Racing Santander vs Athletic Club de Bilbao
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Today’s secondary featured game is the Primera Liga game between Racing Santander and Athletic Bilbao.
Well, it’s mathematically possible that Racing will avoid the drop so they should still be battling valiantly here. I think we all share the opinion that they’re already relegated but they’re one of the few sides in the Primera Liga that never stops battling and I don’t expect that to change here. They got a 1-1 draw at El Madrigal last time out and that at least gives the hosts a platform to build upon here today.
Athletic are the better side here but how ready are they to show it? I watched their showing in Lisbon a few days ago and they looked knackered to me. Boss Bielsa has taken the blame for substituting Herrera toward the end of the game as he said it was the catalyst behind Sporting dominating possession and scoring two goals. I think he’s right but I also feel that he didn’t have much choice because Herrera, just like Muniain, Susaeta, and Llorente, are knackered. It’s affecting Athletic so much that their passing game is really suffering as a result. There’s no doubt that Athletic are the better side here but I can’t see them playing their usual game because they don’t have the energy any longer. Bielsa will only rest players when he has to and with a must-win game against Sporting looming large in a few days time, this is the time to rest them. I expect him to replace Llorente with Toquero, for example, and perhaps put Ibai Gomez in for Ander Herrera. Athletic need to mix things up or they’ll go out of the UEFA Europa League in a few days time. Athletic can still monopolise possession really well but they need Llorente to score the goals or just to cause the problems in the box because Toquero is just a worker; he is not a good striker.
This leads me to believe that we’ll end up with under 2.5 goals today. I’ve made a fortune from going over 2.5 goals in Bilbao’s games this season so I’m hoping that this isn’t a suicidal touch! However, it makes sense for this to go unders, to me. Athletic couldn’t break through Racing earlier in the season despite dominating the whole game. It only ended 1-1 because Athletic didn’t defend a set piece at the end of the game but there weren’t many clear-cut chances in the game and I can’t see how there will be today unless Athletic are on nandrolone. For me, under 2.5 goals is worth a bet here at evens, especially as Racing know how to hold a lead – they just struggle to take the lead!!
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at evens.
Sunday’s Picks
Accumulator fodder:
Beroe, Universidad de Chile, Manchester United, Manchester City, Inter Turku, Paris Saint-Germain, Gyori ETO FC, Debreceni VSC, AFC Ajax Amsterdam,
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!
Argentinian Primera Division:
All Boys vs Union de Santa Fe (6) 2-1
Banfield vs San Lorenzo de Almagro (5) 0-0
Godoy Cruz de Mendoza vs Independiente (6) 1-1
Belgrano de Cordoba vs Boca Juniors (7) 1-2
Australian A-League:
Brisbane Roar vs Perth Glory (7) 2-1
Austrian Bundesliga:
Rapid Vienna vs Sturm Graz (5) 1-1
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Club Brugge vs Anderlecht (4) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Racing Genk vs Standard de Liege (7) 2-1
Bulgarian A PFG:
CSKA Sofia vs Cherno More Varna (4) 1-1
Vidma-Rakovski vs Montana (6) 1-1
Beroe vs Svetkavitsa (8) 2-0
Ludogorets vs Litex Lovech (7) 2-1
Chernomorets Burgas vs Botev Vratsa (7) 2-0
Chilean Primera Division:
Rangers vs Colo Colo (6) 1-2
Cobresal vs Cobreloa (5) 2-2, at least one red card in this game
Universidad de Chile vs Antofagasta (8) 2-0
Colombian Primera A:
Independiente Medellin vs Boyaca Chico (6) 2-1
Deportivo Pasto vs Deportivo Cali (6) 1-0
Cucuta Deportivo vs Millonarios Bogota (6) 1-1
Croatian Prva Liga:
Istra 1961 vs Split (5) 1-0
Cypriot Division 1:
APOEL Nicosia vs AEL Limassol (5) 0-0
Ethnikos Achnas vs Olympiakos Nicosia (5) 2-1
Enosis Neon Paralimni vs Aris Limassol (5) 1-1
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Hradec Kralove vs Viktoria Plzen (6) 1-2
Slavia Prague vs Slovacko (7) 0-0
Teplice vs Jablonec (5) 2-1
Mlada Boleslav vs Sparta Prague (5) 1-2
Danish Superligaen:
Silkeborg vs Lyngby (6) 2-1
FC Copenhagen vs AC Horsens (7) 2-1
SonderjyskE vs HB Koge (7) 2-1
Brondby vs Midtylland (4) 1-2
Danish 1st Division:
Skive vs Fredericia (5) over 2.5 goals
Roskilde vs Esbjerg (7)
Randers vs Blokhus (8)
Naestved vs Hjorring (5)
Ecuadorian Primera A:
Olmedo Riobamba vs Manta (6) 2-1
El Nacional Quito vs Emelec Guayaquil (5) 1-1
Macara Ambato vs Liga de Quito (7) 1-2
Barcelona Guayaquil vs Deportivo Quito (5) 1-1
English Premier League:
Manchester United vs Everton (8) 1-0
Liverpool vs West Bromwich Albion (4) 1-1
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City (9) -1.5 handicap
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
FC Honka Espoo vs JJK Jyvaskyla (5) 1-2
VPS Vaasa vs FC Lahti (6) 1-0
KuPS Kuopio vs TPS Turku (7) 0-1
Haka Valkeakoski vs IFK Mariehamn (6) 1-0
Inter Turku vs MyPa Anjalankoski (8) 2-0
French Ligue 1:
AC Ajaccio vs AS Nancy-Lorraine (5) 1-1
Paris Saint-Germain vs Sochaux (8) over 2.5 goals
Olympique Lyonnais vs Lorient (6) 1-0
German Bundesliga:
Augsburg vs Schalke 04 (5) 2-1
Hannover 96 vs SC Freiburg (6) 2-1
Greek Super League:
Xanthi vs Ergotelis (4) 1-1
Aris Salonika vs Kerkyra (5) 1-1
Asteras Tripolis vs Panionios (6) 2-1
Atromitos vs Olympiakos Piraeus (6) 1-1
Doxa Dramas vs AEK Athens (7) 1-2
Levadiakos vs PAOK Salonika (6) 0-0
OFI Crete vs PAS Giannina (6) 1-0
Panathinaikos vs Panaitolikos (5) 2-1
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Gyori ETO FC vs Diosgyori VTK (8) 2-1
Debreceni VSC vs Kaposvari Rakoczi (8) 2-1
Italian Serie A:
Fiorentina vs Internazionale (5) 1-0
AC Milan vs Bologna (7) 1-0
Lazio vs Lecce (6) 2-1
Cesena vs Palermo (5) 1-1
Genoa vs Siena (6) 1-0
Juventus vs AS Roma (7) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Latvian Virsliga:
Gulbene 2005 vs Skonto Riga (7) 0-1
Jelgava vs FC Jurmala (6) 2-1
Metta/LU vs FK Ventspils (7) 1-2
Daugava Daugavpils vs Liepajas Metalurgs (5) 2-1
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Dainava vs Siauliai (6) 0-1
Banga Gargzdai vs Tauras Taurage (5) 1-1
Mexican Primera Division:
Pumas UNAM vs Jaguares (7) 1-0
Puebla vs America (5) 1-1
Dutch Eredivisie:
ADO Den Haag vs Feyenoord Rotterdam (5) 1-1
AZ Alkmaar vs VVV Venlo (6) 2-1
PSV Eindhoven vs NEC Nijmegen (6) 2-1
AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs Groningen (8) over 2.5 goals
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Stromsgodset vs Viking Stavanger (6) 2-1
Sandnes Ulf vs Stabaek (6) 2-1
Honefoss vs Aalesund FK (6) 0-0
Odd Grenland Skien vs Fredrikstad (6) 1-0
Rosenborg BK vs Tromso (5) 0-0
Paraguayan Division Profesional:
Sol de America vs Independiente FBC (6) 2-1
Sportivo Luqueno vs Libertad Asuncion (7) 0-1
Guarani Asuncion vs Rubio Nu (7) 2-0
Cerro Porteno vs Deportivo Carapegua (7) 2-0
Peruvian Primera Division:
Sporting Cristal vs Melgar FBC (7) 2-0
Cienciano vs Sport Huancayo (6) 1-0
Jose Galvez vs Union Comercio (7) 2-1
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Zaglebie Lubin vs GKS Belchatow (6) 1-0
Lechia Gdansk vs Slask Wroclaw (6) 1-1
Polish Liga 1:
Nieciecza vs Gornik Polkowice (6)
Warta Poznan vs Ruch Radzionkow (7)
Piast Gliwice vs Oimpia Grudziadz (6) over 2.5 goals
Polonia Bytom vs Dolcan Zabki (6)
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Gil Vicente vs Rio Ave (6) 2-1
Feirense vs Vitoria Setubal (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
CD Nacional de Madeira vs Sporting Clube de Lisboa (6) 1-0
Romanian Liga:
Vointa Sibiu vs Petrolul Ploiesti (5) 1-1
CFR Cluj vs Concordia Chiajna (7) 2-1
Dinamo Bucharest vs Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt (5) 2-1
Russian Premier League:
Terek Grozny vs FK Krasnodar (7) 2-0
Spartak Moscow vs Anzhi Makhachkala (5) 1-1
Krylya Sovetov Samara vs Rostov-na-Donu (5) 0-0
Lokomotiv Moscow vs Rubin’ Kazan (6) 1-0
Scottish Premier League:
Motherwell vs Celtic (6) 1-2
Hibernian vs Kilmarnock (5) 2-1
Serbian Superliga:
Metalac GM vs Hajduk Kula (6) 1-0
Singaporean S-League:
Armed Forces vs Hougang United (7) 2-1
Gombak United vs Geylang United (6) 1-0, at least one red card in this game
Slovenian Prva Liga:
Celje vs Gorica (4) 1-1
Mura 05 vs Rudar Velenje (6) 2-1
Maribor vs Triglav (7) 2-0
Spanish Primera Liga:
Granada vs Getafe (5) 2-2
Real Sociedad vs Villarreal CF (6) 1-0
Racing Santander vs Athletic Club de Bilbao (5) 1-0
Atletico Madrid vs Espanyol (6) 2-1
Valencia CF vs Real Betis Balompie (4) 2-2
Spanish Segunda Liga:
Deportivo La Coruna vs Elche (7)
Barcelona II vs Real Murcia (6) over 2.5 goals
Swedish Allsvenskan:
GAIS Goteborg vs IFK Norrkoping (6) 2-1
AIK Solna vs GIF Sundsvall (7) 1-0
Swedish Superettan:
Assyriska Sodertalje vs Varnamo (7)
Trelleborg FF vs Jonkopings Sodra (7) over 2.5 goals
Falkenberg vs Brage (5)
Degerfors vs Umea (6)
Swiss Super League:
Sion vs Basel (6) 0-1
FC Zurich vs Lausanne Sports (7) 1-0
Swiss Challenge League:
SC Kriens vs Vaduz (6)
Bruhl vs Aarau (7)
Turkish Super Lig:
Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce (7) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Ukrainian Premier League:
Vorskla Poltava vs Zorya Lugansk (6) 1-0
Arsenal Kiev vs Karpaty Lviv (5) 1-1
Chernomorets Odessa vs Metalist Kharkiv (6) 0-1
Volyn Lutsk vs Dynamo Kiev (4) 1-1
Uruguayan Primera Division:
Liverpool Montevideo vs Montevideo Wanderers (7) 2-1
Cerro Largo vs River Plate Montevideo (6) 1-0
El Tanque Sisley vs Bella Vista (6) 1-0
Cerro vs Defensor Sporting (6) 1-1
Fenix vs Penarol (5) 1-2
Enjoy your free betting tips!