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.
KO: (UK time)
Despite injuries mounting at the reigning champions, I still expect them to have too much for Botev Vratsa here. The quality gap is too big, they’re at home, and recently cannot afford any more slip-ups in the A PFG this season.
Verdict: Ludogorets Razgrad to win at 13/100.
KO: (UK time)
Away wins in the Faroe Islands are not so easy to call; the geographical complications make it a lot harder than in most countries. However, I don’t remember ever seeing a better team than KI in the Betrideildin; they even eclipse the old HB Torshavn side of a decade or so back. Therefore, anything but an away win here would surprise me; they’ll win most games this season.
Verdict: KI to win at 9/50.
KO: (UK time)
Even in the early stages of the Betrideildin, anything but a HB win in the capital would be a surprise. AB are not good travellers, and aren’t near the level of their hosts. True enough, this isn’t the best HB side I’ve seen, but the quality gap should be enough for a home win.
Verdict: HB Torshavn to win at 3/20.
KO: (UK time)
After doing a professional job in the KNVB Beker midweek, I expect PSV to continue their winning ways against lowly Excelsior Rotterdam here. They’re at home, they’re playing well, and converting chances well. Excelsior do threaten on counters but they can’t keep teams out for long so the home win should be somewhat inevitable here.
Verdict: PSV Eindhoven to win at 9/100.
KO: (UK time)
I was toying with backing a Roar win here but 6/5 is a bit too skinny for me. I mean, it’s not as if they’re better than the Jets; they’re just a bit more effective overall. That can be negated by their need for points though, as they’ll ultimately have to push out toward the end if they’re not winning, and their centre-backs are slow in that situation. Say what you like about the Jets, but they know how to counter at speed. Therefore, the 1×2 market is somewhat off my radar for now.
Under 2.5 goals, though? That floats my boat. The need for points is great for both teams; I suppose that’s my only real concern. However, Roar don’t take risks unless they have to (so either late in the game, or if they fall behind) and the Jets couldn’t even dominate ten men City last time out, and conceded a late set piece because they were sat so deep. In other words, these two teams are not the kind to play out high-scoring matches unless the circumstances say otherwise.
The Jets hope to have Sotirio back for this game, but I doubt it. He’s very injury-prone so I don’t know what they’d risk it, especially given how limited they’ve been on the creativity front this season. They’ve been so poor there that Papas had to change formation during the season, and of late they’ve even kicked Dartsmelia out of the squad, presumably because he’ll be leaving in the close season. Mikeltadze is an excellent striker but with the likes of Piscopo and Buhagiar not at their best for different reasons, it’s hard to imagine them hurting a Roar defence that is usually watertight. Saito is a threat, though – he lends them a certain class.
In other words, Roar should run the show here. I think that’ll suit both teams because the Jets only do damage on counters, for the most part, and slotting Jenkinson in at centre-back has helped them frustrate opponents more. The Jets also know that Roar struggle to create chances too. They’ve been massively over-reliant on O’Shea and his set pieces this season, which is why new boss Green has been trying to get more men forward since taking over – they just don’t create chances otherwise, and even that’s not exactly scaring opponents.
Roar do finally have a target man to call upon (Scepovic) but they’re yet to find a good way to ‘serve’ him. Lofthouse is like a new man under Green; he’s been excellent. There’s a lot of mobility and drive in this team when getting forward now but no more effectiveness, really. As much as I understand why he’s done it, Green has lost effectiveness because he’s benched Armiento, who has been one of their best players in the final third this season. They’re still a bit too predictable, Roar, and breaking teams down is simply not their forte.
I expect these two teams to annoy one another greatly here. Cards on the table; I think they’ll both fear losing more than they embrace the chance of winning. If either does take the lead, I expect them to sit on it. Therefore, it’ll take some weird circumstances for this game to go over 2.5 goals.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at evens.
KO: (UK time)
Braunschweig are ballsy brawlers but they’re lacking in knowhow and quality, which is beginning to show. The form guide doesn’t reveal it as much as it should, but they’re beginning to look a little stretched. They won’t give up, obviously – it’s not in their nature. However, they’ve got some really tired legs in their squad, and I can’t see how they’re going to do a job on a good team like Kaiserslautern, much as though recent history says otherwise.
I remember watching the reversal of this fixture and wondering how Braunschweig got away with a point. They should have been 2-0 down within ten minutes, and would have lost it at the death if not for Fejzic – and their heroic shot stopper is out today. I can’t fault Braunschweig for their pluck and belief, and they’ve had some really good games this season. I guess what I am trying to say, though, is that they’re more reactive than anything. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn’t help when there are tired legs a-plenty.
For my money, Braunschweig don’t create enough chances of their own volition; they’re too dependent upon opponents making mistakes. Ujah is naturally lethal on his day, but let’s be honest now – he’s not had ‘his day’ very often over the past few years. Pherai has come on well as the season has progressed, and Lauberbach has his moments, but this is a very limited team that relies upon physical traits more than individual ability. In other words, it’s not the kind of team that should be able to handle a Kaiserslautern outfit gunning for promotion.
Admittedly, the visitors have struggled of late though. They’re without a win in four matches, and for my money, this is pretty much a last chance saloon for them before they kiss their unexpected promotion push goodbye. They’ve been scoring goals as well as an overrated Boyd-led team could be expected to, but lately it’s in defence where they’ve found themselves struggling. They’re a naturally attack-minded team, Kaiserslautern, but they’ve not been putting in the necessary legwork at the other end, hence eight goals shipped in four matches. That does bother me, I must admit.
Still, I think that this team plays with a great attacking threat, and that always gives them a chance. Again, I think this is a must win match for them, and as much as Boyd’s finishing irritates me, he is still a handful. Let’s not overlook what de Preville brings them too, albeit somewhat sporadically. Of course, most of their good work stems from Redondo and Klement; they’re their only two midfielders that can be proper match-winners on their day.
Kaiserslautern do have good players to call upon though; that’s the thing. They’re good at scoring from set pieces, and they’re extremely tough mentally. This is not the best team in the league; far from it. However, they function really well as a unit, more often than not, and they have a lot more to offer than the form guide suggests. Coming up against a Fejzic-less Braunschweig – keeping in mind that de Medina and Decarli in defence are also out – seems like a good opportunity for Kaiserslautern to get back on track.
I don’t believe the visitors will lose this game as long as they can get over their Braunschweig hoodoo, and I rather fancy them to nick it.
Verdict: Kaiserslautern to win with draw no bet at 89/100.
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:
Brisbane Roar – Knowles is a doubt. Lofthouse returns. Kruse is absent.
Newcastle Jets – Dartsmelia, James are absent. Sotirio is a doubt.
Macarthur FC – Drew, Davila, Arabuli, and Arzani are absent.
Western Sydney Wanderers – Marcelo is absent. Schneiderlin and Cleur are doubts.
Austrian Bundesliga:
SV Ried – Cosgun and Stosic are absent.
Hartberg – No absentees.
Austria Lustenau – Bellache, Berger, Rhein, and Maak are absent.
SCR Altach – Zwischenbrugger, Schreiner, Reiter, and Jungdal are absent. Balic is a doubt.
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
OH Leuven – Kiyine and Nsingi are absent. Taildeman and Toku are doubts.
KV Mechelen – Falchou and Walsh are absent.
Kortrijk – Osabutey and Tanaka are absent.
AS Eupen – Bitumazala, From, Gorenc, A. Keita, and Magee are absent.
Sporting Charleroi – Morioka, Benbouali, Stulic, and van Cleemput are absent.
Zulte-Waregem – Ciranni and Tambedou are absent.
AA Gent – Fortuna, Godeau, Hjulsager, and Lemajic are absent.
Union Saint-Gilloise – No absentees.
Bulgarian A PFG:
Ludogorets Razgrad – Nedelov, Nedyalkov, Yankov, Almeida, and Jonathan are absent. Tekpetey, Tissera, and Despodov return.
Botev Vratsa – No news.
Levski Sofia – Petris, Stefanov, and Dimitrov are doubts.
Lokomotiv Sofia 1929 – No absentees.
Czechia Liga 1:
Slovan Liberec – Gebre Selassie, Preisler, and Visinsky are absent. Mikula and Fukala are doubts.
Zlin – Fillo and Hlousek are absent.
Slovacko – Kohut is absent. Doski is a doubt.
Banik Ostrava – Frydrych, Lischka, Takacs, and Tetour are doubts.
Zbrojovka Brno – Endl and Soucek are absent.
Hradec Kralove – Kodes and Kucera are absent. Cihak and Sevcik are doubts.
Viktoria Plzen – Kopic, Kliment, and Reznik are absent. Chory is a doubt.
Baumit Jablonec – Kratochvil and Malinsky are absent. Houska and Krob are doubts.
English Premier League:
Manchester United – Garnacho, Casemiro, Greenwood, Heaton, and van de Beek are absent. Shaw and Eriksen are doubts.
Everton – Calvert-Lewin, Doucoure, and Townsend are absent. Vinagre is a doubt.
Aston Villa – Coutinho, Cash, Kamara, and Steer are absent.
Nottingham Forest – Biancone, Boly, Henderson, Richards, and Wood are absent. Aurier, Dennis, Lingard, Yates, and McKenna are absent.
Brentford – Ajer and Lewis-Potter are absent. Onyeka is a doubt.
Newcastle United – Almiron, Fraser, and Krafth are absent.
Fulham – Kebano, Kurzawa, and Mitrovic are absent.
West Ham United – Scamacca is absent.
Leicester City – Dewsbury-Hall, Justin, and Vestergaard are absent. Bertrand, Tielemans, and Evans are doubts.
Bournemouth – Fredericks and Stanislas are absent. Senesi is a doubt.
Tottenham Hotspur – Bissouma, Bentancur, Davies, Emerson Royal, Lucas Moura, and Sessegnon are absent. Richarlison is a doubt.
Brighton & Hove Albion – Lallana, Moder, and Sarmiento are absent. Caicedo and Lamptey are doubts.
Wolverhampton Wanderers – Jonny, Chiquinho, Neves, and Kalajdzic are absent. Traore is a doubt.
Chelsea – Azpilicueta, Broja, and Silva are absent.
Southampton – Larios and Livramento are absent. Adams, Bella-Kotchap, and Salisu are absent.
Manchester City – Foden and Mendy are absent.
French Ligue 1:
Angers SCO – Diony, Blazic, Eneme-Ella, Kalla, Salama, and Zinga are absent.
Lille OSC – Djalo and Ismaily are absent.
OGC Nice – Boudaoui, Atal, Diop, Lotomba, and Viti are absent.
Paris Saint-Germain – Mukiele, Kimpembe, Neymar, Ramos, and Soler are absent.
German Bundesliga:
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund – Duranville, Gurpuz, Lotka, Kamara, N. Schlotterbeck, Papadopoulos, Morey, N. Schulz, and Unbehaun are absent.
Union Berlin – Baumgartl, Maciejewski, Mohwald, Schafer, Pantovic, and Oztunali are absent. Ronnow is a doubt.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Amiri, Azhil, Eze, Lunev, Schick, and Mbamba are absent.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Bignetti, Grahl, Horz, Otto, Loune, Lindstrom, Simoni, Schroder, Smolcic, Toure, and Wenig are absent.
SC Freiburg – Kyereh is absent. Lienhart and Kubler return.
Bayern Munich – Hernandez, Hulsmann, Neuer, Wanner, Upamecano, Tel, and Schenk are absent.
Mainz 05 – Burkard and Onisiwo are absent.
Werder Bremen – Agu, dos Santos Haesler, and Pieper are absent.
Augsburg – Demirovic, Dorsch, Hahn, Katic, Pedersen, Mbila, Leneis, Klein, Yeboah, and Strobl are absent.
Koln – Andersson, F. Dietz, Roloff, and Uth are absent.
Hertha Berlin – Boetius, Ejuke, Jarstein, Jovetic, Nsona, and Ullrich are absent. Richter returns.
RB Leipzig – Clark, Gulacsi, Nickisch, X. Schlager, and Schlieck are absent. Nkunku and Poulsen are doubts.
German Bundesliga 2:
Hamburger SV – Amaechi, Mickel, Montero, Vuskovic, Muheim, and Oppermann are absent.
Hannover 96 – Borner, Dehm, Kerk, Ondoua, Uhlmann, Stolze, Stahl, and Walbrecht are absent.
Nurnberg – Mathenia, Schleimer, and Wekesser are absent.
Karlsruher SC – Breithaupt, Choi, Eisele, and O’Shaughnessy are absent.
Eintracht Braunschweig – de Medina, Fejzic, Decarli, Ihorst, and Wiebe are absent.
Kaiserslautern – No absentees.
Heidenheim – Beck is absent.
St. Pauli – Ahlers, Amenyido, Avevor, Nemeth, Winter, Smith, Maurides, Matanovic, and Smarsch are absent.
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
MS Ashdod – Can’an, Ohana, and Cooperman are absent. Cohen returns.
Hapoel Jerusalem – Malmoud and Nidam are absent. Glazer returns.
Maccabi Haifa – Menahem is absent. Muhamad is a doubt.
Maccabi Netanya – Sade, Avraham, and Rotman are absent.
Italian Serie A:
Udinese – Deulofeu, Pereyra, and Ebosse are absent.
Monza – Caprari and Caldirola are absent.
ACF Fiorentina – Amrabat and Sirigu are absent.
Spezia – Moutinho and Reca are absent.
Atalanta Bergamo – Hateboer, Toloi, and Koopmeiners are absent.
Bologna – Arnautovic, Bagnolini, and Cambiaso are absent.
Sampdoria – Conti, Gunter, Pussetto, Murillo, and Audero are absent.
Cremonese – Chiriches and A. Ferrari are absent.
Hellas Verona – D. Coppola, Henry, Hrustic, Depaoli, Lazovic, and Sulemana are absent.
Sassuolo – No absentees.
Torino – Ilic, Karamoh, Vieira, Zima, and Aina are absent.
AS Roma – Karsdorp is absent.
SS Lazio – No absentees.
Juventus – Chiesa, Kean, Pogba, and Jorge are absent.
Dutch Eredivisie:
Vitesse Arnhem – Propper, Wittek, and Dijks are absent.
Go Ahead Eagles – Romans is absent.
AZ – Dekker, de Wit, Westerveld, and Martins Indi are absent.
Sparta Rotterdam – de Guzman is absent.
PSV Eindhoven – Mauro Junior, Benitez, and Fofana are absent.
Excelsior Rotterdam – Awoudja, Fein, Besuijen, Donkor, Nieuwpoort are absent.
SC Heerenveen – van Aken, Zaal, Noppert, and van Beek are absent.
FC Volendam – No absentees.
Portuguese Liga 1:
Arouca – Vitinho and Dabbagh are absent.
Maritimo Funchal – Mendes and Trmal are absent.
Portimonense – Ventura is absent.
Rio Ave – Joca is absent.
Pacos de Ferreira – Marafona is absent.
Famalicao – Fonseca and Puma are absent.
Sporting Braga – No absentees.
Estoril – Africo is absent.
Spanish Primera Liga:
CA Osasuna – Garcia is absent. Avila is a doubt.
Elche – Carmona, Alamo, and Nteka are absent. Palacios is a doubt.
RCD Espanyol – Gomez, Gori, Olivan, and Pedrosa are absent.
Athletic Club – Lekue and Morcillo are absent.
Real Sociedad – Merquelanz, Fernandez, Sadiq, Zubeldia, and Zubimendi are absent.
Getafe – Arambarri and Mata are absent.
Real Madrid – Mendy is absent.
Villarreal – Capoue, Coquelin, Jackson, and G. Moreno are absent. Albiol is a doubt.
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Brommapojkarna – Jelassi is a doubt.
Malmo FF – Moisander and Siby are absent. Lomotey is a doubt.
Degerfors – Djurdjic is absent.
Halmstad – Hjertstrand and Olsson are absent. Friberg, Baffoe, and An. Johansson are doubts.
Swiss Super League:
FC Zurich – Santini, Tosin, and Omeragic are absent.
FC Basel – Comas and Frei are absent.
FC Sion – Cyprien, Balotelli, Iapichino, Moubandje, and Nsakala are absent.
Servette – Douline, Diallo, Magnin, Antunes, Bauer, and Cespedes are absent. Rodelin is a doubt.
Swiss Challenge League:
Stade Lausanne-Ouchy – Abi, da Silva, Maroufi, Onkony, and Qarri are absent.
Aarau – No absentees.
FC Wil – Maier and Strubi are absent. Abazi is a doubt.
FC Thun – Bamert, Hirzel, and Luchinger are absent.
Turkish Super Lig:
Ankaragucu – Kitsiou is a doubt. Milson, Kaldirim, Ariyibi, Kwateng, and Ferdi are absent.
Istanbulspor – Rroca is absent. Ergun is a doubt.
Kasimpasa – Gholizadeh, Ciftpinar, and Gemicibasi are absent. Ben Ouanes and Koita are doubts.
Trabzonspor – Trezeguet, Tokoz, Asan, Parmak, and Hugo are absent.
The "remaining thoughts" section is there to be a rough guide in case you want to get involved in games we haven't tipped. It is not there to tell anybody to back specific scorelines, or to guarantee that "2-2" games will go over 2.5 goals, for example. Ian lists what he believes to be the most likely outcome, and this is based on his assessment as to which way each game will develop. However, a "remaining thoughts" game listed with a 2-2 scoreline may have only just edged out a 0-0 scoreline in terms of probability because each game can develop in different ways.
Australian A-League:
Brisbane Roar vs Newcastle Jets (5) 1-0
Macarthur FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers (6) 0-2, at least one red card in this game
Austrian Bundesliga:
SV Ried vs Hartberg (5) 2-1
Austria Lustenau vs SCR Altach (6) 1-1
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
OH Leuven vs KV Mechelen (4) 1-1
Kortrijk vs AS Eupen (5) 2-1
Sporting Charleroi vs Zulte-Waregem (6) 1-0
AA Gent vs Union Saint-Gilloise (5) 1-1
Bulgarian A PFG:
Ludogorets Razgrad vs Botev Vratsa (7) 2-0
Levski Sofia vs Lokomotiv Sofia 1929 (6) 1-0
Croatian Prva Liga:
Gorica vs NK Osijek (5) 1-1
Lokomotiva Zagreb vs Dinamo Zagreb (5) 0-1
Rijeka vs Sibenik (6) 2-0
Czechia Liga 1:
Slovan Liberec vs Zlin (6) 1-0
Slovacko vs Banik Ostrava (6) 1-0
Zbrojovka Brno vs Hradec Kralove (5) 1-0
Viktoria Plzen vs Baumit Jablonec (6) 2-0
English Premier League:
Manchester United vs Everton (5) 0-0
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest (6) 2-0
Brentford vs Newcastle United (6) 1-1
Fulham vs West Ham United (5) 1-0
Leicester City vs Bournemouth (5) 2-2
Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion (4) 1-2
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea (5) 0-0
Southampton vs Manchester City (6) 1-2
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Laagri vs Trans Narva (5) 0-1
Kuressaare vs Flora Tallinn (4) 1-1
Vaprus Parnu vs Tammeka (5) 1-2
Faroese Betrideildin:
IF vs Vikingur Gota (6) 1-2
EB/Streymur vs TB (6) 2-0
HB Torshavn vs AB (7) 2-0
B36 Torshavn vs B68 Toftir (7) 2-1
07 Vestur Sorvagur vs KI (7) 0-2
French Ligue 1:
Angers SCO vs Lille OSC (5) 0-1
OGC Nice vs Paris Saint-Germain (5) 2-1
German Bundesliga:
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund vs Union Berlin (6) over 2.5 goals
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs Eintracht Frankfurt (5) 1-2
SC Freiburg vs Bayern Munich (5) 2-2
Mainz 05 vs Werder Bremen (6) 2-1
Augsburg vs Koln (6) 0-0
Hertha Berlin vs RB Leipzig (5) 0-1, at least one red card in this game
German Bundesliga 2:
Hamburger SV vs Hannover 96 (5) 2-1
Nurnberg vs Karlsruher SC (6) 0-1
Eintracht Braunschweig vs Kaiserslautern (6) 0-1
Heidenheim vs St. Pauli (6) 2-1
Hungarian Liga 1:
Puskas FC vs Kecskemeti TE (6) 2-0
Fehervar vs Ujpest (6) 1-0
Paksi SE vs Ferencvaros (5) 2-1
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
MS Ashdod vs Hapoel Jerusalem (6) 1-0
Maccabi Haifa vs Maccabi Netanya (6) 2-1
Italian Serie A:
Udinese vs Monza (5) 1-0
ACF Fiorentina vs Spezia (6) 2-0
Atalanta Bergamo vs Bologna (6) 2-0, at least one red card in this game
Sampdoria vs Cremonese (5) 1-0
Hellas Verona vs Sassuolo (5) 1-2
Torino vs AS Roma (5) 0-0
SS Lazio vs Juventus (6) 1-1
Lithuanian A Lyga:
FK Panevezys vs Zalgiris Vilnius (6) 1-1
Dainava vs FA Siauliai (5) 1-0
Dutch Eredivisie:
Vitesse Arnhem vs Go Ahead Eagles (4) 1-1
AZ vs Sparta Rotterdam (6) 2-1
PSV Eindhoven vs Excelsior Rotterdam (7) over 2.5 goals
SC Heerenveen vs FC Volendam (6) 1-0
Portuguese Liga 1:
Arouca vs Maritimo Funchal (6) 1-0
Portimonense vs Rio Ave (5) 1-1
Pacos de Ferreira vs Famalicao (6) 2-1
Sporting Braga vs Estoril (6) 2-0
Spanish Primera Liga:
CA Osasuna vs Elche (5) 1-0
RCD Espanyol vs Athletic Club (6) 1-1
Real Sociedad vs Getafe (6) 2-0
Real Madrid vs Villarreal (6) 2-1
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Brommapojkarna vs Malmo FF (5) 1-2
Degerfors vs Halmstad (6) 0-0
Swiss Super League:
FC Zurich vs FC Basel (5) 1-0, at least one red card in this game
FC Sion vs Servette (5) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Swiss Challenge League:
Stade Lausanne-Ouchy vs Aarau (6) 1-2
FC Wil vs FC Thun (5) 2-1
Turkish Super Lig:
Ankaragucu vs Istanbulspor (6) 1-0
Kasimpasa vs Trabzonspor (5) 2-2
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