TFT Issue 234!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Dinamo Moscow vs Rubin Kazan’ – home win at 11/10.
Today’s featured game is the Russian Premier League game between Dinamo Moscow and Rubin Kazan’.
The hosts have done really well this season. I have to confess that I don’t usually take Dinamo Moscow spending their usual millions on players because they almost never galvanise nor play as a unit. This season, however, they’re looked really strong. Well, let’s face it – they have to be playing well for the likes of Kuranyi and Voronin to be scoring goals on a reasonably regular basis as neither are great in front of goal. Dinamo’s midfield is their strongpoint, though – Misimovic, Semshov, Sapeta, and Samedov have proven to be a real force this season. There’s some consistency at the back, too, with the same four playing the vast majority of games for Dinamo. As a unit, though, Dinamo look really strong and have bags of experience so it’s hard not to give them the nod here, especially with more wins at home than any other Russian Premier League club this season with ten wins from thirteen games thus far.
Visitors Rubin Kazan’ don’t have the luxury of alternating players, unlike their hosts. As solid a unit as Rubin are, they have much less players in their squad and subsequently, they’re already a spent force, in my view. Consider that the Russian Premier League is a special “extended” version this season and that Rubin have had to juggle a European campaign with that as well as dealing with the long-term absences of the likes of Carlos Eduardo and it’s easy to see where they’re coming undone. They’ve got some good players, make no mistake, and they’re not an easy side to face at all. However, this is their third game in eight days and with the absence of old hand Medvedev up front and Ansaldi at the back, it’s hard to see Rubin functioning well here against their in-form hosts, especially with no real motivation to do so.
Approach this one with some caution as there’s no need for either side to win this game. However, Dinamo look stronger than Rubin this season and they’ve not had a European game mid-week so I’ll give them the nod at 11/10 here.
Verdict: Dinamo Moscow to win at 11/10.
Additional game
Teplice vs Sparta Prague – away win at 4/5.
You could almost hear the respective jaws dropping of each punter as Sparta Prague bafflingly lost 0-3 against Slovan Liberec last week. Still, each side must lose at somepoint and that was Sparta’s time.
I fully expect them to bounce back today, though. They’re still the best side in the country for my money. They average scoring nearly three goals per away game in the Gambrinus Liga and have won all five away games so far this season. Kadlec and Kweuke are forging a lethal partnership and with the likes of Grajciar, Matejovsky, and Sionko to support them, it’s fair to observe that Sparta have innumerate options when going forward. It has to help that they’ve got the best defence in the country, though – Repka, Zapotcny, Vidlicka etc. all have tremendous experience and are essentially too good to be playing at this level, in my view. Sparta really should have too much for Teplice here – they’re almost the finished article.
It aids my bet that Teplice are a really bad side right now. Their financial position is gradually crippling the club and the loss of the likes of Vidlicka, it’s hard to see them doing anything at all this year. I mean, even Libor Dosek is a big loss to Teplice as he was a viable “plan b” with his towering height. Jakub Mares joined Vidlicka in leaving Teplice for Sparta Prague pre-season and Teplice really miss Mares – he brought them a great threat from midfield. Experienced midfielder Kalivoda moved on too, of course, joining Viktoria Zizkov pre-season. Teplice haven’t replaced these players adequately so now this side that cannot defend has very little ability to score, too. You’ll note that most of the sides that they’ve scored against this season have been poor. I’ll be surprised to see them score against the best defence in the country today, to be honest – they’re a couple of classes below Sparta, in my view.
For me, there’s terrific value on Sparta winning this one. Teplice really are shambolic and even a half-assed display from the visitors should see them beat a side that frankly aren’t good enough to be in the division anymore.
Verdict: Sparta Prague to win at 4/5.
Team news
Bulgarian A PFG:
Litex Lovech – Bodurov is absent. Jelencovic is a doubt.
Ludogorets – No absentees.
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Teplice – Keric and Mahmutovic are absent.
Sparta Prague – Kusnir and Mares are absent. Kweuke is a doubt.
Russian Premier League:
Spartak Nal’chik – Behramov is absent.
Lokomotiv Moscow – Fils and Torbinsky are absent.
Dinamo Moscow – Felix is absent.
Rubin Kazan‘ – Ansaldi, Medvedev, and Smith are absent.