TFT Issue 461!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
I’m not happy enough with any game today to go full-throttle so please approach the below tips with caution – that’s why they’re “leanings” rather than tips. It’s always helpful to watch them in-play to make sure things are unfolding as they should.
Leanings
Basel vs Flora Tallinn – home win with -2.5 handicap at evens.
Over the past few years, you’ve all seen how good Basel can be. If they’re motivated, they attack and score goals; that’s simply what they do best. They’ve got two very talented and experienced strikers and that should make the difference here. Although Flora defended well in Tallinn for the first-half, Basel relentlessly pushed on and eventually secured a much-deserved 0-2 victory after peppering the Flora goal toward the end of the game. At home, Basel will feel much more comfortable, as all sides do. Additionally, Flora have to push on to try and keep their hopes alive. An open game massively favours the Swiss giants and they’ve got the personnel to really hurt this youthful and inexperienced Flora side. I won’t rule out Flora scoring here as Basel don’t enjoy defending. However, Basel should score three or four if they’re in the mood so I really fancy them to win this game by a heavy scoreline. Again, watch it in-play – chances are that you can take Basel to score over 1.5 goals or Basel to score over 2.5 goals at better odds minus the risk of it going tits-up if Flora do score. I like Basel beating the -2.5 handicap at evens though, I have to say.
Verdict: Basel to beat the -2.5 handicap at evens.
Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona vs MSK Zilina – home win at 9/10.
The inexperienced Israeli outfit looked surprisingly comfortable in Slovakia in the first-leg until they conceded a daft goal toward the end of the game. They kept the ball well and caused Slovak giants MSK Zilina a number of problems. Of course, it’s a concern that Hapoel failed to take any of those chances but you have to feel that they’ll be able to do more damage in Israel. They’re not a well-supported side, sadly, so playing in Haifa won’t be very beneficial for them. Still, they were convincing in the first leg and MSK Zilina are not the side that they once were. Ceesay wasn’t at his best last season and yet he’s such a big part of their team. Zilina lack the experience that they once had and although it would be stupid to write them off here, I do think that the Israeli hosts can make all their possession count here. Let’s not forget that Zilina can still progress with a loss here, providing that they score at least once.
Verdict: Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona to win at 9/10.
Ekranas Panevezys vs Shamrock Rovers – away win with draw no bet at evens.
This is the longest shot of them all but I do like it a lot. The steady and experienced Ekranas Panevezys are rapidly becoming unstable due to mounting financial problems. Ordinarily, I’d be happy to give them the edge here but things have really changed. They’ve lost three of their best players lately due to issues over wages etc. – Velicka, Radavicius, and Savenas – which makes Ekranas a lot more ordinary than they used to be. Alright, Savenas wasn’t in the line-up as much as he’d have liked but Velicka was their leading goalscorer this season and Radavicius was one of their most creative players. There are still players in the Ekranas squad that can cause problems but against a solid Shamrock side that are more than capable of scoring and holding a lead, I have to favour the Irish visitors as their hosts are a bit too short for my liking. The away win with draw no bet at evens looks good to be if Shamrock remain composed.
Verdict: Shamrock Rovers to win with draw no bet at evens.
Team news
UEFA Champions League Qualifiers:
Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona – Tibi and Tasevski are doubts.
HJK Helsinki – Zeneli, Vayrynen, and Pohjanpalo are absent.
KR Reykjavik – Finnbogason is a doubt.
Partizan Belgrade – Lovre, Eduardo, Medo, and M.Scepovic are absent. Stojkovic is a doubt.
Finnish Ykkonen:
OPS Oulu – Matias Juntunen is absent.
Viikingit Helsinki – Gonzalez returns.