Salzburg vs LASK Linz
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Today’s free tip is in the Austrian Bundesliga encounter between Salzburg and LASK Linz.
I watched Salzburg in their derby against Rapid Vienna last time out, and I was really impressed. I’d have expected more complacency from them by now but they still have such a hunger and a flair for brilliant attacking football. Alright, they ended up playing against ten men but the way in which they consistently ripped them apart was truly impressive. The only surprising thing was that it took them so long to get a second, which should have come at least thirty minutes prior to when it did!
There isn’t a team in Austria that can compete with them when they’re like this. Credit has to go to Rapid Vienna for pushing them as hard as they have this season, but Salzburg are going to reclaim the Bundesliga crown because they can reach levels that other teams simply cannot. They move the ball so quickly and accurately; it’s almost as if their players are telepathic at times. The greatest irony of all with Salzburg is that they’re lauded as great goal-scorers because of their record – and yet they miss far too many chances! Still, they’re one hell of a team, and not an outfit that can be contained by LASK Linz, or anyone else for that matter, especially not whilst the motivation is there.
LASK naturally haven’t hit the dizzying heights of last season in the current campaign, but have still been presentable enough. They’ve given another good account of themselves in Europe (it’d be interesting to see where they finished in the Bundesliga if they didn’t have those commitments) and look to be building something that lasts for generations rather than a season or two. They’ve not overspent, and they’ve given players a chance to prove themselves at a higher level. In that sense, LASK are a very authentic team, and one that I hope to see more of in the years to come because they’re brave, entertaining, and decidedly wholesome in a football world that is becoming…well, less so.
However, Salzburg is a bridge too far for them, in reality. Sometimes they play well against the reigning champions, and really give them things to think about – but still lose. Other times, they simply get swept away, just like everybody else in Austria. As much as I admire the work ethic and the togetherness of the LASK squad, there’s no substitute for quality when facing a good team – and it doesn’t get better than Salzburg when it comes to Austrian football. Even having Werder Bremen youngster Eggestein on their books is not enough for a game of this nature, and the fact that they’re missing some alternatives in attack (e.g. Karamoko, Gruber, Raguz) today will not aid the visitors in surprising their hosts.
Whether it’s done calmly and efficiently, or in a more familiar blockbuster fashion, I have to believe that Salzburg are going to beat the -1 Asian Handicap here.
Verdict: Salzburg to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 22/25.
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.
Australian A-League:
Sydney FC vs Adelaide United
Macarthur FC vs Newcastle Jets
Perth Glory vs Wellington Phoenix
Austrian Bundesliga:
Salzburg vs LASK Linz
Wolfsberger AC vs Swarovski Tirol
Rapid Vienna vs Sturm Graz
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Club Brugge vs Royal Excel Mouscron
Standard de Liege vs Germinal Beerschot
KV Oostende vs Cercle Brugge
Zulte-Waregem vs AA Gent
Kortrijk vs KV Mechelen
Sint-Truiden vs RSC Anderlecht
OH Leuven vs Waasland-Beveren
Bulgarian A PFG:
Tsarsko selo vs CSKA Sofia
Levski Sofia vs Ludogorets Razgrad
Croatian Prva Liga:
Dinamo Zagreb vs Istra 1961
Czechia Liga 1:
Zlin vs Marila Pribram
Zbrojovka Brno vs Pardubice
Slovan Liberec vs Slavia Prague
Sparta Prague vs Slovacko
Danish Superligaen:
FC Copenhagen vs FC Nordsjaelland
Brondby vs AGF
AC Horsens vs Lyngby
OB vs SonderjyskE
English Premier League:
Arsenal vs Fulham
Manchester United vs Burnley
English FA Cup:
Leicester City vs Southampton
Estonian Meistriliiga:
FCI Levadia Tallinn vs Flora Paide
Nomme Kalju vs Vaprus Parnu
Faroese Logmanssteypid:
07 Vestur Sorvagur vs Royn/Hoyvik
KI vs NSI Runavik
TB vs HB Torshavn
B36 Torshavn vs AB
Vikingur Gota vs Skala
B68 Toftir vs EB/Streymur
IF vs Suduroy
French Ligue 1:
Paris Saint-Germain vs AS Saint-Etienne
Stade Brestois vs Racing Club Lens
Dijon FCO vs OGC Nice
Nimes Olympique vs Racing Club Strasbourg
Stade de Reims vs Metz
Girondins de Bordeaux vs AS Monaco
FC Nantes Atlantique vs Olympique Lyonnais
German Bundesliga:
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund vs Werder Bremen
German Bundesliga 2:
VfL Bochum vs Hannover 96
Jahn Regensburg vs Heidenheim
VfL Osnabruck vs Fortuna Dusseldorf
Hungarian Liga 1:
Puskas FC vs MTK Budapest
Budapest Honved vs Fehervar
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs MS Ashdod
Hapoel Hadera vs Hapoel Haifa
Italian Serie A:
AC Milan vs Genoa
SS Lazio vs Benevento
Atalanta Bergamo vs Juventus
Bologna vs Spezia
Torino vs AS Roma
SSC Napoli vs Internazionale
Dutch KNVB Beker:
AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs Vitesse Arnhem
Portuguese Liga 1:
Famalicao vs Portimonense
CD Nacional de Madeira vs FC Porto
Portuguese Liga 2:
Casa Pia vs Academica de Coimbra
Penafiel vs Cova de Piedade
FC Porto II vs Estoril
UD Oliveirense vs Mafra
Chaves vs Academico Viseu
Romanian Liga 1:
CFR Cluj vs Academica Clinceni
FCSB vs Botosani
Arges Pitesti vs Politehnica Iasi
Russian Premier League:
Ural Sverdlovskaya Oblast vs Rubin Kazan
Arsenal Tula vs Tambov
PFC Sochi vs CSKA Moscow
Spartak Moscow vs FK Ufa
Spanish Primera Liga:
CA Osasuna vs Elche
Real Sociedad vs Sevilla CF
Deportivo Alaves vs Huesca
Atletico Madrid vs Eibar
Real Betis Balompie vs Valencia
Cadiz vs Celta de Vigo
Getafe vs Real Madrid
Levante vs Villarreal
Swedish Allsvenskan:
BK Hacken Goteborg vs Malmo FF
Degerfors vs Kalmar FF
Ostersunds FK vs Orebro
Djurgarden vs IFK Norrkoping
Sirius vs Halmstad
Swiss Super League:
FC Basel vs Servette
Lausanne Sport vs Vaduz
Young Boys Bern vs Lugano
Turkish Super Lig:
Gazisehir Gaziantep vs Kasimpasa
Istanbul BB vs Fenerbahce
Enjoy your free betting tips!