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Ancona vs Piacenza

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Today’s featured game is the Serie B encounter between Ancona and Piacenza. Having just managed to stay in Serie B last year, Ancona have set about making their home ground a fortress once more in an attempt to prolong their life in Serie B yet again. Only four Serie B sides won more home games than Ancona last year and two of those sides were promoted to Serie A! Ancona have also been working on winning away from home, which was their Achilles heel last season. This season, however, they’ve won two away games already, which is impressive when you consider that they only won three away games in the entirety of last season. Nobody lost more away games than Ancona last season so it was more than apparent that they needed to address it instantaneously – and they have. In this campaign, Ancona have actually been one of the more impressive sides thus far, winning six games in ten. They’re unbeaten in their last four games and have won three of those games too. Ancona are one of just two sides in Serie B that have won every home game so far this season, along with Empoli. Ancona average over two goals per game and have conceded just once at home all season. To put it bluntly; Ancona have looked very good this year, almost a changed side from last year. Visitors Piacenza are having a torrid campaign thus far, however. They’ve won just two games from the ten they’ve competed in so far and have lost four in their last three games. Piacenza are without a win in their past five games now so morale is low and they’re severely lacking in momentum. Although Piacenza’s away form isn’t amongst the worst in the league (played five, won one, drawn two, lost two), their recent form suggests that they’re going to play right into in-form Ancona’s hands, particularly as Piacenza are finding goals hard to come by themselves. To be frank, the odds of 5/6 on this game are something of a gift so I had to delve further and assitain just why those odds were available. The only reasoning I’ve managed to locate is that Ancona didn’t manage to score against or even take a point off Piacenza last season. Whereas it’s worth taking note of that statistic, I still feel everything points to a home win tonight so 5/6 on the home win is my undisputed pick of the day!

Tuesday’s Picks

My tips:

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

Ancona vs Piacenza – home win at 5/6 – see introduction for full details.

Barnsley vs Manchester United - lay Manchester United at 17/10.  I don’t like betting against my side but this game is competed in the shitty Carling Cup, a trophy that isn’t widely sought after by…well, anyone, really! Manchester United will undoubtedly be fielding their impressive youngsters and a few first-team players needing match fitness i.e. Fletcher, Brown. Manchester United’s kids are very talented, there’s no doubt about that. However, this is a rather large test for them for various reasons. This trip is to Yorkshire on an Autumn night with the hosts boasting tenacious and rejuvenated football under former Manchester United striker Mark Robins. Robins has guided Barnsley to five vicories in all competitions since taking over in September, an impressive amount considering the prediacment the club were in when he took over. Within that list of victories lies wins against Burnley in this competition and West Bromwich Albion in the Championship, two very impressive results indeed. Barnsley are a very resilient side, as indeed are most Yorkshire outfits, and this game will not be easy for Manchester United’s youngsters. Barnsley have a history of being a hard side to play against as Chelsea can testify after they exited the FA Cup against Barnsley last season, a game which like tonight’s game was also played at Oakwell. Barnsley also won at Anfield 2-1 in the same competition and were only prevented from reaching the FA Cup final by a plucky Cardiff City. Suffice to say that Barnsley enjoy their cup games! Mark Robins will have a point to prove against his former club, as all former Manchester United players do, such is their desire to win trophies. I’m expecting a close and low-scoring game and although it could go either way, I think a draw is on the cards so laying Manchester United at 17/10 could prove to be good value tonight.

Strasbourg vs Tours – home win at evens. Now unbeaten in four games, Strasbourg are finally beginning to get their season back on track. They’ve only one won of those four games but their general performances are getting better too. I’d argue the case that there’s not many other sides in Ligue 2 that are better to play against at home than Tours at the moment given that they’ve not won in four games and are generally poor travellers, something that has been proven over the past few years rather convincingly. Tours haven’t won any of their five away games yet this season, to further my point, and generally struggle to score goals away from home. Strasbourg boast a better side; it’s simply a matter of time as to when they start winning games consistently. For me, that time could be tonight against a Tours side that are unable to do anything but draw and lose currently. Although I expect a close game, there could well be some good value in the home win at evens.

Empoli vs Triestina – home win at 3/4. Unbeaten in four games now, Empoli are looking very promising ahead of this game with Triestina, particularly as Empoli have won five out of five home games so far this season. Empoli average scoring three goals per game at home and generally tend to blow any opponents away when playing at home. Although Triestina are unbeaten in their last two games, the fact remains that they’ve lost three from five away games and have only managed to score two goals away from home all season. If you’re poor at goalscoring and you’re going away to play against a side that have virtually mastered the art of goalscoring then you have to feel that a home win is looking very likely indeed. Empoli won this game 4-0 last season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that scoreline again, to be honest. Not only is 3/4 great odds on the home win but it may also be worth taking a -1.75 handicap in light of the above information.

Lecce vs Reggina - home win at 5/4. Although having started life in Serie B somewhat slowly, Lecce have since won four from their last five games. They’ve won three from five home games and although they’re not scoring goals in a free-flowing manner, they’re still looking ruthlessly efficient in their bid to regain their Serie A status. Although both of these two sides were in Serie A last season, only Lecce are looking likely to be back in it next season. Indeed, given Reggina’s current problems, it looks more likely that they’ll be in Serie C rather than Serie A if they indeed do leave Serie B. Reggina have lost three consecutive games now, which takes their tally of defeats to five from ten games. They’ve won just two games out of those ten and are looking woeful in front of goal with just seven goals scored along the way. Although there’s not an awful lot of quality difference between these two sides, home advantage and momentum should be key here so I expect Lecce to win this game at surprising odds of 5/4.

Lastly, I don’t often recommend combinations because generally it’s up to yourselves to generate your own luck. However, I do really like the look of a 4-team Serie B accumulator of home wins containing Empoli, Ancona, Lecce, and Brescia at impressive odds of 11/1 – give it some thought!

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

Baltic League:

Levadia Tallinn vs FK Taurus Taurage (7) 2-1
Ekranas Panevezys vs FK Jurmala (8) 3-1
Flora Tallinn vs FK Siauliai (5) 1-1

Argentinian Primera Division:

Newell’s Old Boys vs Racing Club Avellaneda (8) 2-0
Atletico Tucuman vs Velez Sarsfeld (6) 0-1

English League One:

Bristol Rovers vs Leeds United (7)

English League Cup:

Barnsley vs Manchester United (4) 1-1
Sunderland vs Aston Villa (6) 0-0
Portsmouth vs Stoke City (5) 1-2
Blackburn Rovers vs Peterborough United (6) 1-1
Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton (7) 2-0

French Ligue 2:

AC Ajaccio vs Nimes (6)
Angers SCO vs Brest (5)
Arles vs Dijon FCO (6)
Chateauroux vs Metz (8)
Clermont Foot vs Istres (7)
Sedan-Ardennes vs Bastia (7)
Stade Malherbe de Caen vs Vannes OC (9)
Nantes vs Laval (8)
Strasbourg vs Tours (6)

Italian Serie B:

Ancona vs Piacenza (8)
Brescia vs Gallipoli (8)
Empoli vs Triestina (8)
Lecce vs Reggina (7)

Portuguese Liga Sagres:

Vitoria Guimaraes vs Sporting Clube de Lisboa (7) under 2.5 goals

Singaporean S-League:

Balestier Khalsa vs Gombak United (7) 1-2
Tampines Rovers vs Albirex Niigate (8) 2-0

Swedish Allsvenskan:

IFK Goteborg vs Halmstads (9) 2-0
Kalmar vs Malmo (6) 2-1

Uruguayan Primera Division:

Cerro Largo vs Racing Club Montevideo (5) 1-1
Danubio vs Atenas (8) 2-0
Tacuarembo vs Defensor Sporting (6) 1-2
Penarol vs Rampla Juniors (8) 2-1

Enjoy your free betting tips!

Nantes vs Metz

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Before I begin today’s preview, I feel I have to vent some frustration regarding the English FA. I mean, what kind of idiots are they? These money-driven wankers do nothing but fuck up English sides in Europe. There’s dozens upon dozens of examples but today’s example is Fulham. Fulham compete in the English Premier League, which is a league that is competed over saturday and sunday each week for approximately 90% of each season. However, the English FA have decided to put Fulham vs Hull City on a monday night – just three days before the London-based club host Italian giants AS Roma. Is it just me or does this seem completely stupid? They could have moved Blackburn Rovers vs Burnley or Wigan Athletic vs Manchester City or even Stoke City vs West Ham United to the monday night in an exchange to allow Fulham to prepare for arguably the biggest game in their existence, but no, the money-grabbing wankers decide to fuck things up – as usual. Roy Hodgson may not be embracing the UEFA Europa League as much as he possibly should but you try telling me there’s a Fulham fan that won’t be looking forward to locking horns with one of Italy’s elite – AS Roma. Honestly, it’s absolute bullshit what the English FA concoct and I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that “FA” in English slang terms actually means “fuck all” – it seems a fine representation of what the English “FA” actually do for the clubs they’re supposed to put first. I may not be a Fulham fan but words cannot express my anger at such a shambolic association.

Anyway, today’s previewed game is in Ligue 2 between Nantes and Metz. Atypically, I’d expect these two sides to take each encounter between them right to the wire because both have very capable squads. However, recently-relegated Nantes have made a far better impression in Ligue 2 than experienced Metz have with the hosts having won five out of eight games so far, tasting defeat just once. Their home record shows what a force they are with four wins from four games, as well as averaging three goals per game at home. Nantes also bear the boastful stigma of being the highest goalscoring side in the division, which is even more impressive considering that they loaned out important striker Ivan Klasnic to Bolton Wanderers for the season to help handle their financial issues. Visitors Metz were one of the better performers in Ligue 2 last year but have really failed to reproduce that form this year with just three wins in nine games. Metz just aren’t scoring enough goals, something that’s highly evident from the fact that only two sides in Ligue 2 have scored less goals then they have. They’ve also been extremely reliant on their home form to guide them through tough times as they are currently unbeaten at home, winning three times and drawing twice so far. Away from home, however, Metz start to look very weak indeed. With just two goals scored from four away games and an unhealthy average of conceding two goals per away game, Metz are looking very shaky indeed, particularly with a record that reads three defeats and one draw from all four away games. Just one win in their last five games leaves Metz very short of momentum and confidence in general, which is somewhat contradictory of their actual ability. Overall, you have to feel that a very strong Nantes side are going to win this game today for the above reasons so taking the home win at 4/5 looks a real gem today!

Monday’s Picks

My tips:

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

Nantes vs Metz – home win at 4/5 – see introduction for full details.

Minior Pernik vs Lokomotiv Sofia – away win at 5/6. I think it’s fair to say that the majority of Bulgarian A PFG games are either fixed or have horrible odds, which is largely why you rarely see me preview any of their games. Today, however, it looks like we have a potential money-earner with an away win for Lokomotiv Sofia. I’m not one to shy away from owning up if I make a bad call etc. but if the visitors don’t win this game then I strongly suspect that it’s been fixed. Why? Well, the visitors are head-and-shoulders above Minior Pernik in terms of quality. Examples – Lokomotiv Sofia haven’t dropped any points against Minor Pernik since the year 2000. Lokomotiv Sofia beat them 5-1 at home last season and 1-0 away last season. Lokomotiv Sofia frankly have better players and it shows often. Now that’s established, we have to look at current form. Lokomotiv Sofia are unbeaten in their last five games, winning three and drawing twice. They’ve played four away games this season, winning three and losing just once. One of their more notable away wins was the frankly heroic victory away to bitter rivals Levski Sofia, a result that impressed me greatly, even if the hosts on that day had indeed parted with a lot of good players shortly before that game. Minior Pernik, despite a good start, have lost their last three games in a row. Their home record also shows that they’ve lost two of three home games, leaving them looking somewhat susceptible ahead of this clash today. Effectively, I can’t see anything today that would bring anything but an away win at 5/6 in this game so I must reiterate my belief that this game will be fixed if it’s anything but an away win, as crazy as that might sound!

Jablonec vs Viktoria Plzen – home win at 5/6. Generally, I’d be dishing out a higher confidence rating than 7/10 for the home win if I hadn’t heard on the grapevine that Jablonec nad Nisou was expecting the same kind of snowstorms that we saw for the Poland vs Slovakia game last week, which isn’t satisfactory footballing conditions to reliably make a bet. Therefore, I’d recommend checking the weather reports before this bet. However, that aside – Jablonec are in tremendous form at the moment. Three wins from their last three games keep their dream alive as no side in the Gambrinus Liga has truly seized hold of the lead this season and said “This is mine – come and claim it if you want it!”. Jablonec have steadily been getting better these past couple of years and although previously I’ve said “Not a chance” when asked if I thought they could lift the title, I’m now found with no reason to state otherwise if you consider how impressive they’ve actually been. Just one defeat in ten games for second-placed Jablonec and seven wins along the way to compliment it. Their home record shows four wins from five games with the other being a draw. Having won this game last season, Jablonec know that they’re capable of beating Viktoria Plzen as well as boasting a better squad. Visitors Viktoria Plzen have started admirably this season when you consider the limited squad and resources that they actually have. They’ve won five from ten games and only been beaten three times. Recent form shows they’re unbeaten in three games and enjoy making life difficult for their opponents rather than blowing them away. However, Viktoria Plzen aren’t as good a side as Jablonec and I really expect to see that today as the hosts have better momentum and a very good home record. For me, there’s value in the home win at 5/6.

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

Monday’s Tips

Bulgarian A PFG:

Minior Pernik vs Lokomotiv Sofia (8) 0-2

Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:

Jablonec vs Viktoria Plzen (7) 2-1

Danish Superligaen:

SonderjyskE vs AGF Aarhus (6) 0-1

English Premier League:

Fulham vs Hull City (8) 2-0

English League One:

Leeds United vs Norwich City (8)

French Ligue 2:

Nantes vs Metz (7)

German Bundesliga 2:

Union Berlin vs Greuther Furth (5) draw no bet

Greek B Ethniki:

Panserraikos vs Diagoros Rodos (8)

Italian Serie B:

Albinoleffe vs Sassuolo (6)

Mexican Primera Division:

Santos Laguna vs Guadalajara (7) 2-1

Norwegian Tippeligaen:

Fredrikstad vs Odd Grenland Skien (6) 1-1

Singaporean S-League:

Super Reds vs Albirex Niigate (7) 2-0

Swedish Allsvenskan:

Halmstads vs Hammarby (6) 2-1
Malmo vs IFK Goteborg (4) 1-1
BK Hacken vs Djurgardens (7) 2-1

Enjoy your free betting tips!