TFT Issue 186!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Inter Turku vs TPS Turku – over 2.5 goals at 3/4.
Today’s featured game is the Turku derby in the Veikkausliiga between Inter Turku and TPS Turku. There’s not much between these two sides, generally speaking, and that’s applicable to today’s game too.
I would edge toward Inter Turku winning this one, however. The transfer window has been far kinder to them than it has to their bitter rivals, who have lost their star holding midfielder and one of their strikers. 4/5 on an Inter Turku win doesn’t exactly float my boat here, however, so let’s avoid the 1×2 market.
Over 2.5 goals, though – that looks good to me. Inter Turku have demonstrated on various occasions this season that they are unable to defend and subsequently concede a lot of goals. Indeed, during their 2-1 loss against TPS Turku earlier this season, both goals came from sloppy defending. They could not handle TPS Turku’s star striker Aaritalo and that will be a problem today too, I’m quite sure, as Mantyla is suspended. However, they do welcome back regular midfielder Scoppa to re-awaken their midfield and with Timo Furuholm in the form of his life up front, you’d not bet against him scoring against bitter rivals TPS Turku. Ojala is having a great season too – the two of them look very dangerous together. I’ve mentioend before that I admire Inter Turku’s attacking alternatives, too – experienced Abramovic and big Jonke are dangerous players. This Inter Turku side has been specifically engineered by Job Dragstma to attack, to create chances, and to score goals, which is precisely what they’ve been doing all season and that’s why they’re the only club even close to HJK Helsinki right now, which makes them a very dangerous side to play against.
As this game is at the Veritas Stadion, there is no home advantage here – both clubs share the stadium. However, given how poor TPS Turku have looked lately, every game must surely be listed in their minds as being as hard as an away game. They’re not defending well enough and they’re quite evidenly missing N’Galula in midfield immensely as they have no replacement for him. Playmaker Kolehmainen has had problems with fitness lately and that’s hurt them too – they don’t have good replacements for N’Galula and Kolehmainen. The tricky playmaker is back in the TPS Turku line-up today, however, and I’m sure he’ll cause Inter Turku problems. Aaritalo and Kuqi have been in destructive form this season and I fancy them to cause Inter Turku’s suspect defence a lot of problems today. However, their own defending is far from good and with goalkeeper Lehtovaara likely to miss today’s game through injury, I don’t see TPS Turku’s defensive situation improving at all.
The first game between these two sides this season ended 2-1. The scoreline was perhaps a little harsh as Inter Turku were only asleep for the first part of the game; they were controlling things quite nicely from that point onward although that doesn’t count much when that little blip at the start has cost you two goals. However, I would advise you to avoid the 1×2 market for reasons mentioned above. I can see goals in this one, though – Inter Turku’s games always have goals in and neither side is particularly adept at the back so over 2.5 goals at 3/4 is very appealing today.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 3/4.
Additional game
Orebro vs Mjallby Solvesborg – home win at 4/5.
Someone is back in form and it’s Orebro! I’m really happy to see it, too – I love backing these guys! There are some very good players at this club but the best is easily instrumental midfielder Nordin Gerzic. I’ve always appreciated how important he is to this Orebro side on the field but I’ve never really considered how important he is off the field too. It may simply be coincidence but since he signed a new five-year contract with Orebro, they’ve gone on a winning run of four games whilst scoring eleven times and keeping four clean sheets, which is frankly outstanding. You could argue that he’s not been at his best this season, I suppose, but his importance is still visible. The emergence of Albanian attacking midfielder Rama has helped Orebro’s goalscoring problems given Haddad’s lengthy lay-off and Paulinho’s settling-in problems. However, this side has plenty of ability to score goals and dominate games, which are two things that we’ve seen from them for four consecutive games now. They’ve lost important midfielder Bedoya in the transfer window to Rangers, unfortunately – that is quite a big blow for Orebro. However, there are some games where he’d be more important to the team than in others and this isn’t one of those games as Orebro are the better side here.
Mjallby Solvesborg are on a pretty good run themselves, having gone unbeaten in four consecutive games. They’ve won three times along the way, including a very impressive but inexplicable 0-3 win at Kalmar FF, and subsequently morale is high right now. It’s no coincidence that their good run has happened after they loaned striker Ericsson from IFK Goteborg, who has been lighting up the Allsvenskan with some of his recent displays. He brings something back to Mjallby’s attack that they lost when El Kabir joined Cagliari. However, Ericsson is one man; Orebro have a lot more quality players than Mjallby and I expect them to struggle here. Mjallby have experienced hitman Ekenberg as a constant threat and some decent midfielders to support their budding twosome up front but their defence is vulnerable and I’m hoping Orebro capitalise on that today. After all, Mjallby average conceding nearly two goals per away game whilst scoring less than a goal per away game, hence losing seven times in ten Allsvenskan away games this season.
On artificial turf with the hosts in good form, I’ll roll with an Orebro win today at a decent price of 4/5 as they’re the better team here.
Verdict: Orebro to win at 4/5.
Team news
English Premier League:
Manchester United – Vidic, Ferdinand, Rafael, Owen, and Hernandez are absent.
Tottenham Hotspur – Hutton, Gallas, King, and Crouch are absent. Modric is a doubt.
Finnsh Veikkausliiga:
Inter Turku – Mantyla is absent. Scoppa returns.
TPS Turku – Lahde and Lehtovaara are doubts.
Jaro Pietarsaari – Grove and Vaganov are absent. Aygeman returns.
FC Honka Espoo – Savage is absent.
Finnish Ykkonen:
KooTeePee Kotka – No news.
FC Espoo – No news.
PoPa Pori – Pirhosen is a doubt. Dema and Vihtila return. Owusu-Ansah will debutise.
HiFK Helsinki – Tanner and Pyhala are absent. Britschgi is a doubt.
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Molde FK – Steinsild is absent.
Lillestrom – Eziodawe is absent. Kippe is a doubt.
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Lechia Gdansk – Wyparlo is a doubt.
LKS Lodz – Wyparlo is a doubt.
Swedish Allsvenskan:
IFK Goteborg – Selakovic and Eriksson are absent.
Gefle – Ohagen, Leino, Tornros, and Heckstrom are absent.
Orebro – Haddad, Anttonen, and Wirtanen are absent.
Mjallby Solvesborg – Henderson and Berner are absent.