TFT Issue 213!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Krylya Sovetov Samara vs Dinamo Moscow – away win at 4/5.
Today’s featured game is the Russian Premier League game between Krylya Sovetov Samara and Dinamo Moscow. When betting in Russia, it’s more important to pray to God that you’ve avoided one of the fixed games rather than actually trying to apply some logic to the games but hopefully we’ve managed that here.
Quality-wise, Krylya Sovetov Samara just aren’t good enough to be in the Russian top flight anymore. There’s too many ineffectual players, not enough firepower, and most importantly of all, there’s just not enough quality. Their “success” hinges upon Pryomov and Pecnik, which is already thin to begin with. You can see how much they struggle against quality by observing the sides that have won here this season – Anzhi Makhachkala, Zenit St.Petersburg, CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow etc. The hosts aren’t a particularly good side, to be blunt, and I think they’ll be undone here.
Dinamo Moscow continue to impress me with efficient display after efficient display. They always seem to find a way through and always seem to manage to take their chances. The squad cohesion level is good and their confidence is high following an excellent run of form. It takes a good side and/or a lot of goals to stop them winning and I don’t see Krylya Sovetov Samara having the capability to provide either of the above.
Therefore, the away win at 4/5 interests me today. I’d not take it at shorter than that as Russian away wins are never as easy as they should be but I see value on Dinamo at those odds.
Verdict: Dinamo Moscow to win at 4/5.
Additional games
Jablonec vs Viktoria Zizkov – home win with -2 Asian Handicap at 10/11.
Do I even need to write a preview here? There’s just a huge gap in quality. Jablonec are absolutely immense at home and relentless in front of goal. Viktoria Zizkov are horrendous at the back and have already lost most of their away games this season. Jablonec’s star striker Lafata is a doubt here so it may be worthwhile waiting to see the line-ups to take this one on but considering that Jablonec have already cruised past this handicap in all their Gambrinus Liga home games this season, I fancy them to do it again today against a very weak opponent.
Verdict: Jablonec to beat the -2 Asian Handicap at 10/11.
Ludogorets vs Levski Sofia – home win with draw no bet at 5/6.
This is risky but I do like the look of it. Although Ludogorets don’t have the facility to use their own stadium yet, they’ve still adapted to life in the A PFG amazingly well with their big buys all slotting in seamlessly. They’ve won five out of six games already this season, averaging scoring over two goals per game and conceding just once along the way. I’m not stupid enough to state that they’re good enough to challenge the likes of CSKA Sofia or Litex Lovech just yet but with the quality at their disposal and with the way they’ve been playing, they certainly don’t seem to be far away from that level. I mean, look who they’ve taken on away from home already this season – Beroe and Cherno More Varna respectively, two of the hardest away games in the A PFG for my money – and yet they’ve won both. They look composed and efficient and that makes them dangerous, in my view.
Visitors Levski Sofia are no mugs themselves, of course. They’re always battling for top spot in the A PFG and this season probably won’t be any different. However, I’ve seen a vulnerability in their team this season that I think can be exploited in games like this season. They lost Garra Dembele pre-season, who was a big target man for them, and given the 4-5-1 that Levski play, it’s absolutely essential that they have the right man up front for their system to work and they’ve not really found a replacement for Dembele, in all honesty. His departure is huge and although they still have Gadzhev, Tasevski, and Calvo in midfield, they are lacking a target man and that affects them a lot “behind the scenes” but especially away from home. They’ve already lost 3-1 at Cherno More Varna this season and won a fixed game at Minior Pernik so I’m not taken in by their displays thus far, good as their midfield is.
A draw is possible here, of course, but I just don’t see Ludogorets losing with the way they’re playing and the weakness that they’re carrying. For me, the “home” win with draw no bet cover at 5/6 is interesting today.
Verdict: Ludogorets to win with draw no bet at 5/6.
Team news
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Anderlecht – Suarez, Mbokani, Jovanovic, Vargas, Canoute, and Canesin are absent.
Germinal Beerschot – McDonald is absent.
Standard de Liege – Cyriac and Bolat are doubts.
Cercle Brugge – Cornelis is absent.
Bulgarian A PFG:
Ludogorets – Balakov is a doubt.
Levski Sofia – Risp is absent. Mulder is a doubt.
Chernomorets Burgas – Kishishev and Baldzhyiski are absent.
Slavia Sofia – Hristov has left the club on loan.
Cypriot Division 1:
Anorthosis Famagusta – Lavorde, Michael, Maraggos, and Mintikkis are absent.
Omonia Nicosia – Rengifo is absent.
AEL Limassol – No absentees.
Alki – Markez, Solari, and Christou are absent. Vasconcellos is a doubt.
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Jablonec – Lafata is a doubt.
Viktoria Zizkov – No absentees.
Mlada Boleslav – Kysela, Kulic, Neuwirth, and Fabian are absent. Johana is a doubt.
Hradec Kralove – No absentees.
Bohemians 1905 – Kaufman and Kraus are absent.
Slovan Liberec – Vacha is absent. Riike may debutise.
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
JJK Jyvaskyla – Manninen and Okkonen are absent.
Haka Valkeakoski – Dema and Juuti are absent.
Greek Super League:
Xanthi – Filskaw is absent.
OFI Crete – Vanto, Bourbos, Katai, Maniakis, and Haritoidis are absent.
Asteras Tripolis – New manager Goncalves.
Atromitos – Garcia, Tomas, and Giannoulis are absent.
PAOK Salonika – Lazar is absent.
AEK Athens – Kafes, Gentzoglou, and Konstadopolous are absent.
Panaitolikos – Boumal and Enzegouele are absent. Anti may return.
PAS Giannina – Fegrous is absent.
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Kecskemeti TE – Mohl is absent.
Ferencvaros – No absentees.
Disogyori VTK – Rados is absent.
Gyori ETO FC – Simon, Djordjevic, Koltai, and Feher are absent. Szabo may debutise.
Italian Serie A:
Atalanta Bergamo – Doni, Ferreira Pinto, and Lucchini are absent. Consigli, Manfredini, Minotti, Moralez, Peluso, and Pettinari are doubts.
Cagliari – El-Kabir and Eriksson are absent.
Catania – Potenza, Legrottaglie, and Llama are absent. Izco, Almiron, and Biagianti are doubts.
Chievo Verona – Acerbi and Luciano are absent. Pellissier is a doubt.
Genoa – Mesto and Ze Eduardo are absent. Rossi is a doubt.
Juventus – Iaquinta and Vucinic are absent. Elia and Bonucci are doubts.
Lazio – Biava and Mauri are absent. Del Nero and Radu are doubts.
Lecce – Carrozzieri and Grossmuller are absent. Muriel, Oddo, and Olivera are doubts.
SSC Napoli – Britos is absent. Donadel, Dzemaili, and Maggio are doubts.
Novara – Pinardi is a doubt.
Palermo – Alvarez, Budan, Cetto, and Di Matteo are absent. Rubinho and Simon are doubts.
Parma – Valiani, Valdes, Pelle, Palladino, Marques, and Brandao are doubts.
AS Roma – Gago, Greco, and Stekelenburg are absent. Juan and Lamela are doubts.
Siena – Angella is absent. Reginaldo, Del Grosso, Angelo, and Belmonte are doubts.
Udinese – Coda, Ferronetti, Floro Flores, and Pasquale are absent. Barreto is a doubt.
Japanese J-League:
Kashiwa Reysol – Wagner, Domingues, and Kitajima are absent. Kirihata is a doubt. Sugeno, Sakai, and Barada return.
Omiya Ardija – Fukuya, Fujimoto, Watabe, and Chun-Soo are absent. Rafael is a doubt. Higashi returns.
Avispa Fukuoka – No absentees.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima – Inami and Aoyama are absent. Takayanagi returns.
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Tauras Taurage – Second game in their home stadium for a long time.
Atlantas – No news.
Siauliai – No news.
Zalgiris Vilnius – No news.
Banga Gargzdai – No news.
Suduva Marijampole – No absentees.
Dutch Eredivisie:
AZ Alkmaar – Messouad, Didulica, and Martens are absent.
Feyenoord Rotterdam – Schenkeveld, Torres, and Swerts are absent.
De Graafschap – Frankel and Van de Pavert are absent.
Groningen – Johansson, Ivens, van de Laak, Burnet, Enevoldsen, and Hiariej are absent.
RKC Waalwijk – Schet is absent.
NEC Nijmegen – Stadhouders, Ibrahim, Goossens, and Wellenberg are absent.
Excelsior Rotterdam – Berkvens, Mattheij, Fillecia, Nuytink, and Vincken are absent.
Vitesse Arnhem – Snijders, van Diermen, Pedersen, Piiroja, and Ibarra are absent.
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Haugesund – Savolainen, Steinsland, Maeland, and Djurdjic are absent.
Aalesund FK – Herrera, Skiri, Jalasto, Jaager, and Fuhre are absent.
Odd Grenland Skien – Andersson, Johnsen, and Semb are absent. Brenne returns.
Tromso – Sahlman is a doubt.
Sogndal – Lund and Hanssen are absent.
Brann Bergen – Kalvernes, Labuskas, and Ojo are absent.
Start Kristiansand – Stokkelien, Madsen, Milicevic, and Hoff are absent.
Lillestrom – Eziodawe, Sundgot, Bergmann, Sigurdarsson, Obiefule, and Eriksen are absent.
Valerenga Oslo – Kone, Fellah, Nordvik, and Haestad are absent.
Rosenborg BK – Jamtfall, Goa, Fredheim Holm, and Wangberg are absent. Ronning and Hoiland are doubts.
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Wisla Krakow – Genkov is absent.
Ruch Chorzow – Djokic is absent.
Widzew Lodz – Broz, Zigajevs, Alves, and Ben Radhia are absent.
Jagiellonia Bialystok – Slowik and Grzelak are absent.
Russian Premier League:
FK Krasnodar – Pikurschak, Kudryashov, and Amisulashvili are absent.
Spartak Moscow – Ananidze, Welliton, and Sheshukov are absent.
Spartak Nal’chik – Behramov and Lukanchenkov are absent.
Kuban’ Krasnodar – Rogochy is absent.
Amkar’ Perm – Topcu, Fedorov, Belorukov, Vasiliev, and Popov are absent.
Rostov-na-Donu – Malyaka, Radic, Cesnauskis, Yankov, Hagush, and Kalachev are absent.
Lokomotiv Moscow – Tarasov, Torbinskiy, Fils, and Glusakov are absent.
Rubin’ Kazan – Carlos Eduardo and Kuzmin are absent.
Krylya Sovetov Samara – Molosh is absent.
Dinamo Moscow – Kuranyi is absent.
Scottish Premier League:
St.Johnstone – Wright, Morris, Moon, Parkin, C. Davidson, Gartland, and M. Davidon are absent.
Hearts – Kello, Kyle, Glen, and C.Elliot are absent.