Today’s featured game is one of the biggest value bets I’ve been able to back with such a high level of confidence. Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova host Greek champions Olympiakos Piraeus. The Greek champions impressed me last season but have furthered how impressed I am with some good transfer action over summer. Not only that, but they comfortably disposed of some potential tricky customers by beating Slovan Bratislava comfortably in both legs of the previous round. I don’t think I’m being unfair when I say Sheriff Tiraspol aren’t anywhere near the level of the Slovakian outfit. Sheriff Tiraspol have already exceeded their wildest expectations by edging past an out-of-sorts Inter Turku of Finland and also stealing an away goal in the 94th minute away to Czech champions Slavia Prague to progress on the away goals rule. However, this game is an entirely new obstacle for them, one that is way too high for them to compete with. Moldova isn’t an easy place to play but Olympiakos Piraeus are so much better than the hosts that odds of 21/10 on a -1.75 handicap is frankly ludicrous! I can only recommend that all of you take this and I’ll be very, very surprised if they don’t achieve this. If you’re nervous than 8/11 on the away win is still very much worthwhile.

Tuesday’s Picks

My tips:

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

Sheriff Tiraspol vs Olympiakos Piraeus – away win with -1.75 handicap at 21/10 – see introduction for full details.

Sporting Clube de Lisboa vs Fiorentina - away win at draw no bet odds of 6/5. This is an interesting bet and one I’m keen to ride out despite not seeing Fiorentina competitively this season. My main motivation for this bet is that Sporting Clube de Lisboa have turned into a really poor side over summer and I’m not quite sure why or how. Their penetration in the final third is weak. They laboured past Holland’s FC Twente and laboured to a 1-1 draw at Nacional in the Liga Sagres at weekend. Fiorentina are better than both of these two sides so it should be an interesting game. Too often do the Portuguese outfit rely on Liedson to carry them in attack because Yannick Djalo isn’t consistent enough. There’s no holding midfielder of any significant substance i.e. a hard-tackler so they find retaining possession difficult. Rui Patricio could be a good goalkeeper but he flaps when it’s in the air. Fiorentina, as an Italian side, are very tactically astute and will be aware of this. Not only that, but they’re in a good position to take advantage of it. It should be a close game but an away win looks quite possible here. However, lack of competitive games makes me think a draw isn’t out of the question so an away win with draw no bet at 6/5 could be worthwhile.

Sunderland vs Chelsea - under 2.5 goals at 4/5. I’m more confident about this bet than I probably should be but I’ll ride it anyway. As we saw at weekend, Sunderland under Steve Bruce is a different Sunderland, a much more efficient Sunderland with greater strike power. However, it is still early days and although I expect them to cause Chelsea problems today, I don’t think they’re going to score against a solid Chelsea defence. To add to that, Chelsea were a little one-dimensional against Hull City, a little too rigid and short on innovation in their new diamond formation. They were very short on width, something that I feel only Joe Cole can resolve upon his return from injury. I think Chelsea definitely have the ability to score at somepoint through the quality of their team but because it’s still early season, I don’t think they’ll be excessive or free-flowing. A scoreline of 0-1 looks likely to me but either way, I don’t expect goals to top 2.5 so going under 2.5 at 4/5 looks good value.

Wigan Athletic vs Wolverhampton Wanderers – home win at 3/4. Wigan Athletic surprised an awful lot of people with victory over Aston Villa at weekend, myself included. I think it was partially Aston Villa’s lack of leadership at the back and partially the seemingly miraculous management abilities of Roberto Martinez that did the damage. However, if they can win at Villa Park, they can sure as hell beat a Wolverhampton Wanderers side that seem to struggle with penetration in attack, particularly with the news that star striker Ebanks-Blake is to miss the game through injury. I can’t see odds staying at 3/4 for long so take them at whatever you can get – this should be a straightforward home win!

Peterborough United vs West Bromwich Albion - away win at 11/8. Peterborough United are really starting to struggle in this division which I feared they would but hoped the wouldn’t. I have a lot of respect for them but this shooting-up-two-divisions-over-two-years malarkey has stretched them a bit far now, seemingly. West Bromich Albion have already proven they’ve more than capable of fighting for success on all fronts and have been efficient in all competitions. It’s possibly fair to say their win away to Nottingham Forest last match was a tad fortunate but they’ll have learned from it and face lesser opposition today. I thoroughly expect an away win here and 11/8 are great odds to see it happen at.

Plymouth Argyle vs Cardiff City - away win at 6/4. Plymouth Argyle are struggling; I’m happy to ride it! They’re not scoring the goals and not making their home advantage count anywhere near enough. People used to be a little wary about the lengthy trip to the west country but currently, who would be? True, Plymouth Argyle are currently unbeaten but it’s only fortune that has done this for them. They need to bolster their attack, and swiftly. The addition of Gow up front will assist them but I feel they need at least one more attacker currently. Cardiff City, by contrast, are flying, which is the last thing I expected them to do after the loss of influential figure Roger Johnson in summer. Whereas it’s not something I’d put my house on, I do think an away win here is on the cards and it’s certainly worth a flutter at 6/4.

Sheffield United vs Leicester City – home win at 4/5. Sheffield United are a Premier League side playing in the Championship. Leicester City won’t lie down for this game but the hosts outclass them all over the field and have the form and momentum to dispose of Leicester City with considerable ease. I can’t see odds staying at 4/5 for long so take it whilst you can.

Huddersfield Town vs Brighton & Hove Albion – home win at 4/5. Huddersfield Town have really impressed me so far this year, whereas Brighton & Hove Albion are achieving the level currently that I expect them to by surviving – barely! The hosts are a notoriously difficult side to play on their own turf. Their problem last season was winning enough games at home instead of drawing them, something they seem to be correcting this year. All in all, Huddersfield Town are too good for Brighton & Hove Albion and should win this comfortably. Again, I can’t see 4/5 lasting too long so take it whilst you can.

Swindon Town vs Southampton  – away win at 8/5. This is a relatively dubious call in the sense that Southampton don’t score as many goals as they should. However, they’re travelling to a very poor Swindon Town side that have a very long and difficult struggle ahead of them this season to stay in League One, in my opinion. Southampton are the better side here and providing they take their chances, 8/5 will be a bargain.

Walsall vs Leeds United - away win at 10/11. Walsall are a funny side that turn up sometimes when they shouldn’t so I will emphasise some caution on this game at least. However, Leeds United hae two of the best strikers in the division and it’s only a matter of time before they go to the Championship. They’re more than capable of taking advantage of Walsall’s occasional inability to finish off their opponents and I expect them to edge the win here today. 10/11 are some good odds and the result should happen too.

Bournemouth vs Aldershot Town – home win at 4/5. I’ve been very, very impressed with Bournemouth’s no-nonsense attacking football this season, particularly after their demolition of promotion rivals Bury. They had a good season last year but struggled to fight against their large points deduction. This year, that isn’t holding them back and I quite fancy them to find themselves in League One next year. Aldershot Town have started well and will probably make life difficult for Bournemouth in this game but the quality difference between the sides really should show through by the final whistle. Odds of 4/5 won’t last so take them whilst you still can.

Grimsby Town vs Rotherham United – away win at 5/4. This is possibly my favourite bet of the day. Rotherham United have impressed me in the same way as Bournemouth have so far this season. They’ve got a good squad and have a really good chance of being promoted this year. Grimsby Town have struggled to stay in this league for some seasons now and it cannot be long before they inevitably enter the Conference. They’re not a good side, they’re gradually getting worse and their form so far this season sees them deservedly bottom of the table. In fact, I really wouldn’t be surprised if they were relegated this season. This should be an away win – game, set and match. I’ve seen quite a few 4/5 odds today; this is one game that I can’t believe isn’t 4/5. At 5/4, this is a steal!
 
Hamarkamaratene vs Sogndal – home win at 19/20. This is a risky call because sides are good but I’m riding the wave against Sogndal. Their form lately reads no wins in four games – they’ve drawn two and lost two. Former Tippeligaen outfit Hamarkamaratene are playing a little better than today’s opponents with two wins, one draw and one defeat from their past four games. They’re unbeaten in their last two games and they’re one of the best home sides in the Adeccoligaen seven wins from nine games, averaging nearly three goals per game at home. This makes them the biggest goalscorers at home in the entire division. Sogndal, however, concede the least amount of goals in the division on the road so this should be a very interesting game. However, I’m calling the home win because I think the hosts are just better and have the momentum to make it count. 19/20 odds on this game look intriguing.

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

UEFA Champions League:

Sheriff Tiraspol vs Olympiakos Piraeus (9) -1.75 handicap
FC Copenhagen vs APOEL Nicosia (8) both sides to score
Celtic vs Arsenal (5) 1-1
Poli Timisoara vs VFB Stuttgart (6) 0-0
Sporting Clube de Lisboa vs Fiorentina (5) 0-1, draw no bet

Copa Nissan Sudamericana:

Tigre vs San Lorenzo de Almagro (6) 1-1
Deportivo Cali vs Universidad de Chile (7) 2-1

English Premier League:

Sunderland vs Chelsea (8) under 2.5 goals
Wigan Athletic vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (8) 2-0

English Championship:

Barnsley vs Preston North End (6)
Blackpool vs Derby County (7)
Bristol City vs Queens Park Rangers (7)
Doncaster Rovers vs Coventry City (6)
Ipswich Town vs Crystal Palace (6)
Nottingham Forest vs Watford (6)
Peterborough United vs West Bromwich Albion (8)
Plymouth Argyle vs Cardiff City (7)
Scunthorpe United vs Middlesbrough (6)
Sheffield United vs Leicester City (8)
Swansea City vs Reading (5)

English League One:

Brentford vs Norwich City (5)
Colchester United vs Gillingham (7)
Exeter City vs Yeovil Town (6)
Hartlepool United vs Bristol Rovers (6)
Huddersfield Town vs Brighton & Hove Albion (8)
Leyton Orient vs Charlton Athletic (4)
Millwall vs Oldham Athletic (6)
Stockport County vs Carlisle United (6)
Swindon Town vs Southampton (7)
Tranmere Rovers vs Milton Keynes Dons (7)
Walsall vs Leeds United (8)
Wycombe Wanderers vs Southend United (6)

English League Two:

Accrington Stanley vs Northampton Town (5)
Barnet vs Morecambe (7)
Bournemouth vs Aldershot Town (8)
Bradford City vs Lincoln City (4)
Burton Albion vs Torquay United (6)
Dagenham & Redbridge vs Shrewsbury Town (6)
Darlington vs Crewe Alexandra (7)
Grimsby Town vs Rotherham United (8)
Hereford United vs Bury (5)
Macclesfield Town vs Port Vale (6)
Rochdale vs Cheltenham Town (6)

Estonian Meistriliiga:

Flora Tallinn vs Kuressaare (10) -1.75 handicap

French Ligue 2:

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

Moldovan Divizia Nationala:

Iskra-Stali vs Sfintul Gheorghe (8)
Tiraspol vs Zimbru Chisinau (7)

Northern Irish Premier League:

Crusaders vs Cliftonville (7)
Coleraine vs Ballymena United (8)
Institute vs Lisburn Distillery (6)
Glenavon vs Portadown (7)
Glentoran vs Linfield (7) at least one red card in this game
Newry City vs Dungannon Swifts (6)

Norwegian Adeccoligaen:

Hamarkamaratene vs Sogndal (7)

Singaporean S-League:

Balestier Khalsa vs Tampines Rovers (6) 1-2

Enjoy your free betting tips