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
Cercle Brugge vs Club Brugge
KO: (UK time)
Derby or not, I’m struggling to doubt Club Brugge tonight. They’re grinding their way through the Eerste Klasse, as per usual, and no matter what style confronts them, they find a way past it. Hell, they’ve even managed to shift on massively overrated Nigerian forward Dennis to a desperate Koln side lately, albeit only on loan, so everything really is rosy at the club. Club Brugge are not perfect; they do give goals away. However, they’re so confident and varied in the final third that it doesn’t stop them from winning games; beating Cercle Brugge should not be too challenging for them tonight. Also, don’t forget that they share a stadium so this is like playing at home for the ‘visitors’.
Verdict: Club Brugge to win at 9/25.
Banker
AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs Willem II
KO: (UK time)
With almost a full squad available for Ajax, they should not struggle to beat Willem II. I appreciate that Ajax like to make life hard for themselves sometimes, and that Willem II have a decent squad. However, these two teams are some distance apart, and with three extremely resolute wins now under their belts, the title hopefuls have to be taken very seriously tonight. My conviction in the home win has only been strengthened by the strange decision of the away team to sack excellent manager Koster, and replace him with Vink – a move that makes no sense, with or without the form guide taken into consideration. I think the home team should win this one in a fairly easy fashion.
Verdict: AFC Ajax Amsterdam to win at 1/10.
Featured game
FC Sion vs FC Basel
KO: (UK time)
They’re dropping like flies in Switzerland, aren’t they? Let’s hope tonight’s game in Sion is not postponed, unlike yesterday’s match between Young Boys Bern and Lausanne Sport.
If it does go ahead, I have no real reason to doubt FC Basel here. I’m sure the pitch is even more of a mess than usual at this time of year, and FC Sion can be annoying to break down sometimes, largely due to their general apathy toward actually attacking opponents. I’m not especially impressed with where FC Basel are at in general; I think they’ve gotten way too many things wrong for too many years of late. However, they’re got some distance to go before they become as big a joke as FC Sion, although sadly they do seem hell-bent on emulating tonight’s hosts.
FC Basel suffered the indignity of losing 4-1 at home against FC Zurich at weekend, which was a harsh scoreline. It had ‘draw’ written all over it until FC Zurich took the lead near the end. FC Basel pushed out, and FC Zurich took advantage of such, rattling a further three goals past them. The scoreline did not tell the full picture, so I am not worried about the visitors tonight. However, it should serve as a timely reminder to you all that this is not a particularly good FC Basel nowadays. A big name in Switzerland, they remain, but not a top team any more by any stretch of the imagination.
I’ve criticised die Rot-Blau a lot over the past few years, and I’ve been 100% correct to do so. However, I will say this about them; I like where they’re at now more than I did at any other point in recent years. There’s a balance to this squad that I like, and more attacking quality too. I still think that they should ship van Wolfswinkel off; his days are done. Pululu needs to leave too. They could use that money to find a good shot stopper, or better yet, simply increase the depth of their squad because although I like most of their starting eleven, their squad as a whole is wafer thin. Having said that, they just signed Abrashi in the past couple of days, which is a terrific addition to midfield for them. I doubt he will feature today though.
Still, things are ok, all things considered. Zhegrova has returned to the club with a point to prove, Cabral’s loan move has been made permanent, affording them a natural goal-scorer, von Moos is still a very good prospect (despite his lack of goals), Kasami has settled in predictably well since his move from tonight’s hosts (ensuring they don’t miss Zuffi too much, who is injured a lot nowadays), and both Frei and Stocker look as good as ever. Klose and Comert do a good enough job at the back too. It’s decent enough, what FC Basel have put together, and they do work hard for Sforza. That’s enough for me to trust them to beat FC Sion, to be honest.
I mean, FC Sion are a joke. I don’t know how they’re still in the Super League. They’ve got a very eccentric owner with a lot of spare cash, so they’re always good for a laugh. They’ve got some good individuals but are really bad as a whole. They’ve had over fifty managers since the turn of the century, just to give you a rough idea of what this club is about, so nobody really wants to stay there for long as there’s no long-term plan, and no manager ever sticks around for long – not by choice, either.
On their day, they can be good, FC Sion. I do find them an annoying team to break down in general, and that’s especially true now that ex-FC Basel midfield general Serey Die is in the picture. The forgotten centre-back Lacroix has returned to FC Sion lately, and has been playing. If they get him properly fit again, he can be very good. Their generally apprehensive nature and lack of interest makes them a defensive team though; that’s what they do. Give them a goal, and they’re even more annoying. Take the lead against them, however, and they become sitting ducks.
FC Sion won at Lausanne Sport at weekend via Karlen nicking a goal, and the team sitting on it. I doubt they’d have managed it had big Turkes been playing for the home team but he wasn’t, and FC Sion capitalised. For me, this squad only has five good, consistent players; centre-back Bamert, attacking midfielder Grgic, midfield beast Serey Die, striker Hoarau, and winger Tosetti. Hoarau is injured, Serey Die was benched last time out, nobody knows who Bamert’s partner will be, and Tosetti has not played well for two years now. Grgic is the only one that constantly threatens opposing teams, and I like him. It’s a miracle he’s opted to stay at this club though, truth be told.
They have some nippy forwards, FC Sion, but only one goal-scorer – and he’s injured, not to mention the fact that he’s not actually scored since his move from Young Boys Bern! There’s no continuity, little togetherness, and they’re missing a lot of players tonight, most of which are in defence with Iapichino, Martic, Kabashi, and Abdellaoui all to sit this one out. Hoarau is technically back from injury now but still isn’t playing, presumably to get his fitness up after a long time out, so I class him as being all but absent too. With midfielders like Araz and Ndoye also on the sidelines for FC Sion, they’re basically going to struggle to be as strong defensively as they usually are, and if that attack of theirs can outscore FC Basel’s attack tonight, then FC Basel need to call it a day altogether.
For me, the away win at evens is a must here, even on what is almost certainly going to be a very bumpy pitch.
Verdict: FC Basel to win at evens.
Additional games
Sparta Rotterdam vs FC Twente Enschede
KO: (UK time)
It’s a good time for Sparta to face Twente. On paper, you’d normally have to favour the visitors, although the playing style of both teams would almost certainly make it an entertaining encounter either way in typical Eredivisie fashion.
However, with four regulars out for the trip to Rotterdam, I don’t fancy Twente tonight. One of them is Czech creator Cerny, who has been good for them this season as both a creator and a goal-scorer. Experienced midfield maintainer Brama is also on the sidelines, which is even less of a surprise, as that’s been a very common theme for him ever since his stint at the Central Coast Mariners. Nigerian defender Ebuehi is out too, and fellow defender Oosterwolde, one of the brightest prospects in Enschede, is also out. Twente don’t have much by way of depth, and those absentees are spread throughout their squad. That makes tonight’s game especially challenging.
I think it’s also fair to say that Twente are in a little bit of a rut at the moment too. It’s nothing to get upset about; they’ve had some hard games lately, facing FC Groningen away, and hosting AFC Ajax Amsterdam, although losing against VVV Venlo was particularly embarrassing, especially given the chances that Twente wasted on the day. Goals have dried up with Cerny on the sidelines; Menig has just one in 2021, and star Brazilian striker Danilo is yet to bag any in this calendar year. They’ve attempted to rectify it by recently acquiring the forgotten man himself, namely Luciano Narsingh, although your guess is as good as mine as to which Luciano Narsingh will actually show up. As far as I am concerned, he’s been AWOL for five years now and yet I still remember when he emerged at SC Heerenveen, and how good he was at supporting Bas Dost. I think it’ll ultimately fail but I won’t write him off just yet as there is a good player in there – somewhere.
A Twente side that doesn’t score goals is a problem. They don’t really factor in keeping clean sheets, and they’re not going to start today with half of their back four out. They need to score goals to get something against Sparta, and to be fair, the Rotterdam hosts will give them opportunities to do so. That’s their style. Whether Twente actually take them or not remains to be seen though. The chances they missed against VVV Venlo were not simply unlucky; they were borne out of frustration and lowered morale. Twente will bounce back at some stage, I’m sure, but this is a very young team, and such runs subsequently hit them harder than most.
A trip to face Sparta is not what a team like that needs. They tend to slip under the radar, Sparta, but they do play some of the best football in The Netherlands for my money, and they’ve got a good history of raising players. Although unquestionably one of the most predictable Eredivisie teams, actually dealing with Sparta is hard. PSV Eindhoven arrived in Rotterdam recently, full of confidence that they’d outscore Sparta – and they did. With the quality on their books, so they should, too. They needed to score five to do it though, because Sparta bagged three themselves. They don’t fear anyone or anything, Sparta, which makes their club name rather apt, I suppose!
This team will concede goals for no reason; that’s the risk with backing them. However, the football that they play is so intense, and they play it with such energy, that containing them becomes very difficult. Sometimes the better Dutch clubs can do it but general opponents can’t, at least not the extent whereby they guarantee themselves a win. Let’s not forget how this team rocked up in Enschede last month and won 2-0 against tonight’s opposition too. This squad does change a lot because they’ve no pulling power at Sparta, so anyone that interests another club tends to leave. They seldom struggle to replace players though, given a year to sort it out, and that’s the case now.
Almost all of their good players from two years ago have now left, barring Auassar. Those that have come in though, especially the German recruits Thy and Engels, have done really well though. Mijnans looks a real prospect, and Harroui has that typical North African flair about him too. Duarte is the leading light of that midfield, though – he has excellent potential. With a bit more consistency, a good move will be on the cards for him. Everything about this Sparta attack is designed to keep things fast and fluid though, to ensure that a striker like Thy gets the opportunities he needs as soon as possible – and it works. They may concede a lot, Sparta, but they score a lot too. This is not a team to underestimate.
This potent home team will smell blood tonight. Twente are struggling for a variety of reasons, and Sparta are intense enough to set them on the back foot from the start, just as they did in December. Therefore, I’m happy to chance my arm on the home win tonight.
Verdict: Sparta Rotterdam to win at 23/20.
St. Pauli vs VfL Bochum
KO: (UK time)
There’s a new feel about St. Pauli right now, which is something that VfL Bochum boss Reis spoke about in his pre-match press conference. He expects St. Pauli to try and ‘play football’ this time around, having not really tried that in the last meeting. VfL Bochum dominated the last encounter but failed to see it out, conceding two late goals to Kyereh to throw the points away, which is something that they have seldom done since. I know what Reis means, though – this St. Pauli side looks like they want the ball more often, to drive at teams, and press home their advantage. They’ve always looked their best playing that way, to be fair, and it’s nice to see that boss Schultz has adapted to the required change in order to get the Hamburg club back to its best.
On their day, St. Pauli are the most annoying team in the German Bundesliga 2 because they never give up. It’s not been seen often enough this season, but it has been lately. That’s led them to a highly impressive win at Hannover 96, a draw with Holstein Kiel, and even a win against Jahn Regensburg last time out in which they actually kept a clean sheet, which is most unheard of for them. The acquisition of veteran Norwegian centre-back Reginiussen should be positive for them in due course too, stopping them from being dominated in the air, and also being a threat from set pieces at the other end.
Of course, it’s exclusively a change of style that has brought about this renewed vigour at St. Pauli. No, they loaned Egyptian forward Marmoush from VfL Wolfsburg, and he’s really hit the ground running, not just scoring goals but generally making intelligent runs – something that the other St. Pauli forwards haven’t been doing. I mean, it’s not Makienok’s bag; he’s there solely as a massive target man, and he’s very good at that role, but he won’t be making any effective runs in behind, and if he does, you can bet your bottom dollar that he’s offside. Kyereh is a real live wire but isn’t always the smartest cookie so getting someone like Marmoush in has helped them.
On top of that, they’ve finally got veteran Austrian forward Burgstaller back, and that’s a colossal boost. He’s an extremely intelligent player, and although he wasn’t a good enough finisher for the Bundesliga, he’s certainly good enough to be a top player at this level, as he’s already shown since his return. With him, Marmoush, Kyereh, and Makienok now available as options, this team is suddenly capable of scoring against any Bundesliga 2 team. I don’t want to gloss over the promise of Uruguayan youngster Zalazar this season either, who has been one of the few rays of hope at a club that has been seriously disappointing in this campaign. I think Eintracht Frankfurt have got themselves one hell of a promising youngster there.
Height has been the name of the game in the recruitment drive for St. Pauli though. Towering Swedish midfielder Smith has joined from AA Gent, although is yet to debutise, and Austrian shot stopper Stojanovic joined from Middlesbrough too. Those two, along with Reginiussen, seriously increase the height of this team. A lot of Bundesliga 2 teams play with target men so better defending in the air is imperative. I still don’t think it’ll stop St. Pauli conceding goals, but it may help lessen such with time, not that I think that’ll take effect against one of the best teams in the division tonight – VfL Bochum.
The away team have become slightly more human as the season has gone on, actually conceding goals along the way. It’s not fazed them one bit, though – Reis has gone one hell of a mentally strong team at his disposal now. This is the kind of team that has the right amount of steel to go up, you know? They remind me an awful lot of Arminia Bielefeld last season, always having enough to get over the line. The favourites will naturally be Hamburger SV but I’m sure that, for the third successive year, they’ll bottle it in the last two months of the season. VfL Bochum don’t look like they will, though. It’s hard to call at this stage, but I think they’ve got the best chance of going up.
I can’t see the visitors being good enough to contain their hosts tonight. Besides, as impressive as they’ve been at defending this season, it’s not really their ‘thing’. What has been seen is as a result of hard work and cohesion, not because they’ve suddenly found the next Lucio, you know? VfL Bochum have always been a team that focused on attack, and looking at the options they’ve currently got, the same can be said of this group. Alright, some like Pantovic haven’t done enough overall, Novothny has not been fit often enough, and Ganvoula has gone off the boil a bit too. It’s not mattered, though. Blum, Zoller, Tesche, Losilia, Eisfeld, and of course, the star of the lot, Zulj, have all stepped up to the plate. They spread the goals out well at this club, and I’m a fan of that.
It’s very hard to defend against this team because they’re not afraid to overload from wide positions, and they’re just as good in the air as they are on the floor. They can play through the middle too, and are dangerous from set pieces. Worryingly for the rest of the division, they’re far better at finishing than the statistics show, and I think that’ll show more as the season unfolds. This is a very good team with boatloads of experience, and a lot of players that are on the same page. I think they’ll be sorely tested in Hamburg tonight, VfL Bochum, but it’s a test that they can overcome if they maintain their focus.
I think we’re in for a cracking game though. For me, it’s an over 3 goals call at 13/10.
Verdict: Over 3 goals at 13/10.
Alcoyano vs Athletic Club
KO: (UK time)
What did I tell you? Marcelino is back with a bang, and Athletic Club are rampant! Unlike most Spanish teams, they take the Copa del Rey seriously, and my belief is that they do so because it’s yet another chance for the Basque country to prove it’s better than Spain. I mean, the Basque country and Catalan country both try to distance themselves from Spain as much as possible, often threatening to break free from the yoke of Spanish rule. It can’t be a coincidence that Athletic Club and Barcelona have won this competition more than any other teams have, with that in mind. They meet in the final a reasonable amount, and with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid both out now, the same final this year would not surprise me.
It was tonight’s minnows Alcoyano that put Real Madrid out, actually. You might think it was a smash-and-grab job, but far from it. Even with ten men, they were still playing good football, and trying to score goals – in extra-time! That naivety is something I adore about lower league teams. True enough, it tends to cost them in the end but in this instance, it allowed them to do something that their history books will forever remember – the day that Alcoyano, a tiny team from Valencia, overcame the mighty Real Madrid in their beloved El Collao. It was one hell of a display too, although of course it did require a bit of an off-day from Real Madrid, who struggled to get used to the pitch.
That won’t be a problem for Athletic tonight, though – they’re more than happy to rely on headers for goals! That’s Raul Garcia’s entire game nowadays, to be honest, as he’s now their makeshift designated striker! That said, I doubt he’ll be playing here, not with Barcelona coming up at weekend. As seriously as Los Leones take this competition, Marcelino knows who he has to rotate, just as he did for his team’s trip to Ibiza last week. It was scrappy, and they had to bring some big guns off the bench, but they did the job that was required of them, and progressed as a result whilst using their best players as little as possible. I expect something similar tonight.
Ibiza scored against Athletic last week, and based on the defending from Athletic against Getafe earlier this week (Balenziaga giving the ball away, Capa having no idea where Cucurella was just one minute into the game, and the penalty that was missed), they’re going to concede tonight. Alcoyano are quite handy when getting forward, based on what I saw from them, and Athletic are in no position to stop them. Marcelino ended up bringing right-back Lekue on to fill in for Balenziaga at left-back, which tells you all that you need to know about that situation. For that game, I was unaware that Inigo Martinez (CB) and Yuri (regular LB) were both out. I would still have given the home win as a tip because of the work Marcelino has done with their attack, but it makes me think that neither will play tonight either. If that is indeed the case, they’re almost certainly going to concede here, Athletic.
Marcelino’s teams find ways to score goals though, and that’s certainly the case for Athletic right now. It’s impossible for me to work out how he’s done it, given that there’s not a single decent striker in sight, but that’s why he’s a top-drawer Spanish manager, and I am not! Against Ibiza, they gave a few kids a chance to impress from their infamous academy, as well as naming Villalibre (bit too old to be a ‘kid’ any more!) the chance to impress. They did alright, but simply aren’t very good. It took bringing Garcia, Muniain, Williams etc. on to turn things around on the night but I think Marcelino probably expected that because they don’t have much depth in this squad in any area other than midfield. Still, his best players got a rest, for the most part, and then they stuffed Getafe 5-1 so I think he won!
More of the same can be expected tonight, in my opinion. They’re likely to concede, and their starting eleven is not going to be enough to win them this game. However, their substitutes can come on and turn things around whilst mostly resting ahead of the trip to face old foes Barcelona at weekend. That’s why I’m not handicapping the visitors tonight – I don’t believe they’ll name a strong enough side throughout in order to manage it, although I recognise that this team is brimming with confidence right now so the possibility is still there. Alcoyano are a few divisions below them, after all, and Los Leones never shy away from working hard. It should be a good game.
Again, Alcoyano are no mugs. They’ve got nothing to lose in a tie like this, and they’ve already beaten one of Spain’s best teams, so they won’t be fearful of Athletic tonight. Alcoyano have the home advantage, the ‘unknown’ factor, and get to play as underdogs. Their comfort on the ball was particularly impressive against Real Madrid, and against a makeshift Athletic back four, I suspect they’ll have some fun tonight. Athletic take this competition too seriously to go out in Valencia, in my opinion, but I still think that they’re in for a rocky ride.
Therefore, I’m on over 2.5 goals at 19/20.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 19/20.
Bahia vs Corinthians
KO: (UK time)
First things first – high-scoring games are not a Corinthians ‘thing’, if I can put it that way. They tried to be more adventurous this season, for the first time in – well, I’d have to say a decade or more – and ended up sacking their manager because of it, and reverting back to their old ways, appointing ex-Atletico Goianiense manager Mancini as the man to orchestrate such. They’ve looked far more comfortable since returning to what they know, and that style of play is, without question, the most boring in Brazil. They sit back, they defend, and wait for opportunities to materialise, which tend to be few. If they get a lead, they’re great. If they fall behind, they struggle. That’s Corinthians, in a nutshell.
The bookies are on the fence tonight for a reason, though. Corinthians are better than Bahia; that’s not a secret. However, the Sao Paulo juggernauts make a habit of losing this fixture because they simply cannot deal with how much energy and effort Bahia put into each encounter. Corinthians are not an energetic team because they don’t feel the need to be one. They have their occasional moments but they’re far slower and more contemplative than most Serie A clubs are. Bahia love to play against teams like that because they really wind them up.
Bahia haven’t enjoyed games against Brazil’s best this season, for the most part. They’ve given each match their all, but sometimes you need that bit of quality, and that’s where Bahia always struggle. A good team should not struggle to win this game, basically. All it requires is composure, clinical finishing, and a good work-rate. Bahia will always give teams chances, Corinthians included, and that’s the risk with the home team. However, unlike most other Brazilian heavyweights, Corinthians have never really discovered the knack for dealing with this team – and I’m not sure tonight’s affair will be any different.
Mancini’s Atletico Goianiense won at this venue earlier in the season but it required a free-kick from goalkeeper Jean to make it happen, and to be fair, the initial free-kick was awful – but he struck the rebound well enough, and wasn’t closed down. Other than that though, I’m not sure you could say Atletico Goianiense were going to break them down. Obviously, Corinthians are a better team, and I have to imagine that Jo, Luan, Mosquito, Vital etc. can concoct something between them tonight, meaning Corinthians should at least score in the game. Do they really have what it takes to sit on Bahia though? It’s not like sitting on most other Brazilian sides.
I recall watching Bahia being beaten 2-0 at home by ten-men Flamengo a little while back, and comfortably so. In the second-half, Bahia leapt into life, and bagged three goals in fifteen minutes. Flamengo eventually went on to win the game, and that was the fairest outcome, but Bahia gave them one hell of a game thanks to Gilberto’s brilliance. They never give up, Bahia, and with enough time, Daniel, Rodriguinho, Gilberto, Elber, and Rossi will ultimately make something happen. You have to interrupt them in order to prevent that, and Corinthians just don’t try that. Subsequently, I’m not struggling to figure out why the visitors always find this fixture harder than it should be!
Furthermore, Corinthians find themselves without key defender Piton tonight; yet another complication they didn’t need. I don’t think they work hard enough nor fast enough to contain Bahia, and if that fails, they need their back four to be in perfect synchronisation, and that cannot happen without Piton. Therefore, I’m left feeling like the warriors that are Bahia will score tonight, and I have to believe that Corinthians will manage it too, even if they don’t play well. They’ve got more than enough individual brilliance to find the net, even if their collective approach isn’t working.
Therefore, I’m going to back both teams to score at 4/5.
Verdict: Both teams to score at 4/5.
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.
Belgian Eerste Klasse: Cercle Brugge – Decostere, Deuro, van Damme, and Velkovski are absent. Club Brugge – Mitrovic is absent. KV Oostende – Capon, Guri, Hubert, and Theate are absent. Standard de Liege – Fai, Oulare, and Vanheusden are absent.
Brazilian Serie A: Bahia –Claus and Clayson are absent. Elton and Saldanha Marinho are doubts. Corinthians – Avelar, Jemerson, Mantuan, Piton, Ruan, and Santos are absent. Roni is a doubt. Gremio –Leonardo is absent. Flamengo – Alves, Caio, and Maia are absent.
English Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur – Lo Celso is absent. Alli, Davies, and Doherty are doubts. Liverpool – Gomez, Jota, Keita, and van Dijk are absent. Henderson and Matip are doubts.
German Bundesliga 2: St. Pauli – Reginiussen may debutise. VfL Bochum – Bonga and Novothny return. Drewes, Blum, and Lamproppoulos are absent.
Israeli Ligat Ha’al: Hapoel Hadera – Jaaber returns. Ironi Kiryat Shmona – No absentees. Bnei Sakhnin – Velasquez is absent. Hasselbaink, Fallach, both Halailas, and Jaaber return. Hapoel Be’er Sheva – Yosefi, Kabha, Tsedek, and Salalich are absent. Josue and Vitor are doubts.
Italian Coppa Italia: SSC Napoli – Ruiz is absent. Spezia – Capradossi, Mattiello, Ferrer, Nzola, Piccoli, and Zoet are absent.
Dutch Eredivisie: Sparta Rotterdam – Vriends is absent. FC Twente Enschede – Oosterwolde, Ebuehi, Cerny, and Brama are absent.~ AFC Ajax Amsterdam – Kudus and Klaiber are absent. Willem II – Saddiki, Kabangu, Ruiter, and van den Bogert are absent.
Swiss Super League: FC Sion – Abdellaoui, Andersson, Araz, Iapichino, Kabashi, Martic, and Ndoye are absent. Luan is a doubt. FC Basel – Xhaka and Jorge 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.
Belgian Eerste Klasse: Cercle Brugge vs Club Brugge (7) 1-2, at least one red card in this game KV Oostende vs Standard de Liege (5) 2-1
Brazilian Serie A: Bahia vs Corinthians (5) 1-1 Gremio vs Flamengo (5) 2-2
English Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool (5) 1-2
German Bundesliga 2: St. Pauli vs VfL Bochum (5) 2-2
Israeli Ligat Ha’al: Hapoel Hadera vs Ironi Kiryat Shmona (5) 1-2 Bnei Sakhnin vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva (5) 1-2
Italian Coppa Italia: SSC Napoli vs Spezia (5) over 2.5 goals
Dutch Eredivisie: Sparta Rotterdam vs FC Twente Enschede (5) 2-1 AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs Willem II (7) over 2.5 goals
Portuguese Liga 2: Sporting Covilha vs Mafra (5) 1-0
Portuguese Taca de Portugal: SL Benfica vs Belenenses (5) 0-0, at least one red card in this game
Spanish Copa del Rey: Navalcarnero vs Granada (6) 0-1 Alcoyano vs Athletic Club (6) over 2.5 goals
