TFT Issue 230!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Olympiakos Piraeus vs Bv09 Borussia Dortmund – lay Bv09 Borussia Dortmund at 4/5.
Today’s featured game is the UEFA Champions League game in Greece between Olympiakos and Dortmund.
Olympiakos have long been a side that away teams hate to face in Athens because of their passionate support and obtuse tactics. To be honest, they’ve not been at their best in the last year or so but with Valverde back at the helm, good times should be around the corner again. Just look at the midifeld that Valverde can call upon here – Ibagaza, Orbaiz, Makoun, Fuster, Yeste etc. Ok, some aren’t available tonight but still – it’s a very strong and very experienced midfield and I like that. Olympiakos are perhaps a tad lightweight in front of goal with target man Pantelic not the most mobile of hitmen and Miralles more of a drifter than a striker. They play well together, though, and Olympiakos at home are always a threat, in my book. Torosidis’ absence is a big blow for their defence, sadly, but I’m hoping it’s an obstacle that they can overcome here.
I can’t say I rate Dortmund too highly in this competition though – that’s where a lot of my confidence comes from too. They do miss Sahin, who left for Real Madrid pre-season. They still have good players, of course, especially Japanese hot prospect Kagawa. Perisic and Gotze are talented midfielders too and although Lewandowski sometimes looks a tad isolated up front on his own, he’s a good finisher so Dortmund do have the potential. Defensively, Dortmund aren’t as assured as they should be with Serbian Subotic commanding the backline and they’ve looked rather naive in the competition this far. Any side that leaks three goals at the Velodrome against a rather impotent Marseille side is not a side that I fear. Dortmund can play some good football and can be a dangerous side but they’re a rather youthful side and inexperienced nowadyas and I think the trip to Olympiakos is a lot harder than it’s credited with being.
For me, despite the absence of Torosidis, I think there’s value in laying Dortmund tonight. I’d not touch it below 4/5 but I do like the call – better sides than Dortmund have failed to win here.
Verdict: Lay Bv09 Borussia Dortmund at 4/5.
Team news
UEFA Champions League:
Olympiakos Piraeus – Torosidis, Yeste, Feisa, and Fuster are absent.
AC Milan – Thiago Silva, Ambrosini, and Seedorf are absent.
Zenit St.Petersburg – Kerzhakov and Anyukov are absent.
APOEL Nicosia – Constantinou is absent.
Porto – Fucile, Maicon, and C.Rodriguez are absent.
Barcelona – Pique, Sanchez, and Afellay are absent.
Viktoria Plzen – No absentees.
Shakhtar Donetsk – Rakitskiy is absent.
Racing Genk – Joneleit, Nadson, Pudil, Simays, and Grimi are absent.
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund – Barrios returns.
BATE Borisov – Rodionov and Kuntsevits are absent.
Chelsea – Ramires and Essien are absent.
Arsenal – Gibbs, Sagna, and Vermaelen are absent. Ramsey, Koscielny, and Djourou return.