Zenit St.Petersburg vs Hajduk Split
FreeAs ever on UEFA Europa League day, please approach with caution as this competition is terrible to bet on usually!
The only interest I have in today’s games is the encounter in Russia between Zenit St.Petersburg and Hajduk Split. The hosts are playing very well both domestically and in Europe and look impossible to stop whereas Croatian giants Hajduk Split are meandering along at their usual pace domestically but are finding European life hard this year.
What I like most about this Zenit side is that they’re finally scoring goals on a prolific basis. I imagine that it’s sending Italian manager Luciano Spalletti around the twist because it’s really not a very Italian tactic to take but it suits them nonetheless. They’ve got good players and it’s about time they showed their ability on a more consistent basis in front of goal and fourteen goals scored in four consecutive games shows that’s finally happening. They’ve scored seven goals in two Europa League games thus far, winning 3-1 at Anderlecht and 4-2 at home to AEK Athens so Zenit are certainly capable of covering the -1.5 goal handicap. In fact, Zenit have beaten the -1.5 goal handicap for four consecutive home games in all competitions and with the likes of Danny and Kerzhakov linking up well, it’s hard to see that changing tonight. Zenit are currently six points clear at the top of the Russian Premier League with two games in hand on their nearest rivals Rubin Kazan so they’re capable of delivering a full squad for tonight’s game. Whether Spalletti feels the need to do that or not is another matter, however, although I’d hurriedly point out that it’s the only factor that concerns me tonight.
Hajduk Split are a good enough side to cause Zenit problems, especially with their pacey attackers, but Hajduk are very poor away from home traditionally and this year hasn’t proven otherwise. They overcame Anderlecht 1-0 at home in their last Europa League game but somehow lost 3-1 at an AEK Athens side in total disarray. Go back a couple of months and they disappointed on both of their trips to Romania, losing to yet another disorganised side – Dinamo Bucharest – and drawing to an Unirea Urziceni side devoid of money and players. They simply do not travel well despite their obvious ability so I think they’re going to find Petrovsky an unwelcome venue tonight. Hajduk are missing captain Andric through injury and look likely to struggle even more without his presence. An unconvincing win at home to Slaven Koprivnica at weekend did little to impress me and a rampant Zenit side should really have a lot of fun tonight with their Croatian visitors as a result.
As I’ve already said today – please bet with caution as even the most obvious of games in this competition can fuck up. However, Zenit have been so good of late in destroying opponents that momentum favours them massively so they should be able to clear the handicap against their inferior and poor-travelling opponents tonight.
Verdict: Zenit St.Petersburg to beat the -1.5 goal handicap at 4/5.
Thursday’s Picks
My tips:
No other singles interest me today barring a slight interest in Villarreal beating the -1.5 goal handicap. Either way, I’m not keen as I hate Europa League games so I’m steering clear.
Accumulator fodder:
Zenit St.Petersburg, Villarreal, Manchester City.
Recommended bets:
I don’t like any multiples today guys, sorry!
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, 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 Europa League:
Zenit St.Petersburg vs Hajduk Split (8) -1.5 handicap
Anderlecht vs AEK Athens (6) 2-1
Young Boys Bern vs OB Odense (6) 2-1
VfB Stuttgart vs Getafe (5) 1-1
Metalist Kharkiv vs Sampdoria (5) 1-0
Debreceni VSC vs PSV Eindhoven (6) over 2.5 goals
BV09 Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain (7) over 2.5 goals, both sides to score
Karpaty Lviv vs Sevilla CF (6) 1-1
FC Utrecht vs Steaua Bucharest (6) 1-0
SSC Napoli vs Liverpool (5) 1-0, draw no bet
CSKA Sofia vs Rapid Vienna (5) 1-2, draw no bet
Besiktas JK vs Porto (6) 1-1
Villarreal vs PAOK Salonika (8) -1.5 handicap
Dinamo Zagreb vs Club Brugge (4) 2-1
Sheriff Tiraspol vs BATE Borisov (6) under 2.5 goals
AZ Alkmaar vs Dyanmo Kiev (5) under 2.5 goals
Palermo vs CSKA Moscow (5) 0-0
Sparta Prague vs Lausanne Sports (7) 2-0
Manchester City vs Lech Poznan (8) over 2.5 goals
Salzburg vs Juventus (4) 1-1
Atletico Madrid vs Rosenborg BK (7) 2-1
Aris Salonika vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (6) under 2.5 goals
Sporting Clube de Lisboa vs AA Gent (6) 1-0
LOSC Lille vs Levski Sofia (7) under 2.5 goals
Copa Sudamericana:
Avai vs Emelec Guayaquil (7) 2-0
San Jose vs Newells Old Boys (3) 1-0, draw no bet
Polish Liga 1
LKS Lodz vs Odra Wodzislaw (7)
Enjoy your free betting tips!