Viktoria Plzen vs Jablonec
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Today’s secondary featured game is the Gambrinus Liga game between title contenders Viktoria Plzen and Jablonec. Both sides have played particularly well this season so we should see an interesting game here.
Hosts Viktoria Plzen are my pick to win this one, though. They’ve already won nine out of eleven home games in the Gambrinus Liga this season, drawing the other two. They average scoring nearly three goals per home game whilst conceding less than a goal per home game so you can see the task that awaits each away side here. I had my doubts over this team when they sold Rada and Navratil earlier this year but they’ve responded brilliantly by simply scoring more goals. They’ve won all three home games in the Gambrinus Liga since returning from the winter break, which includes a morale-boosting home win against Sparta Prague and that carried them into a 2-1 win at home to Ceske Budejovice before drubbing Usti nad Labem 0-5 away from last match. Confidence couldn’t be higher in the Plzen camp currently and although they miss regular defender Limbersky for tonight’s game, they have such an arsenal of firepower that I cannot help but favour them here. Kolar on the flank with his pace, dribbling, and skill, is a constant threat. Horvath and Petrzela bring great experience and attacking power from midfield and striker Jan Rezek is in the form of his life. The addition of Fillo to their squad over the winter break further increased competition in the Plzen midfield and with Rajtoral and Jiracek both adding to an already strong midfield, manager Vrba has a great selection to choose from ahead of this game.
Visitors Jablonec enter this game on the back of a morale-boosting 2-1 win at home to Sparta Prague so they have good momentum here. Jablonec are a good side and they’ve impressed me a lot this year. However, the sale of Tomas Pekhart to Sparta Prague in February has damaged their attack a lot and it’s in games like this where it should show. Jablonec are a very strong home team but away from home, they’re very inefficient in front of goal and without Pekhart in their ranks, I can’t see that improving. Indeed, a 1-1 draw at out-of-form Slovacko during their last away game backs up my point perfectly. Lafata and Vosahlik are a threat in attack, especially the former, but I just don’t fear this attack without Pekhart leading it, to be blunt.
Historically, Plzen have won three out of the last four meetings between these two clubs, drawing the other game. Considering that Jablonec just barely manage to average scoring over a goal per away game and considering hwo potent Plzen’s strong attack is, I have to favour the home win at decent odds of 10/11.
Team news – Viktoria Plzen miss Limbersky.
Verdict: Viktoria Plzen to win at 10/11.
Friday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Augsburg vs Greuther Furth – home win at 10/11.
Augsburg may miss important defender Verhaegh and regular midfielder Werner today but they still boast one of the most potent attacking threats in the division with Rafael, Oehrl, Thurk, and Hain all vying to score the Augsburg goals and all four of them doing it rather well, especially ex-Ajax youngster Rafael. They’ve already won nine out of fourteen Bundesliga 2 home games this season whilst averaging scoring two goals per home game and considering that only Energie Cottbus and league leaders Hertha HSC Berlin have scored more home goals than Augsburg have this season, you have to favour the hosts to do damage here. Only three sides have managed to avoid defeat in Augsburg’s last eleven home games and those three are giants Hertha HSC Berlin, Duisburg, and in-form VfL Bochum – the harder sides to face, basically. Augsburg have won six out of their last eight games and drew the other two so they’re unbeaten and in terrific form. They’ve kept three clean sheets in a row and I find it very hard to overlook backing them to win this game with so many things in their favour.
Visitors Greuther Furth aren’t well-placed to block the Augsburg win either, which helps. They miss two important defenders – Schrock and Falkenberg – not to mention important target man Onuegbu so I can’t take them seriously here as I don’t see them scoring without their influential Nigerian hitman and I can’t see them keeping out arguably one of the best attacks in Bundesliga 2 with two regular defenders absent. The visitors are not an easy side to beat, hence just four defeats in fourteen away games. However, their ability not to lose stems from their defensive stability, something that they’re without today, so I feel somewhat compelled to oppose the resilient visitors tonight.
Therefore, my call is the home win here. 10/11 are decent odds for this selection and although I’d leave it if the odds drop, there looks to be a very good chance of Augsburg taking three points from this game, in my view. Greuther Furth won’t make it easy for Augsburg but with Rafael in attack for the hosts, I have to favour an Augsburg win here.
Team news – Augsburg miss Callsen-Bracker, Verhaegh, Leitner, Ndjeng, and Werner whereas Greuther Furth miss Onuegbu, Nothe, Schrock, Mavraj, Falkenberg, and Grun.
Verdict: Augsburg to win at 10/11.
Fehervar vs Zalaegerszegi TE – under 2.5 goals at 11/8.
I can’t pretend to understand such generous odds on under 2.5 goals in this game. These two sides are amongst the top four clubs in Hungary currently and I’d argue that Fehervar are the best side in Hungary currently, in fact. However, three out of the last four games between Fehervar and Zalaegerszegi TE played at Fehervar’s stadium have gone under 2.5 goals despite both sides being notorious for their attacking ability rather than their defensive ability. Fehervar average scoring less than two goals per home game in the Soproni Liga this season whilst averaging conceding less than a goal per home game whereas Zalaegerszegi TE don’t score or concede many on the road either.
Although the recent records of both sides suggest that this game will go over 2.5 goals, I can’t help but feel that these two sides will cancel each other out today. There’s no guarantees on this happening, don’t get me wrong, but odds of 11/8 seem far too long on under 2.5 goals between two solid sides so under 2.5 goals is my call here.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 11/8.
Accumulator fodder:
Shamrock Rovers
Recommended bets:
No multiples appeal to me today, guys – sorry!
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!
Argentinian Primera Division:
Estudiantes De La Plata vs San Lorenzo de Almagro (3) 0-1
Independiente vs Godoy Cruz de Mendoza (5) over 2.5 goals
Austrian Liga 1:
Lustenau vs St.Polten (5)
SCR Altach vs Gratkorn (7) both sides to score, over 2.5 goals
WAC/St.Andra vs Hartberg (6)
First Vienna vs Austria Lustenau (6)
Grodig vs Admira Wacker (7)
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Lierse SK vs Mechelen (7) 1-1
Chilean Primera Division:
Santiago Wanderers vs Union San Felipe (5) 2-1
Croatian Prva Liga:
Inter Zapresic vs Sibenik (7) 1-0
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Viktoria Plzen vs Jablonec (7) 2-0
English League Two:
Macclesfield Town vs Accrington Stanley (6)
French Ligue 2:
Angers SCO vs Metz (6)
Boulogne vs Vannes OC (6)
Chateauroux vs Nantes (5) under 2.5 goals
Clermont Foot vs Troyes (7)
Dijon FCO vs Stade Lavallois (7)
Grenoble Foot vs Reims (6)
Istres vs Le Mans (6)
Nimes vs Le Havre (4)
Sedan-Ardennes vs Evian Thonon Gaillard (6)
German Bundesliga:
Eintracht Franfurt vs Werder Bremen (6) over 2.5 goals
German Bundesliga 2:
Osnabruck vs Arminia Bielefeld (4)
Augsburg vs Greuther Furth (7)
MSV Duisburg vs Alemannia Aachen (6) both sides to score
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Vasas Budapest vs MTK Budapest (5) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Fehervar vs Zalaegerszegi TE (7) under 2.5 goals
Irish Premier League:
Derry City vs Dundalk (6) 1-0
Drogheda United vs Galway United (5) 1-2
UCD vs Bohemians (7) 0-1
Shamrock Rovers vs Bray Wanderers (8) 2-1
Italian Serie B:
Empoli vs Novara (7) under 2.5 goals
Mexican Primera Division:
Estudiantes Tecos vs Queretaro (5) 1-0
Dutch Eredivisie:
AZ Alkmaar vs NAC Breda (7) over 2.5 goals
Dutch Eerste Divisie:
Zwolle vs Helmond Sport (5) both sides to score
Volendam vs Fortuna Sittard (3) over 2.5 goals
MVV Maastricht vs Veendam (5) over 2.5 goals
Emmen vs Almere City (4)
Dordrecht ’90 vs AGOVV Appeldoorn (6)
RBC Roosendaal vs Telstar (6)
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Stabaek vs Valerenga Oslo (6) 1-2
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Belchatow vs Gornik Zabrze (5) under 2.5 goals
Polonia Warsaw vs Lech Poznan (6) 2-1
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Maritimo Funchal vs CD Nacional de Madeira (6) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Singaporean S-League:
Etoile vs Tampines Rovers (6) 0-0
Slovakian Corgon Liga:
Ruzomberok vs DAC Dunajska Streda (5) 1-0
Spanish Segunda Liga:
Barcelona II vs Granada (6) both sides to score
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Orebro vs Syrianska Sodertalje (7) 2-0
Turkish Super Lig:
Bursaspor vs Antalyaspor (7) 1-0
Ukrainian Premier League:
Zorya Lugansk vs Metalist Kharkiv (7) 1-2
Welsh Premier League:
Carmarthen Town vs Haverfordwest County (5) 1-0
Enjoy your free betting tips!