TFT Issue 231!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
OB Odense vs Twente Enschede – away win at 11/10.
Today’s featured game is the UEFA Europa League game between OB Odense and Twente Enschede in Denmark.
I had my fears pre-season about OB Odense lacking in quality but I was very surprised to see how well they started the season and wrote off those fears as they played some very good football under their new manager. However, the honeymoon period is well and truly over now – they’re getting battered wherever they play and look horribly short of attacking threat. They’ve lost too many games against sides that they should be taking points off and just aren’t scoring goals. The morale is poor, the displays are poor, and they’re facing a side that is considerably better than they are today. Hmm!
Twente aren’t my favourite side on the road as they sometimes play this stupid possession football without taking their chances and draw games that they could and should win. However, their firepower is good and they do have a vastly better side than OB Odense so I’m happy to take the risk here. Twente have already demonstrated numerous times this season that they’ve got a big squad with plenty of attacking options and experienced players so them winning this game looks favourable today.
The UEFA Europa League is never an easy betting ground but the away win here at 11/10 does grab my attention.
Verdict: Twente Enschede to win at 11/10.
Additional game
Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs PSV Eindhoven – away win at 10/11.
I like Hapoel Tel-Aviv; they’re a better attacking side than they’re given credit for. They have some good attackers too, to boot, so they really aren’t a side to underestimate. However, I can’t see them getting anything in this game. It’s not because PSV are untouchable; indeed, their defence has seldom looked as vulnerable as it does from game to game in the Eredivisie. However, what has changed is that PSV have improved their attack and now have a whole host of devastating attacking options and for me, that spells goals. Ergo, Hapoel can approach this game two ways – defensively, and lose 0-1 because they’re not that good at defending themselves, or their usual attacking game and lose by being outscored. Football is rarely as straightforward as they but the above makes the away win look tempting at 10/11.
Verdict: PSV Eindhoven to win at 10/11.
Team news
UEFA Europa League:
Malmo FF – Fernandez, Halsti, and Aubynn are doubts.
Metalist Kharkiv – No absentees.
AZ Alkmaar – Messaoud, Holman, Falkenburg, Martens, and Boymans are absent.
Twente Enschede – Kuiper, Vujicevic, Mihaylov, and Boschker are absent.
PSV Eindhoven – Hutchinson, Pieters, Tyton, and Wuytens are absent.
Slovan Bratislava – Cikos and Pauschek are absent.
Standard de Liege – Tchite is absent.
Anderlecht – No absentees.
Club Brugge – Hoefkens is absent. Vleminckx is a doubt.
Lazio – Klose, Mauri, and Brocchi are absent.
Udinese – Barreto and Pasquale are absent. Di Natale is a doubt. Floro Flores returns.
Wisla Krakow – Jovanovec, Melikson, Bunoza, Malecki, and Sobolewski are absent.
Legia Warsaw – Kosecki and Hubnik are absent.
Rapid Bucharest – Surdu, Bozogici, and Pancu are absent. President has resigned – player protests against this.
Vaslui – Temwangera, Canu, Balace, Annang, Luiz, and Gerlem are absent.
Steaua Bucharest – Tatarusanu, G.Matei, Gardos, Galamaz, Emeghara, D.Popa, Cr.Tanase, Prepelita, Brandan, and Balan are absent.
Celtic – Samaras, Commons, Hooper, Brown, Izaguirre, and El-Kaddouri are absent.