TFT Issue 380!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich – home win with -1 Asian Handicap at 5/6.
Today’s featured game is the UEFA Champions League game in Spain between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The tie is finely poised following a 2-1 win for Bayern Munich in the first leg and thus I expect a damn good game here.
In my opinion, Real Madrid operated at around 65-70% capacity in the first leg in Munich. I don’t know if it was an intentional move of Mourinho’s or whether his players naturally did it but they conserved their energy for the game with Barcelona at weekend, which paid huge dividends, as they’ve all but secured the Primera Liga title by winning in their rivals’ backyard. Now they can divert their attention back to the Champions League and with bitter rivals Barcelona having now crashed out of the tournament, Real Madrid fans must be rubbing their hands with glee! They’re the best side that remains in this tournament so who can blame them?
The first obstacle Madrid will have to overcome is their inability to defend. Robben and Ribery are world-class wingers and will cause problems against any defence but Madrid made it easy for them in the first leg by lacking cohesion and composure, most notably in Portuguese left-back Coentrao. They’re going to need to be aware of the speed that Bayern break at too. If they can handle those factors then a win should be a guarantee for the hosts because Gomez rarely scores without a gluttony of chances. I admire the big “German” striker’s tenacity but he’s not the most gifted of finishers on the big stage.
Attack-wise, you have to favour Madrid here. Benzema, Ozil, Kaka, di Maria, and especially Ronaldo – there are always goals in that attack. Ronaldo is simply unplayable and I expect to see that more than ever in this game against a dubious Bayern defence. Madrid will be spurred on by the win at Barcelona at weekend, by the departure of Barcelona from the Champions League last night, and by their own fans at the Bernabeu, not to mention the mouth-watering prospect of defeating another big side to reach the Champions League Final!
So; what can Bayern do to stop Madrid here? There’s no sense in them “parking the bus” like Chelsea did last night because they’re not good enough to pull it off, especially without van Buyten available to them. Indeed, Schweinsteiger’s likely to start from the bench and that causes them a problem with leadership and composure in midfield with Luis Gustavo often more likely to leave a challenge with an assault charge rather than the ball.
Therefore, Bayern should play to their strengths and attack Madrid. If they do, there’s a chance that they’ll progress, especially if they actually take their chances. Nobody doubts the attacking power of Bayern as it’s there for all to see. All I would question is how likely they are to produce the goods because as motivated as they’ll unquestionably be for his game, I struggle to see the unity in this team, especially without the reassuring presence of Schweinsteiger in the side. Ribery and Robben reportedly fought after the first leg and whether it’s true or not doesn’t really matter to me as it’s classic Bayern in the sense that there are a lot of big egos in their team and not many left playing for the badge nowadays. With that in mind, I have to give Madrid the advantage today because heads can easily drop if they fall behind, which they are likely to.
Therefore, my call is for Madrid to beat the -1 Asian Handicap today. I think Bayern will put up a good show until they fall behind. After that, I expect a loss of focus and a more reckless approach to the game for the Germans, which allows those lethal Madrid counter-attacks to flourish. Please don’t take the European Handicap here as we all know that Madrid can concede in any game at any stage. The Asian Handicap is very appealing at 5/6, though, as the insurance allows for Madrid to concede the odd daft goal without you losing your stake. Therefore, my call is for Madrid to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 5/6
Verdict: Real Madrid to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 5/6.
Team news
UEFA Champions League:
Real Madrid – No absentees.
Bayern Munich – Breno and van Buyten are absent. Schweinsteiger is likely to start from the bench.
Italian Serie A:
Novara – Ludi, Marianini, and Ujkani are absent. Jeda is a doubt.
Lazio – Makinwa, Hernanes, Lulic, Klose, Stankevicius, and Brocchi are absent. Radu is a doubt.
Palermo – Migliaccio, Balzaretti, and Bertolo are absent. Pisano is a doubt.
Parma – Mariga is absent. Gobbi is a doubt.
Siena – Belmonte, Gonzalez, Giorgi, Calaio, Angelo, and Pegolo are absent.
Bologna – Mudingayi, Crespo, Pulzetti, Gillet, Casarini, and Krhin are absent.
Cesena – Martinez, Pudil, Martinho, Calderoni, Mutu, Iaquinta, and von Bergen are absent.
Juventus – Quagliarella is absent.
Lecce – Julio Sergio and Miglionico are absent.
SSC Napoli – Donadel and Pandev are absent. Lavezzi and Rosati are doubts.
AS Roma – Totti, Burdisso, Juan, Lobont, Stekelenburg, Bojan, and Lamela are absent.
Fiorentina – Kroldrup, Pasqual, and Vargas are absent. Jovetic and Montolivo are doubts.
Udinese – Isla, Coda, and Fernandes are absent. Badu is a doubt.
Internazionale – Castaignos and Samuel are absent. Zanetti and Chivu are doubts.
AC Milan – Inzaghi, Roma, Pato, Ambrosini, Thiago Silva, Seedorf, and Robinho are absent. Bonera is a doubt.
Genoa – Rossi and Mesto are absent. Belluschi is a doubt.