TFT Issue 193!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Andorra vs Armenia – away win with -1.5 handicap at 3/4.
Today’s featured game is the UEFA European Championship Qualifier between Andorra and Armenia.
Simply put, Armenia are better than Andorra. They absolutely tore Andorra to shreds in the reversal of this fixture and their potency has only increased since then. Their defence is concerning – I don’t know how they conceded so many times against Lithuania despite outplaying them, even whilst having ten men! However, their attack is lethal and even a physical and ever-improving Andorran side should struggle to contain them here.
Andorra have been a side that I’ve praised in the last twelve months or so because people underestimate how hard they are to play against physically nowadays. However, they only do well against sides that play a physical game themselves without much creativity ala Slovakia, Moldova, Albania etc. Anyone that can play proper attacking football against them with purpose and finishers tend to score two or three times against them ala Kazahkhstan, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Macedonia etc. People don’t recognise it as much as they should but Armenia are good attacking side and have more than enough firepower to score a few goals today. For me, the away win with a -1.5 handicap is very generous here.
Team news – Armenia miss Arakelyan, Mkrtchyan, and Pachajyan.
Verdict: Armenia to beat the -1.5 handicap at 3/4.
Additional game
Hungary vs Sweden – away win at 9/10.
I’m not a big advocate of backing Sweden due to their somewhat unpredictable nature but the return of Ibrahimovic coupled with the absentees from Hungary makes me think that the Swedes will nick this one.
Hungary miss defensive rock Juhasz and without him, they’re horrendous at the back. Defending isn’t a strongpoint of Hungary’s anyway but they look better with him in than they do without him. Their even bigger absentees today are in midfield, though, where both Gera and Dzsudzsak miss out, for whom Hungary simply have no replacements. I mean, seriously – Vadocz, Koman, Halmosi, Elek – they’re decent players in their own respective ways but they’re not great like the afore-mentioned. Hungary need a spectacular midfield to carry their average strikers but that simply cannot be the case today – they don’t have the creativity – so whichever average forward is lumbering around up front is going to struggle. Hungary dropped Tokoli and have to hope that either Priskin, Rudolf, or Szabics can do the damage but I doubt it without proper service. Hungary still badly miss Szalai, in my view! Either way, this Hungary team shouldn’t do well here, in my view.
Can Sweden do the business though? I hope so. The odds are good enough to take a chance on given that their only significant absentee is Mellberg. Ibrahimovic, Kallstrom, Gerndt, Toivonen, Elm, Bajrami, Hysen, Elmander, Seb Larsson, Wilhemsson – there’s more than enough firepower to scare the Magyars here. For me, Sweden are well worth a flutter here as Hungary are missing two absolutely essential players today.
Team news – Hungary miss Gera, Dzsudzsak, Fulop, Szelesi, and Gyepes whereas Sweden miss Mellberg.
Verdict: Sweden to win at 9/10.
Team news
Internationals
Poland – Polanski, Murawski, Wolakiewicz, Broz, Sadlok, Boenisch, Wojtkowiak, and Piszczk are absent.
Mexico – Peralta is absent. Hernandez is a doubt.
Slovenia – Suler is absent. Radosavljevic is a doubt.
Lithuania – Velicka, Skerla, Stankevicius, Radavicius, Buinickij, Paulauskas, Dedura, Zvirgzdauskas, Kavaliauskas, and Poskus are absent.
Estonia – Oper and Leemits are absent.
Hungary – Juhasz, Gera, Dzsudzsak, Vanczak, Fulop, Szelesi, and Gyepes are absent.
Serbia – Vidic and Krasic are absent.
Finland – Fredrikson, Eremenko jr., and Jalasto are absent.
Ukraine – Rusol, Shevchenko, Chygrynskyi, Mykhalyk, Rotan, Husyev, Nazarenko, and Aliev are absent.
Moldova – Namasco, Bugaoiv, Frunza, Boghiu, Ivanov, Bolohan, and Bulgaru are absent.
Romania – Goian, Radu, Tamas, Mutu, Sapunaru, Sanmartean, Chivu, and Radoi are absent.
Italy – No absentees.
England – Gerrard, Ferdinand, Johnson, Carrick, Joe Cole, Wright-Phillips, Lennon, Crouch, and Wilshere are absent.
Belgium – Dembele is absent. Pitch is poor and weather is very hot.
Norway – Riise and Gamst Pedersen are absent. Knudsen returns.
Netherlands – Afellay, Robben, Vlaar, Schaars, and Janssen are absent. Vorm is a doubt.
Republic of Macedonia – Toshack’s first game in charge. Grozdanoski, Tasevski, Lazarevski, and Huseini are absent.
Russia – Bad news stories in the paper. Lack of interest in game. Few fans attending. Granat and Hajibeyov are absent. Malafeev starts instead of Akinfeev.
Bulgaria – Yankov, Bojinov, and Tunchev are absent.
Argentinian Primera Division:
Newell’s Old Boys – No absentees.
Colon de Santa Fe – No news.
Tigre – Castano and Rodales are absent.
Banfield – No absentees.
San Lorenzo de Almagro – No absentees.
Belgrano de Cordoba – No absentees.
Polish Liga 1:
Polonia Bytom – Dziewulski is absent.
Olimpia Grudziadz – No news.