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)
City are really in the zone right now, scoring goals for fun, even when de Bruyne doesn’t play. How a hapless Leeds United will stop them here, I don’t know. I wouldn’t touch handicaps, though – Allardyce will make them defend and fight so it could take a while for City to break through.
Verdict: Manchester City to win at 17/100.
KO: (UK time)
I don’t like this Bayern team much but they’ll be afforded far too much space by Werder Bremen, as per usual, and that tends to be fatal. Bremen’s style of play does cause Bayern some headaches sometimes but with Fullkrug out, there’s a touch of inevitability about this one.
Verdict: Bayern Munich to win at 3/10.
KO: (UK time)
The bookies are spot on here; the quality gap is way too big. KI will win most Betrideildin matches this season anyway, but especially when playing host to one of the weakest teams in the division. Anything but a comprehensive home win would be a big shock.
Verdict: KI to win at 1/25.
KO: (UK time)
The odds movement is favouring Sydney FC at the time of writing this preview, which I find quite bizarre. True enough, it’s a derby, and that can add to the unpredictability side of things. Other than that though, there’s absolutely no reason to believe that Sydney FC will get something from this Elimination Final match.
WSW have been the better team for all of the three meetings this season, including in the 1-0 home defeat. Even when down a man, they still should have scored at least a goal or two whilst Sydney FC clung on for dear life. I won’t deny that Sydney FC should be capable of challenging their neighbours, and that they’re certainly in-form at the moment now that Le Fondre is leading their line again, but anyone suddenly thinking that The Sky Blues are back in business may need a rethink.
The problems that have dogged Sydney FC’s last two years under Corica haven’t magically gone away just because they’ve won a few matches. They’re definitely more confident now; I’m on board with that. Let’s analyse their recent wins though, shall we? A 4-1 win against a Perth Glory side that dared change from a 4-5-1 to a 4-4-2 because their need to win was so great – Sydney FC found space very easy to come by. Beating Roar 2-0? It was a professional showing but they adopted a cowardly approach, sitting back and relying on their clinical finishers to win them the percentages battle. They were easily better than the Jets in their 2-0 win last time out but keep in mind that the Jets fielded a very youthful team as they had nothing to play for, and even then Sydney FC should have conceded. Form is not everything.
They’ve got Rodwell back to partner Wilkinson in defence, which is a nice boost for them. This is still a team that gives away too many chances though; that’s the reality here. They’re excessively reliant on their individuals on a game-by-game basis because tactically they’re not good enough under Corica. They don’t have enough legs in midfield to protect the defence either so good teams no longer struggle to score against them.
If the above wasn’t enough for you, consider that their star wide threats – Lolley and Mak – are both carrying injuries. Both have been named in the squad here but it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if it were mind-games because neither of them looked in a good way last match. They’re their best creative threats. One may be replaced by Burgess (he’s really impressed me this season) but as for the other – well, it won’t be like-for-like, I can assure you! Anyway, time will tell, I suppose, but I’m not all that bothered either way. They will give WSW something to think about but with Marcelo ruling the roost in defence, I’m not worried.
Sydney FC should be worried, though – WSW have had the measure of them three times already this season. They’re at full-strength, were absolutely magnificent against Phoenix, and would have probably gotten something against City had they not pushed out to try and win the game. When it comes to controlling games, and playing them out ‘their’ way, WSW are really good. It’s become apparent that they do struggle when Marcelo is out of the team but other than that, they’re in a great place, physically and mentally.
Their attack is lethal too. The reliance on Yengi and Ninkovic is gone (although both still play a big role when Rudan plays them). Nowadays it’s more about Borrello – who has become an amazing striker despite starting on the wing this season – and Layouni, although N’Gbakoto, Schneiderlin, Amalfitano, and especially Nieuwenhof all contribute too. They’ve got so many routes to goal, and so much control of games that it’s hard to doubt them.
I do have one slight concern regarding WSW, and it’s their right-back situation. Although Cleur is now back, young midfielder Simmons keeps getting the nod over him at right-back. Simmons has done really well, I grant you, but Cleur is the better player at both ends, and if they’re going to defeat City in the next round then they’re going to need Cleur playing with minutes under his belt.
As far as this game goes though, WSW should be comfortable enough. They’re at home, they control games well, they’re clinical, and they know what Sydney FC are all about. Honestly, if the home team don’t win this derby, then they can only blame themselves.
Verdict: Western Sydney Wanderers to win at 13/10.
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:
Western Sydney Wanderers – Russell is absent.
Sydney FC – Rodwell returns. Lolley and Mak are doubts. Kucharski is absent.
Austrian Bundesliga:
Hartberg – No absentees.
WSG Tirol – Ogrinec and Rinaldi are absent.
Austria Lustenau – Rhein is absent.
SV Ried – Cosgun, Nutz, and Stosic are absent.
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Club Brugge – Buchanan, Bursik, Hendry, and Nielsen are absent.
Union Saint-Gilloise – No absentees.
Standard de Liege – Ngoy and Dewaele are absent.
AA Gent – Depoitre, Fortuna, Hauge, Hjulsager, Lemajic, and Marreh are absent.
Brazilian Serie A:
Cruzeiro – Wesley Gasolina and Fernando Henrique are absent.
Santos – Alex, Felipe Jonatan, Joao Lucas, Luan Dias, and Lucas Barbosa are absent.
Fluminense – Gustavo Apis, Jorge, Martinelli, and da Silva Liberato are absent.
Vasco da Gama – Gabriel Dias, Patrick de Lucca, and Riquelme are absent.
Bulgarian A PFG:
Lokomotiv Sofia 1929 – Boss Genchev will leave at the end of the season.
Arda – No news.
CSKA 1948 Sofia – Boss Zagorcic has requested a mutual termination. Chochev and Karagaren return. Jonathan and Serduk are absent.
Slavia Sofia – Starkov (academy director) will lead the team for this game.
Czechia Liga 1:
Viktoria Plzen – Bucha, Havel, Jemelka, Kopic, Pernica, and Pilar are absent.
Slovacko – Kohut is absent.
Banik Ostrava – Boula, Takacs, and Tetour are absent. Sehic and Sin are doubts.
Zbrojovka Brno – Endl, Hrabina, Pachlopnik, Soucek, and Sural are absent.
Teplice – Grigar, Knapik, and Kucera are absent.
Pardubice – Mares, Huf, and Solil are absent.
Zlin – Chanturishvili and Hlousek are absent.
Baumit Jablonec – Houska, Kratochvil, Krob, Malinsky, Martinec, and Sejk are absent.
English Premier League:
Bournemouth – Fredericks, Stanislas, and Tavernier are absent. Mepham, Moore, and Traore are doubts.
Chelsea – Bettinelli, Broja, Cucurella, James, Koulibaly, and Mount are absent.
Manchester City – Mendy is absent. De Bruyne is a doubt.
Leeds United – Adams, Dallas, and Sinisterra are absent. Cooper is a doubt.
Tottenham Hotspur – Bentancur, Bissouma, Emerson Royal, and Sessegnon are absent. Lloris is a doubt.
Crystal Palace – Ahamada, Ferguson, Tomkins, and McArthur are absent.
Wolverhampton Wanderers – Chiquinho and Kalajdzic are absent. Semedo and Traore are doubts.
Aston Villa – Steer is absent. Bailey, Cash, Coutinho, and Kamara are doubts.
Liverpool – Firmino, Bajcetic, Keita, Ramsay, and Thiago Alcantara are absent.
Brentford – Jansson, Lewis-Potter, Norgaard, and Strakosha are absent.
French Ligue 1:
OGC Nice – Beka Beka, Bryan, Diop, Ndayishimiye, Pepe, and Viti are absent.
Stade Rennais – Terrier, Truffert, and Xeka are absent.
Stade de Reims – Duparchy, Penneteau, and Zeneli are absent.
Lille OSC – Djalo and Fonte are absent.
Racing Club Lens – Abdul Samed, Cabot, Farinez, Fortes, Machado, and Said are absent.
Olympique de Marseille – Harit, Ruiz, and Ounahi are absent.
German Bundesliga:
SC Freiburg – Kyereh is absent.
RB Leipzig – Gulacsi, Nickisch, X. Schlager, and Schlieck are absent.
TSG Hoffenheim – Akpoguma, Asllani, Bruun Larsen, Noll, Vogt, Tohumcu, Damara, Pentke, and Kaderabek are absent. Promel is a doubt.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Bignetti, Horz, Jakic, Max, Otto, Schroder, Simoni, Smolcic, and Wenig are absent. Ndicka returns.
Borussia Moenchengladbach – Itakura, Doucoure, and Thuram are absent. Kone and Bensebaini return.
VfL Bochum – Grave and M. Tolba are absent. Forster returns.
Augsburg – Baumgartlinger, M. Berisha, Gikiewicz, Hahn, Leneis, Oxford, Strobl, and Zehnter are absent.
Union Berlin – Diogo Leite, Maciejewski, Mohwald, Pantrovic, and Oztunali are absent.
Hertha Berlin – Jarstein, Nsona, Sunjic, and Ullrich are absent. Jovetic returns.
VfB Stuttgart – Aidonis, Beyaz, Karazor, Kuol, Schock, and Ulrich are absent. Mavropanos is a doubt.
Werder Bremen – Agu, Salifou, and Fullkrug are absent.
Bayern Munich – Choupo-Moting, Davies, Goretzka, Marusic, Hulsmann, Hernandez, Neuer, Schenk, Upamecano, and Wanner are absent.
German Bundesliga 2:
Fortuna Dusseldorf – de Wijs, Hendrix, Hennings, and Tanaka are absent.
Holstein Kiel – Pichler and M. Schulz are absent.
Karlsruher SC – Breithaupt and O’Shaughnessy are absent.
Hannover 96 – Kerk, Luhrs, Momuluh, Stahl, Stolze, Tresoldi, Uhlmann, and Walbrecht are absent.
Hansa Rostock – Ingelsson, Litka, and Rhein are absent.
Jahn Regensburg – Gouras, Guwara, Idrizi, Nachreiner, Saller, and Schonfelder are absent.
Darmstadt 98 – Holland, Ronstadt, and Vilhelmsson are absent.
St. Pauli – Amenyido, Matanovic, Nemeth, and Maurides are absent.
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Hapoel Haifa – Elhamid is absent. Glazer and Mizrahi return.
Sektzia Nes Tziona – Battochio is absent.
Beitar Jerusalem – GK Israeli and Gerchkin are absent.
Maccabi Bnei Raina – Abed is absent. GK Yanko and Spendlhofer are doubts.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv – Financial issues – again. Kancepolski, Gonzales, Einbinder, and Ramot are absent. Ozbolt and Gottlieb are doubts.
Ironi Kiryat Shmona – Habshi is absent. Muzee and Broun return.
Bnei Sakhnin – Melamed and Kabha are absent. Shukrany returns.
Hapoel Hadera – Zamir and Gottlieb are absent. Sturm returns.
Italian Serie A:
Milan – Pobega and Ibrahimovic are absent.
SS Lazio – Cataldi, Vecino are absent.
AS Roma – Karsdorp, Smalling, Llorente, Kumbulla, Celik, and El Shaarawy are absent.
Internazionale – Skirinar and Gosens are absent.
Cremonese – Quagliata, Tsadjout, and Pickel are absent.
Spezia – Moutinho, Holm, Beck, Maldini, and Zurkowski are absent.
Italian Serie B:
Cittadella – No absentees.
Benevento – Pastina, Simy, La Guamina, and Glik are absent.
Cosenza – Zarate, Sidibe, Gozzi, Kongolo, Corsi, and Matosevic are absent.
Venezia – Maenpaa, Jajalo ,Beghetto, and Svoboda are absent.
Genoa – No news.
Ascoli – Botteghin, Ciciretti, and Falasco are absent.
Modena – No news.
Bari – No absentees.
Pisa – De Vitis and Torregrossa are absent.
Frosinone – Mulattieri and Bocic are absent.
Reggina – No news.
Como – Gatto, Kerrigan, and Parigini are absent.
Ternana – Martella and Paghera are doubts. Diakite is absent.
Sudtirol – No news.
Palermo – Di Mariano, Elia, and Stulac are absent.
SPAL – Varnier is a doubt. Nainggolan, Valzania, and Arena are absent.
Dutch Eredivisie:
Sparta Rotterdam – Vriends and Meissen are absent.
PSV Eindhoven – Mauro Junior and Fofana are absent.
NEC – Tannane, Roefs, Verdonck, and DeWolf are absent.
SC Heerenveen – van Aken, Nopprt, van Beek, and Zaal are absent.
Cambuur Leeuwarden – Maulun and van der Meer are absent.
FC Utrecht – Hendriks, Raatsie, and Warmerdam are absent.
AFC Ajax Amsterdam – Rensch, Fitz-Jim, Kudus, and Kaplan are absent.
AZ – de Wit, Westerveld, and Martins Indi are absent.
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Rosenborg BK – Holse and Augustinsson are absent. Saeter and Skarsem are doubts.
Valerenga Oslo – Borchgrevink and Jukelroed are absent. Drammeh is a doubt.
Portuguese Liga 1:
Santa Clara – Domingos, Quintilla, and Rocha are absent.
Gil Vicente – Alipour and Kritsyuk are absent.
Boavista – No absentees.
Estoril – Africo is absent.
SL Benfica – Draxler is absent.
Sporting Braga – Castro is absent.
Spanish Copa del Rey:
Real Madrid – No absentees.
CA Osasuna – Vidal and Brasanac are absent.
Swiss Super League:
FC Sion – Schmied, Diouf, Fickentscher, Iapichino, Itaitinga, Lindner, and Moubandje are absent. Cavare is a doubt.
FC Winterthur – Lekaj, Neftali, and Pukaj are absent.
St. Gallen – Jacovic and Guidotti are absent.
Young Boys Bern – Camara, Fassnacht, and von Ballmoos are absent. Imeri is a doubt.
Turkish Super Lig:
Adana Demirspor – Akintola, Soni, Kapi, and Kavrazli are absent.
Alanyaspor – Bekiroglu and Hassan are absent.
Antalyaspor – Erdilman and Luyindima are absent. Sertel, Vural, Mehmedi, and Rakpi are doubts.
Besiktas JK – Ucan, Sanuc, and Alli are absent. Ghezzal and Colley are doubts.
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:
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC (6) 2-0, at least one red card in this game
Austrian Bundesliga:
Hartberg vs WSG Tirol (6) 2-1
Austria Lustenau vs SV Ried (5) 1-1
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Club Brugge vs Union Saint-Gilloise (5) 1-1
Standard de Liege vs AA Gent (5) 1-2
Brazilian Serie A:
Cruzeiro vs Santos (5) 1-0
Fluminense vs Vasco da Gama (6) 1-0, at least one red card in this game
Bulgarian A PFG:
Lokomotiv Sofia 1929 vs Arda (6) 0-1
CSKA 1948 Sofia vs Slavia Sofia (6) 1-0
Croatian Prva Liga:
Gorica vs Slaven Koprivnica (6) 2-1
Rijeka vs Istra 1961 (5) 1-0, at least one red card in this game
Czechia Liga 1:
Viktoria Plzen vs Slovacko (5) 2-1
Banik Ostrava vs Zbrojovka Brno (5) 1-0
Teplice vs Pardubice (6) 2-1
Zlin vs Baumit Jablonec (4) 1-1
English Premier League:
Bournemouth vs Chelsea (5) 2-1
Manchester City vs Leeds United (7) over 2.5 goals
Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace (5) 2-2
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Aston Villa (5) 0-1, at least one red card in this game
Liverpool vs Brentford (4) 2-2
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Laagri vs FCI Levadia Tallinn (6) 0-2
Faroese Betrideildin:
KI vs IF (10) over 2.5 goals
Finnish Ykkonen:
JaPS vs MP (4) 1-1
SJK-Akatemia vs KaPa (5) 2-1
SalPa vs JJK (5) 1-2
French Ligue 1:
OGC Nice vs Stade Rennais (5) 1-1
Stade de Reims vs Lille OSC (5) 0-0
Racing Club Lens vs Olympique de Marseille (5) 1-0
German Bundesliga:
SC Freiburg vs RB Leipzig (5) over 2.5 goals
TSG Hoffenheim vs Eintracht Frankfurt (5) 1-2
Borussia Moenchengladbach vs VfL Bochum (6) 0-0
Augsburg vs Union Berlin (5) 1-1
Hertha Berlin vs VfB Stuttgart (5) 0-1
Werder Bremen vs Bayern Munich (7) over 2.5 goals
German Bundesliga 2:
Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Holstein Kiel (5) 2-1
Karlsruher SC vs Hannover 96 (6) 1-0
Hansa Rostock vs Jahn Regensburg (4) 0-0
Darmstadt 98 vs St. Pauli (5) 1-2
Hungarian Liga 1:
Ujpest vs Vasas Budapest (5) 0-1
Paksi SE vs Debreceni VSC (6) 1-0
Ferencvaros vs Varda SE (6) 2-1
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Hapoel Haifa vs Sektzia Nes Tziona (6) 1-0
Beitar Jerusalem vs Maccabi Bnei Raina (6) over 2.5 goals
Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs Ironi Kiryat Shmona (5) 0-1
Bnei Sakhnin vs Hapoel Hadera (5) 1-0
Italian Serie A:
Milan vs SS Lazio (4) 2-2
AS Roma vs Internazionale (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Cremonese vs Spezia (6) 1-0
Italian Serie B:
Cittadella vs Benevento (5) 2-1
Cosenza vs Venezia (5) 1-0
Genoa vs Ascoli (6) 2-0
Modena vs Bari (5) 0-0
Pisa vs Frosinone (4) 1-1
Reggina vs Como (6) 2-1
Ternana vs Sudtirol (4) 1-1
Palermo vs SPAL (5) 1-0
Dutch Eredivisie:
Sparta Rotterdam vs PSV Eindhoven (4) 1-2
NEC vs SC Heerenveen (6) 1-1
Cambuur Leeuwarden vs FC Utrecht (5) 1-2
AFC Ajax Amsterdam vs AZ (4) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Rosenborg BK vs Valerenga Oslo (5) 1-1
Portuguese Liga 1:
Santa Clara vs Gil Vicente (6) 1-1
Boavista vs Estoril (5) 1-0
SL Benfica vs Sporting Braga (5) 2-1
Spanish Copa del Rey:
Real Madrid vs CA Osasuna (6) 1-0
Swiss Super League:
FC Sion vs FC Winterthur (5) 0-0
St. Gallen vs Young Boys Bern (5) over 2.5 goals
Turkish Super Lig:
Adana Demirspor vs Alanyaspor (6) 2-1
Antalyaspor vs Besiktas JK (5) 1-2
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