TFT Issue 305!
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Featured game
Zulte-Waregem vs Westerlo – home win with -1 Asian Handicap at 6/5.
Today’s featured game is the Eerste Klasse between Zulte-Waregem and Westerlo.
Let’s be realistic here – Zulte-Waregem are not in the place that they should be in the table. They’re a top eight side quality-wise but they’ve not scored the necessary goals this season to make it otherwise. So what’s changed on that front? First of all, they’ve brought star playmaker Berrier back to the club after an unsuccessful stint at Standard de Liege, which is a huge coup for Zulte-Waregem. The other major factor is the return of legendary boss Dury. Those two factors make Zulte-Waregem a much better side than the table portrays and thus I think we’ll see some “surprise” results for them in the near future. The players believe in themselves more under Dury and they’re creating a lot of chances currently. They just need to start taking them and when they do then I expect a strong run from them.
Westerlo are in a really bad way right now. They’re bottom of the table and their list of absentees is just huge. Number one goalkeeper Deelkens is out. Captain Vanaudenaarde is out although has missed most of this season anyway. Fellow defenders Farssi, Wils, and Cabeke are out too. Old Van Hout at the back has actually left the club. Experienced wideman Goor is out. Talented Israeli striker Arbeitman is out. The list goes on. Westerlo don’t have the depth to deal with these absentees and it really shows.
For me, Zulte-Waregem should win this one comfortably if they take their chances as I expect them to. They’re a better side and they’re facing a side that struggles to keep clean sheets. With the above in mind the -1 Asian Handicap is very appealing at 6/5.
Verdict: Zulte-Waregem to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 6/5.
Additional games
Zambia vs Sudan – Zambia to win at 5/6.
It’s hard to preview a game like this but for me, Zambia are simply too good for Sudan. Sudan have shown promise in the tournament and shouldn’t be underestimated but Zambia have more firepower and pace and should make it count here. Beware of the typical horrendous defending but if this game is played as openly as I expect it to be then Zambia should win this one.
Verdict: Zambia to win at 5/6.
Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast – under 2 goals at 7/5.
This is very, very bold but I like it. Anyone who thinks the odds on the Ivorians winning this game are good or are accumulator fodder are just mugs. Equatorial Guinea are the hosts and I would never endorse betting against the home side in Africa unless the quality difference is huge and given the number of players that Equatorial Guinea nationalised for this tournament, the quality gap really isn’t that big although make no mistake – Ivory Coast are the better side. I do expect Ivory Coast to progress but this should be a very hard game for them. Equatorial Guinea have had a lot of support and we can expect more of the same today. Ivory Coast have not settled as well as they could have yet but they’re winning games efficiently and it’s results that count. I think the Ivorians are solid enough to keep Equatorial Guinea out and are good enough to pinch a goal and grind out a narrow win but I’ll be surprised to see a lot of goals here as the Ivorians are hard to break through and the hosts aren’t magicians, although they’re certainly tenacious enough to make Ivory Coast work hard. For me, under 2 goals looks very generous at 7/5.
Verdict: Under 2 goals at 7/5.
West Bromwich Albion vs Swansea City – away win with draw no bet at 8/5.
Long, Scharner, and Thomas are all very unlikely to feature here. Given how ineffectual WBA have been at home this season, those absences will be huge for Hodgson’s team, in my view. He’s brought in Andrews and Ridgewell, both of which are notorious for their hard work, so it’s easy to see where Hodgson thinks his side are going wrong. They’ve been awful at home this season, which is really quite unusual. WBA are actually a good side, in my view, and Hodgson is a good manager to boot. He can only work with what he has though and with Long not playing and Odemwingie out of form, you have to query where the goals will come from for WBA today. Their opponents are very well-organised indeed and I just don’t see how WBA will break them down, let alone keep a clean sheet that keeps evading them.
The big question for me is whether Swansea can take advantage of their vulnerable hosts or not. I’d like to think that they can although my point about them still not having a good striker does concern me. Then again, WBA’s defending at home this season has often been Championship-esque and Swansea could profit from that today. Rodgers has been smart in the transfer window by bringing in reinforcements into midfield in the form of Icelandic playmaker Sigurdsson (who I like an awful lot – really good player!) and Chelsea youngster McEachran. Both are capable of winning a game and are a nightmare to play against – they should both blend seamlessly into Swansea’s passing game. Swansea are so hard to get the ball off and to contain that I think they’ll go from strength to strength as the season progresses. They’re hardly missing anyone for this game and as they long as they convert their chances then I expect them to do well in the Midlands today.
For me, Swansea City are well worth a bet with draw no bet cover at 8/5.
Verdict: Swansea City to win with draw no bet at 8/5.
HJK Helsinki vs FC Honka Espoo – HJK Helsinki to lead at half-time and full-time at 8/5.
This is still early season for these two Finnish clubs and the Liiga Cup competition is hardly the most prestigious of tournaments. However, this is a good opportunity for the two best clubs in Finland to gauge one another again. Changes have been made a-plenty pre-season but it’s HJK who have retained a squad good enough to win the title again. Honka are younger and more inexperienced than ever and thus we can expect to see them concede a lot of goals this season. Rumours were abroad pre-season that Demba Savage was on his way to the blue-and-white of Helsinki and if that’s the case then we can kiss the old Honka goodbye. Dudu is a great striker but Savage is the heartbeat of that attack, in my view. Honka will cause HJK problems because they always do but HJK are a much more complete unit with a better manager. For me, HJK will win a goal-filled game here and I think odds of 8/5 on HJK to be leading at half-time and to see it out until full-time are good enough to take as they’re still head-and-shoulders above Honka for my money. Approach with caution, though – we saw the kind of surprises that can hit the Liiga Cup with IFK Mariehamn’s baffling demolition of TPS Turku yesterday!
Verdict: HJK Helsinki HT/FT at 8/5.
Team news
Australian A-League:
Central Coast Mariners – Bozanic, Ryan, and Amini are absent. Hutchinson returns.
Brisbane Roar – Jurman, Visconte, and Nichols are absent. Hingert is a doubt. Berisha returns.
Melbourne Heart – Taseski, Hoffman, Dugandzic, Behich, Fred, Kalmar, Ibrahim, and Fred are absent.
Melbourne Victory – Celeski, Pondeljak, Foscini, Cernak, and Ferreira are absent. Kemp is a doubt. Velaphi returns.
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Lierse SK – Ayew, Flavio, Gilberto, and Dequevy are absent.
Standard de Liege – van Damme, Buzaglo, Opare, and Gonzalez are absent. Seijas is a doubt.
Zulte-Waregem – Matton is absent. Rossini has left. Leye may feature.
Westerlo – Arbeitman, Cardoso, Vanaudenaarde, Deelkens, Owusu, Roef, Wils, Cabeke, Goor, Marcao, and Farssi are absent. Van Hout left. Kabasele and Hemmen may debutise.
Mechelen – Geudens, Vidarsson, Van Loo, and De Witte are absent. Pandza and Cordaro return.
Kortrijk – Capon and Vandenbroek are absent. Mulemo is a doubt.
Lokeren – Deekman, Barry, and Persoons are absent.
Mons – M’Bow is absent. Mombongo has left. Blondelle returns. Jarju may debutise.
Sint-Truiden – Andrade, Reza, Volders, van Crombrugge, and Delorge are absent. Ngawa, Kotysch, and Taelemans return. Rossini may debutise.
Cercle Brugge – Gombani, Sergeant, Verbist, Reis, and Rudy are absent. Cornelis returns.
Cypriot Division 1:
Ethnikos Achnas – Poyadjis is absent.
Apollon Limassol – Nunez has left. M.Fani, Sales, Kirofski, and Benjoucan are absent.
Enosis Neon Paralimni – Krovokapic is absent.
AEK Larnaca – Pindado, Yakubu, Pavlou, and Garcia are absent.
Aris Limassol – Sosin, Ionescu, and Lombe are absent. Gonzalez is a doubt.
Anorthosis Famagusta – Konstantinou and Marangos are absent. Ramos has left.
English Championship:
West Ham United – Diop is a doubt.
Millwall – Bouazza, Mildenhall, Mkandawire, and Racon are absent. Robinson is a doubt.
Portsmouth – Norris and Varney are absent.
Hull City – No absentees.
Doncaster Rovers – Coppinger and Beye are absent.
Reading – Manset and Sheppard are absent. Kebe and Leigertwood are doubts.
Derby County – Robinson is a doubt.
Nottingham Forest – No absentees.
Coventry City – Thomas and McDonald are absent. Hreidarsson is a doubt.
Ipswich Town – Bowyer is absent.
Burnley – Lafferty, Stanislas, and Paterson are absent. Treacy is a doubt.
Peterborough United – Hibbert is absent.
Bristol City – Carrey and Clarkson are absent.
Leeds United – O’Brien and Kinsnorbo are absent.
Brighton & Hove Albion – Dicker, Painter, and Elphick are absent. Noone is a doubt.
Leicester City – No absentees.
Cardiff City – No absentees.
Blackpool – Southern is absent.
Birmingham City – N’Daw is absent.
Southampton – De Ridder, Do Prado, Chaplow, and Hooiveld are absent.
Middlesbrough – McDonald, Coyne, Bailey, Zemmama, Ogbeche, and Arca are absent.
Crystal Palace – Williams is absent.
Watford – Taylor and McGinn are absent.
Barnsley – O’Brien and Dawson are absent.
Finnish Liiga Cup:
HJK Helsinki – Valtteri Moren is absent. Moose may debutise.
FC Honka Espoo – No news.
German Bundesliga:
Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Adler and Barnetta are absent.
VfB Stuttgart – Boka, Audel, Bah, Traore, and Gebhart are absent.
Schalke 04 – Fahrmann, Jones, Kluge, and Holtby are absent.
Mainz 05 – Risse, Gopko, Svensson, Stieber, and Allagui are absent.
Hoffenheim – Jaissle, Vorsah, and Ibertsberger are absent.
Augsburg – Amsif, Bah, Rafael, Moravek, and Bellinghausen are absent.
VfL Wolfsburg – Helmes, Lakic, Polak, Mladung, and Vieirinha are absent.
Borussia Moenchengladbach – No absentees.
Hertha BSC Berlin – Franz, Raffae, Janker, Lell, and Mijatovic are absent.
Hannover 96 – Haggui, Andreasen, Carlitos, Hauger, Ya Konan, and Miller are absent.
Hamburger SV – Castelen, Tore, Berg, Skjelbred, and Sala are absent.
Bayern Munich – van Buyten, Rafinha, and Contento are absent.
Greek Super League:
Ergotelis – Junior, Romano, Athanasiou, Ximblinger, Sasiavili, Bouxalakis, and Dermitzakis are absent.
OFI Crete – Bodor and Mantzios are absent.
Kerkyra – Agritis, Lambropoulos, Bukuvalas, and Gustavo are absent.
PAS Giannina – Keita, Villa, Tambasis, Giakos, and Oikonomou are absent Zambrela may debutise.
Levadiakos – Maxairas, Papadopoulos, and Kotisas are absent.
Panathinaikos – Leto, Boumsong, Karagounis, Rudolf, Ninis, Seitardis, and Kante are absent.
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv – Menashe returns. Balili is a doubt. Avsidiris may debutise.
Ironi Ramat Hasharon – Paser is absent. Abutbul is a doubt. Sha’aban, Asfa, Manzur, and Blumstein may debutise.
Maccabi Petah Tikva – Ohayon and Zamir have left on loan.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv – Zizov is absent. Atar and Pavicevic return. Medunjanin stayed at the club although it’s unlikely he’ll feature just yet.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva – Shivhon is absent. Nassar and Illuz return. Bozovic and Gerzic may debutise.
Maccabi Netanya – Ezra, Kosic, and Alexiev are doubts. Edri, Reuven, and Saba’a return.
Hapoel Haifa – Kelhar has left. Ceran may debutise. Kortelo and Khatib may debutise.
Hapoel Petah Tikva – Moha is absent. Cohen has joined. Antebi has left.
Hapoel Acre – Kapiloto is absent. Trujic, Kayal, and Ria may debutise.
Hapoel Rishon Lezion – Halevi is absent. Lulu and Mayo may debutise.
Beitar Jerusalem – Ikande, Levi, and Magralashvili may debutise. Hadad is absent. Rikan is a doubt.
Bnei Sakhnin – Radi and Weizmann are absent.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv – Tamuz threatening to sue the club for them sabotaging his move to AS Monaco. Pecalka left. Antebi returns. Shish is absent. Fransman is leaving.
MS Ashdod – Yeboah, Revivo, and Lulu have left. Ajuval may debutise.
Dutch Eredivisie:
ADO Den Haag – Kum, van Duinen, Mulders, Leeuwin, and Verhoek are absent.
AZ Alkmaar – No absentees.
Excelsior Rotterdam – Fileccia, Nuytinck, de Vries, van Buren, and Eekman are absent.
VVV Venlo – Gentenaar, Leemans, and Kruijsen are absent.
Vitesse Arnhem – Piiroja, Annan, Propper, Bony, and Vink are absent.
NAC Breda – van Fessem, Zonneveld, Gudelj, and Gilissen are absent.
Spanish Primera Liga:
Levante – Bakero, Navas, and Juanlu are absent.
Racing Santander – Gonzalez, Acosta, Tono, and Francis are absent.
Athletic Club de Bilbao – Gabilondo, Ocio, Castillo, and Gurpegi are absent.
Espanyol – Pandiani, Garcia, Vazquez, Alvarez, Marquez, and Mattioni are absent.
Real Mallorca – Lacruz and Aouate are absent.
Real Betis Balompie – Nacho, Vadillo, and Amaya are absent.
Getafe – Lopo, Guiza, Michel, Lopez, Leon, and Ustari are absent.
Real Madrid – Khedira, Marcelo, Alonso, and di Maria are absent.
Barcelona – Pedro, Iniesta, Keita, Fontas, Villa, and Afellay are absent.
Real Sociedad – Illarramendi, Zurutuza, and Agirretxe are absent.