European Leagues / James Eastham / 04 January 2009 / Leave a comment

With the Portuguese Cup getting under way plus the English Carling Cup semi-finals and the small matter of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona clashing in the Copa Del Rey, there's plenty of top notch football taking place across Europe this week, writes James Eastham.

Monday 5th January

Will Blyth Spartans become the first non-league outfit to knock a Premier League side out of this season's FA Cup? That's the challenge awaiting them as they take on Sam Allardyce's visitors, who are 117 places above them in the English football pyramid. Blyth are [15] to win in 90 minutes, Blackburn as short as [1.23] - but favourites backers ought to note that Premier League teams have triumphed at the first attempt in regulatory time in only four of seven clashes against non-league opponents over the past five seasons.

Tuesday 6th January

The Carling Cup takes over from the FA Cup on Tuesday night as Tottenham host Burnley in the first semi-final first leg. Burnley arrived at this stage by virtue of beating Tottenham's north London rivals Arsenal in the previous round, so they'll be quietly confident against a faltering Spurs. Harry Redknapp's holders - they won the competition under Juande Ramos - beat Wigan Athletic 3-1 in the FA Cup third round last Friday night but that was their first victory in six matches. Tottenham are [1.48], the draw [4.8] and Burnley [7.2].

The first legs of the last 16 of Spain's Copa del Rey are next up, with Atletico Madrid v Barcelona the pick of the ties. Hosts Atletico are still nursing unhappy memories of their 6-1 thrashing at the Nou Camp in the Primera Division last October - their heaviest defeat of the campaign so far. Goals certainly appear the smart bet in this meeting, since 31 of 52 games involving these two sides have had over 2.5 goals this season. The price of [1.68] on that market looks a tad - just a tad, mind - too big.

Wednesday 7th January

Caretaker Derby County manager Chris Hutchings couldn't have possibly wished for a bigger test of his credentials in his first few matches after taking charge at Pride Park in place of his pal, Paul Jewell - the struggling Rams face Manchester United in the second Carling Cup semi-final first leg. An unconvincing 4-3 win over non-league Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup was hardly ideal preparation for the visit of the Premier League and European champions - so the price of [7.2] on the hosts will attract few backers. United are [1.54] to win and likely to trade around [2.30] to win at half-time and full-time.

Copa del Rey holders Valencia travel to Racing Santander for their last 16 first leg. Los Che got 2009 off to a perfect start when they beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 in the Primera Division on Saturday night, and David Villa picked up where he left off last year by scoring the opening goal to take his tally to 13 in 17 league appearances.

Racing will be no pushovers in what looks an intriguing game, however - they got to the semi-finals last season and finished 2008 with a run of three straight draws, plus a 3-1 win over Manchester City in the Uefa Cup, before Sunday night's visit to Real Valladolid. Racing trade around [3.35], with Valencia [2.38].

The competition's other big game tonight is Sevilla v Deportivo, a clash between the 2007 winners and a side they thrashed 5-0 in the semi-finals en route to that victory two years ago. Sevilla are already out of the title race and were eliminated from the Uefa Cup at the group stage last month so this tournament represents their last opportunity to get their hands on silverware.

Thursday 8th January

Porto have already shown their prowess in cup tournaments this season by finishing ahead of Arsenal in Champions League Group A, so this home fixture against Setubal in the Portuguese Cup ought to be a breeze. The visitors have recent pedigree in the competition, though - they were losing finalists (to Porto) in 2006 and lifted the trophy a year earlier thanks to a 2-1 win over Benfica. Porto will have a psychological advantage, however - they beat Setubal 2-0 in the league back in November.

Friday 9th January

And finally, Reading have a chance to close the gap on Championship leaders Wolves (for 24 hours at least) when they host Watford at the Madejski Stadium in England's weekend curtain-raiser. Steve Coppell's Royals are unbeaten in eight league matches and won't be particularly unhappy about crashing out of the FA Cup at the hands of Cardiff City over the weekend. Watford have picked up nine points from a possible 24 since Brendan Rodgers took over as manager - you'd be brave to oppose the hosts.