Siena vs Juventus
FreeWant to obtain team news from around the world? Maybe just to support the site for all the hard work that goes into it? Click here for membership details. Need outright wins instead of value picks? Click here for strike rate and other consultancy details.
Ok guys, thanks very much for the support with the Bet365 link and banner clicking – it’s really good of you all! If you could please continue to do this whenever you remember then it’d be greatly appreciated, especially if placing bets at that time. Thank you!
Today’s secondary featured game is the Serie A encounter between Siena and Juventus.
Siena have done little to convince me that they’re anything but a yo-yo team nowadays and I think they may come unstuck against superior opposition today as a result. There aren’t any easy away games in Serie A anymore and Siena are no exception to that ruling. They demonstrated little against a somewhat lacklustre Catania side last match, however, and as much as I respect the point that they took from a tough trip to Sardinia, I don’t see enough experience, ability, or firepower in this team to do any damage today.
That said, Juventus’ defence is still crap – they can and probably will concede in this game. My interest in them stems from Andrea Pirlo though, to be honest. Juventus consistently spend money each summer on better and better attacking players and they now have a superb attack with multiple options. However, it’s Pirlo who makes it all tick, in my view, and I was thoroughly impressed with his superb passing against Parma last weekend. His pass for Marchisio’s world-class finish was sublime and with a player like that dictating play, it’s hard to see Juventus not scoring at least twice per game as they’ve got the strikers and the necessary support from midfield.
For me, the signing of Pirlo has given Juventus a genuine possibility of winning the Scudetto this season. It’s still very early in the Serie A campaign, of course, but I like their firepower very much, despite their shocking defence. For me, there’s value in them beating an inferior Siena side as long as Chiellini doesn’t have a rush of blood to the head and get himself sent off.
Verdict: Juventus to win at 4/5.
Sunday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Atletico Lanus vs Boca Juniors – away win with draw no bet at 11/10.
It has been a long, long time since I had anywhere near enough faith in Boca Juniors to bet on them but that time has come again thanks to one man; Falconi. I didn’t think for one second that Boca would be patient enough to not sack him but miracles do happen sometimes, I suppose. I would liken him to the Argentinian version of Mourinho in the sense that both managers steadied a ship of pure instability and have galvanised their respective teams. Boca now play as a unit; they don’t concede copious amounts of stupid goals. No, they rely on their strong experience in midfield and win games by narrow but comfortable margins now, just like Falconi did with Banfield. Boca look very accomplished right now and in a league where nobody is currently in a position to dominate, Boca could be set to win the campaign for the first time in a long time, especially with old Riquelme still pulling the strings. Lanus are no mugs at all and I actually like them quite a lot but their attacking ability stems largely from Camoranesi so I think they could be undone by in-form Boca here. This should be a tight game but Boca are simply better than Lanus at creating and scoring chances so with such generous odds available on draw no bet, the away win interests me here.
Verdict: Boca Juniors to win with draw no bet at 11/10.
Botafogo vs Flamengo – over 2.5 goals at 5/6.
The obvious choice here is the home win but that unnerves me for two related reasons. Call me superstitious or whatever but there’s no way in hell that Botafogo are leaving this Serie A campaign with such a dominant home record. They are good at home, yes, but I cannot see it lasting – they’re just not a good enough side to do it. I have a great deal of respect for this strong attacking side but they’re not at the level that their home record suggests and the odds on the home win smell of a trap here to me. Similarly, Flamengo’s recent poor form must end sometime and with talisman Ronaldinho back in their ranks, it may well be today. Flamengo’s record on the road is pretty good because although their defence is shoddy, they tend to score goals and Botafogo’s defence is far from secure. Although Botafogo should win this one, I’m not touching the 1×2 market here. Instead, over 2.5 goals is my call in a game between two attack-minded sides.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 5/6.
HB Torshavn vs Vikingur Gotu – away win at 5/6.
HB Torshavn’s glory days are long behind them now and although they still have a good midfield, the rest of their team is pretty poor, especially up front. They don’t score enough goals and they defend like schoolboys, basically. They bottled it last match against bitter rivals EB/Streymur and ended up losing the game 3-4 despite leading 3-2 at one point. HB are fortunate enough to have sides below them in the Meistaradeildin table that are playing far worse than they are because otherwise I’d believe that they could actually go down. Nonetheless, they must attack here in order for them not to take any unnecessary risks regarding the possibility of relegation and that sets us up for a good game here as Vikingur Gotu have to attack to keep up their title dreams as they’re currently just four points adrift of league leaders B36 Torshavn. Vikingur have been immense on the road this season with seven wins in ten games and it’s largely down to their excellent defence, which in due course is down to the consistency and quality of Gregersen in the middle. They also average scoring two goals per away game and considering that the only two sides to beat them whilst playing away from home this season are the two sides that are vying with them for the title, I think it’s safe to say that Vikingur are more than capable of winning this game, especially with Justinussen in the form of his life up front and having such strong attacking players behind him in Bartalsstovu, the two Jacobsens, and especially Vatnhamar despite an uncharacteristically low-key season for the talismanic playmaker. For me, the away win at 5/6 is well worth it today.
Verdict: Vikingur Gotu to win at 5/6.
KuPS Kuopio vs VPS Vaasa – home win at 6/5.
This is a bit of a dicey one that I wouldn’t take below 11/10 but at 6/5, I’m happy to climb aboard. KuPS are the better side here, to be blunt. They may have their eyes fixed on the Finnish Cup Final against HJK Helsinki next weekend, however, so resting players is quite a possibility today. Nonetheless, Venelainen and Oravainen return to bolster KuPS’ attacking options and a week is a long time so they may field more first-teamers than expected. On their artificial turf, KuPS are a force, however, and they’re ironically just one of a few Veikkausliiga sides actually playing well right now. They’ve got enough firepower to do well here and I think they will, whether they rest players or not. VPS are somehow missing even more defensive players than normal, which means that anyone playing in defence for VPS in this game are unlikely to actually be defenders. I mean, Tanska is still out with his long-term injury for starters. Woodbine is on loan with HJK Helsinki – those two alone form the backbone of the VPS defence. Additionally, regular defender Koskimaa is absent for this game and new signing Funicello is also absent. Holding midfielder Koskela can play at the back but he’s also absent today. Hell, if Uimaniemi hadn’t returned for this game then I think we could have forgiven Vuorinen for weeping at the players he has to choose from to somehow form a back four. There are other absentees but VPS’ attack is generally ineffectual anyway, barring from set pieces, so none of their other absences or doubts concern me. Either way, taking KuPS to win this one at 6/5 interests me today.
Verdict: KuPS Kuopio to win at 6/5.
Accumulator fodder:
B36 Torshavn, EB/Streymur, FC Lahti, Olympiakos Piraeus, Debreceni VSC, FH Hafnarfjordur, Ekranas Panevezys, Twente Enschede, Porto, SL Benfica, Dinamo Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk.
Recommended bets:
Juventus, Dinamo Moscow, and Debreceni VSC at around 9/5.
Argentinian Primera Division:
Newell’s Old Boys vs Velez Sarsfield (7) 0-0
Estudiantes de la Plata vs Argentinos Juniors (5) 1-0
Atletico Lanus vs Boca Juniors (5) 0-1
Union de Santa Fe vs Racing Club Avellaneda (4) 1-1
Austrian Bundesliga:
Salzburg vs Wiener Neustadt (7) 1-0
Sturm Graz vs Wacker Innsbruck (7) 2-1
SV Mattersburg vs Austria Vienna (5) 1-1
Belarusian Vysshaya Liga:
BATE Borisov vs Naftan Novopolotsk (7) 2-0
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
AA Gent vs Anderlecht (6) 1-1
Racing Genk vs Standard de Liege (5) 1-0
Lokeren vs Club Brugge (6) 1-1
Brazilian Serie A:
Bahia vs Fluminense (5) 1-1
Atletico Paranaense vs Figueirense (6) 1-1
Avai vs Palmeiras (5) 1-1
Botafogo vs Flamengo (6) 2-1
Corinthians vs Santos (5) 2-2
Cruzeiro vs America Mineiro (7) 2-0, at least one red card in this game
Internacional vs Coritiba (6) 2-1
Bulgarian A PFG:
Slavia Sofia vs Lokomotiv Sofia (6) 1-1
Cherno More Varna vs Ludogorets (6) 0-0
Colombian Primera A:
La Equidad Bogota vs Independiente de Santa Fe Bogota (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Real Cartagena vs Boyaca Chico (6) 1-0
Deportes Quindio vs Once Caldas Manizales (4) 1-1
Millonarios Bogota vs Deportivo Cali (7) 2-1
Croatian Prva Liga:
Karlovac vs Osijek (6) 2-1
Cypriot Division 1:
Olympiakos Nicosia vs APOEL Nicosia (7) 1-2
Nea Salamis vs Ermis (6) 1-0
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Viktoria Zizkov vs Teplice (4) 2-2
Hradec Kralove vs Bohemians 1905 (6) 2-1
Marila Pribram vs Mlada Boleslav (5) 0-1
Danish Superligaen:
Midtylland vs SonderjyskE (7) 2-0
Lyngby vs Silkeborg (5) 1-1
Nordsjaelland vs Brondby (6) 2-1
FC Copenhagen vs Aalborg BK (7) 2-1
Danish 1st Division:
Roskilde vs Vestjaelland (6)
Skive vs Esbjerg (6) both sides to score
AB Copenhagen vs Hjorring (7)
Vejle-Kolding vs Fredericia (7)
Ecuadorian Primera A:
Deportivo Cuenca vs El Nacional Quito (6) 2-1
Barcelona Guayaquil vs Independiente (7) 1-0
English Premier League:
Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool (6) 1-1
Fulham vs Manchester City (7) 0-2
Sunderland vs Stoke City (5) 1-1
Manchester United vs Chelsea (7) over 2.5 goals
English Championship:
Southampton vs Birmingham City (6)
Faroese Meistaradeildin:
07 Vestur Sorvagur vs B71 Sandur (7) over 2.5 goals
B68 Toftir vs B36 Torshavn (8) 1-2
EB/Streymur vs KI Klaksvik (9) over 2.5 goals
HB Torshavn vs Vikingur Gotu (7) 1-2
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
KuPS Kuopio vs VPS Vaasa (7) 2-1
Inter Turku vs HJK Helsinki (5) 1-1
FC Honka Espoo vs MyPa Anjalankoski (7) 2-1
RoPS Rovaniemi vs JJK Jyvaskyla (6) 1-2
Finnish Ykkonen:
Viikingit Helsinki vs AC Oulu (6)
FC Lahti vs Jippo Joensuu (8)
French Ligue 1:
Evian Thonon Gaillard vs Paris Saint-Germain (6) 1-1
Stade Rennais vs AS Nancy-Lorraine (7) 2-0
Olympique Lyonnais vs Olympique de Marseille (6) 0-0, at least one red card in this game
German Bundesliga:
Hannover 96 vs Bv09 Borussia Dortmund (5) 1-0
Schalke 04 vs Bayern Munich (7) both sides to score
Greek Super League:
PAS Giannina vs Asteras Tripolis (5) 1-1
AEK Athens vs Ergotelis (7) 2-0
Panionios vs PAOK Salonika (6) 1-1
Olympiakos Piraeus vs Xanthi (8) 2-0
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Debreceni VSC vs Paksi SE (8) 2-0
Gyori ETO FC vs Ferencvaros (7) 2-1
Icelandic Urvalsdeild:
Breidablik Kopavogur vs Vikingur Reykjavik (7) 2-0
IBV Vestmannaeyjar vs KR Reykjavik (6) 1-1
Valur Reykjavik vs Thor Akureyi (7) over 2.5 goals
UMF Grindavik vs FH Hafnarfjordur (8) 0-2
Fylkir Reykjavik vs Starjnan Gardabaer (5) 1-1
Fram Reykjavik vs Keflavik (6) 2-1
Italian Serie A:
Atalanta Bergamo vs Palermo (5) 2-1
Bologna vs Lecce (7) 1-0
Catania vs Cesena (7) 2-0
Lazio vs Genoa (7) 2-1
Parma vs Chievo Verona (4) 0-0
Siena vs Juventus (7) 1-2
Udinese vs Fiorentina (6) 1-1
SSC Napoli vs AC Milan (6) 1-1
Japanese J-League:
Yokohama F.Marinos vs Gamba Osaka (6) over 2.5 goals, both sides to score, at least one red card in this game
Kashima Antlers vs Nagoya Grampus (6) 1-1
Omiya Ardija vs Cerezo Osaka (5) 0-0
Latvian Virsliga:
Jelgava vs FC Jurmala (6) 1-0
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Tauras Taurage vs Siauliai (5) 1-1
Dainava vs Mazeikiai (5) 1-0
Zalgiris Vilnius vs Banga Gargzdai (7) 2-0
Ekranas Panevezys vs Klaipeda (8) 2-0
Macedonian First League:
Bregalnica Stip vs Vardar Skopje (6) 1-2
Mexican Primera Division:
Morelia vs Queretaro (7) 1-0
Dutch Eredivisie:
PSV Eindhoven vs AFC Ajax Amsterdam (6) over 2.5 goals
RKC Waalwijk vs AZ Alkmaar (6) 1-2
Twente Enschede vs ADO Den Haag (8) 2-0
FC Utrecht vs Heracles Almelo (7) 1-0
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Tromso vs Stromsgodset (6) 1-1
Aalesund FK vs Sarpsborg 08 (7) 2-0
Viking Stavanger vs Sogndal (7) 2-0
Stabaek vs Odd Grenland Skien (5) 1-1
Lillestrom vs Valerenga Oslo (6) 1-1
Paraguayan Division Profesional:
General Caballero vs Rubio Nu (5) 1-0
Peruvian Primera Division:
Union Comercio vs Cienciano (5) 1-1
Melgar FBC vs Juan Aurich (4) 2-1
Sporting Cristal vs Inti Gas (6) 1-0
Sport Huancayo vs CNI (7) 2-1
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Cracovia Krakow vs Slask Wroclaw (5) 1-1
Polonia Warsaw vs Legia Warsaw (6) 0-0, at least one red card in this game
Polish Liga 1:
Flota Swinoujscie vs Pogon Szczecin (6)
Kolejarz Stroze vs Arka Gdynia (6)
Bogdanka Leczna vs Wisla Plock (7)
Gornik Polkowice vs Nieciecza (5)
Ruch Radzionkow vs Warta Poznan (4)
Portuguese Liga Sagres;
Uniao de Leiria vs Maritimo Funchal (6) 1-1
Vitoria Setubal vs Beira-Mar (6) 1-0
Feirense vs Porto (8) 0-2
SL Benfica vs Academica de Coimbra (8) over 2.5 goals
Romanian Liga:
Steaua Bucharest vs Pandurii Targu Jiu (5) 1-1
Dinamo Bucharest vs Rapid Bucharest (6) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Russian Premier League:
Rostov-na-Donu vs CSKA Moscow (7) 1-2
Dinamo Moscow vs Amkar Perm’ (9) -1.5 handicap
Rubin Kazan’ vs Zenit St.Petersburg (6) 0-1
Spartak Moscow vs Krylya Sovetov Samara (8) 2-0
Terek Grozny vs Lokomotiv Moscow (5) 1-0
Kuban’ Krasnodar vs Anzhi Makhachkala (7) 0-1
Scottish Premier League:
Rangers vs Celtic (6) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Slovakian Corgon Liga:
DAC Dunajska Streda vs Slovan Bratislava (7) 1-2
Slovenian Prva Liga:
Koper vs Maribor (5) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Spanish Primera Liga:
Getafe vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid (7) 2-0
Real Zaragoza vs Espanyol (6) 0-0
Atletico Madrid vs Racing Santander (7) 1-0
Levante vs Real Madrid (8) 0-2
Athletic Club de Bilbao vs Real Betis Balompie (6) 2-1
Spanish Segunda Liga:
Almeria vs Celta de Vigo (6)
Villarreal II vs Guadalajara (6)
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Gefle vs Syrianska Sodertalje (6) 0-0
Helsingborg vs Mjallby Solvesborg (7) 2-1
Orebro vs IFK Goteborg (5) 2-1
BK Hacken Goteborg vs Elfsborg Boras (5) 1-1
Malmo FF vs Trelleborg FF (7) 2-1
Swedish Superettan:
Varnamo vs Vasteras (6)
Falkenberg vs Qviding Goteborg (6)
Hammarby vs Brommapojkarna (5)
Turkish Super Lig:
Mersin Idmanyurdu vs Bursaspor (6) 0-1
Sivasspor vs Eskisehirspor (6) 2-1
Galatasaray vs Samsunspor (4) 1-2
Ukrainian Premier League:
Chernomorets Odessa vs Dynamo Kiev (7) 0-1
Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih vs Metalist Kharkiv (6) 1-2
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Vorskla Poltava (8) 2-0
Arsenal Kiev vs Oleksandria (6) 2-1
Uruguayan Primera Division:
Cerrito vs River Plate Montevideo (6) 1-1
Rentistas vs Bella Vista (5) 0-0
Club Nacional de Montevideo vs Cerro Largo (7) 2-0
Liverpool Montevideo vs Defensor Sporting (6) 2-1
Racing Club Montevideo vs Montevideo Wanderers (6) 2-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!