TFT Issue 315!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
KuPS Kuopio vs JJK Jyvaskyla – over 3 goals at evens.
Today’s featured game is the central Finland derby between KuPS and JJK. Disappointingly, despite a gluttony of chances, the reversal of this fixture ended 1-1. I expect much more goals today!
KuPS have promised that they’ll start at least five youngsters in this game whereas JJK have been shipping and scoring goals for fun. Both sides play attacking football and score goals; that’s simply what they do best so it makes sense that they play to their strengths.
Helpfully, almost all of the Liiga Cup games are played indoors due to the freezing temperatures in Finland so the games take on a kind of 5-a-side role. Subsequently, yo find a lot of goals in almost all Liiga Cup games and this one should realistically be no exception. It’s a derby, both sides only know how to attack, and neither has a secure defence.
To be honest, I’d expect this game to be full of goals in an ordinary Veikkausliiga game but in an indoor Liiga Cup game, I’m practically drooling at over 3 goals being priced at evens here.
Verdict: Over 3 goals at evens.
Additional games
Sparta Prague vs Slovacko – both sides to score at 6/4.
There were some fun times for Sparta Prague over the winter break. Well, perhaps not “fun” but more “intriguing”, shall we say. As you may or may not know, Sparta’s dominance in the Gambrinus Liga stemmed from them having the most reliable, consistent, and experienced defence in the country. They still have a good defence with Zapotocny at the core but Repka and Blazek are no longer available for the giants of Czech football and to me, that is a big deal here. Sparta are still the best side in the country, in my view, and they have brought in players to aid them on their request to reclaim the Gambrinus Liga title. However, despite that, I do think that they’ll start to concede more goals than they previously did. Slovacko are no world-beaters and I have to be honest – I do expect them to lose in this game. However, they’ve scored in all but one Gambrinus Liga away game this season and usually in a very efficient manner. Slovacko have the tactical knowhow to upset Sparta Prague’s temporarily vulnerable backline, in my view, and with a bit of rustiness bound to be in the play of the hosts, I think taking both sides to score at 6/4 is well worth a flutter today.
Verdict: Both sides to score at 6/4.
Sevilla CF vs Osasuna – under 2.5 goals at 4/5.
So, the revolving door at Sevilla has brought in yet another manager – Michel. I’m beginning to get a little tired of people telling me how good these managers are that Sevilla are bringing in. There’s no question at all that they are employing good managers but it’s no coincidence that none of them can sort this unmanageable side out. Sevilla still have some terrific players and they have a potentially frightening attack with Reyes and Navas patrolling the flanks and in-form Negredo in the middle. However, there’s something missing here and I’m not entirely sure what it is. Either way, Sevilla are not what they used to be.
I watched Sevilla’s game at Real Sociedad at the start of this week and they were unconvincing to say the least. The Basque country is never an easy place for an away game, of course, but they didn’t really carve out any proper opportunities despite the potential being there on a number of occasions. They didn’t give too much away but a defensive blunder allowed Vela the opportunity to score a nice goal before too much time allowed promising central midfielder Pardo to score a screamer from outside the box. For me, Real Sociedad deserved the win as their gameplan went exactly as they wanted it to and thus they claimed three points. Sevilla can be stopped too easily, in my view, and that is a problem.
Now, Osasuna aren’t as good on the road as their record this season suggests but they are very well-organised and ultimately hard to beat. They bring little goal threat into each game but there’s a tremendous sense of unity in this side that has seen them punish better sides than Sevilla so why rule them out of claiming a surprise point here? There’s a lot to like about Osasuna’s work ethic, even if they are short in the quality department, and I for one won’t rule them out from getting a cheeky result here.
Ultimately, I’m just not interested in the 1×2 market as there are too many variants. However, I do like under 2.5 goals at 4/5 because Osasuna will sit back and wait for counters, like they always do on the road – they do it well, too. Sevilla will most likely see a lot of the ball and fail to do much with it in front of goal. Either way, I think we’re in for a low-scoring game here, hence my call.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 4/5.
Feyenoord Rotterdam vs RKC Waalwijk – over 3 goals at 9/10.
Goals, goals, goals! Guidetti is on fire and he’s inspiring Feyenoord to great attacking displays. However, they’re still a bunch of kids, effectively, and thus they do make naive mistakes sometimes. The attacking potential in this side is huge but their defensive vulnerability is also huge, in my view. Feyenoord are a side that I rarely trust and this is one of those games where I just don’t trust them. The stats aren’t too kind to RKC but I do like them, I must confess. They outplayed Heerenveen last match, even with ten men, but eventually lost despite having attempts come back off the woodwork and also cleared off the line. You have to feel that they’re due some luck at some point, though, and I think they’ll find some in Feyenoord’s defence today. I’d not enter the 1×2 market here becase I don’t trust the superior Feyenoord. However, I do trust the instinctive attacking ability of striker Guidetti and thus I think we’ll find goals here, hence my call of over 3 goals!
Verdict: Over 3 goals at 9/10.
Juventus vs Catania – under 2.5 goals at evens.
Wasteful Juventus vs striker-less Catania? This has to go under 2.5 goals. Juventus are the better side, as we all know, but they’re not scoring goals right now. They’re creating chances (albeit not as many as usual) but they’re not doing enough in front of goal, in my view. Catania are a well-oiled unit and they’re not easy to play against but the sale of Maxi Lopez leaves them without a recognisable target man and that’s a problem here. I don’t rate Juve’s defence too highly, to be honest, but I struggle to name someone in Catania’s squad who has the off-the-ball movement to trouble this dubious backline today. Catania should have relative success in stopping Juventus though – that’s what they do best, in my view. Catania are much better at home than they are away, however, so I suppose we have to expect Juventus to win this one. I see no value in the 1×2 market here though. Instead, I’m opting for under 2.5 goals as I expect a narrow Juve win or possibly even a surprise draw. Either way, at 4/5, I’m all over under 2.5 goals here.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at evens.
Team news
Australian A-League:
Central Coast Mariners – Bozanic, Ryan, Sainsbury, Bojic, and Amini are absnet. Hearfield is a doubt.
Wellington Phoenix – Pantelis, Brown, and Durante are absent. Ward is a doubt.
Brisbane Roar – Jurman and Visconte are absent. Hingert is a doubt.
Melbourne Victory – Celeski, Pondeljak, Foschini, Cernak, and Ferreira are absent. Thompson, Kemp, and Brebner are doubts.
Perth Glory – Sikora, Coyne, Taggart, Neville, Berger, Mitchell, and Burns are absent.
Newcastle Jets – Culina and Kantarovski are absent.
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Sint-Truiden – Andrade, Van Crombrugge, Reza, Volders, Delorge, and Daerden are absent.
Lierse SK – Ayew and Gncarov are absent.
Lokeren – Deekman is absent. Barry and De Bock return.
AA Gent – MSila, Lepoint, Ba, Smolders, and Diskerud are absent. Thijs returns.
OH Leuven – Hayen is absent.
Cercle Brugge – Gombami, Verbist, Reis, Rudy, and Cornelis are absent.
Mechelen – Vidarsson and Van Loo are absent. Renard returns.
Germinal Beerschot – Laerenberge is absent. Malul returns.
Mons – Mbow, Bourabia, Matumona, and Nicaise are absent.
Racing Genk – Joneleit, Limbombe, and Koteles are absent. Vanden Borre returns.
Cypriot Division 1:
Enosis Neon Paralimni – Markoski and Burchill are absent.
Apollon Limassol – Noro is absent.
Aris Limassol – Vasileiou and Theofanous return.
Anagennisi Deryneia – Soares, Shiallis, Apostolou, and Tofas are absent.
Omonia Nicosia – Cherfa and Leandro are absent.
Olympiakos Nicosia – Polykarpou and Chidi are absent. Kenmogne and Carlos Andres are doubts.
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Marila Pribram – Wagner, Valenta, and Masek have left. Krbecek, Misun, Basic, and Kraus may debutise. Misun, Krbecek, Koukal, and Plesko are doubts.
Slavia Prague – Hlousek, Janda, and Kaufman have left. Conka and Skoda may debutise. Contofalsky, Pospech, Kores, Frejlach, and Trubila are absent.
Slovan Liberec – Krystan is absent.
Hradec Kralove – Chleboun and Gulajev have left. Mrazek and Jedunov may debutise. Fische, Plasil, Rezek, and Dvorak are absent.
Sparta Prague – Blazek, Repka, Mares, Jirous, and Podany have left. Keric, Holek, and Vaclik may debutise. Kadlec and Prikryl are absent.
Slovacko – Poliacek and Szmek have left. Fujerik is absent. Melicharek may debutise.
English FA Cup:
Norwich City – Ayala and Whitbread are absent. Naughton has been granted permission by Tottenham Hotspur to play.
Leicester City – Bamba and Pantsil return.
Sunderland – Bendtner and Vaughan are absent. Cattermole may return.
Arsenal – Mertesacker and Koscielny are absent. Gervinho returns.
Chelsea – Terry, Drogba, and Kalou are absent. Cole is a doubt. Ramires returns.
Birmingham City – Zigic, King, and N’Daw are absent.
Millwall – Abdou, Racon, and Mkandawire are absent.
Bolton Wanderers – K.Davies, Mears, and Sordell are absent.
Everton – Jagielka, Osman, and Rodwell are absent. Coleman and Jelavic return.
Blackpool – Matt Phillips is a doubt.
Finnish Liiga Cup:
KuPS Kuopio – Tabe, Nissinen, and Hynynen are absent. Sylla and James may debutise.
JJK Jyvaskyla – No news.
VPS Vaasa – Strandvall returns.
Jaro Pietarsaari – Aho is absent. Sara and Tahvanainen are doubts. Niang has not transferred yet so may feature.
French Ligue 1:
Olympique de Marseille – Gignac and M’Bia are absent. The Ayew brothers return.
Valenciennes – Lala and Pujol are absent.
Lorient – Lautoa is absent.
LOSC Lille – Basa and de Melo are absnet.
AC Ajaccio – No news.
Stade Brestois – Culma, Toure, Makonda, Lorenzi, Micola, Ferradj, Ayite, Alphonse, Sissioko, and Jemaa are absent.
AS Nancy-Lorraine – Brison, Ndy Assembe, Lemaitre, Zola, and Ba Traore are absent.
Toulouse – Akpa Akpro, Yo.Pele, Ninkov, and Sissoko are absent.
Sochaux – Brechet, Carlao, Richert, Corchia, and Roudet are absent.
Auxerre – No absentees.
Stade Malherbe de Caen – Mbone, Nivet, and Lazarevic are absent.
Evian Thonon Gaillard – Sorlin, Laquait, Angoula, Ehret, Adnane, and Durand are absent.
German Bundesliga:
Hertha BSC Berlin – Franz, Lell, Lustenberger, and Ottl are absent.
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund – Koch, Gotze, and Kagawa are absent.
Kaiserslautern – Kouemaha and Shechter are absent.
Borussia Moenchengladbach – No absentees.
Hamburger SV – Castelen, Toere, Berg, and Mickel are absent.
Werder Bremen – Naldo, Proedel, Borowski, Hunt, Wesley, and Kroos are absent.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Barnetta, Sam, Adler, Ballack, and Derdiyok are absent.
Augsburg – Bah, Rafael, Moravek, de Jong, and Bayer are absent.
Nurnberg – Rakovski, Pinola, Klement, Nielsson, and Cohen are absent.
Koln – Chihi, Buchtmann, Uth, Podolski, and Jemal are absent.
SC Freiburg – Krmas, Mujdza, Schuster, and Pozilla are absent.
Bayern Munich – Contento, van Buyten, Breno, and Schweinsteiger are absent.
Greek Super League:
AEK Athens – Lagos, Makos, and Georgeas are absent.
OFI Crete – Ukar is absent.
Ergotelis – Leal, Dermitzakis, Romano, Budimir, Olise, Buxalakis, and Gialousis are absent.
Panathinaikos – Owusu-Abeyie, Leto, Boumsong, Kante, Ninis, Rudolf, and Zeka are absent. Katsouranis returns.
Xanthi – Vallas is absent.
Asteras Tripolis – Orotko, Rubil, Argyropoulos, and Egon are absent.
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Hapoel Tel-Aviv – Abutbul, Hotba, Fransman, and Oremus are absent. Tamuz is expected to return.
Bnei Sakhnin – Radi is absent.
Maccabi Netanya – Rosh and Revivo are absent.
MS Ashdod – Binyamin returns. Kosic, Pinas, and Mughrabi are doubts.
Hapoel Haifa – Roash is absent.
Hapoel Rishon Lezion – Cohen, Shkalim, Sapir, and Mesic are absent.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva – Gabai is a doubt.
Hapoel Petah Tikva – Duani is absent. Stoler returns.
Hapoel Acre – Capiloto is absent.
Ironi Ramat Hasharon – Dego and Barel are absent.
Maccabi Petah Tikva – Uzan is absent. Golan returns.
Ironi Kiryat Shmona – Gabai and Njuvo are absent. Frayed atmosphere in dressing room following argument between owner Sheratzki and coach Ben Shimon.
Italian Serie A:
Juventus – Vidal is absent. Pepe and Marrone are doubts.
Catania – Potenza, Campagnolo, Capuano, and Suazo are absent.
Dutch Eredivisie:
Feyenoord Rotterdam – Clasie, Torres, Cisse, and Ramsteijn are absent.
RKC Waalwijk – Auassar, Sno, and Bridji are absent.
De Graafschap – Kujala and Frankel are absent.
VVV Venlo – Linssen and Verbeek are absent.
ADO Den Haag – Horvath, van Duinen, Leeuwin, and Supusepa are absent.
Excelsior Rotterdam – Nuytinck, Wattamaleo, de Vries, and Eekman are absent.
Heracles Almelo – Vejinovic is absent.
Roda JC Kerkrade – Pluim and de Beule are absent.
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Gil Vicente – Roberto, Luis Carlos, and Sandro are absent.
Sporting Braga – Vinicius, Baiano, Luis Alberto, Rivera, Vinicius, Samuel, and Palmeira are absent. Ukra and Elderson return.
Scottish Premier League:
Dundee United – Severin and Mentel are absent. Kenneth and Swanson are doubts.
St.Mirren – McLean, Murray, McGregor, and Thompson are absent.
Dunfermline Athletic – Turner, Kerr, Barrowman, and Gallagher are absent.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Tade, Doran, Golobart, Hogg, Shinnie, and Williams are absent.
Motherwell – Saunders and Hollis are absent.
Hearts – Kyle and Hamill are absent.
Rangers – Ness, Naismith, Lafferty, and Whittaker are absent.
Kilmarnock – van Tornhout is absent.
Spanish Primera Liga:
Getafe – Ustari, Pedro Leon, Valera, and Michel Madera are absent.
Espanyol – C.Alvarez, Mattioni, Marquez, Sergio Garcia, Pandiani, Verdu, and Didac Vila are absent. Alvaro Vazquez returns.
Real Madrid – Diarra, Altintop, and Arbeloa are absent. di Maria and Marcelo return.
Racing Santander – Colsa, Jairo, and Stuani are absent.
Sevilla CF – Luna and Perotti are absent. Reyes and Varas are doubts. Escude, Dani Jimenez, Spahic, and Medel return.
Osasuna – Roversio, Masoud, Kike Sola, and Raul Garcia are absent. Ricardo, Calleja, Ruben, Echaide, and Annunziata didn’t make the squad.
Turkish Super Lig:
Ankaragucu – Aydin Toscali, Turkmen, and Erdogan are absent.
Samsunspor – Gekas is absent.
Antalyaspor – Ndjock and Kaloglu are absent.
Manisaspor – Makukula, Guven, Avcibay, Incedemir, Ilhan, and Gurbuzerol are absent.
Fenerbahce – Caner is absent. Gokhan Gonul is a doubt. Only women & children allowed to watch this game in the stadium.
Sivasspor – Hayrettin is absent.