TFT Issue 25!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
News
Gonna be posting some Georgian Umaglesi Liga picks on here for a trial period as it’s a league I’m considering covering but I want to see up-to-speed and accurate I am on it. Feel free to ignore those picks below – they’re just somewhere for me to keep track of them.
Georgian Umaglesi Liga (test; not tips)
Olimpi Rustavi vs Torpedo Kutaisi (8) under 2.5 goals
Spartaki Tskhinali vs Samtredia (7) over 2.5 goals
WIT-Georgia Tbilisi vs Baia (7) 1-0
Dinamo Tbilisi vs Zestafoni (5) both sides to score
Sioni vs Kolkheti Poti (4) both sides to score
The Bin
Atletico Nacional de Medellin vs America de Cali – home win at evens
The hosts are the better of these two sides by some distance but both sides have had some strange results following new signings so I’ve decided to leave this one, although I am impressed with Nacional signing playmaker Macnelly Torres lately – it’s a good move for a side that lacks in creativity sometimes.
Ipswich Town vs Hull City – over 2.5 goals at 11/10
I have little faith in the English leagues nowadays but I was tempted to take over 2.5 goals here. Ipswich have been utterly immense lately, scoring goals for fun and generally looking very strong indeed. However, Hull have too but their speciality is more in defence than attack so a 1-0 or 1-1 isn’t out of the question here. With Bullard absent for Ipswich, I decided to leave this one.
Double Chance
Velez Sarsfield 1X
Olympique de Marseille 1X
MSV Duisburg 1X
Kavala 1X
Internazionale 1X
Siena 1X
Santos Laguna 1X
Groningen 1X
Odds of evens/2.00 in an accumulator.
Other Tips
Back Sparta Prague to win the Gambrinus Liga at 4/5. The odds should be about 1/4 now, by my reckoning, but it looks like the bookies are hanging back for some reason. Transfer activity throughout January saw the only two clubs (in my opinion) that could compete with Sparta Prague for the title lose some of their most integral players with Viktoria Plzen losing key defenders Navratil and Rada and Jablonec losing striker Pekhart. Plzen will fall away as a result and Jablonec will stop scoring as many goals. Sparta Prague sold star striker Wilfried in the window themselves and I’d leave it had they not replaced him but they have replaced him – they’ve replaced him with Pekhart from Jablonec! It’s a truly great move – I expect a lot from Sparta Prague in the latter stages of this campaign although it’ll be amusing when Sparta play Slavia in the Prague derby as Pekhart was a Slavia Prague academy boy before signing for Tottenham Hotspur at a young age!
Featured Game
Club Brugge vs Lokeren
Today’s featured game is the Belgian Eerste Klasse game between Club Brugge and Lokeren. A lot of people will favour Club Brugge here because they know the name whereas Lokeren’s is still relatively unfamiliar but I’d be a tad more cautious than that.
Club Brugge do have some superb attacking players, it’s true. However, the majority of those talented players are confined to midfield as their attack is somewhat lacking in consistently good finishers. Nonetheless, their midfield is the sole reason that only Anderlecht and Racing Genk have outscored them in the Eerste Klasse this season so I wouldn’t be put off labelling it as the best midfield in the division. However, the most instrumental part of that midfield – Vargas – is missing today, which deprives Brugge of some formidable attacking talent, both as a goalscorer and a creator. Nonetheless, Croatian hot prospect Perisic is back, as is relatively seasoned holding midfielder Odjidja-Ofoe, so Brugge should still have enough in midfield to remain in control of the game, especially with Dirar and Geraerts still able to play. Club Brugge have only failed to score twice at home in the Eerste Klasse this season and both games were understandable ones with one being at home to a superior Anderlecht side and the other being at home to local rivals Cercle Brugge in the derby. Therefore, it’s fair to expect Brugge to score today.
Will Lokeren score though? That’s the big question. They’ve looked very organised this season and have tended to specialise in keeping other sides out rather scoring a lot themselves. However, they seem a lot more adventurous since their bizarre defeat at home to Eupen and have scored in four consecutive games as a result, including unenviable trips to Germinal Beerchot and Westerlo respectively. Finnbogason looks to be starting to adjust and may get another chance today with Tshimanga absent for the visitors. Lokeren still have star playmaker Ivan Leko available to them and he’ll be keen to prove a point against one of his former clubs. Lokeren play some good football and tend to be underrated because of their name, which is always a baffling thing, in my eyes. Nonetheless, underestimate this Lokeren side away from home at your own peril as they’ve only failed to sore in three Eerste Klasse away games this season – the opening game of the season at Mechelen and two fairly recent trips to league leaders Anderlecht and defensively-strong Kortrijk so Lokeren are basically very hard to keep out, hence my selection today.
Club Brugge also miss their number one goalkeeper today so they may not be as assured in defence. Well, I say “assured” by they’re generally fairly calamitous at the back anyway! For me, this game really should have both sides scoring in it although I’d leave the 1×2 market well alone.
Team news – Club Brugge miss Vargas, Van Acker, De Cuyper, Diaz, Deschilder, and Stijnen whereas Lokeren miss De Roover, Tshimanga, Yagan, El Mouataz, Fevang, and Boubacar.
Verdict: Both sides to score at 4/5.