Bayern Munich vs Internazionale
FreeFor membership details, go here.
Today’s secondary featured game is the UEFA Champions League game in Germany between Bayern Munich and Internazionale. The first leg in Italy ended 0-1 in favour of the German giants and that leaves this game with all to play for tonight so I expect a good game.
The sole reason that I never like backing Bayern Munich is because they lack any talented strikers, in my view. Their midfield can be outstanding on their day, their work ethic is flawless, and their experience is good. Scoring goals against a brick wall defence often causes them problems, however, so that’s when I tend to withdraw from backing them. I don’t envision that being a problem tonight though – Internazionale only know how to attack under Leonardo and they need to win here or they’re out so this game should suit Bayern. Bayern love to play it down the flanks and who can blame them? In Arjen Robben they’ve got one of the best wingers in the world and Frank Ribery isn’t far behind either! Schweinsteiger is one of the few midfield “generals” still plying his trade nowadays and Thomas Muller is a promising playmaker attacker so Bayern do have options in attack here, despite lacking a natural finisher. I’m a bit concerned that Bayern still enjoy fielding battle-axe midfielder Tymoschuk in defence but they’re still a decent unit and they have terrific motivation to do well here as they’ve nothing else to play for this season. In addition to that, Bayern have announced that Louis Van Gaal will leave the club in summer, which is stupid to a level that I cannot even begin to fathom. However, Bayern responded in tremendous fashion by drubbing Hamburger SV 6-0 in the Bundesliga, a result which saw opposing manager Veh sacked, so you can see how the players feel about this news. In my view, we should see one of Bayern’s most concrete and cohesive displays of the season thus far and if that happens then I fully expect their pace to win them this game alone, if only via counter-attacks.
Internazionale are not the same side as last year. They still have largely the same players but different managers and different tactics have rendered their generally rather excellent defence as somewhat redundant due to the flambuoyant attacking football that now dominates their games. They have some fantastic attacking players ala Pazzini and Sneijder and yet another fine midfield general in Esteban Cambiasso but their defensive weakness makes them vulnerable tonight, vulnerable to a degree that I don’t think they can handle. The absence of Milito and Pazzini also brings a certain impotence to the Internazionale attack as they lack natural finishers too without those two, in my view. Eto’o is always a threat with his pace and ability to beat a man but I still don’t rate him as a great finisher, as alone as I may be with that statement! Either way, I think that the combination of a shaky Internazionale defence fused with a lack of natural ability to score goals due to their absences tonight makes them second best in this game and I think they may just lose it as a result.
Exercise caution when betting on this game as Bayern don’t have to win this game; a draw will put them through. However, given how Bayern played at weekend following the news of Van Gaal’s impending departure gives me great faith in them playing well for their wily manager tonight and in future games. Internazionale look likely to be undone in this game and although I expect a fairly feisty game here, I think Bayern winning this game represents some value at 10/11.
Team news – Bayern Munich miss Olic whereas Internazionale miss Milito and Pazzini.
Verdict: Bayern Munich to win at 10/11.
Tuesday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Tianjin Teda vs Gamba Osaka – away win at 6/5.
Chinese hosts Tianjin Teda have played just one competitive game over the past five months and although they gained a very credible result by winning 0-1 in South Korea against Jeju United, I’m not going to read into it too much due to the South Korean outfit’s lack of experience in this competition. Tianjin Teda brought in Nigerian attacker Odita from Javor Ivanjica which will add some much-needed muscle to their attack but they still lack a certain something that I can’t quite explain. Their team is a bit on the youthful side and with hardly any competitive match practice leading them into this game, I think they’ll struggle here.
Gamba Osaka are seasoned professionals when it comes to experience in the Asian Champions League and I expect it to show here. Brazilian striker Adriano has proven his worth already for Gamba Osaka and with the J-League giants having two wins from their last two games with seven goals scored along the way to their name, you have to fancy them to bring their momentum into this game and use it well. Gamba Osaka have won eleven out of their last fourteen away games in the Asian Champions League and the experience that they possess should enable them to make it count here.
Be careful because Chinese teams really hate the Japanese teams and will do anything to prevent them winning. However, despite recent advances of the Chinese Super League, the J-League sides are simply a lot better than they are and Gamba Osaka are one of the leading lights in Japanese football currently. Gamba’s defence is as questionable as ever but their offensive power remains so my call is an away win here as it’s generously priced and Gamba Osaka have proven their worth away from home numerous times before.
Verdict: Gamba Osaka to win at 6/5.
Accumulator fodder:
Manchester United
Recommended bets:
Manchester United and Gamba Osaka at 2/1.
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 to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!
UEFA Champions League:
Bayern Munich vs Internazionale (6) over 2.5 goals
Manchester United vs Olympique de Marseille (8) under 2.5 goals
Copa Libertadores:
Leon de Huanuco vs Gremio (5) 1-1
Argentinos Juniors vs Club Nacional de Montevideo (4) 2-2, at least one red card in this game
Universidad San Martin vs Libertad Asuncion (6) over 2.5 goals
Once Caldas Manizales vs San Luis (7) 1-0
Asian Champions League:
Melbourne Victory vs Jeju United (6) 1-0
FC Seoul vs Hangzhou Lucheng (7) 2-0
Tianjin Teda vs Gamba Osaka (5) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Sepahan vs Al Jazira (7) 2-0
Al Gharafa vs Al Hilal (6) 1-1
Al Nasr vs Esteghlal (4) 1-1
English Championship:
Scunthorpe United vs Preston North End (5) both sides to score
Ipswich Town vs Watford (6)
Burnley vs Coventry City (7)
English League One:
Brentford vs Huddersfield Town (4) under 2.5 goals
Hartlepool United vs Leyton Orient (5)
Sheffield Wednesday vs Peterborough United (4) over 2.5 goals
Rochdale vs Notts County (6)
Carlisle United vs Plymouth Argyle (5)
English League Two:
Accrington Stanley vs Burton Albion (6)
Bury vs Torquay United (7)
Crewe Alexandra vs Southend United (5)
Macclesfield Town vs Lincoln City (4)
Oxford United vs Stevenage (6)
Finnish Liiga Cup:
IFK Mariehamn vs MyPa Anjalankoski (6) 1-2
Singaporean S-League:
Gombak United vs Geylang United (7) 2-0
Venezuelan Primera Division:
Deportivo Tachira vs Estudiantes de Merida (7) 1-0
Enjoy your free betting tips!