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)
This should be a walkover. Forest just don’t know how to defend. This may not be a great Liverpool team, but they’re not stupid, and they will punish you if you aren’t disciplined at the back, especially at Anfield. I can’t see the home team letting their opponents off the hook here. United should have bagged six against them at the weekend; it would not surprise me if Liverpool succeeded in doing so.
Verdict: Liverpool to win at 17/100.
KO: (UK time)
I’m sure Sheffield United will give this semi-final their absolute maximum, and I wouldn’t be unhappy if they won it! I just don’t see it happening, though. City are far too good for them, and arguably the best team in Europe right now. One way or another, I have to believe that Guardiola’s fellas will find a way to win this one, whether it’s done convincingly or not.
Verdict: Manchester City to win at 7/50.
KO: (UK time)
I still don’t have complete trust for Real Madrid but they should be able to beat Celta de Vigo at home. Let’s face it; they need to, and they’ve got the firepower to do so. I always admire the Galicians’ capacity to counter swiftly so I’m sure they’ll pose a threat here. I just can’t see them scoring as many as Real Madrid, to be frank.
Verdict: Real Madrid to win at 2/5.
KO: (UK time)
F3 derby or not, a Mariners win should be on the agenda here. The Jets have been poor lately, especially when breaking teams down. I may not be over the moon about the notion of trusting the Mariners away from home, but the Jets are just so predictable that anything other than an away win here would surprise me.
The Jets rode their luck massively last weekend. I still don’t know how they won that game. Ok, Macarthur FC sat too deep, and thus it wasn’t exactly a crime that the Jets won, being as they were the only team trying to do so, for the most part. However, the Jets did such a bad job of it that it’s a miracle they won the game. A lucky set piece goal from nowhere gave them the lead, then panic set in and they should have conceded twice before they actually did concede. Then an O’Neill rocket from absolutely nowhere, and from an impossible angle, won them the game. For me though, it was yet another predictably uninspired Jets showing.
They’ve got some good players, the Jets, but they just don’t function properly in the final third. Papas had a go at doing things his own way this time around, rather than relying on foreign flair players, and it’s just not worked out. There has been too much inconsistency and too many injury problems from the likes of Buhagiar, Sotirio, and Piscopo, which has made it almost impossible for Mikeltadze to remind us of how good a finisher he is.
I do think that the Jets have looked more solid since they moved Jenkinson to centre-back, though – the dropping of Natta now makes more sense, although I regard him rather highly. I also think that they have a good option in Al-Taay for when they need to push Thurgate further forward – he proved his worth when O’Neill was out. Their attack remains a big problem though, and it’s one that Kaltak and Triantis should not struggle to contain.
The Mariners look rather good in attack at the moment. Montgomery is pushing them forward more too, which I like. McGarry has slotted in so well at left-back too; he’s a real asset to them offensively. With Tulio dropping into space, and Cummings both a lethal predator and clever creator, not to mention the wide threats from Nkololo and Silvera, the Mariners are a very hard team to anticipate nowadays, and they’re even harder to stop.
My biggest crib with the away team is their lack of options in central midfield. Nisbet is a good playmaker and Balard puts himself about well. The moment either of them dip though, the Mariners struggle to get going in games, and that’s especially apparent away from home. That’s when teams start to get at Kaltak and Triantis, and that’s when their high defensive line becomes more of a problem than it helps them.
Still, I like where the Mariners are at, and I find it easy to trust them to score goals whether they play well or not. They’re up against a team that they know they’re better than, and they also know that they’ve got a colossal do-or-die encounter with Adelaide United next week so winning today is absolutely quintessential if they want to finish higher up the ladder, which actually does hold merit in the A-League.
Therefore, 11/10 on the away win here suits me just fine, keeping in mind that the Jets must win this game too, which means abandoning the defensive shape that they’re usually quite settled with.
Verdict: Central Coast Mariners to win at 11/10.
KO: (UK time)
I rather fancy goals in this one. These two teams tend to push one another’s buttons anyway, but the significance of this particular meeting in the capital is not lost on me. I don’t personally think that Servette will win the Super League but if they have any intention of doing so, then winning here is an absolute must. Anything other than that, and they might as well give up now because Young Boys Bern already have one hell of a buffer. That, fused with the defensive problems that the Genevans have exuded far too regularly this season, makes me believe that Servette are going to attack here.
And why not attack Young Boys Bern? They’re not untouchable. I’ve watched them struggle to control most games this season, really. Their strength lies in their match-winners in the final third, because they have a lot of them. Even without the suspended Nsame today, they still have Elia and Itten up front, and the brilliant trio of Ugrinic, Rieder, and Fassnacht supporting their charges, not to mention the superb Garcia tearing forward from left-back. They don’t struggle to score goals, Young Boys Bern, whether they play well or not.
Truth be told though, they don’t tend to play well anymore. They don’t suffocate teams like they used to. They’re exceptionally vulnerable to long balls over their centre-backs, and they always give chances away in general. This simply isn’t the team that they used to be, and the Super League table is really misleading with that in mind. The sole reason they’re so far ahead of the rest is that nobody else has three to six match-winners in the final third in every match.
However, Young Boys Bern could spank Servette too; that’s the problem with backing them, or opposing them. I’ve watched them do it to both FC Winterthur and St. Gallen already this season in very even affairs, running out 5-1 winners on each occasion. That’s the danger with this team; they can obliterate you without deserving it. Unfortunately for Servette, their defence is quite open to being hit like that nowadays. There’s simply not a good centre-back combination in their squad, which will be the first task for their new manager to resolve next season after Geiger leaves in the summer.
At the same time though, Servette’s attack is really good. The continued absence of Douline in midfield means that protecting their suspect back four is a nightmare. However, when you’ve got Antunes, Cognat, and Valls supporting Stevanovic, Kutesa, and Bedia (or Crivelli, who has been preferred of late), you know that chances will come. I hope they field Bedia today because playing off the shoulder of the last man is his game, and Young Boys Bern play a high defensive line (quite badly, too).
Therefore, I can’t rule the visitors out from springing a shock here. Besides, without checking to make sure I’m correct, I believe that Servette have a better record of beating them than anybody else does – they’re frequently described as the ‘bogey’ team of Young Boys Bern. I’m curious to see what happens. I really don’t think that they can play for a draw as if that was an acceptable outcome, and that should make this game more interesting because both outfits are lethal with space in behind.
For me, this is the kind of game that should contain a lot of goals.
Verdict: Over 3 Asian goals at 21/20.
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:
Newcastle Jets – Duncan and Goodwin are slight doubts.
Central Coast Mariners – Tapp and Sozer are absent.
Western United – O’Toole, Bozinovski, and Najjarine are absent. Diamanti and Kilkenny are slight doubts.
Melbourne City – Sulemani is absent. Van der Venne, Good, and Leckie are slight doubts.
Austrian Bundesliga:
SCR Altach – Schreiner, Reiter, and Jungdal are absent.
SV Ried – Cosgun, Nutz, and Stosic are absent.
WSG Tirol – Ogrinec and Blume are absent.
Austria Lustenau – Berger, Bacic, and Gedikli are absent. Rhein is a doubt.
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
RFC Seraing – Bernier, Galje, and Tremoulet are absent.
Westerlo – Bernat, Daci, and Lucas Mineiro are absent.
Brazilian Serie A:
Fluminense – Gustavo Apis, Alan, Jorge, Martinelli, and de Silva Liberato are absent.
Athletico Paranaense – Bissoli and Marcelo Cirino are absent.
Sao Paulo – Caio and Joao Moreira are absent.
America Mineiro – No absentees.
Cuiaba – Uendel is absent.
RB Bragantino – Kawe, Leo Ortiz, Lomonaco, Luan Candido, Lucas Cunha, Raul, and Vitinho are absent.
Cruzeiro – Fernando Henrique, Reynaldo, and Wesley Gasolina are absent.
Gremio – Pedro Geromel is absent.
Bulgarian A PFG:
Hebar 1918 – Arsenio Valport returns.
Arda – No news.
CSKA 1948 Sofia – Simeon Petrov and Jonathan are absent. Bidunga is a doubt.
Lokomotiv Plovdiv – Conte, Segura are absent.
Czechia Liga 1:
Pardubice – Huf, Mares, and Solil are absent.
Hradec Kralove – Cihak, Gabriel, Kubala, and Sevcik are absent. Leibl is a doubt.
Slovacko – Kohut and Travnik are absent. Danicek is a doubt.
Sparta Prague – Jankto, Celustka, Mejdr, and Pesek are absent. Minchev is a doubt.
Sigma Olomouc – Prichystal, Vrastil, and Matousek are absent. Fortelny and Rusek are doubts.
Teplice – Knapik and Vondrasek are absent. Kucera is a doubt.
Mlada Boleslav – Vanicek is a doubt.
Banik Ostrava – Tijani is absent. Frydrych, Takacs, and Tetour are doubts.
Slavia Prague – Jurasek, Hronek, and Lingr are absent. Kacharaba, Hromada, Mandous, and Sevcik are doubts.
Bohemians 1905 – Matousek, Beran, Petrak, and Shejbal are absent. Cermak is a doubt.
English Premier League:
Fulham – James, Kebano, Kurzawa, and Mitrovic are absent.
Leeds United – Adams and Dallas are absent.
Brentford – Ajer, Jansson, and Lewis-Potter are absent.
Aston Villa – Steer is absent. Bailey, Cash, Coutinho, and Kamara are doubts.
Crystal Palace – Guaita, Clyne, and Zaha are absent. Ferguson is a doubt.
Everton – Coleman, Doucoure, and Townsend are absent. Onana and Vinagre are doubts.
Leicester City – Justin, Pereira, and Vestergaard are absent. Bertrand, Barnes, and Evans are doubts.
Wolverhampton Wanderers – Chiquinho and Kalajdzic are absent. Traore is a doubt.
Liverpool – Bajcetic, Keita, and Ramsay are absent.
Nottingham Forest – Boly, Biancone, Aurier, Henderson, Kouyate, Richards, Chris Wood, and Yates are absent. Colback and Scarpa are doubts.
English FA Cup:
Manchester City – Mendy and Ake are absent.
Sheffield United – Brewster, Norrington-Davies, O’Connell, Osborn, and Stevens are absent.
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
KTP – No news.
IFK Mariehamn – Olawale and Raita are absent.
SJK – Vainionpaa is a doubt.
FC Lahti – Jarvenpaa, Virta, Andrade, and Penninkangas are absent.
French Ligue 1:
AJ Auxerre – Mensah, Massengo, Dugimont, Owusu, and Ruiz-Atil are absent.
Lille OSC – Djalo and Ounas are absent.
Racing Club Lens – Abdul Samed, Buksa, Cabot, Farinez, Fortes, Le Cardinal, and Said are absent.
AS Monaco – Aguilar, Embolo, and Sarr are absent.
German Bundesliga:
Mainz 05 – Riess and Burkardt are absent.
Bayern Munich – Hernandez, Hulsmann, Neuer, Wanner, Schenk, and Pavard are absent.
TSG Hoffenheim – Asllani, Bruun Larsen, Che, Eduardo Quaresma, Noll, Damara, Pentke, and Quarshie are absent. Vogt is a doubt. Dolberg and Dabbur return.
Koln – Andersson, F. Dietz, Kobbing, Roloff, and Uth are absent. Hubers is a doubt.
VfL Bochum – K. Schlotterbeck and M. Tolba are absent.
VfL Wolfsburg – Franjic, Klinger, L. Nmecha, Paredes, Paulo Otavio, and Schulze are absent. Arnold and Wimmer return.
Hertha Berlin – Ejuke, Jarstein, Nsona, Ullrich, and Uremovic are absent. New boss – Dardai is back in charge.
Werder Bremen – Agu is absent. Fullkrug returns.
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund – Duranville, Gurpuz, Kamara, Lotka, Meunier, Papadopoulos, N. Schulz, and Unbehaun are absent. Hummels returns. Modeste is a doubt.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Bignetti, Grahl, Horz, Jakic, Lindstrom, Loune, Max, Otto, Smolcic, Toure, Schroder, Simoni, and Wenig are absent. Ndicka is a doubt.
German Bundesliga 2:
Arminia Bielefeld – Gremsl, Hahne, Ince, and Schepp are absent.
Hannover 96 – Kerk, Momuluh, Muroya, Nielsen, Ondoua, Stahl, Stolze, Uhlmann, and Walbrecht are absent.
Nurnberg – S. Blum, Castrop, Daferner, F. Hubner, Mathenia, Nurnberger, and Wekesser are absent.
Fortuna Dusseldorf – Hendrix, Hennings, and Tanaka are absent.
Hansa Rostock – Litka and Scherff are absent.
Greuther Furth – No absentees.
Eintracht Braunschweig – Donkor, Ihorst, Kischka, Schulze Kokelsum, and Wiebe are absent.
Magdeburg – Castaignos, Conde, El Hankouri, Krempicki, Kath, Halbouni, Franzke, A. Muller, Piccini, and Schuler are absent.
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Hapoel Jerusalem – Malmoud and Altman are absent.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva – Solomon, Elias, Abu-Abeid, and Martins are absent. Vitor and Hatuel are doubts.
Maccabi Netanya – Glabov, Zlatanovic, Sade, Avraham, and Rotman are absent. Shlomo is a doubt. Twumasi returns.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv – Yeini and Davidzada are absent.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv – Kancepolski, Ozbolt, and Gonzales are absent.
Maccabi Bnei Raina – No news.
Ironi Kiryat Shmona – No news.
Sektzia Nes Tziona – Battocchio and Trust are absent.
Hapoel Haifa – Elhamid, Mizrahi, and Glazer are absent.
Bnei Sakhnin – Ashkenazi, Kayal, and Ghantus are absent. Melamed is a doubt.
Italian Serie A:
Salernitana – Valencia, Crnigoj, and Fazio are absent.
Sassuolo – Berardi is absent.
SS Lazio – Cataldi is absent.
Torino – Vieira, Zima, Aina, Ricci, and Pellegri are absent.
Sampdoria – Conti, Pussetto, Audero, and Sabiri are absent.
Spezia – Moutinho, Holm, Beck, Ampadu, and Zurkowski are absent.
Dutch Eredivisie:
SC Heerenveen – van Aken, Noppert, van Beek, and Zaal are absent.
FC Emmen – Guclu, Mendes, Scholt, Hoesen, Hareveld, Lieder, and Kieftenbeld are absent.
FC Groningen – Blokzijl and Abraham are absent.
NEC – Roefs, Verdonck, and deWolf are absent.
Vitesse Arnhem – Propper and Wittek are absent.
Excelsior Rotterdam – Nieuwpoort, Markelo, Fein, Besuijen, Awoudja, and Donkor are absent.
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Brann Bergen – No absentees.
Valerenga Oslo – Borchgrevink is absent.
Portuguese Liga 1:
Famalicao – Fonseca and Puma are absent. Mihaj is a doubt.
Maritimo Funchal – Beltrame and Trmal are absent. Rene is a doubt.
Boavista – No absentees.
Rio Ave – Joca is absent.
Pacos de Ferreira – Hernani Infande is absent.
FC Porto – No absentees.
Spanish Primera Liga:
CA Osasuna – Gomez and Brasanac are absent. Torro is a doubt.
Real Betis Balompie – Fekir and Ruibal are absent. Ruiz and Sabaly are doubts.
Almeria – Toure, Ramazani, and Mendes are absent. Akieme and Pozo are doubts.
Athletic Club – D. Garcia, Morcillo, and Muniain are absent. Lekue is a doubt.
Real Sociedad – Merquelanz, Le Normand, Rico, and Sadiq are absent.
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid – Catena and A. Garcia are absent.
Real Valladolid – Anuar is absent. Olaza is a doubt.
Girona – Bueno, Castellanos, Herrera, Kebe, and Roca are absent. Callens and Lopez are doubts.
Real Madrid – Alaba and Mendy are absent.
Celta de Vigo – Marchesin, Mallo, and Mingueza are absent.
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Hammarby – Trawally and Collander are absent.
Varberg – Mensah, Liljenback, and Birkfeldt are absent. F. Andersson is a doubt.
Degerfors – Djurdjic is absent. Ohsson and Gravius are doubts.
Elfsborg Boras – Frick and Ondrejka are doubts.
Swiss Super League:
FC Winterthur – Gantenbein, Ramizi, and Pukaj are absent.
Grasshopper Zurich – Shabani, Momoh, and Schettine are absent.
Young Boys Bern – Nsame, Ruegg, Benito, Camara, and von Ballmoos are absent.
Servette – Diallo, Magnin, Rodelin, Bauer, and Douline are absent.
Swiss Challenge League:
Aarau – Eberhard is absent.
Neuchatel Xamax – Balaruban, Cavanda, Ouattara, Pinga, Saiz, and Tushi are absent. Del Toro is a doubt.
Stade Lausanne-Ouchy – Bamba, Gassama, Abi, Maroufi, Onkony, and Qarri are absent.
FC Thun – Bamert and Hirzel are absent. Oberlin is a doubt.
Turkish Super Lig:
Umraniyespor – Yilmaz and Kirintili are absent.
Besiktas JK – Tosun is a doubt. Sanuc and Alli 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:
Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners (6) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Western United vs Melbourne City (5) 1-1
Austrian Bundesliga:
SCR Altach vs SV Ried (5) 1-0
WSG Tirol vs Austria Lustenau (5) 2-2
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
RFC Seraing vs Westerlo (5) 1-2
Brazilian Serie A:
Fluminense vs Athletico Paranaense (6) 2-1
Sao Paulo vs America Mineiro (5) 1-0
Cuiaba vs RB Bragantino (5) 1-2
Cruzeiro vs Gremio (6) 0-0
Bulgarian A PFG:
Hebar 1918 vs Arda (5) 1-0
CSKA 1948 Sofia vs Lokomotiv Plovdiv (5) 2-1
Croatian Prva Liga:
Istra 1961 vs Dinamo Zagreb (6) 0-1
Hajduk Split vs Varazdin (6) 2-1
Czechia Liga 1:
Pardubice vs Hradec Kralove (5) 0-0
Slovacko vs Sparta Prague (6) 1-1
Sigma Olomouc vs Teplice (5) 1-0
Mlada Boleslav vs Banik Ostrava (6) 2-1
Slavia Prague vs Bohemians 1905 (6) 2-0, at least one red card in this game
English Premier League:
Fulham vs Leeds United (6) 2-1
Brentford vs Aston Villa (5) 2-2
Crystal Palace vs Everton (6) 2-1
Leicester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (5) 1-1
Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest (7) over 2.5 goals
English FA Cup:
Manchester City vs Sheffield United (8) 2-0
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Trans Narva vs Tallinna Kalev (4) 0-0
Faroese Logmanssteypid:
TB vs B68 Toftir (4) 2-2
B36 Torshavn vs KI (5) 1-2
IF vs 07 Vestur Sorvagur (5) 2-1
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
KTP vs IFK Mariehamn (6) 0-0
SJK vs FC Lahti (6) 1-0
Finnish Ykkonen:
KPV vs TPS (6) 1-2
JaPS vs Ekenas IF (5) 1-1
Jaro Pietarsaari vs KaPa (6) 2-0
French Ligue 1:
AJ Auxerre vs Lille OSC (5) 1-2
Racing Club Lens vs AS Monaco (5) 1-0
German Bundesliga:
Mainz 05 vs Bayern Munich (6) 1-2
TSG Hoffenheim vs Koln (5) 1-1
VfL Bochum vs VfL Wolfsburg (5) 1-1
Hertha Berlin vs Werder Bremen (4) 1-2
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund vs Eintracht Frankfurt (5) 2-2
German Bundesliga 2:
Arminia Bielefeld vs Hannover 96 (6) 1-0
Nurnberg vs Fortuna Dusseldorf (5) 0-0
Hansa Rostock vs Greuther Furth (4) 1-1
Eintracht Braunschweig vs Magdeburg (5) over 2.5 goals
Hungarian Liga 1:
Fehervar vs Kecskemeti TE (6) 2-1
Vasas Budapest vs Ferencvaros (4) 1-1
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Hapoel Jerusalem vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva (6) 1-2
Maccabi Netanya vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (5) 2-2
Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs Maccabi Bnei Raina (5 1-0
Ironi Kiryat Shmona vs Sektzia Nes Tziona (6) 1-0
Hapoel Haifa vs Bnei Sakhnin (5) 1-1
Italian Serie A:
Salernitana vs Sassuolo (5) 1-2
SS Lazio vs Torino (6) 2-1
Sampdoria vs Spezia (5) 2-1
Italian Serie B:
Cittadella vs Genoa (6) 1-1
Como vs Ascoli (6) 1-0
Frosinone vs Sudtirol (6) 2-1
Modena vs SPAL (5) 1-1
Parma vs Cagliari (6) over 2.5 goals
Perugia vs Cosenza (6) 1-0
Palermo vs Benevento (5) 1-1
Lithuanian A Lyga:
FA Siauliai vs Riteriai (6) 1-2
Dutch Eredivisie:
SC Heerenveen vs FC Emmen (6) 1-0
FC Groningen vs NEC (5) 1-1
Vitesse Arnhem vs Excelsior Rotterdam (6) 2-0
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Brann Bergen vs Valerenga Oslo (5) 1-1
Portuguese Liga 1:
Famalicao vs Maritimo Funchal (6) 2-1
Boavista vs Rio Ave (4) 0-1
Pacos de Ferreira vs FC Porto (4) 1-1
Spanish Primera Liga:
CA Osasuna vs Real Betis Balompie (6) 1-1
Almeria vs Athletic Club (5) 0-0
Real Sociedad vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid (6) over 2.5 goals
Real Valladolid vs Girona (5) over 2.5 goals
Real Madrid vs Celta de Vigo (7) 2-1
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Hammarby vs Varberg (6) 1-0
Degerfors vs Elfsborg Boras (5) 1-2
Swiss Super League:
FC Winterthur vs Grasshopper Zurich (5) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Young Boys Bern vs Servette (5) over 2.5 goals
Swiss Challenge League:
Aarau vs Neuchatel Xamax (6) 2-1
Stade Lausanne-Ouchy vs FC Thun (5) 0-1
Turkish Super Lig:
Umraniyespor vs Besiktas JK (6) 1-2
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