TFT Issue 195!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Switzerland vs Croatia – under 2.5 goals at 9/10.
Today’s featured game is the UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifier between Switzerland and Croatia.
Now, there is some news ahead of this game which has sent people into a betting frenzy on the upcoming senior international between Switzerland and Bulgaria and that was the news that Hitzfeld is going to be taking an inexperienced/youthful squad to that game. I can understand the general reaction to that move but nobody has taken into account just what it’s done to the Swiss U21 side.
Ok, let me put it on a plate for you – Six out of the starting eleven that faced Spain U21 in the UEFA European U21 Championship Final in Denmark back in June have been drafted into the senior team by Ottmar Hitzfeld, making them ineligible for this game. Those six are Klose, Shaqiri, Xhaka, Emeghara, Mehmedi, and Berardi. Ben Khalifa was also in that squad and he’s been called up to Hitzfeld’s senior team too. Now, given that Shaqiri was one of the players of the tournament as playmaker, Emeghara’s pace was untouchable for great periods of the tournament, and that six of those players were regulars in the side, it’s safe to assume that Switzerland U21 will struggle here. After all – the loss of the above effectively removes all of their strikers and attacking midfielders.
Now, that doesn’t make Switzerland U21 a bad side – their defence is still entact and solid enough. However, they’re not taking their chances and it’s no surprise that they’re not, really – they’re missing far too many players. They took on Estonia U21 a few days ago in Tallinn in a friendly and despite dominating the first-half, they still couldn’t find the net – surprise, surprise(!) Estonia U21 played a lot better in the second-half but Switzerland U21 held firm at the back, which is no doubt pleasing for them. However, they didn’t score and the same problems that confronted them in the game against Estonia face them again tonight only this time they face a better side – Croatia U21.
Croatia U21 themselves aren’t at their peak – I just don’t see enough stars in there nowadays. Badelj and Perisic are more regularly seen in the senior team nowadays, depriving Croatia U21 of a great deal of creativity in midfield. Pamic, Vujicevic, and Ozobic have potential but there’s just not enough there, in my view. Hajduk Split striker Lendric looks the best of the bunch and Kelic adds stability at the back but as a unit, this Croatia side does not bother me. In fact, if Switzerland U21 had a full team then I’d be all over the home win here. I recall watching Croatia U21 host Georgia U21 not long ago and Croatia U21 lost the game 0-1 because they were utterly ineffectual in attack for the whole game and I’ve seen nothing from them since then to change my opinion of them.
Therefore, I expect a boring and low-scoring game here. I’d not touch the 1×2 market here but under 2.5 goals at 9/10 looks far too generous to be ignored today.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 9/10.