Tours vs Brest
FreeToday’s featured game is the Ligue 2 encounter between Tours and Brest. Both sides have played well in this campaign and occupy fourth and fifth place in the table respectively.
Hosts Tours are one of the better home sides in the division and their momentum in recent games will have only enhanced that particular power. Tours are unbeaten in five games and are unbeaten at home all season. They’ve won four and drawn four at home with only Stade Malherbe de Caen, Nantes, and today’s visitors Brest have scored more goals at home than Tours. Tours have won three of their last five games including their last two games consecutively. Ultimately, Tours’ momentum is strong and they’re a real force at home, something which should play a big part in tonight’s game.
Visitors Brest are having a much better season than I’d anticipated and are playing some good football to boot. However, just one win in their last three games will have knocked them and their unconvincing away form leaves them looking shaky against an impressive Tours. Brest have only won one out of seven away games this season but would have lost more had their goals condeded record not been as good as it has been with no Ligue 2 side having conceded less goals than they have. Brest’s away form tends to be aimed more towards stifling their opponents which is rather contradictory to their attacking football shown when playing at home. However, they’ve got a really tough side to contain here and I feel they may not be able to achieve it.
Although this should be a tight game, I’m backing the home advantage of Tours to really count here and their momentum lately should see them take a narrow win from this game.
Verdict: Tours to win at evens.
Friday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Racing Club Avellaneda vs Tigre – home win at 3/4.
Hosts Racing Club de Avellaneda enter this game after having inflicted the first defeat on former league leaders Banfield, beating them away from home, surprisingly. They’ve won three out of their last five games and have won their last two home games in a row, scoring five goals without conceding a goal. Racing are starting to play football that we know they’re capable of and their momentum is starting to prove a reliable assist for the hosts. Racing have only been beaten twice at home this season and will look to capitalise on their recent good form and goalscoring potency by overcoming lowly Tigre.
Visitors Tigre are still one of the worst sides in the division. Four defeats in their last five games goes some distance to proving it, which makes their total number of defeats twelve out of sixteen games. Tigre have lost seven out of eight away games, averaging nearly three goals conceded per awayg ame. Tigre frankly aren’t good enough to be in this division and will most probably not be in it for much longer.
Verdict: Racing Club de Avellaneda to win at 3/4.
SV Mattersburg vs Wiener Neustadt – home win at 9/10.
Hosts SV Mattersburg have been playing well lately, now boasting a three-game run without defeat, winning twice and drawing once. SV Mattersburg have already won five out of eight home games, a figure only surpassed by the top three sides in the Bundesliga – Rapid Vienna, Salzburg, and Austria Vienna. Only a handful of sides can better their goalscoring record at home of 2.5 goals scored per home game on average. With all of the above in mind, SV Mattersburg look a dangerous side for any visiting opponent.
Wiener Neustadt are still struggling to turn up away from home, having already lost six out of their seven away games, drawing the other. They’ve conceded over two goals per away game on average and scored a paltry five along the way. Wiener Neustadt play well at home but the combination of conceding heavily and not scoring really damages their away form substantially.
Overall, this is something of a no-brainer between two home sides so backing Mattersburg to win simply looks worthwhile tonight!
Verdict: SV Mattersburg to win at 9/10.
Inter Zapresic vs NK Zagreb – home win at 7/5.
Hosts Inter Zapresic have been playing well lately with three wins in their last four games. Their home form has been good for a side that is considered to be relegation battlers with four wins in eight games, losing just three of those encounters. Inter Zapresic are some way off being a good side but their reliable home form does tend to give them the edge against fellow relegation battlers in most occasions and their momentum will assist their battle for three points tonight.
Visitors NK Zagreb shouldn’t really be where they are but they’re not exactly doing masses to get themselves out of their current predicament. They’ve lost seven out of eight away games in the Prva Liga this season, drawing the other encounter. They’ve conceded over two goals per away game and generally have looked poor in their away games. Their recent form has shown an improvement, something that is likely to give them momentum and make this match and even more difficult and potentially low-scoring. However, their lapse performances on the road have done enough to convince me that Inter Zapresic will have enough chances to secure the win tonight.
Verdict: Inter Zapresic to win at 7/5.
Guingamp vs Sedan-Ardennes – home win at 10/11.
Guingamp have been on a storming run lately with three consecutive wins. They’re playing the kind of football that got them to a cup final last season, which ultimately took them into European football this season, and when they’re playing like that they’re very hard to compete with. Guingamp have scored seven goals in three games, conceding just once, whilst claiming the impressive scalps of Nantes and Chateauroux along the way. Guingamp haven’t been great at home this season but they’ve only been beaten once on their own turf which bodes ominously for Sedan-Ardennes!
Visitors Sedan-Ardennes are enduring a frustrating campaign and currently sit just outside the relegation zone in Ligue 2. They’ve not won a single away game in Ligue 2 yet this season, losing four times and drawing three times. Their biggest problem has been conceding goals, something they’ve done more times on the road in Ligue 2 than all but three sides in the division, averaging two goals conceded per game. Sedan-Ardennes aren’t prolific goalscorers either, something which really doesn’t help them escape their current record. Although Sedan-Ardennes are currently unbeaten in three games, they’re really no match for Guingamp and I thoroughly expect a home win tonight.
Verdict: Guingamp to win at 10/11.
Laval vs Angers SCO – home win at 9/10.
Hosts Laval have been unconvincing lately and haven’t managed to muster a win in their past three games, drawing twice and losing once. However, their home form remains presentable with three wins, three draws, and just one defeat this season and they have the perfect opportunity to enhance their home form against Angers SCO tonight. Laval are the better side out of these two so all we need them to do is put in a good performance that we all know they’re capable of and that really should be enough to win the game.
The other half of my reasoning for a home win tonight is because Angers SCO are a woeful away side. They’ve lost five out of seven away games, conceding twelve goals and scoring just six goals along the way. Angers SCO are definitely a home side, which is a shade disappointing considering their impressive performances last year. However, I’m not one to lament but rather take advantage of these situations so going against Angers SCO tonight looks more than logical.
Verdict: Laval to win at 9/10.
Helmond Sport vs MVV Maastricht – home win at 20/21.
Helmond Sport have won three out of their last five games and generally play some nice football. They’ve got a capable squad but never seem to really deliver when they need to. Nonetheless, they’ve been quite reliable at home this season with four wins, three draws, and just two defeats in nine games. Helmond Sport don’t like to play out boring games as they do enjoy scoring and conceding rather a lot of goals. Generally, this record is one that tends to keep me away from the hosts but they are hosting one of the worst away sides in the Eerste Divisie so you have to feel they’ve got the advantage ahead of this encounter tonight.
I can’t quite fathom why MVV Maastricht are so good at home and so atrocious away given their good squad. They’ve lost eight out of ten away games this season, conceding more goals than any other side in their division with an unpleasant average of nearly three goals conceded per away game. MVV have lost two out of their last three games so with their momentum deserting them, their consistently poor away form seems to be their only characteristic ahead of tonight’s encounter.
With the above in mind, the home win seems something of a no-brainer tonight.
Verdict: Helmond Sport to win at 20/21.
Accumulator fodder – Metz, Legia Warsaw, Besiktas, Le Havre, Augsburg, De Graafschap.
As ever, if there are any questions/explanations required then feel free to post a comment! For the complete picks listing, see below!
Argentinian Primera Division:
Godoy Cruz de Mendoza vs Rosario Central (6) 1-1
Huracan vs Banfield (6) 1-2
Racing Club Avellaneda vs Tigre (7) 1-0
Australian A-League:
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne Victory (6) 1-2
Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets (6) 1-1
Austrian Bundesliga:
SV Mattersburg vs Wiener Neustadt (7) over 3.5 goals
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Mechelen vs AA Gent (6) 1-2
Belgian Tweede Klasse:
Lierse SK vs Eupen (7)
Bulgarian A PFG:
Slavia Sofia vs Beroe (7) 2-0
Croatian Prva Liga:
Inter Zapresic vs NK Zagreb (6) 2-1
Cypriot Division 1:
APOEL Nicosia vs Apollon Limassol (8) 2-0
French Ligue 2:
Bastia vs Clermont Foot (4)
Dijon FCO vs Vannes OC (5)
Guingamp vs Sedan-Ardennes (7)
Laval vs Angers SCO (7)
Metz vs AC Ajaccio (8)
Nimes vs Strasbourg (6)
Istres vs Stade Malherbe de Caen (5)
Le Havre vs Chateauroux (7)
Tours vs Brest (7)
German Bundesliga:
Bayern Munich vs Borussia Moenchengladbach (8) 2-1
German Bundesliga 2:
Augsburg vs FSV Frankfurt (8)
Union Berlin vs Energie Cottbus (6)
Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Arminia Bielefeld (7)
Italian Serie B:
Albinoleffe vs Lecce (6)
Dutch Eredivisie:
VVV Venlo vs Willem II (6) 2-1
AZ Alkmaar vs Vitesse Arnhem (8) 2-0
Roca JC Kerkrade vs ADO Den Haag (7) 1-0
NAC Breda vs Sparta Rotterdam (8) 2-1
Dutch Eerste Divisie:
Cambuur Leeuwarden vs Go Ahead Eagles (7)
De Graafschap vs Veendam (7)
Den Bosch vs Stormvogels Telstar (6)
Dordrecht ’90 vs Fortuna Sittard (7)
Eindhoven vs AGOVV Appeldoorn (6)
Emmen vs Volendam (6)
Zwolle vs Excelsior (7)
Helmond Sport vs MVV Maastricht (8)
Haarlem vs Top Oss (5)
RBC Roosendaal vs Omniworld (7)
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Zaglebie Lubin vs Legia Warsaw (8) under 2.5 goals
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Vitoria Guimaraes vs Porto (7) 1-2
Romanian Liga:
Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt vs Unirea Urziceni (7) 0-2
Turkish Super Lig:
Besiktas JK vs Diyarbakirspor (8) 2-0
Welsh Premier League:
Airbus vs Bala Town (5) 1-1
Carmarthen Town vs Neath Athletic (6) 1-2
Prestatyn Town vs Newi Cefn Druids (7) 2-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!