Midweek TV Preview: 4 - 6 January 2010

Monday 4th January

19:45 Partick Thistle v Greenock Morton, Irn Bru Scottish Football League First Division, BBC Alba

Greenock make the relatively short trip down the M8 in a bid to avoid being sucked further into the relegation zone. Warning: Commentary likely to be in Gaelic.

Tuesday 5th January

20:00 Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa, Carling Cup Semi-Final First Leg, Sky Sports 1/HD1

Sound familiar? That's because these two faced each other in the FA Cup Third Round on Saturday, Martin O'Neill's side winning 3-1 at Villa Park. It's also a good time to be playing Blackburn as the only match they've won since late November was their previous tie in the League Cup against Chelsea. On current form, an away win looks likely.

21:00 Barcelona v Sevilla, Copa Del Rey 5th Rnd 1st Leg, Sky Sports 3

One of the many predictions we got wrong on our last TV Preview was where we said Sevilla 'should be capable of showing [Atletico Madrid] how to pick up three points with ease'. Ahem. Anyway, we're going for Barcelona to win this one and to hell with the consequences.

Wednesday 6th January

11:30 Chievo v Inter Milan, Serie A, ESPN

It's a bank holiday in Italy, hence the early kick-off here. Chievo's recent run of good form was brought to an end by Napoli just before Christmas in a 2-0 defeat. Inter, meanwhile, lead the table by eight points and should be capable of taking all three points here. *Should* being the operative word.

14:00 Parma v Juventus, Serie A, ESPN

The second part of Serie A's Epiphany double-bill, and that, we think you'll find, isn't a phrase you'll find in any other football TV preview on the web. Parma are long overdue a win against Juventus, their last one being in 2002, and they stand a good chance of getting it in this match. Juve have lost five of their last six matches and could be overtaken in the table by Parma if they lose this one.

19:45 Manchester City v Manchester United, Carling Cup Semi-Final First Leg, BBC1

Roberto Mancini's not just got City winning again - he's also got them keeping clean sheets. Whether he can go half-way towards inflicting United's second cup exit of the season remains to be seen, but a win over their old rivals will see his star rise even higher among the City fans, that's for sure.

19:45 AC Milan v Genoa, Serie A, ESPN

A rare slip-up for Milan in their last match, a 1-0 defeat at home to Palermo. Three points against an inconsistent Genoa side should get them back on track to catching up Inter at the top.

20:00 Valencia v Deportivo, Copa Del Rey 5th Rnd 1st Leg, Sky Sports 2

Just three points separate these two teams in the La Liga table, but Valencia's home advantage should tell in this one. All back to the Estadio Riazor for the second leg next week.