TFT Issue 514!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Schalke 04 vs Bayern Munich – over 3 goals at 11/10.
Today’s featured game is the Bundesliga game between in-form Schalke 04 and heavyweights Bayern Munich.
I’ve not only been impressed with the way that Schalke have been playing this season but also how astute Stevens was in the transfer market pre-season. I mentioned that in my mid-week preview of Schalke’s visit to Greece and I’m happy to do so again! They’re playing like a proper team and when you consider their offensive weapons, it’s hard not to be impressed. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Huntelaar but he’s a natural goalscorer and there’s plenty of players to give him the chance to score, generally speaking, although he’s unfortunately missing for today’s big game. Bringing in Afellay from Barcelona was a stroke of genius, as was the signing of set piece specialist Barnetta on the flank. Holtby is coming of age in the centre of the park and Draxler has shown an awful lot of promise. Farfan’s pace and power are a lethal weapon (as long as it doesn’t go to his head to the point where he starts shooting from anywhere) and the likes of Howedes and Papadopoulous are threats from set pieces. This side isn’t 100% finished yet; they still concede goals too easily and Stevens is all too keen for them to iron out their lack of confidence etc., although that largely stems from his desire to stop them becoming complacent, ironically. As far as attacking goes, though, Schalke have impressed me a lot so far this season and I think they’ll give Bayern a good game today.
There are no prizes for guessing which of these two sides is the better side, however. Quite obviously, Bayern (with one of the best midfields in Europe) are the better side here and thus we can’t rule out a Bayern win here. However, they don’t tend to win games in the conventional manner. What I mean by that is that unlike most heavyweights in Europe, Bayern won’t just defend a 1-0 lead because they have the strength to do so. Indeed, I don’t know if it’s Bayern clinging to former beliefs and teachings or whether it’s them acknowledging that their defence is poor but Bayern continue to attack and score goals in all of their games. Huub Stevens has already highlighted the way that Bayern have improved pre-season, lauding their even more aggressive style and closing down techniques. Bayern are packed full of exciting attacking players and although I still question their defence, there’s no doubt that they have the firepower to do the job in the Bundesliga this season.
Still, the form of both sides leads me to believe that we’ll see an exciting game here today. Both sides are scoring goals for fun and both rarely keep clean sheets so for me, taking over 3 goals looks an interesting one at 11/10.
Verdict: Over 3 goals at 11/10.
Additional games
San Lorenzo de Almagro vs Velez Sarsfield – away win at 13/10.
It has never ceased to amaze me that so many good attacking players can come from such a dour domestic league! Seriously – there’s only a handful of sides in Argentina right now that can score goals on a regular basis. At the time of writing this preview, only four sides out of twenty has scored ten or more goals in seven games, which is just appalling. Essentially, the only sides with actual offensive power are River Plate, Boca Juniors, and Velez Sarsfield, for my money.
Velez Sarsfield’s ability to do that is what interests me the most, here. They’re strong enough to keep sides out too, which is naturally a big help, but it’s their ability to score goals that interests me. Copete (although he’s absent today) and Pratto do the damage in the final third and whilst assisted by Cabral, emerging Ferreira, and veteran playmaker Insua, Velez tend to score goals. They’ve only conceded once in four Primera Division games with their iron defence more than capable of keeping their opponents out. They’re essentially a superior side to most other Argentinian outfits and with momentum on their side and no continental competitions to distract them, I think that they should do the job against San Lorenzo today. San Lorenzo haven’t been able to score goals for a while and with playmaker Romagnoli still on the sidelines, it’s hard to see that changing today so a narrow away win looks a tempting bet at 13/10.
Verdict: Velez Sarsfield to win at 13/10.
Zulte-Waregem vs Anderlecht – over 2.5 goals at 9/10.
Ever since Dury returned to the club where he’s welcomed like a returning hero, Zulte-Waregem have unsurprisingly put in some amazing displays. Berrier looks far better under Dury than he ever has under anyone else and has even bagged a number of goals this season despite his main role being to create chances for others. It’s not Habibou who is doing the damage up front right now but Leye and Naessens, the former of which is in a very similar build to Habibou. There’s plenty of pass and move in midfield with Hazard and Hinostroza playing alongside Berrier and add all of the above to the tremendous work ethic that Zulte-Waregem have an you have a side that can and will score goals, not to mention a side that plays without fear. They’re hard-working enough to keep the majority of sides away from their goal but the bigger sides tend to find a way through and when they do, they tend to score. Zulte-Waregem are much like Kortrijk, in that respect – their defence looks better than it is because of the work-rate that their midfield has. Add the tenacity, belief, and firepower of Zulte-Waregem together versus a potentially tired Anderlecht side, who were in Italy mid-week, and you have a Zulte-Waregem side capable of springing a surprise here.
Anderlecht – well, you all know how good they are at this level. van der Brom is continuing what Jacobs started off and Anderlecht have maintained their excellent ability during the transition of managers. Mbokani looks as deadly as ever and both Kanu and Iakovenko have entered a new lease of life under van der Brom that we hadn’t previously seen from either of them for some time. Biglia’s presence in midfield is as essential as ever and the emerging talents of Canesin, Praet, and Bruno make this Anderlecht side really rather exciting. We’ve not even seen new signing Cyriac yet and Gillet still has plenty more to offer so I’ve no doubts over Anderlecht’s attacking power. Defensively…I just don’t know. I still can’t accept that Wasilewski is ahead of Juhasz and I think that’ll continue to harm Anderlecht at the back. They may have kept a clean sheet against AC Milan earlier this week but that was more about AC Milan not taking their chances nor creating enough of them rather than Anderlecht defending well. It’s business as usual today for Anderlecht and I think their potential tiredness will hurt them here; this is very much a difficult game for them.
I was sorely tempted to take the home win with draw no bet cover but I’ve had to swerve to a more realistic aim of over 2.5 goals as I expect both sides to score and I expect at least one of these sides to score twice. Anderlecht are the better side but Zulte-Waregem look a very dependable unit this season so I like over 2.5 goals at 9/10.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 9/10.
Santos vs Portuguesa – home win at evens.
The odds on Santos winning this game are rising and I’ve no idea why. Are people overreacting to Santos selling Ganso to Sao Paulo? I think that’ll spur them on more than anything, especially the bad way in which he left. You’re not telling me that Felipe Anderson, Arouca, Andre, and even promising youngster Andrade don’t have enough firepower for Santos to win this game, surely? They absolutely are, in my view. That’s all you have to consider when your team is facing Portuguesa, really. Portuguesa only have one recognised goalscorer Bruno Mineiro and although both Moises and Ananias have had good campaigns, it’s still a bit too insignificant to bring to Sao Paulo to take on mighty Santos. Portuguesa always try to play their game on the road, which almost never works against the bigger sides with all of the heavyweights having scored at least twice when hosting Portuguesa this season. The visitors do need the points more than their hosts in their battle against relegation but Santos simply have more quality and I expect that to show by the end of the game. A lot has been made of Santos potentially resting players ahead of their Recopa Sudamericana game in three days time and they may well do so. Muricy has admitted in recent times that Neymar is tired from all the games he’s playing and he’ll get that chance today as he’s suspended. However, people tend to forget that Santos’ second string are more than good enough to be a decent Serie A side themselves so when fused with half of their first-team, Santos still tend to operate at 80% capacity, which is enough for me to take them to beat Portuguesa at generous odds of evens. I just don’t see the visitors scoring enough goals to prevent a home win today.
Verdict: Santos to win at evens.
Rijeka vs Dinamo Zagreb – away win at evens.
There’s only one side that consistently has a good chance of winning at Rijeka (barring Rijeka themselves) and that’s Prva Liga heavyweights Dinamo Zagreb.
Rijeka are not an easy side to take on here, you see. Croatia is very big on its home advantages, especially for sides like Osijek, Rijeka, and Slaven Koprivnica, and that’s not even looking at the big two – Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split. It takes a very good display to win here but Dinamo Zagreb are more than good enough to do it. They defend much better on the road than they do at home as they’re a lot more focused on their gameplan. Dinamo Zagreb love to force the issue from the start of the game and Rijeka won’t like that one bit; they much prefer to wait until the second-half of games before delivering their attacks. Dinamo Zagreb have won six out of eight this season and have led in six out of those eight games at half-time. They’re compact, well-organised, and lethal on counter-attacks whilst Rijeka are still missing that certain something, you know? I thought that they did terrifically well to win at Slaven Koprivnica lately but they struggle under the pressure that they have at home at the moment, which is surprising as it usually encourages them rather than hindering them. Rijeka haven’t even scored in the first-half of any of their three home games thus far so it looks like the first-half will play a pivotal part in the outcome of this game. Admittedly, Dinamo Zagreb had a game with Porto mid-week but they’ve got a big squad; they can rotate players here if necessary. Rijeka’s threat is very predictable and I think Dinamo will be able to handle it here.
For me, the away win at evens looks tempting enough to take although for those seeking more of a cheeky bet, taking Dinamo Zagreb to lead at half-time and win the game would generate longer odds.
Verdict: Dinamo Zagreb to win at evens.
FC Honka Espoo vs TPS Turku – away win with draw no bet at 10/11.
Despite some impressive displays lately, I think Honka have met their match in bogey side TPS Turku today.
Honka have discovered how to make home advantage count this season, which they’d previously forgotten, so that’s benefited them a lot in their surprise battle against being sucked into the drop zone. The Veikkausliiga is very tight this year, though – they’re only a few wins away from a European place so it’s important to be careful. Still, the sides that Honka have slipped up against this season are the ones that are either well-organised or the ones that are better than they are. TPS Turku are at the top of the list for sides that Honka would love to beat but never seem to be able to manage to and I think we’ll see another case of that today. What Honka struggle to deal with is the fact that TPS Turku are lethal on counter-attacks whilst actually being able to defend, the latter of which Honka have never had the ability to do. Vayrynen, Vesara, Petrescu, and Otaru are all potent threats for Honka but TPS can handle them if they play their usual game at the back. When Honka play a certain period of the game without having more success, their heads tend to drop due to them being a rather youthful side. That’s particularly problematic as this side can and will concede the craziest goals seen in Finland, often from set pieces. Honka can rarely hold leads, hence them usually pushing for more goals.
All of the above plays right into TPS Turku’s hands. They’ve not lost in Espoo in the Veikkausliiga since 2007 and have won their last two games against Honka. True, they have to deal without the playmaking skills of Kolehmainen but as each game goes by without him, TPS are demonstrating more and more ways to attack and score goals. This TPS Turku side is very resourceful and also very hard-working. I personally thought that they’d lose the Turku derby against Inter lately but they rallied from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 and could have scored more too. Ristola, Hyyrynen, and especially Aaritalo are proving to be real handfuls and with hero Roope Riski back in their ranks, it suddenly doesn’t look so damaging that only Lahde and Pennanen are carrying the midfield. Defensively, Nyberg and Tanska hold things together and I think that they can do the same again today. Honka are not an easy side to keep out but TPS Turku are well-organised and Honka detest playing against that.
I expect a game here similar to that of the game between Honka and VPS a few weeks ago. Honka did very little too VPS and VPS eventually won the game despite falling behind. I hope TPS don’t fall behind but they’ve got better and more experienced players than Honka and given that they’re in the Veikkausliiga title race, taking them with draw no bet appeals to me a lot at 4/5.
Verdict: TPS Turku to win with draw no bet at 4/5.
Jippo Joensuu vs RoPS Rovaniemi – under 2.5 goals at 10/11.
Approach this one with caution as RoPS don’t have anything to play for and they’re the ones that tend to dictate how their games develop. However, I do like under 2.5 goals a lot at 10/11 here. Jippo’s attacking threat has all but gone now that they’ve sold Ngueukam to FC Lahti and thus they’ve reverted back into the old defensive under 2.5 goals side that they used to be, especially on the horrible surface at Joensuu. Technically speaking, Jippo are still in the relegation battle but truth be told, they’re unlikely to be roped into it. Jippo know that drawing the majority of their remaining games will suffice and they’re more than good enough to do it. Their home record is phenomenal for a frankly average Ykkonen side; seven wins in eleven games this season. Only PK-35 Helsinki and RoPS Rovaniemi themselves can better that! Jippo have gone under 2.5 goals in all of their home games since they sold Ngueukam and given that RoPS are in no great rush to attack and score a flurry of goals here, I do think that we’re heading for another under 2.5 goals game today. Jippo would take a draw and RoPS are good enough at defending to keep them out whilst not being interested enough in attacking to damage them. Under 2.5 goals at 10/11 all day long for me!
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 10/11.
Maccabi Netanya vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva – home win at evens.
Following a morale-boosting win at reigning champions Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Maccabi Netanya will be pleased to welcome Hapoel Be’er Sheva today as they have a very strong record against them. As they’re no longer a dominant force of Israeli football, they welcome all the help that they can get. Still, they’ve at least looked solid at the back under Banin and they’ve got a proven goalscorer in Saba’a. They’ve got a lot of work to do before they become the side that they were a few years ago but they’re facing a side that they really should beat today. Hapoel Be’er Sheva bring little to no firepower into this game with Exbard and Gabay out-of-form. Suissa has scored their goals thus far but he’s not their main man just yet. They do bring momentum into this game, though – they’ve been physically strong and well-organised thus far so sides are finding it hard to beat them. Still, if Saba’a is unleashed correctly then I think that they’ll take the lead and ultimately hold it against what is essentially an inferior side. As long as you score the first goal against Hapoel Be’er Sheva and don’t get complacement then three points should be in the big for Maccabi Netanya today. For me, the home win is appealing at evens.
Verdict: Maccabi Netanya to win at evens.
Juventus vs Chievo Verona – home win with -1.5 handicap at evens.
Ah, they may have had a tough game at Chelsea just a few days ago but the biggest and frankly best side in Serie A should have no trouble disposing of a weak Chievo side. Chievo have been notorious in Serie A over the years for being battlers; a side that has no concept of being able to accept defeat. They work like Trojans and are a nightmare to break down. Still, the players they lost pre-season have damaged them and given that they’re not naturally blessed with firepower, I really don’t think that they should be causing Juventus problems at the Juventus Arena tonight. Juventus have beaten the -1.5 handicap in all of their Serie A games this season and they’ve had hard games in which to do it too, especially at battling Udinese and fierce Genoa. Juventus simply have too much firepower to be contained, in my opinion. Chievo may hold out for a while but when Juventus break the dam, they should score two or three here so taking them to beat the -1.5 handicap appeals to me at evens as they bid to break their hoodoo against Chievo!
Verdict: Juventus to beat the -1.5 handicap at evens.
Parma vs Fiorentina – both sides to score at 5/6.
I’ve actually been impressed with both sides so far this season, to be honest. Fiorentina’s new-look side have started to gel very well and Parma’s attack has looked more dangerous than I’d anticipated, even without Amauri, who is still absent.
At the Ennio Tardini, it’s a braver man than I am who will oppose Parma. They work very hard for their results (contrary to the majority of their away displays) and they’ve been scoring goals. Donadoni’s guiding Parma well and it’ll be fascinating to see how lethal their attack is when Amauri does come back. Parolo, Valdes, and even Ninis have done well in midfield and ultimately, this Parma side looks a lot more dangerous than initially anticipated. Defensively, I’ll always have question marks over them because Paletta holds it together and he’s frankly not very good; he’s just big. I like the attitude of the team, though – they’re setting the right example at the moment.
Fiorentina have done really well under Montella, who is rapidly making a name for himself as a manager in Italian football. He may have some misfits in his ranks but they’re essentially packed full of good attacking players, one way or another. There’s big Toni, superstar Jovetic, clever Ljajic, and then a whole host of playmakers to choose from in Aquilani, Pizarro, and Fernandez, not to mention the wide threat of Valero. I think this side is in for a good season if they continue to impress as they have and although there’s still a long way for them to go, I fancy them to have a good campaign as long as they don’t do a typical Fiorentina thing by sacking Montella for no reason. Defensively, Fiorentina are vulnerable – they’ve got a new backline and it’s shown thus far – but their attacking has left me convinced that they’ll give Parma a good game today.
I’d not touch the 1×2 market but taking both sides to score appeals to me at 5/6.
Verdict: Both sides to score at 5/6.
Turnu Severin vs Otelul Galati – under 2 goals at 11/10.
I’d like to be able to write a lot about this one but simply put, we have two poor sides that defend first and attack later. Otelul Galati are the more notable of the two sides but have had a terrible campaign thus far. Severin’s campaign hasn’t differed much although less is expected of them anyway, to be fair. The continued absence of Didi coupled with the absence of Pena massively damages the Otelul attack and although we all know that they can defend, it’s their ability (or lack of) to attack and score goals that is damaging them. Severin would happily take a draw here and I think that they might just achieve it too. Either way, taking under 2 goals at 11/10 looks appealing today.
Verdict: Under 2 goals at 11/10.
Dinamo Moscow vs Amkar Perm’ – under 2.5 goals at 4/5.
Dan Petrescu is still getting to grips with his new club as back-to-back defeats clearly indicate, especially with the former of those two defeats coming against his old club, Kuban Krasnodar. I personally don’t have an issue with the solidarity of the Dinamo defence, nor the creativity in their side. Let’s be realistic here; any side that has Misimovic, Dzsudzsak, Noboa, and Semshov in it should be creating plenty of chances, one way or another. They just don’t have enough to actually score their chances, you know? Kuranyi is still yet to find the net this season and Kokorin still has a lot to prove as he’s a kid, essentially. Two strikers at this level is just not enough and I’m sure that Petrescu will look to bring in another striker or two when possible because this isn’t good enough. Dinamo are not taking the chances that they do create so it’s hard to envision them beating anyone right now.
I don’t know if it’ll turn out to be fortunate or not that they’re hosting Amkar Perm’ today, though. Amkar are not a very good side in terms of goalscoring but they’re very experienced, well-organised, and tenacious. They’re the kind of side that you do not want to face if your team is out of form, which is precisely what Dinamo are. Amkar have actually bolstered their attacking options this season and now bring an unusually dangerous counter-attacking threat into their games. Vassiljev and Peev are threats in wide positions and now they’ve added Breznanik to their ranks too. Big Jakubko up front isn’t mobile so he needs a good midfield behind him, which he has, even with Rebko and Grishin out today. Amkar are not a side to take lightly at any stage and I personally think that Trubachev’s side is looking the best that it has been since Kushev left. Amkar love to frustrate sides and they’re playing with confidence so I see no reason why they can’t upset their more illustrious hosts today.
Even if Dinamo do turn it on – this game shouldn’t go over 2.5 goals as they’re a rather cautious side themselves. Under 2.5 goals is a must at 4/5 today.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 4/5.
Volga Nizhnyi Novgorod vs CSKA Moscow – under 2.5 goals at 5/6.
This one depends on how well CSKA decide to take their chances, really. I’ve seldom come across a more frustrating side to bet on than CSKA Moscow. I understand that their star striker Doumbia is out and thus goals won’t be as easy to come by but the fact is that they’re horribly wasteful in front of goal. How they didn’t score six against Alaniya is beyond me, to be honest. They did everything but hit the net and had to settle for 2-0 in the end. I’m sure CSKA don’t mind; three points is three points, after all. Still, they know that they’ll have harder games this season where they’ll need to take their chances and this could be one of them.
Quality-wise, there’s no real contest here; CSKA are simply the better side. I worry about them not taking their chances, though. They’re solid enough at the back to keep most sides out with bags of experience and cohesion in their defence. Up front, though – which CSKA will show up? If it’s the usual CSKA attack then they may end up with a 0-0 or a 0-1. If they actually take the chances that they make then they could absolutely romp home today. I personally think that Volga are too hard-working for this one to be a whitewash but I wouldn’t rule it out anyway whilst CSKA have an in-form Honda in their ranks.
The odds on CSKA winning this game are far too short to interest me but taking under 2.5 goals looks appealing at 5/6, especially with CSKA’s attacking options reduced with winger Gonzalez out today.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 5/6.
Ross County vs St.Johnstone – under 2 goals at 11/10.
And so the Ross Country train rolls on! Forty or so games unbeaten, now – it’s impressive stuff, irrespective of the opponents that they’ve faced.
Ross are not an especially good side but they’re very well-organised and that organisation is further improved by the confidence that stems from this magnificent run that they’re on. To top that off, nothing is expected of them so there’s no real pressure. All things considered, Ross are in the ideal position to maintain this current run of form and don’t seem to be fazed in the slightest. They’re a truly horrible side to watch but they’re bloody resilient in defence! They’ve kept five clean sheets in six games this season (only Celtic have scored against them) and four of those six games haven’t had any goals in them whatsoever. Naturally, this run will end at some point, as all runs do, but I’m happy to ride it until it does. Ross have no interest in surrendering their clean sheets and I don’t see that changing today. St.Johnstone have had tremendous problems scoring goals since Sandaza and Sheridan left and they’re about on-par with their hosts quality-wise, in my view. There’s little in it and with neither side conceding many goals and neither side offering much up front, I have to consider taking under 2 goals at 11/10 as a bit of a steal today.
Verdict: Under 2 goals at 11/10.
Team news
Argentinian Primera Division:
Independiente – C.Rodriguez, Tula, and Gabbarini are absent. Tuzzio is a doubt.
All Boys – J.Rodriguez is absent. Ahumada is a doubt.
Argentinos Juniors – J.Fernandez is absent. N.Fernandez is a doubt.
Union de Santa Fe – Avendano and Galvan are absent.
San Lorenzo de Almagro – Masuero, Romagnoli, Voboril, and Menseguez are absent. Buffarini, Piatti, and Prosperi are doubts.
Velez Sarsfield – Papa, Copete, and Cerro are absent. Cubero is a doubt.
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Zulte-Waregem – Leye is absent.
Anderlecht – Lukaku returns. Kouyate may be rested.
Lokeren – Leko, Ketels, and El Mouataz are absent.
OH Leuven – Chuka is absent.
Mechelen – De Petter and Ghomsi are absent.
Mons – No absentees.
Waasland-Beveren – Coosemans is absent.
Lierse SK – Davids and Farag are absent.
Germinal Beerschot – Dayan, Bodor, and Van Asch are absent.
Kortrijk – No absentees.
Brazilian Serie A:
Figueirense – Abreu, Almir, Fernandes, Heber, and Ricardo are absent. Elsinho and Aloisio return.
Palmeiras – Wesley, Joao Vitor, Obina, Luan, and Artur are absent. Mazinho and Thiago Heleno return. Gilson Kleina’s first game in charge.
Fluminense – Edinho, Carlinhos, and Wagner are absent. Fred, Deco, Anderson, Digao, Marcos Junior, and Valencia return.
Nautico – Josa, Rogerinho, Ramirez, Kieza, Araujo, and Marlon are absent. Jean Rolt and Patric return.
Santos – Neymar, Henrique, Edu Dracena, Miralles, Galhardo, Fucile, Alison, Adriano, and Bruno Peres are absent. Ganso has left. Felipe Anderson and Durval return.
Portuguesa – Leandro Silva and Heverton are absent.
Bulgarian A PFG:
Botev Vratsa – Romanov may debutise.
Lokomotiv Plovdiv – Malamov and Spasov are absent.
Botev Plovdiv – Vieira is a doubt. Karaslavov returns.
Beroe – Goranov, Deshliev, Rainov, and Dzeferovic are absent.
Levski Sofia – Pinto, Starokin, and Vezalov are absent. Bashliev, Mulder, and Angelov are doubts.
Pirin Gotse Delchev – No news.
Ludogorets – Moti is absent.
CSKA Sofia – Platini and Nuages are absent. Benjelloun returns.
Croatian Prva Liga:
Cibalia Vinkovci – Rugrasevic, Vitaic, and Matkovic are absent.
Dinamo Zagreb – Pokrivac and Leko are absent.
Inter Zapresic – No news.
Osijek – No absentees.
Rijeka – No news.
Zadar – No news.
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Marila Pribram – Tarczal is absent. Misun is a doubt.
Ceske Budejovice – Taborsky may debutise.
Slovacko – Kosut, Fujerik, Trousil, and Kordula are absent.
Jablonec – Pitak is absent.
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
FC Honka Espoo – No absentees.
TPS Turku – S.Makinen and K.Makinen are absent.
Finnish Ykkonen:
HiFK Helsinki – Kastrati, Tanner, Pyhala, and Ranta are absent. Antman and Priha are doubts.
PK-35 Helsinki – Kabashi, Karki, Raimi, and Gomez-Mattila are absent.
Hameenlinna – Mononen and Kalervo are absent. Hertsi and Garciano return. Pereira is a doubt.
Viikingit Helsinki – No absentees.
Jippo Joensuu – Koko’o is absent. Korpela is a doubt. Ekroos returns for yet another spell with the club.
RoPS Rovaniemi – No absentees.
AC Oulu – Haipus, Siira, Majava, Hinkula, and Kauppila are absent.
KooTeePee Kotka – No absentees.
SJK – Penninkangas is absent. Hietaharju and Sipila are doubts.
OPS Oulu – Ramirez and Huovinen return.
French Ligue 1:
Bastia – Bonnefoi, Ilan, El-Azzouzi, and Moizini are absent. Cioni returns.
Paris Saint-Germain – Lugano, Lavezzi, Tiene, Luyindula, Thiago Motta, Areola, and Rabiot are absent. Van der Wiel may debutise. Bodmer and Sissoko return.
Stade Brestois – Martial, Benschop, Mendy, Dernis, Brou Apanga, Alphonse, Guidileye, Ferradj, and Coulibaly are absent.
Valenciennes – Gomis, Djuric, and Pujol are absent.
Lorient – Baca, Audard, Le Lan, Coutadeur, Ecuele Manga, and A.Traore are absent.
OGC Nice – Pentecote, Diaz, Anin, Pied, M’Bow, Hennion, and Fofana are absent.
Stade de Reims – Odair Fortes, Fofana, Toudic, Peuget, Liebus, and Ghilas are absent. Ramane and Ayite return.
AS Nancy-Lorraine – Haidara and Helder are absent. Andre Luiz returns.
Sochaux – Nogueira, Cros, Carlao, Dias, Lopy, Duplus, Butin, Mikari, Daf, and Prcic are absent.
Troyes – Drouin, Enza-Yamissi, Psaume, Camara, and Bettiol are absent.
Toulouse – Zebina, Vidal, Firmin, and Aguemon are absent.
Stade Rennais – Diarra, Montano are absent.
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Gyori ETO FC – Trajkovic and Svec are absent.
Debreceni VSC – Farkas, Yannick, Selim Bouadla, Roguy Meye, Mate, Novakovic, and Czvitkovics are absent.
Eger – Koos is absent. Vujovic is a doubt.
Budapest Honved – Czuczi, Vidovic, and Tchami are absent. Kemenes returns.
Kaposvari Rakoczi – Horvath, Waltner, and Posza are absent. Vrucina may return.
Ujpest – Vermes returns.
Kecskemeti TE – Torok has resigned. Temporary coach Szabo leads the team today.
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Bnei Sakhnin – Abbas is absent. Belo will debutise.
Hapoel Ramat Gan – Chen is absent. Avsidris and Atzhanov may debutise.
Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv – Nash and Abu-Zeid have left. Hrepka, Baruch, and Berski may debutise.
Hapoel Haifa – Roash may feature.
Maccabi Netanya – Ben-Harush returns. Lupo may debutise.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva – Osiako and Bruchian may debutise.
Maccabi Haifa – Keinan, Yadin, Zeiri may debutise. Cocalic and Damahou are absent.
MS Ashdod – Lavi is leaving. Mizrahi and Revivo have left on loan. Nash may debutise.
Beitar Jerusalem – Fernandes is absent. Diamant has left. Kozokin returns.
Hapoel Acre – Abu-Ria is absent. Ben-Dayan may debutise.
Italian Serie A:
Juventus – Pepe and Padoin are absent.
Chievo Verona – Paloschi, Squizzi, and Luciano are absent.
Parma – Biabany and Santacroce are absent.
Fiorentina – Aquilani, Della Rocca, and El-Hamdaoui are absent.
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Tauras Taurage – Kizys is a doubt.
Ekranas Panevezys – No absentees.
Zalgiris Vilnius – No news.
Kruoja Pakruojis – No absentees.
Dutch Eredivisie:
PEC Zwolle – Slot, Boer, and Gravenbeek are absent.
Groningen – Suk is absent.
Vitesse Arnhem – Chanturia, van der Heijden, Room, and van der Struijk are absent.
Heracles Almelo – Schenkeveld, Vujicevic, Veldmate, and Koenders are absent. Armenteros is a doubt.
RKC Waalwijk – Ramos, Janssen, and Jungschlager are absent.
VVV Venlo – Maguire, Altheer, Reimerink, Meeuwis, Turk, and Bergkamp are absent.
NEC Nijmegen – de Looijer and Loen are absent.
Willem II – No absentees.
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Jagiellonia Bialystok – Gusic is absent. Ukah returns. Bandrowski, Zahorski, Mackiewicz, and Waszkiewicz are doubts.
Piast Gliwice – Urban, Swierczok, and Lisowski are absent.
Ruch Chorzow – Panka, Djokic, Sadlok, and Malinowski are absent.
Zaglebie Lubin – No news.
Wisla Krakow – Quioto, Glowacki, Sobolewski, and Chrapek are absent.
Lechia Gdansk – Bajic, Airapetian, and Pietrowski are absent. Wisniewski, Grzelczak, and Deleu return.
Polish Liga 1:
Warta Poznan – Trochim is absent.
Kolejarz Stroze – Cichy is absent.
Miedz Legnica – Alexandre is absent.
Olimpia Grudziadz – No news.
Brzesko – Smolka and Urbanski are absent. Jacek returns.
Tychy 71 – Krol and Malkowski are absent.
LKS Lodz – Osinski and Kuklis are absent.
Zawsiza Bydgoszcz – No news.
Arka Gdynia – Kuklis is absent.
Sandecja Nowy Sacz – No news.
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Porto – Rolando, Otamendi, Fernando, and Lucho Gonzalez are absent. Abdoulaye debutises.
Beira-Mar – No news.
Romanian Liga:
Turnu Severin – No absentees.
Otelul Galati – Pena, Didi, S.Ilie, and Sarghi are absent.
Universitatea Cluj – Paulinho is absent.
Dinamo Bucharest – Koulibaly and Ba are absent.
Russian Premier League:
Volga Nizhnyi Novgorod – Ryzhkov, Pleshan, and Adzhindzal are absent.
CSKA Moscow – Gonzalez, Doumbia, and Necid are absent.
Dinamo Moscow – Shunin and Nekhaychik are absent.
Amkar Perm’ – Rebko, Novakovic, and Grishin are absent.
Krylya Sovetov Samara – Taranov is absent.
Zenit St.Petersburg – Criscito, Danny, Semak, and Witsel are absent.
Terek Grozny – Warken, Katzaev, Rybus, Mguni, and Mitrishev are absent.
Lokomotiv Moscow – Guilherme and N’Doye are absent.
Slovenian Prva Liga:
Rudar Velenje – No news.
Mura 05 – No news.
Koper – Dzukic and Zhibert are absent. Bubalo and Covilo return.
Aluminji – No absentees.
Spanish Primera Liga:
Real Betis Balompie – Chica is absent.
Celta de Vigo – De Lucas is absent.
Espanyol – Longo, Mattioni, Garcia, Baena, and Colotto are absent.
Osasuna – Llorente and Punal are absent.
Real Zaragoza – Pinter, Obradovic, and Loovens are absent.
Getafe – No news.
Barcelona – Pique, Puyol, Iniesta, Muniesa, Cuenca, and Abidal are absent.
Granada – Ighalo, Roberto, Lucena, Benitez, Yebda, and Rico are absent.
Turkish Super Lig:
Istanbul BB – Arat is a doubt.
Orduspor – Sahin and Gosso are absent.
Kayserispor – Taskiran is absent.
Eskisehirspor – Potuk and Coskun are absent.
Gaziantepspor – Ibricic is absent. Demir is a doubt.
Besiktas JK – Kayhan, Koybasi, Quaresma, Akgun, Pektemek, and Demirci are absent.
Mersin Idmanyurdu – Yahia, Aysan, and Sarp are absent.
Genclerbirligi – Sedef, Azofeifa, Can, and Delibatia are absent.