TFT Issue 255!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
There’s potentially a huge banana skin today so beware, guys. I’m talking about the game in the Czech Republic. The odds are way too short for Sparta Prague. They’re the best side in the country but they’re playing a side who have waited an age to be reunited with the side that claimed their title from them as the biggest club in the Czech Republic. Dukla Prague have a big vendetta against today’s hosts and this is their cup final, basically. I would be tempted to take a slice of G/G at 11/10 as a fun bet aside from that, I would avoid this game entirely.
Featured game
AZ Alkmaar vs FC Utrecht – home win with -1.5 handicap at 4/5.
Today’s featured game is the Eredivisie match between top of the table AZ Alkmaar and under-achieving FC Utrecht.
The hosts have been immense so far this season, all things considered. When it comes to playing at home, few sides in the Eredivisie make it count more than AZ Alkmaar with their attacking football being too devastating to handle most of the time. They’ve played six home games in the Eredivisie this season and have won all of them in a very convincing fashion. They’ve beaten the -1.5 handicap on four occasions, one of which was against heavyweights PSV Eindhoven and another of which was against arising youngsters Vitesse Arnhem. Nothing fazes AZ Alkmaar on their own turf and they’ve always got goals in them. It’s nice to see Altidore finally being given a good run to show his potential although it can’t be denied that the heartbeat of AZ’s team this season has been their midfield with Holman pulling the strings, Elm scoring the goals, and Wernbloom mopping up the mess. Beerens, Gudmundsson – they add dimensions to AZ’s game but either way, this side has a lot of options and I expect to see them demonstrate their superiority tonight.
Visitors FC Utrecht have had a bad start to their season. It’s no surprise though, really. They weren’t a particularly good side to begin with but considering that they lost quintessential players from their starting line-up pre-season and then the injury crisis that they had it’s just no surprise that they’ve struggled. However, even at full strength, this side does not convince me. Defensively, they’re an absolute wreck! Outside of the bottom three, only Roda JC Kerkrade and ADO Den Haag have conceded more goals than they have and with an average of nearly two goals conceded per game, it’s no surprise that FC Utrecht are struggling right now. Away from home, they’ve lost four out of seven games this season and with leading goalscorer Mulenga and pacey Ghanaian associate Asare both absent today, the whole core of FC Utrecht’s attack has been ripped out. Gerndt is a capable player and Demouge is just a target man. Without Asare and Mulenga, this FC Utrecht side is devoid of attacking threat and has zero composure at the back. Conclusion? They’re in for a long, long game here!
For me, AZ beating the -1.5 handicap at 4/5 is well worth it here. They’ll attain it in most of their home games this season, in my view, and the visitors don’t have anywhere near enough quality to put me off. Therefore, the home win with the -1.5 handicap interests me greatly at 4/5.
Verdict: AZ Alkmaar to beat the -1.5 handicap at 4/5.
Team news
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Sparta Prague – Kusnir is absent. Husek and Zapotocny are doubts.
Dukla Prague – Kucera, Preucil, Jirous, and Svejdik are absent.
Italian Serie A:
Udinese – Barreto and Coda are absent.
AS Roma – Borini, Pizarro, Burdisso, Rosi, Totti, and Borriello are absent.
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Polonia Warsaw – Bonin is absent. Sultes is a doubt.
Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala – No absentees.
Slask Wroclaw – Elsner is absent.
Wisla Krakow – Kirm is absent. Bunoza is a doubt. Malecki and Melikson may return.
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Academica de Coimbra – Rui Miguel, Diego Gomes, Abdoulaye, Flavio, Julio Cesar, and Orlando are absent. Danilo returns.
Beira-Mar – Bura, Fernandes, Marques, and Turan are absent.
Romanian Liga:
Astra Ploiesti – Grigore, Barboianu, and Matei are absent.
Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt – Vitelaru is absent.
Turkish Super Lig:
Genclerbirligi – Yasin is absent.
Fenerbahce – Topuz is absent. Yobo and Zielger return. Morale is not good as Fenerbahce await the verdict of the match-fixing investigation.