Spain La Liga Preview

Barcelona visit bottom side Sporting Gijon and Real Madrid are at Espanyol in Sunday's La Liga action.

Since their 2-2 draw with Valencia at the Estadio Mestalla last Wednesday, Pep Guardiola's side have looked invincible, cruising to a 5-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday before repeating that scoreline against Belarusians BATE Borisov in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Argentine maestro Lionel Messi orchestrated much of the carnage, scoring a hat-trick against Atletico and following up with a brace in Belarus.

Guardiola's team is looking healthy, with Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol both back in action after injury, although Andres Iniesta (hamstring), Ibrahim Afellay (knee) and Alexis Sanchez (hamstring) are all unavailable.

Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid side, meanwhile, are in fifth place, just two points off the lead, and they will be buoyed by their 3-0 win over Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday as they head to 10th-placed Espanyol.

Defenders Fabio Coentrao and Pepe are under clouds for Real, but Mourinho will be delighted by the return to form of Brazilian playmaker Kaka, who scored a goal and played a starring role in the Ajax win.

But the surprise packet so far of the 2011/12 La Liga season is Real Betis, who have a one-point buffer at the top of the table over Barca, Levante and Sevilla after five games.

Betis host Levante at the Estadio Benito Villamarin on Sunday, while Sevilla journey to Madrid to meet Atletico, and Real Sociedad welcome Athletic Bilbao.

Saturday's games see Mallorca journey to Osasuna, Racing Santander host league newcomers Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal will look to bounce back from their 2-0 Champions League loss to Napoli on Tuesday when they host Real Zaragoza.

Valencia, fresh from their 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday, welcome Granada while Getafe visit Malaga.

Italian Serie A Preview

Inter Milan will host Napoli on Saturday in Serie A, with both sides coming off confidence-lifting Champions League wins in midweek.

Inter beat CSKA Moscow 3-2 away in Russia to continue their revival under new manager Claudio Ranieri, while Napoli were 2-0 home winners over Villarreal.

While both camps were victorious on Tuesday, they also paid the price in the medical room, as Inter's Giampaolo Pazzini and Napoli's Edinson Cavani are both in doubt for the clash at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza with respective ankle injuries.

Pazzini picked up a sprained left ankle and was substituted in the 49th minute in Tuesday's clash, while Cavani also sprained an ankle and limped off on 71 minutes of Napoli's encounter with Villarreal.

Also on Saturday, Roma - placed 12th with five points from four games - welcome an unbeaten Atalanta outfit to the Italian capital.

After incurring a six-point penalty at the start of the season, newly promoted Atalanta have worked off their deficit to sit in 15th place on four points, having won three and drawn one.

On Sunday, Juventus host AC Milan in the late kick off, aiming to preserve top spot on the league table.

However, with one point separating the top eight teams, Juve's spot at the top will not last long unless they defeat the defending champions.

Milan had little trouble in the Champions League on Wednesday, dispatching of Czech side Viktoria Plzen.

Elsewhere, Udinese - tied for points with leaders Juve - will host winless Bologna, while Parma and Genoa will face-off after both sides lost their last league encounter.

Promoted Siena are on the road to Palermo, while Cagliari will be hunting back-to-back clean sheets for the first time in their past 40 games when they travel to strugglers Lecce.

Cesena, placed bottom of the league, will aim for their first league points at home to in-form Chievo, and fifth-placed Fiorentina host Lazio.

Novara and Catania will do battle in Sunday's early kick off.

German Bundesliga Preview

Bayern Munich's 10-match winning streak may come under threat at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Jupp Heynckes' side have not dropped a point after losing 1-0 at home to Borussia Monchengladbach in their season opener and will enter the trip to the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar Arena this weekend full of confidence.

A 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday outlined just how much of a threat Bayern will be in that competition this season and new signing Manuel Neuer extended his run of clean sheets to an amazing ten.

The statistics indicate that this will be another Bayern win but Hoffenheim, who sit fourth, are capable of putting up a stern challenge.

Holger Stanislawski's side have been impressive in front of their home fans this season, notching wins over last season's champions Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg, and will benefit from an extra three days recovery from their opponents.

But stopping the likes of Mario Gomez, who has scored 12 goals in 11 matches in all competitions this season, and wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben will not be easy, meaning Hoffenheim will need to be at their absolute best to stop Bayern's winning run.

Also on Saturday, Dortmund host the struggling Augsburg just three days after they travel to France to play Marseille in the Champions League, but the depth of Juergen Klopp's squad should ensure they get past the newly promoted side.

Monchengladbach are this season's surprise packets, sitting third, and they will fancy their chances going to second-from-bottom Freiburg, while Nuremburg are at home to Mainz.

Bayer Leverkusen have dropped their last two league matches in disappointing fashion to rivals Cologne and Bayern, meaning their home match against Wolfsburg takes on extra significance.

The late kick-off sees Hertha Berlin host Cologne.

Friday's match sees Kaiserslautern, who have won just once this season, at home to Stuttgart while on Sunday second-placed Werder Bremen travel to Hannover and lowly Hamburg host Schalke.

Chase For Cut-Price Tevez Begins

Inter Milan, Juventus and PSG are ready to sign Carlos Tevez.

The two Italian clubs, who were in negotiations over the Argentine in the summer, reckon his fallout at Manchester City will now have halved his price to around £20million.

Juve want to take the Tevez on loan in January, with the view to a permanent move next summer. The Turin club failed to strike a deal for him this summer, with their failure to qualify for the Champions League one of the obstacles.

Inter will also go back in for the former City captain. Last year's Champions League winners were interested in a swap deal involving their Wesley Sneijder before City bought Arsenal's Samir Nasri.

Now coached by Claudio Ranieri, Inter also have a core of Argentine players in captain Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso, Walter Samuel, Diego Milito and on-loan Mauro Zarate.

Qatari-owned PSG, who spent £45m on Javier Pastore in the summer, are also keen on another big-name signing.

Reports in the French capital claimed the club's sporting director, Leonardo, has made contact with David Beckham to propose a loan move to the Paris side in January. The Brazilian was the former England captain's coach at AC Milan.

Roberto Mancini's insistence he will not select Tevez again should make a deal easier to push through at a lower price.

In the summer, Juventus sporting director Beppe Marotta held talks with Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian.

Marotta said: "Tevez is a great player who we would like to have but it is a thought shared by a lot of clubs and economically it is not easy to reach an agreement."

After Sunday's draw at Catania, Juve coach Antonio Conte admitted his side lack the quality to win Serie A after missing out on targets such as Tevez in the summer.

"We have a long way to go to be a title-winning team," he said. "It is not as if we signed Nani or Tevez in the summer, but younger players."

Former West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola reckons Tevez could decide the destiny of the Serie A title this season if he moves to Italy.

"Carlos is definitely a player who is so good he can make an immediate difference - even more so in a league as balanced as the Italian one," he said. "Great players like him always want to play and it is not that strange that at City, where there are so many great players, that there is a problem."

Spurs Eye Ecuadorian Deal

Tottenham are in talks to seal a co-operation deal with Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle.

And as part of initial talks, Spurs have agreed a deal to take six of their brightest talents on trial.

Tottenham have personally picked out Junior Sornoza, Freddy Araujo, Jonathan Gonzalez, Carlos Grueso, Winter Ayovi and Sebastian Mendez to bring to England.

Of those only Somoza and Araujo are over 16, with the former having starred at this summer's South American Under-20 championship for Ecuador.

Independiente confirmed that the move was part of talks that would see them link-up with Tottenham.

"They have been talking with us since the South American Championship," director Santiago Morales told La Deportiva.

"It has been going slow because we were waiting on the papers to travel to England.

"And this is not only Junior Sornoza, as the Tottenham scout has picked out six boys.

"The idea is that we start a co-operation with Tottenham.

"They will now spend October 3rd to October 12th with Spurs, and hopefully this will take the partnership in the right direction as they are very interested, as we are.

"The idea of the relationship is also the idea of Tottenham players may come to Ecuador, and obviously our players travel to England.

"This will give them the chance to share the experience of South American and European players."

Chelsea Target Real Madrid Midfielder

You would have thought that Chelsea had enough players in their squad, but apparently not. There are reports today suggesting that Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira is a target for Andre Villas-Boas after Chelsea gave up hope of signing Luka Modric.

Khedira only moved to the Bernabeu last summer in a €14million move from Bundesliga side Stuttgart. He has failed to hold down a regular place since his arrival and after a recent sending off against Levante Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is losing patience with the German.

Real Madrid have midfield players in abundance, with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Xabi Alonso, Hamit Altintop, Lassana Diarra, Angel Hernandez and even the Brazilian Kaka has rediscovered his form, all of which could limit Khedira’s chances this season.

Andre Villas-Boas is concerned about the injury to Michael Essien, who could now be out for the remainder of the season, and he sees Khedira as a like for like replacement.

Roman Abramovich made a concerted effort to tempt Tottenham into selling Modric but Daniel Levy stood his ground and Chelsea have now backed off from increasing their bids even further and are now looking further afield.

Bayern Munich could also make a move for the German, as could Italian giants AC Milan and it will be interesting to see who moves first once the transfer window opens in January.

Manchester City Keen To Land Italian Midfielder

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is keen to land the services of Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, according to reports in The Metro.

Mancini had been linked with a move for De Rossi during the course of the summer transfer window but nothing materialized.

After the Carlos Tevez incident against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night, Mancini is even more eager to acquire the services of De Rossi and will be willing to make an offer in the region of £24million when the January transfer window opens.

Speaking earlier this summer about the 28-year-old, Italian international, Mancini said: "De Rossi would be absolutely perfect (for Manchester City), I rate him one of the best midfielders in the world."

However Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini believes De Rossi will extend his current deal, which expires in 2012.

Redknapp Looks To Udinese Keeper As Replacement For Gomes

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has admitted that Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes could leave in January and has already identified a possible replacement in Zeljko Brkic.

The Serbian stopper is currently on-loan at Siena from fellow Serie A side Udinese and according to reports in the Italian media is being linked with a possible switch to White Hart Lane.

With Gomes almost certain to leave north London during the January transfer window, Redknapp is keen to bring a younger keeper to the club with two vastly experienced stoppers currently filling the number one and two role.

“I’m very lucky I have three top goalkeepers here and it’s unlucky for the two not in the team," said Redknapp. "He’s done nothing wrong. He’s a fantastic goalkeeper and a great pro. I just went with Carlo in Greece [against PAOK in the Europa League] - and he was magnificent.

“I would think [Gomes] won’t be happy. He wants to play at the World Cup with Brazil, so it’s going to be a problem. We’ll wait until the next window and see where that takes us.”

Friedel, 40, and Cudicini, 38, are coming towards the end of their long and successful careers and Redknapp knows that he will not be able to rely on the pair for many more seasons to come.

Redknapp could try and convince Brkic to make the move to the Premier League after being impressed with the keeper’s performances for Siena.

The 25-year-old has five caps for Serbia and despite only signing for Udinese in the summer, it is believed the Italian club would be prepared to let him leave if the right offer came in.

Juventus Target QPR Midfielder

The Queens Park Rangers midfielder Adel Taarabt was linked with a move away from Loftus Road during the summer, but nothing materialized and he has stayed put for now. But Italian side Lazio have made the Moroccan their number one target once the January transfer window opens.

Paris Saint Germain was heavily linked with Taarabt, 22, over the summer, as were Arsenal, Spurs and a host of other clubs. Their attention was drawn to Loftus Road after a string of fine performances last season saw Taarabt score 19 goals in the Championship, which helped QPR win the title.

Lazio are looking to strengthen their squad after a poor start to their league season in Italy which has seen them take just five points from their first four games, and they could only draw their opening Europa League game 2-2 against Romanian minnows FC Vaslui.

Taarabt has yet to score this season and has found life much harder in the Premier League, and with QPR now being under the ownership of Tony Fernandes and looking to buy in the likes of David Beckham Taarabt’s days could well be numbered.

German Giants Looking At Tottenham Hit Man

German champions Borussia Dortmund are reportedly ready to make an offer for Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Pavlyuchenko has hardly set the world alight at Tottenham, in fact, he has been a failure and it really is only a matter of time before the Russian International is discarded by Tottenham. It had been thought that he was a certainty to go in the summer, however, he managed to stay but remains nothing more than a fringe player under Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager.

Dortmund are looking to add more depth to their squad after a disappointing start to the season and have identified Pavlyuchenko as an ideal addition, the only obstacle appears to be the fee.

Tottenham were hoping to get as close to what they paid for the Russian, that is not going to happen and a fee in the region of £8 Million is being talked about, Dortmund may have to pay a couple more Million if they really want to land the 29 year old.

QPR Set To Challenge Arsenal For French Whiz Kid

QPR are preparing to take on Arsenal in the battle to sign Lille 20 year old attacking midfield player, Eden Hazard.

Arsenal have been linked so long with Hazard that one could be forgiven for thinking it was already a done deal, but after months and months of indecision by the board at The Emirates QPR have decided that they will make the first official attempt to land the highly regarded youngster in the hope that they will literally steal the player from under the noses of Arsenal.

QPR are becoming more confident by the day, they have money to spend and are ready to mix it with the big boys in the transfer market and see Hazard as the ideal player in which to begin that process.

Whether Hazard would agree to join QPR is another matter, but it has been reported that the player is fed up with Arsenal blowing hot and cold and if QPR offer a big enough bid and match that with a juicy wage, then anything is possible, this is football after all, where greed rules.

If QPR do land Hazard, then Arsenal only have themselves to blame, they had the player primed for a move to North London and simply did not act on it, QPR are ready to.

Europa League Preview

Athletic Bilbao meets Paris Saint-Germain in Group F while Sporting Lisbon host Lazio in Group D in the pick of Thursday's Europa League games.

PSG have enjoyed a strong start to the French Ligue 1 season, sitting second on the table following their 3-0 win over Montpellier on Saturday.

They enjoyed a 3-1 win over Austrian side Salzburg in their first Europa League match, and manager Antoine Kombouare will be hoping for more good form from striker Kevin Gameiro, who has five goals to his name so far this season.

They journey to an Athletic Bilbao side languishing second from the bottom of the La Liga table, with just two points from their opening five matches.

Group F's other match sees Salzburg host Slovakians Slovan Bratislava.

In Group D, Edy Reja's Lazio journey to Lisbon to take on Sporting, and the Italian side will be keen to bounce back after being held to a shock 2-2 draw in Rome by Romanians Vaslui in their first Europa League match.

Vaslui play host to FC Zurich in Piatra Neamt with both teams keen for their first win.

Ireland's Shamrock Rovers will play their first competitive match in England since 1957 when they meet Tottenham at White Hart Lane in Group A, while the group's other game pits Russians Rubin Kazan against Greek side PAOK.

Martin Jol's Fulham visit Denmark when they tackle Odense in Group K, while Polish champions Wisla Krakow travel to Enschede to face Dutch side Twente.

In Group E, Stoke host Turkish outfit Besiktas while Dynamo Kiev star Andriy Shevchenko will celebrate his 35th birthday when his side travel to Israel to meet Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Birmingham are in Slovenia to tackle Maribor in Group H, with 2010/11 runners-up Braga hosting Club Brugge in the group's other game.

Scottish club Celtic will have it all to do to register their first points of the tournament when they welcome Serie A heavyweights Udinese to Parkhead in Group I.

French club Rennes play host to Atletico Madrid in the group's other match.

German side Schalke meets Israelis Maccabi Haifa in Gelsenkirchen in Group J, while Steaua Bucharest travel to Cyprus to play AEK Larnaca.

Group L sees Belgium side Anderlecht in Moscow to play Lokomotiv, while Austrians Sturm Graz visit AEK Athens.

Swedish outfit Malmo play host to Austria Wien in Group G, and AZ Alkmaar face the tricky trip to Ukraine to tackle Metalist Kharkiv.

German team Hannover is also in Ukraine, to meet Vorskla in Group B, and Standard Liege welcome FC Copenhagen in the group's other match.

PSV Eindhoven are away to Romanian opposition in the shape of Rapid Bucuresti in Group C, and Israel's Hapoel Tel Aviv are in Poland to do battle with Legia Warsaw.

Real Madrid To Make £25m Offer For Man City Misfit Carlos Tevez

Real Madrid are reportedly planning to make a January bid for Man City striker Carlos Tevez in the wake of the Argentine’s apparent refusal to come on as a substitute against Bayern Munich. Bernabeu boss Jose Mourinho is known to be keen on the former Corinthians, West Ham and Man United man and hopes that in light of recent events that the Etihad Stadium club’s valuation of the player will have significantly dropped.

Mourinho has relatively few established striking options to call upon in his Real Madrid squad and is now looking to take advantage of the unsettled nature of Tevez’s relationship with Man City in order to sign the 27 year old for substantially less than his club’s reported £50m valuation.

Currently Jose Mourinho has just two recognized strikers in his squad, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema, and has to depend a great deal on goals coming from his attacking midfielders, most predominantly on Cristiano Ronaldo, and therefore is certainly in the market for a new striking option.

Roberto Mancini has made it clear he has no intention of playing Tevez again and as such there are only a few options open to the Man City boss, one would be to terminate the players contract immediately or to wait until January before selling the striker and this may be the more financially viable option for the club to take.

Mourinho is said to be ready to offer up to £25m for Tevez and given that Mancini has in form strikers Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero to call upon as well as Italian youngster Mario Balotelli as back up and could therefore consider such an offer as one that Man City should accept in order to remove distraction from the squad as a whole.

Tottenham Prepare To Move For African Forward Ace

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is preparing a move for CSKA Moscow striker Seydou Doumbia, according to reports on Tribalfootball.

It is believed Tottenham boss Redknapp is keen to recruit a new forward in the January transfer window after the disappointing start to the season from Roman Pavlyuchenko.

During the summer transfer window Spurs sold strikers Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch, whilst brining in Emmanuel Adebayour on loan.

Doumbia has been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past with Chelsea showing and interest.

However it is now believed Tottenham are leading the chase for the 23-year-old Ivory Coast international.

So far this season Doumbia has made 31 appearances in all competitions for CSKA Moscow and has scored 19 goals.

Liverpool Turn Their Attention To Arsenal Reject

Liverpool is following the progress of former Arsenal defensive midfielder Havard Nordtveit who currently plays for German Bundesliga outfit, Borussia Munchengladbach.

Nordtveit spent three years at Arsenal, albeit regularly loaned out, but never managed to make a break through in to the first team on a regular basis, Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, was reluctant to sell the youngster but accepted that he needed to start playing more first team football.

Nordtveit ended up at Borussia Munchengladbach at the end of 2010 and since then has grown in to a fine player, he has played his first game for Norway and established himself as a first team regular for the Bundelsiga side.

Liverpool are still in the rebuilding process and have identified Nordtveit as one of a handful of players that they would like to build their team around, he is very versatile and can play either central defence or defensive midfield and at just 21 years of age would constitute a long term signing for Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish.

Arsenal received just £800,000 for Nordtveit, which in all fairness was probably justified at the time, now however Nordtveit has a valuation of £5 Million and that figure is set to rise the more impressive performances the youngster puts in.

Arsenal Looking To Land Brazilian International Goal Getter

Arsenal is keeping an eye on CSKA Moscow striker Wagner Love, with a view to making a move for the Brazilian as soon as January.

Love has endured an up and down relationship with CSKA, he has been loaned out, been their top scorer and been both adored and subjected to racism, he has regularly been linked with various top European clubs and it appears that Arsenal have now joined that long list of admirers.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is on the lookout for a consistent goalscorer to compliment Robin van Persie up front and Wagner would fit the bill, his valuation is within reach of the North London giants as is his wages.

It is common knowledge that Wagner is unhappy in Moscow and the reports are that he would jump at the chance of joining Arsenal, all that remains to be seen is whether Arsenal will make an official bid once the transfer window opens.

No fee has been mentioned but it is thought a bid in the region of £12 Million would be enough to secure the 27 year old’s signature.

Manchester United Prepare To Bid For Spanish International Full-Back

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is lining up a move for Villarreal's Bruno Soriano, according to reports in Spanish publication Cadena Ser.

The Spanish international is versatile and able to operate anywhere on the left-side of the pitch as a winger or a full-back.

It is believed Manchester United have already been in talks with the La Liga club with regards to a possible move for Soriano when the January transfer window opens.

Reports in Spain are suggesting a deal in the region of €10million could already have been put in place by the Old Trafford club.

Liverpool Identify Chelsea & Man City Duo As January Transfer Targets

Liverpool will make January moves for Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou and Manchester City winger Adam Johnson.

The Reds have been tracking both players for some time and even made tentative enquiries over the summer with their respective clubs.

Anfield boss Kenny Dalgish is known to want another striker as back up for Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez.

Kalou can play this role but also offers versatility as he often played on the wing for the Blues.

The Ivory Coast international is ion the final year of his contract and even though Chelsea will offer him a new deal it is unknown if the 26-year-old will sign.

Liverpool will test the water with an £8million bid in the New Year and will then let the west London club decide to take the cash or risk losing him for nothing.

Dalglish will also offer up to £18million, but will start the bidding at £14million, for City midfielder Johnson, who has been left out in the cold by manager Roberto Mancini.

Despite promising performances, the 24-year-old has not been able to cement his place in the first-team since his move from Middlesbrough in 2010.

The Liverpool boss is hoping the chance of regular action will convince the England international to move to Anfield and fulfill his undoubted potential.

Their arrivals could herald the end of the road for Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt.

The veterans do not fit in with Liverpool’s new philosophy of young talent and could be sold to generate transfer funds and free up space on the wage bill.

Maxi has been linked with clubs in Spain and in Argentina, while Kuyt is the subject of a £13million bid from Inter Milan.

Tottenham Lining Up Move For Barcelona Defender

Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City are set to battle it out for the signature of Barcelona defender Eric Abidal.

The French international is currently having new contract talks with the Spanish giants but the two parties seem to be struggling to come to an agreement.

According to reports in Spanish publication Cadena Ser, Tottenham and Manchester City are keeping a close eye on the situation and it is believed both clubs have already been in contact with Abidal’s representatives.

It is also thought that mega-rich French side Paris Saint Germain is also interested in the 32-year-old.

Marouane Chamakh Could Be On His Way Out

Paris Saint Germain are ready to offer Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh an exit route out of north London according to reports in the French media.

The 27-year-old Moroccan international has endured a torrid time since moving to the Barclays Premier League in May 2010, having struggled to ever really find his feet in England.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has given Chamakh time to acclimatize to the rigours of the English top-flight, but now appears to be finally losing patience with the forward.

He has strengthened his attacking options with the addition of versatile South Korean striker Ju-Young Park - who moved to the Emirates Stadium on transfer deadline day, which could spell the end for Chamakh.

Having signed for Arsenal on a free transfer, it is unclear at this stage how much money Wenger will be looking to retrieve for the African ace.

But it is widely anticipated Chamakh will return to France with cash-rich PSG, having completed a successful spell in Ligue 1 with Bordeaux prior to his Gunners move.

Champions League Group E Preview

Valencia host Chelsea in a Champions League Group E blockbuster on Wednesday, while Leverkusen will look to find form against Genk.

Chelsea's visit to the Mestalla will be notable for the return of midfielder Juan Mata to Valencia, the club which he left a month ago after a reported 30-million-euro switch to the London giants.

Mata has sparkled in the short time at Stamford Bridge, adding new energy to a Chelsea midfield that has at times been criticized for looking too stagnant.

He has scored twice for his new club, including a late strike in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Leverkusen in their Champions League opener a fortnight ago.

Chelsea face a Valencia side who have not lost at home this season in all competitions.

The Spaniards have conceded just six goals in their five La Liga matches and began the group stage with a scoreless draw against Genk.

They will look to build on that against Andre Villas-Boas' side and will hope the free-scoring Roberto Soldado, who has struck five times in La Liga this season, can breach Chelsea's defence.

A 1-0 defeat at Sevilla on Sunday will give Valencia the motivation to respond, while Chelsea will hope to continue on from their 4-1 win over Premier League newcomers Swansea City on Saturday.

Fernando Torres, who scored the opener but was then sent off for a straight red card in that match, is eligible to play and has impressed in recent weeks.

Brazilian midfielder Ramires, who netted a brace against Swansea, is also in form and seems to be thriving under Chelsea's new Portuguese manager.

Leverkusen need to bounce back from a poor run of form as they entertain Belgian champions Genk, with last season's Bundesliga runners-up having dropped three games in a row.

A 4-1 defeat to local rivals Cologne in their last home fixture started the rot, while Bayern Munich showed the gulf in class when they cruised to a 3-0 victory at the Allianz Arena against Robin Dutt's side on Sunday.

Genk will fancy their chances at the BayArena, with the Belgian First Division outfit on an unbeaten run of seven matches in all competitions.

Mario Been's side highlighted they have the defensive capabilities to compete in Europe during their clash with Valencia, while 12 goals in their last three domestic outings indicate that the Belgians are also potent up front.

Champions League Group F Preview

Arsenal host Olympiakos in Champions League Group F action on Wednesday, while Borussia Dortmund is on the road at Olympique Marseille.

Arsene Wenger will be hopeful that his side can produce another victory at the Emirates, with 3-1 and 3-0 home wins over Shrewsbury Town and Bolton in the last week giving Arsenal fans renewed hope.

Club captain Robin van Persie bagged a brace in Saturday's win over the Wanderers, with the double marking his 100th goal for the club.

The Dutchman also scored his side's goal in their 1-1 Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund a fortnight ago and shapes as the key man in this encounter.

Olympiakos also head into the game in good form, with two consecutive Greek Super League wins to their name.

But the Piraeus-based club did lose 1-0 at home to Marseille in their first Group F encounter.

Ernesto Valverde's men will be desperate to pick up at least a point in north London, and will no doubt look to expose the defensive woes that have plagued Arsenal in the early stages of the season.

Dortmund enter their match at Stade Velodrome on the back of their first win in five matches, although Juergen Klopp's side left it late on Saturday in their 2-1 Bundesliga triumph at Mainz.

Ivan Perisic and Lukasz Piszczek scored in the last 30 minutes to win the game for last season's German champions, with the latter's goal coming in second-half stoppage time.

Marseille have domestic concerns of their own and currently sit in 13th position on the Ligue 1 table with just one win from eight fixtures.

They have played their part in four draws and the slow start has heaped pressure on manager Didier Deschamps.

But a home win against the Germans could help build much-needed momentum for Deschamps' side.

Champions League Group G Preview

Portuguese champions Porto face a tough road trip to Russia on Wednesday to take on Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League.

Porto began their 2011/12 European campaign with a 2-1 win at home against Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk, but will face a much tougher task when they travel from one side of the continent to the other to face Luciano Spalletti's Zenit.

The Russians were shock 2-1 losers against Cypriot's APOEL in their Group G opener on September 13, and need to make the most of their home fixtures if they are to qualify for the knockout stages.

Although the two sides have never met, Porto have never lost on Russian soil and won two matches there on their march to last season's Europa League title, scoring six goals in the process.

Despite losing star striker Radamel Falcao during the offseason, Porto have had no trouble finding the back of the net this term, with 14 goals in six matches in the Liga Sagres.

Brazilian international Hulk has scored three of those and also hit a stunning free kick against Shakhtar, and will be Porto's danger man.

The Russians will likely be relying on top scorers Alexander Kerzhakov and Danko Lazovic up front, but will have plenty of inside information into Porto's tactics with Bruno Alves in their camp.

The Portuguese defender spent 10 years at the Estadio do Dragao before moving to Russia in 2010, although the Zenit captain - along with Porto midfielder Fredy Guarin - will miss Wednesday's clash through suspension.

In the other Group G match on Wednesday, Shakhtar Donetsk will be hoping to open their account when they host APOEL.

The Ukrainian side has an imposing record at the Donbass Arena, having lost there just once in 16 European fixtures.

They won all four home matches in last season's competition before their streak was broken by Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

APOEL will not fear the trip east, with the Cypriot club performing admirably away from home in their last Champions League campaign in 2009/10.

Then, they earned draws at Atletico Madrid and Chelsea while losing 2-1 at Porto, and have already won twice away from home during qualifying this season.

Both sides have a strong South American influence, with Argentine Esteban Solari and Brazilians Ailton Almeida and Gustavo Manduca leading the line for APOEL.

Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu will be relying on Brazilians Luiz Adriano and Jadson and Brazilian-born Croatian Eduardo da Silva to get the job done, as his side aim to repeat their quarter-final heroics of last season.

Champions League Group H Preview

Both Barcelona and AC Milan will go in search of their first wins in Group H of the Champions League on Wednesday.

The two giants, who have won 11 European titles between them, drew 2-2 in their group opener at the Camp Nou on September 14.

Pep Guardiola's Barcelona hit the road on matchday two, travelling to Belarus to face BATE Borisov, who also drew their opening match of the campaign against Viktoria Plzen.

After a stuttering start to the season, Barca have scored 15 goals in their last three games - including six to Lionel Messi - and Wednesday's match in Minsk threatens to be a one-sided affair if the BATE defence is not switched on.

Messi scored a hat-trick in Barca's 8-0 win over Osasuna in La Liga, and backed that up with another treble against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

But BATE cannot afford to focus solely on the Argentine maestro, with David Villa, Xavi Hernandez and Pedro Rodriguez all providing potent attacking options.

Viktor Goncharenko's side is currently top of the Belarusian Premier League, but a match against Barcelona will undoubtedly require a step up in class.

BATE have relied heavily on Brazilian midfielder Renan and striker Artem Kontsevoy for goals this season, while former PSV, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain Mateja Kezman provides another familiar face.

Massimiliano Allegri's Milan host Czech outfit Plzen at the San Siro as they look to build some momentum.

Milan have struggled domestically this season, sitting 11th in the Serie A after four matches, but secured their first win of the campaign against Cesena on Saturday.

Plzen won three successive away fixtures on their way into the group stage, but will face a different prospect against a side the calibre of Milan.

Although Pato, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini, Philippe Mexes and Robinho were all missing from Milan's win over Cesena, striker Antonio Cassano has been in good form and veteran midfielder Clarence Seedorf turned back the clock, scoring the winning goal.

Liverpool Linked With German Wonderkid

Sven Goran Eriksson is ready to offer teenage wonderkid Jeffrey Schlupp a new deal in a bid to scare off Liverpool and Stoke.

Leicester boss Eriksson wants his board to open talks with the 18-year-old over a bumper pay-rise and ensure the striker, who only signed a contract last April, stays at the King Power Stadium.

Schlupp, a Germany Under-19 international, has impressed this season, scoring four goals already, and Premier League scouts have been regularly watching him.

“There is no doubt that Jeffrey has a great future ahead of him," said Eriksson. "He is a fantastic talent and he is just getting better and better.

“This season he is even stronger, more confident.

"He has a little bit of everything. He is strong, has good technique, a good left foot and is not afraid to fight in the air for the ball.”

Schlupp will be in the squad for Wednesday night’s trip to Middlesbrough.

Juventus Plan January Raid For Arsenal Attacker

Italian side Juventus are preparing to raid the Premiership for a trio of top class players after the latest comments coming from coach Antonio Conte.

The Juventus coach has set his sights on Manchester United’s Nani, Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez.

Speaking to press after Juve’s draw with Catania over the weekend, Conte said: “If you think that Juve, after being in seventh place, can just come back to fight for the title … I repeat: we have a long way to go to get back to being competitive.

“We could not get Walcott, Nani or Tevez because of the finances involved. Clubs in Italy cannot afford such prices, so we focused on young players.

“But if we can work something out with our budget, then maybe there is a possibility.”

Inter Milan Plan January Move For Liverpool Star

Inter Milan are lining up a January bid for unsettled Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt as San Siro boss Claudio Ranieri looks to add more strength in depth to the Serie A side’s attack.

The 31 year old Dutchman has been a hugely important player at Anfield during his five years on Merseyside and finished last term as top scorer but thus far this season has found himself in and out of the starting eleven due to the arrival of a number of midfield options brought in by Kenny Dalglish over the summer.

Kuyt has become well known for his knack of scoring crucial goals and his tireless running have made the former Feyenoord man a cult hero at the club but at his age the Dutch international will not want to be left on the bench and may well be tempted by a new challenge in Serie A.

Ranieri has taken the reins as Nerazzurri boss following the sacking of Gian Piero Gasperini after barely a month in charge and the former Chelsea and Roma boss is said to be keen to bring in Kuyt after seeing Inter Milan struggle to find a cutting edge up front.

Some Italian sources state that Inter Milan would be willing to pay up to €15m (£13m) for the Liverpool man and it may be an offer Kenny Dalglish considers accepting given that he has the likes of Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Steven Gerrard who could play out on the right side of midfield and with Craig Bellamy coming in the need for further striking options is lessened somewhat.

Kuyt has amassed 67 goals from 247 appearances for Liverpool since Rafa Benitez signed the forward in the summer of 2006.