Espanyol vs Getafe
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Today’s secondary featured game is the Primera Liga game in Barcelona between Espanyol and Getafe.
Espanyol have impressed me over the last two seasons as they’ve become a lot more stable under ex-centre back Pochettino. They’re a bit short on the depth front and don’t score as many as they should be as a football team, they’re actually pretty damn good, in my view. They lost star striker Osvaldo pre-season to AS Roma and that will hurt them, of course. Callejon’s departure is no small news, either. However, they’ve signed old hand Pandiani, Slovakian winger Weiss, and Ivorian machine Romaric so they’ve not done too badly out of the transfer window. They’ve still got Sergio Garcia, which is very useful to them, when he feels like being useful! The big one for me is Uruguayan playmaker Albin, though. They signed him from Getafe pre-season and he’s a very good player on his day. Pochettino is the right manager to get the best out of him, in my view, not that he’ll need encouragement against his old club tonight! Away from home, Espanyol you have been poor this season, as per usual. Espanyol only really show up at home and a 2-1 win against Athletic Club de Bilbao a couple of weeks ago reinforced that point. I expect Espanyol to win a good number of home games this season and this is a game that they’re very much capable of winning.
Getafe, though – what can you say? They’ve done some good business pre-season by obtaining Lopo and Rodriguez from Deportivo La Coruna, Diego Castro from Sporting Gijon, Valera from Atletico Madrid, Pedro Leon from Real Madrid, and Guiza from Fenerbahce. However, despite the capabilities of the players that they’ve signed, they’ve still got a lot of galvanising to do and it’s shown in their games so far. Is it any wonder that it’s taking time, though? They’ve lost Parejo and Boateng pre-season, who were the heartbeat of their midfield last season. They lost Manu, who was a constant regular up front for Getafe last season. They’ve lost Marcano, who was a constant fixture in defence for them, too. I’ve no doubt Getafe will recover from these losses in due course because as a feeder club, that’s simply what they do. They don’t look much right now, however. They were poor during their 0-1 derby defeat against Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and in their 4-2 loss at bitter rivals Real Madrid. What has concerned me about Getafe is not only their lax approach to defending but their inability to keep hold of the ball. It’s going to be a long game for Getafe in Barcelona tonight if they don’t have the ball!
Both sides have work to do in dealing with their losses but for me, it’s Espanyol who have looked the most solid and they’re a generally reliable home side in the Primera Liga. They’ve got a good manager, a good foundation, and enough ability to overcome a somewhat disjointed Getafe side. For me, there’s some value on the home win at 11/10.
Verdict: Espanyol to win at 11/10.
Thursday’s Picks
Accumulator fodder:
Rosenborg BK.
Recommended bets:
Espanyol and Rosenborg BK at around 7/5.
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!
Copa Sudamericana:
Trujillanos vs Liga de Quito (6) 1-0
Deportivo Cali vs Independiente de Santa Fe Bogota (5) 1-1
Argentinian Primera Division:
Godoy Cruz de Mendoza vs Union de Santa Fe (7) 2-1
Argentinos Juniors vs Tigre (5) 0-0
Boca Juniors vs Estudiantes de la Plata (7) 2-1
Finnish Veikkausliiga:
IFK Mariehamn vs TPS Turku (6) 1-1
Finnish Ykkonen:
KooTeePee Kotka vs Jippo Joensuu (7)
PS Kemi Kings vs PK-35 Helsinki (7)
Icelandic Urvalsdeild:
Keflavik vs KR Reykjavik (4) 1-1
Italian Serie A:
AS Roma vs Siena (7) 1-0
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Rosenborg BK vs Sogndal (8) over 2.5 goals
Spanish Primera Liga:
Espanyol vs Getafe (7) 1-0
Real Betis Balompie vs Real Zaragoza (6) 2-1
Swedish Allsvenskan:
IFK Goteborg vs BK Hacken Goteborg (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Swiss Super League:
Servette vs Luzern (5) 1-0
Sion vs Grasshopper Zurich (7) 2-1
Turkish Super Lig:
Ankaragucu vs Sivasspor (5) 1-1
Bursaspor vs Besiktas JK (6) 1-0
Enjoy your free betting tips!