Tag Archives: copa del rey

Almeria vs Hercules Alicante

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Today’s featured game is the Copa del Rey encounter between Almeria and Hercules Alicante. One of the Primera Liga’s lower-rated sides entertains one of the Segunda Liga’s best sides, so this does sound like quite the game, particularly as tonight’s visitors lead 2-1 from the first leg. I can’t say I rate either side above the other per se although the facts obviously point to an Almeria advantage in this field. I’m leaning towards the home win for this game myself in what should be a tight encounter for two reasons. The first is that Almeria have to turn up in every single game because they’re not good enough to sit back and hope a chance will come in a game and they do this against better opponents than themselves in most games they play. Aside from that, Almeria know the importance of home displays, something that’s perfectly illustrated by the fact that they’ve only lost one of their five home games in the Primera Liga this year, drawing twice and winning twice. Almeria will be a handful for Hercules Alicante and I’d normally state the same for Hecules Alicante too but all too often lately they’ve crumbled on the road, winning just once in the Segunda Liga in six attempts away from home, drawing three times and losing twice. They’re not conceding many away from home but they’re not scoring many either. If they can’t score against lesser opponents then their chances against a difficult and motivated Almeria are lessened. Almeria will need to get the first goal here but they do average scoring a goal per each home game. As I said earlier – this really should be a tight game but the home win at 4/5 looks to bear some value today in light of the above information.

Thursday’s Picks

My tips:

Come back at weekend!

Norwegian Tippeligaen/Adeccoligaen Play-Off:

Kongsvinger vs Sarpsborg (7)

Spanish Copa del Rey:

Almeria vs Hercules Alicante (7) 1-0

Enjoy your free betting tips!

Cerro Porteno vs Fluminense

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As some of you may or may not know, I’m not overly keen on domestic cup competitions outside of England, which is why they’re not covered on here. However, partially through boredom and partially through curiousity I’ve decided to post a few Copa del Rey tips to see how they go – feel free to leave comments if you feel inclined!

That said, today’s featured game is the Copa Nissan Sudamericana game between Paraguayans Cerro Porteno and Brazilians Fluminense. Having already beaten Brazil’s Botafogo at home in the last round of this competition, it’s hard to see them doing anything but the exact same thing to Fluminense who are battling against relegation from Serie A just like Botafogo were at the time. Fluminense surely cannot be focused upon this game as they have a must-win game approaching in four days time against Atletico Paranaense. With four games remaining in Serie A, it’s absolutely imperative for Fluminense to take points where they can domestically so much like counterparts Botafogo, I expect them to lose in Paraguay against an able Cerro Porteno. The hosts have been a constant threat at home in the whole of this competition and with their domestic campaign all but over in terms of them not being able to win it and being unlikely to be relegated, Cerro Porteno will no doubt be going all out to win this game. With all of the above in mind you have to feel that 5/4 on the home win is something of a bargain today.

Wednesday’s Picks

My tips:

Cerro Porteno vs Fluminense - home win at 5/4 – see introduction for full details.

Athletic Club de Bilbao vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid – over 2.5 goals at 4/5. Despite a disappointing defeat in the first leg of this tie, last year’s runners-up Athletic Club de Bilbao will be eager to make amends in a game that they simply have to win. To qualify for the next round, Athletic Club de Bilbao must beat Segunda Liga outfit Rayo Vallecano de Madrid by three goals or win 2-0 to take the game into extra time. With that in mind, the visitors will be coming here to sit back and hit a shaky Athletic Club de Bilbao defence on the counter attack, which they’re prone to. The hosts know that they have to score regardless of what their opponents do so I expect this game to be like the usual Athletic Club de Bilbao game; goal-filled. The hosts have already indicated how seriously they are taking this competition yet again by fielding a team largely composed of first-team players in the first leg. In my opinion, a highly-motivated side like Athletic Club de Bilbao playing at San Mames in a competition that they’d love to win tells me they’re going to do their utmost to score as many goals as possible in this game. Given that they’re facing a side with less ability than they have, you have to feel that this game has over 2.5 goals at 4/5.

Real Mallorca vs Real Valladolid – home win with -1.75 handicap at 12/5, Real Mallorca to qualify at 11/10. Both of these sets of odds really confuse me! Fair enough – Real Mallorca lost the first leg 2-1. However, doesn’t that leave the tie wide open? Real Mallorca are absolutely lethal at home as they’ve indicated all too well in the Primera Liga with five wins from five home games. Real Mallorca average nearly three goals scored per home game are frankly a very different side when they’re playing on their own turf. I cannot envision any other result than a home win here although you have to feel that they’re going to qualify for the next round if they do win this game because Real Valladolid are woeful on the road with just one Primera Liga away win all season. You also have to recall that Real Valladolid drew 0-0 at home this weekend, which might not seem so bad until you realise that they were playing relegation favourites Deportivo Xerez. Although this is a Copa del Rey encounter and not a Primera Liga game, it’s hard to see these statistics simply vanishing as neither side has the squad to drastically change their starting line-ups. For me, a very good Real Mallorca should not only qualify at a bargain 10/11 but also win this game whilst also beating the -1.75 handicap at a superb price of 12/5.

Copa Nissan Sudamericana:

Cerro Porteno vs Fluminense (7) 2-1

Argentinian Primera Division:

Rosario Central vs Estudiantes De La Plata (6) 1-1

Brazilian Serie A:

Palmeiras vs Sport Recife (8) over 2.5 goals

English FA Cup:

Rochdale vs Luton Town (8) 2-0

Spanish Copa del Rey:

Espanyol vs Getafe (8)
Athletic Club de Bilbao vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid (8) over 2.5 goals
Real Mallorca vs Real Valladolid (8) -1.75 handicap
Racing Santander vs Salamanca (4) 1-1

Enjoy your free betting tips!