Galatasaray vs Bursaspor

The coaching change did not brought winning results for Galatasaray. Another draw to the league, this time away to Kasimpasa (2:2) kept them seven points far from the top of the league. For one more game they looked like tired to the last twenty minutes while the defensive gaps where again visible.

Generally Galatasaray is in a very mediocre period as their last win to the league was back to 29 of October where they won against Eskisehir 4:0. Since then in five games in the league and the Champions League, they have no victory, counting two draws in the league. Now they need to seek immediate results for the title race, given the fact that Galatasaray left behind. A difference of two or three wins is surely not a big problem, I guess they can easily reverse the situation starting from today. Good news that only defender Jason Denayer (6 games) and left back Lionel Carole are out with injuries.



Bursaspor disappointed in the closed-door match against Kayserispor. They lost 2-1 having problems both in the attack and in defense. This result brought news, as the coach was sacked and their board is now seeking a new coach.

Of course the climate generally is not good for the visitors. The issue is not only the coach, as this week was written that there are debts more than 88 millions and the club did not denied those rumours, while four members of the team already retired recently. Meanwhile, there is some important absences for Bursa today. Defensive midfielder Ricardo Fati (8 games), striker Sercan Yildirim (7 games) and left winger Aydin Karabulut (2 games) are all ruled out due to injuries, while defensive midfielder Samil Cinaz is in doubt to participate.

I think that Galatasaray will start moving upwards today. They are in need of a good result, they do not face problems with absentees, while at Bursaspor the situation is more dramatic.
Bet: Galatasaray -1 Asian Handicap @2.16

Europa League preview – Liverpool vs Bordeaux prediction

Philippe Coutinho tweaked a hamstring against Manchester City on Saturday which could see Liverpool revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Roberto Firmino playing in the trio behind Christian Benteke. Daniel Sturridge is ready to play and may feature at some point. Jordan Rossiter is closer to a return but won’t be part of the plans for this game while Jordan Henderson hopes to make his come back from a metatarsal injury early next month.

Bordeaux forward Thomas Toure came on as sub against Rennes at the weekend following a two week absence. The 21-year-old played for just 19 minutes before being withdrawn from the contest and is unlikely to travel to Merseyside this week. Long term absentees Gaetan Labourde and Gregory Sertic will also be staying at home.

Possible Line-ups

Liverpool: 4-2-3-1 formation: Mignolet; Clyne, Skrtel, Sakho, Moreno; Allen, Can; Milner, Lallana, Firmino; Benteke

Bordeaux: 4-2-3-1 formation: Carrasso; Guilbert, Ounas, Pallois, Contento; Chantome, Saivet; Biyogo, Jussie, Maurice-Belay; Criveli

Statistics

    Liverpool have won 4, drawn 5 and lost 1 of their last 10 matches
    Bordeaux have won 3, drawn 4 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches
    Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Liverpool have scored an average of 1.4 goals and conceded an average of 0.8 goals per game
    Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Bordeaux have scored an average of 1.2 goals and conceded an average of 1.1 goals per game
    There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 3 of Liverpool's previous 10 matches
    There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 4 of Bordeaux’s previous 10 matches

Prediction

Liverpool will qualify for the knockout stages if they can chalk up their second win in Group B. A draw or defeat could mean them needing a result at group leaders FC Sion in the  final match. The Reds are undefeated in four group games but have struggled to impose themselves, settling for three draws including the 1-1 stalemate in the reverse fixture. The Merseysiders will be on a high following their 4-1 rout of Manchester City at the weekend and manager Jurgen Klopp will be looking for this players to show the same spirit for the home fans on Thursday.

Bordeaux have been fighting to pull clear of the relegation zone after a poor start on the domestic front. They are unbeaten in the last three games which includes a well-earned draw in Sweden against FC Sion in the last group match and an encouraging 3-1 home victory over Monaco in Ligue 1.

Liverpool are gradually getting to grips with how to exploit the high pressing tactics of Klopp but at present the system seems to working better away from home. The Reds should have too much firepower for Bordeaux who are expected to come prepared for rearguard action.
Tips

Liverpool win at 8/15 with Sky Bet

Under 2.5 goals at 5/6 with Ladbrokes

Benteke to score first at 9/2 with Coral

Vallecano vs Espanyol

VS

 Booth teams are on the first place,when it comes about conceded goals ,in this season.But Rayo is very known team for that fact,and nothinhg is weird about that number of conceded goals,17,like their opponents on Friday,Espanyol


Paco Jemez once again leaded his team against Barcelona,with probably bravest aproach on the field,of all teams in Primera.Even Real Real Madrid calculate a little bit with their rival,but not Paco Jemez.They had more ball in their possesion,and more shots on goal,but only 2 times scored,and...5 goals conceded,Neymar was on the level,scored 4 goals.Rayo will once again repeat atacking game,with more accuracy ,and home field is still home field,so Paco Jemez has nothing to calculate again,simply he is one of the few managers,who loves to see an attractive football,with good moves...Cobeno (doubtfull), Amaya, P. Hernandez-missings.


Espanyol ,as I said conceded 17 goals too,they are solid in atacck,and curently on form.But they are very unpredictable with match lines.Even if they loose they will score,once,or two times.They have a chance to win,normaly,because Rayo will push and left many space for good counters of guesting side.


Espanyol have only missing in atack,Moreno,still on the stands.


I see an very open match,with lot of chances for goals,only is matter will be there 3 or more goals.So,my most logic bet here ,is over 3 goals.Worth to try,we'l watch one great atacking match!



Vallecano vs Espanyol betting tips Vallecano vs Espanyol betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick over 3 goals
    Odds 2.60
    Bookmaker BetVictor
    Match Date 23 Oct

Portugal U21 vs Hungary U21

VS

 2nd game of the under 21 European qualifiers group 4 between Portugal and Hungary.


Portugal and Hungary only made 1 game so far, so in terms of statistics it’s a little difficult to find a sustainable reason for this pick. You have to know the teams and the players to have a good idea of what will happen, at least try to know probably what will happen.


Portugal comes to this game in the 4th position of the group 4, with 3 points due to 1 victory by 6-1 against Albania. Portugal has a very good team with a lot of promising players, there’s a new breed of players that are coming from the biggest clubs, that play regularly in their teams that give quite consistency to the Portuguese side along with a very high hope to the future.


I will not border you with too much details but some of them played against Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in the Champions league. Some of them were in the line for the A team but the importance of the game against Denmark made the manager of the Portuguese A team Fernando Santos to chose some experienced players to ensure the qualification right now, only one point separates the direct qualification at this point and still 2 games to play.


Analysing the last 10 games, Portugal scored an average of 2,5 goals in all games and 75% of games at home ended with more than 2,5 goals. So we can say that is a very high scoring team at home.


Hungary comes in the 3rd place of group 4 with 1 game and 1 win, by 6-0 against Liechtenstein.


In the last 10 games the Hungarian team scored an average of 2 goals and conceded 1,4 goals per match, also in mind that 80% of the away games were over 2,5 goals also.


Pretty good numbers for both teams, showing that they can score in any condition and stadium. With only 1 game yet I think they will both try to score and steal the 3 points because they both have quality to do it. Hungary shows more defensive difficulties thatn Portugal so I think that defending the result is not an option because they can end up loosing the game.


So my choice goes for the goal market, big value on the over 2.5 goals, in fact that is the only option available right now and I will take it.


They both show quality to score so I hope there will be some good numbers.


Good luck!!!



Portugal U21 vs Hungary U21 betting tips Portugal U21 vs Hungary U21 betting tips conclusion Stake 10 Stake: 10/10

    Pick over 2,5 goals
    Odds 1.55

Gabala – PAOK

PAOK Salonic will open their Europa League campaign with a trip to Azerbaijan, but it will surely not be easy against a Gabala side that proved itself big time in the qualifications and playoffs. The match will be played in Baku, so Gabala won`t have full home court advantage.

The Azeri side had a marvelous qualifying campaign, getting past Dinamo Tbilisi, Cucaricki, Apollon Limassol and finally Panathinaikos, in a giant upset. It was an excellent result by Gabala against the Greeks, as today`s hosts qualified after two draws – 0-0 at home and 2-2 away. Gabala is coming after a 1-2 defeat to Inter Baku in the Azeri league, but they are steal undefeated at home this season in 6 outings. This is a well organized team, with some individual talent as well and the result against Panata will surely give them confidence that they can be competitive in a group with PAOK, Dortmund and Krasnodar.



PAOK Salonic made a lot of moves this summer, losing some key players but also bringing in excellent replacements, most notably Dimitar Berbatov. The visitors got past Lokomotiva Zagreb, Spartak Trnava and Bronby in order to reach this stage, posting some impressive results (6-0 vs. Lokomotiva, 5-0 vs. Bronby) but also playing some poor matches, losing in Zagreb and barely qualifying over Trnava. While they won all home games, they failed to win any of the away games. PAOK was on a run of 3 consecutive matches without a win before finally getting a positive result over the weekend, 3-0 in Veria. It was their first road win of the season in all competitions and the first road win in the last 10 matches!

This seems to be the most accessible game for Gabala in Group C, given the fact that PAOK might be the weakest opponent in this group and especially because PAOK is a home team, looking much worse on the road. Expect Gabala to leave it their all on the pitch and they should be able to get at least a draw against a team that is still trying to find its chemistry after so many transfers. It`s peculiar how PAOK can get so much credit in an European road match, as they are not meeting a pub team, but a solid side and Azerbaijan is always a tough place to come and play. The fact that the match will be played in Baku is not giving PAOK such a big advantage.

The hosts proved themselves in this competition and have every reason to expect a good result. My tip is Qabala +0,5 handicap and an 8 unit stake seems justified for this bet. Prediction: Gabala – PAOK 1-0.

Pick: Qabala +0,5
Odds: 1.72

Barcelona vs Sevilla

VS

 As we head closer to the start of the La Liga season we see a potentially mouthwatering clash here as the UEFA Super Cup takes our attention.


It's an all spanish encounter that pits the Champions League winners against the Europa League winners, Sevilla.


Barcelona need very little introduction after recording a domestic treble last season and will be eyeing the same this season.


Sevilla, on the other hand have performed extremely well to retain the Europa League title, an extremely difficult competition to win.


Ok, we have established both are quality teams, let's get that out of the way. Oh, just stop rambling and get to the tip for the game? Ok, ok, sorry to bore you but I'm required to write a decent preview so get off my back :)


The interesting thing to note here is that Sevilla has been somewhat weakened over the transfer window with the departures of Carlos Bacca and Aleix Vidal who have moved on to AC Milan and Barcelona respectively.


Steven N'Zonzi, Iago Aspas, Gael Kakuta and Adil Rami form the replacements and Immobile has been provided on loan by Dortmund once more.


Sevilla need to cope with the loss of Bacca and were he still here I would find it hard to oppose the both teams to score option. However, the Sevilla pre season has been a ropy one with 3 wins from 8 fixtures.


Barcelona has been solid in pre season which was competitive for them playing a lot of high profile clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, PSG, Fiorentina, Roma and LA Galaxy.


Neymar misses out due to injury while Alba is doubtful. Immobile should start after recovering from a broken nose.


All in all, can't see past Barcelona here and I will opt for the -1.5 AH as opposed to the both teams to score.


Seems the superior option at a better price.



Barcelona vs Sevilla betting tips Barcelona vs Sevilla betting tips conclusion Stake 9 Stake: 9/10

    Pick Barcelona -1.5 AH
    Odds 1.98

WBA vs Manchester City

Last Premier League game of the first round will see WBA hosting Manchester City. After finishing second in the previous season, Citizens want a title now and are desperate to start the season on the right foot, against a side that most likely will be battling in relegation battle this season. As for tradition, Citizens are doing well away to WBA, having won four out of last five matches, more concretely, last three consecutive games as well.

WBA did very few changes during the Summer transfer window, as they seem to be decided to focus on continuity with the players, after the club managed to get an easy salvation last season. They ended up thirteenth, with nine points more than relegating placed side – situation that they probably can only wish for this season as well and would probably accept it straight away. First choice goalkeeper Ben Foster will miss the start of the season and will be replaced by Boaz Myhill. Gareth McAuley is a doubt with a calf problem he got in a friendly against Swindon but has a chance to play. Rickie Lambert and Saido Berahino will partner in attack, in typical 4-4-2 formation of coach Tony Pullis, who is here since January. They did fairly well during friendly games, finishing the pre-season period with four consecutive victories. WBA (4-4-2): Myhill; Dawson, McAuley, Lescott, Brunt; Gardner, Fletcher, Morrison, McClean; Lambert, Berahino.


Manchester City, as said, finished second in the previous season and no doubt that all the fans now want the title only – at least when speaking about Premiership. Team had many friendly matches, with overall impression that the team is playing very offensive football – scoring many goals, but also having huge defensive gaps that the team will have to avoid as soon as possible in order to search for a title this season.

For example, they have won 8:1 over Vietnamese selection, but drew 2:2 against Roma and lost to Real Madrid 4:1 or in the last rehearsal before the Premier League starts – they lost to Stuttgart 4:2 at the beginning of August. Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Samir Nasri have all been suffering will illness in previous days, but all three are expected to be in the starting lineup this night. Yaya Toure and Gael Clichy are doubtful, while defensive midfielder Fabian Delph will miss the game due injury. Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov; Youre, Fernandinho; Sterling, Silva, Nasri; Bony
Man City have won their last 7 matches against West Brom.

Citizens are favorites here, but as said, their defense needs a lot more time in order to start playing fluently. They can’t be trusted fully so early in the season and my first betting option goes with both teams scoring at least once.
Bet: Both teams to score @ 1.80

Bordeaux vs Reims

Bordeaux was far from successful side in the previous season, but the team still managed to get a Europa League ticket via Cup competition and the finals lost to PSG, while they only took sixth position at the table, seven points below the Champions League ticket holders.

They had to start the season earlier than usually, as the team already played two official matches in Europa League qualifications against AEK Larnaca, passing with 4:0 aggregate score. This means that the team started with friendlies already at the start of July and the team should be in more competitive form than the most of other French sides. They invested a lot during Winter, so the team wasn’t that much active in the transfer window, only signing replacement for right back Mariano. Offensive player Diego Rolan remains doubtful for this game as he has an ankle problem. Defensive midfielder Lamine Sane is injured for this game and his position will be covered by Gregory Certic. Forward Jussie is injured for months and months now, while midfielder Jaroslav Plasil’s involvement will be decided minutes prior the game.



Reims, on the other side, escaped from the relegation zone and battle with two consecutive victories at the end of Ligue 1, surviving in last moments of previous season. They are once again hoping and have set the target on staying in the best tier of French football.

However, the side didn’t change much in their roster, staying with most of the players that fought in previous season as they hope this is enough to stay in Ligue 1 once again. Reims is without injured midfielder Diego for the season opener. They let their most important player and striker Benjamin Moukando to join Lorient this week, but the coach Olivier Guegan said he believes in the options he has. He will probably start in a 4-1-4-1 formation with David Ngong leading the line as in previous season too.
Bordeaux have won 5 of their last 6 home matches in Ligue 1.

As said, Bordeaux is already in competitive form which they proved with easy qualification over AEK Larnaca. I believe Reims can only be worse than they were in the previous season and everything except an easy victory for Bordeaux would be a surprise for me.
Bet: Bordeaux Wins @ 1.73

Hull City vs Huddersfield

VS

 Hull City suffered relegation from the Premier League and they will have the unenviable task of returning to top flight in their first attempt.


Hull City are a class above most of the teams in the Championship and with proper motivation and team chemistry they can be an extreme force this season.


With players like Jelavic and Hernandez up top, Snodgrass, Livermore, Huddlestone and El Mohomady they shouldn't have been relegated in the first place and hopefully this season they will offer more goals which is the main reason they were relegated in the first place.


They have been able to retain most of their top players and I like the price of the home win here.


Huddlersfield finished a lowly 16th in the Championship and are notably poor travellers. They finished the season with a 7 unbeaten run with draws in the last 3 fixtures.


Dean Whitehead's signing from Middlesborough will please manager Chris POwell.


All in all, I like Hull's chances here, they have had the better of the visitors recently, having won their least 4 games h2h, 3 at the KC stadium and one away from home.


Only one of those wins was by more than a single goal so that has dampered my hopes for the -1AH selection.


Straigh win at the best price of 1.75 .



Hull City vs Huddersfield betting tips Hull City vs Huddersfield betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick Hull Win
    Odds 1.75

Creteil vs Bourg-Peronnas

VS

 Even they lost few important players ( left the team Piquionne, Seck, Ndoye, Genest, Essombe all first choice players and Diarrassouba) Creteil made the surprise of 1st round snatching a win away at new comer Red Star. Some good signing were made but anyway I predict a difficult season for Creteil also due their decrease in power this year. For this game they will recovered 1st GK Kerbouriou but Gerard is injured.


Also BP will be one of the team involved in relegation battle. They will play their home games at Guegnon 120 Km far away of their own stadium, so we can actually say all 38 games will be played on the road... And for a newcomer this will be decisive factor. Still an unknown team for me but from what I saw against LeHavre.... they are poor. Is true they met one of the best team in the L2 at this moment, losing 1-3. Not to much changing in the squad only few players from lower league; remains to see how long they will keep their start striker Pape Sane.


Two poor teams make the decision difficult. I'll go for more experimented team in L2 who will try to win as much games on their on pitch in order to stay safe till the end in L2.


Home win. gl

Creteil vs Bourg-Peronnas betting tips Creteil vs Bourg-Peronnas betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick Creteil
    Odds 2.25

Shirak vs Zrinjski

 I thought for a while about this game, and I was wondering if the bosnian side is capable to take a good result there in Armenia. Sometimes is difficult to evaluate how powerful are two teams in these low leagues, and that will be the main problem of the Europa League's matches, but in my opinion Bosnian league is BETTER than Armenian league. And the odds are still changing in favour of the guests, that 2 days ago were TOO much favourites.


Zrinski finished 3rd last season, and stepped back from last year, when they won the domestic league and played against Maribor in UCL's qualification round. This is a extremely solid team at home, where has lost just one game (vs Sarajevo in Bosnian Cup) since 04/2013, with an impressive 1/44 games lost during that run. Far from home, as everybody could imagine, is a different team. I guess they're very confident in his game at home, and as guests they tries to play very defensively. Last season they conceded 13 goals in 30 league games, and playing this game at the start of the season, in my opinion, will see less goal chances than a game in middle of the season. Zrinjski is under 2.5 goals in 20 of his 23 last matches, and as away team is under 2.5 in 9/10 games. They drew in a only friendly game this new season (1-1 vs Zeljeznicar). Now they have a new coach that seems that doesn't like to play defensively, but the team will need some time to play they way his coach wants. Marinovic was the Borac Banja's coach last season, and the team finished with 26 goals scored and 26 received in 30 games played. He said that they want to go through, but the travel is uncertain, because they don't know how good is Shirak (lol, scouting rules).


Shirak is still the favourite here. It's a team that has been improving last years in domestic competition. This was a weak team since 2012, but they're the last 2 years in a good level. The main squad is formed by local players, but last season they sourprised signing 2 Ivory Coast players. Both two scored the 50% of the team goals, and are right now the main danger for guests. The backbone's squad is slightly old, with some years playing together, but they alternate some young players and others +35yo players. Shirak is a scorer team when play with teams with less quality upfront, but they struggled when play against Alashkert, Pyunic and these kind of armenian's top teams. For sure won't be the same a game between them and a low-classified team, and a game against these bosnian guys.


Bosnian side, seems that moved well in the summer transfer, and add some good pieces to his squad. They lost Crnov, but signed a Serbian players Zeravika and Filipovic came from the domestic league teams, as young bosnian player Zakaric. One acquisition from outside Bosnia, Mesanovic, that returns to the country after his year in Croatia (Osijek), but he won't play that one, as Zakaric.


All in all, I could see a rough away team, that is unlikely that lost by a +2 goal margin. Zrinjski +1 is @1.60, but most of times this kind of bet is for void, so I'll choose the under, that I think it will happen more than 55% of time. Without see any game of these two teams recently, it's hard to venture for a double chance's opportunity with guests, that pays @2.15, but it's an interesting opcion for small stakes.


PD: Odds are rising fast for guests. Shirak pays @1.46 two days ago and today is @2.15 now at 1:00pm, and dropping for goals under in some sits that puts this bet around @1.60, but many other still have @1.75-@1.80. I think the market is a bit confused with that game.

Shirak vs Zrinjski betting tips Shirak vs Zrinjski betting tips conclusion Stake 9 Stake: 9/10

    Pick Under 2.5
    Odds 1.83

Dinamo Tbilisi vs Gabala

VS

Dinamo Tbilisi from Georgia welcomes Qabala from Azerbaijan in the first Qualifying round of the Europa league. Both teams finished third last season but the hosts with much smaller difference to the champion than the visitors. Dinamo has much more experience in Europe playing CL qulifications and EL Qualifications. They are a multiple Georgian champion and in 2013 and 2014 most recently.


Dinamo is ranked 157 by UEFa while Qabala is placed 20 places lower. But Qabala is worth more by transfermarkt and made investments in last seasons. They have players from Ukraine, Belarus, Romania and recently brought some solid players like Vernydub from Zorya, Stankovic from Inter Baku, Zenjov from Torpedo Moscow, Antonov from Aktobe. A lot of the players have arrived recently and I doubt they will make a compact unit so early.


The same thing happened last year I remember when Qabala made a debut in EL against Siroki Brijeg. A big investment was made and the odds droped big on Qabala but they fell miserably and lost at home 0:2 and 3:0 away. They don`t have the same quality and especially not the experience the hosts have.


The teams played some friendlies and Qabala played 1:0 and 1:1 against Inter Baku while Dinamo played 0:1 against Shkendija, 3:1 against Domzale and 2:0 against Zavrc.


Dinamo has lost just 1 EL home game since 2007 and it was 0:5 against Tottenham in 2015. They have some notable results like 1:1 vs AEK, 2:0 KR, 1:1 Sturm, 2:0 Crvena Zvezda though it must be said not recently. Still I fancy them to make the most of their home ground against a team of dubious quality.



Dinamo Tbilisi vs Gabala betting tips Dinamo Tbilisi vs Gabala betting tips conclusion Stake 8 Stake: 8/10

    Pick Dinamo Tbilisi
    Odds 2.00

Poland vs Georgia

Saturday 13th June 2015, 17:00 kick off (UK Time). Poland vs Georgia. Euro 2016 qualification game will see Group D leaders Poland host 5th placed Georgia in a game that looks set for goals. There are only potentially 3 places up for grabs in Group D and I think that 2 of them 3 will be won by Poland and World Champions, Germany. The potential 3rd in my opinion will go to Scotland (Sorry Ireland Fans).

The hosts Poland are the only unbeaten team in Group D thus far, they’ve even beat world champions Germany 2-0 at home back in October. Confidence will be very high within the Polish camp and I can understand why, they have a very strong squad and have every chance of winning the group! They have also got the best goal difference (+13 from just 5 games). They have had a few disappointing results during this qualifying campaign, drawing 1-1 away at Ireland and drawing 2-2 at home to Scotland! So I know they can sometimes slip up, however, I think they will be fully motivated for this game knowing that chasers Germany have an easy game away at Gibraltar, which they will win, the question is by how many! With this in mind I think Poland will also want to increase their goal difference and bag a few vs Georgia to keep the upper hand.

Their previous game vs Georgia back in November 2014 ended 4-0 in favour of the Poles. They totally dominated the game from start to finish and Georgia never looked like scoring. Georgia did sit back a little and the tactics looked as though they were playing for a point, which was looking good up to half time (0-0). However, once Poland broke the deadlock this opened the floodgates for Poland and there was no stopping them, the game finished 4-0 to Poland.

The Poland manager Nawalka should have a fully fit squad to select from, the main squad member, Lewandowski will lead the team out, hopefully to a victory.


Georgia on the other hand head into the game having won 1 and lost 4 of their 5 qualifying games so far. The game they won was nothing major to shout about, they beat Gibraltar 3-0 away from home in October 2014. They did have a lot of possession in this game, however, this would be expected considering their opponents! Gibraltar have won just 1 game (1-0 at home to Malta). Georgia have only lost by 1 goal vs Scotland and Ireland, however, when they’ve played against the top 2 teams they’ve lost 2-0 and 4-0 and both of these games was on home soil! I was a fan of the Georgia manager Ketsbaia back in his playing days, however, he has a tough task on his hands with the Georgia squad, considering the group they are in. Like Poland, Georgia have a fully fit squad to select from, I expect another defensive display, however, I just think Poland will have too much for Georgia.

I’ve decided to provide this tip early as I’ve just backed it myself at a great price of 2.00, I have no doubt this will drop as the kick off gets closer. I will be backing Poland -1.5 AH @ a price of 2.00 with BetVictor. I can see Poland winning at least by 2 goals, hopefully more.
Bet: Poland -1.5 Asian handicap @ 2.00

Ath Bilbao – Deportivo

Athletic Bilbao hosts Deportivo La Coruna in the 36th round of the Spanish La Liga.


Bilbao is coming after a 0-0 draw at Vicente Calderon vs. Atletico Madrid … the 2nd consecutive draw and the 4th match in a row in which they did not taste defeat. Bilbao has played some of the best football in La Liga in the past 2 months and now with the Copa Del Rey final inching closer, they want to keep it up and be in the best possible form when the big game comes. Bilbao won 14 of the last 18 possible points at home in La Liga Primera … 4 wins and 2 draws. For today hosts will miss Muniain, Iraola, Gomez and the suspended Bustinza.


Deportivo will hope they can take advantage of Eibar’s somewhat surprising loss on Friday and climb out of the relegation zone with a win or (more likely) tie Eibar in points with a draw result today … but of course it will not be easy at San Mames, especially with Deportivo’s current form: 13 consecutive games without a win … 7 wins, 6 draws. Depor is also not particularly a good team when traveling, posting a statline of 2 wins, 6 draws and 9 losses on the road this season. Wilk is ruled out of the lineup today … Dominguez and Cavaleiro are questionable.

Deportivo is the team that needs the points more and for sure they will leave their hearts out on the pitch today … but even so it is hard to see them coming at San Mames and getting something … specially not in this kind of form and when Athletic is playing such good football. I don’t expect Bilbao to hand Depor a big beating but it should be a routine home win … a close score maybe, but without any real tension about the final result.

My tip will be an Athletic Bilbao win … they can’t afford to lose form and morale coming into the Copa Del Rey final. Correct score prediction: Athletic Bilbao – Deportivo La Coruna 2-1.

Pick: Athletic Bilbao
Odds: 1.65

Wolfsburg – Napoli

Europa League quarterfinals, Wolfsburg against Napoli at VW Arena.


I think there is a trend now, a trend that says German football is the best ever and Italian football is crap. Well, I disagree. Things are not black and white.

Napoli is a team worth of finishing top 3 in Italy, every season. Maybe you remember what i wrote to you about Napoli’s owner in my last pick? I said that he punished the players and put them in isolation after the Lazio game. The result? Next game, Napoli destroyed Fiorentina, 3-0 result. Now they are still in isolation so i expect the good results to continue.

Wolfsburg is a good team but their success comes from the attacking football they play and the quality strikers they have. Napoli’s defense is not rock solid, for sure, but i think Napoli’s attack and offensive midfield is a little better than Wolfsburg’s. De Bruyne is brilliant, but Higuain is better than Bas Dost any time of the day. Dost is overachieving, but let’s not forget he came from the Dutch second division while Higuain came from Real.

I think it’s a handicap for the Germans that Wolfsburg played Inter before Napoli, because they will relax thinking Italian teams are rubbish … but they are in for a surprise.

My prediction is +0.5 handicap on Napoli. CLassic 8 unit stake on this bet. Good Luck!

Pick: Napoli +0,5
Odds: 2.09

FC Porto – Bayern

FC Porto hosts Bayern Munich at Estadio Dragao in the first leg of this Champions League quarterfinal.


Porto had no problems getting past Basel in the previous round, winning 4-0 at home after 1-1 in Switzerland. But Porto had plenty of important matches since than … they are involved in two fronts, Champions League and Portugese league, where they are 3 points behind Benfica. Porto won the last two matches in style vs. Rio Ave and Estoril, but two weeks ago lost to Maritimo 1-2 in the Portugese Cup. Porto has a number of key players missing or questionable: Ivan Marcano is suspendes, Jakcson Martinez and Cristian Tello are questionable.

FC Porto projected lineup:
Fabiano – Danilo, Maicon, Martins Indi, Sandro – Casemiro, Brahimi, Evandro, Herrera – Aboubakar, Martinez

Bayern Munich gets some players back from injury, like Thiago Alcantara, but other key players will miss from the lineup: Robben, Ribery, Martinez, Alaba, Schweinsteiger, probably Benatia as well. All key players and Bayern had some problems without them in the last big match they played … one week ago, 0-0 at Leverkusen in the Cup (Bayern won at penalties). In the weekend, the Bavarians easily beat Frankfurt by a 3-0 result, resting some players like Neuer.

Bayern Munich projected lineup:
Neuer – Rafinha, Boateng, Dante, Bernat – Lahm, Thiago Alcantara, Xabi Alonso – Muller, Gotze, Lewandowski

Bayern is in great form and in the previous Champions League round, destroyed Shakhtar 7-0 with a aggregate result. Even if the first leg away was only 0-0, Bayern was very unlucky not to win it … including being disadvantaged by the referee. Porto is a little stronger than the Ukrainean team, mainly because of superior experience … but I do not think they can resist this incredible force of Bayern and get a result, not even at home. Porto is in the middle of a very tough and busy schedule and they do not know how to sit back, park the bus … Bayern will have more spaces than usual and will punish Porto.

It will be a real test to the depth of the Bavarian visitors (no Robben, Ribery, Schweinsteiger, Alaba), but my tip will be Bayern Munich to win and I am confident enough to stake 9 units on this bet. Correct score prediction: FC Porto – Bayern Munich 1-2.

Pick: Bayern Munich
Odds: 1.85

Juventus – Monaco

Juventus takes on AS Monaco in Turin as Champions League football is back – with the Italian Champions looking to avoid becoming another big scalp for the French side.


Juventus has been rather disappointing lately, barely winning against weak opponents in Serie A or even losing (1-0 against Parma over the weekend. It could be argued that the league is not a priority anymore and they did turn up to do the job when it mattered, beating Fiorentina 3-0 on the road in Coppa Italia after losing the first leg 1-2 and demolishing Dortmund in Germany with the same scoreline in UCL. However, weak performances can add up and affect morale even if they did not count in the standings – and the horrible loss against Parma will surely not give Juve confidence.

Monaco is on the back of a convincing 3-0 win at Caen, clearly playing the best football they played all season right now. They have been incredibly effective in the Champions League and to get past a red hot team like Arsenal was a massive achievement. Monaco lost just twice in the last 12 matches, against PSG and Arsenal – with the Arsenal loss being somewhat planned, as Leonardo Jardim clearly approached that 2nd leg knowing he had goals to spare.


Team news & lineups:

Juve has a number of serious injury worries, missing key players like Pogba, Asamoah, Caceres and possibly Pirlo as well (he`s 50-50 to start). Romulo and Marrone are out as well. Monaco will only miss backup striker Lacina Traore, with Bakayoko doubtful.

Juventus: Buffon – Evra, Chiellini, Bonucci, Lichsteiner – Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio – Pereyra – Morata, Tevez

AS Monaco: Subasic – Kurzawa, Abdennour, Wallace, Fabinho – Toulalan, Kondogbia, Moutinho – Martial, Ferreira-Carrasco, Berbatov

Juventus will be keen to avoid Arsenal’s fate and be more patient and cautious with their attacking approach. If they do start leaving open spaces, it could be a disaster, especially now that Monaco has counterattacking maestro Ferreira Carrasco fit in the starting lineup (he came on late against Arsenal in both matches and created havoc). Considering Monaco’s defensive and counterattacking brilliance in this type of away match and looking at Juve’s shaky form, my tip is Monaco +1,5 handicap. it should be close and if Monaco loses, it will likely be by just one goal. Pogba will also be sorely missed by Juve. Prediction: Juventus – Monaco 1-1.

Pick: AS Monaco (+1 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 2.13

Eibar vs Rayo Vallecano

Eibar vs. Rayo Vallecano / La Liga – The first match in La Liga after a break caused by obligations of the Spanish national team is a the duel between a team that are positioned in the lower part of the table and are very close to the relegation zone and a team that are positioned in a quiet middle of the table. The hosts are those who are endangered due to a long lasting series without a victory, while the guests have no such worries having seven points more and being in a much better shape. Eibar is really under a lot of pressure and they must win, unlike Rayo Vallecano who can play its favourite game without much tactics. In the first part of the season Eibar had surprised at the Vallecas and won by 3-2, while out of their four La Liga matches each team won twice. Begins: 03.04.2015 – 20:45 CET
Eibar

Little by little Eibar is getting closer to the position that was predicted for them at the beginning of season. In the first part of the season this team was a real hit and was firmly positioned in the upper part of the table, while at the beginning of the second part of the season they won two victories. Then began their decline and this team didn’t win since the beginning of January. They have played exactly ten matches in this period and only two were not defeats, while those two were draws. The negative series has begun with a draw and they drew in the last round with Granada away, which is a very good result considering that the opponent were a team who are positioned in the relegation zone.

They were mostly in a subordinate position but they managed to preserve the initial 0-0 till the end of match. However, draws will not leave them in La Liga and instead they have to start winning. This seems like a pretty good chance but they will not be complete because stopper Raul Navas and midfielder del Moral are injured. On the other hand Ekiza is back in the team after expiration of the suspension and he will surely cover the stopper position, while Piovaccari goes in the attack.

Probable lineups Eibar: J. Jimenez – Boveda, Ekiza, Anibarro, L. Castellano – Dani Garcia, Borja – Lara, Saul, Arruabarrena – Piovaccari
Rayo Vallecano

Rayo Vallecano is worry-free in the middle of the table although they cannot simply completely relax since the relegation zone is not too far, just ten points below. This of course doesn’t mean that Rayo should start playing tactics because this team don’t play like that for a long time and in fact play quite openly in every match to win. They still have only two draws from the first two rounds, which means that they didn’t draw for 26 rounds and it is the best indicator of their play style. With such game they tend to receive a lot of goals and average more than two per game when play away.

They are currently in a quite good shape and have won four times in the last six rounds and they lost the two remaining matches to Athletic and Barcelona away, ??where objectively couldn’t do much. It should be said that all four victories were won at home and that they didn’t win away for a long time. Coach Jemez has a lot of problems with the team because stopper Amaya and midfielder Trashorras cannot play because of yellow cards, while attackers Baptistao and Miku are injured, but the good news is that stopper Abdoulaye is back in the team.

Probable lineups Rayo Vallecano: C. Alvarez – Tito, Abdoulaye, Ze Castro, Nacho – Raul Baena, J. Sanchez – Kakuta, Bueno, Lica – Manucho
Eibar – Rayo Vallecano PICK

This match is very important for Eibar and they really must try to win, while Rayo Vallecano will certainly not just defend their goal, simply because it is not their style and on top of it they are completely worry-free. Therefore, contrary to many expectations, we forecast here a match with plenty of goals.

Pick: over 2.5 goals

Stake: 5/10

Odds: 2.15

England vs Lithuania

England vs. Lithuania / Qualifiers for EURO – After a few friendly, finally we have a few qualifying matches for EURO 2016, and we will start the analyse of the fifth round with one quite unequal duel in Group E, because the currently leading England meets the third Lithuania at London’s Wembley, which already at this stage of the competition has a large six points behind “Gordon Albion”. Let us add that this is their first mutual duel in history. Begins: 27.03.2015 – 20:45 CET
England

But even though they do not know each other enough, it is quite clear that the English have the role of big favourite in this match, especially while since they are in a series of six wins. Namely, coach Hodgson has after the debacle at last year’s World Cup further rejuvenated his team, which immediately led to a lot more aggressive and faster game, and then ultimately to better results. Thus, after the victory in the friendly match against Norway, they also celebrated as guests in Switzerland with 2-0 in the opening of qualifications, but then they achieved a maximum impact at home against San Marino and Slovenia, and on the side in Estonia.

Meanwhile they celebrated in the friendly match against Scotland, on their Celtic Park, which has only helped their self-confidence before the continuation of qualifications. Let us add that goalkeepers Forster and Foster, defender Shaw, midfielders Lallana, Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain and strikes Sturridge and Rodriguez will all have to miss this duel with Lithuania because of injuries, while defender Chambers, midfielder Downing and strikers Lambert and Berahino were not even called to participate due to their poor form.

Probable lineups England: Hart – Clyne, Jones, Cahill, Gibbs – Henderson, Carrick, Milner – Sterling – Rooney, Welbeck
Lithuania

As for the team of Lithuania, they have used their favorable schedule in the first two qualifying rounds and celebrated with 2-0 in the away match against outsiders from San Marino, and after that in the neighboring derby against Estonia they also reached a domestic triumph of 1-0. However, already against their first serious opponent Slovenia they showed that they are still limited team, so they were defeated at home with 2-0 in the third round, while in the next match in Switzerland they suffered a defeat of even 4-0.

In this way the Lithuanians have already fallen to fourth place in the standings, but they still have the same number of points as the second Slovenia and third Switzerland. We should also add that they late last year did a good job in the friendly match against much better team of Ukraine, because as guests in Kiev they managed to play 0-0. However, now they themselves are aware that they will have a pretty tough job against the leading England and therefore coach Pankratkjevas has announced a distinctly defensive setup, however what certainly creates additional problems are the absences of the injured strikers Spalvis, Novikovas and Matulevicius and midfielder Zulpa.

Probable lineups Lithuania: Arlauskis – Freidgeimas, Kijanskas, Zaliukas, Andriuskevicius – Mikoliunas, Panka, Vicius, Vaitkunas – Kalonas – Cernych
England vs. Lithuania PICK

Of course that the English are big favourites in this game, especially since they are playing at home, but also the team of Lithuania has already in the last friendly match with Ukraine showed some progress and therefore we feel that they will not experience a disaster now at Wembley as they did in the previous qualifying match against Switzerland.

Pick: Asian Handicap +2.5 Lithuania

Stake: 5/10

Odds: 1.6

Isner – Anderson

Home favorite John Isner takes on South African Kevin Anderson in the third round at Indian Wells. Both guys had a bye in the first round and won their second round matches in straight sets.


Isner defeated Melzer 6-3 6-4 for a much needed breath of fresh air after having an awful season, highlighted by blowing USA’s Davis Cup tie against Great Britain last week by losing to James Ward. John`s form is really bad for some time now and it seems he can`t catch a break. He did play well against Melzer (especially on serve, 0 break points allowed) but not anything special, after all Melzer is more like old-boys material right now – even if I did expect Jurgen to cause Isner more problems due to the matchup between them. All in all, the American could gain some confidence from that win and also from the fact that Indian Wells is one of his favorite tournaments.

Kevin Anderson is playing the best tennis of his life right now, he`s having a really good year with a R16 showing at the Australian Open, final in Memphis and two other semifinals – after having a solid 2014 as well. He had a rather straightforward win in the second round against Delbonis, 7-5 6-4, holding serve for the entire match.


Isner leads the Head 2 Head 7-3 (7-4 if we take into account a semi-official match in Hopman Cup) and won the last 4 meetings. On hard the score is 6-4. The Head 2 Head would suggestst a matchup advantage for John, but I doubt that is the case. Both are big servers, and the Head 2 Head is more due to the fact that Isner is simply a slightly better player when in form, while Anderson started playing at a top level no earlier than.

The odds on Anderson are going up because of the Head 2 Head and I`m really tempted to bet on Kevin, but I will stick with a tip on a first set tiebreak. In the direct meetings so far there were 5 first set tiebreaks in 11 matches and the two played a total of 14 tiebreaks in 25 sets, which is a percentage of over 55%. Obviously both are big servers and not so good returners, especially Isner. There`s also the fact that each player held serve with authority in the previous round, not allowing any breaks, so that will give Isner and Anderson big confidence on serve early in the match.

I do think that Anderson should be the favorite, but all in all it looks like a relatively evenly matched clash and my tip will be a first set tiebreak to occur. Prediction: John Isner – Kevin Anderson 7-6 5-7 6-7.


Pick: First set tiebreak – Yes
Odds: 2.10

R. Bautista-Agut vs D. Thie

Bautista-Agut vs. Thiem / ATP Marseille – The first quarter-finals pair at the tournament in Marseille are Spaniard R. Bautista-Agut and Austrian D. Thiem. Bautista-Agut qualified for the quarter-finals after he defeated V. Pospisil by 2-0, while Thiem had an easier path toward the quarter-finals after D. Goffin surrendered the match in the first set at the score 5-1 in games. Begins: 20.02.2015 – 12:00 CET

R. Bautista-Agut
Agut is 16th ranked tennis player at the ATP list and he won two titles in his career, both last season at tournaments in s-Hertogenbosch and Stuttgart, where he defeated Becker and Rosola in finals. He started the season in Chennai, where he reached the semi-finals and lost to Bedene by 2-1, while in Auckland, at the Australian Open and in Rotterdam he couldn’t go further from second rounds when he lost to Mannarino, Muller and Monfils, respectivelly. He made one of the better results last season in Madrid where he reached the semi-finals in which he lost to Nadal. The second good result was the fourth round at the US Open whe he lost to Federer.

Regarding the match of the previous round in which Agut defeated Pospisil by 7-6, 6-4 in sets, it is important to say that the Canadian had expectedly served better, having 8 aces and 68% of successful first service, and 80% of points won after the first service. However, what made the decisive difference and brought victory to the Spaniard was number of points won after the second serve. Pospisil won only 6 of 21 points at his second serve, while Agut’s ratio was 19 out of 28.

D. Thiem
Thiem has made a significant progress in the ATP rankings previous year so he occupied 36th place in the middle of last season, which was also the best rating in his career. Somewhat weaker results that he made at the end of last year and beginning of this one downgraded him at his current 48th place, where this quarter-final is his best result this season. He had played in Auckland and at the Australian Open, where he couldn’t go further from first rounds, and was bit more successful in Rotterdam, where he lost a match of the second round to Stakhovsky.

The Austrian reached these quarter-finals quite easily because favoured Goffin has surrendered the match before the end of the first set. However, we must say that Thiem had up to that point an advantage of 5-1, but he had incredibly weak percentage of the first service of only 15%, i.e. just two won points. In contrast, the second service was at 91% or 10 out of 11.

R. Bautista-Agut – D. Thiem PICK
The only match so far between these two players had taken place this season at the Australian Open, and the Spaniard won it by 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 in sets. We will not list all statistics details from that match but we will say that the Spaniard had an advantage of 4% to 5%, which is completely in line with the final result. Young Austrian depends too much on the first serve, while Agut is simply more complete player and this is his main advantage, so we expect that he qualify for the semi-finals.

Pick: Bautista-Aguta wins

Stake: 5/10

Odds: 1.61

Deportivo vs Eibar

Deportivo vs. Eibar / La Liga – Match between two new La Liga teams opens this round. Only one of them expectedly fight to survive and that is the host, Deportivo, despite have two times more expensive team than Eibar, who has the smallest budget in the league but occupies an excellent eighth place. Six points separate them but this match can easily change that. Deportivo’s morale is high after the away victory in the last round and second match in a row that they didn’t lose, while Eibar didn’t win in the last three matches and it seems like they are in a small crisis. It is interesting that Deportivo had defeated Eibar in the first part of the season by 1-0, which was their only away victory until the last round, while last season in the Segunda a match between these two teams played in La Coruna ended as a draw, 1-1. Begins: 06.02.2015 – 20:45 CET

Deportivo
Deportivo plays considerably better in the second half of the season and that is why this team slowly but surely move away from the relegation zone and now have three points more than teams in it, and this match is a good opportunity to win new points. Deportivo lost only once is in five matches of the season continuation, by Barcelona at home, which was of course fully expected. They drew with Levante and Granada, direct competitors in the battle for survival, and had defeated stronger teams; Athletic at home and in the last round Rayo Vallecano away, when they demonstrated a very good game and the victory should have been higher than the final 2-1.

It has been proved that bringing of midfielder Borges during the winter break was the right move, because right this player had sank Rayo Vallecano with two goals, while recovered Lucas plays great. It seems that coach Fernandez has found the winning combination when it comes to the team, although there’s always a problem. Stopper Sydney is questionable and will probably be replaced by Insua, midfielder Rodriguez cannot play because of yellow cards so J. Dominguez will return in the team, while Farina and striker Helder Postiga are still out of action.

Probable lineups Deportivo: Fabri – Juanfran, Insua, Lopo, Luisinho – Alex, J. Dominguez – Borges, Lucas, Cavaleiro – Oriol Riera

Eibar
It can be said that Eibar is easing a bit lately, at least when it comes to the results. This team didn’t lose in the last three rounds but we must be aware against whom they played. Visiting draw with Cordoba, who is very good in the second part of the season, is not a bad result, and after that they were minimally defeated away by much stronger Real Sociedad, 1-0. In the last round they lost at home but to reigning champion Atletico, playing at a very difficult terrain, which didn’t suit them at all, although it was supposed to be their advantage.

Obviously, they started the match with too much respect and by the middle of the first half they were trailing behind for 3-0. In addition to being defeated this match cost them a lot in terms of availability of some players who will not be able to play this away match at Riazor. Excellent midfielder del Moral was injured and he is out of action, which is quite a handicap, while right and left winger, Lillo and Abraham are suspended because of yellow cards. This means at least three changes in the starting line-up which will surely be felt during the match.

Probable lineups Eibar: Irureta – Boveda, Anibarro, Raul Navas, Didac Vila – Errasti, Dani Garcia – Capa, Arruabarrena, Saul – Piovaccari

Deportivo – Eibar PICK
Everyone predict a tough match with few goals but it doesn’t have to be like that. Deportivo is currently very good and they scored four goals in the last two matches. Eibar’s efficiency is a bit squeaky, although this is true only for tough matches, so here we could see at least two goals.

Pick: over 2 goals

Stake: 6/10

Odds: 1.95

FC Augsburg vs 1899 Hoffenhei

FC Augsburg vs. 1899 Hoffenheim / Bundesliga – If we exclude the big derby that was played on Friday this is the most interesting match of the round, as these teams are direct competitors for places that lead to Europe. Currently are neighbours in the standings, Augsburg is sixth and that position leads into the Europa League, while Hoffenheim is one position below and has one point less. Common for both of them is that they are much more solid when playing at home, while as visitors they have the same of scored and conceded goals. Defeat followed by victory are the results that both teams made in the finish of the first part of the season.  Hoffenheim won their match played at the beginning of the season by 2-0 but have lost the last two away matches against Augsburg. Begins: 01.02.2015 – 17:30 CET

FC Augsburg
Augsburg was very good in the first part of the season i.e. their matches can be divided into two groups; good one to which belong matches mostly played at home and a bad one in which go matches played away. There’s no middle ground, as this team didn’t draw even once in the first part of the season, which is very interesting for the team that is in fact average and was expected to frequently draw. Victories and defeats are almost evenly distributed, with one victory more and one more scored goal. Special story is the home pitch and six victories, with two defeats by Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.

The rest of visitors were defeated pretty easily, including Borussia M’gladbach at the end of the first part of the season. They made a turnover in that match and stayed in competition for European positions, which now wants to solidify. During the break brought they have brought two valuable reinforcements, midfielders Hojbjerg from Bayern, while striker Ji Dong has returned from Dortmund. Philp and de Jong have left the team, although they were not standard first team players so it can be said that are even stronger. They have problem with absences because of various reasons and goalie Hitz, Baba, Hong, Moravek, Matavz and Molders will not play in this match.

Probable lineups FC Augsburg: Manninger – Verhaegh, Callsen-Bracker, Klavan, Feulner – Baier – Esswein, Hojbjerg, Halil Altintop, To. Werner – Bobadilla

1899 Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim was very good too in the first part of the season, especially at the very beginning, when this team was long undefeated. However, before the break they lost five times but the overall impression is good and the seventh place demonstrates it the best, while they have just three points less than the third-placed team. They had concluded the first part of the season with a brilliant away victory over Hertha in Berlin by 5-0, although it was only the second away win, where they were not very successful. They again play efficient matches, although it was not like that at the beginning.

During the winter break stopper Vestergaard left the team and didn’t bring any new reinforcements, which was logical, because they have anyway a pretty good team. Currently are not much weakened, Kim is absent being at the Asian Cup with the national team of South Korea, while defender Sule is injured. Coach Gisdol has doubts about the position of the left back, where two players are possible Salihovic or Toljan, while it is unclear whether Szalai will be in the attack or somewhat faster Schipplock.

Probable lineups 1899 Hoffenheim: Baumann – Beck, Strobl, Bicakvic, Salihoviv (Toljan) – Polanski, Schwegler – Volland, Roberto Firmino, Elyounoussi – Szalai (Schipplock)

FC Augsburg – 1899 Hoffenheim PICK
If we said that both teams are much more successful as hosts then there is no reason to believe that Augsburg is not a slight favourite here. Indeed, they were good at home and will hardly lose now but it is possible that Hoffenheim pulls a draw.

Pick: Asian handicap 0 Augsburg

Stake: 6/10

Odds: 1.78

Liverpool vs West Ham

Liverpool continued with their highly unreliable performances, coming from exclusion in League Cup game away to Chelsea. After a 1:1 draw at home in the first game, they had a decent chance to progress further and get a positive result, which they generally did after second ninety minutes, but failed to respond in extra-time suffering a narrow 1:0 defeat due the only goal scored from Ivanovic in 94th minute.

Prior to that game, they had a goalless draw at home against Bolton last weekend, with the team having quite poor and uncreative performance against a level lower ranked side. This means that the team is without a goal scored in last two matches, but at least, coming from two straight victories in Premier League. They do have many draws, but are also on undefeated run in Premier League for six matches. They have also climbed up to eight position, being just four points away from sixth placed Arsenal and in case of a victory here, they could go really close to Champions League tickets this time. Mamadou Sakho limped off with a back injury against Chelsea, but should be fit for this match. Important Steven Gerrard is set to start at bench here, as he played all 120 minutes against the Blues. Central defender Kolo Toure (13/0) is still at African Cup of Nations, while injured remain quite unimportant full back Jon Flanagan (no performance yet in the season) and goalkeeper Bradley Jones (3/0).



West Ham, on the other side, comes from a narrow 1:0 victory on the road against Bristol City in FA Cup last Sunday, thanks to goal from Sakho in 81st minute. Even though it was a late minutes goal, the visiting side deserved their victory being much more concrete side during the game, while the pressure they made in last quarter was good enough for the final victory.

Prior to that game, West Ham took an easy 3:0 victory at home against Hull City two weeks before, ending a run of four matches with no victory in Premier League. Even so, they keep very high seventh position, being only three points away from Arsenal on sixth position and only four points away from Champions League placed Manchester United. Visitors have defenders James Collins, James Tomkins, Carl Jenkinson and Joey O’Brien all set as doubtful here, but most of them should get the fitness right on time for the match. Central midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate (19/1) is at African Cup of Nations.

Liverpool have seen over 2.5 goals in 9 of their last 10 matches against West Ham.
Liverpool are undefeated in their last 13 home matches against West Ham.
Liverpool has to be set as favorite here, but with the way they play and have probelms scoring, they should be nowhere close to such a strong favorites. West Ham looks quite confident at the moment and it won’t be much of the surprise in case the team walks away with all three points today.

Bet: West Ham +1 Asian handicap @ 1.83

Stade Rennes vs AS Saint-Etienn

Stade Rennes vs. AS Saint-Etienne / Ligue 1 – From this weekly program of the French Ligue 1 we have this time singled out one late afternoon match of the 21st round, which brings us the ninth Rennes and third St. Etienne, which currently has a 10 point lead. Otherwise, their last two duels, which were played in St. Etienne, ended without goals, while last year at this stadium the hosts celebrated with 3-1. Begins: 18.01.2015 – 17:00 CET

Stade Rennes
This is why the hosts are now hoping that they can come to a positive result against their great rivals, despite the fact that they are at this point in a much worse shape than them. The footballers of Rennes suffered three defeats and one draw in the championship, and his draw took place away at Evian in the last round, so they are very quickly spoiled all the good things they have done in October and November last year.

However, they are still holding the ninth position in the standings, with only four points behind the fifth Monaco, which means that they have not lost hope that they can get hold of Europe, while in the French Cup they recently passed in the fourth round after they celebrated over Dunkirk. On the other hand, in the League Cup after the victory over Creteil they were defeated five days ago in Bastia, with the provision that they finished the match with nine players, because defender Lenjani who just arrived and midfielder Konradsen were excluded. That is why they will now miss this league game with St. Etienne, as well as injured strikers Grosicki and Ntep, while defender M’Bengue who is currently at the African Cup of Nations.

Probable lineups Stade Rennes: Costil – Danze, Mexer, Armand, Diagne – Pajot, Fernandes, Doucoure – Bruls, Toivonen, Henrique

AS Saint-Etienne
As for St. Etienne, they were five days ago eliminated from the French League Cup after a home defeat by the reigning champion PSG, while they earlier successfully finished their performance in the National Cup, by celebrating over Nancy. But what is at the moment much more important for them is that they are not defeated in the championship since mid-October last year and so this match at Rennes comes to them after a stunning series of five wins and one draws.

It is therefore not surprising that they are at the moment on a high third position in Ligue 1, with only two points behind Marseille and another three in relation to the leading Lyon, which in fact means that the appetites of their fans are now maximally increased. However, coach Galtier is constantly trying to calm down the euphoria, because he is well aware that they will at some point experience the end of this positive series, especially since they lately have many problems with absences. So, defender Clerc and midfielders Corgnet and Cohade will have to miss this Sunday’s match due to injuries, while defender Pogba, midfielder Gradel and striker Diomande are at the African Cup of Nations.

Probable lineups AS Saint-Etienne: Ruffier – Theophile-Catherine, Sall, Perrin, Tabanou – Lemoine, Clement – Hamouma, Mollo, Monnet-Paquet – Erding

Stade Rennes vs. AS Saint-Etienne PICK
Even though St. Etienne is now in a much better shape than Rennes, these latest absences could leave a mark on their game, so in this small French derby it is perhaps the most realistic to expect a small number of goals.

Pick: under 2.5 goals

Newcastle vs Southampto

Newcastle vs. Southampton / Premier League – And for the very end of this Saturday’s program within the 22nd round of the English Premiership we have a duel between the 10th Newcastle and the third Southampton, which currently has 12 points more. In addition, the popular “Saints” have in the last two home matches against the “Magpies” celebrated with a convincing victory of 4-0, which only continued the tradition the hosts rarely lose points in their mutual clashes. Begins: 17.01.2015 – 18:30 CET

Newcastle
Specifically, Newcastle can also boasts that they at home have a number of six wins and two draws against Southampton, which certainly gives them a reason for optimism before this Saturday’s duel. But on the other hand, their current form does not go in their favour, because in the last two league rounds, they played only 3-3 at home against Burnley and were defeated away by Chelsea with 2-0, while in the meantime they were also eliminated from the FA Cup after the away defeat by Leicester.

It is because of these few poorer performances that we are all surprised why they have not brought any verified coaching new name to St. James Park after the departure of Pardew, but they gave the opportunity to his recent associate Carver. However, if they now lose points against Southampton, then we doubt that they will continue to delay bringing the new coach, because already at this point they probably lost all chances to reach some of the positions that lead to Europe. We should also add that defenders Ryan and Steven Taylor and midfielders de Jong and Obertan are not able to perform in this match due to injuries, while midfielder Tiote and striker Papis Cisse are both at the African Cup of Nations.

Probable lineups Newcastle: Krul – Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett – Anita, Colback – Cabella, Sissoko, Ameobi – Perez

Southampton
As for Southampton, they unlike the “Magpies” are welcoming this match of the 22nd round in an excellent mood, because they in the meantime restored their form with the start of the season, and thus recorded four wins and one draw in the last five League rounds, while three days ago in the FA Cup they also qualified in the fourth round, after celebrating as guests with 1-0 in a repeated match against Ipswich. Otherwise, they also defeated the great Manchester United with the same result last weekend at Old Trafford and took over the third position in the Premiership, along with the fact that they now have two points more.

Let us also add that coach Koeman in the FA Cup fielded a combined team, with the proviso that he primarily rested his key players in the attack, so they will now be much more prepared for this extremely important championship duel. As for the absences, this time due to injuries they cannot count on defender Alderweireld, midfielder Cork and strikers Rodriguez and disadvantages, while defender Yoshida is at the Asian Cup.

Probable lineups Southampton: Forster – Clyne, Gardos, Fonte, Bertrand – Wanyama, Schneiderlin – Ward-Prowse, Davis, Tadic – Pelle

Newcastle vs. Southampton PICK
Given that Southampton made this great series came largely thanks to their excellent performances in defence, we believe will be set up in a similar way in this away match against the always unpredictable Newcastle and therefore we expect a very hard and not very efficient match.

Pick: under 2.5 goals

Stake: 5/10

Odds: 1.80

Espanyol vs Celta Vigo

Espanyol vs. Celta Vigo / La Liga – The teams are positioned in the middle of the table and don’t play well lately, although both had won in the Cup. The difference is that victory in the Cup had brought the quarter finals for Espanyol, while Celta won but the victory was not enough to pass further. Espanyol lost the last two league matches, while Celta’s series without victories is even longer, although it drew in the last round. Celta has one point more but it hasn’t won Espanyol away for a long time, who had won the last five matches against Celta in front of its fans. Begins: 17.01.2015 – 22:00 CET

Espanyol
The things are not going well in the championship but they are compensating that with the Cup as Espanyol qualified last week for the quarterfinals eliminating no less than Valencia after the defeat in the first leg. They had made a pretty good result at the Mestalla as they lost by 2-1, but in spite of that they needed a good game in the second leg, which only a few expected after two straight defeats in the championship, one of which one was suffered at home by Eibar.

Even the team was almost completely changed compared to the one that mostly plays league matches but they were a bit lucky when the opponent was left with one less player on the pitch. They have taken the initiative, attacked and then coach Gonzalez sent in F. Caicedo, which proved to be a crucial moment as this player scored two goals and brought them to the quarterfinals. Now, despite the success, a different team will play and most of the heroes of the Cup will move on the bench, while the good news is that midfielder S. Sevilla is definitely ready.

Probable lineups Espanyol: Casilla – Arbilla, Colotto, Moreno, Fuentes – V. Sanchez, Canas – Montanes, S. Sevilla, Sergio Garcia – F. Caicedo

Celta Vigo
Something is finally moving toward the better when it comes to Celta, but the fans are still waiting that this team get back into the rhythm that they had at the start of the season, when they were really brilliant and when they lose very rarely. They are currently in a long series without a victory in the championship but the positive is that had at least scored a goal in the last round after a long time, and that happened against Valencia at home, which was enough for a draw 1-1. So, the series of defeats was interrupted as well as the series without a scored goal, while during the week they even managed to win in the Cup over Athletic Bilbao but it was in fact a consolation victory, because they in fact didn’t have a chance as they lost the first match at home by 4-2.

That is why 2-0 in Bilbao was not enough but at least it raised their self-confidence. What is bad are the problems with assembling the team as they will be quite weakened against Espanyol, especially on side positions, because Jonny Castro is suspended as well as Planas, while Hugo Mallo is injured. Apart from them there will be no forward Charles, also because of yellow cards, while Larrivey is too under suspension. That is why coach Berizzo will have to improvise and change players at certain positions.

Probable lineups Celta Vigo: S. Alvarez – Radoja, Cabral, Fontas, S. Gomez – B. Fernandez, A. Lopez – Krohn-Dehli, Orellana, Nolito – Santi Mina

Espanyol – Celta Vigo PICK
According to the standings and what they showed so far the match could be quite uncertain, but Espanyol is in a better shape and is full of self-confidence after the Cup. However, Celta has bigger problems with incapacitated players so the guests can hardly win.

Pick: Asian handicap 0 Espanyol

Stake: 6/10

Odds: 1.95