Well, it seems like my intuition is about as in tune as Rafa Benitez’s is when he says Liverpool are going to win the league after River Plate’s shameful showing last night! Still, onwards and upwards!
A few weeks ago I commented that the Greece U21 side were too weak to contend with the bigger sides currently. Although I corrected that statement the following day, I’d like to apologise further for such a grandiose error on my part. Greece U21 are looking stronger than I’ve ever seen them, which is partially why I’ve chosen their game at home to Lithuania U21 as my featured game today. With two extremely impressive displays against England U21 and Portugal U21 at home already, they now entertain lowly Lithuania U21 with bared teeth and form to worry about. A 1-1 draw with England U21 didn’t reflect how much of a dominating performance the Greeks put in, although their 2-1 victory over Portugal U21 certainly did. Lithuania U21 are the latest lions to the slaughter although I don’t think I do them a respect by suggesting that they’ve not got enough to cope with the potent Greece U21 attack. Greece U21 scored once against England U21 and should have scored more, twice against Portugal U21 and look set to increase that tally against a lesser opponent tonight. For me, there’s tremendous value in the home win with -1.75 handicap at 4/5 due to a quality mismatch and strong momentum for the home side.
Tuesday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Greece U21 vs Lithuania U21 – home win with -1.75 handicap at 4/5 - see introduction for full details.
Republic of Ireland U21 vs Switzerland U21 - away win at 11/10. Two convincing away wins in a row gives Switzerland U21 a great deal of momentum ahead of their tricky tie away to Republic of Ireland U21. UEFA are clearly taking the piss with three consecutive away games but Switzerland U21 are coping well with six points taken from a possible six. They’ve got a good squad and are capable of troubling most sides, as well as rattling in a few goals more often than not. Hosts Republic of Ireland enter this game after a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Georgia U21. Much akin to their first team, Republic of Ireland U21 have a lot of problems scoring goals, having scored only more than once in a game since 2006. This should be a very tight game but momentum says that there’s value in the away win at 11/10.
Italy U21 vs Bosnia & Herzegovina U21 – under 2.5 goals at 5/6. This seems a bit of a no-brainer, really! Italy U21 are a good side and I fully expect them to win this game but they’re just like their first team – not big goalscorers, something perfectly indicated by their 1-0 win at home to Luxembourg U21 a short while back. Bosnia-Herzegovina U21 tend to consider a game successful if they actually manage to score, being as that’s something they’ve only done three times in their last nine games. I can’t really put it more simply than that to convey why 5/6 is good odds on under 2.5 goals!
Iceland vs South Africa – home win at 7/4. This is quite a risky call but I’m going to side with what I’ve always sided with of late – the fact that South Africa cannot score goals. They’ve now managed just one goal in their last five games and it’s hard to see that changing with a tough away trup to Iceland today. Iceland are good at home, if nowhere else, scoring in their last nine home games consecutively. Logic tells you that means a home win is on the cards and the quality difference does too. For those reasons, 7/4 on the home win looks surprisingly good!
As ever, any questions/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!
UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifiers:
Romania U21 vs Faroe Islands U21 (9) under 2.5 goals
Republic of Macedonia U21 vs Portugal U21 (7) over 2.5 goals
Iceland U21 vs Northern Ireland U21 (7) 2-1
Croatia U21 vs Serbia U21 (6) 0-0
Poland U21 vs Netherlands U21 (4) 1-1
Turkey U21 vs Armenia U21 (9) over 2.5 goals
Greece U21 vs Lithuania U21 (9) -1.75 handicap
Liechtenstein U21 vs Finland U21 (8) -1.75 handicap
Republic of Ireland U21 vs Switzerland U21 (7) 0-1
Belgium U21 vs France U21 (6) 1-2
Italy U21 vs Bosnia & Herzegovina U21 (8) under 2.5 goals
English League One:
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Gillingham (5)
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Maag Tammeka Tartu vs Levadia Tallinn (8) over 2.5 goals
International Friendlies:
Iceland vs South Africa (7) 1-0
Congo vs North Korea (5) 1-1
Denmark U21 vs Georgia U21 (8) 2-1
Germany U21 vs Israel U21 (8) -1.75 handicap
Irish Premier League:
Sligo Rovers vs Bray Wanderers (8) 2-1
Norwegian Adeccoligaen:
Skeid Oslo vs Kongsvinger (8)
Singaporean S-League:
Armed Forces vs Super Reds (8) over 2.5 goals
Enjoy your free betting tips!