as great as we are, we tipsters gotta eat too

Saturday, June 14, 2008

SUDAN vs MALI (AFRICAN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING)

<3.75> <3.25> <1.80>

sudan is a bunch of unknown players. mali, on the other hand, boast the likes of momo sissoko, freddie kanoute, adama coulibaly and seydou keita. this is a mismatch, and i can see mali winning this one. i'm going in blind on this one considering i don't know about injury news and stuff, but i'm still sure mali will win.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on mali @ 1.80 = $9.00

CHINA vs IRAQ (AFC WORLD CUP QUALIFYING)

<2.10> <3.20> <2.95>

china have suffered from terrible luck in this qualifying campaign so far, and are languishing at the bottom of their group. to have any chance of reaching the next stage, they have to win this game, and being at home, they have a good chance, even though their last home match was a disappointing 1-0 loss to qatar. back china's bad luck to end here.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on china @ 2.10 = $10.50

GREECE vs RUSSIA (EURO 2008)

<3.25> <3.20> <1.97>

Greece are going to ditch their 5 man defence and go for an attacking 4-3-3. Russia still have Pogrebnyak and Andrei Arshavin out for this match. It's a very hard match to predict, but I think I'll have to go with Russia as 1) The Greece curse has been broken. 2) Greece are a bunch of "shitkickers". 3) Zhirkov has the ability to deliver killer balls that will really trouble the Greece defence. It might be a draw, but gut feeling says Russia win. And my gut feeling has been pretty accurate of late.

- Roland's prediction: $5 on Russia @ 1.97 = $9.85

russia showed on opening day that they have the quality to deal with top teams, playing on a par with spain before falling away due to the spectacular form of david villa. against a team that is clearly one of the worst in the championships this time around, i fully expect russia to win. what i'm not so happy about is the "heavy boat", as almost everyone i know is going for a russia win, which scares me. in any case, i'm backing russia tonight, as i think the likes of pavlyuchenko, zhirkov, sychev and co. have too much for "THE SHITKICKERS".

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on russia @ 1.97 = $19.70
$5 on russia to score 1st goal @ 1.75 = $8.75

SWEDEN vs SPAIN (EURO 2008)

<5.75> <3.65> <1.47>

Spain are too good. Sweden are not too bad but star player Ibrahimovic has a swollen knee and I hope he'll be manhandled by Puyol's clumsiness and goes out injured in the first 10 minutes. It's going to be a Spain win for me, seeing as how I have 1) Money on them to top the group and 2) Money on them to win Euro 2008. Oh and Villa's fractured finger from hugging Torres (wtf?) won't keep him out, so don't worry about Spain not firing on all cylinders. Olof Mellberg is a rock in defence so I would not take the handicap. Zlatan Ibrahimovic can suddenly conjure some magic and score some wonder goal so I'm not taking the handicap. My point: the handicap is dangerous, just go for a Spain win and get some quick cash.

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Spain @ 1.47 = $14.70

I think i'll agree with roland here. spain look to be in good form, as they demolished russia in their opening match, and that is never an easy feat. a win for spain here would all but seal qualification form them, ahead of their last match with "THE SHITKICKERS", greece. also, their goal difference should they win this one, will be better than the rest even if they do lose to greece, so i think they will want to wrap up qualification quick. i think sweden's defence is not good enough to deal with the varied threats offered by spain, and so i'm going for a spain win.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on spain @ 1.47 = $14.70
$5 on spain to win at HT @ 1.95 = $9.75

Friday, June 13, 2008

HOLLAND vs FRANCE (EURO 2008)

<2.33> <2.82> <2.90>

I think this match is better left alone. no bet

- Eddy's prediction: you will lose money if you bet on this.

It's funny how Holland are all of a sudden overwhelming favourites for this match, just because Eddy and I tipped them to win against Italy and they came through. We're geniuses. Anyway against France we'll expect Holland to play the only way they know how to - attack - as a win would help secure their qualification immediately. France haven't look inspired of late and they have not found a suitable replacement for Zidane, which is why everyone is cashing in on Holland. While Henry is back for France, he's over the hill and hasn't really been match fit. Anelka sucked and Benzema only managed to get 1 shot on target against a sterling Romanian defence. I'd expect Holland to not only keep out France, but to score many against them as Robben and Van Persie are fit for this match. With the odds at 5.25, going for Holland -1.5 may be a risk well taken.

- Roland's prediction: $5 on Holland @ 2.33 = $11.65
$5 on Holland -1.5 @ 5.25 = $26.25
$5 on Over 2.5 @ 2.15 = $10.75

ITALY vs ROMANIA (EURO 2008)

<1.55> <3.30> <5.50>

i think italy will win this one as they are definitely a better team technically, as compared to romania. they have to win as well, having endured a terrible start against holland. also, they'll be looking to get out of the blocks quick, so back them at halftime.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on italy @ 1.55 = $15.50
$5 on italy WIN at HT @ 2.10 = $10.50

World Champions Italy will look to get their Euro 08 campaign back on track with a win over Romania. They desperately need it as they are bottom with 0 points. A loss would mean that they are preliminarily eliminated, and a draw would mean they would be joint-bottom with France because I think Holland will win. So, Italy will go for this. Donadoni has announced that Del Piero, who's been in sterling form and caused many problems for the Holland defence when subbed on, will start. An attack with Toni as the focal point and Del Piero and Di Natale as wing forwards look great, and I think that Italy will win this one. Romania will look to defend and counter, but I think the superb passing of Pirlo will be able to unlock their defence.

- Roland's prediction: $5 on Italy @ 1.55 = $7.75

Thursday, June 12, 2008

CROATIA vs GERMANY (EURO 2008)

<6.90> <3.50> <1.43>

somehow something about croatia tells me that they'll sneak something in this match. try as hard as i can though, i can't quite see how the germans won't win this one. croatia are a good team, and their pace on the break could seriously trouble a german defence that isn't the most solid. germany's attack is fearsome though. podolski klose gomez the poachers, ballack with his headers, frings with his long piledrivers, overlapping runs from jansen and lahm. so many threats from so many areas, croatia's defence seems ill-equipped to deal with the threats. if u have to, take germany.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on germany @ 1.43 = $7.15
$5 on OVER 2.5 goals @ 2.10 = $10.50

Germany is too good to lose. Klose will bag 4 to become top scorer. Kidding. But Germany have too much upfront to not score. They're a well organised team and I doubt they will be threatened much by Croatia's counterattacks. I feel that Croatia's loss of star striker Eduardo will tell in this match.


- Roland's prediction: $10 on Germany @ 1.43 = $14.30

AUSTRIA vs POLAND (EURO 2008)

<3.30> <3.35> <1.90>

well bad luck all around last night, the draw, the fair result for the swiss against the turks, was shattered by arda turan's deflected goal. it's the sort of goal we normally associate with the shitkicker in blue, frank lampard. but back to players who will actually be playing at the euros, i'm gonna discuss what shitkickers austria are. if i'm not wrong, they're ranked behind singapore (edit: they're ahead of singapore, but SORRY, they're still shitkickers), and although fifa rankings are quite inaccurate, they are a fair way behind the other teams in the euros. poland are the second-shittiest, but i think the quality of players like smolarek, boruc and kryznowek should be enough to see off austria. a narrow defeat to croatia last time out, so a heavy defeat now? that's what i see.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on poland @ 1.90 = $19.00
$5 on poland -1.5 @ 3.75 = $18.75

Eddy was saying that a fun bet would be "will Austria get even 1 point?". I told him that they will get 1 off Poland. So that's my bet for today. A draw. Why? Austria have to win this. They will go all out because their final game is against Germany, which they will 100% confirm + chop lose. The coach has already told them to throw caution to the wind. And seeing how they choked Croatia in the second half, I think that the Austrians have the capabilities of securing a draw, perhaps even a win. On to the Polish side, they were totally owned by Germany and the winning margin would have been like 10-0 had it not been for Artur Boruc in goal. Basically, they sucked. Draw for Austria, for they were totally unable to convert despite their dominance. Austria sucks too.

- Roland's prediction: $5 on draw @ 3.40 = $17.00

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

CZECH REPUBLIC vs PORTUGAL (EURO 2008)

<4.80> <2.95> <1.72>

portugal know a win here would see them wrap things up and allow them the luxury of taking things easy in the last match against a swiss team that could possibly be fighting to save their euro 2008 lives, should the swiss and turks draw tonight (which will happen cos i tipped it). i think the portuguese should win, with their superb midfield, but the parallels to the opening game of the tournament can be seen from the way both the swiss and portuguese teams line up. both have ok defences, good midfields (excellent in portugal's case), no striker (after frei got injured), unreliable goalkeepers, and i can definitely see czech republic grinding out a draw here. however, i'm tipping the individual brilliance of portugal to shine through.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on portugal @ 1.72 = $8.60

Portugal have too much quality not to win this one. Expect youthful exuberance to dominate an ageing Czech side, which averages 29 years and 300+ days. Key men to watch for Portugal? Too many. Petr Cech remains a huge obstacle so don't push all your money onto Portugal. 3.05 for Portugal to win by 2 is too tempting for me to resist, especially with a side of that quality, but don't follow if you don't have the means to do so :).

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Portugal @ 1.72 = $17.20
$5 on Portugal -1.5 @ 3.05 = $15.25

SWITZERLAND vs TURKEY (EURO 2008)

<1.76> <3.50> <3.65>

the swiss head into this match without the injured frei, and i think that makes a huge difference to their side. eren derdiyok is unproven, marco streller is a shitkicker in the mould of the greek shitkickers who played like shit against sweden to give me an expected win last night. hakan yakin is quality, but he's a playmaker, not a scorer, and i think the swiss will have it all to do against the turks in this match. that's not to say that the turks will win. they have problems of their own, with both central defenders doubtful for this one, and belozoglu emre also sitting out. however, another theory long used in football betting is that a "heavy boat sinks" - ie too many bets on one team will cause that team to not win. we saw that with france against romania, when odds tumbled for a france win, only for them to put up a limp performance. tonight we see the same with swiss odds coming down rapidly. in a game which will see the losers packing their bags prematurely, i think a draw would be the result neutrals and tournament organisers prefer, and that's what's gonna happen.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on draw @ 3.50 = $17.50

As Eddy said. Switzerland don't have Frei - their captain and all time top goalscorer. Turkey are without Emre, and the central defensive pairing of Gokhan Zan and Servet Cetin are doubtful. Meaning that they're likely to start, because that's how team news always goes. I doubt home team advantage will do much with Frei out injured. Even though the Swiss had several chances against Czech Republic, most fell to Frei. Without Frei, I doubt that Streller can step up to the occasion. Turkey have a great striker in the form of Nihat, and it's because of the difference in quality in their strike forces that I'm siding the Turks.

- Roland's prediction: $5 on Turkey @ 3.65 (3.72 now, idiot Eddy!) = $18.25

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

GREECE vs SWEDEN (EURO 2008)

<2.82> <2.80> <2.40>

I'm terribly wary of Greece. They forced me to eat grass for a month in 2004 when I heavily backed Portugal to win on home soil. Okay, I exaggerate, but they caused a huge upset in the footballing world and in my wallet. Both teams are decent and have no major injury concerns. I'm favouring Sweden because of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson up front. If there's anyone that can stop this Greece curse on my wallet, an in-form Ibrahimovic can, and I hope he's on his game today. If you can place evens on Sweden, go for it.

- Roland's prediction: $5 on Sweden @ 2.40 = $12.00

i think sweden will win this one. i'm wary of greece too, but i think asking them to repeat their heroics from 2004 is pushing it a little. basically, they're a bunch of shitkickers, who recently added a bit of firepower with the discovery of not so shitty shit-kickers like gekas and amanatidis, which resulted in their impressive tally of 25 goals in qualifying. when you look at the teams they played in qualifying, the tally doesn't look that impressive already. 5 goals against malta. WOW. i think it's fair to say i have an easier chance scoring in malta than in zouk. when the people you're playing against share the same name as a breed of dog, they deserve to get beaten, BIG TIME. who the fuck calls themselves the MALTESE? wtf???? but i digress, i think sweden will win, and i'm pretty sure of it.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on sweden @ 2.40 = $24.00

SPAIN vs RUSSIA (EURO 2008)

<1.43> <3.62> <6.50>

Spain have enough quality to win this one. Strike duo Torres and Villa are probably one of the best in the world in terms of individual quality. Supported by Silva, Xavi, Iniesta and hopefully Fabregas, this Spanish team can cut through defences easily. Their task tonight is made easier by the absence of playmaker Arshavin (suspension) and Pogrebnyak (injury), both key players in the Russian lineup. One would be very tempted to splash money on Spain, but the Russians are quite hard to break down with Igor Akinfeev in goal. I still think Spain would win, just don't throw your entire life savings into this bet.

- Roland's predictions: $10 on Spain @ 1.43 = $14.30
$5 on Spain -1.5 @ 2.50 = $12.50


well roland seems pretty confident about spain. i think spain will win too, but i will not be so bold to risk $15 on what is a very tough match-up in the shape of spain. odds for a spain win dropped from 1.63 to 1.43, which is ominous considering the same thing happened for france against romania, a match that i decided not to tip. i still think as roland said, that spain have too much quality, and so i'll go for a spain win. not as much money though, i'm playing it safe.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on spain @ 1.43 = $7.15

BALESTIER KHALSA vs SUPER REDS (SINGAPORE LEAGUE CUP)

<6.20> <3.95> <1.40>

after the success of yday's short post, i shall do the same here. balestier khalsa do not have a good team, super reds do.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on super reds @ 1.40 = $7.00

Monday, June 9, 2008

ROMANIA vs FRANCE (EURO 2008)

<4.85> <3.35> <1.60>

The French did not impress during the qualifiers. Neither did they during the pre-Euro friendlies. Which is why they will win today, because it's time they played to their full potential. It's not that Romania have a crappy side, it's just that I expect the likes of Henry, Benzema, Ribery to step up and win it for France.

- Roland's prediction: $5 on France @ 1.60 = $8.00

GOMBAK vs YOUNG LIONS (SINGAPORE LEAGUE CUP)

<1.90> <3.25> <3.38>

gombak have a good team. young lions do not. at least not without khairul amri and hariss harun and isa halim, who are with the national team.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on gombak @ 1.90 = $9.50

HOLLAND vs ITALY (EURO 2008)

<3.22> <2.60> <2.30>

Team news: Holland - Van Persie, Robben out. Italy - Cannavaro, Pannuci out. Kinda funny that Italy have defenders injured while Holland have their strikers injured. Well, Italy probably have the better side, with in form Luca Toni leading the 3 pronged attack against the Holland defence, which has not been very good. Holland's best weapon will be their attack with great attacking flair from the likes of Afellay, van der Vaart, Sneijder backing Ruud Van Nistelrooy. It will be definitely a great match, but I feel that an upset is in the making especially with Cannavaro (injured) and Nesta (not called up) out for Italy. Not that Barzagli and Metarazzi are bad replacements, but Cannavaro was FIFA world player of the year, and Nesta is widely regarded as one of the best central defenders in the game. These two have been crucial to keeping Buffon safe and I think that their presence will be sorely missed. If you can, get Holland on level ball, it's worth a shot IMO.

On a side note, I don't know why but I have this hunch that Italy will score first, defend like mad and Holland will score 2 to win. I don't know why, it's just a feeling.

- Roland's prediction: $5 on Holland @ 3.22 = $16.10
$5 on A-H (Italy-Holland) @ 25.00 = $125.00


odds for the holland win have been going up rapidly these few days, possibly cos of the ridiculous perception that italy are the better side. let me tell you straight, they are not. and this is coming from someone who laid a wager on italy winning the world cup 2 years ago. italy, are now without cannavaro and nesta, meaning their central defence is marshalled by materazzi and barzagli, hardly a solid pair. this means that holland's weaknesses in defence are for the first time in a long while, matched by the italians. if the defences are equal, then you look at the offence. italy are SHIT in attack. luca toni, for all his supposed skill and attacking prowess, plays for a shit club in a shit league. holland are brilliant in attack, and i expect them to beat italy in this one. also, with shit defences, and good attackers, expect goals.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on Holland @ 3.22 = $16.10
$5 on OVER 2.5 goals @ 2.60 = $13.00

Sunday, June 8, 2008

AUSTRIA vs CROATIA (EURO 2008)

<4.45> <3.35> <1.65>

croatia head into this match knowing anything less than a win would be a minor disaster for them. austria are touted as the whipping boys of euro 2008, but it's still the opening match only, and they have home advantage. besides, austria do have enough quality to take advantage of any defensive slip-ups with roland linz a rather useful poacher, and ivanschitz ready to supply the ammunition. however, i still expect that croatia should have enough attacking prowess to really trouble austria, so it's a croatian win for me.

- Eddy's predictions: $5 on croatia @ 1.65 = $8.25
$5 on croatia A-A @ 2.90 = $14.50
$5 on croatia D-A @ 4.50 = $22.50

Austria are the tournament's weakest side. Seriously, their FIFA ranking of 92 is below those of Mozambique and Guatemala, both footballing powerhouses. Honestly, the only reason why they're in this tournament is because they are co-hosts. I won't claim to know a lot of their team - I only know of Roland Linz, Gyorgy Garics, Martin Stranzl and Emanuel Pogatetz - but I know that Croatia have a side to be reckoned with. Being one of the dark horses in this tournament, Croatia have a skilled side even without top scorer Eduardo da Silva. Highly rated dup Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar will be marauding down the flanks, feeding workhorse striker Olic (who scored the second goal that knocked out England and was named MOM) and will seriously trouble the Austrian defence. The only thing going for Austria is that they have the home team advantage which, as we saw yesterday, did not give Switzerland the win.

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Croatia @ 1.65 = $16.50
$5 on croatia A-A @ 2.90 = $14.50
$5 on croatia D-A @ 4.50 = $22.50

GERMANY vs POLAND (EURO 2008)

<1.38> <3.85> <6.90>

it's got to be germany for this one, no? they have a fearsome attack, boasting the likes of podolski, klose, ballack, and mario gomez off the bench. logic says the germans will win this one easily, and i can't see why they won't. poland are not a bad team, it's just that germany are way better.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on germany @ 1.38 = $13.80
$5 on germany H-H @ 2.05 = $10.25

Since I've tipped Klose to be top scorer, he'll score a hat trick in this one. Germany 3-0. No but seriously, Germany have, on paper, the much better side. Captain Ballack is hitting a rich vein of form, World Cup top scorer Klose has the capabilities of troubling any defence, and Mario Gomez partnering him will form a devastating attack. Poland aren't exactly a great side, and I expect Germany to win comfortably.

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Germany @ 1.38 = $13.80
$5 on Germany -1.5 @ 2.00 = $10.00