TFT Issue 254!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Arsenal vs Bv09 Borussia Dortmund – home win at 11/10.
Today’s featured game is the UEFA Champions League game in London between Arsenal and Bv09 Borussia Dortmund.
Arsenal have really turned it on lately, winning seven out of their last eight games. They’re still weak at the back but so what? They’re always weak at the back! Robin van Persie is in the form of his life and although it’s unfair to say he carries the side, he does certainly score the vast majority of their goals and his confidence is sky-high right now as a result. Arsenal are very good on the ball, as we all know, and subsequently create a lot of chances and do score goals. Dortmund’s defence is their weakest area and Arsenal should be able to capitalise on that tonight.
Dortmund have improved as this competition has gone on, looking more composed and taking their chances much more frequently. A highly impressive 0-1 win at Bayern Munich at weekend will have given them a tremendous lift ahead of this game and they need it too – nothing but a win will really do here, realistically speaking. They have to attack and maybe that will suit Dortmund – after all, despite the youthful average age of their squad, they’re still a very talented attacking side with a whole host of hot prospects that jealous eyes around Europe are reportedly very keen on such as Gotze and Kagawa, to name a few. Dortmund really should open this game up by attacking at somepoint although tactically speaking, I don’t really know when that will be so I’d avoid any HT/FT bets etc.
For me, the value is on Arsenal to win this one though. True enough, a draw will see them progress but they’re an attacking side; creating chances and scoring goals is simply what they do best. In this kind of form, Arsenal are irresistable and in my view, 11/10 is a great price on them to beat a side that they’re simply better than.
Verdict: Arsenal to win at 11/10.
Additional games
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Porto – home win with draw no bet at 4/5.
I’d normally look at giving the away side the advantage here as Shakhtar don’t have the advantage of having a shit pitch like most Eastern European sides do. No, they have a glorious playing surface at the Donbass and although it suits them against most opposition, it certainly doesn’t when they encounter a side that play the way that they do only better than them ala Barcelona, Arsenal etc. Porto are capable of doing that but I’d be surprised to see it tonight.
True enough, Porto aren’t short of talent. There’s a whole host of attacking players in their ranks that a lot of sides would kill for. However, this side has no cohesion and no faith in boss Pereira, who won’t be after this game, if you believe the Portuguese press. Porto fans have already protested vehemently against his playing style and the majority of his key players lack the belief in their manager and the motivation to turn things around. Things are far from rosy for Porto and this is not an easy game, either, especially when only a win will realistically suffice.
Can Shakhtar capitalise on that? Absolutely. This side is growing from year to year in stature and experience and their ability to pass the ball is now very good indeed. My concerns for them are an erratic goalkeeper (Pyatov), a defence that relies too much on the fitness of Chygrynskyi, and an attack that is not always clinical. That’s me being quite meticulous though, really – in general, this side creates a lot of chances and scores goals as a result and I think that they’ll do that here tonight.
There’s not much between the two squads nowadays but with so much pressure on Porto to deliver and so little confidence in their team, it’s hard to see them winning this one. Shakhtar know how to win on their own turf and they have the composure to do it. For me, the home win with draw no bet cover is well worth it at 4/5.
Verdict: Shakhtar Donetsk to win with draw no bet at 4/5.
Team news
UEFA Champions League:
Zenit St.Petersburg – Kerzhakov is absent.
APOEL Nicosia – Boaventura is absent. Ailton is a doubt.
BATE Borisov – Kezman is a doubt.
AC Milan – Gattuso, Flamini, and Cassano are absent.
Viktoria Plzen – Cech and Cisovsky are absent.
Barcelona – Iniesta is absent.
Porto – Walter is absent. Fucile and Cristian Rodriguez return.
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Legia Warsaw – Komorwoski is absent. Manu and Kielbowicz are doubts.
Zaglebie Lubin – Abwo, Rachwal, Pawlowski, and Nhamoinesu are absent.
Scottish Premier League:
Celtic – Loovens, Mulgrew, Bangura, Rogne, Brown, and Izaguirre are absent.
Dunfermline Athletic – McCann, Hardie, Easton, Thomson, Phinn, Bell, and Rutkiewicz are absent. Dowie is a doubt.
Slovenian Prva Liga:
Mura 05 – Kramar is absent.
Koper – Guberac and Linic are absent.
Triglav – Najdenov is absent.
Nafta Lendava – No news.
Olimpija Ljubljana – Omladic and Ranic are absent. Fink returns.
Celje – Firer is absent.
Maribor – Trajkovski is absent.
Gorica – No news.
Rudar Velenje – Zatkovic, Jelecevic, Trifkovic, and Dedic are absent. Crncic, Jesenicnik, and Novakovic return.
Domzale – No news.