Twente Enschede vs Internazionale
FreeToday’s featured game is the UEFA Champions League encounter in Netherlands between Twente Enschede and Internazionale. The hosts have started to adapt to life without English manager Steve McLaren rather well whereas their opponents are really struggling without outspoken Portuguese boss Jose Mourinho so it should be interesting to see what develops here tonight.
Twente started their domestic campaign slowly with two goalless draws but have since won all three games in convincing fashion. McLaren made this side virtually unbeatable and you can still see his work at the club standing well as they’ve conceded just once in five games whilst scoring nine times. The addition of Austrian giant Marc Janko in attack gives Twente an additional tactical option i.e. hit and hope but also makes them a more complete side as a result. They brought in midfielders Landzaat from Feyenoord Rotterdam and Bajrami from Elfsborg Boras to add experience and tenacity respectively, which is naturally useful for a fairly limited Twente squad. Landzaat is yet to feature but Bajrami has blended seamlessly into the starting eleven and Twente look better for it. Although I’d have preferred a McLaren led-side to enter this game for my lay to come off, former Belgian goalkeeping international Michel Preud’homme has proven his abilities as a manager well since being appointed from AA Gent by adapting a similar tactical approach to McLaren, thus playing right into the hands of Twente. All in all, Twente look set to cause a few problems tonight, particularly as this is their first ever UEFA Champions League game and they’ll be highly-moviated.
Internazionale are the reigning champions of this competition so they’re already under huge pressure. With Jose Mourinho in charge, you can rest assured that those players would play without pressure and would no doubt win the game. However, with Rafa Benitez in charge, there’s a real sense of “hmmm…” about the Internazionale camp at the moment. They look lost; devoid of confidence, and so they should. Mourinho alone picked up Italian football by the scruff of the neck and dragged an over-achieving side to the top of the Champions League tree and my hat goes off to him for it because this side is not good enough to win that competition – fact. They’ve got some very experienced players in this side – no doubt about that – but where is the spark in this side? Mourinho provided the spark for the side but with no outspoken Balotelli to throw on and no energetic team talks, where is this Inter spark coming from? I’ve not seen it yet and I don’t expect to again because there isn’t one without Mourinho. Inter look nervous and really short on ideas, to be honest. Milito was never a great striker – he was a good, hard-working striker that Mourinho got the best out of. Eto’o isn’t a gifted finisher – he’s simply a pacey striker and that tends to do more damage than not but there’s little else to his game. Any side with Cambiasso’s tenacity in it has a chance, as does any side with the influential Wesley Sneijder on the field, but I don’t see enough in this side to break down a resilient Twente side. I’d normally suggest that Sneijder would be the one but against a Dutch side? I don’t think he will – they’ll know his game inside out. Twente’s speciality is defending so I don’t see a rather predictable Inter side having it all their own way tonight.
For me, the odds on the away win here are a real trap. Inter and Italian football as a whole are not reliable because most other football league styles are overtaking them rapidly and I genuinely wouldn’t be surprised if Inter lost this game. The combination of pressure and a new manager isn’t helping them and I really think they’ll struggle in this game. This is a cup final for Twente; I’ve seen enough from them to suggest that they can upset the reigning champions tonight so laying the visitors at 5/6 looks the best bet for me tonight.
Verdict: Lay Internazionale at 5/6.
Tuesday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
SL Benfica vs Hapoel Tel-Aviv – both sides to score at evens.
As we all know, Benfica are not firing on all cylinders since Ramires and Di Maria left and understandably so. I’m waiting for the day that I clap my hand to my forehead as they’ll no doubt sack Jorge Jesus as a result in typical tempremental hispanic fashion despite the fact that he’s one of the best managers in Portugal. Three defeats in four Liga Sagres games tells you that not all is well in the Benfica camp, particularly with goals having been conceded in three out of their four games. They’ve naturally brought in replacements for their departed players but you know as well as I do that they take to integrate into your team. Benfica are still a good side in essence but worthy of 2/5 with little to no cohesion in their team currently? Not for my money. Hapoel Tel-Aviv are more than capable of scoring at least one goal here because goalscoring is what they do, as you can see from their previous European rounds. They’re not your average Israeli side – they play good football and have some really talented players, the most notable of which is most likely Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. I’m not saying Hapoel will win here, although I really wouldn’t rule it out, but I do think they’ll cause problems for a demoralised Benfica side. I expect plenty of goals here as a result and good luck if you take a winner but for me, taking both sides to score looks rather generous at evens.
Verdict: Both sides to score at evens.
Bursaspor vs Valencia CF – both sides to score at 10/11.
This is Bursaspor’s first ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League and the whole town is thoroughly excited. A fairly abject but fortuitous 2-1 win against Eskisehirspor on friday night affirmed that the players were thinking about this game too and why not? This is their cup final – for now, at least. Bursaspor obtained this place by impressively winning the Super Lig last season thanks to solid defending and clinical finishing. Promising striker Sercan Yildrim is probably the most well-known Bursaspor player although they should not be underestimated for that – they work very well as a unit. They’ll be incredibly highly-motivated for this game and rumours are that the stadium is sold out so I expect an extremely loud level of support for the hosts and with nothing to lose, I fancy them to have some fun with a dodgy Valencia defence.
However, Valencia are no strangers to big crowds. They’re still one of the biggest clubs in Europe despite their financial troubles and despite selling the likes of Villa and Silva over the summer so they shouldn’t be underestimated either here. The signing of Aduriz and Soldado will help their attack ultimately but they’re not the classy players that the Mestalla is used to so you may see a different Valencia tactically this year. The reliance for Valencia’s attacking now lies with Joaquin, Hernandez, and Mata, all of which are excellent players and usually create chances for whoever is in their attack. Vicente and Banega are no mugs either, incidentally, so Valencia do still possess a wealth of attacking options. Bursaspor aren’t experienced in this competition so I’d be surprised if Valencia didn’t score with that in mind. That said, Valencia’s problem has always been defending. They’ll defend well for periods of time and then suicidal samba defending will let sides in and that’s something you can usually bank on. In a difficult atmosphere against a very determined side, I think Valencia’s defence may just get exposed at least once so we should see a Bursaspor goal or two here tonight.
Again, I’m not interested in the 1X2 market because anything can happen here. However, both sides scoring in this game looks a given so I fancy that at 10/11.
Verdict: Both sides to score at 10/11.
Accumulator fodder:
Manchester United, Barcelona, Penarol, Admira Wacker, Levadia Tallinn, Sillamae Kalev, Nomme Kalju, Vikingur Gotu.
Recommended bets:
Manchester United -1.5 and Barcelona -1.5 at evens.
As ever, if there any questions/explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below!
UEFA Champions League:
Twente Enschede vs Internazionale (4) 2-1
Werder Bremen vs Tottenham Hotspur (6) over 2.5 goals
Olympique Lyonnais vs Schalke 04 (6) 1-1
SL Benfica vs Hapoel Tel-Aviv (4) 1-1
Manchester United vs Rangers (9) -1.5 handicap
Bursaspor vs Valencia CF (5) 1-1
Barcelona vs Panathinaikos (9) -1.5 handicap
FC Copenhagen vs Rubin Kazan (6) 1-1
Copa Sudamericana:
Penarol vs Barcelona Guayaquil (8) -1.5 handicap
Oriente Petrolero vs Deportes Tolima (6) 1-1
Austrian Liga 1:
Admira Wacker vs St.Polten (8)
Gratkorn vs WAC/St.Andra (6)
Austria Lustenau vs Grodig (5) over 2.5 goals
First Vienna vs Lustenau (4) draw no bet
English Championship:
Leicester City vs Cardiff City (5)
Preston North End vs Nottingham Forest (6)
Middlesbrough vs Burnley (6)
Doncaster Rovers vs Norwich City (5)
Sheffield United vs Scunthorpe United (7)
Millwall vs Reading (6)
Bristol City vs Watford (5)
Barnsley vs Leeds United (6)
Hull City vs Derby County (5)
Swansea City vs Coventry City (5)
Ipswich Town vs Queens Park Rangers (6)
Crystal Palace vs Portsmouth (6)
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Kuressaare vs Levadia Tallinn (9) -1.5 handicap
Sillamae Kalev vs Lootus (8) -1.5 handicap
Flora Paide vs Viljandi Tulevik (6) 1-1
Nomme Kalju vs Maag Tammeka Tartu (8) over 2.5 goals
Flora Tallinn vs Trans Narva (7) over 2.5 goals
Faroese Meistaradeildin:
Vikingur Gotu vs AB Argir (8) 2-0
Singaporean S-League:
Home United vs Geylang United (7) 2-0
Swedish Superettan:
Osters vs Jonkopings Sodra (6) over 2.5 goals, draw no bet
Landskrona BoIS vs Trollhattan (7)
Enjoy your free betting tips!