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Today’s secondary featured game is the UEFA Champions League game between Olympique Lyonnais and Rubin Kazan. The hosts have become experienced in this tournament over the past few years but the visitors aren’t strangers to it themselves, even being one of the few sides to beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp so they should not be written off so easily here.

I’m just not sure how Lyon can be so short to win what I class as a very difficult game. Lyon have one gifted goalscorer in Lisandro Lopez and if he turns it on then they can absolutely win this game. However, with him being their only dependable weapon, in my opinion, I don’t see how they’re so short.

I’ve not rated French football so lowly for some time as I do now. Lyon are considered to be one of the better sides in the country but they’re unreliable, defensively inept, and not good in front of goal. Mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain may alter my perception in due course – if they’re managed correctly – but I don’t rate French sides right now and Lyon are a classic example as to why I don’t. They’ve got a defence that can easily concede against any side, especially with experienced defender Cris absent tonight. They’re missing steel in the middle of the park after they bizarrely parted with both Makoun and Toulalan pre-season. They’ve only got one classy attacker in Lopez and a bunch of misfits around him with Gomis and Briand there. Pjanic has potential, Bastos has a wicked set piece on him, Kallstrom is far too inconsistent these days, and you never know if Gourcuff will play or not. There are far, far too many inconstencies in this team for my liking, to be honest.

Rubin, on the other hand, are the model of consistency. They’re not entertaining, they’re not advocates of the beautiful game, but fuck are they hard to beat! They’re desperately short of a good attacker and are short on creativity with ex-Hoffenheim playmaker Carlos Eduardo still absent. Even attacking midfielder Ryzantsev misses out tonight so creating chances will be hard for Rubin. However, experienced Gokdeniz and arising Israeli midfielder Natcho should cause Lyon’s makeshift defence a lot of problems by simply breathing, if they bother to attack, of course. Rubin have a habit of “parking the bus” away from home and I see no reason to expect otherwise from them here. After all, defending is very much their strength with the likes of Ansaldi, Navas, Bocchetti, and Noboa providing stubborn resistance at all times. It takes a very good side to score goals against this Rubin side. They’ve only conceded in two out of their last four European away games and considering that Lyon have only won twice in their last five home games, including a 2-2 draw with Israeli side Hapoel Tel-Aviv, I find it hard to take the French hosts seriously here.

The risk here is that Rubin won’t score if Lyon do manage to feed Lopez. However, with odds as generous as these are, I find it hard to overlook laying Lyon here, especially when some bookmakers have actually priced this selection as long as 7/5. The majority have it listed around 11/10, which is why I’ve listed it as I have, but there are some very good odds out there for backing a very solid defensive side to not lose. Risky, but worth it – that’s how I view it!

Verdict: Lay Olympique Lyonnais at 11/10.

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Tuesday’s Picks

Accumulator fodder:

Arsenal.

Recommended bets:

No multiples appeal to me today, sorry guys!

For my thoughts on today’s games, see below:

UEFA Champions League:

FC Copenhagen vs Viktoria Plzen (6) 2-1
BATE Borisov vs Sturm Graz (6) 1-0
Twente Enschede vs SL Benfica (6) 2-1
Arsenal vs Udinese (8) 2-0
Olympique Lyonnais vs Rubin Kazan’ (4) 0-1

Copa Sudamericana:

Universidad Catolica vs Bella Vista (7) 2-0
Deportivo Anzoategui vs Deportivo Quito (5) 2-1

Argentinian Primera Division:

San Martin de San Juan vs Tigre (6) 1-1
Atletico Lanus vs Independiente (7) 1-0
Argentinos Juniors vs Newell’s Old Boys (5) 2-1

English Championship:

Doncaster Rovers vs Nottingham Forest (6)
Birmingham City vs Burnley (5)
Leeds United vs Hull City (4)
Watford vs West Ham United (5)
Barnsley vs Middlesbrough (6)
Portsmouth vs Reading (6)
Ipswich Town vs Southampton (5)
Crystal Palace vs Coventry City (4)

Estonian Meistriliiga:

Flora Tallinn vs Levadia Tallinn (7) 2-0, at least one red card in this game

Lithuanian A Lyga:

Atlantas vs Kruoja Pakruojis (5) 2-2

Enjoy your free betting tips!