TFT Issue 21!
FreeStrange day yesterday, guys and girls, and it pissed me off quite a lot, to be honest! However, at least Alcorcon provided some saving grace and hopefully today will yield more success.
Double Chance
Wellington Phoenix 1X
LOSC Lille 1X
Stade Rennais 1X
Fortuna Dusseldorf 1X
Palermo 1X
Catania 1X
SL Benfica 1X
Karabukspor 1X
Warning
Careful if you’re taking Dusseldorf to win today as I’m sure a lot are. They look generously priced but they’re missing 2 important players in midfield and 1 in defence and as they function as a unit, they’re not going to find it as easy today. They’re better than Ingolstadt but the visitors are playing quite well at the moment so don’t rule out the draw here.
Featured game
Cesena vs Udinese – away win at 11/10.
I like Cesena – I like their never-say-die attitude and stout belief. However, let’s be realistic here – quality-wise, they’re one of the weakest sides in Serie A and there’s a good chance that they’ll be relegated. They’ve signed Rosina from Zenit St.Petersburg, who is a very good playmaker and that will help them at least a little. However, for me, they lack the firepower to do damage on a regular basis, which is why the only side to score less goals at home than they have is the only side in Serie A that is below them – Bari. Cesena only average conceding a goal per home game so don’t make the mistake of thinking that they’re easy to beat because they’re not; these guys will give anyone a rough ride. However, the season has been winding onwards and their squad is getting stretched as fatigue settles in so now is a good time for in-form Udinese to face them.
Udinese are in terrific form due to the budding partnership of old hand Di Natale and Chilean wonderkid Alexis Sanchez in attack. These two being backed up by a ferociously energetic midfield with the likes of Inler, Pinzi, Asamoah, and Isla in there makes Udinese a real force. They’ve done well lately because of their tenacity and it should count for a lot in this game as sides who approach games with Cesena casually tend to suffer. Udinese are very highly-motivated in general, however, and with momentum on their side, I have to fancy them here, even with question marks hanging over the fitness of number one goalkeeper Handanovic. That’s the only notable potential absence for Udinese today so they’ve got a largely full squad to choose from. They’ve won three out of their last four games, winning against Internazionale and Juventus along the way, so morale couldn’t be higher here, which is important as Udinese aren’t generally a good travelling side. However, they’re playing so well at the moment that I can’t overlook them, especially after a breeze of a 2-0 win against Sampdoria lately. Udinese look calm, composed, and ultimately a class above most opponents at the moment so I really fancy them here.
I’d normally compare this fixture to brutality vs flair but that’s not the case here. If it was, I wouldn’t be as happy backing it. However, as Udinese bring flair and brutality to the game themselves, I think they’ll more than match a rather slow and predictable Cesena side today and as long as they take their chances then they should win this game. For me, the away win is generously priced at 11/10 with the above in mind, especially with key creative midfielder Jimenez absent for the hosts.
Team news – Cesena miss Jimenez and Dellafiore whereas Udinese miss Basta, Ferronetti, and Angelia whilst having doubts over Handanovic.
Verdict: Udinese to win at 11/10.