Urgh – yesterday was rather counter-productive, wasn’t it? Some very disappointing performances, I have to say. Still, onwards and upwards, eh? To cheer you all up, I’ve attached a picture of my beautiful friend Louise for you to admire (with her permission!) so if you want me to pass a message on to her, comment or email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com.

Louise (on the left)

On an entirely unrelated note, we’re trialling opening comments on posts so you don’t have to log in. Obviously it’s been closed previously due to spam etc. but we’ll see how it goes. 

Anyway, moving onto today’s featured game, which is between Racing Club de Avellaneda and Newell’s Old Boys in the Argentinian Primera Division. It’s a little bit of a dangerous game to play as this is the last game of the season for both clubs whilst neither has much to play for. However, Racing Club de Avellaneda are in such a strong run of form as they’re unbeaten in four games and have won their last two on the bounce. Aside from that, their home form shows they’ve won five from eight this season. They’re entertaining out-of-form Newell’s Old Boys, who enter the game on the back of two straight defeats. Their away record is some way from being the worst in the league, having managed two wins and two draws away from home this season. However, they do have four defeats to boot and nothing to play for so in such circumstances, you tend to hand the home side the upper hand to perform in front of their fans. As a final note, the visitors are missing no less than seven regulars from their squad. For the above reasons, 3/4 seems rather inviting!

Friday’s Picks

My tips:

Racing Club de Avellaneda vs Newell’s Old Boys – home win at 3/4 – see introduction for full details

Dundalk vs Derry City - away win at evens. Derry City are flying this season. Their recent form shows four wins and a draw from their last five games. Not only that, but they’re currently the best away side in the division with five wins from eight on the road. Hosts Dundalk have also lost more home games this season than any other side in the division, which is also five from eight games, ironically. Derry City also average nearly two goals per game on the road. Dundalk are a bit of a hit-and-miss side, but the newly promoted side shouldn’t have enough to trouble Derry City, who are well and truly an established side in this division and seem hell-bent on poaching Bohemians’ crown, the first time they’d have lifted it since the 1988/89 season. Either way, evens for an away win here looks a real bargain.

As ever, any questions/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!

Argentinian Primera Division:

Racing Club de Avellaneda vs Newell’s Old Boys (8) 2-1

Irish Premier League:

Bray Wanderers vs Bohemians (8) 0-2
Galway United vs Cork City (7) 1-2
Dundalk vs Derry City (8) 1-2

Singaporean S-League:

Albirex Niigate vs Armed Forces (8) 1-2

Enjoy your free betting tips!

The techie guy here again with a very quick update about the site – As Ian mentioned in his last post, the site has been going down a lot recently. I had words with the hosting company and they have made some changes which should ensure it doesn’t happen again. Apologies to anyone who tried to access the site while we were down!

In other news, I am opening up the comments section to make it easier to post your comments to things – test it out by letting me know how awesome I am

Later guys!

I see the site went down yesterday. Apologies guys – this is fucking me off as much as it is you, no doubt. Apparently our server people are masturbating all over their equipment or some other exasperated over-exaggeration so that the site keeps going up and down. Rest assured, we’re doing everything we can to kill these meddling fuckers get the situation resolved with minimum death.

Two notices before today’s preview:

1. I’ve had a bit of insider knowledge thrust at me today that Paul Ince will take over the helm at Milton Keynes Dons after current boss Roberto Di Matteo left to take over at West Bromwich Albion. Ince managed at Milton Keynes Dons before moving to Blackburn Rovers about a year ago and allegedly he’s set for a return there so a punt may be worthwhile!

2. I’ve noticed something very interesting in the Icelandic Landsbankadeild Karla regarding FH Hafnarfjordur. Did you know…that I have predicted every outcome of their fixtures in the league this season correctly? They’ve won nine and lost one and I’ve got every single one correct. I’m rather proud of that. Ok, they’re the best side in the country but to call their outcomes successfully for ten games in a row is impressive in my book, particularly as there was a defeat in there for them. No doubt this will jinx them today, but I thought I’d share that!

Today’s featured game is between Montenegrin side Buducnost Podgorica and Polish side Polonia Warsaw. In my opinion, Buducnost Podgorica are the best side in Montenegro, whether the league table indicates that or not. This side is strong both home and away and should be viewed in the same context as an away trip to one of Serbia’s decent sides i.e Vojvodina Novi Sad – not the best side in the country, but a good one. Last season, Buducnost Podgorica were only beaten once at home, having won twelve of their seventeen home games. Consider that they also averaged nearly three goals per game and you have to start wondering why the bookies are giving 11/10 on an away win here. Polish sides are notorious bad travellers, as indeed are most Eastern European sides. Balkan sides, however, are particularly strong at home. This area of Europe is difficult to go and play in, particularly in a new nation to European football like Montenegro is. You can rest assured they’ll be doing their utmost to outplay their Serbian neighbours in European achievements this season and will  be gunning for a home win here. Polonia Warsaw were a surprise package last side and I’m surprised they’ve made it into Europe. My main reasoning behind this is because they’re really not very good and I don’t expect them to be in this feisty country. I hope I’m not made to eat my words here, and I really don’t think I’ll have to, but 2/1 for a home win here is a steal and I think the bookies are giving such bizarre odds purely because they’ve got nothing to go on in terms of Montenegrin football history. Either way, I’ll be taking these odds and hoping the Montenegrins show the same kind of resilience and quality as their Serbian neighbours do – in fact, I thoroughly expect them to.

Thursday’s Picks

My tips:

Buducnost Podgorica vs Polonia Warsaw - home win at 2/1 – see introduction for full details.

Sutjeska vs MTZ-RIPO Minsk - home win at 10/11. This game in Montenegro is also a rather interesting game. Again, the bookies don’t know an awful lot about sides from this country in Europe. Indeed, who can? However, looking at their general style and location, you know you’re in for a rough ride. This is the last kind of game that Vladimir Romanov-owned MTZ-RIPO Minsk need at the moment. They’re in such haphazard form that they can’t string any consistency together at all. They enter the game on the back of a home defeat to title rivals BATE Borisov and now face a lengthy trip south from Belarus to the Balkan state of Montenegro. Sutjeska proved last season that they are well and truly a home side, winning more home games than the two sides that finished above them in the league and indeed, winning more home games than anyone in their division. They don’t score many goals – they barely creep over 1.5 goals scored per home game – but they’re very effective. The visitors are going to have a very rough ride here and 11/10 looks very tempting.

Valur Reykjavik vs FH Hafnarfjordur – away win at 10/11. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the Icelandic Landsbankadeild Karla throws up some of the most fascinating and bizarre statistics in European football. Did you know that Valur Reykjavik have only scored in one of their past five games at home to FH Hafnarfjordur in the Landsbankadeild Karla? The only time they have scored was a 4-1 drubbing they dished out in 2007. They’ve lost every other game at home to reigning champions FH Hafnarfjordur without scoring a single goal. Atypically, this isn’t a very poignant point to make when a side entertains the champions, but when the side in question is often considered a title rival, you have to sit up and take note. This statistic, I am confident, will not be unbeknown to the hosts and I think it will unnerve them, if only a little. It’s daunting enough to entertain a side of FH Hafnarfjordur’s quality without having this “monkey on their back”, so to speak. What makes the odds of 11/10 even more juicy is that Valur Reykjavik are unbeaten at home this season but FH Hafnarfjordur boast the best away record in the division with five wins from six games. Summarised; I really like the sound of an away win here!

Stjarnan Gardabaer vs KR Reykjavik – home win at 15/8. This is one of my more difficult/risky calls of today. Newly-promoted Stjarnan Gardabaer have been flying since their promotion. Well, that was until lately when they had a poor run of a couple of games where it looked like their wheels were beginning to fall off and life in the Landsbankadeild Karla didn’t appear quite as rosy. However, they pissed on my interpretations of their form by annihlating title challengers Valur Reykjavik 3-0. Stjarnan Gardabaer may not be much of a force on the road but they are one hell of a team at home. They’ve got the best home record in the division with five wins from five games, averaging a massive three goals per game, and they’ve nailed some impressive scalps along the way. KR Reykjavik, however, are a very good side that are capable of turning it on. Interestingly enough, the bookies favour an away win here, which is brave of them. The visitors have won two games on the road this season from four, only losing one overall, which was a 3-0 battering by oddballs Fram Reykjavik a couple of games ago. Aside from that battering, they’ve only conceded two goals on the road this season. Against goal machines Stjarnan Gardabaer, something just have to give way. In my eyes, there’s a home win on the horizon and money to be made, particularly with tremendous odds of 15/8. However, I’ll leave you with one final hilarious fact that may put you off but I find it amusing – Stjarnan Gardabaer have never beaten KR Reykjavik, a record which goes back to 1994, at which point I couldn’t be bothered looking back any further. Perhaps the bookies have taken this too literally! I’ll hope to capitalise on it, however!

Tampines Rovers vs Super Reds - home win at 5/6. You have to love the Singaporean S-League – it’s one of the most predictable around. If a side is good at home, they tend to win at home. Tampines Rovers are a very good side at home. In fact, there’s only three sides in the division with a better home record than they do, as they currently boast six wins and two draws from eight home games. Why the good odds, then? Well, Super Reds are one of the heavy-hitters from this nation, even if their league placing doesn’t show it. They’re somewhat inconsistent so do approach this game with caution, but with five defeats from eight on the road this season, a home win looks favourable.

As ever, any questions/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!

Copa Libertadores:

Gremio vs Cruzeiro (7) 2-1, at least one red card in this game

UEFA Europa League Qualifiers:

Olimpi Rustavi vs B36 Torshavn (9) -1.75 handicap
Dinaburg Daugavpils vs JK Nomme Kalju (8) 3-1
Simurq Zaqatala vs Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv (8) under 2.5 goals
Banants Yerevan vs Siroki Brijeg (7) 0-0
FC Lahti vs Dinamo Tirana (7) 2-1
Valletta vs Keflavik (7) 1-2
Sutjeska vs MTZ-RIPO Minsk (8) 2-1
Zimbru Chisinau vs FC Okzhetpes (7) 1-0
Dinamo Minsk vs Renova Dzepciste (8) 2-0
Trans Narva vs Rudar Velenje (7) 1-1
Szombathelyi Haladas vs Irtysh Pavlodar (8) 3-1
Anorthosis Famagusta vs Kaerjeng (10) -1.75 handicap/-2.75 handicap
Slaven Koprivnica vs Birkirkara (10) -1.75 handicap
Spartak Trnava vs Inter Baku (5) 0-0
Randers vs Linfield (8) 2-0
CS Grevenmacher vs Vetra Vilnius (8) 0-3
Sligo Rovers vs Vllaznia Shkoder (7) 2-1
Fram Reykjavik vs The New Saints (7) 2-0
NSI Runavik vs Rosenborg (10) -2.75 handicap
Buducnost Podgorica vs Polonia Warsaw (8) 2-0
Lisburn Distillery vs Zestafoni (6) under 2.5 goals
Helsingborgs vs Mika Yerevan (10) -1.75 handicap
Motherwell vs Llanelli (9) -1.75 handicap

Chinese Super League:

Shaanxi Zhongxin vs Changsha Ginde (7) 1-1
Changchun Yatai vs Hangzhou Lvcheng (8) 2-0
Shenzhen vs Chengdu Blades (7) 2-1
Shandong Luneng vs Jiangsu Shuntian (7) 1-0
Beijing Guoan vs Dalian Shide (7) 2-1
Qingdao Jonoon vs Guangzhou Yiyao (6) 1-1
Tianjin Teda vs Henan Jianye (6) 0-0
Shanghai Shenhua vs Chongqing Lifan (8) 3-0

Icelandic Landsbankadeild Karla:

Breidablik Kopavogur vs Fjolnir Reykjavik (7) 2-0
Stjarnan Gardabaer vs KR Reykjavik (7) 2-1
Valur Reykjavik vs FH Hafnarfjordur (8) 0-2

Singaporean S-League:

Tampines Rovers vs Super Reds (7) 2-0

Enjoy your free betting tips!

The Copa Libertadores is gradually reaching its climax! This is unfortunate because I (like many) enjoy ridiculously high numbers of red cards the good football on show. Today’s semi-final game is the second leg which sees Uruguayan giants Club Nacional de Montevideo entertain an Argentinian that have somehow fought their way to this position – Estudiantes De La Plata. The Argentinians have been far from convincing in this tournament, particularly on the road. In fact, from the six away games they’ve scored in the tournament, they’ve only managed to score two goals in that time, and that includes games against lower class opposition like Bolivia’s Universitario de Sucre. They’ve not been playing good football, in my opinion, yet somehow they’ve managed to stumble their way here. Having won the first leg 1-0 already, the Argentinians won’t have come here to do anything other than put their team bus in front of the goal. Unfortunately, they’ve left this game in the balance at one of the most fearsome away games you can play in the Copa Libertadores at the moment. The hosts haven’t lost here in fifteen home games in the Copa Libertadores and that does look distinctly ominous for a poor away side like Estudiantes De La Plata. Club Nacional de Montevideo simply have to win this game, regardless of what happens. The visitors can lose and still progress, however, so I am getting a strong sense of a home win here. Unfortunately for the Uruguayans, I’ve got a 2-1 scoreline in my head (with plenty of cards, naturally!) and with odds of 6/5 on a home win, you can’t help but take a bite of this one! For the record though, I do hope the hosts progress because they’ve certainly earned it far more in this tournament than the visitors in my opinion.

Wednesday’s Picks

My tips:

Club Nacional de Montevideo vs Estudiantes De La Plata – home win at 6/5 – see introduction for further details

Tre Fiori vs Sant Julia – away win at 11/8. I gotta tell you here that despite the lack of quality on show, this will be an extremely interesting fixture because it’s two of the minnows of Europe that are competing here. Even the bookies are struggling to seperate these two! Just in case you are struggling to seperate these two sides – Tre Fiori are from San Marino and Sant Julia are from Andorra. There really isn’t an awful lot to choose between these two sides but there is one fundamental difference that I think really does make a difference – player nationality. Tre Fiori only have San Marinese players. They have no cultural variety or difference in style – it’s all the same. Sant Julia are full of a wide variety of nationalities, the majority of which are flambuoyant players from hispanic countries like Argentina and Spain. Sant Julia compete in European football more often than their opponents and can score goals. For those reasons, I’m liking the away win here at 11/8 probably a bit more than I should given that both sides are pretty poor!

VPS Vaasa vs HJK Helsinki - away win at 10/11. HJK Helsinki have beaten VPS Vaasa the last three times they’ve met in all competitions. In fact, VPS Vaasa haven’t even scored against HJK Helsinki in the Veikkausliiga since 2007. However, VPS Vaasa have been on a tremendous run lately, boasting five wins from their last five games, which is currently the best form in the league. I think that’s why the bookies are giving good odds of 10/11 on an away win here. They’ve nailed some impressive scalps too and have certainly tightened up defensively having only leaked two goals in their last five games, and both of those were last match. However, that does sway me further towards the away win, really – if a side can concede two goals at home to lowly JJK Jyvaskyla then you’ve got some issues somewhere! HJK Helsinki aren’t big goalscorers or conceders on the road so this should be an interesting game to view the outcome of, even if it is a boring spectacle. I like the away win and I like under 2.5 goals or even under 1.5 goals at whatever odds you can take them at.

RoPS Rovaniemi vs JJK Jyvaskyla - both sides to score. Both of these relegation battling sides have played pretty well lately, even if results haven’t shown it. Both have battled hard and scored goals against good sides. This should be a gritty game with a few cards flying around. I can see a home win on the day but that’s not my betting focus. My focus on this game is both sides to score. Both sides have managed to find the net for the last three games in a row, all of which were better sides than these two. I predict that neither side will keep the other out, particularly as neither has kept a clean sheet in their last four games either! This should be a goal fest – take both sides to score or over 2.5 goals here, maybe even over 3.5 goals.

Kawasaki Frontale vs Gamba Osaka - home win at 6/5. These odds look a real bargain here. Not only are Kawasaki Frontale flying at the moment with five league wins in a row, but they also have the mental edge over Gamba Osaka after winning away to them 3-2 in the first leg of their Asian Champions League Knockout Stage clash. The hosts also boast an impressive home record in the J-League so far – five home wins and a draw from six home games. However, do approach this bet with caution as Gamba Osaka are still one of the best sides in the country. Their form is poor, or was until they managed to claim three points last match, their first win in three games. One final point, however – Kawasaki Frontale have won this fixture the last three seasons in a row. The decision is yours, but 6/5 looks awfully tempting…

Nagoya Grampus vs Kashima Antlers - away win at evens. I’m not a big advocate of betting on Eastern Asian games, particularly not away wins, but this one has to be in the bag, surely? Kashima Antlers are top of the table which is largely due to the fact that they’ve won their last seven league games in a row and have won five away games from seven this season. Whereas Nagoya Grampus aren’t anywhere near as bad a side as the table indicates, their form is poor and they’ve now succumbed to three defeats in a row. Their heads will have dropped and will no doubt have fresh in their memory the 4-0 hammering they took here at home to Kashima Antlers last season and wonder what’s in store for them. Evens is beginning to look pretty damn good, isn’t it?

As ever, any questions/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!

Copa Libertadores:

Club Nacional de Montevideo vs Estudiantes De La Plata (7) 2-1, at least one red card in this game

UEFA European Champions League:

Tre Fiori vs Sant Julia (7) 1-2

Ecuadorian Primera A:

Manta vs Liga de Quito (7) under 2.5 goals

Finnish Veikkausliiga:

VPS Vaasa vs HJK Helsinki (7) 0-1
RoPS Rovaniemi vs JJK Jyvaskyla (7) 3-2
Tampere United vs Inter Turku (6) under 2.5 goals

Icelandic Landsbankadeild Karla:

Fylkir Reykjavik vs IBV Vestmannaeyjar (8) 3-1

Japanese J-League:

Kawasaki Frontale vs Gamba Osaka (7) 2-1
Nagoya Grampus vs Kashima Antlers (8) 1-2

Latvian Virsliga:

Blazma Rezekne vs Skonto Riga (8) 1-2
Olimps Riga vs Liepajas Metalurgs (8) 0-2

Norwegian Tippeligaen:

Lillestrom vs Start Kristiansand (6) 2-2

Singaporean S-League:

DPMM FC vs Balestier Khalsa (10) -1.75 handicap

Enjoy your free betting tips!

Just over a month has passed since Barcelona won their third Champions League title and the new Champions League season has already began, which is largely unbeknown to the vast majority! However, this round is almost like the preliminary round of the preliminaries as just four sides compete in this round – Hibernians (Malta), Mogren, Sant Julia and Tre Fori. The winners of each respective tie enter the next round, which I believe starts in two weeks time.

Today’s game in Malta sees the hosts entertain a tough opponent in Montenegrin side Mogren. It almost seems a little harsh on them that they’re having to qualify at such a ridiculously early stage having won their league last season, but I suppose UEFA knows best! Unlike the average Montenegrin side, Mogren have shown that they have the ability to win away from home as well as at home. This will come in handy today, particularly as Hibernians aren’t anywhere near as good as they are. That said, I can’t see this being a whitewash; I think Mogren will be happy with a couple of goals and most probably will win 2-1 tonight and finish the job in the return leg. The early odds I’ve seen for this are about 5/4, which is a steal!

Tuesday’s Picks

My tips:

The only game I like the look of today in terms of value is the one I’ve mentioned in the introduction, sorry guys!

As ever, any questions/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!

UEFA Champions League Qualifiers:

Hibernians (Malta) vs Mogren (7) 1-2

Latvian Virsliga:

Daugava Riga vs Ventspils (8) 1-2

International Friendly:

Guatemala vs Canada (7) under 2.5 goals

Norwegian Adeccoligaen:

Hamarkamaratene vs Moss (8)

Singaporean S-League:

Home United vs Albirex Niigate (7) 2-1
Woodlands vs Armed Forces (8) 1-2

Enjoy your free betting tips!