Monterrey vs Toluca
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The quality gap between Monterrey and Toluca nowadays looks a bit too big to me. I suppose that’s to be expected, given the size, stature, and funding of Monterrey, but they tend to be able to show it on the pitch too, winning their last three home games in a row versus Toluca. Monterrey do tend to let themselves down a bit on the road, but playing at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer tends to bring out the best in them.
There’s a lot of ‘best’ to bring out, too. Not many Mexican clubs could simply go out and pick up Argentinian midfielder Kranevitter from Zenit St. Petersburg, for example, but Monterrey did. He wasn’t a good fit for Europe, but he’s a fine midfield controller in the Liga MX. It’s not like he’s their only good player either – Gallardo and Ortiz also do stellar jobs, and that’s just in the midfield!
They’ve got plenty of options up front too, Monterrey. Target man Janssen is not the best of finishers but is a real threat in the air. Funes Mori scores the goals that Monterrey require, and they’ve also recently added tricky Ivorian attacker Loba after an impressive spell at Queretaro. Sanchez and Layun hold things together at the back, and Barovero is a very experienced set of gloves between the sticks. I can see how it works for Monterrey, basically. They lack a bit of the panache of Cruz Azul but remain a good team nonetheless; one that should not struggle to overcome Toluca tonight.
Toluca made some interesting calls lately, deciding to part ways with Argentinian striker Gigliotti, veteran defender Salinas, and Uruguayan midfielder Fernandez, none of which I can consider to be a positive in any way. Salinas may not have played in defence as much as he’s been used to this season, but he’s been a good player for them over the years too. Fernandez was their leading goal-scorer too. For me, those are three substantial losses that I don’t see ready replacements for, leaving an ageing Maidana to carry the defence, and their attack is just one giant question mark now. They’ve taken wild punts on unknowns like Uruguay’s Lopez (Defensor Sporting) and Ecuador’s Plata (Real Monarchs), neither of which have a consistent goal-scoring history, and neither of which are going to win anything in the air. Is it Estrada’s time to shine? I doubt it; he seems to enjoy picking up cards more than scoring.
I just don’t know what the plan is at Toluca. The only good thing they’ve done is bring in Argentinian veteran Sambueza in midfield, who is a very creative player. Not fast anymore, admittedly, but still creative, and Toluca aren’t short of speed. However, it seems to me that it’ll be him or nobody to make things happen, and although he’ll be a very familiar (and unwelcome) face to Monterrey tonight, it’s not so challenging to just work to contain one player, which is basically what Toluca have become. They’ve not scored a single goal this month, Toluca, and with the above in mind, I am really not surprised. How they intend to weather this storm is beyond me.
I’m on Monterrey to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 83/100.
Verdict: Monterrey to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 83/100.
Sunday’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.
Danish Superligaen:
FC Midtjylland vs Aalborg BK
AC Horsens vs OB
FC Copenhagen vs FC Nordsjaelland
AGF vs Brondby
English Premier League:
Arsenal vs Watford
Burnley vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Chelsea vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur
Everton vs Bournemouth
Leicester City vs Manchester United
Manchester City vs Norwich City
Newcastle United vs Liverpool
Southampton vs Sheffield United
West Ham United vs Aston Villa
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
FC Honka Espoo vs RoPS
Haka Valkeakoski vs Inter Turku
IFK Mariehamn vs HIFK
KuPS vs SJK
Finnish Ykkonen:
Jaro Pietarsaari vs MyPa
Icelandic Urvalsdeild:
KA vs KR
Breidablik Kopavogur vs IA
Italian Serie A:
Bologna vs Lecce
AS Roma vs ACF Fiorentina
Hellas Verona vs SS Lazio
SPAL vs Torino
Cagliari vs Udinese
Juventus vs Sampdoria
Mexican Liga MX:
Pumas UNAM vs Queretaro
Monterrey vs Toluca
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Bodo/Glimt vs Molde FK
Viking Stavanger vs Sarpsborg 08
Valerenga Oslo vs Stromsgodset
Sandefjord vs Mjondalen
Start Kristiansand vs Stabaek
Haugesund vs Rosenborg BK
Paraguayan Division Profesional:
Nacional Asuncion vs Sportivo Luqueno
Olimpia Asuncion vs Sol de America
Portuguese Liga 1:
Portimonense vs Desportivo Aves
Vitoria Setubal vs Belenenses
Moreirense vs Tondel
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Elfsborg Boras vs Varberg
BK Hacken Goteborg vs IFK Goteborg
Falkenberg vs IFK Norrkoping
Sirius vs Malmo FF
AIK Solna vs Djurgarden
Swiss Super League:
Servette vs Neuchatel Xamax
FC Basel vs Lugano
Young Boys Bern vs Luzern
Turkish Super Lig:
Kasimpasa vs Istanbul BB
Enjoy your free betting tips!