Twente Enschede vs Tottenham Hotspur
FreeToday’s featured game is the UEFA Champions League encounter in Netherlands between Twente Enschede and Tottenham Hotspur. This game is somewhat redundant with Twente virtually guaranteed third place and Tottenham already guaranteed a spot in the latter stages of this competition so do approach with caution.
However, Twente are playing for a bit of pride and a bit of morale tonight. This is their final Champions League game and without McClaren at the helm, it may be some time before they’ve back in this prestigious competition and I think they may just want to leave this competition having won at least one of their home games. Champions League holders Internazionale held Twente to a 2-2 draw here back in September whereas German outfit Werder Bremen claimed a 1-1 draw here. Twente can’t just sit back here, either – the venue is sold out for this game and Twente aren’t the kind of side to just sit back and pass it around until the end of the game. Regrettably, Twente do miss star Costa Rican striker Ruiz through injury, which is a blow. They also miss full-back Kuiper, although that benefits this bet as it weakens their defence against a very good attacking side. Giant Marc Janko is still available in attack for Twente and his aerial prowess will no doubt wreak havoc upon a fairly dire Spurs defence as Spurs have a unique ability of being able to concede goals against just about any side in the world. Twente also have emerging striker de Jong available to them so although Ruiz missing this game is a blow, they do have replacements who can find the net, especially with the news that Swedish midfielder Bajrami could make a return in this game. Although their Champions League record doesn’t really reflect that this side is a goalscoring side, I do expect the likes of Janssen in midfield to show up tonight and make a difference in a game where Twente can finally relax and play their football so we should see some goals on their part tonight.
I’m not sure there’s any point in me writing about Spurs, really. There’s only been six games this season out of twenty-four that Spurs have played in where they’ve not scored and conceded in the same game. They’ve got superb attacking ability with pacey Lennon, creative Modric, and emerging Bale all supporting the host of different attackers that they boast i.e. lanky Crouch, lethal Defoe, or powerful Pavlyuchenko. That’s what I like about this Spurs side, really – they have a lot of options in attack and whatever they do, you can usually bank on them to score. You should see Defoe in this game to get himself a bit of match practice ahead of their big game against Chelsea at weekend and if he’s playing then Spurs have no excuse not to score. Unfortunately, Spurs’ continual defensive absences leave their defence incredibly leaky and although Dawson is finally back from a terrible injury (although not match fit), they’ve now lost Kaboul to injury for this game so I’ve no idea who they intend to start here that will deal with towering Janko. Spurs also miss massively in-form Van de Vaart tonight so we’ll have to see how they do without him in attack, although as I’ve already mentioned, they do have a whole arsenal of options available to them from an attacking perspective so we should see goals here. Let’s face it – if Spurs win this game then they’ve won the group and that is a fine feather in both theirs and Harry Redknapp’s cap so I think Spurs may play a little better than expected to here.
As you all know, Spurs had to quality for the Champions League this season, which means that this is their eighth game in the competition. With the above in mind, it’s also no surprise to learn that all eight games have gone over 2.5 goals! Only Arsenal have scored as many goals as Spurs have in this competition and I’d even argue that Arsenal have faced “easier” opponents than Spurs so I’m very impressed with Redknapp’s side. If they turn up and attack as I expect them to here with little defence available to them then I expect a Twente side urged on by the sell-out crowd to make this a very good and enjoyable game of football which should hopefully yield over 2.5 goals. Therefore, over 2.5 goals is my call for this game as it’s a decent price at 4/5.
Team news – Twente miss Ruiz and Kuiper whilst Tottenham miss Van der Vaart, Kaboul, and long-term absentees Woodgate and King,
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 4/5 – why not bet on this game now at Bwin?
Follow your bet as the match unfolds at www.FlashScores.co.uk!
Tuesday’s Picks
My tips:
Nothing else appeals to me today – sorry guys!
Accumulator fodder:
Olympique Lyonnais, The New Saints.
Recommended bets:
Again – I don’t like any multiples tonight with too many sides playing that have nothing to play for.
As ever, if there are any questions/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!
UEFA Champions League:
Twente Enschede vs Tottenham Hotspur (5) over 2.5 goals
Werder Bremen vs Internazionale (4) 0-1
Olympique Lyonnais vs Hapoel Tel-Aviv (8) -1.5 handicap
SL Benfica vs Schalke 04 (6) over 2.5 goals
Manchester United vs Valencia CF (6) 2-1
Barcelona vs Rubin Kazan (7) 2-0
FC Copenhagen vs Panathinaikos (6) 1-0
Bursaspor vs Rangers (3) 1-2, draw no bet
Argentinian Primera Division:
Gimnasia De La Plata vs All Boys (5) under 2.5 goals
Arsenal de Sarandi vs Colon de Santa Fe (6) 2-1
French Ligue 2:
Boulogne vs Metz (6) under 2.5 goals
Clermont Foot vs AC Ajaccio (5)
Welsh Premier League:
The New Saints vs Llanelli (8) 2-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!