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Today’s secondary featured game is the Allsvenskan derby between IFK Goteborg and Helsingborg. These two sides are not on the friendliest of terms so we can expect a pretty tense and card-ridden affair tonight.
IFK Goteborg’s team aren’t as good as their name nowadays, to be honest. An awful lot of their play relies upon them giving the ball to Hysen and hoping that he can magic something out of thin air for them. Robin Soder is a good one for the future – when fit – and IFK do have a solid backline but their attack needs work because as good as Hysen unquestionably is, he can still be stopped. IFK so far this season have lost 0-1 at home to Orebro and 3-1 at local rivals BK Hacken Goteborg, which are both worrying on varying levels. They’ve not scored enough goals, for starters, and they’ve defended poorly so they can’t be approaching this game with too much confidence.
However, I think this game means more to IFK than it does to Helsingborg nowadays purely because IFK have adopted the “underdog” approach as they grudgingly accept that Helsingborg are a better side than they are nowadays. Therefore, this is their “cup final” of sorts and that explains why they’ve not lost at home to Helsingborg for many years. In fact, we have to go back approximately six years to find a game in Goteborg between these two sides that either of them has won.
So why don’t we back a draw here instead?
We all know how hard draws are to call as it is – that’s definitely a factor. However, the gap in quality between these two sides is growing each year, in my view, and I can’t escape the possibility of Helsingborg nicking this one tonight. IFK will fight tooth and nail to prevent it but quality is quality, at the end of the day – there’s not a lot you can do to combat it.
Helsingborg themselves are arguably the best side in Sweden at the moment. They’ve obviously got fierce competition from bitter local rivals Malmo FF and competition from the close-behind Elfsborg Boras but they’re definitely up there. Helsingborg have played like the title contenders that they are so far this season too, dealing with the high wind at Mjallby Solvesborg and winning 0-1 against their newly-promoted hosts and winning 1-0 at home to Elfsborg Boras last match, demonstrating to their title rivals just why they’re to be feared. The pace of Gerndt and Jonssen in attack is frightening as most Allsvenskan defences are quite slow and that is definitely a major feature of Helsingborgs’ attack. If anything, the one weakness I can pinpoint for the visitors tonight is that there’s not enough experienced individuals in the team as a whole but if that’s their sole problem then they’re really rather well-placed to do well this season.
There are no new injury concerns for either side so we can expect similar sides to the ones that have already been played so far this season. I expect a game whereby IFK battle for every ball and Helsingborg keep it and play the patient game to try and score when the opportunity arises but without bursting a blood vessel to do so. I don’t see this being a particularly heated affair as it’s still early doors this season, although I do expect it to be quite tense. All in all, Helsingborg like to edge games and hold them whereas IFK struggle in front of goal. The odds aren’t ideal but 4/6 on this game going under 2.5 goals with the above in mind looks good to me today, especially with three out of the last four meetings between these two sides in Goteborg having gone under 2.5 goals.
Team news – Helsingborg miss Boaouzan, Patronen, and Ramadan.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 4/6.
You can bet on this game now at one of the best bookmakers or you can check the latest betting odds comparison at www.OddsPortal.com!
Monday’s Picks
My tips;
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Universitatea Cluj vs Universitatea Craiova – over 2.5 goals at 11/10.
This is a dubious call because Craiova are not a goalscoring side by nature, hence their predicament this season despite being a decent side on their day.
Indeed, had Cluj not signed Cristea in the January transfer window then I may have avoided this bet entirely but the playmaker’s arrival from Dinamo Bucharest has turned Cluj into a very potent side, hence five out of their last six Liga games having gone over 2.5 goals. Cluj’s defence is far from secure and the absence of Mendy from midfield won’t aid their lack of unity but with gifted finisher Niculescu being partnered by talented Machado and Cristea pulling the strings behind them, it has to be said that Cluj have a very strong attack and I can’t ignore that here. In Cluj’s last three home games, they’ve won twice and drawn once, beating Dinamo Bucharest along the way. They’ve bagged eight goals during those three games but have also shipped five goals, hence the foundation for today’s bet. Confidence is strong in the Cluj camp though, especially after a last-gasp draw at illustrious rivals CFR Cluj last match so they’ll be confident here.
That said, Craiova bring momentum into this game too following a quintessential victory over relegation battlers Targu Mures. I didn’t think they had the firepower to do so, as I mentioned on the site, but they proved me wrong and maybe they’ll do the same again today. Craiova are a side that generally defends well but fails to find the net and although that style would certainly cripple my bet today, I don’t see them keeping out such a strong attack, which would naturally force them out of their defensive position and open the game up. This point is backed up by the absence of integral defender Ciuca today for the visitors. Away from home, Craiova have shipped seven goals in three games and although they’re yet to register a goal, a defensively-leaky Cluj side may be the best opponent for them today as even Craiova can find the net here.
Maybe Craiova won’t show up and get that much-needed goal. However, I’m still confident because Cluj are more than capable of rattling three goals past Craiova with such a strong attack in front of them so one way or another, I can’t help but feel that Craiova will be dragged into an open game and they really hate those type of games due to their compact and somewhat defensive style. Although I can see why the odds are fairly long for this selection, I do still think that there’s value in over 2.5 goals here, especially with the above in mind and the need for both sides to take points so my call is over 2.5 goals in this game today.
Team news – Universitatea Cluj miss Mendy, Morar, Tony, and Szilagyi whereas Universitatea Craiova miss Lopez, Ciuca, and Ologu.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 11/10.
You can bet on this game now at one of the best bookmakers or you can check the latest betting odds comparison at www.OddsPortal.com!
Accumulator fodder:
Dynamo Kiev
Recommended bets:
No multiples appeal to me today – sorry guys!
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!
Argentinian Primera Division:
Banfield vs Arsenal de Sarandi (5) 1-1
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Slavia Prague vs Slovacko (5) 1-0
Danish Superligaen:
Midtylland vs OB Odense (6) 0-0
English Championship:
Queens Park Rangers vs Derby County (7)
French Ligue 2:
Le Mans vs Le Havre (5)
German Bundesliga 2:
Karlsruher SC vs Augsburg (6)
Italian Serie B:
Torino vs Reggina (5)
Dutch Eerste Divisie:
Sparta Rotterdam vs Zwolle (5)
Norwegian Eliteserien:
Fredrikstad vs Rosenborg BK (4) 2-1
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
CD Nacional de Madeira vs Sporting Braga (5) 1-1
Romanian Liga:
Universitatea Cluj vs Universitatea Craiova (5) 2-1
Vaslui vs Gaz Metan Medias (7) 1-0
Russian Premier League:
Spartak Nal’chik vs Tom’ Tomsk (6) 1-0
Singaporean S-League:
Hougang United vs Albirex Niigata (6) 0-0
Spanish Primera Liga:
Villarreal CF vs Real Zaragoza (6) 2-1
Swedish Allsvenskan:
IFK Goteborg vs Helsingborg (4) 0-1, at least one red card in this game
Orebro vs Gefle (7) 2-0
Swedish Superettan:
Hammarby vs Landskrona BoIS (6) over 2.5 goals
Swiss Challenge League:
Aarau vs Lausanne Sports (6)
Turkish Super Lig:
Manisaspor vs Galatasaray (6) 0-0
Ukrainian Premier League:
Dynamo Kiev vs Zorya Lugansk (8) 2-0
Enjoy your free betting tips!