TFT Issue 495!
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Featured game
Nomme Kalju vs Levadia Tallinn – home win at 11/10.
Today’s featured game is the Meistriliiga battle between league leaders Nomme Kalju and title challengers Levadia Tallinn.
Levadia are the bigger club here but that’s about all they have as their advantage nowadays. Their bunch of kids are talented and tend to show it against the majority of their opponents in the Meistriliiga. However, this is the weakest side that they’ve had for some time and it’s games like their recent 0-2 loss against Trans Narva that demonstrate that. The Levadia side of old would not have lost that game; it’s as simple as that. Their coach has admitted that his players were depressed by the result, not least because it hands the title to Nomme Kalju on a plate. Nomme Kalju are four points clear of them with two games in hand and if they win today then it may as well be over as Nomme Kalju have no more than three difficult games remaining this season and Levadia would somehow have to win all of theirs to pull off a miracle, which I obviously doubt.
Neemelo came back with a bang in Nomme Kalju’s last game, banging three goals in as Nomme Kalju scythed through Kuressaare with a 0-9 victory. They’re rammed with confidence right now and why not? They’ve got the best squad, the most in-depth squad, and the most experienced squad in the league. The only ones that can beat them to this title is themselves, basically, and Nomme Kalju have always impressed me with the way that they’ve handled the pressure etc. of now being named a big side. They’ve got more than enough of what it takes to make this their seventh consecutive Meistriliiga win and to prolong their unbeaten run to fourteen games in the league.
Don’t get me wrong here – Levadia still won’t be easy for them to play against. They’ll probably be even more motivated to do well here, if only to postpone the inevitable. However, I think Nomme Kalju simply have too much firepower and experience for Levadia’s kids to handle so the home win really appeals to me at 11/10.
Verdict: Nomme Kalju to win at 11/10.
Additional games
Wigan Athletic vs Stoke City – home win at 6/5.
I may be in the minority but I like the way that Wigan play, the players that they’ve signed pre-season, and I have faith in their manager making the right calls. This Wigan side is capable of playing good football and now have more depth than before, which is nice to see. Martinez has been raving about having Boselli back in his ranks but personally, I think he should be raving about Arouna Kone, who is potentially one of the signings of the season for my money. All things considered, he could be instrumental to Wigan with his pace as he gives them something that they just don’t have in di Santo or Boselli. The loss of Moses will hurt them, naturally, but Martinez anticipated it; that’s why he brought in Miyaichi from Arsenal. Miyaichi has learning to do but he’s a talented winger and should do well. Maloney has looked good and there’s a very solid look to this Wigan side that I really like. Happily, they have the voodoo sign over Stoke, too – Stoke just can’t beat them. Famous last words but even when Wigan have less men on the field than Stoke, they still somehow manage to survive. Stoke haven’t beaten Wigan in their last six attempts and that tells me they’ll struggle here. Stoke are very one-dimensional in the way that they play and it either works or it doesn’t. Against Wigan, it tends not to work and Stoke usually struggle on the road. They’re physically strong but not terrifically mobile and have no “Plan B”. Unless Stoke play an immaculate game and Wigan capitulate, I don’t see Wigan having too many problems and thus I like the home win at 6/5.
Verdict: Wigan Athletic to win at 6/5.
Siauliai vs Banga Gargzdai – home win with -1 Asian Handicap at 11/10.
I’ve regrettably not heard any team news for this one but to be honest, it really shouldn’t matter. In the A Lyga this season, Siauliai have really turned a corner with their dynamic approach to attacking. They lack the quality of Suduva Marijampole or the composure of Zalgiris Vilnius but I’d still not hesitate in saying that they play the most convincing attacking football in Lithuania right now. They score goals for fun and although their attempts at defending are weak at best, they’re still a very strong side when it comes to goalscoring which is why the few sides that have avoided defeat here have generally needed to score at least two or three goals to do so. Siauliai are very much Lithuania’s answer to “samba football” and in all but one home game this season, only the heavyweights have actually avoided defeat here against Siauliai. Intriguingly enough, it was Banga Gargzdai who got a result here earlier in the season against Siauliai against the odds but I would be surprised if lightning struck twice today. On the road, Banga are a shade predictable and although their recent form is strong, you do have to take into account that they’ve not played an away game since mid-July! I just can’t see how Banga will handle the constant threat of Kozlovs, Cesanelli, Rimkevicius, and Vezevicius so the -1 Asian Handicap appeals to me a lot at 11/10.
Verdict: Siauliai to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 11/10.
RKC Waalwijk vs Heracles Almelo – home win at evens.
You guys all know how much I like RKC Waalwijk and that’s not going to change overnight. This RKC side plays attractive attacking football and few Dutch sides can actually handle them when they play it right. Roda put up a good showing against them in their last home game but that was down to Ruud Brood being their boss; he made this RKC side and he knows how to stop them. Luck wasn’t on Brood’s side, though, as RKC eventually found a way through and won 1-0. The fact is that RKC have won two out of three this season and it would have been three out of three but for some bad luck! Even more impressively, RKC have landed former Ajax winger Boukhari, who is a great signing for them. He adds width and speed to the squad, not to mention experience. Maybe it’s a shade “Football Manager” of me but I envision a side with him on one side, Jozefzoon on the other, Sneijder pulling the strings, and Chevalier taking the chances and I think that it’d be absolute dynamite. If RKC actually take more of the chances that they create then they’ll quite easily manage to achieve what Heerenveen did last season, in my opinion. Do not underestimate this side at any stage! They’re a lot better than most think they are.
My sole concern for this game comes from the style that Heracles play. They’re shit away from home usually because they play on artificial turf in Almelo and 99% of Eredivisie sides use natural turf at their grounds. However, one characteristic that Heracles do have is their ability to attack and score goals. They play good football themselves and that’s been rather integral to RKC failing to beat them for some time now. Heracles have had a bad start, especially with their ridiculous home draw against VVV. However, is it fair to say that they’ve been terrible when they’ve lost two games against sides that are simply better than them? Maybe it’s just me as I like Heracles and I expect a lot from them but I think that they’ve looked sluggish and lacking in creativity. If they suffer from that here then RKC will tear them a new one, simply put. However, if Heracles turn it on then we’re in for a very interesting game because the likes of Quansah and especially Overtoom could capitalise on what is essentially a rather new look RKC midfield compared to last season. Heracles’ defence is a joke, though – they can’t keep a clean sheet against anyone, especially with new signing Schenkeveld still out.
However, I have to admit that the pros far outweigh the cons here so taking RKC to win a game that they really should win at evens looks very appealing to me.
Verdict: RKC Waalwijk to win at evens.
Almeria vs Real Madrid II – home win at evens.
Approach this one with some caution, gents. I like it far more than I should when you consider that it’s still early season but I’ll explain why I like it so much in more detail below.
Almeria are a gifted attacking side, basically. They have a cavalier approach to defending at the best of times but this side can and will score goals against the majority of Segunda Liga sides this season. They’ve already bagged seven goals in two games, just to back my point up. Ulloa is still too good for this division; God knows what he’s still doing at Almeria. Now they’ve got Brazilian Charles and former Valencia youngster Niguez, which makes this Almeria attack extremely potent. Both Casquero and Soriano provide the creativity and experience that Almeria need in midifeld and I seriously think that this side will get promoted this season as long as they keep on taking their chances as I see few other sides who can match their firepower. Almeria must keep hold of Ulloa, though – he is central to their promotion aspirations.
Real Madrid II obviously have some good players but Mourinho stole a few of them for the first team and they just happen to be the better goalscorers from the team. Real Madrid II are still hard to handle because of the talent that they still possess, especially in the final third of the pitch. I anticipate this as being the first game of the season where Real Madrid II will be completely out of their depth, though. They were fancied to do well against Villarreal CF in their opening game but disappointed there, conceding goals too easily and struggling to take on a better standard of player than they were accustomed to. Beating bitter rivals Barcelona II is something I’m going to ignore, purely because it’s a big derby and Barcelona II can’t defend for shit either. Frankly, that game will be on a knife-edge every time it’s played. Almeria, though – that’s a different kettle of fish and I don’t personally believe that Real Madrid II have what it takes to beat Almeria here.
For me, there really should be value on Almeria winning this game with the advantage of their experience.
Verdict: Almeria to win at evens.
Malmo FF vs Mjallby Solvesborg – over 2.5 goals at 4/5.
One word sums up this game; in-ter-esting!
Right; we all know how dominant Malmo are at home. I fully expect them to win this game, one way or another. They’re by far the better side and should make it count, especially with confidence high and the Allsvenskan title in their sights. They needed all of their tenacity and experience to beat GIF Sundsvall last time out, though, as their opponents produced a surprisingly gritty and well-organised display. Truth be told, GIF Sundsvall could have and should have scored at least twice in that game and would have deserved to get something out of it. That’s another story, though, as it’s GIF Sundsvall’s finishing that has cost them this season. Malmo held strong and gained an invaluable three points thanks to two late goals, though.
Bad news, however – converted centre-back Daniel Andersson will be out for some six weels and star striker Ranegie reportedly won’t play today as he’s heading to Udinese. Now, I’m not too arsed about Ranegie not playing as Malmo are a goalscoring machine; they have alternatives here, especially against a slow Mjallby defence devoid of its best defender (Rosengren). However, the absence of Andersson is huge for Malmo. He’s not a terrific defender but he lends a lot of composure to a very unstable Malmo defence and without him I suspect that they not only will fail to keep a clean sheet in each game but that their strong defensive record at home will rapidly disintegrate. Malmo will be happy that Fejzullahu moved to Djurgarden because he’d have a lot of fun today if he was playing for Mjallby, I can promise you!
That said, Mjallby still have attacking threats that can and will trouble Malmo today. Pode is a threat, Ekenberg’s movement is a threat, Radetinac is a threat, Nicklasson is a threat, and El-Kabir is a big threat if he plays as he’s been on trial at Racing Club Lens this week and nobody is sure if he’ll feature today. Mjallby haven’t been the same since Kivuvu left as his passing was rather integral to their attacks. However, they still possess in-form Ericsson and he’ll be keen to do well against Malmo as a former IFK Goteborg hitman. Defensively, they’re susceptible, especially in terms of pace, as I’ve already touched upon.
Therefore, I expect a game with over 2.5 goals, one way or another. I expect Malmo to take the initiative and score early in this game because it makes sense for them to do so rather than allow a stubborn Mjallby side to get comfortable. It also aids them for when they almost inevitably concede, too. I’ve analysed a few different ways that this game should progress and each one results in over 2.5 goals, hence my interest in this selection at 4/5.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 4/5.
Team news
Argentinian Primera Division:
Velez Sarsfield – No absentees.
Belgrano de Cordoba – E.Gonzalez is absent. C.Perez returns. V.Aquino is a doubt.
Newell’s Old Boys – Caceres is a doubt. V.Lopez returns.
Estudiantes De La Plata – Zapata is absent. M.Gonzalez returns.
Arsenal de Sarandi – D.Perez is absent.
Atletico Lanus – Regueiro and Romero are absent. Benitez may debutise.
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Mechelen – Pedersen and Van Damme are absent.
Germinal Beerschot – Vanasch and Dayan are absent. Raul Bravo and Veselinovic may debutise.
AA Gent – Boeckx, Mareval, and Pereira are absent.
Sporting Charleroi – No absentees.
Bulgarian A PFG:
Botev Plovdiv – Stanchev is absent.
Montana – Kostadinov may debutise.
Slavia Sofia – Lopez is absent.
Beroe – da Silva is absent.
Etar – Trifonov is absent. Tsankov is a doubt.
Pirin Gotse Delchev – No absentees.
Chernomorets Burgas – Trifonov, Nikolov, and Baldzhiyski are absent.
Lokomotiv Plovdiv – Georgiev is absent.
Croatian Prva Liga:
Dinamo Zagreb – Leko and Pokrivac are absent. Carrasco and Brozovic may debutise.
Lokomotiva Zagreb – Skvorc is absent. Brozovic has left. Trebotic may debutise.
Split – Krizanac and Belle are absent.
Zadar – No absentees.
Rijeka – No news.
Istra 1961 – No news.
Inter Zapresic – Gulic is a doubt.
Hajduk Split – Kis is absent. Maglica returns.
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Zbrojovka Brno – Kaufman returns. Pasek and Kral are absent.
Ceske Budejovice – Strasky is absent.
Marila Pribram – Tarczal and Mares are absent. Trapp is a doubt.
Slovacko – Kuzma and Martykan are absent.
Banik Ostrava – Sverkos, Kraut, and Kapralik are absent. Vasenda and Frydrych are doubts.
Sigma Olomouc – Sustr, Zlamal, and Klesnil are absent.
Danish Superligaen:
Silkeborg – No absentees.
AGF Aarhus – S.Larsen, Haland, and Jorgensen are absent.
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Sillamae Kalev – No absentees.
Flora Tallinn – Beglarisvili is absent. Aksalu and Kams are doubts.
Nomme Kalju – No absentees.
Levadia Tallinn – No absentees.
Flora Paide – Nomme is absent.
Kuressaare – Pohlak is absent.
Finnish Ykkonen:
HiFK Helsinki – M.Halme, Tamminen, Tanner, Ranta, Pyhala, and Kastrati are absent.
Jippo Joensuu – Korpela is absent. Koivuranta is a doubt. Berg may debutise.
Hameenlinna – Mononen is absent.
SJK – Karjanlahti, Penninkangas, Tiitus Lehtinen, and Sipila are absent. Toni Lehtinen returns.
OPS Oulu – Huovinen is absent.
RoPS Rovaniemi – Turcios, Tyystala, and Lahtinen are doubts. Rivera is absent. Obilor has left.
Viikingit Helsinki – No absentees.
KooTeePee Kotka – Lomidze and Jammeh return.
German Bundesliga:
Werder Bremen – Stevanovic is absent.
Hamburger SV – Kacar, Rincon, Scharner, and Rajkovic are absent.
Hoffenheim – Braafheid, Jaissle, and Wieser are absent.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Djakpa and Amediek are absent.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Sam and Augusto are absent.
SC Freiburg – Caligiuri and Rosendahl are absent.
Nurnberg – Hlousek and Mendler are absent.
Bv09 Borussia Dortmund – Bender and Koch are absent.
Schalke 04 – No absentees.
Augsburg – Bah, Philip, Moelders, and Backer are absent.
Fortuna Dusseldorf – Soares, Lamberts, Balogun are absent. Voronin may feature.
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Maccabi Haifa – Amasha is absent. Cohen has left. Davidovic is a doubt.
Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona – Solari and Badash have left. Porokara may debutise, alongside Cohen against his former club. Gerzicich is absent.
Bnei Sakhnin – No absentees.
MS Ashdod – Ambrose has left.
Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv – Baruch and Fallach may debutise.
Hapoel Ramat Gan – Yifrah, Ben-Simon, and Reuven are absent.
Ironi Ramat Hasharon – Musa returns. Neutral venue – Lezion.
Hapoel Acre – Abu-Ria is absent.
Beitar Jerusalem – Fernandes, Ben-Yosef, Ibinder, and Ben Shushan are absent. Coach Cohen has a touchline ban.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva – Saba’a and Nassar are absent.
Italian Serie A:
Torino – Siciu is absent. Barbosa is a doubt.
Pescara – Chiaretti is absent. Nielsen is a doubt.
Bologna – Riverola, Krhin, Perez, and Natali are absent.
AC Milan – Robinho, Pato, Strasser, Didac Vila, Muntari are absent. Abate is a doubt. Bojan and de Jong may debutise.
Dutch Eredivisie:
Roda JC Kerkrade – Delorge is absent. Malki is a doubt.
Willem II – Jallo, Christiansen, and Mulder are absent.
RKC Waalwijk – Barroilhet, Janssen, and Jungschlager are absent. Boukhari may debutise.
Heracles Almelo – Vujicevic, Vejinovic, and Schenkeveld are absent.
PEC Zwolle – Boer is absent.
NEC Nijmegen – Loen and van der Velden are absent. Nuytinck has left.
NAC Breda – Verbeek is absent.
FC Utrecht – Ayoub, Zullo, and Bovenberg are absent.
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Lillestrom – Gulbrandsen and Vaagen Moen are absent. S.Pedersen may debutise.
Fredrikstad – Dure is absent. Ramberg is a doubt.
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Korona Kielce – Lisowski and Malkowski are absent.
Lechia Gdansk – Andreu is absent.
Widzew Lodz – Banasiak and Kowalski are absent. Mrozinski and Pytkowski have left.
GKS Belchatow – Mak is a doubt.
Jagiellonia Bialystok – Ukah, Frankowski, and Porebski are absent. Cionek has left.
Zaglebie Lubin – Horvath is absent. Tunchev may debutise.
Polish Liga 1:
Tychy 71 – Krol and Malkowski are absent. Igaz is a doubt. Rocki returns.
Polonia Bytom – Kulpaka and Sinclair are absent. Krzemien is a doubt. Gamla and Pokotyluk return.
Miedz Legnica – Bladzewski returns. Wolczek may debutise.
Flota Swinoujscie – Wrzesien may debutise.
Brzesko – Smolka, Trznadel, and Oswiecimka are absent. Wawryka is a doubt. Cisse may debutise.
Nieciecza – Nalepa, Biskup, Jarecki, and Skolorzynski are absent. Kaczmarczyk is a doubt.
Stomil Olszytn – No absentees.
Bogdanka Leczna – Ricardo may debutise.
Sandecja Nowy Sacz – Borovicanin has left. Swiatek and Mrozinski may debutise.
Olimpia Grudziadz – No news.
Katowice – Fonfara, Kujawa, and Czerwinski may debutise.
Kolejarz Stroze – No news.
Arka Gdynia – Sobieraj is absent. Radziewicz is a doubt.
Zawisza Bydgoszcz – Kopacz is absent.
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Olhanense – Vinha is absent.
Porto – Rolando and Fernando are absent. Castro returns. Kelvin debutises.
Vitoria Guimaraes – Dinis, Amorim, and Matias are absent. Tiago Rodrigues debutises.
Estoril – Joao Paulo, Joao Pedro, Tiago Gomes, and Steven are absent. Diogo Amado debutises. Vagner returns.
Russian Premier League:
Rubin Kazan’ – No absentees.
Terek Grozny – Legear, Katzaev, Mguni, and Komorowski are absent.
Volga Nizhnyi Novgorod – No absentees.
Rostov-na-Donu – Okoronkwo, Kirichenko, and Cesnauskis are absent.
Alaniya Vladikavkaz – Hubulov is absent.
Amkar Perm’ – Peev, Rebko, Kolomeitsov, and Grishin are absent.
Scottish Premier League:
Aberdeen – Naysmith, McGinn, and Milsom are absent. Fallon and Hughes are doubts.
St.Mirren – Adam and McGregor are absent.
Celtic – Brown, Ledley, Stokes, and Kayal are absent.
Hibernian – Stevenson is a doubt.
Ross County – Corcoran and Malin are absent.
Kilmarnock – Tesselaar, Harkins, Bell, Hay, and Heffernan are absent.
St.Johnstone – Millar is absent. Beattie is a doubt.
Dundee United – Mackay-Steven is absent.
Spanish Primera Liga:
Celta de Vigo – No absentees.
Osasuna – Punal and Armenteros are absent.
Real Zaragoza – Apono, Loovens, and Obradovic are absent.
Malaga – Isco is a doubt. Julio Baptista returns.
Deportivo La Coruna – Salomao and Laure are absent. Gama is a doubt.
Getafe – No absentees.
Real Mallorca – Arizmendi and Gimenez are absent.
Real Sociedad – I.Martinez and Zurutuza are absent.
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Malmo FF – Andersson and Wilton are absent. Ranegie is a big doubt ahead of his potential transfer to Udinese.
Mjallby Solvesborg – Rosengren is absent. Robledo will debutise.
Turkish Super Lig:
Istanbul BB – Zayatte is absent.
Antalyaspor – No absentees.
Kayserispor – No absentees.
Akhisar Belediye – Ates is absent.
Karabukspor – Mabiala is absent.
Besiktas JK – Akgun, Koybasi, Pektemek, and Almeida are absent.