair match.

Both England and Pakistan are 10/11 to win the series so even the bookies are sure who will win this series.

Betting Tips

Finn is the cast Iron favourite to be leading English wicket taker at with us but the bookmakers are so sure so they have Finn, Swann, Anderson and Broad all on offer at 7/2.
No such confusion in the Pakistani camp for the leading wicket taker like there is in the England side Saeed AJmal is clear favourite at 3/1 with Shahid Afridi next best price at 10/3.
England are on a roll but Pakistan were far more competitive in the final ODI on Tuesday, England still for us though paying out 10/11 for a win in Dubai.

With the French side enjoying home advantage in the first leg of their continental tussle, they will want to ensure that they have one foot in the quarter-finals by the time they travel to Italy.

Marseille’s form in Ligue 1 suggests they will enter their latest fixture in buoyant mood, with the club currently enjoying a nine-match unbeaten run.

Didier Deschamps will, however, be aware that they have struggled to generate results on home soil in Europe.

It was their form on the road that saw them through the group stage, with two defeats suffered in three outings at Stade Velodrome.

Marseille had kept four clean sheets in a row in front of their own supporters before slipping to consecutive 1-0 defeats.

Inter Milan will be looking to make it three successive setbacks, with it imperative that they take something from the game.

Claudio Ranieri’s side find themselves in the middle of an alarming wobble, with qualification for next season’s Champions League hanging in the balance.

Inter have suffered four defeats in five to slip into seventh place in Serie A, six points adrift of the top four.

They will be looking for a European boost in midweek, with their season in serious danger of imploding.

Six defeats in their last 11 Champions League outings does not bode well, but Inter have fared better on their travels of late than they have at home and will be hoping for more away day joy in the South of France.

Betting Tips

A great chance for the French side to gain the advantage tonight, Inter have been absolutely woeful of late and their confidence is absolutely rock bottom. Take Marseille to win the match at Evens with William Hill.

That result saw Bayern fall four points behind Borussia Dortmund at the top of the German league, increasing the importance of Wednesday’s first leg in Switzerland as they look to avoid a repeat of last year’s trophyless season.

Coach Jupp Heynckes insists the four-time winners are taking nothing for granted, saying: “We will not be underestimating Basel, especially after last Saturday.

“Basel have impressed me with the way they have put together a well-organised side with a good mixture of experienced players, some of whom have played in the Bundesliga, and talented young players who have a big career ahead of them.”

One of those players is Xherdan Shaqiri, who has already agreed to join Bayern from Basel in the summer, but the Switzerland international says he has no point to prove if Bayern have already decided to sign him on what they have saw.

Betting Tips

Basle caused the surprised of the round last time when knocking out last year’s finalists Man United and are a tough side at home, the pitch isnt great and that could cause Bayern’s game problem in the same way it has most visitors, Basle to avoid defeat can be backed at 6/5 and that looks the call in this match.