Wacker Innsbruck vs Sturm Graz
FreeWe’re always looking for new recruits to help us so please click here if you want to find out more about the ways you can help us (e.g. local input, watching games)!
Our personal betting tips service continues to make profit so click here if you are interested in a free trial!
There are 7 bankers and 10 value tips in the Members Section today so feel free to sign up here to see them + team news!
Despite Wacker Innsbruck being the newcomers to the Austrian Bundesliga, I still find it hard to believe how short Sturm Graz are priced to beat them today. The visitors being favourites, I can grasp, but being priced short of evens is just a joke, whether they manage to fluke their way to victory or not.
Pre-season, Sturm Graz’s squad was decimated as their actual place within Austrian football was revealed. I wouldn’t think that their fans were happy to see key players leave but to see a lot of them go to Bundesliga rivals has got to be incredibly frustrating. It’s one thing for Rocher to join Ingolstadt, but star striker Alar joined Rapid Vienna, as did key defender Potzmann. Furthermore, impressive defender Schoissengeyer and midfield battler Jeggo both joined Austria Vienna. I just think there’s a very negative atmosphere at the club right now for the above reasons.
Sturm Graz have signed some players to replace the afore-mentioned, although it’s hard to say if they’ll have the desired effect. Take striker Hosiner, for example. What kind of condition are they getting him back in? He’s not played regular football for four to five years now. Is he the same player that scored a lot of goals for Austria Vienna or not? He’s bagged a goal already, which is a handy start, but failing in big leagues can leave players dejected, and understandably so. They’ve taken punts on foreigners with little experience of playing in Austria and have signed some players from within Austria that are likely to not have what it takes to get Sturm Graz to a good level again. I just can’t see how they’ve done good transfer business overall.
Additionally, you have to bear in mind that Sturm Graz are going to be tired from their games against AFC Ajax Amsterdam in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. This is actually Sturm Graz’s fourth game in ten days so there are bound to be some tired legs here, especially given how they were chasing shadows against their Dutch opponents. They’re still integrating new faces in the team too so if there was a time to oppose Sturm Graz with real conviction, it would be at a time like this.
Needless to say that we need Wacker Innsbruck to be hungry here though. If they get casual then we’re in trouble. Still, it’s their first home game since getting promoted again so they should be in fine spirits. In terms of personnel, they did lose key midfielder Jamnig to LASK Linz pre-season but have brought in a lot of players to strengthen their squad so I am not too concerned at this stage. As with opponents Sturm Graz, there will be a “bedding in” period but I find it hard to believe that the home team are in as vulnerable a state as their more illustrious opposition.
Therefore, I’m left feeling that laying Sturm Graz is a good value bet today.
Verdict: Wacker Innsbruck to win with a +0.5 Asian Handicap at 4/5.
Saturday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
Austrian Bundesliga:
Rapid Vienna vs SCR Altach
SV Mattersburg vs Salzburg
Wacker Innsbruck vs Sturm Graz
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
AS Eupen vs Sporting Charleroi
Cercle Brugge vs Lokeren
Antwerp vs Kortrijk
AA Gent vs Zulte-Waregem
Brazilian Serie A:
Botafogo vs Santos
Gremio vs Flamengo
Corinthians vs Atletico Paranaense
Bulgarian A PFG:
Cherno More Varna vs Septemvri Sofia
Ludogorets Razgrad vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv
Croatian Prva Liga:
Gorica vs Slaven Koprivnica
Czech Republic HET Liga:
Banik Ostrava vs Marila Pribram
Zlin vs Baumit Jablonec
Slovan Liberec vs Teplice
Sigma Olomouc vs Viktoria Plzen
Danish Superligaen:
Esbjerg vs Randers
Vejle vs FC Midtjylland
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Trans Narva vs Flora Paide
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
HJK Helsinki vs RoPS Rovaniemi
Inter Turku vs IFK Mariehamn
Finnish Ykkonen:
JJK Jyvaskyla vs Haka Valkeakoski
Ekenas IF vs Kajaani
AC Oulu vs Jaro Pietarsaari
French Super Cup:
Paris Saint-Germain vs AS Monaco
German Bundesliga 2:
VfL Bochum vs Koln
Jahn Regensburg vs Ingolstadt
Greuther Furth vs Sandhausen
Hungarian Liga 1:
Puskas FC vs MTK Budapest
Debreceni VSC vs Diosgyori VTK
Ferencvaros vs Szombathelyi Haladas
Vidi vs Mezokovesd-Zsory
Icelandic Pepsideild:
IBV Vestmannaeyjar vs Fylkir Reykjavik
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Jonava vs Stumbras
Suduva Marijampole vs Atlantas Klaipeda
Zalgiris Vilnius vs Trakai
Dutch Super Cup:
PSV Eindhoven vs Feyenoord Rotterdam
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Ranheim vs Rosenborg BK
Portuguese Super Cup:
FC Porto vs Desportivo Aves
Russian Premier League:
Ural Sverdlovskaya Oblast vs FK Krasnodar
Zenit St. Petersburg vs Arsenal Tula
Lokomotiv Moscow vs Spartak Moscow
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Kalmar FF vs IFK Goteborg
Brommapojkarna vs Dalkurd
Swiss Super League:
FC Basel vs Grasshopper Zurich
Luzern vs Lugano
Swiss Challenge League:
Rapperswil-Jona vs Winterthur
Lausanne Sport vs Chiasso
Aarau vs SC Kriens
Enjoy your free betting tips!