Zlin vs Slovacko
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Today’s free tip is in the Czech Republic Liga 1 encounter between Zlin and Slovacko.
I backed Slovacko a lot last season because they had a squad that was worthy of it. This is a team that constantly battles to beat opponents but simply lacked quality in previous years so used to have to rely on home advantage to see out a campaign without being relegated. Last season though, they recruited well, and played some very good football. This season brings a new challenge for Slovacko because they’ve lost Zajic up front (not an amazing player, but just what they need with speed and tenacity) as well as having lost some players from their loan spells (e.g. Zahustel).
However, yet again, Slovacko have done well in the transfer market, bringing in Curacao target man Cicilia, who will be vying for the lead role up front with underrated Kliment, who is often dogged by injuries. Those two target men are a bit too good for this club, in all honesty, and the fact that Slovacko have them both speaks volumes about the relative success of their project at the moment. They may have lost Zajic’s speed, but they’ve gained more solid finishers as a consequence of such so it cannot be considered a negative at this stage.
The last I heard, Slovacko had convinced veteran creator Petrzela to stay for another season, and if so, that’s great news for them because he’s still a class act at this level. Havlik has stuck around despite having had offers from elsewhere, as per usual – he’s very much a one-club man at this moment in time. Indeed, they’ve kept most of their players pre-season, Slovacko, and have recently made even more good signings with Slovakian goalkeeper Bajza joining from Olympiakos Nicosia and towering striker Melekestsev joining from Kuban Krasnodar to add more depth to this squad. With Rezek having already signed, and Kubala back from loan, Slovacko look really well stocked this season, and Svedik obviously knows how to get the best out of his boys, so I am prepared to trust them at this early stage of the campaign.
I think it speaks volumes for Slovacko that they’ve opted to play against Maribor, Slovan Bratislava, and Admira Wacker in recent friendlies too. Those teams should be too good for them but Slovacko want to improve, and that’s certainly a good method for doing so. This is not a team to take lightly anymore. Their work-rate has become more than just that; it’s become excellent tactics, consistency, and efficiency. I like them a lot, and I hope they do themselves justice today.
Zlin haven’t made many changes pre-season, keeping hold of regulars like Poznar and Jiracek. They tend to rely more on their experience and organisation to get them through games rather than progressing as a project. Unfortunately for Zlin, a few cracks appeared in the way they were doing that last season. They got away with it in the end but their place in the relegation zone was warranted, based on what they produced on the pitch. It’s a team that is nowhere near as effective as they were two or three years back, and one that is showing little sign of freshness.
The most Zlin have done is to take a chance on French midfielder Drame from Usti nad Labem in the division below. He did score a lot of goals last season; only time will tell if he can cut it at the top level though. They’ve added towering veteran Prochazka to keep their defence in better shape too. He won’t be able to deal with pace, but there’s nothing new there. He will organise them better though, and he won’t lose many aerial duels. He’s done well enough at Banik Ostrava in recent years, and as a short-term signing, he’s a good addition for Zlin, not that he is what I thought they’d go for, given that they aren’t scoring enough goals.
Zlin have probably got enough about them to stay safe this season but they’re walking a bit of a tightrope by not doing more than they have. They’ll need to get something from games like today’s, but I’m not convinced they’re good enough – well, other than Jiracek, of course. The attitude in the Zlin squad tends to be good, especially at the start of the season, but I’m struggling to work out how they’ll break Slovacko down here, let alone hold it against a creative team. I also don’t really understand why they’re favourites to win a game that they’re the slightly weaker team in.
For me, the value here lies in backing Slovacko with draw no bet cover at 9/10.
Verdict: Slovacko to win with draw no bet at 9/10.
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 Perth Glory
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Zulte-Waregem vs Waasland-Beveren
KV Mechelen vs Cercle Brugge
OH Leuven vs Sporting Charleroi
Antwerp vs AA Gent
Brazilian Serie A:
Athletico Paranaense vs Fluminense
Internacional vs Atletico Mineiro
Goias vs Atletico Goianiense
Bulgarian A PFG:
Botev Vratsa vs CSKA Sofia
Cherno More Varna vs Ludogorets Razgrad
Croatian Prva Liga:
Slaven Koprivnica vs Gorica
Sibenik vs Varazdin
Czech Republic Liga 1:
Marila Pribram vs Teplice
Sigma Olomouc vs Slovan Liberec
Zlin vs Slovacko
Zbrojovka Brno vs Sparta Prague
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Tulevik vs Nomme Kalju
Tallinna Kalev vs Tammeka
Kuressaare vs Flora Paide
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
TPS vs Inter Turku
Ilves vs FC Lahti
KuPS vs IFK Mariehamn
RoPS vs HJK
Finnish Ykkonen:
VPS vs MP
KPV vs Gnistan
Kajaani vs KTP
MyPa vs SJK-Akatemia
French Ligue 1:
Dijon FCO vs Angers SCO
Lille OSC vs Stade Rennais
Hungarian Liga 1:
Varda SE vs Puskas FC
Ferencvaros vs Diosgyori VTK
Fehervar vs Paksi SE
Icelandic Urvalsdeild:
FH vs HK
KR vs Valur Reykjavik
Mexican Liga MX:
Atlas vs Queretaro
Tigres UANL vs Pumas UNAM
America vs Monterrey
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Molde FK vs Odd
Bodo/Glimt vs Start Kristiansand
Kristiansund vs Sarpsborg 08
Valerenga Oslo vs Sandefjord
Stromsgodset vs Viking Stavanger
Aalesund FK vs Haugesund
Mjondalen vs Rosenborg BK
Paraguayan Division Profesional:
Cerro Porteno vs 12 de Octubre
River Plate vs Libertad Asuncion
Russian Premier League:
Ural Sverdlovskaya Oblast vs FK Krasnodar
Khimki vs Akhmat Grozny
Arsenal Tula vs Dinamo Moscow
Zenit St. Petersburg vs Tambov
CSKA Moscow vs Rubin Kazan
Rotor Volgogradvs PFC Sochi
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Sirius vs Hammarby
Djurgarden vs IFK Goteborg
Enjoy your free betting tips!