Apologies for no research yesterday. I was a little unwell.A pity as there were some very readable matches. Tonight sees a tough Europa League where I think our focus should be on teams which want to progress as well as apparent mismatches, none more so than an improving Liverpool against Young Boys.
Look how many matches feature the favourite as over evens. This relays to you that we’re in for a tough evening for getting that angle in. I don’t think I will research all matches today. The Europa League is not a preferred betting medium of mine.
5pm – Anzhi Makhachkala v Udinese – 1.66 home – now Eto’o has not scored in 8 consecutive matches for Anzhi in all competitions. I am not sure if he is playing or not, but if he is playing today, then he way be worth a shekel or 2 as a goalscorer. In such a tight group a win for both sides would really help their causes, and should ensure Anzhi go through.
In the group stages Anzhi have had trouble scoring. Is Eto’o actually playing? They have scored 1-2-0-1. They scored 2 against Young Boys.
1-1 away to Udinese was a tight match. A 45th minute Anzhi own goal opener and Udinese scored in the 90th minute.
No win in 5 for Udinese in all competitions – DDLDD – conceding 2-1-3-2-2. 4 score draws and a 2-3 loss at home v Young Boys is the reason I don’t think Udinese are too concerned.
Udinese are rather reckless in defence. 1-1 at home v Anzhi, 2-3 away win v Liverpool, 3-1 away defeat to Young Boys and 2-3 home defeat to Young Boys.
If they are conceding 2 regularly without scoring 3 regularly, they are not going to win football matches.
anzhi have not conceded at home in the EL winning their last 5. On 3 occasions they only scored 1 goal, so thankfully they are keeping the clean sheets.
Tough to call. Clean sheet at home? Or away side scoring 2 again? Udinese look unreliable but in that unreliability they become tough to read.
Home form for Anzhi is eyecatching. Hope Eto’o can score on this occasion. He hasn’t scored in a while.
5pm – Rubin Kazan v Inter – 2.04 home – this is a dead rubber, both teams have 10 points and the other 2 sides have 1 point each. One to leave alone.
6pm – FC Basel v Sp Lisbon – 2.04 home – 2 matches left in the group so Sporting are not out of it but they would need to avoid defeat. Only 1 win for Basel in last 8 in this competition was a 1-0 home win against Videoton. DW so far at home this group stage.
Only 1 win in 9 for Sporting and they really are in poor form in all competitions. This was arrested with a 1-0 home win v Braga.
2 defeats and a draw for Sporting so far.
This is a game I will leave alone. These are 2 teams in woeful EL form and either could win this encounter. The Europa League website tells us Basel are yet to score against Sporting in some 6 encounters.
6pm – Hannover v Twente – 2.18 home
6pm – Helsingborgs v Levante – 2.22 away
6pm – Lazio v Tottenham – 2.48 home – Lazio have 8 points, Spurs have 6 points and Maribor 4 points. Must wins for both sides. Lazio have shown a degree of solidity at home in all competitions. WWWL(0-1)WWWDWW includes scoring 3 in their last 2 wins. Lazio are undefeated in this competition DWDW – both wins at home, both draws away. 0-0 v Spurs already. Lazio have not conceded at home in this group.
LLWLL for Spuds last 5 in all competitions . DDDW for Spurs in the EL 2 1-1 away draws for Spurs.
I think they are rather vulnerable and shouldn’t win. The odds though , 2.48 relate to us the fact this is a very tight match which could go either way. Advantage Lazio for me based on their recent strong home form, and Spurs faltering away form.
6pm – Metalist v Leverkusen – 2.24 home
6pm – Panathinaikos v NK Maribor – 1.96 home
6pm – Rosenborg v Rapid Vienna – 1.74 home
6pm – Sparta Prague v Lyon – 2.22 home
6pm – Videoton v Genk – 2.72 home
805pm – Academica v Plzen – 2.78 home
805pm – AIK v Napoli – 1.74 away
805pm – Atl Madrid v Hapoel Tel Aviv – 1.16 home – Porto were at home and the same price yesterday and won 3-0. This is a perfect scoreline for a 1.16 shot. Madrid and Plzen dominate their groups and we may be helped tonight by the fact Madrid ended a superb unbeaten streak recently and will want to get back on track.
2 defeats on the trot after 13 consecutive wins and an unbeaten run that wenton forever.
Both of those defeats were away from home, one in the EL.
Unbeaten in 13 at home in all competitions, 10 consecutive wins now. A 15 match winning run in the EL ended last match away to Academica.
12 consecutive wins at home in the EL.
HAPOEL have only 1 point to their name so have nothing to fight for.
Only 1 draw in last 20 matches for Hapoel in all competitions. Likely they will avoid another draw.Hapoel are having trouble in the EL latter stages, a 0-3 home defeat to Madrid, 1-1 draw with Academica, 1-2 home loss to Plzen and 4-0 away loss to Plzen.
1.16 suggests a replication of the 3-0 away win for Madrid. Slight concern this is not a must win for either side with Madrid apparently through and Hapoel out.
805pm – Club Brugge v Bordeaux – 2.66 home
805pm – Liverpool v Young Boys – 1.42 home – this looks like a great match for the home side. 5-3 in the previous encounter and that was with a weakened side. If we see a strong Liverpool then this should form the mainstay of many an acca.
No win in 5 for Liverpool ended with a quite emphatic 3-0 v Wigan and they were priced at little higher than tonight’s quote .
If Liverpool play the hot players, Sterling, Suarez et al then this will be an easy night against a team from a Swiss league of only 10 teams.
2 defeats in the Europa League for Liverpool against Udinese and Anzhi. A 3-5 away win against Young Boys with a weakened side, so load up on goals if this is a strong team from Ted Rodgers.
This is a must win for Liverpool in a tight group where 1st is on 7 points,Young Boys on 6 points and Liverpool on 6 points.
Young Boys scored 3 home and away against Udinese and there is a suspicion that Udinese are not concerned with this competition.
Young Boys could be a threat but really, a premier league team should smash these Swiss boys.
805pm – Marseille v Fenerbahce – 1.95 home
805pm – Mgladbach v A.E.L. – 1.32 home – Mgladbach have scored 2 goals in their last 3 EL matches and it was 0-0 away to AEL . they were lucky in their 2-2 lately courtesy of a 90th minute goal.
At home Mgladbach have scored 2 .
AEL have a single point. Fenerbahce are safe in the group, 2nd place is between Mgladbach and Marseille.
At home, AEL are tough to beat but away it’s 5-1 and 2-0 . Are Mgladbach reliable enough to be backed at 1.32?
Their domestic form is all over the shop.
If Mgladbach continue to score 2 as they have against sides better than AEL, then this is the starting point. 2-0 starters, AEL could score 1 -they are unlikely to score more.
805pm – Molde v FC Copenhagen – 2.45 home
805pm – Newcastle v Maritimo – 1.45 home – a win guarantees Newcastle qualification with a game in hand, something Alan Partridge would welcome.
Newcastle have gone 4 matches without a win in all competitions. 2 consecutive home defeats could serve Geordie backers well this evening as they will desparately seek to end this losing run at home. Only 1 defeat for Newc in their last 18 matches in the El is good form. Newcastle are unbeaten in the EL since 2003 . They have won 8 on the trot at home , keeping 5 clean sheets.
Maritimo have drawn at home and lost away, and 3 without scoring sees them up against it against Newcastle this evening. I would, as ever, want to see a near Premiership strength Geordie side. Angle in should be the fact that Maritimo have found scoring difficult so a correct score bet would be easier to create.
805pm – PSV v Dnipro – 1.8 home
805pm – Steaua Bucharest v Stuttgart – 2.52 awway