[Netherlands > Eredivisie > 2014/15]

Re: Netherlands > Eredivisie > 2014/15 Brilliant work senk. I don't watch Dutch football, but I'll certainly be a keen follower of your insight.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014

A couple not yet mentioned have caught my eye today. Leverkusen are taking on amateur fifth division opposition in the form of SV Wuppertaler and hopefully it will be a bit of a blood bath. Leverkusen have had a pretty extensive pre-season so far, playing matches against the likes of Marseilles and Lokomotiv Moscow, along with the usual Asian tour matches. Nothing too impressive results wise, but they've racked up the minutes well enough. Given their fifth division status SV Wuppertaler's website doesn't heed much info on their pre-season antics. Their Facebook page states the Leverkusen are brining a full squad, and all the proceeds will be left for the home side. Hopefully it will be one of those charitable spankings. The default price/line is: -2.25 (AH) - 1.575. Nothing spectacular but it looks like this could be a battering, so I am taking it for 6 points, with a view to backing greater lines. The other that I am looking at is Getafe against Gimnastica Segoviana. Segoviana are a fourth tier Spanish side which, given how many leagues there are in Spain, is not great. Information about the club is scarce. Getafe look like they have had a decent pre-season though playing a handful of decent German sides - most recently beating Stuttgart 3-2. Again, there is not a great deal to say, the better side looks well prepared for this one and I'll be looking at asian lines once Bet365 release them, but HT/FT is an option at 1.66.

Not the blood bath that I wanted and a three point loss on Leverkusen in the end.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 A couple not yet mentioned have caught my eye today. Leverkusen are taking on amateur fifth division opposition in the form of SV Wuppertaler and hopefully it will be a bit of a blood bath. Leverkusen have had a pretty extensive pre-season so far, playing matches against the likes of Marseilles and Lokomotiv Moscow, along with the usual Asian tour matches. Nothing too impressive results wise, but they've racked up the minutes well enough. Given their fifth division status SV Wuppertaler's website doesn't heed much info on their pre-season antics. Their Facebook page states the Leverkusen are brining a full squad, and all the proceeds will be left for the home side. Hopefully it will be one of those charitable spankings. The default price/line is: -2.25 (AH) - 1.575. Nothing spectacular but it looks like this could be a battering, so I am taking it for 6 points, with a view to backing greater lines. The other that I am looking at is Getafe against Gimnastica Segoviana. Segoviana are a fourth tier Spanish side which, given how many leagues there are in Spain, is not great. Information about the club is scarce. Getafe look like they have had a decent pre-season though playing a handful of decent German sides - most recently beating Stuttgart 3-2. Again, there is not a great deal to say, the better side looks well prepared for this one and I'll be looking at asian lines once Bet365 release them, but HT/FT is an option at 1.66.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 Early one for tomorrow. It isn't a great price by any means, but it will probably move in tomorrow, especially given the limited 'action' available. Hamburg are facing Akhisar Belediyespor (AB), and they look to be in much better shape than the Turkish side. Hamburg have a number of friendlies under their belt, including two/three since having all their players in the squad. Wolfsburg, Monchengladbach and Sturm Graz are a decent set of opponents. A couple of you guys tipped them last time and by all accounts they have been decent. The Turkish side are one match into a run of four, drawing 1-1 with Hannover 96. That isn't a bad result tbf, and Hamburg aren't world beaters, but they seem to be quite a bit further into their prep and I'll take them for the win. I may consider AH lines when they are freely available. Hamburg - 1.57 - 5 points - Bet365 EDIT - Sporting could be a good shout for similar reasons as they take on Al Ittihad Al Sakandary, an Egyptian team.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 It is late in the day but the official line-ups are in. I obviously don't know a single things about any Al-Khor players but Hellas have named a solid side. Toni, Jankovic and Lazaros are the front three. There is some depth on the bench for the second half, but I reckon they could do a lot of damage in the first half if anyone fancies the HT/FT line. Hellas Verona -1.25 - 1.90 - 6 points - Bet365 Hellas Verona - HT/FT - 2.00 - 3 points - Bet365

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 Another foray into the unknown is Hellas Verona playing Al-khor SC. The Qatar club narrowly avoided relegation last season but I cannot find any other information on them. I don't know how their pre-season has been going but it's certainly possible that Hellas could give them a spanking today. I am going to continue to search, but I think any useful info will probably come from Hellas, closer to kick-off.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 Baradaji, Callens, Hervias, Oyarzun are youth players. The rest are senior players, the 'notable' ones being Prieto, Agirrexte, Canales, Granero, Finnbogason. I do kind of like them in this one, but I'd appreciate any info before pulling.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 One that has caught my eye is Real Sociedad against Alaves. Sociedad are one of the teams that have the return leg of their EL qualifier next week so initially I was writing them off but their opponents do not seem well prepared. They are a poor second division side and have only had one 'official' friendly this Summer. That was on Friday against 'selection AFE', which so far as I can gather is one of those crap regional teams. Sociedad no doubt will be the far better prepared team, and here is the squad of 16 that has been named. If we can work out how decent it is there could be a good opportunity with odds of 2.0 currently available. Rulli, Bardají, Carlos Martinez, Ansotegi, Mikel, Callens, Yuri, Gaztañaga, Estrada, Granero, Canales, Xabi Prieto, Hervías, Agirretxe, Finnbogason and Alain Oyarzun.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014

Sassuolo win - 1.85 - 5 points - LOSS

Very frustrating indeed. Sassuolo eventually lost this 2-0.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 Other than what has been mentioned already, I am taking Sassuolo to beat Carpi today. This match is a step up in quality for both sides during pre-season as Sassuolo have been playing Lega Pro teams, while Carpi have been beating regional teams. Carpi are a mid-table Serie B side and Sassuolo just beat the drop in Serie A. With players like Zaza, Behradi and Floro Flores (Floccari to a lesser extent), Sassuolo are always worth a couple of goals and even though they haven't any teams yet this Summer, I like them for the win. Sassuolo win - 1.85 - 5 points - Bet365

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 Price on Dortmund moving in fast. That is another interesting point Fedar, and I think you are right. If Chievo were to field a 'B' team for 90 mins in either of these matches, they would risk humiliation. Given that, I'll probably watch and hope for an opportunity in-play, when the widest disparity in quality is apparent. The price on Sporting has caved as well. Could be another Bilbao-Benfica situation, but I think I will accept that I have missed this one.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 There has been some fine tipping over the last few days, I don't want pre-season to end at this rate. Two catch my eye tomorrow. Firstly, Dortmund to, possibly quite heavily, beat Chievo. Secondly, Sporting to beat Lazio at some very interesting odds (2.70). From what I can see Sporting are quite a bit further into their pre-season compared to Lazio and I don't imagine that Lazio would considered that much stronger even if both were in full flow. Interesting to say the least.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 I am interested in another all-Italian affair today, but a bit more conservatively than yesterday. The price has already dipped below 1.50 this morning but Hellas Verona are playing against Sudtirol (South Tyrol) this afternoon. Sudtirol are another Lega Pro Prima side, finishing 4th last season. So far as I can tell Hellas have only played the one pre-season match, a 1-1 draw with Rubin Kazan. They have completed a two-week training camp so should be in good shape physically. I don't have much to say and given the price drop I'm not overly interested in the match as a stand alone. Hellas should be good for the win as some combo material. Hellas Verona - 1.45 - Bet365.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 Among what has already been highlighted for today, another play caught my eye. Genoa travel to Savona and are widely available at 1.6 for the win. My knowledge of the home side is extremely limited. Last season they earned promotion to the Lega Pro I division (third tier), so I suppose it is fair to say that they are unlikely to be one of the top sides in that division. Almost all of their recent news feed is dedicated to tonights match and I can't find out how deep into their prep they are, but they will be pumped for sure - record ticket sales of 1,000 etc. If all that uncertainty wasn't enough, they have appointed a new coach in the last couple of days. All in all, I have to pigeon-hole them as a small Italian club. From what I can gather, this will be Genoa's fourth pre-season match, having taken on a regional side, Al-Hilal and Brescia. Not the most impressive of opponents but there is a vast difference in quality between tonights opponents. Team news has been hard to find, but from the photo's that they put up on FB I can see that they have been playing first-team players throughout those previous matches. My only concern is if they decide to take pity on the home side and rest all of them, but then that would kind of ruin the spectacle for the home side. Anyway, all in all I am willing to conservatively bet on Genoa tonight, 1.6 is certainly not a bad price on paper. I just hope that I haven't drastically misjudged something. Genoa win - 1.61 - 6 points - Bet365. I'll also be treating it as combo material with the other great selections from you guys.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 Great picks in here today guys. Long may it continue.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 It looks like there is some great shouts in this thread for today. I particularly like Marseille over Bari, as identified by senk. Not only are they far inferior, but they are further back in their prep. Italian teams don't tend to have good pre-seasons and Marseille look pretty on it at the moment. I think they will roll them easily, provided they are not resting loads of players. A great shout senk. EDIT - Bari-Marseille is tomorrow.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 A little bit of further news: Mazzarri has said that the majority of his squad can play little more than 45 mins, more or less confirming plenty of changes being made at some point. Kovacic is also out of the match. Given that Guarin and Hernanes are absent that does make the midfield look particularly weak. Once Icardi plays his '45 mins' then any change up front is going to be a steep drop in quality. Overall, the defence is probably a tad better than Madrid's, with enough decent players for before and after changes, but the midfield and attack look thin and pretty garbage.

[Club Friendlies 2014/2015]

Re: Club Friendlies 2014 According to FI, Madrid have already named their starting XI, as follows: Real Madrid: Diego Lopez; Carvajal, Pepe, Nacho, Diego Llorente; Illarra, Medran,Isco, Lucas Vazquez; Raul de Tomas, Bale A few names pop out of course, but I'd doubt whether they are value on any handicap as Inter aren't mugs. Especially as this is one of those pedestrian friendlies where 8-9 changes are usually made.

[Ante-Post > Serie A Winner 2014/15]

Re: Ante-Post > Serie A Winner 2014/15 It will be very interesting to see how the next month pans out for the top clubs in Serie A - mainly Juventus. Roma have laid their cards out, and it looks like they are pushing hard for the scudetto next season. Here are a few notes/questions that Conte leaving Juventus raises in my mind: - Allegri is well known to be the putz of 'top' Italian managers. He will bend over and do whatever the management ask of him, which does not bode well for Juventus. Conte was by no means the best manager but in light of his sudden resignation and Allegri's appointment I would say Juventus are in for a frugal market with little ambition. - Lack of incoming players would not be the end of the world providing that they do not sell either Vidal or Pogba. I would think both will have at least half an eye on jumping ship as well though given the recent turn of events. - Allegri's appointment raises big questions over Pirlo's role. It is well known that Allegri forced Pirlo out of Milan, and despite proving the manager wrong over the last couple of seasons there must still be some bad blood between the two. Pirlo is also a fading force and he was already likely to be less influential than last season. - Allegri loves 4-3-1-2 which is a pretty big departure from Conte's 3-5-2. Juve do not currently have a top class player to play as trequartista which will be essential for the new system. - Conte was a fantastic motivator and I think he was getting the best out of the squad for the last two seasons. Allegri is far from that and given the success that this cycle of players has had we could have a slight lack of motivation a la the Spanish national side. Overall, if Juventus do not sell, then they will still have a strong side on paper, but I do not expect them to play as well as last season. How big the difference will be remains to be seen. In truth the market has already reacted to the recent events, but there is potential for further value to emerge on laying Juventus. Roma have already recruited well and look strong, while Napoli will definitely spend a bit of dough as well.

[Serie A > May 10th & 11th]

Re: Serie A > May 10th & 11th I think Inter are too short tonight. It's an important match, as both teams try to secure EL football for next season. Lazio have been on the up lately and I think they'll look to get something tonight. Inter can only be relied upon to be unreliable, and I haven't liked how they have been playing at all lately. Juan and Cambiasso are out of the XI and both are big losses, particularly the latter. Lazio are predicted to line-up in a defensive looking 3-5-2. It wouldn't be all that surprising, but I am not sure I agree with the players predicted to start. Both Mauri and Candreva have been playing well recently, so I don't see how either of them could be left out. Only Lulic is definitely missing. I am a little concerned that this is Zanetti's last home match, so Inter may have some extra motivation. Overall though I will happily take Lazio to frustrate an Inter side that is not at all convincing. Lazio +1 (AH) - 1.700 - 4 points - Bet365

[Europa League Semi-Finals > Thursday May 1st]

Re: Europa League Semi-Finals > Thursday May 1st I can't speak about Benfica but I don't think Juventus are best prepared for this match. In all likelihood, 9 of Thursdays starting 11 started yesterday, and the other 2 players came on. Pirlo got a whopping 10 mins rest for Thursday and I think Conte's lack of regard for rotation could cause a slip up here. Benfica have shown enough for their progression to not be framed as a slip from Juventus to be honest, and I do not like the price on a home win. Benfica will certainly travel here with the aim of scoring at least once, and there is a strong chance they will need to. I am thinking along the lines of BTTS.

[Serie A > April 12th - 14th]

Re: Serie A > April 12th - 14th Parolo is an important player Toto. Alongside Marchionni and Acquah he is the player that carries most of the onus from the midfield. Acquah is powerful, but not as good as Parolo technically. With Gargano as his probable replacement the midfield loses craft as well as shooting and passing ability. I suppose if you were to take a positive from that change then Parma may become a bit more solid in midfield as Gargano is a decent battler. I think Parma can handle Bologna in this one but a draw wouldn't be a shock. I think it is priced pretty fairly, Parma to shade it probably.

[Serie A > April 5th - 7th]

Re: Serie A > April 5th - 7th Trapped yet again! I didn't watch the match, but it looks like they got us good.

[Serie A > April 5th - 7th]

Re: Serie A > April 5th - 7th I'm with you on that one senk, it seems like an incredible price. 1.6 is more how I was thinking for this one. Most teams have had a full week of rest since playing 3 games in 7 days. This rest would be much needed for teams like Atalanta as the strength beyond their XI is poor. That alleviates one of my concerns as I don't think fatigue will be a huge factor. The home side should also be motivated for this encounter as they are very much in a battle for the EL places. Sassuolo, on paper, have the greater motivational drive of avoiding relegation. However, they have been down at the bottom all season and may not even believe that they can avoid the drop. In terms of classical bookies trap, I can't see anything that alarms me. Stendardo is suspended and Moralez is probably going to miss out again. Lucchini is an able deputy for the former and De Luca has played well since getting his chance due to the latter's injury. This Atalanta team are currently setting a new club record with every win they get on this run, and will be feeling great. Sassuolo are poor travellers and, slightly unnervingly, I can't see why we should be scared of them in this one. Atalanta - 1.80 - 6 points - Bet365 This price will definitely move in over the next few days.

[Bundesiga III - March 29-30]

[TABLE=class: couponTable] [TR] [TH][/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Saturday 29 March 2014[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]1. FC Heidenheim v Rot-Weiß Erfurt (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.57 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 4.3 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 7.6 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.11 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 6][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]1. FC Saarbrücken v MSV Duisburg (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.75 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.25 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.92 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]101.38 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 6][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Borussia Dortmund II v Preußen Münster (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.05 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.35 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.61 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.95 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 6][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Chemnitzer FC v Wacker Burghausen (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.98 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.5 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 4.85 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]99.70 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 6][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Hansa Rostock v Stuttgarter Kickers (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.37 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.35 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.55 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.13 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 6][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]SpVgg Unterhaching v SV Wehen Wiesbaden (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.91 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.35 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.66 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]101.81 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 6][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]SSV Jahn Regensburg v RB Leipzig (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.5 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.35 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.3 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]101.90 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 6][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]SV Darmstadt 98 v Hallescher FC (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 1.8 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.6 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 5.8 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.57 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 6][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]VfL Osnabrück v Holstein Kiel (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.23 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.3 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.9 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]100.79 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=colspan: 6][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Sunday 30 March 2014[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]VfB Stuttgart II v SV Elversberg (13:00 GMT) [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 2.1 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.35 [/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd] 3.75 [/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp]104.14 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]