TFT Issue 187!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Sparta Prague vs Vaslui – home win with -1 Asian Handicap at 4/5.
Today’s featured game is the UEFA Europa League game in Czech Republic between Sparta Prague and Vaslui. The first leg ended 2-0 to the Romanian side and thus they bring the advantage into this game and Sparta Prague have it all to do after a poor display.
I’m of the opinion that they can do it, however. They didn’t show up and Vaslui played well, hence the scoreline. The scoreline offered no indication of the difference in quality between the two sides, in all honesty. Sparta Prague looked nervous and Vaslui looked like experienced pros.
Tonight’s game should be different, however. Sparta Prague are by far the more experienced of these two sides and in front of their strong home crowd, I expect them to deliver. Kweuke has really impressed me this season in front of goal and if Sparta can provide the ammunition then I’m sure he’ll pull the trigger. There’s plenty of solidarity at the back with Repka and Zapotocny there and with the likes of Sionko and Matejovsky in midfield, not to mention winger revelation Vacek, there’s more than enough in the Sparta ranks to win this one today.
Helpfully, Vaslui have problems ahead of this game. Defensively, they’re missing two absolute pillars of what is already a shaky defence in Papp and Canu. Rotation defender Gladstone is out too, as is midfield regular Costin. Wesley should be fit enough to play, which is essential for Vaslui, but even old hand Adailton is a doubt up front. Vaslui have had real problems defensively this season, which was very evident in their shocking 2-1 defeat against Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt at weekend. I don’t see that defensive record improving today despite their manager stating that they’ll come to Prague to defend the two-goal advantage.
Let’s not forget that Vaslui’s two goals in Romania largely stemmed from individual errors from old Jaromir Blazek, who knows much better at his age and I doubt we’ll see a repeat from what can only be described as a Sparta Prague legend. I will be surprised if the ruthless machine that is Sparta Prague doesn’t win this one so the insurance for this bet at the very least should be there. With Vaslui’s core defenders out, however, the -1 Asian Handicap at 4/5 appeals to me.
Verdict: Sparta Prague to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 4/5.
Additional game
Stoke Cityvs Thun – home win with -1 Asian Handicap at 5/6.
Stoke aren’t known for being prolific in front of goal but in front of a roaring Britannia crowd, I wouldn’t bet against them doing it here. They’re a very solid and consistent unit and that’s made them a nightmare to play against for every side they’ve encountered thus far. There are ways to counter Stoke’s physical approach but you need a lot of ability and/or luck to do so and Thun just don’t have that. Thun over-achieved last season in the Super League but credit to them for being so consistently hard to beat. However, they’ve looked stretched this season, conceding goals too easily and reeling from their player sales. Playing at a tough venue in Stoke on natural turf when being used to artificial turf makes me think that this game is the end of the line for Thun. At the very least I expect Stoke to win this game comfortably but I’ve added the -1 Asian Handicap insurance due to the absence of creative winger Etherington, who is a staple part of this team.
Verdict: Stoke City to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 5/6.
Gaz Metan Medias vs Austria Vienna – away win with draw no bet at 6/5.
Austria Vienna won the first leg 3-1 in Austria so it’s taken a lot for me to even get interested in this game but with such generous odds on the table, the away win with draw no bet is a must bet here, even with small stakes!
Gaz Metan are a side to respect at home – they’re hard to break down and are infamous for being hard to beat on their own turf. However, the first thing to note is that they’re not at home for this game – it’s being played in Cluj. The second thing to note is that their squad is in a rather depleted ahead of this game. The third thing to note is that they’re bloody lucky to still be in the tournament and those three factors are what has convinced me to take Austria Vienna here.
Gaz Metan aren’t like Rapid Bucharest or Dinamo Bucharest – they don’t have depth. They have a good starting eleven but little else. Subsequently, absences hit them hard and that’s a problem here. Essential defender Parvulescu is absent, his partner Khubutia is absent, and back-up defender Buzean is absent. Ergo the chances of Gaz Metan keeping a clean sheet here are minimal. Additionally, team star Eric is still out and unlikely to ever feature for the club again following a huge disagreement. On top of that, they also miss regular midfielder Munteanu so it’s basically going to be Sanmartean vs Austria Vienna. They rode their luck against an unfamiliar and inexperienced Mainz 05 side – I doubt old hands Austria Vienna will make the same mistake here. They’ve just drubbed bitter rivals Rapid Vienna 0-3 away from home at weekend and are on top of the world following five consecutive wins in all competitions. Ex-Sporting Braga hitman Linz is in fine form alongside ex-Sparta Prague striker Tomas Jun and the dangerous attacking support they have from the likes of Barazite and Junuzovic makes this Austria Vienna side dangerous. The visitors don’t need to even draw this game to progress but with so many absentees for the hosts, the away win with draw no bet cover is very interesting today.
Verdict: Austria Vienna to win with draw no bet at 6/5.
Team news
Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk – Big internal problems between Ramos and his players
Vorskla Poltava – No absentees.
Dynamo Kiev – No listed absentees
Metalist Kharkiv – No listed absentees.
Ekranas Panevezys – Dedura and Andelkovic return.
Steaua Bucharest – Matei, Radut, Martinovic, Cojocaru, Emeghara, F.Costea, and Nastasie are absent.
Dinamo Bucharest – Pulhac, Scarlatache, Alexe, Niculae, and Grigore are absent.
Rapid Bucharest – No absentees. Game played in Timisoara.
Vaslui – Papp, Canu, Gladstone, Zmeu, and Costin are absent. Adailton and Gerlem are doubts.
Gaz Metan Medias – Parvulescu, Buchta, A.Munteanu, Raul del Campo, Dudita, Khubutia, Buzean, and Eric are absent. Game played in Cluj.
AS Roma – Borriello, Juan, Curci, and Greco are absent.
Lazio – Klose, Cisse, Brocchi, Sculli, and Stankevicius are absent. Lazio will be playing with their “B” team.
HJK Helsinki – Parikka and Mannstrom are absent. Sumusalo returns.
Partizan Belgrade – Volkov and Milijkovic are doubts. Scepovic may return.
Red Star Belgrade – Envardo is a doubt.
Slask Wroclaw – Mila and Gikiewicz are absent.
Legia Warsaw – Hubnik, Radovic, Manu, Efir, and Komorowski are absent.
Aalesund FK – Herrera, Skiri, and Myhre are absent.
Rosenborg BK – Hoiland, Fredheim Holm, and Wangberg are absent. Issah returns.
Celtic – Izaguirre, Rogne, Loovens, and Hooiveld are absent. Wilson, Kayal, Hooper, and Mulgrew are doubts.
Rangers – Weir, Bartley, Papac, Naismith, Whittaker, and Beattie are absent.
Hearts – Taouil, Kyle, and C.Elliot are absent.
Tottenham Hotspur – Pienaar, Palacios, Jenas, King, Hutton, Gallas, and Sandro are absent. Huddlestone and Modric are doubts.
Birmingham City – Mutch, Gomis, Jerome, Zigic, N’Daw, Dann, and King are absent.
Stoke City – Huth and Etherington are absent. Pennant and Delap are doubts.
Fulham – Riise is absent. Zamora and Davies are doubts.
Anderlecht – Suarez, Camesin, and Juhasz are doubts.
Standard de Liege – Tchite, Gonzalez, Carcela, and Cyriac are absent.
Club Brugge – Stenman, Vleminckx, and van Gijseghem are absent.
Rabotnicki Skopje – Petrovik and Velkovski are absent. Kumbev returns.
Helsingborg – Baffo and Lindstrom are doubts. New signing Hanstveit is not yet eligible.
AZ Alkmaar – Didulica and Boymans are absent.
PSV Eindhoven – Marcelo and Wuytens are absent. Engelaar is a doubt.
Spartak Moscow – Zotov and Welliton are absent. Kombarov returns.
Alaniya Vladikavkaz – No news.
Lokomotiv Moscow – Torbinskiy is absent. Likely “B” team.
Finnish Ykkonen
OPS Oulu – Vanderlei is absent. Nganbe Nganbe is a doubt due to work permit problems. Juvonen returns. Adriano may debutise.
Viikingit Helsinki – Pannula is a doubt.