Granada vs Atletico Madrid
FreeWant to obtain team news from around the world? Maybe just to support the site for all the hard work that goes into it? Click here for membership details. Need outright wins instead of value picks? Click here for strike rate and other consultancy details.
Today’s secondary featured game is the Primera Liga encounter between newly-promoted Granada and Atletico Madrid.
The hosts haven’t demonstrated anywhere near enough of what is required to avoid relegation this season, in my view, and that will obviously hurt them. They’ve signed some decent players to help them beat the drop but where is their leader? Where is their consistency? For all their firepower in Uche, Jara, and Geijo, they’ve done surprisingly little in front of goal and I suppose you could attribute that to a rather ineffectual midfield. Their defence has some experience, especially in the likes of ex-Dynamo Kiev centre-back Diakathe, but I just don’t fear their attack yet and despite the inability of Atletico Madrid’s defence, I think the hosts will struggle here.
I’m not a big fan of Atletico Madrid; I tend to find them being priced rather short for a side who have no clue as to what “defending” means. However, they’ve turned a bit of a corner this season in that they’re no longer relying on Forlan and Aguero to carry the team and that should be a positive thing for them. They’ve lost some big names, it’s true, but the side plays more as a galvanised unit than they used to and that’s pleasing to see. It also helps their new star Falcao because he’s quite simply one of the most gifted finishers on the planet, in my view. Give him a chance and he’ll score, simply put – in the old Atletico Madrid style, I just don’t think he’d have been anywhere near as effectual as he is now with some proper service from the likes of Arda Turan on the flanks. I think Atletico are gradually becoming a side that I can back again, which is good.
So yeah – I’ll give Atletico a shot here. They’ve done well enough so far, if we ignore their horrendous displays at the start of the season, and they should have too much quality for hosts Granada. For me, there’s value on the away win at 11/10.
Verdict: Atletico Madrid to win at evens.
Saturday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Independiente vs Godoy Cruz de Mendoza – away win with draw no bet at 11/10.
I’ve mentioned before that Godoy Cruz de Mendoza play some of the most entertaining attacking football in Argentina and that’s still the case here. I wouldn’t normally be interested in them away from home but I certainly am today as Independiente fielded their full-strength team at home against Ecuadorian giants Liga de Quito just two days ago so either they’re playing a very tired first-team today or they’re playing their second string, which is the most common action of sides in their position in South America. If Independiente do field their second string then the visitors have a very good chance of taking three points here, in my view, and at the very least should claim a draw, hence my selection.
Verdict: Godoy Cruz de Mendoza to win with draw no bet at 11/10.
Banik Ostrava vs Hradec Kralove – both sides to score at 10/11.
Banik Ostrava – I’ve just never seen them as bad as they are right now. Their defence is a complete mess and their attack isn’t much better. However, they’ve playing attacking football and that tends to result in their games going over 2.5 goals due to scoring and conceding a lot of goals. They may win this or they may not; the 1×2 market is a huge “no go” for me. However, with Hradec Kralove playing some decent football and having the likes of Klapka, Cerny, and Dvorak in their squad, they really should be able to at least score here. For me, whatever happens here, we should really see both sides scoring.
Verdict: Both sides to score at 10/11.
AEK Athens vs Olympiakos Piraeus – away win at 11/10.
Athens derbies are never easy to just waltz into and pick out a winner and I’m sure this one will be the same given AEK’s hatred of Olympiakos and their success. However, quality-wise, Olympiakos are streets ahead of AEK, in my view, even with their absentees. I’m a tad concerned at the impact AEK’s new manager might have in his first game in charge – we’ve all seen it happen before! However, I just cannot get over how good Olympiakos’ midfield is in comparison to AEK’s and an away win really should occur here if Olympiakos play as well as they know how to under Valverde.
Verdict: Olympiakos Piraeus to win at 11/10.
Debreceni VSC vs Gyori ETO FC – home win at 4/5.
Should be a fairly straightforward home win for the better side here, really. Debreceni VSC look like their old selves at the moment whereas their opponents are floundering a little. Gyori ETO FC are never an easy side to penetrate but the hosts should have too much for them today. That said, I’ve not had the necessary team news to confirm so perhaps it’s better to wait until later on before taking this one on.
Verdict: Debreceni VSC to win at 4/5.
Fehervar vs Kecskemeti TE – home win with -1.5 handicap at evens.
Big quality gap here. I like plucky Kecskemeti and their all-out-attack tactics but they’re playing one of the top two sides in the Soproni Liga and I’ll be amazed if it doesn’t show. Fehervar have only been strong at home this season but hey, guess where they’re playing today?! Fehervar are a very strong attacking side with tremendous depth and overpowering a Kecskemeti side that cannot defend should be a mere formality here. Again, I’ve not had team news so I can’t 100% confirm so it may be worthwhile checking later.
Verdict: Fehervar to beat the -1.5 handicap at evens.
Diosgyori VTK vs Pecsi MFC – home win at evens.
The rich hosts have been excellent at home since promotion, winning five out of their six games. They play good football and it’s hard for them not to with the likes of ex-Sevilla CF winger Gallardo in their ranks. Their attacking football is often hard to handle and their defence is hard to break through at home. My concern is always with their inability to keep eleven men on the field but as a side, I rate Disogyori VTK quite highly. I rate Pecsi MFC too, to be fair, but they’ve gone off the boil lately as they’ve struggled to score a sufficient number of goals to win them games, which has seen them go without a win for four consecutive games. For me, if the hosts put their minds to it, then we should see a home win. Yet again, I’ve not had any team news to confirm this one so it may be better to check it out later.
Verdict: Diosgyori VTK to win at evens.
Heracles Almelo vs Groningen – home win at evens.
If Groningen still had Slovenian hotshot Matavz leading their attacking line then I’d avoid this one but I think they lack a certain something without him and that should be enough to give Heracles the win here. The hosts always play well on their beloved artificial turf and it’s no secret that Groningen can’t defend for shit. We can expect plenty of goals here but Heracles are usually very strong at home and Groningen are traditionally ineffectual away from home so the home win appeals to me today.
Verdict: Heracles Almelo to win at evens.
Concordia Chiajna vs CFR Cluj – away win with -1 Asian Handicap at evens.
I don’t like taking handicaps on the road usually but the worst side in the league is playing one of the best so I can’t help myself here. The hosts score very few and concede a lot as well as playing badly to boot. CFR Cluj have a wealth of talent in their strong squad and should really make it count here, especially after their convincing display last match. As long as CFR Cluj don’t bottle it – as they do every now and then – they really should cruise to a win here.
Verdict: CFR Cluj to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at evens.
Nafta Lendava vs Celje – home win at 7/5.
Nafta Lendava have looked much better lately than they did at the start of the Prva Liga campaign and I expect them to continue that at home today. Celje are generally no pushovers with great attacking threat in their ranks but with half of their squad absent today through illness, you have to fancy the hosts to make an impression at 7/5. Nothing is ever cut and dried in this league but Nafta Lendava are good enough to take a chance on today, in my view.
Verdict: Nafta Lendava to win at 7/5.
Barcelona vs Racing Santander – home win with -3 Asian Handicap at evens.
I don’t like horribly obvious bets because I can usually see where they’d fail but this one really, really appeals to me. Barcelona – well, I don’t think I need to write anything about them really, do I? They’re simply a world-class side, the absolute best team in the world – no questions asked.
So why today and not in other games? Well, I mentioned pre-season that the far northern Spanish sides concerned me due to a lack of quality and Racing Santander are very close to (if not actually at) the top because they lost excellent boss Marcelino (yet again!!) and haven’t brought in any quality at all. You can never fault the work ethic of this team – all northern Spain sides work really hard as a rule anyway. However, Barcelona are light years ahead of Racing Santander and with literally no good players in this Santander squad that are still trying to adjust to their new manager, I can only see a convincing home win for Barcelona today.
Verdict: Barcelona to beat the -3 Asian Handicap at evens.
Orduspor vs Eskisehirspor – home win at 7/5.
A lot of our viewers are sceptical about Turkish football and I can understand that; at times, it can be very difficult to bet on. Then again, what league isn’t? I still find value in the Super Lig and I think that this game has value today.
Orduspor have really impressed me since promotion. They’ve been smart in the transfer market with the loan signing of promising Romanian hitman Stancu being arguably the move of the Turkish season as he has tremendous potential. It aids him too, of course, as it gets him away from the graveyard better known as Galatasaray. Additionally, they’ve brought in ex-Standard de Liege attacker Dalmat and old hand Fatih Tekke, who can still find the net despite his advanced years. Ex-CFR Cluj winger Culio brings great creativity to their team and their experienced defence makes this side very hard to score against. For me, the hosts are more than well-placed to win this one at very long odds against an Eskisehirspor side that rarely travel well and rarely score goals despite the potential of Karadeniz and temperamental attacker Diomansy Kamara.The visitors are usually a solid unit but without that cohesion, they’re just not taking their chances and are subsequently losing games. Given that they’re away from home and that they’ve not scored for three consecutive games, I have to give the advantage to the hosts here.
It’s a fairly risky call as the visitors can nullify any Super Lig side on their day but the hosts have played well lately and I don’t see any signs of them slowing down. Therefore, the home win interests me today.
Verdict: Orduspor to win at 7/5.
Accumulator fodder:
Ludogorets, CSKA Sofia, Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Litex Lovech, Chelsea, Manchester City, Levadia Tallinn, Trans Narva, Flora Tallinn, Bayern Munich, Fehervar, SSC Napoli, Yokohama F.Marinos, Rangers, Partizan Belgrade, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk.
Recommended bets:
A Bulgarian accumulator of power with Ludogorets, CSKA Sofia, Litex Lovech, and Lokomotiv Plovdiv at around 4/5!
Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Bayern Munich at around 8/5.
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 to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!
International Friendlies
Kuwait vs United Arab Emirates (5) 2-1
Bahrain vs Oman (6) 1-0
Argentinian Primera Division:
Independiente vs Godoy Cruz de Mendoza (5) 1-2
Union de Santa Fe vs All Boys (5) 1-0
San Martin de San Juan vs Racing Club Avellaneda (6) 1-1
Australian A-League:
Central Coast Mariners vs Gold Coast United (6) 2-1
Sydney FC vs Brisbane Roar (7) 1-0
Austrian Bundesliga:
SV Kapfenberg vs Admira Wacker (5) 1-1
Rapid Vienna vs Wiener Neustadt (7) over 2.5 goals
SV Ried vs Austria Vienna (6) 1-1
Salzburg vs Wacker Innsbruck (7) 2-1
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Lokeren vs Racing Genk (5) 2-2
Sint-Truiden vs Germinal Beerschot (6) 2-1
Zulte-Waregem vs Lierse SK (7) 2-1
OH Leuven vs Westerlo (5) 1-1
Mechelen vs Cercle Brugge (6) 1-0
Mons vs Kortrijk (4) 2-2
Brazilian Serie A:
Figueirense vs America Mineiro (7) 2-0
Ceara vs Flamengo (5) 1-1
Bulgarian A PFG:
Ludogorets vs Minior Pernik (8) 2-0
Lokomotiv Plovdiv vs Svetkavitsa (8) -1.5 handicap
Litex Lovech vs Montana (8) 2-0
CSKA Sofia vs Slavia Sofia (8) 2-1
Chilean Primera Division:
Santiago Morning vs Union San Felipe (5) 1-1
Santiago Wanderers vs La Serena (6) 2-1
Nublense vs Universidad de Concepcion (4) 1-1
Colombian Primera A:
Envigado vs Independiente Medellin (6) 1-1
Deportes Tolima vs Real Cartagena (7) 2-0
Deportes Quindio vs Millonarios Bogota (5) 1-1
Independiente de Santa Fe Bogota vs Atletico Huila (7) 2-1
America de Cali vs Cucuta Deportivo (6) 2-1
Croatian Prva Liga:
Lucko vs Inter Zapresic (5) 1-0
Varteks Varazdin vs Karlovac (4) 1-2
Sibenik vs Cibalia Vinkovci (6) 1-0, at least one red card in this game
Istra 1961 vs NK Zagreb (5) 1-1
Hajduk Split vs Osijek (7) 2-1
Cypriot Division 1:
Apollon Limassol vs Ethnikos Achnas (4) 0-0
APOEL Nicosia vs AEL Limassol (7) 2-0
AEK Larnaca vs Enosis Neon Paralimni (6) 2-1
Ermis vs Alki (5) 1-0
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Banik Ostrava vs Hradec Kralove (5) 1-1
Sparta Prague vs Slovan Liberec (7) 2-0
Danish Superligaen:
Nordsjaelland vs Aalborg BK (6) 1-1
Danish 1st Division:
Bronshoj vs Vestjaelland (5) both sides to score
Ecuadorian Primera A:
Manta vs Espoli Cayambe (6) 2-1
Emelec Guayaquil vs Olmedo Riobamba (7) 2-0
Imbabura vs Deportivo Quito (5) 0-1
English Premier League:
Liverpool vs Manchester United (5) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Manchester City vs Aston Villa (8) 2-0
Norwich City vs Swansea City (5) 1-1
Queens Park Rangers vs Blackburn Rovers (6) 2-1
Stoke City vs Fulham (4) 1-1
Wigan Athletic vs Bolton Wanderers (5) 2-1
Chelsea vs Everton (8) 2-0
English Championship:
Burnley vs Reading (5)
Derby County vs Southampton (6)
Bristol City vs Peterborough United (4)
Middlesbrough vs Millwall (7)
Watford vs Crystal Palace (6)
Coventry City vs Nottingham Forest (4)
West Ham United vs Blackpool (6) over 2.5 goals
Cardiff City vs Ipswich Town (4)
Portsmouth vs Barnsley (6)
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Hull City (5)
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Levadia Tallinn vs Maag Tammeka Tartu (8) over 2.5 goals
Kuressaare vs Viljandi (5) 1-0
Flora Paide vs Trans Narva (8) 0-2
Ajax Lasnamae vs Flora Tallinn (10) -2.5 handicap
Sillamae Kalev vs Nomme Kalju (7) 0-2
Finnish Ykkonen:
Hameenlinna vs FC Lahti (7)
OPS Oulu vs HiFK Helsinki (7)
PK-35 Helsinki vs AC Oulu (5) 1-1
French Ligue 1:
Auxerre vs LOSC Lille (6) 0-1
Stade Brestois vs Stade Malherbe de Caen (6) 0-0
Evian Thonon Gaillard vs Saint-Etienne (7) 2-1
Olympique Lyonnais vs AS Nancy-Lorraine (7) 2-1
Montpellier HSC vs Dijon FCO (7) 1-0
Toulouse vs Olympique de Marseille (5) 1-1
OGC Nice vs Girondins de Bordeaux (5) 0-1
German Bundesliga:
Bayern Munich vs Hertha BSC Berlin (8) -1.5 handicap
Mainz 05 vs Augsburg (6) 1-0
VfB Stuttgart vs Hoffenheim (5) 1-1
VfL Wolfsburg vs Nurnberg (7) 2-1
Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (6) 1-1
Schalke 04 vs Kaiserslautern (6) over 2.5 goals
Greek Super League:
Kerkyra vs Atromitos (5) 1-1
AEK Athens vs Olympiakos Piraeus (6) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Debreceni VSC vs Gyori ETO FC (7) 2-0
Fehervar vs Kecskemeti TE (8) 2-0
Diosgyori VTK vs Pecsi MFC (7) 2-1
Kaposvari Rakoczi vs Budapest Honved (4) 1-1
Paksi SE vs Szombathelyi Haladas (6) 2-1
Siofok vs Vasas Budapest (6) 1-0
Italian Serie A:
Catania vs Internazionale (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
AC Milan vs Palermo (6) 2-1
SSC Napoli vs Parma (8) 2-0
Japanese J-League:
Cerezo Osaka vs Ventforet Kofu (7) 2-0
Jubilo Iwata vs Kashima Antlers (5) 1-1
Yokohama F.Marinos vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima (8) 2-0
Avispa Fukuoka vs Vegalta Sendai (5) 2-1
Vissel Kobe vs Shimizu S-Pulse (6) 1-1
Nagoya Grampus vs Gamba Osaka (5) 2-2
Urawa Red Diamonds vs Omiya Ardija (6) 2-1
Latvian Virsliga:
Gulbene 2005 vs FC Jurmala (6) 2-2
FK Ventspils vs Liepajas Metalurgs (7) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Skonto Riga vs Daugava Daugavpils (6) 1-1
FK Jurmala vs RFS/Olimps Riga (7) 2-0
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Klaipeda vs Mazeikiai (7) over 2.5 goals
Kruoja Pakruojis vs FBK Kaunas (6) 2-1
Macedonian First League:
Teteks Tetovo vs Shkendija 79 (5) 1-2
Metalurg Skopje vs Vardar Skopje (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
11 Oktomvri vs Sileks Kratovo (5) 1-0
Rabotnicki Skopje vs Ohrid (6) 2-1
Napredok vs Renova Dzepciste (6) 0-1
Mexican Primera Division:
Jaguares vs Atlante (6) 1-0
Monterrey vs America (6) 1-0
Guadalajara vs Estudiantes Tecos (7) 2-0
Santos Laguna vs Toluca (7) 2-1
Tijuana vs Pachuca (5) 1-1
San Luis vs Cruz Azul (6) 0-1
Moldovan Divizia Nationala:
Costuleni vs Sfintul Gheorghe (4) 1-2
CSCA-Rapid Chisinau vs Sheriff Tiraspol (8) 0-2
Nistru Otaci vs Dacia Chisinau (7) 0-1
Academia-UTM Chisinau vs Milsami Orhei (6) 0-1
Zimbru Chisinau vs Iskra-Stali (7) 2-1
Tiraspol vs Olimpia Balti (6) 0-0
Dutch Eredivisie:
AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs AZ Alkmaar (5) 1-1
Heracles Almelo vs Groningen (7) 2-1
RKC Waalwijk vs Twente Enschede (6) 1-2
Heerenveen vs De Graafschap (7) 2-0
PSV Eindhoven vs FC Utrecht (7) over 2.5 goals
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Lillestrom vs Stabaek (6) 2-1
Paraguayan Division Profesional:
Nacional Asuncion vs Libertad Asuncion (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Tacuary vs 3 de Febrero (6) 1-0
Peruvian Primera Division:
Melgar FBC vs Universidad San Martin (6) 1-0
Alianza Lima vs Juan Aurich (7) 2-1
Sport Boys vs CNI (6) 2-1
Polish Ekstraklasa:
GKS Belchatow vs Slask Wroclaw (5) 0-1
Polonia Warsaw vs Gornik Zabrze (7) 1-0
Wisla Krakow vs Jagiellonia Bialystok (7) 2-0
Polish Liga 1:
Olimpia Elblag vs Flota Swinoujscie (5)
Olimpia Grudziadz vs Ruch Radzionkow (4)
Arka Gdynia vs Gornik Polkowice (5)
Warta Poznan vs Katowice (7)
Pogon Szczecin vs Zawisa Bydgoszcz (6)
Romanian Liga:
Sportul Studentesc vs Targu Mures (5) 0-1
Petrolul Ploiesti vs Vointa Sibiu (6) 1-0
Concordia Chiajna vs CFR Cluj (7) 0-2
Russian Premier League:
CSKA Moscow vs Terek Grozny (3) 0-1
FK Krasnodar vs Rostov-na-Donu (6) 2-1
Zenit St.Petersburg vs Dinamo Moscow (5) 1-1
Krylya Sovetov Samara vs Volga Nizhnyi Novgorod (4) 1-2
Scottish Premier League:
Kilmarnock vs Celtic (6) 0-1
Aberdeen vs Dundee United (5) 2-1
Dunfermline Athletic vs Hearts (7) 0-2
Hibernian vs Motherwell (6) 1-0
Rangers vs St.Mirren (8) -1.5 handicap
St.Johnstone vs Inverness Caledonian Thistle (6) 1-0
Serbian Superliga:
Metalac GM vs Red Star Belgrade (7) 0-1
Novi Pazar vs Borac Cacak (4) 1-1
Sevojno vs BSK Borca (7) 2-0
OFK Belgrade vs Smederevo (7) 2-1
Jagodina vs Javor Ivanjica (5) 1-0
Partizan Belgrade vs Spartak Subotica (8) 2-0
Singaporean S-League:
Young Lions vs Woodlands Wellington (5) 2-1
Slovakian Corgon Liga:
Tatran Presov vs Senica (6) 1-2
Kosice vs MSK Zilina (7) 0-1
Ruzomberok vs Zlate Moravce (4) 1-1
Trencin vs Slovan Bratislava (7) 1-2
DAC Dunajska Streda vs Spartak Trnava (6) 0-1
Slovenian Prva Liga:
Gorica vs Koper (5) 1-1
Nafta Lendava vs Celje (6) 2-1
Domzale vs Maribor (5) 1-1
Rudar Velenje vs Olimpija Ljubljana (5) 2-1
Spanish Primera Liga:
Real Mallorca vs Valencia CF (6) 0-1
Getafe vs Villarreal CF (6) 1-1
Real Madrid vs Real Betis Balompie (8) over 2.5 goals
Barcelona vs Racing Santander (9) -1.5 handicap
Granada vs Atletico Madrid (7) 0-1
Spanish Segunda Liga
Deportivo La Coruna vs Gimnastic de Tarragona (7)
Sabadell vs Alcorcon (4)
Hercules Alicante vs Alcoyano (7)
Cartagena vs Cordoba (5)
Huesca vs Real Murcia (6)
Numancia vs Almeria (5)
Recreativo de Huelva vs Real Valladolid (6)
Las Palmas vs Elche (5)
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Malmo FF vs Djurgarden (6) 2-1
Kalmar FF vs Orebro (6) 2-1
Swedish Superettan:
Degerfors vs Falkenberg (6)
Turkish Super Lig:
Orduspor vs Eskisehirspor (6) 1-0
Besiktas JK vs Kayserispor (7) 2-1
Sivasspor vs Gaziantepspor (6) 2-1
Ukrainian Premier League:
Tavriya Simferopol vs Shakhtar Donetsk (8) over 2.5 goals
Metalist Kharkiv vs Chernomorets Odessa (7) 2-1
Uruguayan Primera Division:
Club Nacional de Montevideo vs El Tanque Sisley (7) 2-0
Liverpool Montevideo vs Danubio (6) 2-1
Montevideo Wanderers vs Defensor Sporting (5) 1-1
Fenix vs River Plate Montevideo (6) 1-0
Penarol vs Cerro (7) 2-0
Welsh Premier League:
Llanelli vs Bangor City (7) 1-2
Newtown vs Carmarthen Town (5) 1-0
Prestatyn Town vs Afan Lido (7) 2-0
Port Talbot Town vs Airbus UK (5) 1-0
Enjoy your free betting tips!