as great as we are, we tipsters gotta eat too

Friday, September 19, 2008

HULL CITY vs EVERTON (EPL)

<3.20> <3.15> <2.00>

Everton ruined my multiplier, so they'll make up for it by winning me some well deserved cash. Fellaini will return for Everton and bring some sorely missed energy into the Everton midfield. Everton have no problems going forward and getting goals. Their key problem is at the back, and Fellaini's energy and shielding the defence should help out a lot. Hull haven't been very impressive in attack and I think Everton will register a win.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Everton @ 2.00 = $10.00

everton are leagues ahead of hull in terms of quality, but what might be a factor in this one, are the tired legs that everton might suffer, considering their midweek battle with standard liege. what's comforting is the fact that hull already won last weekend, and relegation-threatened teams just DO NOT win two in a row, unless it's the tail-end of the season. everton on the asian handicap of -0/0.5 looks a handy bet, and bearing in mind that wigan demolished hull 5-0 at this very same stadium, everton at 2.00 for a win is actually quite a fair bet. hopefully, as i said, the tiredness doesn't affect them too much.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on everton @ 2.00 = $10.00

WEST BROMWICH vs ASTON VILLA (EPL)

<2.90> <3.15> <2.15>

I usually support teams that love to move the ball around and play fluid, attacking football. That will be, however, West Brom's demise. Villa might be slightly fatigued after their UEFA cup game against Litex Lovech, but I fancy their quick attacks to exploit the gaps left by West Brom when they move forward. Ashley Young and Carew are doubtful, but they are likely to be replaced by Milner and Harewood, who aren't too bad themselves. Agbonlahor's pace upfront will be immense in Villa's counter attacks, and I don't think Villa will have too much trouble seeing off West Brom.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Aston Villa @ 2.15 = $10.75

aston villa are a good team, no doubt, but seriously, they are no supermen, and they will be physically tired after two tough away trips to spurs and litex. west brom's brand of passing football, while foolhardy, will be ideal in this instance, as they will force the villans to keep chasing. the villans also break down their opponents with searing pace from the likes of young and agbonlahor, but they too will not be at their best physical state. however, i can't see west brom winning this one, as they have already won last weekend, and promoted teams just don't win that many games. a draw then. worth a shot.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on draw @ 3.15 = $15.75

BLACKBURN vs FULHAM (EPL)

<1.95> <3.20> <3.30>

The last 3 meetings between these sides have been draws, so there will be a clear victor this time. I'm going with Fulham because Dunn is out for Blackburn, which will leave lots of space for Bullard and Gera to run the show. Andy Johnson and Zamora look to have a great partnership going, and Johnson's sheer pace might pose Ryan Nelsen some trouble. I think that Blackburn seriously lack creativity and this might be a low scoring one, so go for total goals under 2.5, as well as a Fulham win. Well, if you lack balls, Fulham on the handicap is decently priced too.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Fulham @ 3.30 = $16.50

sometimes, i feel, roland is a kind man. "i think that blackburn seriously lack creativity". well i'm not so kind. blackburn are shitkickers with ZERO creativity. morten gamst pedersen used to be a creative spark, but that was two seasons ago. last season, they relied on david "i was brought up at arsenal but i'm still a cunt" bentley to provide quality service, and he did so very well. now he's gone and joined up with the people at shite hart lane, blackburn have become relegation fodder, and they will struggle among the lower reaches of the table. also, paul robinson as a replacement for brad friedel is hardly gonna inspire confidence in your defenders. david dunn has also been ruled out, leaving them with even less of an attacking threat. fulham's away form has been rather woeful, but if they're gonna win a game away, it has to be this one.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on fulham @ 3.30 = $16.50

UDINESE vs NAPOLI (SERIE A)

<2.05> <3.00> <3.25>

This will be a key theme in the upcoming weeks - bet on the team at home against Napoli. Why? Their away form is shite. Also, their fans have been banned from all away matches until the end of the season. Both teams registered wins a couple of days back in the UEFA cup and should be coming into this match with confidence, but I'm backing the home team because of home ground advantage (and in the Serie A, it counts for A LOT), and the fact that Napoli have no supporting fans. Gokhan Inler, Quagliarella and Di Natale will give lots of firepower to the Udinese team.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Udinese @ 2.05 = $10.25

WEST HAM vs NEWCASTLE (EPL)

<1.95> <3.20> <3.30>

Well, this is the battle between the two clubs who had the first managerial casualties. West Ham have lost Ashton to an injury.. in TRAINING. He needs a new physio. Carlton Cole and Di Michele up front could pose the Newcastle defence some trouble, but I think the key area of weakness for Newcastle is N'Zogbia at left back. He loves to go forward and it will leave a lot of space in behind for Behrami to exploit (so get Behrami in fantasy football, that's my tip too). West Ham will have the new manager syndrome and Newcastle fans will boycott the match anyway, and their bright spark Jonas Gutierrez is out injured, so West Ham win.

Roland's prediction: $5 on West Ham @ 1.95 = $9.75

BOLTON vs ARSENAL (EPL)

<5.60> <3.52> <1.50>

arsenal were superb in their 4-0 demolition of blackburn last weekend, and the odds are reflecting that, offering a measly 1.50 for them to triumph away from home at a ground which is clearly not their favourite. last season's 3-2 win was one of few they have achieved in the past few seasons at the reebok, especially when big sam, the walrus-lookalike cunt was in charge. however, i feel that arsenal are impossible to go against in this match, considering how good their performances have been. adebayor is one of few players who can score a hattrick and still have had quite an unremarkable/bad game. he was constantly caught offside last weekend, which is rather frustrating. his midweek miss against dynamo kiev will also not have done his confidence any good, but i reckon he'll be back firing this weekend.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on arsenal @ 1.50 = $7.50

LIVERPOOL vs STOKE CITY (EPL)

<1.15> <5.65> <12.00>

liverpool have done very well this season, getting good results against the general opinions of punters, like against united and aston villa. however, liverpool do worst when everyone thinks they'll win, and what could be easier for pool than stoke at home? skrtel and carragher have been doing quite well in central defence, but after a midweek european match, rafa benitez is likely to rest one of them, and bring sami hyypia in. he would also want to count on hyypia's aeria prowess against stoke's long throws, which might seem smart. HOWEVER, rafa would be dumb to try such a move imo, as ricardo fuller is a tricky customer on the deck, and should he be given a one-on-one with hyypia, stoke fans should already start celebrating a goal. also rafa's rotation against supposedly weaker opposition might end up hurting their fluidity and movement. stoke though, are kinda shit, of course, so backing them on a draw or win seems rather foolhardy. instead, take them on the handicap, where only a 3-goal victory for liverpool will make you lose your money.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on stoke city +2.5 @ 1.48 = $7.40

Liverpool won't win by more than 2. Delap has hulk arms and will cause Liverpool tonnes of problems, especially since Reina loves to flap at crosses. I'm going to be putting a small bet on a Stoke win and draw due to the immensely high odds, and there's a fair chance of an upset.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Stoke City +2.5 @ 1.48 = $7.40

BALESTIER KHALSA vs WOODLANDS (S-LEAGUE)

<4.00> <3.20> <1.77>

both teams haven't recorded victory in such a long time, making this a very difficult match to call. however, i think woodlands have a bit more quality in their squad, with the likes of park tae won, azlan alipah, jerry bartholomeusz, and hasrin jailani. balestier khalsa will again look to paul bekombo to score for them, and end a losing run of 684 matches. despite woodlands looking like quite clear victors here, it's hard to back them considering their terrible run. instead i'll go for them to score first, which is a safer option.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on woodlands to score first @ 1.60 = $8.00

Thursday, September 18, 2008

EVERTON vs STANDARD LIEGE (UEFA CUP)

<1.55> <3.50> <5.05>

everton have struggled a little this season, but in their 3-2 away win at shitkickers stoke, they proved that they can deal with the most negative of teams. the signing of segundo castillo adds some much-needed steel to the everton midfield which has been found lacking in bite following the departure of lee carsley. yakubu will also be a real handful for the liege defence, and i fancy everton to record their first home win this season.

Eddy's prediction: $10 on everton @ 1.55 = $15.50

Tim Cahill is back, Everton should be getting back into the groove of things and scoring goals. Remember that Liege have lost their midfielder FOULlaini, who had an excellent game against Liverpool, to Everton (he is cup tied by the way). And as Eddy said, Everton show that they can compete with negative teams, and with Standard Liege away they should face a tough test. Everton will win this one though.

Roland's prediction: $10 on Everton @ 1.55 = $15.50

OMONIA vs MANCHESTER CITY (UEFA CUP)

<5.30> <3.65> <1.50>

City lost their last game, so they will win this one. No seriously. Omonia stink and I don't even know who plays for them. City have Petrov and Johnson out but summer signings Kompany and Zabaleta and Robinho are set to feature. As Eddy's brilliant logic states, City will win this one.

Roland's prediction: $10 on City @ 1.50 = $15.00

well i must admit that sometimes i base my decisions on that above-mentioned logic, and *hint hint* you will see that feature in this weekend's predictions. anyway, i think manchester city have too much quality for omonia, who have little european pedigree, timo wenzel and claudiu niculescu arguably qualifying as european-class players.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on city @ 1.50 = $7.50

NAPOLI vs BENFICA (UEFA CUP)

<1.95> <3.15> <3.35>

Napoli head into this game on the back of a deserving 2-1 win at home against Fiorentina. Their home record is impeccable, having won ALL at home so far (which amounts to 3 games, but I digress), and beating the likes of Inter and Juve at home last season. Napoli have the likes of Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi who are great going forward, the latter impressing in the Beijing Olympics for Argentina. At the back they have Paolo Cannavaro, brother of Fabio. How can they lose? Just kidding. Benfica have only played 3 games so far and will be short on match fitness, so I think that this game might be too soon for them. Napoli win.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Napoli @ 1.95 = $9.75

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

DYNAMO KIEV vs ARSENAL (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

<4.60> <3.30> <1.65>

Well, 2 form teams meet. Kiev have won their last 6, while Arsenal have recovered from their away loss to Fulham and have scored 11 and conceded 0 in their last 3 matches. This promises to be a great game, because Arsenal will trounce them and I will win money. Nasri and Silvestre are out for Arsenal but Walcott has hit top form, bagging assists left right centre and getting goals for England too. Van Persie has scored in their last 3 matches, and Adebayor just scored a hat trick for le Arse. They have so much firepower in their ranks and I don't see them not coming out with a result.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Arsenal @ 1.65 = $8.25


i agree with roland on this one. the arsenal should have too much firepower for dinamo kiev to handle. plus we lost the last 3 matches we played in their home stadium and that bad run has to end somewhere?

Eddy's prediction: $5 on arsenal @ 1.65 = $8.25

JUVENTUS vs ZENIT ST PETERSBURG (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

<1.62> <3.35> <4.70>

Heavy boat on Juventus, which is why I've left this post for today. Zenit are in good form, winning the last 3 games including the one in the Super Cup against Manchester United. They play very much like the Russian national team and boast some great attacking options in Arshavin, who will want to produce an EPL-moving performance, and Pogrebnyak, who will want to prove that he's better than Pavlyuchenko as he was sidelined during Euro through injuries. Okay, I made those motivations up, but they sound convincing right? Anyway, Juve have drawn 4 and won 2 in their last 6 games, so they aren't really the form team right now. Del Piero is set to return for Juve and Chiellini will come back from injury, so it's going to be tough for Zenit. However, they are Russians, and we've seen them in the Euro and against United in the Super Cup - they can rise up to the occasion. I think this is the best occasion for them to rise up to, being their debut in the Champions League, and if there will ever be a dark horse (fuck off cluj), it will be Zenit St Petesburg. A Zenit handicap will be the way to go as I forsee that Juve, if they do actually win, will win by at most 1 goal, because they are Juve.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Zenit @ 4.70 = $22.80

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

SWANSEA vs DERBY COUNTY (COCA-COLA CHAMPIONSHIP)

<2.00> <3.20> <3.15>

derby county picked up their first win since paul jewell took over by beating sheffield united (predicted by the great one), and i think they will continue their winning ways here. winning is a habit, and swansea don't look like they can stand up to a resurgent derby team. swansea are no minnows though, as they rank among the top few teams in the country. well, technically at least, as they are a welsh team. anyway back to serious matters, i think derby are in good shape and form to record their first away win of the season, despite them missing injured midfielder with a name that's too long. well if u really want it, it's przemyslaw kazmierczak, who i don't think will be overly popular with commentators. he will be ably replaced by nacer barazite though, the bright arsenal prospect. also, a boost for derby as they welcome back lewin nyatanga from injury, and he'll definitely help bolster the defence.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on derby @ 3.15 = $15.75

PSV EINDHOVEN vs ATLETICO MADRID (UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

<2.30> <3.10> <2.70>

atletico level would be a brilliant bet, cos i dun see them getting beaten by a rather mediocre PSV side. psv boast the likes of timmy simons, danny koevermans, ibrahim afellay, and carlos salcido. i use the word "boast" very liberally here, as those players are hardly ones you'll see strutting their stuff in a major european league anytime soon. and no, the dutch eredivisie doesnt count as a major european league. anyway, atletico were defeated by valladolid 2-1 at the weekend, but that was because chief strikers diego forlan and sergio aguero were rested. with them leading the line in eindhoven, i expect the psv defence to endure a torrid time. while atletico did very well in the transfer market, strengthening with johnny "lil jon" heitinga, paulo assuncao among others, adding defensive steel, psv replaced unreliable keeper heurelho gomes with andreas iSUCKsson, who is even more unreliable. i think there is a huge gulf in class here, and atletico should prevail. to end this lengthy post off, carlos salcido warned atletico, saying that there would be "an electric atmosphere" awaiting the atletico players. READ: psv sux, therefore they have to rely on home atmosphere. poor carlos salcido is possibly shitting in his pants now, thinking of one-one-ones with aguero, forlan and simao.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on atletico @ 2.70 = $13.50

STEAUA vs MUNICH (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

<4.20> <3.25> <1.72>

FC Steaua vs Bayern Munich. I see odds at 1.72 for Bayern as a very good deal as Steaua aren't a very good side. They do dominate the romanian league, and have even won the Champions League once, but I doubt they will be able to hold off Bayern. Bayern strikers are all in top form, Luca Toni has scored 3 in the past 2 matches, Podolski has been scoring lots and Klose just scored a hat trick for Germany during the international break. I honestly don't think there's any way Bayern will not win this one with the likes of Ribery, Schweinsteiger and Mark van Bommel as the supporting cast. Well, maybe not if FC Steaua unleash their hidden FM LEGEND Bogdan Stancu.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Bayern Munich @ 1.72 = $8.60

i'll agree with roland. bayern are brilliant, and should have too much for steaua. EDIT: cancelling this tip. have a bad feeling about steau causing an upset..heavy boat for bayern and all..

Eddy's prediction: $5 on bayern munich @ 1.72 = $8.60 (CANCELLED)

PANATHINAIKOS vs INTER (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

<4.25> <3.20> <1.72>

Panathinaikos are no pushovers. At home, they are really difficult to break down and beat. However, I think that the special one is too special for Panathinaikos to cope with. Inter have players that can conjure magical moments such as Luis Figo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and as such I think they will win.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Inter @ 1.72 = $8.60

MARSEILLE vs LIVERPOOL (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

<3.50> <3.15> <1.90>

Liverpool win here. As much as I'd love to see them lose, I don't think they will (So if they actually lose, i gain real life satisfaction but lose money, and vice versa, so it's a win win situation for me I guess). Anyway, Marseille aren't a bad side and they have some decent players like Ben Arfa. They also have had a good run of games leading up to this match and they have won all their home matches this season. However, they have been rather leaky at the back and inconsistent in the Champions League. Liverpool will celebrate the return of Stevie G and are one of the most consistent sides in the Champions League. The corresponding fixture was a 4-0 away win for Liverpool. Liverpool are on a "We beat Man Utd" high. Go for Liverpool.

Roland's prediction: $5 on Liverpool @ 1.90 = $9.00

Sunday, September 14, 2008

TOTTENHAM vs ASTON VILLA (EPL)

<1.95> <3.15> <3.35>

Hmm, tough one here. Odds for spurs are so low because of their sensational 1-1 draw with Chelsea, but we have to keep in mind that 1) they scored an amazingly lucky goal, and 2) it was a derby, duh, so it was already preordained by the footballing Gods. Spurs have had trouble scoring goals with the departure of Berbs and Keane. Pavlyuchenko has been brought in, but I doubt he'll be the immediate source of inspiration upfront for Spurs. Villa lost to Stoke and then drew with Liverpool.. you know what's coming next! Villa win! Lets just say that the Spurs have a very lightweight midfield with no capable defensive midfielder to stem Villa's attacks, which is REALLY deadly. Would you want Milner, Agbonlahor and Ashley Young running at you?

Roland's prediction: $5 on Aston Villa @ 3.35 = $16.75


spurs haven't won yet this season, so they'll surely win today? well i'd like to go with that, but villa are a quality team. as such i'll go for the slightly safer option of spurs scoring first. aston villa might be good, but spurs are definitely a class above them in the midfield region. corluka's arrival is also gonna strengthen spurs in their bid to keep a clean sheet here. i expect modric to have a breakthrough performance here.

Eddy's prediction: $5 on spurs to score 1st @ 1.75 = $8.75