We aim to give you the best possible information before each game. However, the moment the game starts, anything can happen, ranging from red cards to snow storms to pitch invasions. We can only prepare you for so much; it's up to you to learn how to develop yourself as to know when to jump ship if things aren't going as they should.
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KO: (UK time)
The Danish DBU Pokalen is not high on anyone’s list to win, FC Copenhagen included, so expect complete rotation here. Still, their “B” team should be more than good enough to guarantee the win against their part-time hosts. Away win.
Verdict: FC Copenhagen to win at 1/20.
KO: (UK time)
With AB already relegated, and KI still in the hunt for second place, anything but a home win here would be a colossal surprise – and really, it should be by three or four goals. The quality gap is too big, and AB have looked particularly bad in recent times.
Verdict: KI to win at 3/50.
KO: (UK time)
European football has looked beyond Istanbul BB for a bit now. They’re still not an easy side to beat but generally lack the firepower and dynamic players to succeed at this level, especially in such a tough group. I can only see an away win here, especially with Manchester United needing to bounce back from a weekend home defeat against Arsenal, and looking to claim their eleventh consecutive away win in all competitions.
Verdict: Manchester United to win at 9/25.
KO: (UK time)
I was going to leave this one alone because I don’t trust Barcelona CF or Koeman. However, Dinamo Kiev are missing a lot of their squad because of Covid-19 so anything but a home win here would be a big surprise.
Verdict: Barcelona CF to win at 1/11.
KO: (UK time)
The quality gap is too big here, especially now Ronaldo is back in town. Ferencvaros have done really well to get this far, and have applied themselves well to date, but just aren’t good enough defensively to survive such games, in my opinion. Away win.
Verdict: Juventus to win at 1/5.
KO: (UK time)
Given the continued string of absentees and potential absentees for the Russians, I consider the home win a banker here. I was weighing up the -1.5 Asian Handicap but it’s been backed in too much now, especially considering that some of the visitors’ best players are listed as doubtful rather than definite absentees. I can only see Sevilla CF bossing this one, though, and that usually leads to wins.
Verdict: Sevilla CF to win at 1/4.
KO: (UK time)
Now that the Finnish FA have announced that the Veikkausliiga will actually end after this game instead of after the league table split, this game suddenly becomes a lot more important, at least for the visitors. The home team are delighted because they’re now guaranteed survival in a relegation race that didn’t look particularly favourable at the time, given their displays. Ironically, islanders IFK Mariehamn have been landed in the shit, now needing to get something today just in case TPS happen to beat KuPS, the latter of which have nothing to play for.
The form guide doesn’t do IFK Mariehamn any favours but it cannot come as a surprise, really. There are teams that IFK Mariehamn can do well against, and teams they can’t do well against. Essentially, what you’ve got here is a team that plays some lovely football, and will not hesitate to score goals – but only if they’re given the time and space to do so. Teams that have a plan against them tend to make life hard for IFK Mariehamn; they just can’t handle tactical battles this season. However, teams that constantly make errors on the ball are sitting ducks for today’s visitors, who press well, and take their chances better than most.
Pleasingly, Haka Valkeakoski’s style is to attack and score goals, not to control games, or to grind opponents into submission. This suits IFK Mariehamn. They’ve lost six games on the spin, but all of those games have been against teams that keep the ball well; Haka Valkeakoski do not. The opportunity is there for IFK Mariehamn to win this game, basically. They could not ask for a more open opponent to face, and a win on the mainland today would guarantee a Veikkausliiga place for IFK Mariehamn next season so they’ve got more than enough ammunition here, the islanders.
Haka Valkeakoski now have nothing to play for, and although I’m sure they’ll still play their typically adventurous attacking game, I’m not convinced it’ll be good enough for them here. Like I said above, I thought that fate was beginning to go against newly-promoted Haka Valkeakoski before the Finnish FA ended the season, with attacks going awry, and defending worse than ever. They’ve safe now, but it’s hard to imagine that they’d pick themselves up for this completely redundant match, at least from their perspective.
They’re not lazy, Haka Valkeakoski, and IFK Mariehamn certainly aren’t good enough to simply contain them here. However, with nothing to play for, zero capacity to contain teams, and a hit-and-miss attack in mind, Haka Valkeakoski will do well to even get a draw here, especially with the result meaning the world to the visitors. A draw might be enough for IFK Mariehamn but is that a chance they want to take? I’m not sure it is. No, I think the visitors need to go for the jugular, and it’s a good time to face Haka Valkeakoski for a variety of reasons.
Therefore, I’m on the away win with draw no bet cover at evens.
Verdict: IFK Mariehamn to win with draw no bet at evens.
KO: (UK time)
After the Finnish FA decided to end the Veikkausliiga after today’s games, there’s really nothing to play for here. Essentially, RoPS are still going to be relegated, and SJK are not going to achieve anything, no matter where they finish, still having a UEFA Europa Championship Play-off place under their belts. It’s not the end to the season anyone wanted, given how fiercely competitive the Veikkausliiga has been this season, but it’s understandable.
Still, the lack of meaning behind this fixture still doesn’t change the fact that RoPS are crap, and SJK are very good. The visitors have struggled for form a bit of late, it’s true, but they’ve had some tough games, and have been without Ledesma for one of them too. They’ve not been perfect, SJK, but it’s a marked improvement on what they usually showcase; let me put it that way. I mean, at least this SJK side has balls and pride! The project is far from complete, but for the first time in four years, there have been progressive steps made thanks to Honkavaara.
Now, whether that’s enough to keep him in a job or not, I honestly don’t know. SJK are stupid enough to sack managers for doing very little wrong, as they’ve amply proven in the past. Then there’s also the small matter of which players will be staying/going. It’s hard to imagine that Atakiyi and Vainionpaa will be in Seinajoki next season, for example, but time will tell. For now, it’s about delivering a farewell to a decent enough campaign, and that means winning. Ordinarily, the long trip north is an annoying one but SJK have had a long time to prepare for this game so shouldn’t have any real issues in defeating a team that has been way off pace for most of the campaign, motivation or not.
RoPS are a very proud team but they got what they deserved this season. They took big risks, and those risks did not pay off. Now they have to build a side from scratch next season, given how many loanees they’ll be losing, and the detrimental financial effects of being relegated to the Ykkonen e.g. can they really afford to keep Kokko and Rahimi? A lot will change at the cash-strapped northerners, and they could be forgiven for not really having their minds on today’s game. They’ve got no momentum, no confidence, and very little by way of quality anyway. Kokko has barely featured lately too, presumably with yet more fitness problems.
Most of all, this young RoPS team makes too many individual errors, especially in defence. It’s not hard to beat them convincingly without even playing well because of their constant stream of errors. There are still some good players in this squad, and I am confident that they’ll at least work hard here, but quite what they hope to contribute to this game, I don’t know. There are far too many question marks, and not nearly enough answers for me to suddenly expect some kind of mini-resurgence from RoPS today.
Therefore, I have to believe that SJK will batter them. The quality gap is huge, and a reduction in motivation on both sides doesn’t change that. It’s a -1 Asian Handicap in favour of SJK for me, especially at good odds of 19/20.
Verdict: SJK to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 19/20.
KO: (UK time)
Hummels being out isn’t ideal for the visitors here. I still think they need to replace him but it can’t be denied that he’s their leader. Whether he’s playing well or not seems somewhat irrelevant to Favre nowadays because Hummels is forever barking out commands to his teammates, and ensuring that everybody keeps plodding in the same direction. Without Hummels, there’s really nobody to boss this team, and it’s in tough games like the trip to Belgium where his absence will be felt the most.
I still think that the Bv09 Borussia Dortmund is going well under Favre. I Absolutely believe that he’s the man to take them to the level whereby they can challenge Bayern Munich but people seem to think that’s a lot easier than it is. A big club, Bv09 Borussia Dortmund remain, but their inability to keep hold of their best players means that this project is not going to be as fast as they want it to be. The fans seem to think there’s a better solution elsewhere for them, but I’ve no idea who that could realistically be. Some of these folk have very short memories, don’t they? The period between Tuchel and Favre was an extremely black time for the club.
Anyway, back to tonight. Yes, Bv09 Borussia Dortmund have the better players, and yes they’ll cause Club Brugge some issues. Do they have enough to win the match, though? I’m not so sure. Bv09 Borussia Dortmund have really had problems in breaking teams down this season, no matter how much of the ball they see, and the absence of Can tonight only lessens their capacity to control a game properly, and move between lines effectively. Witsel can still dictate the tempo but with no Hummels to organise, and no Can to progress things, I feel like we’re in for a disjointed Bv09 Borussia Dortmund display tonight.
You have to bear in mind that, for all of their undeniable quality, a lot of what the visitors ‘surprise’ their opponents with is speed. Well, they’re not faster nor fitter than Club Brugge in any area of the pitch so it’s hard to imagine that working out too favourably. Ultimately, unless there’s a moment of magic from Reus/Haland/Sancho, I’m not sure the Germans can win this very complicated away game. Don’t get me wrong; they’ve got the individuals to manage it, and that’s certainly a risk here. I’ve not been impressed with them this season as a whole though, Bv09 Borussia Dortmund, and a fusion of absentees and poor recruitment leaves me doubting them more than trusting them nowadays.
Club Brugge find themselves in the unusual position of having a team that is more effective in Europe than it is domestically. Don’t get me wrong – they’re still the best team in Belgium. It’s just that Belgian teams have enough athleticism to at least trouble Club Brugge, and to push some of their buttons because of it. Neither Zenit St. Petersburg nor SS Lazio have had that advantage, and Club Brugge have not lost either game because of it. Furthermore, they’ve not looked like losing either game. They’ve been seriously improving for a couple of years now, the Belgian champions, and without possessing any real stars, they’re very effective.
Club Brugge play an intense brand of football, pressing high, happily getting stuck into tackles, and prioritising winning 50/50s. They’re very good at creating enough chances to score goals without being particularly consistent or good at it, and they have more than enough routes to goals to keep opponents guessing. It’s far from a perfect setup, and this is not a team that I envision keeping too many clean sheets. However, keeping up with them for ninety minutes, and outsourcing them, seems very problematic for teams nowadays. I expect Bv09 Borussia Dortmund to experience that tonight too.
Therefore, I’m going to lay the visitors at 5/4.
Verdict: Club Brugge to win with a +0.5 Asian Handicap at 5/4.
KO: (UK time)
RB Leipzig lost by a heavy scoreline against Manchester United last week but the game itself was even enough. After the home team got their second goal though, the German side fell apart, giving away sloppy goals. Manchester United took their chances very well, to be fair to them, and the game itself was a very good tactical battle. The scoreline was very flattering though. RB Leipzig should not be treated as anything but a very strong team that has a couple of things they need to work on.
As far as I am concerned, the Germans are by far the smarter team here. No, they’re not better than Paris Saint-Germain, but I do believe that they can outsmart their opponents. Manchester United upset Paris Saint-Germain by simply getting into their faces in Paris, and breaking well, just as so many clubs before them have done. RB Leipzig are more than capable of doing the same here. Unless the visitors take an early lead, I can see the Parisians struggling tonight.
As ever, my sole concern with RB Leipzig is whether they’ll keep their concentration up or not. When they’re on it, they’re seriously good, the Germans. When they’re not, they’re sitting ducks. Paris Saint-Germain won’t match the work-rate of most teams, but they will punish any defensive mistakes, particularly the brilliant Mbappe, who is always waiting for such mistakes to occur. They should be up for this one though, RB Leipzig, especially after they let themselves down in this fixture last season. Besides, I’d like to think that Nkunku, Upamecano, and Konate would all want to show up for different reasons here, and more besides. Whether they want to beat Paris Saint-Germain or to play for them, tonight’s the night to show what they’re capable of.
Helpfully, the French champions are without a number of players tonight, including midfield controller Verratti. Their main striker, Icardi, star Brazilian attacker Neymar, and most of their wide threats are going to sit this one out, leaving it all in the hands of di Maria and Mbappe. Both are ridiculously talented, of course, but whether they’ll see enough of the ball in the right areas or not to be effective remains to be seen. I think there’s a chance that they’ll be denied the ball by RB Leipzig’s closing down but let’s wait and see.
Ultimately, I think RB Leipzig are more likely to win this game than Paris Saint-Germain are. The timing of the fixture, the team news, and the style differentials make me lean toward the Germans here, and at odds of 6/5, I’m happy to trust RB Leipzig to win with draw no bet.
Verdict: RB Leipzig to win with draw no bet at 6/5.
All of the information in this section is listed to the best of our knowledge, and we use local sources for as many areas as we can.
UEFA Champions League:
Zenit St. Petersburg – Azmoun and Malcom are absent.
SS Lazio – Radu and Alberto are absent. Lucas Leiva and Lazzari are doubts.
Istanbul BB – Caicara is absent. Chadli and Azubuike are doubts.
Manchester United – Bailly, Pellestri, Jones, Lingard, and Telles are absent.
Sevilla CF – Gomez, Idrissi, and Suso are doubts.
FK Krasnodar – Petrov and Claesson are absent. Cabella, Markov, Sorokin, Stotsky, Wanderson, and Ari are doubts.
Chelsea – Gilmour is absent. Pulisic and Kepa are doubts.
Stade Rennais – Camavinga, Tait, Rugani, Niang, and Maouassa are absent.
Club Brugge – Mitrovic is absent.
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund – Can, Schmelzer, Hummels, Moukoko, N. Schulz, and Zagadou are absent.
Barcelona CF – Araujo, Coutinho, Puig, and Umtiti are absent. Ter Stegen is a doubt.
Dinamo Kiev – Burda, Besiedin, Baluta, Buschan, Duelund, Garmash, Karavaev, Kostevych, Mykolenko, Shaparenko, Sydorchuk, Tsitaishvili, and Tymchyk are absent.
Ferencvaros – Uzuni is absent.
Juventus – Demiral, de Ligt, and Sandro are absent. Chiellini is a doubt.
RB Leipzig – Borkowski, Hartmann, Novoa, Klostermann, Schreiber, and Laimer are absent. Halstenberg, Mukiele, and Adams are doubts.
Paris Saint-Germain – Draxler, Florenzi, Bernat, Letellier, Icardi, Neymar, Paredes, and Verratti are absent.
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
Haka Valkeakoski – No absentees.
IFK Mariehamn – Makrillos is absent. Buwalda returns.
FC Lahti – No news.
HIFK – Fagerstrom and Halme are absent.
HJK – No news.
Inter Turku – Kouassivi-Benissan is absent.
Ilves – No news.
FC Honka Espoo – Banahene and Modesto are absent. Dongou is a doubt.
RoPS – No absentees.
SJK – Sid and Hradecky are absent. Benga and Sundman are doubts.
TPS – Espinosa, Heinonen, Karlsson, and Lahde are absent. Aaritalo’s last game before retirement.
KuPS – Purje and Saxman’s last game for the club.
Italian Serie A:
Genoa – Shomorudov and Sutraro are absent. Males, Pellegrini, Zappacosta, and Brlek are doubts.
Torino – Baselli is absent. Gojak, Izzo, Zaza, Millico, and Linetty are doubts.
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Odd – Hagen is absent.
Viking Stavanger – Hove is absent.
Swiss Super League:
FC Zurich – Britto and Janjicic are absent.
FC Basel – Lindner, Klose, Zuffi, Xhaka, Pululu, Isufi, Marchand, and Stocker are absent.
The "remaining thoughts" section is there to be a rough guide in case you want to get involved in games we haven't tipped. It is not there to tell anybody to back specific scorelines, or to guarantee that "2-2" games will go over 2.5 goals, for example. Ian lists what he believes to be the most likely outcome, and this is based on his assessment as to which way each game will develop. However, a "remaining thoughts" game listed with a 2-2 scoreline may have only just edged out a 0-0 scoreline in terms of probability because each game can develop in different ways.
UEFA Champions League:
Zenit St. Petersburg vs SS Lazio (6) 0-1
Istanbul BB vs Manchester United (7) 0-2
Sevilla CF vs FK Krasnodar (7) 2-0
Chelsea vs Stade Rennais (7) 2-0
Club Brugge vs Bv09 Borussia Dortmund (5) over 2.5 goals
Barcelona CF vs Dinamo Kiev (8) 2-0
Ferencvaros vs Juventus (7) 1-2
RB Leipzig vs Paris Saint-Germain (5) 2-1
Copa Sudamericana:
Defensa y Justicia vs Sportivo Luqueno (6) 2-0
River Plate Montevideo vs Atletico Nacional de Medellin (5) 1-2
Huachipato vs Fenix (6) 1-0
Deportivo Cali vs Millonarios Bogota (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Caracas vs Vasco da Gama (5) 1-0
Peñarol Montevideo vs Velez Sarsfield (5) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Danish DBU Pokalen:
Avarta vs FC Copenhagen (7) over 2.5 goals
Estonian Meistriliiga:
FCI Levadia Tallinn vs Flora Tallinn (6) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Faroese Betrideildin:
KI vs AB (8) 2-0
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
Haka Valkeakoski vs IFK Mariehamn (5) 1-2
FC Lahti vs HIFK (5) 2-1
HJK vs Inter Turku (6) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Ilves vs FC Honka Espoo (6) 0-0
RoPS vs SJK (7) 0-2
TPS vs KuPS (6) 0-2
Hungarian Liga 1:
Puskas FC vs Budapest Honved (5) 2-1
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Beitar Jerusalem vs Hapoel Hadera (6) 1-0
Italian Serie A:
Genoa vs Torino (6) 2-2
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Odd vs Viking Stavanger (5) 2-1
Swiss Super League:
FC Zurich vs FC Basel (6) 0-1
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