Gamba Osaka vs Cerezo Osaka

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Today’s secondary featured game is the Asian Champions League encounter in Japan between Gamba Osaka and Cerezo Osaka. As their names alone imply, this game is a derby and thus caution is always recommended.

However, if the odds of 9/10 on the home win are available purely because this game is a derby then there’s a big mistake somewhere as Cerezo Osaka are very much in the shadow of their more illustrious neighbours nowadays. The sale of virtually all their talented attackers (including Adriano’s sale to hosts Gamba Osaka!) leaves Cerezo Osaka drawing with inferior opponents and losing against superior opponents. Cerezo Osaka have already lost at Gamba Osaka this season and with Brazilian striker Adriano in scintillating form for his new club, it’ll take a braver man than me to take anything but a home win here. Gamba Osaka have their flaws, it’s true, but they’ve got a good level of firepower and a lot of experience in this tournament so I fancy them to win this one. They’ve won three out of three at home in the J-League and although this is a different competition, I do expect a J-League-esque game here.

Gamba Osaka have won three out of three at home in the Asian Champions League this season, scoring ten goals along the way. Cerezo Osaka have not only failed to score in two out of their three away games in this competition but they’ve also lost twice as a lack of firepower and a lack of experience continues to harm them. For me, the hosts winning this one at 9/10 is something of a bargain today.

Verdict: Gamba Osaka to win at 9/10.

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Tuesday’s Picks

My tips:

As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:

Skive
vs Bronshoj – home win at 9/10.

I don’t fully understand the odds on Skive winning this game today, to be honest. Ok, there’s no motivation for either side to win the game but this is insane.

Skive are a lot better than Bronshoj, first of all. Bronshoj have done well in their first season in Division 1 but it’s a mark of how tight it’s been this season that they’re fifth in the table, not a mark of how strong they are. The only team to score more goals than Skive this season is AGF Aarhus and they’ve won the league and already been promoted due to such strong displays. The only reason that Skive aren’t in the running for promotion this season (or haven’t been, I should say!) is because they concede stupid goals sometimes. Their firepower is superb, however – few sides can keep this goalscoring machine out. Skive average scoring nearly two goals per home game and with Skive having won seven out of their last ten games with only AGF Aarhus beating them along the way, it’s fair to say that the hosts bring strong momentum into this game, enough so to be motivated to play their usual attacking game.

Bronshoj are simply a well-organised side that defends well, in my eyes. They pose little goal threat, especially on the road, which is why they lose a lot of away games. Indeed, Bronshoj have failed to score for three consecutive away games now, losing twice during those three games. They’ve won just once away from home since the mid-season break, winning at fellow newly-promoted outfit Hobro. They’re not an easy side to play against – don’t get me wrong – but they’re not a side that will score many goals either, so it tends to make sense to go against them in games like this.

Skive just score too many goals to be overlooked here. Bronshoj will have to defend phenomenally well to keep Skive out today and I just don’t think they’re good enough to do it. As long as Skive play their usual game then 9/10 on the home win is a bargain here.

Verdict: Skive to win at 9/10.

Why not bet on this game now at one of the best bookmakers around?

Accumulator fodder:

FK Ventspils, Sillamae Kalev, Gombak United, Republic of Ireland.

Recommended bets:

Gamba Osaka, Sillamae Kalev, and Gombak United at over 2/1.

As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!

Nations Cup:

Republic of Ireland vs Northern Ireland (8) 2-0, at least one red card in this game

Asian Champions League:

Gamba Osaka vs Cerezo Osaka (7) 2-0, at least one red card in this game
Jeonbuk Motors vs Tianjin Teda (7) 2-0
Sepahan vs Bunyodkor (7) 2-1
Al Ittihad vs Al Hilal (5) 1-1

Baltic League:

FK Ventspils vs Siauliai (8) 2-0

Austrian Liga 1:

SCR Altach vs St.Polten (7) over 2.5 goals
WAC/St.Andra vs Gratkorn (5)
Grodig vs Hartberg (6)
First Vienna vs Admira Wacker (7)
Austria Lustenau vs Lustenau (6) at least one red card in this game

Danish 1st Division:

AB Copenhagen vs Hobro (6)
Fredericia vs Hvidovre (4) both sides to score
Viborg vs Kolding (7)
Roskilde vs Vestjaelland (5)
Skive vs Bronshoj (7)
AGF Aarhus vs Vejle (6)
Fyn vs HB Koge (4)
Hjorring vs Naestved (5)

Estonian Meistriliiga:

Kuressaare vs Sillamae Kalev (8) over 2.5 goals

Polish Liga 1:

LKS Lodz vs Katowice (7)

Singaporean S-League:

Gombak United vs Young Lions (8) 2-0

Swedish Allsvenskan:

Malmo FF vs Helsingborg (6) 1-1, at least one red card in this game

Enjoy your free betting tips!

Gamba Osaka vs Suwon Bluewings

Today’s card looks appalling in virtually all competitions so good luck if you’re investing heavily tonight! I’ll be nibbling at some “dead cert” accumulators as there’s a lot of fodder today but I won’t be going elsewhere.

Today’s featured game is the Asian Champions League game in Japan between Gamba Osaka and Suwon Bluewings. Despite a bizarre, topsy-turvy campaign thus far, Gamba Osaka are beginning to piece things together just in time for this group winning battle with South Korean side Suwon Bluewings.

Gamba Osaka are one of the giants of Japanese football but they’ve done little to show such so far this season. They’re yet to win a home game in three attempts in the J-League largely because they’re not scoring many goals. The only side they’ve beaten in the Asian Champions League is Singapore’s Armed Forces (twice) so they’re hardly setting the world alight currently. However, they’ve finally broken their duck with goalscoring of late by hammering six goals in two games despite both games being away from home. They lost 4-3 at Jubilo Iwata but won 3-1 at Omiya Ardija so I’m expecting this to be the catalyst that Gamba Osaka desperately needed to start their season to meet their pre-season expectations as a potential candidate for winning the J-League and also winning the Asian Champions League. It’s a bit of a gamble but I think they’re showing all the necessary signs at the moment and a win today puts them in the driving seat to win the group.

Visitors Suwon Bluewings have had a good tournament so far with three wins and one draw without even conceding a goal. However, they’ve played some damn poor opponents and failed to beat Gamba Osaka in South Korea despite the Japanese side under-performing at that time. Suwon Bluewings don’t need to win this game – a draw would please them and a defeat doesn’t rule them out of the group winners battle with Gamba Osaka facing a trip to China to take on Henan Jianye in their last game whereas Suwon Bluewings host Armed Forces in their last group stage game in a game that they will win. Suwon have already qualified for the latter stages of this competition and I can’t see them going all out in this game with a terrible start to their K-League campaign leaving them with four defeats in six games. They’ve shipped five goals in their last two games and face a trip to a Jeju United side that are unbeaten at home this season in a few days time so why they’d go all out in this game is beyond me.

I think the bookies have been more generous with the odds on Gamba Osaka to win than they usually are as I personally rate them a lot higher than Suwon Bluewings. The odds should be about 1/2 so 3/4 is good value at the present time. There’s always a rivalry of sorts between the Japanese and South Korean side so I expect a fairly feisty affair but ultimately Gamba Osaka are growing in momentum and are scoring for fun whereas Suwon Bluewings are conceding too many and aren’t playing well. Therefore, the home win surely has to be the outcome today.

Verdict: Gamba Osaka to win at 3/4.

Tuesday’s Picks

My tips:

As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:

SL Benfica vs Sporting Clube de Lisboa – lay SL Benfica at 11/10.

I simply can’t accept that SL Benfica are 4/6 to win the infamous Lisbon derby when they’ve only beaten Sporting once in their last five attempts at home. Benfica are sweeping the rest of the Liga Sagres aside, that’s true, but ignoring the stealthily efficient form of Sporting of late would be very foolish. Benfica have just crashed out of Europe and perhaps feel a tad demoralised. I don’t think I’m being unfair by saying that Sporting are more motivated for this game because they’ve got more local youngsters playing for them and they have less to play for overall this season so they’re more concerned with pride for this one. Benfica tried their hand at beating Sporting away from home earlier in the season when Sporting were dismal but still couldn’t manage it, leaving with a draw. Why they’ve suddenly become 4/6 for this game truly baffles me – the derbies in Portugal are never straightforward and are rarely predictable at best! This game is rarely anything but a draw and I can’t only envision a similar result tonight between a resolute Sporting and a somewhat demoralised Benfica. Either way, expect cards in this game and and probably a more boring game than the statistics suggest…

Verdict: Lay SL Benfica at 11/10.

Accumulator fodder:

Deportivo Quito, Rapid Vienna, Racing Genk, Lokomotiv Sofia, Chelsea, Hartlepool United, Notts County, Brescia, Heracles Almelo, The New Saints, Port Talbot Town.

Recommended bets:

Rapid Vienna, Racing Genk, Port Talbot Town, and Hartlepool United at 4/1.

Chelsea, Notts County, Brescia, and Heracles Almelo at 3/1.

As ever, if there any questions/explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the complete picks listing, see below!

Copa Libertadores:

Deportivo Quito vs Cerro (7) 2-0
Caracas vs Universidad de Chile (5) 0-1

Asian Champions League:

Gamba Osaka vs Suwon Bluewings (7) 2-1
Pohang Steelers vs Adelaide United (7) 1-0
Shandong Luneng vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima (5) 1-2, at least one red card in this game
Armed Forces vs Henan Jianye (5) 0-1
Pakhtakor Tashkent vs Al Ain (6) 1-0
Sepahan vs Al Shabab (5) 0-0
Al Ahli vs Mes Kerman (6) over 2.5 goals
Al Hilal vs Al Sadd (7) over 2.5 goals

Austrian Bundesliga:

Rapid Vienna vs LASK Linz (9) over 2.5 goals

Belgian Eerste Klasse:

Racing Genk vs Charleroi (8) 2-0

Belgian Tweede Klasse:

Brussels vs Turnhout (6)

Bulgarian A PFG:

Lokomotiv Sofia vs Minior Pernik (8) 2-1
Chernomorets Burgas vs Sliven (7) over 2.5 goals

English Premier League:

Chelsea vs Bolton Wanderers (9) -1.75 handicap

English Championship:

Reading vs Newcastle United (6)

English League One:

Bristol Rovers vs Southampton (6)
Carlisle United vs Leeds United (6)
Charlton Athletic vs Colchester United (6)
Gillingham vs Brighton & Hove Albion (6)
Hartlepool United vs Stockport County (7)
Huddersfield Town vs Walsall (7)
Leyton Orient vs Norwich City (6)
Milton Keynes Dons vs Oldham Athletic (7)
Southend United vs Brentford (4)
Tranmere Rovers vs Wycombe Wanderers (5) over 2.5 goals
Yeovil Town vs Millwall (6)

English League Two:

Accrington Stanley vs Port Vale (7)
Aldershot Town vs Torquay United (6)
Bournemouth vs Hereford United (7)
Bradford City vs Morecambe (6)
Bury vs Crewe Alexandra (5)
Dagenham & Redbridge vs Barnet (6)
Grimsby Town vs Chesterfield (6)
Macclesfield Town vs Burton Albion (7)
Notts County vs Lincoln City (9) -1.75 handicap
Rochdale vs Darlington (7)
Rotherham United vs Northampton Town (5)
Shrewsbury Town vs Cheltenham Town (6)

Italian Serie B:

Vicenza vs Ancona (7)
Gallipoli vs Cittadella (5)
Brescia vs Frosinone (8)
Albinoleffe vs Grosseto (6)
Padova vs Lecce (6) under 2.5 goals
Cesena vs Mantova (7) under 2.5 goals
Crotone vs Modena (6)
Torino vs Piacenza (7)
Sassuolo vs Reggina (6) over 2.5 goals
Empoli vs Salernitana (7)
Ascoli vs Triestina (4)

Dutch Eredivisie:

Heracles Almelo vs RKC Waalwijk (8) over 2.5 goals
Vitesse Arnhem vs NAC Breda (5) 1-1
AZ Alkmaar vs Twente Enschede (6) 0-0

Portuguese Liga Sagres:

SL Benfica vs Sporting Clube de Lisboa (5) 1-1, at least one red card in this game

Russian Division 1:

Luch-Energiya Vladivostok vs Kuban Krasnodor (6) under 2.5 goals
Mordovia Saransk vs Baltika Kaliningrad (5)

Scottish Premier League:

Celtic vs Motherwell (7) under 2.5 goals

Spanish Primera Liga:

Real Valladolid vs Sevilla CF (4) 1-1
Sporting Gijon vs Tenerife (5) 2-1
Getafe vs Villarreal (6) 1-0

Swedish Superettan:

Angelholm vs Hammarby (5)
GIF Sundsvall vs Brage (7) under 2.5 goals

Swiss Super League:

Aarau vs Neuchatel Xamax (6) 0-1
Grasshoppers Zurich vs Young Boys Bern (5) 1-2

Welsh Premier League:

Bangor City vs Airbus UK (7) 2-0
Carmarthen Town vs Rhyl (7) 1-2
Welshpool Town vs The New Saints (8) 0-2
Cefn Druids vs Connah’s Quay Nomads (6) 1-2
Caersws vs Porthmadog (5) 0-0
Bala Town vs Llanelli (4) 1-1
Port Talbot Town vs Newtown (8) over 2.5 goals
Prestatyn Town vs Neath Athletic (6) 1-1

Enjoy your free betting tips!