TFT Issue 400!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
FC Lahti vs TPS Turku – away win at 9/10.
Today’s featured game is the Veikkausliiga game between newly-promoted FC Lahti and title hopefuls TPS Turku.
FC Lahti have done very little to impress since their opening Veikkausliiga and I don’t see that improving anytime soon due to their lack of quality. The impending return of veteran Brazilian hitman Rafael will massively boost their attacking power but let’s face it – they’ve still got an Ykkonen level defence and nowhere near enough quality to do something in games like these without a lot of assistance and/or luck. Lahti just don’t have enough going forward, even with Rafael returning. I bet they wish they still had Jari Litmanen! Either way, four defeats from their last four games have been a real “welcome back to the Veikkausliiga” for Lahti and I don’t know how they’re going to pull themselves out of this mess, even with the talented Taulo in their side.
TPS Turku are a side that are growing on me a lot this season. They’re efficient, clever, well-organised, and possess some very talented players. Strip them of Tanska, Kolehmainen, and Aaritalo and you’d see TPS Turku struggle as depth isn’t their strong point but the fact is that they’re a very good side this season. As predicted, they struggled in their last home game against VPS Vaasa because VPS are hard to break down and TPS are far better on the counter-attack than they are at breaking sides down. Fortunately, today’s game appeals to me much more as Lahti will attack TPS due to not having the ability to sit back and try to keep them out. Lahti may even nick a sly goal here as they have shown in rare spells that they can score goals when they pass the ball around properly. However, I can’t see this game ending without TPS scoring at least twice so I have to favour the superior visitors here.
One further thing – TPS have the capability to hold a lead. Not many Veikkausliiga sides do. Give them that goal and they should win the game. With that in mind, 9/10 on the away looks a bargain today.
Verdict: TPS Turku to win at 9/10.
Additional games
FC Honka Espoo vs MyPa Anjalankoski – lay FC Honka Espoo at 11/10.
Overreaction to Honka’s win much? I think so. Performance-wise, there’s no way that Honka should be around 4/5 to win this game.
Out of these two sides, Honka are the better team by some distance. However, that quality is measured only on paper and if we base our comparisons on the displays of both sides this season then you’d have to say that it’s MyPa that look the better side whereas Honka are floundering just trying to forge some chances.
I tipped Honka to win at Jaro last match and it win. The reason I did that is because Honka are far better away from home than they are in Espoo (where the onus is on them) and because Jaro are really struggling to score goals. Sure enough, it ended 0-1 in Honka’s favour – good on them. I don’t see any reason to go crazy with the short odds again, though – they’ve a lot more to prove before they’re worthy of being 4/5 at home against most Veikkausliiga opponents right now. Again, on paper, there are some very good players in this side but whether Honka show it or not is another matter entirely.
I don’t like MyPa, primarily because they’re crap. Quite how a side such as theirs still hasn’t been relegated to the Ykkonen is frankly beyond me. They’ve been an Ykkonen level side for some time now and yet they seem to have special powers of survival. The credit I will give MyPa is that few sides work harder than they do and they do love to upset the big sides in Finland too! I mean, how many other sides will win at TPS Turku and at home against HJK Helsinki this season? Not many, I can tell you. Indeed, they even won at KuPS Kuopio and that’s some achievement in my world. I just don’t have the balls to back them to win this game though, long though their odds unquestionably are. The reason I can’t bring myself to do it is because they’re packed full of average players and at some point they will implode. Will it be today? I don’t know.
Bear in mind that Honka tend to concede in their home games and that they’re not scoring many. Then consider that MyPa are scoring goals and playing with confidence. With that in mind, laying Honka at 11/10 looks a good bet today.
Verdict: Lay FC Honka Espoo at 11/10.
VPS Vaasa vs Jaro Pietarsaari – over 2.5 goals at evens.
Derby day on the west coast of Finland between VPS and Jaro. I don’t even want to touch upon the 1×2 market here, not least because the two sides in question have very contrasting displays from each game to the name. By rights, VPS should probably win this game 1-0 due to their strong organisational skills at the back and by peppering the Jaro goal with plenty of set pieces until one fortuitously goes in, most probably via an own goal, knowing VPS’ attack. However, I don’t see that happening today and I’ll explain why. First of all, it’s a derby – we’ve covered that one already but you all know what derbies can do to a game of football. Secondly, VPS have no goalkeeper for this game. Well, that’s not entirely true but their four usual goalkeepers are all out with injury/suspension/loan deals and thus they’ve had to loan one from 6th league club Jukola – Peter Kauppi. If he can keep a clean sheet here, even against a poor Jaro side, then VPS will have either bribed God or rode their luck massively. VPS are smart enough to score against Jaro’s demoralised side eventually but that said, this game means more to Jaro than VPS right now as they’re much closer to the bottom of the table than they’d like. In a strange way, this game is perfectly timed for Eremenko’s Jaro side because they need something to motivate them and a derby will do that. Niang is more than good enough to score here if Jaro give him the ammunition and the lack of a recognisable goalkeeper in the VPS goal should allow Jaro all the chances that they need to score some goals here. Jaro defender Aho is still out, which means that their defence is vulnerable too. Add all that together and I expect a strange game but one that should have enough goals to make over 2.5 goals a good bet at evens.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at evens.
Haka Valkeakoski vs HJK Helsinki – under 2.5 goals at evens.
I hate games like these. If it weren’t for the under/overs market then I simply would not bet on games involving in Haka the vast majority of the time. Why? Well, they’re a horribly unpredictable side. They’ve got some gems in their side that can upset any Veikkausliiga side and yet the core of the team is Ykkonen standard so which way do you lean? Ristila is a cracking manager and thus Haka will be up for this game. Can they spring a surprise here? Well, yes, they can. I’m not going to bet on it because it depends which Haka shows up but they’re very hard-working, pretty well-organised, and will cause big sides problems in Valkeakoski, as per usual. They’ve not had a good season thus far but again, they’re always up for the big games and I think that HJK will do well to win convincingly here.
HJK’s form of late may look impressive on paper but I’m still not convinced. They need to do a lot more before I give them any strong belief. Their displays just aren’t as good as they used to be, which is understandable, but also frustrating. They still miss Sadik up front, which robs them of a big target man. Pelvas is a doubt today and if he doesn’t play then it’s Makela and youngster Pohjanpalo leading the attack. Both are capable strikers but I’n not sure it’s enough against battling Haka. HJK will need more grit than they so they need big displays in midfield from Perovuo and Okkonen to win this one today.
Quality-wise, you really have to expect HJK to win this game. I wouldn’t touch it at those odds, though – they’re not playing well enough right now. For me, the value is in taking under 2.5 goals at evens as this bet should win unless HJK go on a rare rampage. HJK are good enough to win this game to nil but also frustrating enough to draw the game so my call is under 2.5 goals instead.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at evens.
JJK Jyvaskyla vs IFK Mariehamn – home win at evens.
My usual angle with JJK is to take over 2.5 goals because their attempts at defending are laughable and yet they’re also capable of breaching any other defence in Finland. However, I’m all over the home win today because the odds are very, very generous here.
JJK have not been as good this season as they were last season but then again, we’re only part-way into the current campaign and there’s a long way to go. They’ve lessened their abilities to upset the bigger Veikkausliiga sides but they’re still more than capable of scoring goals against the minnows such as IFK Mariehamn. JJK are two or three times better than IFK and who would even begin to bet against Gruborovics scoring against his old team? I wouldn’t! JJK should be able to dominate the IFK midfield with ease and if Forsell is out of the game then IFK are out of the game. Ample JJK chances should lead to goals and thus three points.
IFK can be a tough nut to crack sometimes but that’s usually back in Aland rather than in the valley of a thousand lakes. They’ve got a handful of good players but nothing to get excited about. As long as Forsell is kept quiet and Okodugha is handled correctly then IFK will crumble, which is precisely what I expect here.
Quality-wise, JJK should be around 7/10 to win games like these. I guess it’s the poor start that has made the odds longer because there’s nothing else that would make them as crazy as they are now. For me, if JJK show up, then evens on the home win is screaming out to be backed!
Verdict: JJK Jyvaskyla to win at evens.
Inter Turku vs KuPS Kuopio – under 3 goals at 4/5.
Inter are really short for this game and I just don’t like that idea against KuPS. Maybe I hold the Kuopio-based outfit in too high regard nowadays but when they play well, there are few sides in the Veikkausliiga that will beat them and Inter are no exception to that.
That said, KuPS have been pretty bad lately so I definitely understand Inter being favourites here. Let’s be realistic – they could and should win this game. However, note that the only side that Inter have taken to the cleaners was newly-promoted FC Lahti. Nobody else has shipped more than two goals against Inter Turku and that is important here. Dragtsma’s side is gradually implementing the two contrasting styles of Inter over the past few seasons – the ability to score goals from nowhere and the ability to hold a lead. It’s a very dangerous weapon that Inter wield expertly when they choose to. Sirbiladze is one of the best target men in the division and with Kauko and Ojala supporting him, Inter have got the potential to score goals here. Dragtsma is making them sit back after a couple of goals now, though – it’s hard to see them breaking the unders call without an exceptionally motivated display.
KuPS may want to piss us off by joining in the fun but when I said that I rated KuPS, what I actually meant was that they’re capable of frustrating big sides when it suits them. That’s what they did to HJK in Helsinki and ended up losing the game 2-0, which is a probable scoreline in Turku today too. KuPS actually have a very good attack but they need the right approach for it to flourish as their strength is primarily in the air. Venelainen, Ilo, Zahovaiko – notice the similarities here? All very similar attackers with similar strengths and weaknesses. Take Zahovaiko out of the equation, though – he’s not playing today. Nor is his fellow Estonian countryman Purje and his absence robs KuPS of a lot of pace. That makes KuPS very predictable here and unless Ilo gets some daft idea into his head about scoring against his old club then KuPS shouldn’t have the tactical ability to break through what is proving to be a solid Inter defence.
I expect a 1-0 or 2-0 here but with the above in mind, going under 3 goals at 4/5 looks good value here.
Verdict: Under 3 goals at 4/5.
Molde FK vs Fredrikstad – home win with -1.5 handicap at evens.
A 0-5 drubbing of Stabaek demonstrated the Molde that we’ve all come to know and love under Solskjaer and the confidence taken from that win should be enough for Molde to approach this game today with similar vigour.
Molde still have one of the best midfields in Norway, even without the departed Thioune. Hoseth, Berg Hestad, and Eikrem are all capable of winning games for Molde and if we add to the mix the attacking power of Berget and Angan and you have one of the deadliest attacking forces in Norwegian football. I don’t like that Molde still possess the “ability” to concede stupid goals from nowhere as it can damage bets like this one.
However, I have plenty of faith in Fredrikstad lying down here and I’ll explain why. First of all, they struggle away from the passionate support of their fans at home. Their motivation suffers and when that happens, they’re in trouble because their “secret” is that they’re not a particularly good side. They have some good players, especially Elyounoussi, but are predominantly an average side, hence them being amongst the favourites to go down this season. The sale of Celso Borges to AIK Solna pre-season damaged their creativity a lot but the sale of Piiroja to Vitesse Arnhem has ruined the organisation of their defence, which is naturally a big problem. Add to the mix the absence of Dure at the back, holding midfielder Holm, long-term absentee Horn, midfield engine Jabbie, and attacking midfielder Valencia, and we have a very under-strength Fredrikstad side here. Hussain and Elyounoussi are the only chances that Fredrikstad to avoid a pounding here and I’m just not sure that Fredrikstad will be that lucky here.
For me, Molde should beat a side that they’re a lot better than with some conviction today. I’ve got 3-0 and 3-1 in my so my call is for Molde to beat the -1.5 handicap at evens.
Verdict: Molde FK to beat the -1.5 handicap at evens.
Bogdanka Leczna vs Piast Gliwice – over 2.5 goals at evens.
The word on the street is that Leczna’s motivation has completely done now that promtoion to the Ekstraklasa is an impossibility. I’m not entirely sure I believe that. I mean, Leczna were forged on money so some of their players are mercenaries. However, they’re still more than good enough to score against Piast, just as most Liga 1 sides are. Piast don’t pay much attention to defending so Leczna really should be able to at least score here, especially with big Czech hitman Pesir returning. Leczna won’t just abandon their strong home record so I fancy them to give Piast a game today. The game does mean more to Piast than it does to Leczna, naturally, and Piast could well win the game with that in mind. However, with defender Paulauskas out, you do have to expect Piast to concede here. They’ve still got more than enough attacking options in Kedziora, Jurado, and Podgorski to damage Leczna today but as for the final scoreline, I just can’t begin to guess. However, for me, this game really should go over 2.5 goals if Leczna put something into it and evens looks tempting on over 2.5 goals between two good attacking sides.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at evens.
Flota Swinoujscie vs Olimpia Elblag – home win at 3/4.
Most bookies have sensibly dropped the odds on this game but NordicBet have helpfully kept their odds at 3/4 for this one, which looks to be pure value to me. Their new manager had the desired affect with an amazing 2-3 win at Nieciecza ending their 15-game winless streak and thus confidence is high and the players are keen to play to impress their new manager. That’s particularly useful as Flota have nothing left to play for in terms of promotion or avoiding relegation. Considering that Olimpia Elblag have already been confined to the division below for next season, I thoroughly expect an underrated Flota side to cruise to a win against a vastly inferior Olimpia Elblag side today, especially with their opponents missing their best defender Pacan. The hosts themselves have defensive issues with Udarevic and Kieruzel both missing this game but Flota should have more than enough momentum and quality to win this game at 3/4.
Verdict: Flota Swinoujscie to win at 3/4.
Villarreal II vs Huesca – away win with draw no bet at 9/10.
I’ve not heard any team news regarding this game but I like this one nonetheless due to last weekend’s Primera Liga action. An action-packed final day saw Villarreal CF relegated to the Segunda Liga for the first time in a long time. Subsequently, Villarreal II are automatically relegated to the Segunda B and therefore don’t have anything to play for today. They didn’t have much motivation anyway with mid-table annonymity virtually guaranteed anyway but now they should have even less motivation than normal. Huesca are still in the battle to beat the drop and should be good enough to at least draw this game. They’ve done well of late, securing three wins from their last five away games. Indeed, they’ve won five out of their last seven games overall and with plenty of experience in their ranks, I fancy Huesca with draw no bet at 9/10 today.
Verdict: Huesca to win with draw no bet at 9/10.
Orebro vs AIK Solna – away win at 6/5.
You guys all know by now that I won’t take AIK Solna to win unless the odds are worth it and to me, 6/5 on the away win here is definitely worth it. Ok, so Orebro use artificial turf and that’s not an easy thing to deal with. However, that’s the only thing that Orebro can bring to the table right now and that’s not very impressive as a standalone danger for opponents.
Orebro have lost all their confidence. Their defence is a mess, their attack is suffering because of a lack of confidence, and only Grahn looks like he gives a shit. Orebro are an absolute shell of what they used to be and the fact that they were drubbed 3-0 by supposed fellow relegation battlers IFK Norrkoping speaks volumes. Orebro have no cohesion, no motivation, and no end product right now, hence them losing six out of nine Allsvenskan games this season.
AIK are far from a vastly superior side to Orebro, in my eyes. They’ve got a better class of player and dominate games much more easily than Orebro but to be a far better side they need to score a lot more goals and AIK simply don’t do that. It’s interesting how AIK still don’t acknowledge that as a problem, really. They made a signing in the past few days, AIK Solna, someone who can join them in the next transfer window. Is it a striker? Or maybe even just a creative midfield to keep the pressure off Borges and Danielsson? No! It’s centre-back Majstorovic, who is returning to Sweden from Scotland. The one area of the team that AIK really didn’t need to strengthen and they’ve gone and strengthened it! I’ve often said that AIK are one of the stranger clubs in Sweden and this backs up my point entirely. Nonetheless, AIK can and will dominate this game. They did well at Elfsborg last time out despite some key absentees and were perhaps a shade unfortunate to lose the game. Nonetheless, AIK’s lack of firepower did the damage yet again. I can’t see that being a problem today, though. AIK can score from set pieces or from Borges magic, neither of which Orebro currently have the capacity to defend against. Danielsson’s continued absence is a problem for AIK but not in games against sides that can’t defend. If AIK get a lead, they tend to hold it and that’s precisely what I expect from them today.
With the above in mind, the away win looks a good bet at 6/5.
Verdict: AIK Solna to win at 6/5.
BK Hacken Goteborg vs IFK Norrkoping – home win with -1 Asian Handicap at 9/10.
In a nutshell, Hacken are playing really well enough but aren’t big enough for Norrkoping to give a shit about beating them so I expect a strong home win here. Hacken are so confident that they’re scoring goals from all over the park and although their defence is questionable at the best of times, they’re still the top goalscorers in the Allsvenskan and that’s no coincidence. There’s a lot of cohesion and belief in their attacks and I don’t know if it’s the desire to use Hacken as a stepping stone or whether it’s genuine love for the club but Hacken’s players are working really hard as a unit, so much so that they’re barely noticing the absence of star striker Ranegie, now of Malmo FF. I run out of superlatives for selling club Hacken as they always manage to impress me with their attacking style and potency so full speed to Hacken here!
I like Norrkoping but this side has two huge problems; motivation and their defence. Their defence is pure shit; it doesn’t matter who they face. If someone doesn’t score against Norrkoping then it’s usually because their opponents were awful e.g. Orebro. Norrkoping do love to give their all in big games, though – they’ll play much better against Elfsborg, Helsingborg, Malmo, IFK Goteborg etc. than they did in their 1-4 battering against Syrianska, for example. For the smaller games, Norrkoping never seem to motivate themselves, especially in the first-half. Norrkoping may well get their token goal here because they are a good attacking side, in my view. However, I think they’re going to be on the receiving end of a heavy defeat with Hacken looking superb at the moment.
Therefore, my call is for Hacken to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 9/10.
Verdict: BK Hacken Goteborg to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 9/10.
Atvidaberg vs Syrianska Sodertalje – lay Atvidaberg at evens.
Now this is what I call a classic example of bookies giving odds on a game based on statistics alone. Atvidaberg were amazing at the start of the season and ruffled a lot of feathers with their fearless and effective attacking football. They’ve fizzled out a bit of late, though, really struggling to take control of games and thus struggling to score goals. Their defence is a joke either way so not scoring goals is rather fatal for them. The only reason Atvidaberg didn’t lose against Djurgarden in their last game was because Djurgarden didn’t bring Ricardo Santos on soon enough (they should have started him!) and because Chibsah decided to miss a sitter for no real reason. Atvidaberg did very little to Djurgarden but you know Djurgarden by now – their defence is not reliable in the slightest and Atvidaberg capitalised on that in one of the few moments of the game that they got into Djurgarden’s half. The truth is that Atvidaberg already look very much out of their depth and I’ll be very interested to see how they do today in what is essentially a must-win game for them.
You see, Syrianska aren’t a worse side than Atvidaberg, in my view. I think that they’re more than capable of matching or even bettering Atvidaberg when it suits them. Yeah, Syrianska’s defence is old and slow, thus making it vulnerable against certain sides. Sharbel Touma demonstrated how good Syrianska can be in their 1-4 win at Norrkoping in their last away game, though. Syrianska have a lot of experienced players in their side and don’t buckle easily. They need a proper finisher to become a dangerous side but their midfield is capable when underestimated/not dealt with and that’s what I expect to see today. They’ve won two consecutive games now, Syrianska, and they’ve deserved to win both of them with enthusiastic and determined displays. Their midfield is more than good enough to not only prevent Syrianska from losing here but also to win them the game against a demoralised and ineffectual Atvidaberg.
With that in mind, laying Atvidaberg looks a bit of a bargain at evens!
Verdict: Lay Atvidaberg at evens.
Kalmar FF vs Helsingborg – either side not to score at 5/6.
The popular bet here is to take Helsingborg with draw no bet but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Are they really back to their best? No – of course not. If you think that because they scored three goals against Hacken and their dubious defence then you need to think again.
Helsingborg are a top four side when they want to be! I’ve not seen them prove why that is at any point this season, however. The wins that they have claimed have been fortuitous at best and they’ve been largely ineffectual on every front. Their attack is slower and more predictable than it used to be. Their midfield is good on the ball but not exactly packed with creativity. They’ve had huge problems with defence this season due to absentees and considering that their defence is the strongest part of their team right now, it’s not difficult to see why HIF aren’t picking up points. They’ve still got players out today at the back e.g. Edman, Andersson. However, they’re fortunately taking on Kalmar, who are afraid to attack and therefore HIF might just get away with something here.
Kalmar themselves are no strong side when it comes to defending. Goalkeeper Berisha is not inspiring any confidence in his team and I heard some of the fans turn on him in Kalmar’s last home game due to poor kicking. Kalmar are more than capable of conceding here and if they do then I don’t know if they’ll find a way back into the game. I mean, Mendes and Dauda are tricky customers for any defence, particularly one that is composed of the players that remained in the squad rather than a settled back four. However, Dauda is very much hit-and-miss as he’s more of an instinctive striker than a clever player. Mendes is a much more clever player but he’s not the finisher that Dauda is. Subsequently, Kalmar are either inspired or horrendous up front and it’s often the latter. Kalmar lost a lot of good players pre-season and it’s in tough games like these where it should show.
I’d not touch the 1×2 market here as Kalmar are occasionally inspired by their loud fans at home and yet HIF are by far the better of these two sides. It’s a very difficult game to get involved with on the above market. However, Kalmar have looked poor en mass this season and rather ineffectual; sort of like a poor man’s AIK, if you will. HIF have looked like a better version of AIK, although ironically without the success that AIK have had. I expect a game here like when Kalmar hosted Gefle with neither side creating much and the game being won by a dubious bit of goalkeeping/defending. For me, the value in this game is to take either side not to score at 5/6.
Verdict: Either side not to score at 5/6.
Team news
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
FC Honka Espoo – Rexhepi is absent.
MyPa Anjalankoski – Gela is absent.
Inter Turku – Parviainen, Diallo are absent. Kauko is a doubt.
KuPS Kuopio – Zahovaiko, Hoivala, Berg, and Purje are absent. Koljonen, Voutilainen, and Obiefule return.
FC Lahti – No news.
TPS Turku – Lehtovaara is a doubt.
Haka Valkeakoski – Mattila, Ojanpera, and Pesonen are doubts.
HJK Helsinki – Sadik is absent. Pelvas is a doubt.
JJK Jyvaskyla – No news.
IFK Mariehamn – Niskala is a doubt.
VPS Vaasa – Kevari, Coundoul, Bjork, Koskimaa, and Jibrin are absent.
Jaro Pietarsaari – Aho and Brunell are absent. Emet and Bannerm are doubts.
Finnish Ykkonen:
AC Oulu – No absentees. Shared stadium with OPS.
OPS Oulu – No absentees.
Hameenlinna – Suomalainen is absent.
HiFK Helsinki – Suikku and Pyhala are absent. Koskinen and Karkkainen return.
Jippo Joensuu – M.Ikonen, Koivuranta, Eronen, Harju, and L.Ikonen are absent.
Viikingit Helsinki – Suomalainen, Koivu, and Hakanen are absent.
Greek Super League:
AEK Athens – Sialmas is absent.
PAOK Salonika – No absentees.
Atromitos – Brito, Zuela, Skondras, Tomas, and Garcia are absent.
Panathinaikos – Owusu-Abeyie, Leto, Rudolf, Spyropoulos, Seitaridis, and Capino are absent. Ninis returns.
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Ekranas Panevezys – Fofana is absent.
Siauliai – Eliosius returns.
Suduva Marijampole – No absentees.
Zalgiris Vilnius – Jankauskas is absent.
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Haugesund – Maeland and Pozniak are absent.
Aalesund FK – James, Sellin, and Matland are absent. Carlsen is a doubt.
Molde FK – Stensild and Ekpo are absent.
Fredrikstad – Horn, Holm, Ramberg, Jabbie, and Dure are absent.
Rosenborg BK – Chibuike, Henriksen, and Ankersen are absent.
Honefoss – Riski and Gjermundstad are absent. Mendy is a doubt.
Stromsgodset – Ovenstad, Hanssen, and Hamoud are absent.
Tromso – Bendiksen is absent. Ahamed may return.
Viking Stavanger – Ingelsten, Cardozo, and Bjordal are absent.
Lillestrom – Ramovic, Vaagen Moen, and Midtgarden are absent.
Brann Bergen – Mohus, Sokolowski, El-Fakiri, and Jonsson are absent. Demir is a doubt.
Sogndal – Mecinovic, Lund, Naess, Roed, Rudolfsen, and Flo are absent.
Odd Grenland Skien – Andersson, Lekven, and Jonassen are absent.
Sandnes Ulf – Holvik, Westlve and Raskaj are absent.
Polish Liga 1:
Dolcan Zabki – Grzelak is absent. Jakubik and Pulkowski return.
Nieciecza – No news.
Gornik Polkowice – No news.
Arka Gdynia – Mazurkiewicz, Jarun, Kuklis, Surdykowski, and Krajanowski are absent. Benevente, Jedrzejowski, and Kasperkiewicz return.
Bogdanka Leczna – Pesir returns.
Piast Gliwice – Bdzega, Cuerda, Urban, Trela, and Paulauskas are absent.
Kolejarz Stroze – Waleciak is absent.
Sandecja Nowy Sacz – No news.
Flota Swinoujscie – Kieruzel, Fryc, and Udarevic are absent. Niewiada returns.
Olimpia Elblag – Pacan and Rogaczow are absent.
Ruch Radzionkow – No news.
Olimpia Grudziadz – No news.
Wisla Plock – Skumorski is absent.
Polonia Bytom – Paulista and Hermes may return.
Zawisza Bydgoszcz – Geworgian is absent.
Pogon Szczecin – Rogalski is absent. Radler is a doubt. Hernani may return.
Katowice – Sadowski, Holota, Goncerz, Gierczek, and Rakels are absent.
Warta Poznan – Bartczak and Sobieraj are absent. Giel and Ngamayama are doubts. Magdziarz returns.
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Orebro – No news.
AIK Solna – Danielsson is absent. Milosevic and Turina are doubts. Ahman-Persson returns.
Atvidaberg – Moberg and Gustavsson are absent.
Syrianska Sodertalje – No news.
Kalmar FF – Solheim, Nouri, Carlsson, and Sjostedt are absent.
Helsingborg – Andersson, Edman, Krafth, Lindstrom, Atta, and Sundin are absent. Sorum, Gashi, Bouazouan, and Mahlangu are doubts.
BK Hacken Goteborg – No news.
IFK Norrkoping – No absentees.