Salzburg vs Rijeka
FreeWe’re always looking for new recruits to help us so please click here if you want to find out more about the ways you can help us (e.g. local input, watching games)!
Our in-play service continues to make profit so click here if you are interested in a free trial!
There is 1 banker and 5 value tips in the Members Section today so feel free to sign up here to see them + team news!
This should be a really interesting tie. Salzburg are recognised as the better of these two teams, and they sure have played a lot more European football than Rijeka in recent years. They’ve had some fine squads, too! Nowadays, I think that the gap between these two teams is minimal, though, so I am not convinced that this will be a classic.
Salzburg remain the better side but they find it harder than they used to when it comes to breaking teams down. It doesn’t show so much domestically, and it didn’t against Maltese outfit Hibernians. However, whenever they encounter a good team, Salzburg find it hard to break them down, and even harder to convert their chances. Should that be considered a “surprise”, though? Losing Soriano was a huge blow for them. Dabbur is a very capable player but hasn’t properly settled at the club, hence his loan spell with his former employers Grasshopper Zurich last season. Minamino is a clever player but sometimes I find that his lack of upper body strength prevents him from being “involved” in the game. They lost Laimer to their “big brothers” RB Leipzig pre-season, and promising Swiss striker Oberlin has joined FC Basel on loan. I don’t think they’ve really done enough to reinforce their squad pre-season as it’s still just Berisha that makes things happen for them in games like these. I do like their defence – I think they look pretty solid. Their attack looks a shade too bland for my liking, however, and the Croatian champions might just prove to be tricky opponents for them.
Rijeka pride themselves on their organisation, you see. Their motivation levels are constant (I only remember them playing one bad game of football last season), they’re efficient, and they never seem to panic. Even when it comes to playing in Europe, Rijeka make it look like they’ve been doing it for many, many years. They’ve got a strong understanding in their squad, a real belief in their collective ability, and they look ready to take on any opponent. I don’t honestly see why they should fear this Salzburg side, really. There’s no Keita or Soriano or Mane in there nowadays. As long as Berisha is nullified, Rijeka should be able to hold their own here, and I believe that they’ll do that. They may just cause a bit of an “upset” here.
I won’t go near the 1×2 market just yet but I can see this being a low-scoring tactical dogfight.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 19/20.
Wednesday’s Thoughts
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. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
International Friendly:
Ecuador vs Trinidad & Tobago
UEFA Champions League:
FK Astana vs Legia Warsaw
Dinamo Kiev vs Young Boys Bern
Salzburg vs Rijeka
Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Ludogorets Razgrad
Viitorul Constanta vs APOEL Nicosia
Maribor vs FH Hafnarfjordur
OGC Nice vs AFC Ajax Amsterdam
Celtic vs Rosenborg BK
Club Brugge vs Istanbul BB
Copa Sudamericana:
Sol de America vs Ponte Preta
Universidad Catolica (Ecu) vs Fluminense
Boston River vs Cerro Porteno
Corinthians vs Patriotas Boyaca
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Utenis Utena vs Atlantas Klaipeda
Enjoy your free betting tips!