Today’s featured game is in Barcelona and features Espanyol and Malaga. Hosts Espanyol got off to a slow start after the death of Captain Daniel Jarque pre-season, losing away to Athletic Club de Bilbao and emphatically at home to Real Madrid. However, a morale-boosting victory at the Riazor last match against a difficult Deportivo La Coruna may have been the catalyst they desperately needed to fulfill their potential this season, something I’ve highlighted in my posts leading up to the start of the season. Espanyol actually have a very strong and capable side and I thoroughly expect them to have a very good season although losing Jarque is a massive loss to them. Today, Espanyol are hosting a Malaga side that seem undecided as to what kind of season they’re going to have. I don’t rate this Malaga side very highly as they’ve lost their manager and a whole host of players over summer but you can’t argue with the fact that they’ve already annihlated Atletico Madrid this season, something that needs to be taken into consideration. Since then, Malaga have lost both games, something I had expected from their opening game as opposed to their second game. I can accept their defeat away to Deportivo La Coruna but I cannot accept their defeat at home to Racing Club de Santander if this side intends to become even a shadow of the side they were last year. As the season I develops, I fully expect Malaga to become cannon fodder barring a miracle. They no longer have the quality to compete at this level and I expect Espanyol to thoroughly ram that home today. Frankly, a home win today at evens looks a fantastic bet to me!

Wednesday’s Picks

My tips:

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

Espanyol vs Malaga – home win at evens – see introduction for full details.

Liga de Quito vs Lanus – home win at 10/11. A poor start to their domestic campaign has seen Lanus claim just one win from their opening five games, a fact that will disappoint Lanus after an impressive campaign last time out. They’ve lost three of their five games so far domestically and appear to be struggling a considerable amount. Despite a slender victory over River Plate last week in the Nissan Sudamericana, Lanus just aren’t convincing at the moment and I can’t help but feel they’re going to get “found out” in the dizzying heights of Quito tonight. They’re travelling to an experienced Ecuadorian outfit in Liga de Quito, who boast a good squad and a very impressive home record. A crushing defeat away to bitter rivals Deportivo Quito last match (domestically) will have hurt Liga de Quito, something I expect to inspire them to victory tonight to at least compensate their fans. In my opinion, this venue is one of the hardest away trips in South America due to the massive distance above sea level Quito is and the quality of the home side. I can’t quite believe that the bookies are giving 10/11 on a home win and I thoroughly expect that to drop before too long so take it whilst you can!

Tampere United vs HJK Helsinki – home win at 9/4. This is a very interesting call but one I like an awful lot. In fact, I’ve liked this bet since I looked at HJK Helsinki’s final fixtures of the Veikkausliiga season a few weeks ago. Why? Well, HJK Helsinki may be in good form but they’re not playing very reliably, which is important to me ’cause it means they’re prone to errors. Today they travel to an in-form Tampere United that are currently the best home side in the Veikkausliiga with eight wins from eleven games. In fact, they’ve only lost at home twice this season so HJK Helsinki have one hell of a task on their hands to come away with a result here. Interestingly enough, HJK Helsinki have lost two of their last three trips here, one of which was this season in the Liiga Cup. I have to confess that I didn’t have Tampere United down as a potential Veikkausliiga winner entering the final stretch of the campaign and I still don’t really believe it will happen but try telling a confident and in-form Tampere United that! The final point I’ll make is that if Tampere United do win this game, the gap between themselves and HJK Helsinki (and potentially TPS Turku if they overcome KuPS Kuopio) will be six points, which is only two games of football. With all this in mind, 9/5 on a home win looks very tempting indeed with both sides needing three points here!

AEK Athens vs Olympiakos Piraeus – away win at 6/4. I really wanted to make this bet when it was initially scheduled a few weeks back when AEK Athens were struggling and Olympiakos Piraeus were flying. However, circumstances dictated that this could not occur so now we have this fixture in more…difficult circumstances, shall we say! Why? Well, Zico is boss of Olympiakos Piraeus now and he’s pretty damn shit as a manager, in my humble opinion! The only credit I’ll give him is that he tends to guide his side to victories against bigger opponents – it’s games against lesser opponents where he struggles. Fortunately, AEK Athens are still struggling to gain any kind of consistency so they do look ripe for defeat here. Olympiakos Piraeus are a far better side than AEK Athens these days and managed to win this fixture last season too. For me, there is value in the odds of 6/4 on the away win although I emphasise caution whilst shitty Zico is in town!

Gorica vs Maribor – home win at 2/1. This is a very dubious call as Gorica are extremely demoralised currently and Maribor are sleeping giants. However, a change in management personnel may just give Gorica the boost that they desperately need. Five straight defeats lead to the dismissal of their previous coach but Maribor are hardly faring much better than Gorica currently with three defeats and a draw in their last four games, which is arguably worse as Maribor are expected to do a lot better. Both sides really need three points and I expect a really close game here because of it. As a final bit of food for thought, Gorica have won this fixture for five seasons running now. 2/1 is starting to look pretty damn good, isn’t it?

Nafta Lendava vs Rudar Velenje - away win at 6/5. Three wins in their last four games says Rudar Velenje are gathering momentum and consistency at great speed and look set to pose a legitimate title challenge this year. They’re currently second in the Prva Liga, just one point behind league leaders Koper. They’ve won an impressive seven games from nine so far and average just under two goals per game. They concede the least goals and frankly have everything in their favour at the moment. Hosts Nafta Lendava are in atrocious form and are currently second bottom of the Prva Liga. They’ve won just once in their last five games, suffering four defeats along the way. To their credit, they’re only taking points at home at the moment but they’re facing something of a winning machine today so I’m not sure that run will continue. I expect a lot of goals in this game but there’s value in the away win at 6/5.

Tenerife vs Athletic Club de Bilbao – away win at 13/8. I’m wondering just when this magical run of my beloved Athletic Club de Bilbao will end with some expectation that it’ll be against a powerful Sevilla CF at weekend. However, I can’t afford to look beyond this game because Tenerife are nothing if not resilient and compact. Athletic Club de Bilbao, however, have now won three successive domestic games and look extremely potent. Their youthful side mingled with the experience of Fran Yeste and Joseba Etxeberria looks to be one of their best for some time with great variety in all forms of attack, as well as mass potential. As usual, the Basque side cannot be relied upon defensively but their attacking prowess at the present time is compensating for that. Hosts Tenerife have lost two games this season without scoring a goal, placing a great deal of pressure on the side to deliver the goods when playing at home to stay in the Primera Liga. They’ve beaten a tough Osasuna at home already this season but they face an even more challenging game against in-form Athletic Club de Bilbao, a test I don’t think they’re capable of winning. I really fancy the away win at 13/8 gievn the above information but I’m aware that Athletic Club de Bilbao’s defence is dodgy, as ever, so I may encourage DNB. Either way, I can’t see a home win so lay Tenerife if you can find good odds on it.

Young Boys Bern vs FC Zurich – home win at evens. I do love Young Boys Bern! They’re a tipster’s dream most of the time! They beat all the big sides and are generally very reliable. This clash sees arguably the two best sides in the country compete but it’s worth noting that Young Boys Bern won the last clash between these two sides (at FC Zurich) and won this exact fixture last season too. Despite their first domestic defeat being a surprise loss last match at Neuchatel Xamax, Young Boys Bern are still the better of these two sides in my opinion and have more than enough quality to win the game. They average over two goals scored per game and are unbeaten at home this season with three wins from four games. FC Zurich have drawn too many games to be considered on the same level as Young Boys Bern currently which is also why I’m favouring the home win. I don’t think the defeat will have hurt the hosts too much and I fully expect a full-blooded game here with some cards and a lot of goals. However, for me, a home win at evens boasts some good value!

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

Asian Champions League:

Kawasaki Frontale vs Nagoya Grampus (6) 2-1
FC Bunyodkur vs Pohang Steelers (5) 1-0
Umm Salal vs FC Seoul (7) 1-2

Baltic League:

FK Jurmala vs Ekranas Panevezys (6) 0-1
Sillamae Kalev vs Skonto Riga (8) 1-2
Taurus Taurage vs Levadia Tallinn (7) 1-2
FK Siauliai vs Flora Tallinn (6) 2-0

Copa Nissan Sudamericana:

River Plate Montevideo vs Vitoria (6) 2-1
Alianza Atletico Sullana vs Fluminense (7) 2-0
Velez Sarsfeld vs Union Espanola (9) 2-0
Internacional vs Universidad de Chile (8) under 2.5 goals
Botafogo vs Emelec Guayaquil (4) 0-0
Liga de Quito vs Lanus (8) 2-1

Austrian Bundesliga:

SV Kapfenberg vs Rapid Vienna (8) 1-3
Salzburg vs Sturm Graz (7) 2-1
LASK Linz vs Austria Karnten (9) -1.75 handicap
Austria Vienna vs SV Ried (8) 2-1

Belarusian Vysshaya Liga:

Torpedo Zhodino vs FC Gomel (7) 2-1
FC Minsk vs Shakhtyor Soligorsk (6) 0-1
Dinamo Minsk vs Granit Mikashevichi (8) 2-0
FC Smorgon vs Naftan Novopolotsk (8) 0-1
Dnepr Mogilev vs MTZ-RIPO Minsk (7) 1-0
Dinamo Brest vs Neman Grodno (7) 2-1

Belgian Eerste Klasse:

Club Brugge vs Zulte-Waregem (6) 2-1
Standard de Liege vs Cercle Brugge (9) 2-0
Charleroi vs Mechelen (6) over 2.5 goals
AA Gent vs Westerlo (8) 2-1
Roeselare vs Lokeren (5) 0-1, draw no bet
Germinal Beerschot vs Kortrijk (6) 1-1

Brazilian Serie A:

Cruzeiro vs Palmeiras (7) 1-1

English League Cup:

Chelsea vs Queens Park Rangers (8) 2-1
Hull City vs Everton (7) 0-1
Preston North End vs Tottenham Hotspur (5) 1-1
Aston Villa vs Cardiff City (7) 1-0
Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (7) 2-0
Manchester City vs Fulham (8) 2-1

Finnish Veikkausliiga:

VPS Vaasa vs Inter Turku (7) 0-1
TPS Turku vs KuPS Kuopio (7) over 2.5 goals, both sides to score
Tampere United vs HJK Helsinki (6) 2-1
Jaro Pietersaari vs FC Honka Espoo (8) 1-2
RoPS Rovaniemi vs MyPa Anjalankoski (7) 1-1
FC Lahti vs JJK Jyvaskyla (6) 1-0
Haka Valkeakoski vs IFK Mariehamn (6) 0-1

Greek Super League:

Panionios vs PAOK Salonika (7) 0-1
AEK Athens vs Olympiakos Piraeus (7) 1-2

Italian Serie A:

Atalanta Bergamo vs Catania (6) 2-1
Bari vs Cagliari (8) 2-0
Bologna vs Livorno (6) 1-1
Fiorentina vs Sampdoria (5) 1-1
Internazionale vs SSC Napoli (8) 3-1
Lazio vs Parma (7) 2-1
Palermo vs AS Roma (6) 1-1
Siena vs Chievo Verona (5) 0-0
Udinese vs AC Milan (5) 1-1

Latvian Virsliga:

Tranzits Ventspils vs FK Ventspils (8) 1-3

Norwegian Tippeligaen:

Rosenborg BK vs Tromso IL (8) over 2.5 goals

Norwegian 2 Divisjon:

Sford Sunnhordland vs Algard (6)

Singaporean S-League:

Armed Forces vs Albirex Niigata (9) 3-1

Slovenian Prva Liga:

Drava vs Domzale (7) 1-1
Nafta Lendava vs Rudar Velenje (8) 1-2
Interblock Ljubljana vs Olimpija Ljubljana (7) 1-0, at least one red card in this game
Gorica vs Maribor (4) 1-0
Celje vs Koper (6) 1-2

Spanish Primera Liga:

Espanyol vs Malaga (8) 2-0
Deportivo Xerez vs Deportivo La Coruna (7) 1-2
Villarreal vs Real Madrid (6) over 2.5 goals, both sides to score
Real Valladolid vs Osasuna (6) 1-1
Atletico Madrid vs Almeria (7) 2-1
Tenerife vs Athletic Club de Bilbao (7) 1-2
Getafe vs Valencia (5) 1-1

Spanish Segunda B:

Group 1:

Osasuna II vs Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa (7)
Athletic Club de Bilbao II vs Palencia (8)
Barakaldo vs Ponferradina (6)
Sestao River Club vs Mirandes (6)
Eibar vs Montaneros (8)
Lugo vs Celta de Vigo II (5)
Racing Club de Ferrol vs Izarra (6)
Guijuelo vs Deportivo Alaves (8)
Compostela vs Pontevedra (5)
Zamora vs Lemona (7)

Group 2:

Real Madrid II vs Real Sporting de Gijon II (6)
Universidad Las Palmas vs Alcorcon (6)
Real Sociedad Gimnastica Torrelavega vs Cacereno (5)
Real Oviedo vs Real Racing Club Santander II (7)
Alcala Henares vs Cerro Reyes Badajoz (6)
Villanovense vs Conquense (7)
Leganes vs Tenerife II (8)
Vecindario vs Puertollano (5)
Toledo vs Guadalajara (7)
Lanzarote vs Atletico Madrid II (6)

Group 3:

Barcelona II vs Denia (6)
Valencia II vs Logrones (7)
Mallorca II vs Alicante (7)
Benidorm vs Gava (8)
Badalona vs Sant Andreu (7)
Terrassa vs Alcoyano (8)
Lleida vs Sporting Mahones (7)
Ontinyent vs Atletico Gramenet (8)
Villajoyosa vs Espanyol Barcelona II (6)
Orihuela vs Sabadell (6)

Group 4:

Real Betis II vs Ceuta (6)
Moratella vs Union Estepona (5)
Real Murcia II vs Sevilla II (6)
Roquetas vs San Roque (7)
Caravaca vs Real Jaen (6)
Polideportivo Ejido vs Ecija Balompie (7)
Granada vs Lucena (7)
Marbella vs Aguilas (7)
Melilla vs Sangonera Atletico (8)

Swedish Allsvenskan:

Hammarby vs GAIS Goteborg (7) draw no bet
BK Hacken vs Kalmar (7)
Orebro vs IFK Goteborg (6)

Swiss Super League:

Grasshoppers Zurich vs Aarau (6) 2-1
Basel vs St.Gallen (6) 1-0
Young Boys Bern vs FC Zurich (8) over 3.5 goals

Swiss Challenge League:

Biel-Bienne vs Winterthur (8)
Gossau vs Stade Nyonnais (6)
Lausanne Sports vs Locarno (8)
Lugano vs Wil (9)
Thun vs Schaffhausen (8)
Vaduz vs Kriens (6)
Yverdon Sport vs Le Mont (8)
Servette vs Wohlen (6)

Ukrainian Premier League:

Metalist Kharkiv vs Shakhtar Donetsk (8) 1-2

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