TFT Issue 3353!

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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

Malmo FF vs Vasteras SK 

KO: (UK time)

Sweden’s best team tend to be slow starters but when it comes to hosting minnows Vasteras, I’m struggling to envision anything but a home win in today’s Svenska Cupen offering. Malmo FF tend to struggle to get their players in sync at the start, generally not playing particularly well as a unit, but they have so many individual match-winners that they tend to win anyway. I believe we’ll see an example of that today too.

Verdict: Malmo FF to win at 4/25.

Banker

BK Hacken Goteborg vs Dalkurd

KO: (UK time)

Hacken are a very good team with their only real weakness being breaking opponents down. Luckily, lower league opposition Dalkurd are one of the pluckiest teams in Sweden, constantly looking to play on the front foot, and even Sweden’s top teams don’t play like that against Hacken. It should be an entertaining affair, but I fear there’s more than a touch of inevitability about the eventual outcome.

Verdict: BK Hacken Goteborg to win at 7/50.

Banker

Djurgarden vs Brage

KO: (UK time)

Djurgarden are one of the most consistently impressive teams in Sweden under their talented managerial duo, and having made some very interesting pre-season signings, I’m expecting good things from them. I’m sure that Brage will be hard to break down to begin with, but ultimately Djurgarden have enough about them to secure the win today. 

Verdict: Djurgarden to win at 1/4.

Featured game

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers 

KO: (UK time)

Today’s featured game is the Australian A-League encounter between Wellington Phoenix and Western Sydney Wanderers. The bookies generally have an inclination as to what’s going on in Australia so the fact that I can get the ‘visitors’ at such generous odds today was both surprising and welcome. Phoenix are not in any kind of position to expect anything from this match!

I mean, it’s bad enough that they’ve had a lot of atrocious luck, the Kiwis. They really have played well in most games this season but absent-minded defending at intervals has always cost them, refereeing mistakes have hurt them, and poor finishing has too. Some of it they can be blamed for, but a lot of it really is down to luck. At another time, they’d have won most of their games this season; their performances certainly have merited it. 

On top of the above though, they now have serious problems with absentees. It started a couple of weeks back when Israeli striker Hemed got injured, and then rapid attacker Sotirio did too. The latter is no stranger to injuries, and the former is yet to adjust to life in Australia, which is where Phoenix are temporarily based. Then, last time out against the Mariners, rapid English forward Ball got sent off, meaning he’s suspended today. After that, star centre-back DeVere, the only remaining survivor of the DeVere/Taylor partnership last season, suffered a bad injury in training and will be out for a couple of months at the bare minimum. Laws was brought in as Taylor’s replacement, and has done well, to his credit – but he’s out too. It’s too much. With their starting eleven and Talay as manager, this team will give any A-League outfit a good run for their money. With what’s left after the above are out though, I’d be amazed if they even scored today, let alone won.

Devlin is back, but that’s the only good news for Phoenix here. The ex-Sydney FC man has shone for them this season, looking extremely tidy in the middle of the park, and making passes of the right weight at the right time. He and Davila have been the only consistently impressive attackers for Phoenix this season. Ball has applied himself typically well without much end product. Hemed simply hasn’t settled, and Sotirio still has zero capacity when it comes to calculating whether to pass or to shoot. Aside from raw energy in midfield, and Davila magic, I’m struggling to work out what else Phoenix can contribute to this game. A fast wide game from overlapping wing-backs, I suppose, but who are they going to cross to – Muratovic? No, I’m sorry, but if Phoenix survive this game, it’ll be a miracle.

Don’t forget that Phoenix relocated to Wollongong in Australia, which is just down the road from Sydney, so there are no prizes for guessing who’ll have the most fans here. Christ, you could make a compelling enough argument for Western Sydney Wanderers being the home team here. As if that wasn’t enough of an advantage already, they also have numerous positives in their squad for this fixture with key centre-back McGowan back from injury, and makeshift, erratic centre-back Mourdoukoutas injured. Impressive young wing-back Aquilina returns too, as does German match-winner Muller – both very good players for Western Sydney Wanderers this season.

Whether Mitch Duke can make his return or not, I don’t know; I suspect he’ll still be in quarantine. Normally I’d want him on the pitch for his aerial prowess against a solid Phoenix defence but this defence is without its best defenders; Cox and co. should have some fun here. Indeed, I’d like to think Yeboah will start to get back to an acceptable level after finally scoring, and with Muller back now, they’re short of nothing in the final third, Western Sydney Wanderers.

Whether they want to play a slow, patient game, waiting for opportunities, or whether they want to blitz  Phoenix with speed and intensity, Robinson has the luxury of the choice. This is a very impressive squad with excellent balance, and each passing week makes them better and better in terms of integrating newbies and grinding out wins. I’d like to see Cox take his chances better, Ibini-Isei lose a few pounds, and Baccus continue his impressive development but these are minor things; the major things for Western Sydney Wanderers are just peachy.

Importantly, the Western Sydney Wanderers defence looks much better now that Ziegler is fit, Gordon has settled, and will be even better with McGowan back too. Russell has been outstanding at right wing-back this season – at both ends – and Aquilina has done very well on the other side too. With Troisi and Baccus pulling the strings for a very mobile attack, I can’t see how Phoenix are going to stand a chance here, honestly. Phoenix are simply missing too many players here.

For me, backing Western Sydney Wanderers to win with draw no bet at 83/100 is an absolute steal today.

Verdict: Western Sydney Wanderers to win with draw no bet at 83/100.

Additional games

Melbourne Victory vs Newcastle Jets

KO: (UK time)

The time has come, folks! Yes, I think it’s about time we started backing Victory to do the business every now and then because their attack is finally in a healthy condition, and their defence is looking better too. They’re still going to need a bit of luck today because the Jets are fighters, if nothing else, but there are no acceptable excuses for Brebner’s men failing to win this match.

They’ve been steadily improving of late, Victory, not that their form guide shows it. I thought that the defeat against Roar was fair but not by the margin the result shows it was. I thought Victory did well against Western Sydney too; I’m not sure they’d have got through at all had Gestede’s rash challenge in his own box not led to a penalty, which Dorrans ultimately converted. They’ve lacked a little luck, Victory, but if they play today like they did in Sydney, they should really win.

The absence of Rojas today has to be considered a positive for the home team, and it’s the first time I’ve ever said that. The “Kiwi Messi” has been out of form this season, which has pretty much made him invisible. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but he does need to sort it out because this is not an especially good Victory team; they need him to be at his best if they’re to stand a chance of getting near the A-League finals. Without him, I think there’ll be more of a balance to the Victory squad, especially with McManaman back.

The way I see it playing out is target man Gestede flanked by Kruse and McManaman with Brimmer and Butterfield supporting through the middle whilst Broxham sits deep to help Shotton and Ansell repel the Jets’ counters. It’s taking shape, this Victory team. I still think that they look horribly short of depth at the back, and they definitely need some confidence. However, their attack now looks very strong to me, and I’ve been really impressed with them tactically over the past game or two, not to mention how they’ve defended one against one, and the speed of their breaks. I think today is the day where they’ll finally play well and win.

That’s nothing against the Jets, either. They’ve done surprisingly well lately,  going four games unbeaten now. The funny thing to me is that they actually played better football before they beat Phoenix. Since then, they’ve not played as well but have picked up good results. Football is weird sometimes, huh? I mean, if not for poor finishing from the one-on-one from Melbourne City, or the penalty that was awarded against Western Sydney Wanderers, or Phoenix remembering how to defend against counters, the Jets would not have won any of their last four. It’s a funny old game!

Still, the steely resolve at the Jets is back, and I like that; not many work harder than them, nor want it more. That’s one thing you’re always guaranteed with them. They’ve got two very solid, experienced centre-backs, and a lot of legs around them. I do think that they miss the marauding runs of Hoffman, who is injured, and the defensive nous of utility man Kantarovski, who is typically found in front of the defenders. They’re never short of energy nor desire though, which does help them make up for it.

As always, my concern for the Jets is their lack of creativity. Ugarkovic is a good passer and will often find those on the overlap, or play balls in behind defenders, but he’s no Ninkovic or Brattan so he’s not perfect. Unfortunately, the Jets kind of need him to be perfect because they’re not fast enough in the final third to get on the end of stray passes – well, other than Yuel, for the most part, who has played well this season, much to my surprise. With rapid winger Millar now finally able to feature for the Jets, and Najjarine back to play his little one-twos in midfield, I still see a lack of ways to hurt teams. O’Donovan is going to win most balls in their air but I’m not sold on him getting the right service, especially not with Hoffman out. Thurgate is their best option, really, and he’s still learning his trade, and nobody is really on his wavelength so it’s been tough for the team to create chances.

They may have been harder to hurt, the Jets, but they’re still not convincing me. Until they sign a natural match-winner in the final third, I just can’t trust them to deal with tough opponents like Victory. In terms of attitude, they are better than their hosts, but in terms of ability to score goals, they’re not even close. Therefore, I’m on the home win here.

Verdict: Melbourne Victory to win at 7/5.

Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Hannover 96

KO: (UK time)

Oh, Fortuna! If they had anything between their ears this season, I’d not hesitate to back the home win here. As they don’t, however, I just can’t do it.

See, it’s a great time to play Hannover 96. Unlike Nurnberg, they’ve actually improved their mental strength, and are trying to get promoted. However, in doing so, they’ve suffered some bad injuries. Now they have to head to Dusseldorf to face a Fortuna team that is not only more than their equal (supposedly), but to do so without both leading goal-scorer Ducksch and his lively accomplice Twumasi. They’re still left with a creator like Sulejmani and target man Weydandt, and with Haraguchi and Kaiser in midfield, there’ll always be chances in the offing. Who is going to score them is another matter though, because even a complacent Fortuna side should not struggle to contain them here.

However, Fortuna have simply been too casual this season, and I’ve not idea why that is. I’ve seldom seen a team be relegated to the Bundesliga 2 with the perfect squad to get them promoted back to the Bundesliga, but that’s the situation here. Christ, they even kept Rosler in charge because he did actually do a good job with this squad last season. The performances that Fortuna have delivered since being relegated are embarrassing when compared to those from the division above though, honestly. They may not be conceding quite as many as they did in the Bundesliga, but their goal threat is poor.

Please don’t ask me to explain why it’s poor either, because I simply don’t have any answers. When I see Polish poacher Kownacki playing at this level, as well as veteran striker Hennings (who tore the Bundesliga apart for half of last season!) and Karaman, I see goals in abundance – but it’s not played out that way at all. There shouldn’t be an issue with creativity in midfield either, not with Sobottka back and Peterson now in the squad. Instead, this team keeps playing this boring, uninspired football and it’s sucking the life out of them. There’s no passion in this team right now. If there were, they’d win today; no questions asked.

Without it, I can only see Fortuna letting themselves and their fans down. See, Hannover 96 have worked hard on their weaknesses; I’ve been really impressed with them, as it goes. Even with Falette still injured, they’ve learnt how to defend properly as a unit, and how to control games. Slovenian midfielder Bijol has played a big role in helping them control games better since joining from CSKA Moscow too, and the team simply looks a lot more balanced than it used to. They don’t have all of the answers yet, Hannover 96, but they’ve making impressive strides. It may not be this season, but next season they might just return to the Bundesliga.

For now, I think Kocak’s men will find this game hard, purely because of their attacking absentees, which cannot be lightly replaced. I see more fire and passion in the Hannover 96 squad so I wouldn’t be baffled if they managed to win in Dusseldorf today. It’s just that I expect it to be a long, hard slog because Fortuna tend to be sat pretty deep anyway, courtesy of losing the ball too easily in midfield, and because their hosts are actually rather good when they want to be. That’s why I’ve opted to leave the 1×2 market alone here.

Backing under 2.5 goals simply makes sense though. Hannover 96 work hard enough to keep their opponents away from their goal, and are missing too many players in the final third to be trusted. So, yeah – it’s a low-scoring affair for me. 

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 83/100.

Karlsruher SC vs Nurnberg 

KO: (UK time)

Karlsruher being fourth in the Bundesliga 2 tells you just how competitive this division truly is, and emphasises the importance of mental strength. Are they the fourth best team in the division? Absolutely not. Do they play like they’re the fourth best team in the division? For sure. 

See, what Karlsruher do is not hard to understand. They’re a hard-working team that always looks to bring target man Hofmann into play. Everything goes through him, whether he’s the goal-scorer or the one setting teammates up. Despite that being the worst-kept secret in the Bundesliga 2 though, teams still can’t deal with it because of how well Karlsruher do their job as a whole. They’re so quick to surround the big man with options, and so clever when they have it. It’s one thing to simply lump the ball downfield to a big man, but it’s another thing entirely to constantly being on the same wavelength as him – and Karlsruher have the latter.

I couldn’t even say that any of his accomplices are particularly good, you know? Goller, Kyoung-rok, Wanitzek, and Gondorf have all contributed significantly this season but none of them are hidden gems. Indeed, you could easily make the argument that nobody in this squad but Wimmer is capable of playing at a higher level. As a unit playing for Eichner though, they all look 100% better than they should be realistically capable of. The team spirit and work-rate at Karlsruher is simply unrivalled, and that’s what makes them so annoying to deal with.

Scoring against Karlsruher is not hard; keeping them out is close to impossible at this level though. In fact, nobody has managed that since October, and even then star striker Hofmann missed a penalty in his first game back after injury. To beat Karlsruher, you need stamina, determination, and better finishers – and Nurnberg simply don’t fit the bill. On paper they do, for sure. Pre-season, I was really excited to see them flourish after so many good signings and the promise of Misidjan finally coming back from injury after years out. Instead, this season has begun to resemble last season’s disaster, which they only just ended up avoiding being relegated from.

Nurnberg really can’t afford to be dragged into another relegation battle. They’ve got one of the best squads in the division but that means nothing if they can’t start to prove it on the pitch – and they’re not. There are so many things I can pick fault with at this club but the main ones are their lack of belief and lack of work-rate. If you’re not prepared to put a shift in at Bundesliga 2 level, you simply may as well not bother showing up. This is an incredibly passionate division of football, and playing it without passion has worked well for zero teams over the years. Honestly, Nurnberg are in very real danger of going down because mentally, they’re the weakest team in the division. Even Braunschweig and Wurzburger Kickers have shown more balls than them, especially in 2021!

See, those teams have assessed their weaknesses, and made the appropriate signings to try and rectify them. That’s why I take their chances of surviving the drop seriously. They may not manage it, but they can both sleep with clear consciences at night, knowing they’ve done the right thing. Nurnberg, though? I genuinely don’t believe they could buy better players than they already have, and that’s not through a lack of resources. Having good players and playing good football are two very different bedfellows, I’m afraid, and Nurnberg simply cannot get the combination right. I’m just surprised they’ve not sacked boss Klauss for it yet; that seems to be the usual route for teams nowadays.

I know Nurnberg have absentees at the moment but it’s more than that, honestly – they had these issues when there weren’t injury problems, albeit made far less apparent by the occasional individual brilliance of creator Hack or the powerful line-leading of Schaffler. Injuries have only prevented them from paving over the cracks that were already there basically. Now Nurnberg are not just short on confidence and belief, but also their better players. Schaffler may be back, but Hack in midfield is still out, as is key Danish centre-back Sorensen. Attacking options like Lohkemper and Kopke are still injured, and there are legitimate concerns over the full-back role today with Valentini still a doubt too. 

You know me, folks – I will try and be as neutral as I can, and evaluate teams properly based on what I have seen. I honestly can’t tell you anything positive about Nurnberg though, other than that they should be a hell of a lot better than they are. The actual displays they churn out are pure garbage, though. Even when they do get the result they want, they still rely on luck an awful lot. They’re too passive, too slow, and far too easy to bully. Coming up against a team like Karlsruher really should be too much for them here; they can’t or won’t run as much as their hosts, and they simply don’t want it as much.

Therefore, despite the visitors being able to name a stronger side on paper, I’m more than happy to back the home win at evens.

Verdict: Karlsruher SC to win at evens.

Sivasspor vs Kayserispor 

KO: (UK time)

Sivasspor are usually a good home team so the concept of them being 4/5 to win at home against a team they tend to finish above in the Super Lig. They’re quite the underrated home team by folk outside of Turkey, I find. Winning in Sivas is tough, and not least because of how cold it tends to get up there. Kayseri is not far away though; the temperature is not going to upset them here, and with no fans able to attend this game, it’s hard for me to understand how Sivasspor are priced at 4/5 to win today.

Nothing is impossible in Turkish football, of course, but it still makes no sense. I tend to find that today’s hosts are seriously good at making brilliant signings under the radar, and magically rebuilding their squad every two or three years. They always try to play good attacking football, and scoring goals tends to come naturally to them. They’ve launched and re-launched the careers of many creative/goal-scoring players over the years, and will do in the years to come.

This year is one of their transitional years though, and that cannot be considered a surprise after they lost both Kilinc and Yandas to Galatasaray and Fenerbahce respectively pre-season. Those two absolutely ran the show for Sivasspor last season; they were the reason that the club finished where it did in the Super Lig table. Despite them making the right signings to replace them pre-season, things have not gone as well as Sivasspor hoped. Fajr has looked good, but other than Arslan, it’s hard to name another Sivasspor midfielder that has impressed me, which goes some distance as to explaining why they’ve barely monopolised possession this season.

Subsequently, that’s led to a lack of service for their frontmen. As it happens, they’ve got enough speed and general athleticism for long balls to still be an option but even that’s not worked with Ninga and Kayode highlighting their horrendous finishing, Kone finally looking his age, and only Gradel and Yatabare having any clue of what to do with the ball. I still maintain that Calimbay is a great manager at this level, and that this squad is only a couple of players away from being very good again. However, whilst things are as they are, they’re not going to keep teams out, they’re not controlling games, and they’re not creating enough chances to negate their poor finishing. To cap it off, potentially half of their back four (Appindangoye definitely, Osmanpasa maybe) are out today too – ouch.

The above, fused with the expected positive impact of Petrescu at Kayserispor, makes me think that the visitors will pick up their usual positive result in Sivas – and not many can say that. I think people have not only seriously underestimated the Romanian manager since his appointment, but that he’s also not getting the credit he deserves even after proving how good he is. I mean, only a very lucky Gaziantep and superior Fenerbahce have beaten Kayserispor since he took over; they’ve looked too smart for the rest, even beating the reigning champions Istanbul BB 2-0.

Petrescu’s football may not always be the most enterprising that you’ll find, but it’s generally very effective. He does his homework really well, and as a result his teams are very well prepared for everything that their opponents have to throw at them. Given that he’s generally tended to take over mid-table teams, there have always been teams that have been too good for his lads to deal with. For the most part though, his teams hold their own, and that’s been very true since he joined in January. They’ve picked up a lot of points during that period, and have looked really hard to beat.

They do need to get better at winning though; I know that. I was told by a scout that they were in the market for a striker in January, and they ended up with Dutch target man Luckaseen, whom Petrescu knew from his time in Romania. I don’t think he was what they needed, but he does tick a box, I suppose. I was far more excited by the arrival of Maglica, who has always impressed me at Hajduk Split in the past; he’s a very gifted creator, and a natural goal-scorer for someone that doesn’t lead the line. Petrescu’s signings have mostly gone under the radar but they’ve been good ones. He’s mostly gone for brawn and height to stop teams from bullying Kayserispor, and bearing in mind how many changes he’s made, his record at Kayserispor is even more impressive, really. They’re technically still in transition, not that you’d know it!

This team is now just equipped with some really talented creators Fernandes, and brilliant wide threats like Henrique, Lennon, and even Behich, but also height, strength, and determination. They’re working harder than before, Kayserispor, and looking far more organised. They seldom leave games without scoring goals any longer, and they rarely concede more than they score. Again, Petrescu has done a terrific job of anticipating opponents whilst building his latest project, and I can’t see that changing in Sivas today.

Therefore, backing Kayserispor to get a positive result at evens appeals to me.

Verdict: Kayserispor to win with a +0.5 Asian Handicap at evens.

IFK Mariehamn vs FC Honka Espoo 

KO: (UK time)

A handicap for the away team in Aland? I really don’t think I’ve ever done that before, and with good reason too! Crossing the Baltic tends to make teams a lot less effective for some reason so it’s fairly rare that I even oppose IFK Mariehamn at home, let alone do so heavily.

However, there’s a method to the madness, I assure you. I would also say to make the most of this because if the islanders’ squad develops as well as I think it will, they’re going to do well this season. Not enough to compete for major honours, you understand, but rough so to get a top six finish perhaps. Time will tell, really. As is always the case with IFK Mariehamn, they’ve made a lot of pre-season changes so it’s impossible to say for sure. They do tend to do it rather well though, and I believe they have this season.

I think they did good business to sell Ademi for what they did, for example, and replacing him with Hambo and Olawale – well, it’s just smart all round. Olawale is not a great finisher but he’s fast and strong; that’s all they need him for. Hambo is the goal-getter, and although he seemed to forget how to do that at FC Lahti for a while, his quality really cannot be called into question. Again, they’ve lost played pre-season, IFK Mariehamn, but they’ve replaced all of them – and done so well. 

The problem IFK Mariehamn have demonstrated lately is that they’ve not had any time to integrate their new signings. Indeed, that’s the whole purpose of this pre-season competition, which is something that continues to evade Ilves, it seems. IFK Mariehamn have adopted the correct approach to the Suomen Cup though, fielding their newbies, leaping into the swimming pool at the deep end. They’ve been on the receiving end of a couple of painful results, and I think they’ll get another beating today too. However, by the time that the Veikkausliiga comes around, they’ll be in a good place so it’s, yet again, smart from the islanders.

For now, I think Honka will have a fairly easy ride in Aland. They’ve got a bit of integrating to do themselves with Martin, Kandji, and Hervas having left, although they too have signed more than adequate replacements. Young Colombian striker Alegria looks really promising too; possibly even better than Martin because he’s more mobile. Smith will serve as Kandji’s replacement, and if his Ykkonen form last season is anything to go by, he’s a great buy. Wonderkid Pyyhtia will be the new Hervas, which is a tall order for the youngster but he demonstrated outstanding maturity and composure at TPS so why not? He’s looked good so far, and will be mentored well by Voutilainen and/or Tammilehto alongside him.

The Honka defence is in their typically unflinching mode, and their capacity to control games is still very strong. It’s just adding that touch of finesse to their attacks that needs to happen, which will come with time. That’s the area where they’ve made the most changes, ergo that’s the area that has the most improving to do. Still, against a largely unfamiliar IFK Mariehamn side that has to beat them, I have to believe that the Espoo outfit will have more than enough opportunities to do what’s necessary here. Haka didn’t want to come out and properly play in Espoo, and Inter Turku knew better than to try it before that, but IFK Mariehamn have no alternative; only a win will do.

To me, that places the advantage firmly in Honka’s court. They’re a very hard side to dispossess, to get at, and to stop. They’ve got so many clever players in the final third that can pop up anywhere that dealing with them has become very painful since Vesara took over. I mean, take Brazilian creator Kaufmann, for example. Whether he’s playing in the orthodox playmaker role, as a shadow striker, or as a wide threat, he’s always in the equation. Christ, I’ve seen this diminutive figure win more than his fair share of headers in the box by timing his runs perfectly. This is the level of meticulous quality we’re talking about with Honka, and against an IFK Mariehamn side with a lot of potential but that is still finding its feet, I’m sorry to say that the difference is simply chalk and cheese here.

Therefore, with generous odds of 57/50 available on Honka clearing the -1 Asian Handicap, I’m happy to take my chances today.

Verdict: FC Honka Espoo to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 57/50.

AGF vs SonderjyskE

KO: (UK time)

AGF being odds-on to beat SonderjyskE? Really? I can accept the favourites tag but this is a good team that they’re up against. I couldn’t argue with the idea of AGF being in better form but then they’ve had easier fixtures in 2021. Aside from that, I would also counter it by saying that SonderjyskE’s natural counterattacking style is better suited to games against good teams rather than similar/inferior teams.

The above was my thought place before I saw the team news. With SonderjyskE missing nobody, and AGF without Backman, Duncan, Jorgensen, Munksgaard, Tengstedt, and Tingager, I’m even more convinced that the visitors will pick up at least one point from today’s trip to Aarhus. That’s half of the home team’s back four missing from this one; arguably even more if you include Backman, who is a regular but has been injured for most of the present Superligaen campaign. Those absentees don’t make AGF crap, but it sure does make it more likely that they’ll need at least two in order to win it, and that doesn’t seem too likely to me.

Mortensen would oblige, I am sure – he’s been lethal for them this season. Thorsteinsson, Blume, Gronbaek, and newbie Arzani will all ensure that chances are created. AGF don’t leave many games without finding the back of the net, after all – credit to boss Nielsen for that. They’ve only kept five clean sheets this season though, and that’s a dangerous road to walk against a good team, let alone when you’re forced to because of absentees. AGF might win this game; football can be weird sometimes. It just doesn’t make sense for them to be odds-on in this scenario, basically.

I mean, SonderjyskE are no mugs. They went off the rails a tad toward the end of 2020 as they began to realise quite what it meant to be something of a powerhouse in Denmark. They’ve had money invested in the club, you see, which has suddenly enabled them to sign the likes of Onazi, Wright, and Thomas. It may not have worked out with Onazi, who left the club in the past few days to ply his trade in Lithuania with Zalgiris Vilnius, but I think it’s fair to say that they’ve invested rather shrewdly in general, SonderjyskE.

I mean, even Hassan is a good buy for them. The ex-FC Midtjylland is infamous in Denmark for his injury problems but the speed and dribbling he brings when fit makes him a very valuable weapon, albeit one sparingly utilised. Essentially, money has transformed SonderjyskE from a tenacious, plucky team into one with the same traits but with a fair amount of quality in advanced positions now. That may not make them into title rivals for Brondby, FC Copenhagen, and FC Midtjylland, but it makes the rest of the Superligaen fair game for them – and they’ve taken points off the top dogs this season too.

Subsequently, I’m left feeling like we’ll see an entertaining game here with goals, but one that the visitors really should get something from for the first time in three years!

Verdict: SonderjyskE to win with a +0.5 Asian Handicap at 51/50.

Rio Ave vs Famalicao

KO: (UK time)

In the past, I’d have gone for goals in a fixture of this nature. Rio Ave may not always take their chances well, but that never sways them in their desire to play the best attacking football in Portugal. They never achieve it, but it’s the thought that counts – and they do play some lovely stuff along the way. Indeed, their penalty shootout defeat against AC Milan in this season’s UEFA Europa League is something that will live with me forever because it was probably the best that I’ve ever seen, and Rio Ave really should have gone through. That, fused with Famalicao’s natural inclination for attacking, usually paves the way for high-scoring, entertaining fixtures – but not today. 

I do often wonder where they get their confidence from, Rio Ave, because there’s very little to back it up in terms of results. Still, their playing style is enough to attract all sorts of talented players to their club, even on a shoestring budget. I mean, Carlos Mane and Rafael Camacho flanking Dala? In a Cardoso team? That’s a ridiculously impressive combination for a team that isn’t supposed to be able to garner that kind of personnel, and that’s without me even mentioning Meshino, Pele, Gabrielzinho etc.

Cardoso is a really good manager. I still maintain that he was sacked by FC Nantes Atlantique far, far too early. He was charged with changing the entire dynamic at that club, making them into a confident, ball-playing team – which he did. They had no luck at the start but were putting in really impressive shifts. I remember them losing at home against AS Monaco but being the better team throughout, and you could see what he had brought to the club there and then. He needed other players, but that had to come with time. Instead, not for the last time, FC Nantes Atlantique rashly parted company with a man doing the right now. Their loss was Rio Ave’s gain though, as he’s now returned to the club where it all began for him.

It’s best to regard Rio Ave as a kind of midway team for players that want to prove themselves at this level again, or players that have become a bit too old for better teams – or even young players that have been forgotten about. Everybody here is on the same page though, just wanting to play good football and seeing where it takes them. Usually, that leads to some very hit-and-miss displays, usually laden with goals. Lately though, they’ve really played well. Beating Tondela at home may not look like much but breaking them down, especially at this stage of the season, is very hard. Furthermore, claiming a 3-1 win against an arguably superior Vitoria Guimaraes last time out was superb. Now they’re confident and effective, and hosting Famalicao in that mindset should only lead to good things for them, especially with such class acts in creative capacities for them.

The Famalicao project is falling apart, which helps. They’ve gone from being a superb surprise package last season with boatloads of promising youngsters to the punchline of the division, barely even scoring, let alone winning. They’ve lost too many good players without replacing them, despite their ‘friends’ status with Atletico Madrid. Gil Dias remains their only genuine match-winner, and that’s simply not enough, hence their league placing. Picking up a predominantly youthful team from malaise is even harder than it is with the average squad, too, because of their lack of experience. I think there’s a very real danger of Famalicao being relegated this season, to be honest.

Lately, they’ve brought in boss Silas to ‘bail them out’, which is a bit of a comedy appointment in itself, with all due respect. Silas is the kind of manager to bring in pre-season as he needs time to build; he’s not an impact manager, and Famalicao need the latter right now. They look completely out of their depth right now, today’s visitors. I’m at least confident that their attack will bounce back at some point, although where it’s enough to keep them up or not remains to be seen (I doubt it though). Their defence is just horrendous though. I don’t see how they can survive with that backline.

It’s not just that they’re bad at their jobs in defence at Famalicao, but that they all seem to have arrived at the club with the attitude of thinking that they’re better than they are. Subsequently, when the chips are down, Famalicao’s defenders run for the hills. Not one of them has stood up to be counted during this difficult phase in the club’s existence. This would never have been allowed to have lasted as long as it has if Pinto and Miranda were still at the club. Like many, though, they’re not; they’ve used Famalicao as a platform for progression, and moved on to bigger/better things, and that’s one of many reasons that Famalicao are in deep shit right now.

With the above in mind, I’m sure you can see why I fancy the home win at 19/20.

Verdict: Rio Ave to win at 19/20.

Zulte-Waregem vs Standard de Liege

KO: (UK time)

Cards on the table; I’m not the biggest fan of trusting Standard. They tend to be far too unpredictable for my liking. I am a big fan of Zulte-Waregem whilst Dury is in charge, though – it’s a real match made in heaven, that combination. So why the away win?

Well, Zulte-Waregem have really disappointed me lately. They’re prone to doing that, I suppose, because they rely on athleticism more than they do on quality and tactics. They’ll outlast and outfight most teams, Zulte-Waregem, but taking chances and keeping teams out is something that they struggle with. Even if you exclude their embarrassing Cup exit against Olympic Charleroi, they’ve simply not been at the races. They’ll always be an annoying team to face, but when a team like this struggles to score goals, they become ineffectual. 

The quality is still in their attack, mind you. Bruno has on fire this season, and Dompe has had his moments too. Vossen is a bit past-it now but there’s so much natural athleticism in this squad that they seldom fail to create chances. I just struggle to trust them in tough games because the better Belgian teams will generally outsmart them, which is something I believe to be very likely today, especially with defensive midfielder Sissako out. I still don’t remember the last time that Zulte-Waregem were ‘easy to beat’, but at the same time, I can’t remember the last time I watched them play in quite such an ordinary fashion.

The above is enough for me to fancy the visitors today, even without Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez having been at his best – and he’s by far their most talented footballer. Amallah is out for this game, but I’m not worried; Bokadi, Lestienne, Bastien, and Raskin have done perfectly well this season. I shouldn’t exclude rapid Balikwisha, either, who has been terrific. My main concern for Standard this season has been their lack of a natural line-leader though. Fortunately, they’ve addressed that problem in the most recent transfer window, acquiring towering Brazilian striker Klauss, who is both good in the air and surprisingly mobile.

Standard may have questionable attitudes in their squad at times, but they’re never far away from scoring goals, which is a very good start. They’re fast enough and creative enough to always be a threat to their opponents, and they seldom fail to take advantage of such. Facing a Zulte-Waregem side missing Sissako is a big boost for the visitors, and I’d like to think that Standard would want to head into next week’s eternal derby against Anderlecht with a win under their belts, you know?

Helpfully, they’ve got Leye as boss, who knows Belgian football inside out by now. He’s been surprisingly good as a manager. You know where I remember him the best from, though? Being a striker for Zulte-Waregem – and he was excellent too. He knows Zulte-Waregem and boss Dury inside out from his playing days. More than that – he understands the way the team plays, and has played for a long time now. Standard really couldn’t ask for a better manager to lead them today save Dury himself. I really don’t think that the superior visitors have any excuses for failing to take advantage of a somewhat limp Zulte-Waregem here.

For me, it’s an away win at 19/20.

Verdict: Standard de Liege to win at 19/20.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv 

KO: (UK time)

I appreciate that Maccabi Tel-Aviv have a UEFA Europa League second leg in Ukraine to prepare for, but if they don’t wipe the floor with rivals Hapoel Be’er Sheva in tonight’s Israeli State Cup offering, then there’s something very wrong.

I mean, I can tell you all day long that Maccabi Tel-Aviv are now out of Europe, and that the second leg is a dead rubber because Shakhtar Donetsk are going to destroy them – again. I still don’t think Maccabi Tel-Aviv will give up though; it’s not an Israeli trait. I also think that they need to focus on the Ligat Ha’al in order to continue sticking the knife into the back of a typically imploding Maccabi Haifa but nah, Maccabi Tel-Aviv are as pig-headed as they are proud; they’re still going to want to perform on the European stage, even though they’re all but out.

Despite the above though, and the almost inevitable rotation it brings, not to mention the continued absence of leading goal-scorer Cohen, I believe Maccabi Tel-Aviv will win this match very comfortably. It’s a remarkably good time to face Hapoel Be’er Sheva for a lot of reasons, and a good time to back Maccabi Tel-Aviv, who have been very efficient in the Ligat Ha’al in 2021, both in terms of grinding out results now they’ve got two full-backs that can serve as makeshift wingers in dominant games, and also in terms of paying their ‘bills’ to officials on time. Whichever way you paint it, the reigning Ligat Ha’al champions are confident at the moment.

Cohen’s out? I’m not concerned here; Serbian target man Pesic can step in and do a good job, or even experienced poacher Shechter. Blackman’s not been upto task much this season? That’s fine; Ben-Haim has remembered how to play football now. With Rikan, Biton, Almog, and Peretz in the equation, Maccabi Tel-Aviv will generally find a way through with the proviso that their usual full-backs – Saborit and Geraldes – are on the pitch to be the classy overlappers that Maccabi Tel-Aviv have come to rely upon. They’re too good for Hapoel Be’er Sheva nowadays, to be frank.

Of course, Hapoel Be’er Sheva themselves have played a big part in the above. I hate to see it, but they’ve made it incredibly easy for me to want to oppose them. Letting Abukasis return to Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv was one bad thing, but then to bring in Ronny Levi as his replacement was just a disaster. It doesn’t even matter that he’s not in charge here; the fact that he’s come in can only be classed as a disturbance to a team that was in the middle of a resurgence when this all blew up. He’s really going for the clean sweep in Israel, having already messed up at Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi Netanya, and Maccabi Haifa. Going from the streetwise football of Abukasis to the pedestrian football of this dinosaur will not help Hapoel Be’er Sheva in any way whatsoever.

The team was already in disarray from Abukasis leaving, and only shocking Hapoel Haifa defending masked that – and even then, just for a while. With Levi joining, a 3-0 hammering at home against MS Ashdod still in mind, wantaway Josue writing shit on his social media page, and now boatloads of absentees, it’s hard for me to be optimistic about Hapoel Be’er Sheva at this moment in time, even though they’ve got their favourite owner back, and even though they’ve brought defender Elhamid back from his stint in Scotland to help out their shocking defence.

Elhamid is probably going to have to play in this game, too. Vitor, Dadya, Acolatse, and even the shambling idiot that is Goldberg are all out in defence today so it’s a real baptism of fire for the returning centre-back, who will have to get to know Bareiro very swiftly indeed! This is not a time for absentees and poor mentalities, but that’s the score, folks – and not just in defence either. No, Keltjens is a midfield regular, and he’s out. Josue is the star of the show, both from a creative and goal-scoring perspective, and he’s out. Powerhouse Salalich in midfield is still out too. Even Colombian forward Agudelo is out. Can you even make a starting eleven with what’s left? I can’t.

Therefore, despite rotation, and despite priorities being elsewhere, I have to believe that Maccabi Tel-Aviv are going to comfortably win this State Cup affair, much to Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s chagrin. 

Verdict: Maccabi Tel-Aviv to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 31/20.

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.

Australian A-League:

Melbourne Victory – Rojas is absent. McManaman, Lawrie-Lattanzio, and Kamsoba return.
Newcastle Jets – Hoffman and Kantarovski are absent. Millar is now available. Najjarine returns.
Wellington Phoenix – Ball, Hemed, Laws, Sotirio, and DeVere are absent. Devlin returns.
Western Sydney Wanderers – Dorrans, Mourdoukoutas, and Janjetovic are absent. McGowan, Mutch, Aquilina, and Muller return.

Austrian Bundesliga:

Sturm Graz – Trummer is absent.
Wolfsberger AC – Peretz is a doubt.
Admira Wacker Babuscu, Ganda, and Tomic are absent.
LASK Linz – Raguz, Reiter, Karamoko, and Grgic are absent.
Salzburg – Bernardo is absent.
Rapid Vienna – Dibon, Schobesberger, and Velimirovic are absent. 

Belgian Eerste Klasse:

RSC Anderlecht – Cobbaut, Murillo, Verschaeren, and van Crombrugge are absent.
Kortrijk – de Sart and D’Haene are absent.
Zulte-Waregem – de Ruyver, Sissako, and Zarandia are absent. Kainourgios and van Hecke are doubts.
Standard de Liege – Bodart, Amallah, and Vanheusden are absent. Fai and Oulare are doubts.
Racing Genk – No absentees.
Germinal Beerschot – Noubissi is absent.
Antwerp – Butez, Coopman, de Sart, Haroun, and Mbokani are absent. Batubinsika is a doubt.
Sint-Truiden – Asamoah is absent.

Brazilian Serie A:

Corinthians – Avelar, Santos, Mantuan, and Ruan are absent.
Vasco da Gama – Werley is absent.
Flamengo – Alves and Maia are absent.
Internacional – Guerrero, Moledo, and Boschilia are absent.
Sport Recife – Barcia is absent.
Atletico Mineiro – Keno is absent.
Gremio – Geromel, Gomes, and Pinares are absent.
Athletico Paranaense – Azevedo, Canesin, Erick, and Gonzalez are absent.
Santos – Jobson, Kaio Jorge, Raniel, and Sanchez are absent.
Fluminense – Ganso and Cardoso are absent. Paulo and Silva are doubts.
Goias No absentees.
RB Bragantino – Alerrandro, Ortiz, Helio Junio, and Artur are absent. 

Croatian Prva Liga:

NK Osijek – Bockaj, Gyursco, Santini, Ndockyt, Topcagic, and Grezda are absent.
Rijeka – Capan, Velkovski, and Nwolokor are absent. 

Czechia Liga 1:

Ceske Budejovice – Skovajsa and Talovierov are absent.
Opava – Hnanicek, Lu. Holik, Jurena, Lasak, Pikul, Rychly, Scudla, Vecerka, Zidek, Harazim, and Darmovzal are absent.
Karvina – Santos and Sinyavskiy are absent. Neuman and Qose are doubts.
Slovan Liberec – Matousek and Karafiat are absent. Nguyen is a doubt.
Viktoria Plzen – Hejda, Kopic, Horava, and Kovarik are absent.
Bohemians 1905 – Pokorny, Vales, and Bartek are absent. Kostl and Schumacher are doubts.
Teplice – Droehnle, Knapik, Plachy, and Shejbal are absent. Reznicek is a doubt.
Slavia Prague – Sima, Yusuf, Sevcik, and Hovorka are absent. Tecl is a doubt.

Danish Superligaen:

Randers – Kamara and Nielsen are absent.
FC Nordsjaelland – Amon, Diomande, and Hansen are absent.
AC Horsens – Dyhr and Pohl are absent. Gomez and Risgaard Jensen are doubts.
OB – Fenger, Frokjaer, Mande, and Skjelvik are absent.
AGF – Backman, Duncan, Jorgensen, Munksgaard, Tengstedt, and Tingager are absent.
SonderjyskE – Ekanis’ red card has been rescinded.
Brondby – Riveros is absent.
Vejle – Schoop, Ezatolahi, Yanga, and Dwamena are absent. Briggs, Greve, and Gundelund are doubts.

English Premier League:

West Ham United – Ogbonna, Yarmolenko, and Masuaku are absent. Balbuena and Antonio return.
Tottenham Hotspur – Kane returns. Aurier, Reguilon, and Lo Celso are absent.
Aston Villa Cash, Hause, and Wesley are absent.
Leicester City – Morgan, Fofana, Praet, Perez, and Justin are absent. Castagne returns.
Arsenal – Partey is a doubt. Tierney returns.
Manchester City – Ake is absent. Gundogan returns.
Manchester United – Cavani, McTominay, and van de Beek are doubts. Pogba and Jones are absent.
Newcastle United – Wilson. Schar, Manquillo, and Fernandez are absent. Hendrick returns. 

French Ligue 1:

Montpellier HSC Delort, Oyonogo, and Ristic are absent.
Stade Rennais – Grenier, Tait, and del Castillo are absent.
Racing Club Lens – Ganago and Traore are absent.
Dijon FCO – Assale, Balde, Ebimbe, Benzia, Chafik, and Sammaritano are absent.
OGC Nice – Atal, Dante, Danilo, Dolberg, Lotomba, Reine-Adelaide, and Lopes are absent. Maolida is a doubt.
Metz – Cabit, Boahene, N’Doram, Nguette, Niane, and Pajot are absent.
Nimes Olympique Depres, Landre, Martinez, Roux, Sarr, and Valerio are absent.
Girondins de Bordeaux – Otavio and Sabaly are absent.
Racing Club Strasbourg – Mothiba, Prcic, Sels, Simakan, and Zohi are absent.
Angers SCO – Ebosse, Bahoken, Amadou, and Alioui are absent.
Lorient – Fontaine and Saunier are absent.
Lille OSC – Yilmaz is absent.
Paris Saint-Germain – Bernat, Dagba, di Maria, Pembele, and Neymar are absent.
AS Monaco – Geubbels and Martins are absent. 

German Bundesliga:

Augsburg Berisha, Cheon, Finnbogason, Iago, and Petkov are absent. Framberger returns.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Gedikli, Arias, Baumgartlinger, L. Bender, Hradecky, and Paulinho are absent. S. Bender returns.
Hertha Berlin Boyata, Cordoba, Dilrosun, Plattenhardt, Torunarigha, and Werthmuller are absent.
RB Leipzig – Hartmann, Laimer, Novoa, and Szoboszlai are absent.
TSG Hoffenheim – Akpoguma, Bicakcic, Brenet, Geiger, Klein, B. Hubner, Nordtveit, Philipp, Sessegnon, Vogt, and Stafylidis are absent. Kramaric and Skov are doubts. Possible rest for Kaderabek.
Werder Bremen – Erras and Plogmann are absent. Augustinsson, Veljkovic, andFriedl are doubts.

German Bundesliga 2:

Fortuna Dusseldorf – Buhler, Gorka, Gul, Mitryushkin, and Touglo are absent. Appelkamp is a doubt.
Hannover 96 – Ducksch, Evina, Falette, Gudra, Lamti, Maina, Ratajczak, Sundermann, Tarnat, and Twumasi are absent.
Karlsruher SC – Carlson, Hanek, and Kother are absent.
Nurnberg – Besong, Goden, Hack, Klandt, Knothe, Kopke, Lohkemper, Lukse, and Sorensen are absent. Valentini is a doubt.
Würzburger Kickers – Hansen and Hemmerich are absent.
Hamburger SV – Ambrosius, Gjasula, Leistner, Mickel, and van Drongelen are absent. 

Israeli State Cup:

Hapoel Be’er Sheva Rosa and Elhamid may debutise. Keltins, Agudelo, Dadia, Josue, Acolatse, Goldberg, Salalich, and Vitor are absent. New boss Levi will not take control for this game.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv – Y. Cohen and Kartsev are absent. Glazer and Golasa return.

Italian Serie A:

Parma – Valenti, Nicolussi Caviglia, and Pelle are absent.
Udinese – Pussetto and Jajalo are absent. Forestieri and Deulofeu are doubts.
AC Milan – Mandzukic and Bennacer are absent. Diaz is a doubt.
Internazionale – Sensi is absent.
Atalanta Bergamo – Hateboer is absent. Maehle is a doubt.
SSC Napoli – Mertens, Lozano, Ospina, Manolas, Hysaj are absent. Demme, Politano, Ghoulam, and Koulibaly are doubts.
Benevento – Letizia and Volta are absent.
AS Roma – Cristante, Kumbulla, Zaniolo, and Smalling are absent. 

Italian Serie B:

Reggina – No news.
Pordenone – Gavazzi and Calo are absent.
Lecce – Adjapong, Calderoni, Dermaku, Tachtsidis, and Listkowski are absent.
Cosenza – No news.

Dutch Eredivisie:

FC Twente Enschede – Selva, Ilic, Cerny, and Brama are absent.
Feyenoord Rotterdam – Teixeira, Bijlow, and Marsman are absent.
RKC Waalwijk – Ngonge, Haddouti, Wouters, and Lutonda are absent.
Heracles Almelo – van der Water, Bakboord, Ibrahimoglu, Azzaoui, Sierra, and Quagliata are absent.
SC Heerenveen – van Hecke and Llanez Jr. are absent.
FC Groningen – Robben, Joosten, and Matusiwa are absent.
PSV Eindhoven – Madueke, Gakpo, Romero, Viergever, Boscagli, and Ledezma are absent.
Vitesse Arnhem – No absentees.
AFC Ajax Amsterdam – Onana is absent.
Sparta Rotterdam – Aussar and Coremans are absent.

Portuguese Liga 1:

Rio Ave – Pereira is absent.
Famalicao – Neto is absent.
Pacos de Ferreira – Diaby, Silva, and Tanque are absent.
Vitoria Guimaraes – Agu, Amoah, Jhonatan, and Mascarenhas are absent.
Sporting Braga – Carmo, Fonte, Moura, and Sequeira are absent.
Tondela – No absentees.
Farense Nunes and Pinto are absent.
SL Benfica – Jardel and Almeida are absent. 

Spanish Primera Liga:

Barcelona -Araujo, Coutinho, Fati, and Roberto are absent.
Cadiz – Cala, Quezada, and Akapo are absent. Fernandez is a doubt.
Real Sociedad – Barrenetxea, Elustondo, Fernandez, Isak, Moya, Sangalli, Sola, and Zaldua are absent.
Deportivo Alaves – Ely, Navarro, and Abqar are absent.
Huesca Mosquera, Silva, and Valera are absent.
Granada – Milla, Quini, Soldado, and Suarez are absent. Lozano is a doubt.
Athletic Club – Nolaskoian, Nunez, and Vesga are absent,
Villarreal – Gaspar, A. Moreno, Iborra, and Coquelin are absent. 

Swiss Super League:

Lugano Macek, Sabbatini, and Maric are absent. Custodio and Daprela are doubts.
Luzern – Ndenge, Lucas, Binous, Alabi, Schwegler, and Frydek are absent.
Young Boys Bern – Martins-Pereira, Petignat, and Sierro are absent.
Servette – Ri. Alves, Antunes, Fofana, Henchoz, and Diallo are absent. Ondoua is a doubt.
FC Zurich – Wallner, Tosin, Seiler, Reichmuth, Kololli, and Janjicic are absent. Dzemaili and Sobiech are doubts.
FC Sion – Uldrikis, Vlasenko, Kabashi, Iapichino, Doldur, Araz, and Andersson are absent. 

Turkish Super Lig:

BB Erzurumspor Obertan, Rashani, Ackah, and El Kabir are absent. Mina is a doubt.
Hatayspor – Popov is absent. Ornek and Abdioglu are doubts.
Sivasspor Rybalka, Goiano, and Appindangoye are absent. Osmanpasa and Kayode are doubts.
Kayserispor Alibec, Uzun, Lung, and Henrique are absent.
Gazisehir Gaziantep – Kana-Biyik, Dicko, and Tetteh are absent.
Antalyaspor – Akyol is absent. Ozturk, Iyican, Yilmaz, and Drole are doubts.
Fenerbahce – Lemos, Perotti, Pelkas, Gustavo, and Kahveci are absent. Gonul and Novak are doubts.
Goztepe – Napoleoni is a doubt.

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.

Australian A-League:

Melbourne Victory vs Newcastle Jets (6) 2-1
Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers (6) 0-2

Austrian Bundesliga:

Sturm Graz vs Wolfsberger AC (5) 2-1
Admira Wacker vs LASK Linz (5) 0-1
Salzburg vs Rapid Vienna (6) over 2.5 goals, at least one red card in this game

Belgian Eerste Klasse:

RSC Anderlecht vs Kortrijk (6) 2-1
Zulte-Waregem vs Standard de Liege (6) 1-2
Racing Genk vs Germinal Beerschot (6) 2-0
Antwerp vs Sint-Truiden (5) 1-1

Brazilian Serie A:

Corinthians vs Vasco da Gama (6) 1-0
Flamengo vs Internacional (5) 1-1
Sport Recife vs Atletico Mineiro (5) 1-2
Gremio vs Athletico Paranaense (6) 1-0
Santos vs Fluminense (5) 2-2
Goias vs RB Bragantino (6) 1-2

Bulgarian A PFG:

Beroe vs Slavia Sofia (6) 2-1
Etar vs Levski Sofia (5) 1-1

Croatian Prva Liga:

NK Osijek vs Rijeka (5) 1-1

Czechia Liga 1:

Ceske Budejovice vs Opava (6) 2-0
Karvina vs Slovan Liberec (5) 1-2
Viktoria Plzen vs Bohemians 1905 (6) over 2.5 goals
Teplice vs Slavia Prague (6) 1-2

Danish Superligaen:

Randers vs FC Nordsjaelland (6) 2-1
AC Horsens vs OB (5) 2-1
AGF vs SonderjyskE (5) 0-1
Brondby vs Vejle (6) 2-0

English Premier League:

West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur (5) 1-0
Aston Villa vs Leicester City (6) 0-0
Arsenal vs Manchester City (6) 0-2
Manchester United vs Newcastle United (6) 2-1

Finnish Suomen Cup:

IFK Mariehamn vs FC Honka Espoo (6) 0-2

French Ligue 1:

Montpellier HSC vs Stade Rennais (5) 1-1
Racing Club Lens vs Dijon FCO (6) 2-0
OGC Nice vs Metz (6) 0-0
Nimes Olympique vs Girondins de Bordeaux (5) 0-1
Racing Club Strasbourg vs Angers SCO (5) 1-1
Lorient vs Lille OSC (4) 1-1
Paris Saint-Germain vs AS Monaco (4) 2-2

German Bundesliga:

Augsburg vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (5) 1-2
Hertha Berlin vs RB Leipzig (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
TSG Hoffenheim vs Werder Bremen (4) 1-2

German Bundesliga 2:

Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Hannover 96 (5) 0-0
Karlsruher SC vs Nurnberg (6) 2-0
Würzburger Kickers vs Hamburger SV (5) over 2.5 goals

Hungarian Liga 1:

Budafoki MTE vs Puskas FC (5) 0-1
Paksi SE vs Varda SE (6) over 2.5 goals

Israeli State Cup:

Hapoel Acre vs Beitar Jerusalem (5) 1-1
Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (6) 0-2, at least one red card in this game

Italian Serie A:

Parma vs Udinese (5) 2-1
AC Milan vs Internazionale (6) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Atalanta Bergamo vs SSC Napoli (5) 1-1
Benevento vs AS Roma (4) 2-2

Italian Serie B:

Reggina vs Pordenone (6) 1-0
Lecce vs Cosenza (6) 2-1

Dutch Eredivisie:

FC Twente Enschede vs Feyenoord Rotterdam (5) 1-0
RKC Waalwijk vs Heracles Almelo (5) 1-2
SC Heerenveen vs FC Groningen (4) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
PSV Eindhoven vs Vitesse Arnhem (5) over 2.5 goals
AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs Sparta Rotterdam (6) over 2.5 goals

Portuguese Liga 1:

Rio Ave vs Famalicao (6) 1-0
Pacos de Ferreira vs Vitoria Guimaraes (6) 1-1
Sporting Braga vs Tondela (4) 1-1
Farense vs SL Benfica (6) 1-2

Portuguese Liga 2:

Leixoes Matosinhos vs Estoril (5) 1-1
Penafiel vs FC Porto II (6) 2-0
Academico Viseu vs Arouca (6) 0-0

Spanish Primera Liga:

Barcelona vs Cadiz (6) over 2.5 goals
Real Sociedad vs Deportivo Alaves (6) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Huesca vs Granada (5) 1-1
Athletic Club vs Villarreal (5) 2-1

Swedish Svenska Cupen:

Kalmar FF vs Umea FC (6) over 2.5 goals
Malmo FF vs Vasteras SK (7) over 2.5 goals
Halmstad vs GAIS (4) 1-1
Mjallby Solvesborg vs Akropolis (5) 2-1
BK Hacken Goteborg vs Dalkurd (7) over 2.5 goals
Gauthiod vs Helsingborg (5) 1-2
Djurgarden vs Brage (7) 2-0
Landskrona BoIS vs Ostersunds FK (5) over 2.5 goals

Swiss Super League:

Lugano vs Luzern (4) 1-2
Young Boys Bern vs Servette (6) over 2.5 goals
FC Zurich vs FC Sion (6) 1-0

Turkish Super Lig:

BB Erzurumspor vs Hatayspor (5) 1-1
Sivasspor vs Kayserispor (5) 1-1
Gazisehir Gaziantep vs Antalyaspor (5) 2-1
Fenerbahce vs Goztepe (6) 2-1

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