TFT Issue 3289!

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Bankers

General Information

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.

Pay attention to the odds provided for each tip. Be aware that the longer the odds are, the less chance there is of it coming in. Don't lean toward backing the bankers containing teams you've heard of or selections at longer odds because you trust the team more or if you see the pound signs flashing before your eyes. Sometimes bankers won't win, try to use the previews to steer you toward the right selection to make rather than taking the quick/lazy way.

Please understand that every single tip has the capacity to win, push, or lose. We aim to find good value bets (probability vs odds) as our focal area.

Banker

Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich

KO: (UK time)

Initially, I was expecting a tough game for the reigning Bundesliga champions in the capital. Union Berlin a very solid, hard-working team, and seldom give much away. On top of that, the Bavarians have hardly looked inspired of late. However, with Union Berlin missing all of their good attacking players for this game, I can only see it going one way here, especially as Bayern Munich were able to rest players for the mid-week victory over Lokomotiv Moscow. I trust in the away win here, and with better odds, I would have backed the visitors to beat the -1.5 Asian Handicap too.

Verdict: Bayern Munich to win at 1/4.

Featured game

Athletico Paranaense vs Atletico Mineiro

KO: (UK time)

I don’t believe Athletico Paranaense have played a decent game of football since they won the reversal of this fixture last month, you know. They’ve beaten Santos’ “B” team 1-0, fought bravely but lost in the Copa Libertadores versus River Plate of Argentina, and been hammered in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro by Palmeiras and Fluminense respectively. Playing every three days with a limited amount of squad depth really doesn’t do much for Athletico Paranaense!

Still, they’ve had a week off now, and should be back to their best – right? Wrong! Defensive veterans Azevedo and Jonathan being injured isn’t anything new, I suppose, but Thiago Heleno’s red card against Fluminense means he’s out tonight too. That basically leaves Athletico Paranaense without any kind of reasonable defence for this game. They do have a good goalkeeper in Santos, to be fair to them, and wonderkid Abner can play. This isn’t the kind of defence that is required to keep Atletico Mineiro out though, to be frank.

The bigger problem the above leads to is that they’re not really in a position to try and outscore teams. With a full-strength team at his disposal, boss Autori will play for a 1-0, and his team can do that reasonably well. Without a defence though, their entire game-plan goes out of the window. Their attack is alright at best with only Carlos Eduardo really capable of making anything happen. I’m a big fan of Argentinian midfielder Lucho Gonzalez but I think it’s fair to say that his best days are behind him now. They’ve recently acquired ex-Corinthians playmaker Jadson to jazz up their passing speed and accuracy in the final third, but the fact that he’s yet to debutise tells you he’s not in the right condition to do that. This might be enough to see them beat Ceara at home, for example, but I’d be surprised if it was enough to overcome Belo Horizonte’s finest.

I can’t pretend that Sampaoli’s men have been perfect lately – because they’ve not been. These players have played a lot of football in 2020 though, whether it’s at club or international level, so I can forgive them their momentary lapse. Overall, Atletico Mineiro have been truly excellent this season, and I hope their Serie A campaign ends well; they deserve it for what they’ve put together. Better things are to come, too – they’ve not long had Vargas and Zaracho! Imagine how good they’ll be when they settle in!

However, what I would like to draw your attention to is how good this squad of theirs is. I mean, the quality of Savarino, Arana, Alonso, and even Nathan should not be doubted anyway. Sasha is a proven player at this level, and has settled in well too. Promising youngster Marrony has done well, for the most part, and Keno has performed above and beyond in front of goal, particularly at the start of the campaign. Franco and Hyoran have emerged brilliantly, and Allan genuinely looks too good for this level. Now there’s Vargas and Zaracho too?! I just can’t imagine a team containing such a varied threat. 

I do want Atletico Mineiro to get better at defending, though. Poor defending has cost them a win against Ceara and Internacional respectively in recent times. It may not cost them in Parana tonight, but there are better teams out there than Athletico Paranaenese so they need to shape up, especially if they intend on catching Sao Paulo. I don’t see it being a great issue tonight though, as Athletico Paranaense are in no position to realistically expect to outscore their visitors. Don’t forget that Atletico Mineiro were without lots of players the last time the two teams met because of international call-ups, something that is no longer an issue. 

With Athletico Paranaense missing most of their defence, and Atletico Mineiro scoring at will, the away win at 21/20 sits rather well with me.

Verdict: Atletico Mineiro to win at 21/20.

Additional games

Kayserispor vs Trabzonspor

KO: (UK time)

Again, without fans allowed to matches in Turkey’s Super Lig (which will change in 2021, incidentally), the away teams have a better chance than normal of picking up positive results on the road. It’s probably going to encourage more people to back away teams in the Super Lig for the rest of the season too, which is an opportunity not to be missed for us as those away wins will dry up rather rapidly when fans return to the stadiums. They play a huge role in home advantage at this level.

For now, I believe Trabzonspor can win games of this nature without too much fuss. With more pressure from fans though ,Trabzonspor’s wayward finishing may be even more frustrating than usual, and Kayserispor could grind out that extra 10% to make the difference here. Without the fans though, I can see Trabzonspor battling their way to victory though. I’m a big fan of new boss Avci, and he has led them to a number of victories since taking over. I would not get too carried away by that because they’re still not playing particularly well. They definitely need more options in the final third.

Still, Avci is a very good manager, and he’s good at making squads that last for a long time too. Assuming he’s trusted to do the job for a long time, he’ll make Trabzonspor great again; there’s no reason to doubt it. The only thing I doubt is him being given the time to do it because the Turks are not known for their patience on such matters. That’s another story for another day though.

I like what Avci has coaxed out of a fairly limited squad this season. Bearing in mind how many key attacking players they lost pre-season (including adventurous full-backs like Novak), they’re doing well with what’s left. They’re going to have to keep working bloody hard though; Nwakaeme is out today! They can still play a good wide game without him but Afobe has got to be more clinical. Without that, Trabzonspor are going to draw more than they’ll win. For now, their defence is bailing them out, and that in itself is a scary thought because it’s not a good defence. It’s Avci’s organisation that has kept their defence in check, certainly not their personnel! 

Fortunately for Trabzonspor though, their problems pale in comparison to those of Kayserispor today. No Super Lig wins since the start of October, the most limited forward line I’ve ever seen them deploy, no real sense of adventure, and now absentees too. I was excited when they brought Fernandes in as playmaker because him pinging balls out to Lennon and Henrique is a combination that should work well every time. The reality is that the movement ahead of them is truly shocking though, so Super Lig teams don’t find it complicated to defend against them.

True enough, no Turkish team is actually good at defending, so Kayserispor will still score goals. It’s just that they seldom look like they’re going to because everything is very pedestrian. Their absentees are really quite jarring today too. I mean, Kanga may not have set the world alight this season but he’s still been a threat because of his height. However, the Frenchman is one of those missing today. Defensive midfielder Campanharo is out too, and I think he’s played in every game for Kayserispor this season. Defender Subasi has played in most; he’s out. Regular shot stopper Lung is out. Honestly, they’d struggle without these players even if they were in the middle of a good run, never mind whilst on this barren run. 

Subsequently, I anticipate a long game for the home team. I can see their defensive setup struggling without the players they’re missing, and their attack is already looking a bit too ineffectual for my liking. I can see the potential for Kayserispor; they’re only three players away from being a real handful. Until they make those signings though, I almost feel compelled to oppose them, especially with Trabzonspor looking very focused at the moment. It’ll be tight, but I think the visitors from the Black Sea shore will win this one.

Verdict: Trabzonspor to win at 9/10.

SC Freiburg vs Arminia Bielefeld 

KO: (UK time)

Despite what can only be described as a topsy-turvy SC Freiburg campaign, I think backing them today makes sense. For my money, they’ve mostly played well this season – but have seldom been on the right end of results. That needs to change though, and experienced boss Streich knows it. Lately, SC Freiburg have picked up some good points, drawing at high-flying Augsburg and at home against a very good Borussia Moenchengladbach. They’re not wins, but they’re at least positive steps.

Today, I expect a win from the home team. With all respect to Arminia Bielefeld, there is not an easier home game in the Bundesliga than this, and SC Freiburg desperately need a win. They’ve got some favourable fixtures looming, and not capitalising on such could be a disaster. They’re one of the more trustworthy teams when it comes to avoiding relegation, or indeed, even making a push for a UEFA Europa League spot. However, Hamburger SV, VfB Stuttgart, Kaiserslautern, 1860 Munich – they’ve all been relegated from this division, so it’s not beyond any team really.

Pleasingly, SC Freiburg are not a complacent or casual team. They take their football seriously. They do keep it fun, but their motivation levels don’t dip. The problem with SC Freiburg is that their attack is far better than their defence. That’s not a huge issue when they’re banging goals in, but for the majority of this campaign, that’s not been the case. Club legend Petersen hasn’t been quite as prolific as usual, and with only underrated Italian midfielder Grifo chipping in regularly, it’s not hard to see where things have gone awry.

I would not read too much into it, though. SC Freiburg have been creating more than enough chances to score goals, and of late they’ve been converting more than usual. They’re very good in the final third with their passing and intelligent movement, so finishing is really all that’s been missing. The players are there to make it happen, though. I firmly believe it’s just a matter of confidence more than anything else. Their recent results should have boosted morale enough for them to go for the win today too, and I really don’t think they can have an excuse for failing.

I opposed Arminia Bielefeld last weekend, and they shot me down in flames, overcoming Mainz 05 2-1. In all fairness, a draw would have been a fairer outcome in that one. I mean, it was only finishing that settled that one. Mateta had two golden opportunities that he squandered whereas Doan channelled his inner Pulisic with his goal, and Prietl’s shot from range required a huge deflection. Take nothing away from Arminia Bielefeld’s typically spirited display but I saw nothing in that game that made me think the newly-promoted team had turned a corner, so to speak.

Indeed, the problems continue to mount for boss Neuhaus. They arrived in the Bundesliga with few players capable of playing well at this level. Subsequently, they’ve had to rely heavily upon their collective output. That’s been particularly hard with big striker Voglsammer out. He made a return, but is now out again, and there’s no replacement for him. Now they’re without Pieper and Laursen in defence too, the former of which has played in all but one of Arminia Bielefeld’s games this season. With such a limited squad, they can afford absentees far less than most Bundesliga teams so those players being out for what is essentially a seriously tough away game could (and should) be very damaging indeed.

I don’t doubt that Arminia Bielefeld will make SC Freiburg work hard here. Both are traditional, old-fashioned attacking teams that pride themselves on their work-rate. However, I stand by what I’ve said all season long – this is one of the best SC Freiburg sides I’ve seen (on paper) and it’s only a matter of time before they start showing it. Armenia Bielefeld did marvellously to get promoted last season but the honeymoon has quickly turned into a nightmare with the team having no real proven way of beating opponents at this level. With that in mind, backing the home win at 4/5 suits me just fine.

Verdict: SC Freiburg to win at 4/5.

FC Sion vs Luzern

KO: (UK time)

Although I don’t think FC Sion were that bad against FC Basel (well, aside from their penalty taking in the second-half), I still saw a lot of problems in their squad. The absence of Hoarau up front leaves them with a void to fill that…well, it’s simply not close to being filled while he’s out. He may not have scored for his new club yet, but his positioning, his strength, his ability to hold the ball up, and his movement make him by far FC Sion’s best attacking threat. Without him, they rely exclusively upon speed, and although that can work sometimes, it’s quite predictable.

I still maintain that the home team have a pretty ordinary midfield now too. Midfield has been their strongest suit for years because they’ve had the likes of Kasami, Toma, and Grgic to keep things ticking. Toma and Kasami have gone though, the latter of which bagged against them for FC Basel at weekend. It can’t be long until Grgic leaves too. As much as though I love that Serey Die has joined to boss the midfield, he’s not got more than a year or two left at this level at most. It plugs a gap unusually well for an FC Sion signing, but really it’s just paving over the cracks of what is essentially a very average squad.

They have their moments, but their tricky Brazilian attackers have not improved since last season. They still lack a good goalkeeper since they bizarrely pushed Mitryushkin out of the door just because he made one error. With Hoarau out until New Year with injury, there’s no designated goal-getter in this squad. They’ve only got one proven creator at this level in Tosetti, and yet the winger has not played consistently well for well over twelve months now. Simply put, this is a bang average team, and is laden with individuals that simply don’t want to be there. If Bamert and Grgic leave in 2021 – and I think they will – then FC Sion could actually end up getting relegated, which is crazy for a club with their budget.

Does that sound like a team that Luzern can beat? I believe so. They’ve lost three on the spin now, FC Sion, although admittedly all three were away from home. As encouraging as FC Sion’s relative demise has been though, the bulk of my confidence stems from the fantastic work that Luzern did pre-season. Getting young midfield general Ugrinic back was enough of a win in itself. Then adding Serbian striker Sorgic, a proven goal-scorer at this level, as well as the supremely talented creator that is diminutive Tasar, Czech midfielder Frydek, and Austrian creator Schaub? That’s five players that are simply too good for Luzern. They’re ambitious signings, for sure, especially for a club that vowed not to spend too much on wages again. It could be a stroke of genius though – this is not a good Super League. It’s one that Luzern can excel in with those signings, and the early signs are rather encouraging.

I may not trust Luzern when it comes to defending – largely because they’re simply not good at it – but I do trust their attack, especially when it’s as varied and dangerous as it is. For years now, Luzern have scraped by with random nobodies bailing them out, season after season. I thought their time in the Super League was close to finished, to be honest. Going from the likes of Hyka, Schneuwly, and Neumayr to that was not a positive step. Still, I have to hand it to Luzern – what they’ve done this season is absolutely tremendous. It’s almost the Super League equivalent of cheating on Football Manager, bringing in such top talents for a very limited side.

The plan at Luzern is still to outscore teams rather than outsmart them though. That makes backing them a bit of a minefield at times, I must confess. Most teams at this level can beat one another, circumstances permitting. On paper though, Luzern are a top four team now, in my opinion. They’ve been playing really well of late too, and the fact that they get to face a demoralised and ineffectual FC Sion today only encourages me to trust the away team here.

Therefore, I’m on the Luzern win at 5/4.

Verdict: Luzern to win at 5/4.

Team news

Note

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.

Austrian Bundesliga:

Sturm Graz Geyrhofer and Trummer are absent.
Admira Wacker – Babuscu, Kadlec, Maier, and Petlach are absent.
St. Polten – Gremsl is absent.
Hartberg – Lema, Nimaga, and Rakowitz are absent.
SV Ried – Kerhe is absent.
SCR Altach – Iyobosa Edokpolor is absent. 

Belgian Eerste Klasse:

Royal Excel Mouscron – Dabila is absent. Nlandu and Saglik are doubts.
Germinal Beerschot – Noubissi, Dom, and Brogno are absent.
Cercle Brugge – Biancone, Decostere, and van Damme are absent. Deuro is a doubt.
KV Oostende – Boonen, Dewaele, and Thiam are absent. D’Haese is a doubt.
Kortrijk – Badammosi, D’Haene, and Shamsudin are absent.
OH Leuven – Aguemon, Duplus, and Schuermans are absent. Kehli, Osabutey, and Tshimanga are doubts.
Sint-Truiden – van Dessel is a doubt.
Sporting Charleroi – Goranov, Teodorczyk, Flanagan, and Diandy are absent. 

Brazilian Serie A:

Athletico Paranaense Azevedo, Heleno, Jonathan, and Vitinho are absent.
Atletico Mineiro – Rafael and Tardelli are absent.
RB Bragantino – Artur, Cesar, Moreira da Costa, and Realpe are absent.
Fortaleza – Paulista, Quintero, Marlon Adriano, Dias, and Bruno are absent. Carvalho is a doubt.
Internacional – Boschilia, Caio, Guerrero, Johnny, Jussa, and Saravia are absent.
Botafogo – Angulo, Barros, Fernandez, Kelvin, Marcelo Conceicao, Santos, and Saulo are absent.
Palmeiras – Hinestroza, Luan, Melo, Ribeiro Silva, and Vega are absent.
Bahia – Fonseca, Pedro, Zeca, and Claus are absent.
Ceara – Charles, Oliveira, Vizeu are absent. Lacerda is a doubt.
Atletico Goianiense – Freitas is absent.
Goias – Andrade, Baggio, Bessa, Chico, Sandro, and Vinicius are absent.
Gremio – Leonardo and Alisson are absent. Miranda is a doubt.

Croatian Prva Liga:

Gorica Steenvoorden and Delfi are absent. Mudrinski is a doubt.
NK Osijek – Pilj, Erceg, and Grezda are absent.
Varazdin – Boss Toplak sacked. Djurasek, Urata, Peco, and Novoselec are absent. Djou is a doubt.
Hajduk Split – Simic and Tekic are absent.

Czech Republic Liga 1:

Marila Pribram Cortez and Kingue are absent.
Zlin – Cedidla, Matejov, and Poznar are absent. Vyhnal is a doubt.
Opava – Hnanicek, Pikul, Rychly, Schaffartzik, Smekal, and Zavadil are absent. Texl is a doubt.
Mlada Boleslav – Matejovsky, Masek, Drchal, Mazuch, and Pech are absent.
Ceske Budejovice – Havelka, Ledecky, and Sulc are doubts.
Karvina – Mikus is a doubt.
Teplice – Grigar, Heidenreich, Hykca, and Plachy are absent. Knapik and Marecek are doubts.
Sigma Olomouc – Hala is a doubt.
Pardubice – Cerny and Sychra are absent.
Zbrojovka Brno – Krystufek, Reiter, and Stepanovsky are absent.
Baumit Jablonec – Krob is absent. R. Hruby, V. Hruby, Hubschman, and Kratochvil are doubts.
Viktoria Plzen – Kopic, Mihalik are absent. Hybs is a doubt.

English Premier League:

Wolverhampton Wanderers Jimenez and Jonny are absent.
Aston Villa – Barkley is absent. Engels and Trezeguet return.
Newcastle United – Lots of first-team players out with Covid-19; no names given.
West Bromwich Albion – Pereira is absent.
Manchester United – Martial returns. Cavani is a doubt.
Manchester City – Garcia is absent. Gundogan is a doubt. Aguero will start from the bench.
Everton – Coleman and Delph are absent.
Chelsea – Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi are absent. Pulisic returns.

French Ligue 1:

Olympique de Marseille Amavi and Radonjic are absent.
AS Monaco – Lecomte and Sidibe are absent. Golovin is a doubt.
Racing Club Lens – Traore is absent.
Montpellier HSC – Delort is a doubt.

German Bundesliga:

Bv09 Borussia Dortmund – Akanji, Dahoud, Delaney, Haaland, Unbehaun, and Schmelzer are absent. Hummels and Hazard are doubts. Guerreiro returns.
VfB Stuttgart – Ailton, Al Ghaddioui, Awoudja, Castro, Cisse, Grahl, and Thommy are absent. Didavi, Gonzalez, and Karazor are doubts.
RB Leipzig – Borkowski, Hartmann, Heinrichs, Hwang, Klostermann, Laimer, Novoa, Samardzic, and Schreiber are absent. Upamecano returns.
Werder Bremen – Dos Santos Haesler, Fullkrug, Kauper, Rashica, and Selke are absent. Mohwald and Mbom return.
Borussia Moenchengladbach – Hofmann is absent. Jantschke and Bensebaini are doubts.
Hertha Berlin – Alderete, Ascacibar, Cordoba, Lowen, and Cunha are absent.
SC Freiburg – Flekken, Haberer, L. Itter, Keitel, Kubler are absent.
Arminia Bielefeld – Laursen, Maier, Muller, Niemann, Pieper, Rehnen, and Voglsammer are absent.
Mainz 05 Bell, Hanin, Issah, Liesegang, Mustapha, Mwene, Oztunali, Tauer, and Szalai are absent.
Koln – Castrop, Czichos, Queiros, Krahl, Kainz, Lemperle, and Voloder are absent.
Union Berlin – Andrich, Pohjanpalo, Kruse, N. Schlotterbeck, and Ujah are absent. Gentner and Hubner are doubts.
Bayern Munich – Arp, R. Hoffmann, Martinez, and Kimmich are absent. Davies returns. Tolisso is a doubt.

German Bundesliga 2:

Heidenheim – No absentees.
Hannover 96 – Evina, Frantz, Hansen, Hubers, Lamti, Maina, and Sundermann are absent.
Darmstadt 98 – Arslan, Palsson, Vogler, and Wittek are absent.
Hamburger SV – David, Kittel, Kwarteng, Mickel, and van Drongelen are absent.
Jahn Regensburg No absentees.
Holstein Kiel – Awuku is absent. 

Israeli Ligat Ha’al:

Hapoel Kfar Saba – Fadida and Israeli are absent. Reichert is a doubt.
MS Ashdod – Mishpati, Bardea, and Meir are absent.
Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv – dos Santos, Zrihen, and Mazor are absent. Ljujic is a doubt. Finish returns.
Hapoel Hadera – Flukcenko and Labadidi are absent.
Maccabi Netanya Banda and Sehovic are absent.
Maccabi Petah Tikva – Ronen, Sarsour, and Hadida are absent. 

Italian Serie A:

Crotone – Rispoli, Cigarini, and Petriccone are absent.
Spezia – Capradossi, Zoet, Galabinov, Dell’Orco, and Mattiello are absent. Leo Sena and J. Ramos are doubts.
Torino Millico and Baselli are absent. Ujkani, Ansaldi, Murru, Verdi are doubts.
Udinese – Forestieri, Jajalo, and Arslan are absent. Ouwejan and de Maio are doubts.
SS Lazio – Proto, Lulic, and Muriqi are absent. Patric is a doubt.
Hellas Verona – Kalinic, Vieira, Ceccherini, and Benassi are absent. Udogie and Cetin are doubts.

Italian Serie B:

Brescia – Mangraviti, Papetti, Bisoli, Donnarumma, Bjarnason, Semprini, Cistana, and Fridjonsson are absent.
Salernitana – Lombardi, Karo, Veseli, Schiavone, and Micai are absent.
Cosenza – No news.
Reggiana – Cambiaghi, Voltolini,, Espeche, Muratore, Gyamfi, and Lunetta are absent.
Cremonese – Girelli, Fornasier, Zortea, Ravanelli, and Crescenzi are absent.
Ascoli – Malle is absent.
Lecce – Rodriguez, Pierno, Borbei, Gallo, Felici, Lo Faso, Dubickas are absent.
Frosinone – Luciani, Volpe, Dionisi, Capuano, Ariaudo, Ardemagni, and D’Elia are absent.
Pisa – De Vitis, Meroni, Varnier, and Quaini are absent.
Pordenone – Barison is absent.
Virtus Entella No news.
Empoli – Bajrami, Moreo, and Zappella are absent.
Pescara – Drudi, Masciangelo, Balzano, Asencio, and Nzita are absent.
Vicenza – Pasini, Ierardi, Vandeputte, Nalini, Pontisso, Longo, and Bruscagin are absent.
Cittadella – Grillo, Bassano, Plechero, and Mastrantonio are absent.
SPAL – Dickmann, Viviani, Ranieri, and Okoli are absent.

Dutch Eredivisie:

FC Groningen – Robben and El Hankouri are absent.
RKC Waalwijk – Efmorfidis, El Haddouti, and Sow are absent.
FC Emmen – Granecny, Payne, Carty, and de Vos are absent.
ADO Den Haag – Philipp, Zuiverloon, Bijen, and Pinas are absent.
AFC Ajax Amsterdam – Blind, Neres, Traore, Kudus, Tagliafico, and Mazraoui are absent.
PEC Zwolle – Pherai, Ghoochannejhad, Tedic, and Lam are absent.

Russian Premier League:

Rotor Volgograd – Ponce is absent.
FK Ufa – No absentees.
PFC Sochi – Pomerko and Popov are absent.
Spartak Moscow – Sobolev is absent. Glushenkov and Tashaev are doubts.
Zenit St. Petersburg – No absentees.
Dinamo Moscow – Igboun is absent.

Spanish Primera Liga:

Valencia CF – Cillessen, Gameiro, Gaya, Lee, and Guillamon Sanmartin are absent.
Athletic Club – Nolaskoain is absent.
Getafe CF – Chema, Dakonam, and Mata are absent.
Sevilla CF – Munir, NAvas, and Vaclik are absent.
Huesca – Valera is absent.
Deportivo Alaves – Battaglia, Garcia, Lejeune, and Pons are absent.
Real Madrid – Hazard, Jovic, and Odegaard are absent.
Atletico Madrid – Costa and Gimenez are absent. Sanchez is a doubt.

Swiss Super League:

FC Sion – Clemenza, Andersson, Hoarau, Kabashi, and Luan are absent. Doldur is a doubt.
FC Luzern – Ndenge, Burch, and Binous are absent. Grether and Emini are doubts.
Vaduz – Simani is absent.
FC Basel – Stocker, Xhaka, and Jorge are absent. 

Turkish Super Lig:

Hatayspor – Katranis, Caytemel, and Ornek are absent.
Fatih Karagumruk – Zukanovic and Jorquera are absent.
Kayserispor – Campanharo, Kanga, Lung, Subasi, and Uzon are absent.
Trabzonspor – Nwakaeme and Trondsen are absent.
Rizespor – No absentees.
Goztepe – Ideye is absent. Gassama and Nukan are doubts.
Ankaragucu – Paintsil and Dikmen are absent.
Konyaspor – Cikalleshi, Anicic, Eduok, Findikli, Cagiran, Miya, and Kravets are absent.
Fenerbahce – Perotti, Valencia, Samatta, Lemos, Ademi, and Aziz are absent.
Yeni Malatyaspor – Wallace, Lukoki, and Damlu are absent. 

Remaining thoughts

Note

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.

Austrian Bundesliga:

Sturm Graz vs Admira Wacker (5) 2-2
St. Polten vs Hartberg (6) 2-1
SV Ried vs SCR Altach (6) 1-0

Belgian Eerste Klasse:

Royal Excel Mouscron vs Germinal Beerschot (5) over 2.5 goals
Cercle Brugge vs KV Oostende (5) 1-2
Kortrijk vs OH Leuven (6) over 2.5 goals
Sint-Truiden vs Sporting Charleroi (5) 0-0

Brazilian Serie A:

Athletico Paranaense vs Atletico Mineiro (6) 1-2
RB Bragantino vs Fortaleza (6) 1-0
Internacional vs Botafogo (6) 1-0
Palmeiras vs Bahia (7) 2-1
Ceara vs Atletico Goianiense (6) 2-0
Goias vs Gremio (5) 1-2

Bulgarian A PFG:

Beroe vs Botev Plovdiv (5) 2-1
Tsarsko selo vs Levski Sofia (6) 0-1

Croatian Prva Liga:

Gorica vs NK Osijek (5) 2-2
Varazdin vs Hajduk Split (6) over 2.5 goals

Czech Republic Liga 1:

Marila Pribram vs Zlin (5) 1-2
Opava vs Mlada Boleslav (5) 1-2
Ceske Budejovice vs Karvina (6) 2-2
Teplice vs Sigma Olomouc (5) 2-1
Pardubice vs Zbrojovka Brno (6) 1-1
Baumit Jablonec vs Viktoria Plzen (5) 1-2

English Premier League:

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Aston Villa (6) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Newcastle United vs West Bromwich Albion (4) 1-2
Manchester United vs Manchester City (5) over 2.5 goals, at least one red card in this game
Everton vs Chelsea (6) 1-2

Estonian Meistriliiga:

Flora Tallinn vs FCI Levadia Tallinn (6) 2-1, at least one red card in this game

French Ligue 1:

Olympique de Marseille vs AS Monaco (5) 1-2
Racing Club Lens vs Montpellier HSC (5) 2-1

German Bundesliga:

Bv09 Borussia Dortmund vs VfB Stuttgart (4) 1-1
RB Leipzig vs Werder Bremen (6) over 2.5 goals
Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Hertha Berlin (5) 2-1
SC Freiburg vs Arminia Bielefeld (6) 2-1
Mainz 05 vs Koln (5) 2-2
Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich (8) 0-2

German Bundesliga 2:

Heidenheim vs Hannover 96 (5) 0-1
Darmstadt 98 vs Hamburger SV (5) 2-2
Jahn Regensburg vs Holstein Kiel (6) 2-2

Hungarian Liga 1:

Varda SE vs Budapest Honved (5) 0-1
Ferencvaros vs Zalaegerszegi TE (7) 2-1
Fehervar vs Budafoki MTE (6) 2-1

Israeli Ligat Ha’al:

Hapoel Kfar Saba vs MS Ashdod (6) 1-2
Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv vs Hapoel Hadera (6) 1-0
Maccabi Netanya vs Maccabi Petah Tikva (5) 1-1

Italian Serie A:

Crotone vs Spezia (5) 2-1
Torino vs Udinese (5) 1-1
SS Lazio vs Hellas Verona (6) 2-1

Italian Serie B:

Brescia vs Salernitana (6) over 2.5 goals
Cosenza vs Reggiana (5) 1-0
Cremonese vs Ascoli (4) 1-1
Lecce vs Frosinone (6) 1-0
Pisa vs Pordenone (5) 2-1
Virtus Entella vs Empoli (5) 1-1
Pescara vs Vicenza (6) 1-0
Cittadella vs SPAL (5) 1-1

Dutch Eredivisie:

FC Groningen vs RKC Waalwijk (6) 1-0
FC Emmen vs ADO Den Haag (6) 2-1
AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs PEC Zwolle (4) 1-1

Russian Premier League:

Rotor Volgograd vs FK Ufa (5) 1-0
PFC Sochi vs Spartak Moscow (6) 1-2
Zenit St. Petersburg vs Dinamo Moscow (6) 2-1

Spanish Primera Liga:

Valencia CF vs Athletic Club (5) 1-0
Getafe CF vs Sevilla CF (6) 1-1
Huesca vs Deportivo Alaves (5) 2-1
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game

Swiss Super League:

FC Sion vs FC Luzern (6) over 2.5 goals
Vaduz vs FC Basel (6) over 2.5 goals

Turkish Super Lig:

Hatayspor vs Fatih Karagumruk (5) 1-1
Kayserispor vs Trabzonspor (6) 0-1
Rizespor vs Goztepe (6) 2-1
Ankaragucu vs Konyaspor (5) 0-1
Fenerbahce vs Yeni Malatyaspor (6) 2-1

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