TFT Issue 206!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
The bin
FC Brasov vs Petrolul Ploiesti – home win at 10/11.
Despite being shit, Brasov always do well at home. Plenty of spirit and motivation and it’s their home form that keeps them in the division. Still really interested in this one but no team news from our contact so I can’t enter this one – no bet!
Featured game
Blackburn Rovers vs Arsenal – away win at 9/10
I love this one. People are underrating Arsenal so much already and it just baffles the hell out of me. I mean, seriously, do people live under a rock with their fingers in their ears and their eyes shut tight? All I keep hearing is about how Arsenal won’t make the top four because of all the players they’ve sold – blah, blah, blah! I am not an Arsenal fan and frankly I couldn’t care less if they don’t but to say something like the above is ridiculously stupid.
Arsenal are a feeder team; no escaping that. However, Wenger consistently delivers them a Champions League place year after year because he gels his sides rapidly, tells them what to do, and they do enough to win games and finish high in the league. Why should this year be any different? Are Fabregas and Nasri irreplaceable? No. I’ve heard suggestions that Clichy will be missed – haha what?! Why?? He’s not a good full-back – he’s quick, nothing more. No, I hate to break it to you all but Arsenal have lost bigger and better players than Nasri and Fabregas before now and recovered perfectly well – Anelka, Vieira, Henry, Petit, Adams, Seaman etc. etc. It’s ludicrous to suggest that Wenger doesn’t know what he’s doing because he always, always does. Arsenal showed their signs of improvement against Dortmund mid-week and I expect them to continue that transformation today with Song back from suspension.
I very rarely go against Blackburn at home but whilst Kean is at the helm, I’ll be going against them whenever I can. The one factor that made Blackburn a nightmare to face at Ewood was their physical approach and they appear to be ditching that in favour of a more free-flowing passing game, which doesn’t suit them whatsoever. Subsequently, all sides are scoring points off them and they’re in a bad way, basically, hence the planned fan protests against Kean today. They’ve already lost at home against Wolves and Everton this season and say what you will about penalty decisions etc. against Everton but they still lost and didn’t deserve to score more goals than Everton so they can’t really complain about penalty decisions, no matter how unjust they were – it’s swings and roundabouts in football.
So, yeah – a Blackburn side on the decline versus an Arsenal side on a sly bit of ascendancy. Arsenal are the better side and have won here on their last couple of visits, which is impressive as Blackburn are generally very strong at home. Arsenal don’t like playing physical sides but Blackburn don’t look physical this season – they look poor. For me, the odds on the away win here are a must.
Verdict: Arsenal to win at 9/10.
Additional games
Sporting Gijon vs Valencia CF – away win at 6/5.
I’m a big advocate of northern Spain sides but I fear for them all this season. Seriously, I expect Osasuna and Santander to go down this year, barring a miracle, and if Gijon carry on as they are then they might join them. Sociedad are always shit and Bilbao look strange under Bielsa. Gijon used to be really hard to play at home but they’re losing it now. They keep selling players and not replacing them, just like Osasuna. Spirit will take them a long way but far enough? I’m not so sure. Valencia have a good record in Gijon, especially now the whole sub-plot of Villa facing his old club is no longer an issue. Valencia didn’t do well mid-week in Belgium but that’s to be expected, I suppose – their strikers are experienced in the Primera Liga, not Europe. Valencia are not what they were, of course, but their midfield is good and Emery knows what he’s doing. Valencia’s defence can concede against anyone but they’re creating more than enough chances right now to win this one so the odds on the away win looks crazily good value to me today.
Verdict: Valencia CF to win at 6/5.
Real Valladolid vs Real Murcia – home win with -1 Asian Handicap at evens.
Murcia are a decent team but all these new signings need time to gel and it’s more than apparent that they’re not ready yet. They’re conceding far too easily and not scoring enough goals so a trip to experienced battlers Valladolid cannot be welcome right now. Valladolid are a good top seven side in the Segunda Liga nowadays and they’ve got more than enough firepower to win this one at home. They can break the handicap against a Murcia side deprived of cohesion but I’ve added the insurance as it’s still early season and Murcia do have potential. Nonetheless, a good Valladolid side being price at evens for the -1 Asian Handicap looks promising today.
Verdict: Real Valladolid to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at evens.
Team news
Bulgarian A PFG:
Beroe – New owner of club. Players are angry and will play this game for their boss Iliev as it’s supposedly his last game. Genchev is absent.
CSKA Sofia – No absentees.
Svetkavitsa – Kostadinov, Petev, and Petrov are absent.
Chernomorets Burgas – Baldzhiyski, Terziev, and Kishishev are absent. Bonev returns.
Montana – No absentees.
Lokomotiv Plovdiv – de Carvalho is absent.
Levski Sofia – Risp, Vidovich, and Stanchev are absent.
Litex Lovech – No absentees.
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Slovan Liberec – Blazek has left on loan.
Sigma Olomouc – Murin is absent.
Slovacko – Volesak, Perutka, and Kordula are absent. Ondrejka is a doubt.
Ceske Budejovice – Rydel is absent. Delac has signed on loan from Chelsea.
Viktoria Plzen – Pavlik, Bakos and Fillo are absent.
Jablonec – Krajcik, Haurdic, and Kocourek are absent.
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
Hameenlinna – Lappalainen and Kalervo are absent.
OPS Oulu – No absentees.
KPV Kokkola – Lyyski and Hakala are absent.
HiFK Helsinki – Halme, Priha, Heinanen, and Britschgi are absent.
PK-35 Helsinki – Marttila, Olatuga, and Tuunainen are absent.
FC Espoo – Carter, Jama, and Vasse are absent.
PoPa Pori – Vihtila and Viljanen are absent. Pirhonen is a doubt. Dema, Aijala, Vuorinen, and Multanen have been sold.
PS Kemi Kings – Louste is absent.
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Maag Tammeka Tartu – boss Kristal has been fired. Kaldoja is absent.
Sillamae Kalev – Dmitrijev and Minorov are absent.
No news for other sides.
German Bundesliga:
Hertha BSC Berlin – Ramos is absent.
Augsburg – Verhaegh, Bah, Ndjeng, Sinkala, Hain, Mayer, Oehrl, and Thurk are absent.
Hoffenheim – Gulde, Jaissle, Johnson, Vukcevic, Weis, and Ibisevic are absent.
VfL Wolfsburg – Benaglio, Friedrich, Hitzlsperger, Hleb, Kahlenberg, and Salihamidzic are absent.
Nurnberg – Rakovsky, Schafer, Nilsson, Didavi, Frantz, and Pekhart are absent.
Werder Bremen – Silvestre, Borowski, Avdic, and Ayik are absent.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Adler, Giefer, Kadlec, Oczipka, Barnetta, and Ortega are absent.
Hamburger SV – Stepanek, Sternberg, Arslan, Ilicevic, Kacar, and Guerrero are absent.
Borussia Moenchengladbach – Hanke and Kachunga are absent.
Kaiserslautern – Orban, Simunek, Amri, Vermouth, Kouemaha, Nemec, and Zellner are absent.
Mainz 05 – Szalai are absent.
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Vasas Budapest – Simek is a doubt.
Fehervar – Toth may debutise.
Zalaegerszegi TE – Meye is absent.
Kecskemeti TE – No news.
Budapest Honved – Akassou, Abass, Delczeg, and Nemeth are absent.
Ujpest – Simon and Lazar are absent.
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Kruoja Pakruojis – Svelna and Petrauskas are absent.
No other absentees.
Moldovan Divizia Nationala:
Costuleni – Sofroni may feature.
Dacia Chisinau – Stjepanovici is absent.
Sfintul Gheorghe – Chiciuc may debutise.
Zimbru Chisinau – No absentees.
Sheriff Tiraspol – No absentees.
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala – Kolodziej is absent.
Ruch Chorzow – Starzynski, Djokic, and Komac are absent. Janoszka is a doubt.
LKS Lodz – Kujawa, Gieraga, and Szczot are absent.
Gornik Zabrze – Bebenek, Jonczyk, G.Nowak, and Magiera are absent. Gasparik is not with the squad either.
Korona Kielce – Lech, Kiercz, Kuzera, and Kijanskas are absent.
Lechia Gdansk – Traore, Nowak, Sazankou, Buchalik, Kozans, and Benson are absent.
Polish Liga 1:
Olimpia Elblag – No absentees.
Sandecja Nowy Sacz – Chmiest is a doubt.
Olimpia Grudziadz – No news.
Piast Gliwice – Zganiacz, Vrana, Lisowski, and Bzdega are absent. Bodzioch is a doubt.
Dolcan Zabki – No newws.
Polonia Bytom – Paulista may debutise.
Katowice – Kowalczyk is absent.
Zawisza Bydgoszcz – Skowronski, Kanik, Markowski, Ekwueme, Pietka, and Slifirczyk are absent.
Scottish Premier League:
Dunfermline Athletic – Hardie, McDougall, Phinn, Bell, and Rutkiewicz are absent. Easton is a doubt.
Hibernian – Airey, Welsh, and Hart are absent. Murray is a doubt.
Aberdeen – Lanfield is absent.
Kilmarnock – O’Leary and Silva are absent. Buijs is a doubt.
Dundee United – Severin, Russell, and Dillon are absent.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Hayes, Proctor, Meekings, Cox, and Tudor-Jones are absent.
Hearts – Driver, Kello, Kyle, and C.Elliot are absent.
St.Mirren – McGregor, Barron, Mooy, and Murray are absent.
Motherwell – Hutchinson and Saunders are absent.
St.Johnstone – Morris, C.Davidson, M.Davidson, Parkin, and Moon are absent.
Serbian Superliga:
Partizan Belgrade – Volkov is absent.
Novi Pazar – No manager – left club.
Vojvodina Novi Sad – Mojsov is absent.
OFK Belgrade – Krstic, Gasic, Takac, and Milic are doubts.
No other news.
Slovakian Corgon Liga:
Zlate Moravce – Kovac, Kuracka, and Bin Faizal are absent.
Spartak Trnava – Cvirik is absent.
Ruzomberok – Sivcevic, Radic, and Smahaj have been sent to the “B” team. Lovas is absent. Chovanec is a doubt. Bielak, Kotora, Praznovsky, and Maslo return.
MSK Zilina – Bello, Leitner, Zlatkovic, Ceesay, and Ofori are absent. Sulek and Deza are doubts.
Nitra – Kral, Mikus, and Ivancik are absent. Rak is a doubt.
Senica – Pillar and Motha are absent.
Kosice – No absentees.
Tatran Presov – Piter-Bucko and Planicka are absent. Zurek is a doubt. Kolbas returns.
Dukla Banska Bystrica – Boros, Pindroch, Vajda, and Johancsik are absent.
Trencin – Vala is a doubt.