Levadia Tallinn vs Galatasaray
FreeEstonia’s Levadia Tallinn today hosts Turkish giants Galatasaray in what should be a futile attempt to qualify for the Europa League proper. After a 5-0 drubbing in Istanbul, the Estonian champions will simply try to salvage some pride today. Unfortunately for them, they’re facing one of the most potent and efficient Galatasaray sides that I’ve seen for some years now. They have the right mixture of experience and talent in the squad to take them to the next level. That said, I’d be confident of this selection even if Galatasaray fielded a second-string team with little motivation for the game so basically I’m feeling pretty damn confident about the outcome today! Galatasaray to win this game with -1.75 handicap at 6/4 is an absolute bargain because the Turks are an awful lot better than their hosts tonight and I thoroughly expect it to show by the final whistle.
Thursday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Levadia Tallinn vs Galatasaray – away win with -1.75 handicap at 6/4 – see introduction for full details.
Karabakh Agdam vs Twente – away win at 5/6. Despite an early scare in the first leg, Steve McClaren’s Twente managed to turn things around and win the game 3-1. Whereas I’m sure they’d have preferred to do it without conceding, it still leaves them in a very promising position in terms of progression to the Europa League proper. Hosts Karabakh Adgam have already stunned half of Scandinavia thus far, managing frankly heroic victories against Rosenborg BK and FC Honka Espoo of Norway and Finland respectively. However, they’ve finally met their match and I expect it to show again tonight because they’ll have to attack the Dutch outfit and McClaren’s side are lethal on the counter-attack. An away win at 5/6 has a good deal of value in it!
Amkar Perm vs Fulham – away win with draw no bet odds of 5/6. This could potentially be one of the most boring ties of the round. Still, I’m open to being proven wrong! Fulham are missing main goalscorer Andy Johnson through a horrific challenge in the first leg of this tie, which will somewhat nullify their goal threat, although not entirely. Fulham really need Bobby Zamora to turn up and Clint Dempsey to support him as much as possible to get something here. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Amkar Perm are capable of turning this tie around per se, although they’re a decent home side. They’re just not as good as they were last season. A draw is probably the most likely outcome but I feel that if Fulham steal a goal, they’ll hold on and win the game. Therefore, draw no bet odds of 5/6 look inviting.
Sigma Olomouc vs Everton – away win at 11/10. Despite the result somewhat flattering Everton in the first leg, the fact remains that they are the better outfit here and have more than enough capability when it comes to beating sides like Sigma Olomouc. The loss of Joleon Lescott may be a blessing in disguise as the constant speculation surrounding his future can only be irritating team mates. I expect Sigma Olomouc to give Everton a good game but to ultimately taste defeat for a second time. Odds of 11/10 on an away win look intriguing here.
Slovan Bratislava vs AFC Ajax Amsterdam – away win at 10/11 or with -1.75 handicap at 11/4. These odds are really, really confusing me. Ok, so AFC Ajax Amsterdam drew their last game 0-0 at home to Sparta Rotterdam. Fair enough, they had an unlucky game as all sides do at somepoint. They still absolutely battered Sparta Rotterdam and would have won that game 99 times from 100 attempts. They’re still an awful lot better than Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava in whichever light you view it, as well as having a very good and experienced manager whose sides always turn up and play football whether they have to (results-wise) or not. They’ve got the quality to absolutely dominate this tie, particularly as the hosts have to attack to have any hope here. An away win at 10/11 is an absolute steal, frankly. I even fancy the away win with -1.75 handicap at 11/4, which could be a very nice earner indeed!!
CFR Cluj vs FK Sarajevo – home win with -1.75 handicap at evens. This could well be another boring tie but I think the result is all but decided. Romanians CFR Cluj claimed a valuable 1-1 draw in Sarajevo in the first leg. The fundamental point of beating any Bosnia-Herzegovina side in Europe is gaining a respectable result in Bosnia-Herzegovina. If you do that, chances are that you’ll progress. There’s no doubt in my mind that CFR Cluj are the better side here and Bosnia-Herzegovina sides just don’t travel well at all. I expect a home win at the very least but I also expect the hosts to break the -1.75 handicap at evens too.
Tromso vs Athletic Club de Bilbao – away win at 11/10, both sides to score. I’m a little reluctant with this game having watched Athletic Club de Bilbao’s unconvincing win away to Switzerland’s Young Boys Bern and their home leg performance against Tromso but I’ll ride it nonetheless due to the quality available at Athletic Club de Bilbao’s disposal. These two sides have one thing in common; neither side can defend for shit! Athletic Club de Bilbao find it very difficult to close down attacking midfielders through the middle so it’s worth taking any of Tromso’s central midfielders to score in this game. It’s also worthwhile to take both sides to score for the above reason, as was indicated perfectly in the first leg. The Spaniards are definitely the better side but they have a tough job to do on their long trip north to Tromso, a trip that has been the bane of many sides before them. Tromso will make this game hard for Athletic Club de Bilbao but the Norwegians do have to attack to obtain something from the game, something which I feel Athletic Club de Bilbao will exploit very well on the counter-attack. Overall, I expect a narrow away win with plenty of goals so 11/10 on the away win does look somewhat inviting.
Austria Vienna vs Metalurg Donetsk – home win at 6/5. An interesting first leg saw Metalurg Donetsk claim an unlikely result with a last-minute equaliser, leaving the score level at 2-2. The result was harsh on Austria Vienna, who had been the better side. However, I think it’s fair to say that Metalurg Donetsk were “found out”, as we say in England – as in they’re not a very good outfit! They’re an average side who will make you work hard to get a result from them but aren’t ultimately very threatening. Austria Vienna are a good and capable side that have the away goal advantage and the home game advantage. They’re also a better side than Metalurg Donetsk so why on earth they’re 6/5 to win this game is frankly beyond me. If the hosts turn up then a home win at 6/5 could well be bargain of the day!
Fenerbahce vs Sion – home win with -2.75 handicap at 7/4. After securing a comfortable 2-0 win in Switzerland, it’s unlikely Fenerbahce are going to worry about this leg too much. They know they’re the better side and they have the home advantage tonight, as well as a stadium full of passionate but demanding fans. This atmosphere won’t be something Sion will have seen before and not something they’ll ever see again barring a miracle because they’re a pretty damn poor side! Simply put – Fenerbahce have too much ability in their squad to do anything but win here and the Swiss side are incapable of keeping out a feisty home side. Taking the home win with -2.75 handicap at 7/4 could be a real bargain.
Hamburger SV vs Guingamp – home win with -2.75 handicap at 13/10. What do I need to add here? Hamburger SV have already shown they can beat the handicap comfortably by doing so in the away leg of this tie so I’m damn sure they’re capable of reproducing that form in the home leg, if not increasing it. Guingamp aren’t the best of sides at the best of times. In fact, I’d call them nothing more than an average Ligue 2 side at best. This shouldn’t be any kind of obstacle for Hamburger SV so a home win with -2.75 handicap at 13/10 could well be a very good bet tonight.
Heart of Midlothian vs Dinamo Zagreb – away win at 6/4. Scottish football is getting worse and worse in comparison to the rest of Europe. Heart of Midlothian’s annihlation in Zagreb in the first leg was a classic example of this. Don’t get me wrong, the Croatian side are a good side but they shouldn’t be capable of winning that game 4-0. However, they did win that game 4-0 because they’re the better side with better players. If you couple that with the ridiculously poor form that Heart of Midlothian currently have and the players they have missing (i.e. Kingston) then an away win at 6/4 starts to look really tempting!
OB Odense vs Genoa – away win at 13/10. Genoa have the potential to be a real dark horse in this tournament. They’ve impressed me a great deal over the past couple of years with some fantastic attacking football and good goalscoring ability. Despite losing key striker Diego Milito over summer, they have brought in replacements that should be able to cover for him. I was unsure how Genoa would play in this tournament as Italian sides tend to struggle in Europe these days but a commanding display has all but assured them of a place in the Europa League proper. I don’t think the Italians will do much other than to counter-attack OB Odense tonight as the Danes have to attack to have any chance. If Rodrigo Palacio starts in attack then God help OB Odense when Genoa counter-attack – this guy is like lightning! An away win at 13/10 looks inviting and rather probable, thus also rather valuable, logically!
Botafogo vs Cruzeiro – away win at 11/5. Cruzeiro’s recent form in Serie A shows how they should be playing! They’ve not lost in their past four games, winning three and drawing the other. They’re a very capable side on their day and that day is every matchday, currently. Botafogo are going from bad to worse with no wins in their past five games, their only points coming from two draws they’ve achieved in those five games. They need the points so they’re not going to be sitting back but a Cruzeiro side in this kind of form has to be respected or they will punish you. However, Botafogo are running out of options so Cruzeiro might just fancy their chances here – I know I do! The away win at 11/5 looks a good bet given the above information and the fact that Botafogo aren’t a particularly good home side and Cruzeiro aren’t bad on the road of late!
As ever, any questions/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!
UEFA Europa League:
Aktobe Lento vs Werder Bremen (7) both sides to score
Karabakh Agdam vs Twente (7) 0-1
Sigma Olomouc vs Everton (7) 1-2
Amkar Perm vs Fulham (5) 0-1, draw no bet
Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs Teplice (7) 2-1
Dinamo Moscow vs CSKA Sofia (8) 2-0
Hertha BSC Berlin vs Brondby (8) 2-0
Zenit St. Petersburg vs CD Nacional (8) 2-0
Slovan Bratislava vs AFC Ajax Amsterdam (8) -1.75 handicap
Heerenveen vs PAOK Salonika (7) 3-1
LOSC Lille vs Racing Genk (7) 2-1
CFR Cluj vs FK Sarajevo (8) -1.75 handicap
Elfsborg Boras vs Lazio (4) 2-1
Tromso vs Athletic Club de Bilbao (7) both sides to score
Austria Vienna vs Metalurg Donetsk (8) 2-1
Metalist Kharkiv vs Sturm Graz (8) 2-0
MSK Zilina vs Partizan Belgrade (6) 1-1
Basel vs Baku (7) -1.75 handicap
Slovan Liberec vs Dinamo Bucharest (8) 2-1
Red Star Belgrade vs Slavia Prague (7) 2-0
Sparta Prague vs Maribor (8) 3-1
Litex Lovech vs BATE Borisov (7) 1-0
Levadia Tallinn vs Galatasaray (9) -1.75 handicap
AEK Athens vs Vaslui (8) 2-1
Villarreal vs NAC Breda (8) -1.75 handicap
Fenerbahce vs Sion (9) -2.75 handicap
Club Brugge vs Lech Poznan (7) both sides to score
OB Odense vs Genoa (7) 1-2
Hamburger SV vs Guingamp (9) -2.75 handicap
Heart of Midlothian vs Dinamo Zagreb (7) 1-2
AS Roma vs MFK Kosice (8) -1.75 handicap
PSV Eindhoven vs Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv (8) -1.75 handicap
St.Patrick’s Athletic vs Steaua Bucharest (6) 0-1
Vorskla Poltava vs SL Benfica (5) 0-1, draw no bet
Toulouse vs Trabzonspor (8) 2-1
Aston Villa vs Rapid Vienna (7) 2-1
Valencia CF vs Stabaek (8) -1.75 handicap
Copa Nissan Sudamericana:
River Plate Montevideo vs Blooming Santa Cruz (8) -1.75 handicap
Emelec Guayaquil vs Zamora (8) 2-1
Brazilian Serie A:
Botafogo vs Cruzeiro (7) 1-2
Chinese Super League:
Henan Jianye vs Chongqing Lifan (7) 2-0
English League Cup:
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City (8) 1-2
Finnish Ykkonen:
Klubi 04 Helsinki vs TP 47 Tornio (6)
PoPa Pori vs Kiisto Vaasa (8)
Singaporean S-League:
Albirex Niigate vs Home United (6) 2-2
Enjoy your free betting tips!