Amkar Perm vs Saturn Moscow Oblast
FreeWell, what a few days, eh?! This has been my first real chance to comment on any of the actions over the past few days, so I shall do so!
Firstly – a massive congratulations to Barcelona for deservedly winning the European Champions League. They were the better side on the night with virtually immaculate passing and Manchester United simply didn’t show up so we shall never know what a game it could have been had they done so. It’s interesting that it wasn’t Rooney or Ronaldo or Messi that stole the show though – it was Andrés Iniesta. His passing was unmatched by anyone on that night, and for most nights I would imagine.
Secondly, it was interesting to see Brazilian midfielder Diego make a big money move from Werder Bremen to Juventus for approximately 25 million Euros, which is a for an Italian club to spend nowadays. He’s a very good individual who can unlock most defences, something Juventus have needed, especially in the latter stages of the season. It should be very interesting to see how he plays next season.
The recent changes in manager have intrigued me also. For instance, AFC Ajax Amsterdam have made an excellent capture by appointing Martin Jol as manager ahead of their 09/10 campaign. Jol has proven how good he is by taking Hamburger SV to the next level this season, so his move surprises me but I expect him to do well there. It may well be worth looking at backing AFC Ajax Amsterdam to win their league next year as reigning champions AZ Alkmaar have already lost manager Louis Van Gaal to Bayern Munich for the 09/10 season and thus are unlikely to repeat their miraculous displays.
Gordon Strachan stepped down as boss of Celtic, which puzzles me a little. They lost the title to Rangers, but that happens sometimes, so I’m not entirely sure why he’s done it. A possible reason may be that he’s in line to be handed a massive transfer kitty to take over at Sunderland for the 09/10 season, but we shall have to see.
Former CSKA Moscow manager Valery Gazzaev has intriguingly taken over the reigns at Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kiev. Dynamo Kiev currently boast one of their strongest squads since the days of Rebrov and Shevchenko and their season shows it with a league title in the pocket and a UEFA Cup Semi-Final place. The Russian rather mysteriously stepped down as boss of CSKA Moscow last season, only to be replaced by Zico, who isn’t enjoying the best of starts with the Russians. Yury Semin also stepped down from his excellent season in charge of Dynamo Kiev to return to Moscow. I’m not sure if he’s returning to coach his beloved Lokomotiv Moscow or not, but he has returned to Russia. Either way, given that Dynamo Kiev have their fair share of Brazilian players, something Gazzaev enjoyed bringing to CSKA Moscow, it should be a very interesting campaign for them next season, particularly as they’ll be playing Champions League football again.
Interestingly, Georgian legend Temuri Ketsbaia has left Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta to coach Greek giants Olympiakos Piraeus. He was the first coach to ever lead a Cypriot side to the group stages of the Champions League and has done a fantastic job at the club, all things considered. It’ll be very interesting to see how he does in Greece. He has a tough reputation to live up to as Olympiakos Piraeus demand success and usually get it too, having completed a domestic double this year under Spaniard Ernesto Valverde, who only left the club as they failed to agree terms on a new deal.
Bad news for VFL Wolfsburg fans however, despite them having just claimed their first ever Bundesliga title. They’ve lost coach Felix Magath to Schalke 04, who have had a disappointing season by their standards. Instead, they’ve appointed Armin Veh, former VFB Stuttgart coach, as their new manager. He left VFB Stuttgart in November after effectively ruining their season so I’m not sure what kind of impact he’s going to have.
In terms of players, however, it seems Bayern Munich have really pushed the boat out to try and become a European force again next season. They’ve already swooped to sign VFB Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez for a fee around 30 million Euros, which in my opinion is excessive for a striker who frequently fails to deliver on the bigger stage. They’ve also signed Anatoly Tymoschuk from Zenit St Petersburg, which is a fantastic signing as I rate him as one of the best and most underrated holding midfielders in Europe. They’ve also clinched the signing of workhorse striker Ivica Olic from Hamburger SV, so they really are trying to make their mark. They’ve also let Lukas “lukewarm” Podolski return to his home club of Koln following his disappointing time at the club.
Lastly, as I doubt there are many people here who have any idea what the Moldovan Divizia Nationala is, let alone follow it, I just thought I’d mention that there’s a potential new hero on the horizon for this country in the form of 18-year old stiker Oleg Andronik. He finished as top scorer in the division this year playing for Zimbru Chisinau despite missing some games through injury. It’ll be interesting to see how the giants of the eastern block (CSKA Moscow, Zenit St Petersburg, Dynamo Kiev, Shakhtar Donetsk, Steau Bucharest etc.) look upon this youngster as to whether he earns a move to one of these prestigious clubs or not.
ANYWAY! Moving onto today’s featured game in the Russian Premier League between Amkar Perm and Saturn Moscow Oblast – there appears to be a lot of value in a home win here having seen odds of 4/5. Amkar Perm proved last season that they can play football. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not a side who is going to compete for the title, but they’re a side that are capable of a top-half finish. Today’s visitors, however, are not. Their football has been entirely in the doldrums this season and I can only see it getting worse today. Despite both sides having relatively poor starts to the season, Amkar Perm have only lost once at home this season from five games and Saturn Moscow Oblast haven’t won any games on the road this season from four. Amkar Perm have won this fixture on home turf the last three times it has been played and I expect that to continue today. My call is 2-0 to the hosts, take it at draw no bet if you’re a little lacking in confidence, and I’d play the under 2.5 goals card for this game. I expect it to be a relatively boring affair with few cards and few goals but there’s certainly money to be made here.
Friday’s Picks
My tips:
Tip of the day has to be for Elfsborg to win at Hacken at 5/6. Hacken may have claimed the scalp of Helsinborg not long ago but the scoreline didn’t reflect that the game was a lot more even and the visitors failed to take their chances. Last year’s runners-up should do better with their form and I expect an away win.
There’s two trebles today that are right up my street! The first one includes Huracan, Amkar Perm and Elfsborg – the odds should be about 5/1 on this approximately. The second one includes Newell’s Old Boys, TPV Tampere and Boulogne – the odds should be about 7/1 on this approximately.
As ever, any queries/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!
Argentinian Primera Division:
Newell’s Old Boys vs Arsenal de Sarandi (8) 2-1
Huracan vs Banfield (9) 3-1
Finnish Ykkonen:
Klubi 04 Helsinki vs AC Oulu (7)
TPV Tampere vs PoPa Pori (8)
French Ligue 2:
Btw – be careful as this is a difficult league at the best of times but this is also the last game of the season!
Bastia vs Troyes (7)
Boulogne vs Amiens SC (8)
Stade Brestois vs Nimes Olympique (7)
Berrichone Chateauroux vs AC Ajaccio (6)
Dijon FCO vs Racing Club Lens (6)
Metz vs En Avant Guingamp (6)
Montpellier HSC vs Strasbourg (7)
Stade de Reims vs Angers SCO (6)
Sedan-Ardennes vs Tours (7)
Vannes Olympique Club vs Clermont Foot (6)
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Ujpest vs Fehervar (7) 2-1
International Friendlies:
Belgium vs Chile (7) 2-1 (played in Japan)
China vs Germany (8) 0-2
Wales vs Estonia (8) 3-0
Republic of Ireland vs Nigeria (7) under 2.5 goals (played in England)
Irish Premier League:
Cork City vs Bohemians (5) 1-1
St Patrick’s Athletic vs Bray Wanderers (7) 2-0
Dundalk vs Sligo Rovers (6) 1-1
Romanian Liga:
Gloria Bistrita vs CS Otopeni (7)
Steaua Bucharest vs Universitatea Craiova (8) 1-1
Russian Premier League:
Amkar Perm vs Saturn Moscow Oblast (8) under 2.5 goals
Singaporean S-League:
Woodlands vs Super Reds (8) 1-3
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Hacken vs Elfsborg (8) 1-2
Swiss Super League:
Basel vs Young Boys Bern (7) 2-1
FC Zurich vs Grasshoppers Club Zurich (7) 3-2, at least one red card in this game
Turkish Super Lig:
Gaziantepspor vs Eskisehirspor (7) 2-1
Hacettepe SK vs Kocaelispor (6) 1-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!