FC Basel vs FC Thun
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Today’s free tip is in the Swiss Super League encounter between FC Basel and FC Thun.
As delighted as I was to see FC Thun pick up a long overdue win last weekend, it must be said that they rode their luck. True enough, they started the stronger, and Lugano looked a bit perplexed at being on the back foot. It didn’t stay that way for the entire game though. FC Thun never looked far away from conceding a goal, and if Lugano had that bit more confidence in the final third, I don’t think they’d have lost that match. I mean, how often does Munsy score a scorcher like that?!
Getting away with it against Lugano in familiar surroundings is one thing, but doing so against a tactically impressive FC Basel is another thing entirely. I’m not lost in the FC Basel name, as some bettors still appear to be, but I recognise what they bring to Super League matches at the moment, and it’s precisely what FC Thun hate – tactical excellence, thanks to Koller.
FC Thun thrive on chaotic open games, played with great speed and energy. That’s where they beat teams because few in Switzerland can rival them for energy, commitment, and belief. However, when they’re backed into a corner and forced to try and play intelligently, it seldom works out for them. Don’t forget that the Bernese club still tend to play more midfielders in defence than they do defenders. An opponent like FC Basel could and should punish them for such today.
Having said that though, let’s not underestimate a good FC Thun attack. No, I’m not going to include Munsy in the list, no matter how fast he is. However, I will include big target man Rapp, tricky wingers Salanovic and Tosetti, powerhouse attacker Bande, and creative Castroman on that list because each one of them is very dangerous at this level, particularly with the support they get from an all-round attack-minded team. This is a team of warriors that will never give up, no matter how many goals they concede – and believe me, they’re used to conceding so much that it seldom affects them nowadays! This team will not stop attacking their opponents at any time and that can make them a hard side to face. FC Basel have struggled with them in the past, that’s for sure.
Hand on heart though, I don’t believe the Rot-Blau will struggle too much today. Sure, they may end up conceding against FC Thun but they’re smart enough and clinical enough to really strike them where it hurts. FC Basel are far cuter in possession than their opponents. they find space better. They take their chances more often. Ironically, the quality gap between the two teams is arguably smaller than it’s been for many years but it’s the tactics of FC Basel that should decide this one. They’ve got more than enough quality and intelligence to win this one, and I think they will. They’re going to have to put in a good shift against a motivated opponent though, and that’s what makes this a very interesting game indeed.
For my money, the best way to approach this game is to back over 3 goals whether it’s via a spirited FC Thun display or a dominant FC Basel display.
Verdict: Over 3 goals at evens.
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.
Australian A-League:
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Newcastle Jets
Austrian Bundesliga:
Wolfsberger AC vs Hartberg
SCR Altach vs Austria Vienna
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Club Brugge vs Waasland-Beveren
KV Oostende vs Kortrijk
Sint-Truiden vs Cercle Brugge
KV Mechelen vs RSC Anderlecht
Bulgarian A PFG:
Levski Sofia vs CSKA Sofia
Ludogorets Razgrad vs Botev Vratsa
Croatian Prva Liga:
Inter Zapresic vs Varazdin
Slaven Koprivnica vs Hajduk Split
Czech Republic Liga 1:
Slovacko vs Banik Ostrava
Teplice vs Sigma Olomouc
Karvina vs Zlin
Sparta Prague vs Slovan Liberec
English Premier League:
Southampton vs Burnley
Norwich City vs Liverpool
Finnish Suomen Cup:
TPS vs FC Honka Espoo
HJK vs IFK Mariehamn
FC Lahti vs RoPS
MP vs Ekenas IF
MyPa vs KTP
Haka Valkeakoski vs Ilves
Jaro Pietarsaari vs AC Oulu
Kajaani vs VPS
French Ligue 1:
Amiens SC vs Paris Saint-Germain
Girondins de Bordeaux vs Dijon FCO
Nantes Atlantique vs Metz
Toulouse vs OGC Nice
Nimes Olympique vs Angers SCO
German Bundesliga:
RB Leipzig vs Werder Bremen
TSG Hoffenheim vs VfL Wolfsburg
Augsburg vs SC Freiburg
Paderborn 07 vs Hertha Berlin
Union Berlin vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Borussia Moenchengladbach
German Bundesliga 2:
Hannover 96 vs Hamburger SV
Jahn Regensburg vs Wehen Wiesbaden
Greuther Furth vs Arminia Bielefeld
Hungarian Liga 1:
Debreceni VSC vs Mezokovesd-Zsory
Zalaegerszegi TE vs Ujpest
Kaposvari Rakoczi vs Budapest Honved
Puskas FC vs Varda SE
Diosgyori VTK vs Paksi SE
Ferencvaros vs Fehervar
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Maccabi Netanya vs Hapoel Haifa
Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva
Hapoel Kfar Saba vs MS Ashdod
Maccabi Haifa vs Hapoel Hadera
Italian Serie A:
Lecce vs SPAL
Bologna vs Genoa
Atalanta Bergamo vs AS Roma
Italian Serie B:
Livorno vs Cosenza
Juve Stabia vs Crotone
Benevento vs Pordenone
Venezia vs Virtus Entella
Spezia vs Ascoli
Dutch Eredivisie:
FC Twente Enschede vs AZ Alkmaar
ADO Den Haag vs PSV Eindhoven
Fortuna Sittard vs FC Emmen
Portuguese Liga 1:
Portimonense vs Moreirense
Santa Clara vs Tondela
SL Benfica vs Sporting Braga
Rio Ave vs Sporting Clube de Portugal
Portuguese Liga 2:
Academica de Coimbra vs Mafra
Varzim vs Estoril
CD Nacional de Madeira vs Vilafranquense
Feirense vs Leixoes Matosinhos
Spanish Primera Liga:
Real Mallorca vs Deportivo Alaves
Barcelona CF vs Getafe
Villarreal CF vs Levante CF
Swiss Super League:
FC Basel vs FC Thun
FC Sion vs Neuchatel Xamax
Swiss Challenge League:
FC Wil vs FC Schaffhausen
Turkish Super Lig:
Denizlispor vs Kayserispor
Konyaspor vs Goztepe
Ankaragucu vs Fenerbahce
Enjoy your free betting tips!