Bolton Wanderers vs Blackburn Rovers
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Today’s secondary featured game is the Lancashire derby between Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. With both sides facing the relegation dogfight, this game is even more important than ever today and I expect a committed display from each side as a result.
This is Bolton’s first game since the horrifying incident with Fabrice Muamba at White Hart Lane and they will almost certainly work harder than ever for their team-mate. Incidents like that affect different players in different ways – some thrive under the pressure to perform for their friend and some are too emotional and subsequently make mistakes. For this bet to succeed today, I’m hopefuly that we’ll see both from Bolton.
Bolton are good enough to avoid the drop this season. The problem is that they’re not playing the right way and I don’t fully understand why Coyle is continuing with what he is doing. He’s effectively making Bolton defend but with an attacking formation and that just doesn’t make sense. Bolton’s defence is Championship level at best, especially following the departure of Cahill, and it usually shows too, especially with no set number one behind them now that Jaaskelainen is making more mistakes with his advancing years and with Bogdan having been thrust into the first team. Bolton are not a very settled unit and they don’t have very good fans either, to be honest – they’re predominantly very impatient and unsupportive. Nonetheless, the incident with Muamba should galvanise the fans, who can inspire this Bolton side to success today. Bolton have the attacking talent to harm sides in Tuncay, Miyaichi, Klasnic, Petrov etc. – they just need to play the right way and that will allow them to attack and score goals.
Attacking and scoring goals – that’s one thing that their bitter rivals Blackburn haven’t struggled with. Oddly enough, Blackburn have excelled in front of goal with big Yakubu being a constant threat in the final third. Blackburn have no shortage of attacking options and Kean allows his side to express themselves, which no Blackburn manager has done for some time, if we’re honest. It’s a bold move and I respect it.
The down side for Blackburn is that they really cannot defend, no matter how they can try. How many attacking sides can? Not many, if any. It didn’t help that they sold emerging talent Jones to Manchester United last season but now that Samba has left for Anzhi Makhachkala and Nelsen has left for Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers are horribly short of good defenders and tend to find most of their backline injured and/or suspended far too often. Subsequently, you’ll rarely see Blackburn keeping a clean sheet although their goalscoring record really is phenomenal when you look at it.
Kean has said he wouldn’t mind postponing this game if Bolton wanted to in respect of Muamba. That was a clever move on his part. On the face of it, it looks a very generous statement and he probably does mean it. However, he’s not daft; he knows that his side stand a far better chance of beating Bolton when all this saga with Muamba has blown over and Bolton revert to their usual selves so this game being postponed would actually benefit Blackburn. Subsequently, I have no idea which way the 1×2 market will go here as both sides are just woeful at the back. However, I do feel that we’ll see goals with the above in mind and thus 4/5 on the over 2.5 goals selection appeals to me here.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 4/5.
Saturday’s Picks
My tips:
Swansea City vs Everton – home win at 6/5.
This is a dicey one but it’s a good test of how good Swansea actually are. Everton have played really well in these last few weeks and that means two things; few losses and few goals being conceded. Without the appropriate motivation and tenacity, Everton are the hardest side in the Premier League to face because this side never stops working hard for their boss David Moyes. I respect Everton a lot for that. However, Everton know when they’re outclassed and to be fair, only a handful of Premier League sides can outclass them. For me, Swansea City is one of those sides. I wouldn’t say that Swansea possess better players than Everton, per se, but they absolutely play better football and it really shows. Swansea have been a nightmare for every side to contain this season when facing them in south Wales and I don’t expect Everton to be any different here. I still feel that Swansea need a better striker but with Icelandic midfielder Sigurdsson chipping in with goals, it’s not nearly as evident as it was earlier this season. I expect Swansea to have a lot of the ball here as Everton don’t mind sitting deep and waiting for counters. It’s up to The Swans as to whether they can make it count or not but based on how they’ve played in recent times, I really feel that they’re worth a punt at 6/5 in what should be a low-scoring home win.
Verdict: Swansea City to win at 6/5.
Accumulator fodder:
Olympiakos Nicosia, Slovan Liberec, Flora Tallinn, Nomme Kalju, Debreceni VSC, Daugava Daugavpils, Liepajas Metalurgs, Suduva Marijampole, Heerenveen, Twente Enschede, Sporting Clube de Lisboa, MSK Zilina, Slovan Bratislava, Senica, Real Madrid, Basel.
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:
Atletico Rafaela vs San Lorenzo de Almagro (6) 0-0
Belgrano de Cordoba vs San Martin de San Juan (5) 1-0
Racing Club Avellaneda vs Union de Santa Fe (7) 1-0
Australian A-League:
Perth Glory vs Melbourne Victory (6) 2-1
Austrian Bundesliga:
SV Kapfenberg vs SV Mattersburg (6) 0-1
Wiener Neustadt vs SV Ried (7) 1-1
Admira Wacker vs Salzburg (6) 0-0
Austria Vienna vs Sturm Graz (5) 1-1
Belarusian Vysshaya Liga:
Slavia Mozyr vs Neman Grodno (6) 0-1
Belshina Bobriusk vs Dinamo Brest (7) 2-1
FC Minsk vs BATE Borisov (7) 1-2
Bulgarian A PFG:
Vidma-Rakovski vs Chernomorets Burgas (6) 0-1
Slavia Sofia vs Ludogorets (4) 1-1
Beroe vs Kaliakra (7) 2-0
Chilean Primera Division:
Union Espanola vs La Serena (7) 2-0
O’Higgins vs Union La Calera (5) 0-0
Universidad Catolica vs Deportes Iquique (7) 2-1
Rangers vs Huachipato (6) 1-1
Colombian Primera A:
Itagui Ditaires vs Envigado (6) 1-0
Boyaca Chico vs Patriotas (7) 1-0
Millonarios Bogota vs Independiente de Santa Fe Bogota (6) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Deportivo Cali vs Deportivo Pasto (7) 2-1
Croatian Prva Liga:
Zadar vs Istra 1961 (5) 0-0
Sibenik vs NK Zagreb (6) 1-0
Lucko vs Slaven Koprivnica (5) 1-1
Osijek vs Karlovac (6) 1-0
Lokomotiva Zagreb vs Split (6) 1-2
Varteks Varazdin vs Dinamo Zagreb (7) 0-1
Cypriot Division 1:
Olympiakos Nicosia vs Ermis (8) 2-1
AEK Larnaca vs Anagennisi Deryneia (7) 1-0
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Slavia Prague vs Sparta Prague (5) 0-0, at least one red card in this game
Slovan Liberec vs Bohemians 1905 (8) 2-0
Slovacko vs Banik Ostrava (5) 1-1
Danish Superligaen:
Aalborg BK vs SonderjyskE (6) 1-0
Ecuadorian Primera A:
Independiente vs Manta (6) 2-1
Deportivo Cuenca vs Emelec Guayaquil (5) 1-1
English Premier League:
Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur (5) 0-0
Arsenal vs Aston Villa (7) 2-1
Bolton Wanderers vs Blackburn Rovers (5) 2-2, at least one red card in this game
Liverpool vs Wigan Athletic (6) 2-1
Norwich City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (7) over 2.5 goals
Sunderland vs Queens Park Rangers (7) 1-0
Swansea City vs Everton (6) 1-0
Stoke City vs Manchester City (5) 0-1
English Championship:
Burnley vs West Ham United (5)
Leicester City vs Hull City (6)
Southampton vs Doncaster Rovers (7)
Derby County vs Crystal Palace (5)
Reading vs Blackpool (6) over 2.5 goals
Barnsley vs Peterborough United (6) over 2.5 goals
Coventry City vs Portsmouth (4)
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion (6)
Watford vs Ipswich Town (5) both sides to score
Millwall vs Leeds United (5) both sides to score
Middlesbrough vs Bristol City (7)
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Flora Paide vs Viljandi (6) 1-0
Nomme Kalju vs Tallinna Kalev (8) 2-1
Sillamae Kalev vs Levadia Tallinn (7) 0-1
Flora Tallinn vs Maag Tammeka Tartu (9) 2-0
Faroese Meistaradeildin:
B36 Torshavn vs Suduroy (8) -1.5 handicap
French Ligue 1:
AC Ajaccio vs Lorient (6) 0-0
Stade Brestois vs AS Nancy-Lorraine (6) 1-1
Evian Thonon Gaillard vs LOSC Lille (4) 2-1
Olympique Lyonnais vs Sochaux (5) 2-1
Montpellier HSC vs Saint-Etienne (7) 2-1
OGC Nice vs Olympique de Marseille (5) 0-0
Valenciennes vs Stade Rennais (6) 1-1
German Bundesliga:
Bayern Munich vs Hannover 96 (7) 2-1
Werder Bremen vs Augsburg (7) 1-0
Mainz 05 vs Hertha HSC Berlin (6) 1-0
SC Freiburg vs Kaiserslautern (4) 1-1
Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Hoffenheim (6) 2-1
Schalke 04 vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (6) 2-1
Greek Super League:
Aris Salonika vs Panionios (7) 1-0
Atromitos vs Xanthi (7) 1-0
OFI Crete vs Panathinaikos (6) 0-0
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Debreceni VSC vs Lombard Papa (8) -1.5 handicap
Kaposvari Rakoczi vs Siofok (5) 2-1
Pecsi MFC vs Fehervar (5) 0-1
Vasas Budapest vs Zalaegerszegi TE (6) 2-1
Diosgyori VTK vs Ujpest (7) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Bnei Sakhnin vs Maccabi Haifa (5) 2-1
MS Ashdod vs Maccabi Netanya (5) 0-0
Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (7) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Hapoel Haifa vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva (6) 1-0
Hapoel Acre vs Hapoel Petah Tikva (4) 1-1
Ironi Ramat Hasharon vs Hapoel Rishon Lezion (6) 2-1
Italian Serie A:
AC Milan vs AS Roma (7) 2-0, at least one red card in this game
Palermo vs Udinese (6) 1-1
Latvian Virsliga:
Daugava Riga vs Daugava Daugavpils (8) 0-1
Jelgava vs Liepajas Metalurgs (8) 1-2
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Kruoja Pakruojis vs Zalgiris Vilnius (7) 0-1
Suduva Marijampole vs Siauliai (8) 1-0
Macedonian First League:
Renova Dzepciste vs Napredok (7) 2-0
Mexican Primera Division:
Monterrey vs Estudiantes Tecos (7) 2-0
Santos Laguna vs Queretaro (7) 1-0
Guadalajara vs Toluca (7) 1-0
Tijuana vs Atlas (4) 0-0
San Luis vs Atlante (5) 1-1
Dutch Eredivisie:
Roda JC Kerkrade vs Vitesse Arnhem (6) 1-1
NAC Breda vs NEC Nijmegen (4) 1-2
Heerenveen vs VVV Venlo (8) both sides to score
ADO Den Haag vs Twente Enschede (8) 0-2
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Honefoss vs Lillestrom (5) 1-1
Paraguayan Division Profesional:
Rubio Nu vs Independiente FBC (5) 1-0
Guarani Asuncion vs Olimpia Asuncion (6) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Peruvian Primera Division:
Alianza Lima vs Union Comercio (7) 2-0
Cobresol vs Sport Boys (3) 1-1
Jose Galvez vs Leon de Huanuco (6) 1-0
Polish Ekstraklasa:
LKS Lodz vs Zaglebie Lubin (5) 0-1
Lechia Gdansk vs Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala (6) 2-1
Legia Warsaw vs GKS Belchatow (7) 1-0
Polish Liga 1:
Dolcan Zabki vs Bogdanka Leczna (5)
Olimpia Grudziadz vs Wisla Plock (5)
Olimpia Elblag vs Arka Gdynia (4)
Ruch Radzionkow vs Zawisza Bydgoszcz (6)
Flota Swinoujscie vs Katowice (7)
Gornik Polkowice vs Kolejarz Stroze (6)
Sandecja Nowy Sacz vs Pogon Szczecin (6)
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Sporting Clube de Lisboa vs Feirense (8) 2-0
Romanian Liga:
Concordia Chiajna vs Universitatea Cluj (5) 1-1
Russian Premier League:
Tom’ Tomsk vs Krylya Sovetov Samara (7) 1-0
CSKA Moscow vs Lokomotiv Moscow (4) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
FK Krasnodar vs Amkar Perm’ (6) 1-0
Scottish Premier League:
Aberdeen vs Inverness Caledonian Thistle (7) 1-0
Dunfermline Athletic vs St.Mirren (5) 1-1
Hibernian vs Dundee United (7) 2-1
Kilmarnock vs Motherwell (6) 0-1
St.Johnstone vs Hearts (5) 1-1
Serbian Superliga:
Jagodina vs Rad Belgrade (5) 1-1
OFK Belgrade vs Vojvodina Novi Sad (6) 1-1
Sevojno vs Spartak Subotica (7) 2-1
Novi Pazar vs Javor Ivanjica (5) 0-0
Radnicki 1923 vs BSK Borca (7) 1-0
Red Star Belgrade vs Borac Cacak (7) 2-0
Singaporean S-League:
Gombak United vs Woodlands Wellington (7) 2-0
Slovakian Corgon Liga:
Slovan Bratislava vs Trencin (8) 2-0
Dukla Banska Bystrica vs Nitra (7) 2-1
Senica vs Tatran Presov (8) 2-0
MSK Zilina vs Kosice (8) 2-0
Zlate Moravce vs Ruzomberok (5) 1-1
Slovenian Prva Liga:
Domzale vs Nafta Lendava (5) 1-1
Rudar Velenje vs Gorica (6) 2-1
Spanish Primera Liga:
Real Mallorca vs Barcelona (7) 1-2
Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad (9) -1.5 handicap
Getafe vs Valencia CF (5) 2-2
Spanish Segunda Liga:
Hercules Alicante vs Gimnastic de Tarragona (7)
Recreativo de Huelva vs Alcorcon (6) over 2.5 goals
Sabadell vs Guadalajara (5)
Cartagena vs Girona (5)
Huesca vs Celta de Vigo (6)
Deportivo Xerez vs Elche (6) over 2.5 goals
Las Palmas vs Almeria (5)
Swedish Super Cup:
Helsingborg vs AIK Solna (7) 1-0
Swiss Super League:
Basel vs Servette (8) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Swiss Challenge League:
Bruhl vs Chiasso (5)
Etoile Carouge vs Delemont (6)
Aarau vs Winterthur (7)
Stade Nyonnais vs Vaduz (4)
Lugano vs SC Kriens (7)
Turkish Super Lig:
Fenerbahce vs Bursaspor (7) 1-0
Ukrainian Premier League:
Arsenal Kiev vs Metalist Kharkiv (7) 0-1
Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk vs Zorya Lugansk (7) 2-1
Metalurg Donetsk vs Obolon Kiev (6) 1-0
Uruguayan Primera Division:
Club Nacional de Montevideo vs Danubio (7) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Rampla Juniors vs River Plate Montevideo (6) 0-1
Fenix vs Defensor Sporting (5) 2-2
Welsh Premier League:
Bangor City vs Llanelli (7) 2-1
Carmarthen Town vs Aberystwyth Town (4) 1-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!