China vs Qatar
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Previews won’t be as long today, guys – please accept my apologies. The reasoning behind is that I feel like death warmed up at the moment – I’ve genuinely never felt as ill as I do now so bed beckons.
Anyway, today’s featured game is between hosts Qatar and opponents China.
With zero points on the board after one game, Qatar have no choice but to attack China today. China don’t have to attack Qatar following a win against Kuwait so the onus is well and truly on the hosts today.
However, the ease with which Qatar’s defence was destroyed against Uzbekistan in the opening game was terrifying when you consider that defence is their strongest point. They created some decent chances but failed to convert them as they looked very short of ability and finesse. There was too much reliance on Soria and too little outcome from such a tactic and yet I don’t see an alternative for Qatar – they’re very short on quality players.
China, however, have some very good players. Admittedly, their attack isn’t the best in the competition but experienced Bo Qu is there so they should have enough in general. They scored two against Kuwait without overly impressing and that impresses me, ironically. I’ve seen many games where China have played well and haven’t scored the necessary quota of goals to win the game but now that they’re “winning ugly”, I’m happy to give them a chance. They were one of the best sides in the Asian Cup in their pre-tournament friendlies and that momentum has clearly carried on from then. China’s mentality is very strong at the moment, as is their clear desire to do well at this tournament, so I have to fancy them here.
A win for China will see them all but guaranteed a place in the next round but a win isn’t essential so we could see some counter-attacking from China here, just as Uzbekistan did against Qatar, which worked incredibly well. China are a better side than Qatar, in my view, and even though Qatar are the hosts of this tournament, I don’t see enough in their ranks to explain why China are 7/4. For me, the Chinese win has to be given serious thought at 7/4 today.
Verdict: China to win at 7/4.
Wednesday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Uzbekistan vs Kuwait – Uzbekistan to win at 11/10.
Some of you will have seen how easily Uzbekistan tore Qatar apart and I expect a similar display from Kuwait, who are about on-par with the hosts of this tournament, in my opinion. Uzbekistan’s strength is attacking with Shatskikh, Geynrikh, and Khasanov all looking very dangerous already in this tournament. Uzbekistan have arguably the strongest attack in the group and it really should show here. Kuwait miss important and experienced defender Nada through suspension and with little quality elsewhere in the team, I have to favour Uzbekistan at 11/10.
Team news – Kuwait miss Nada.
Verdict: Uzbekistan to win at 11/10.
Central Coast Mariners vs Brisbane Roar – over 2.5 goals 11/10.
This game has a habit of going over 2.5 goals and there’s a fair bit to support that idea today. The Mariners average scoring two goals per home game and conceding over a goal per home game. Brisbane lead the A-League table due to excellent form, both at home and away. They do well away from home due to their potent nature too, averaging scoring nearly two goals per away game whilst conceding an average of nearly a goal per away game.
Both sides are playing well and both sides are scoring a hefty number of goals. To add extra motivation, Brisbane are going to be working harder than ever to win this game as dedication to those who have suffered during the horrific floods in Queensland, something that their own manager was very keen to point out. That can either produce a miraculous display or a terrible display, depending on how the team reacts. Either way, I can’t overlook this game being over 2.5 goals at decent odds of 11/10, especially as the scoreline was 1-5 when the two sides last met here earlier this season.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 11/10.
Accumulator fodder:
The New Saints
Recommended bets:
The New Saints and China at 2/1.
As ever, if there are any questions/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!
Asian Cup:
Uzbekistan vs Kuwait (7) 2-1
China vs Qatar (7) 2-0
Australian A-League:
Central Coast Mariners vs Brisbane Roar (4) over 2.5 goals
English League Cup:
Ipswich Town vs Arsenal (7) over 2.5 goals
English Premier League:
Blackpool vs Liverpool (6) over 2.5 goals
Scottish Premier League:
Dundee United vs Motherwell (6) 1-0
Hamilton Academicals vs Celtic (7) 1-2
Welsh Premier League:
Carmarthen Town vs The New Saints (8) over 2.5 goals
Enjoy your free betting tips!