TAMPINES vs HOME UNITED (SINGAPORE CUP)

<2.75> <2.95> <2.35>

and my losing streak went on...bangkok university inexplicably succumbed to a goal from the guy i've been least impressed with in the young lions team, daniel hammond. well, my luck's gotta turn sometime? i think home united should win against tampines because they have the better players, if only just. mustafic fahrudin will look to foil the creativity of the home midfielders, but i think he'll have his work cut out trying to neutralise shahril ishak, peres de oliveira and shi jiayi. i'm backing home united and i hope they don't disappoint.

- Eddy's predictions: $5 on home utd @ 2.35 = $11.75
$5 on home utd to win at halftime @ 3.15 = $15.75
$5 on home utd to score first @ 1.85 = $9.25

BANGKOK UNI vs YOUNG LIONS (SINGAPORE CUP)

<1.25> <4.75> <8.40>

the young lions look in awful shape. khairul amri has left, hariss harun has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a bad injury, and isa halim is suspended for this one. this means that the young lions have noone half-decent to play. the remainder of the team is made up of shitkickers, and given their attacking threat is close to nil with the absentees, i expect bangkok to win this one.

- Eddy's predictions: $10 on bangkok uni @ 1.25 = $12.50
$5 on bangkok uni to win at half-time @ 1.58 = $7.90

WOODLANDS vs TOBACCO FC (SINGAPORE CUP)

<2.50> <3.20> <2.40>

woodlands head into this game after a 1-1 draw last week in the first leg. this time, they will have abdelhadi laakkad back from injury. hasrin jailani should also be back for them, and this, i think is crucial, as it should give woodlands the superiority in midfield, considering the thais are without their captain. i feel woodlands have a big chance of winning this.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on woodlands @ 2.50 = $12.50
$5 on woodlands to score 1st goal @ 2.10 = $10.50
$5 on woodlands to lead at half time @ 3.45 = $17.25

JUBILO IWATA vs KASHIMA ANTLERS (J-LEAGUE)

<3.30> <3.20> <1.95>

jubilo have won three on the trot, which seems impossible for a team that are sorely lacking star quality. that's exactly why they will lose, against the kashima antlers, who should have no problems whatsoever seeing off jubilo.

- Eddy's predictions: $5 on kashima antlers @ 1.90 = $9.50

TOKYO VERDY vs JEF UTD CHIBA (J-LEAGUE)

<1.90> <3.20> <3.45>

tokyo verdy are on a HORRID run of form. they've won one in their last six matches, that being a very impressive 4-1 smacking of shimizu s-pulse. jef utd, despite being bottom of the table, look like they have turned the corner, going 3 matches unbeaten in the league. HOWEVER, if they were to get a point in this match, then they would go 4 unbeaten, which sounds impossible to me. HULK will grab the goals in this one. tokyo verdy to win.

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

CONSADOLE SAPPORO vs SHIMIZU S-PULSE (J-LEAGUE)

<3.07> <3.30> <2.00>

shimizu s-pulse are on a good run of form, grinding out a 0-0 draw away from home against high-fliers kashima antlers, and achieving a hard-fought win against kyoto sanga. these results suggest they should have no problems against the shitkickers from hokkaido, consadole sapporo. the likes of akinori nishizawa, marcos, and teruyoshi ito, should prove too hot to handle for sapporo. HOWEVER, sapporo have lost their last 5, so don't plonk too much on shimizu. remember how i believe all runs, bad or good, have to end someday?

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on shimizu s-pulse @ 2.00 = $10.00

THE QUITE LATE POST-EURO REVIEW

Tipster	Bets Placed	Bets Won	Win %	Money Placed	Money Won	Profits
Eddy	51	30	58.8	320	382.6	$62.6
Roland	58	31	53.4	370	471.95	$101.95

well. spain won in the end eh? in case u guys forgot, these were my pre-tournament picks.

- Eddy's predictions: $5 on HOLLAND @ 10.00 = $50.00
$5 on SPAIN @ 6.00 = $30.00
$5 on RUUD VAN NISTELROOY TOP-SCORER @ 14.00 = $70.00

delighted to be on target with my spanish prediction, meaning that i have successfully picked the winners of the last two major tournaments, spain at euro 2008, and italy at wc 2006. RVN could have been top-scorer, scoring two goals before the russians knocked them out. it has been a great tournament, and i feel that spain were worthy winners in the end. since european leagues don't kick off till august, i will be focussing on j-league and s-league for now, hoping to maintain my decent form. - Eddy

Mine were similar predictions:

- Roland's Predictions: $5 on HOLLAND @ 10.00 = $50.00
$5 on SPAIN @ 6.00 = $30.00
$5 on MIROSLAV KLOSE TOP-SCORER @ 9.00 = $45.00

Spain won, which means I have also profitted from getting 2 major tournament winners right. Italy (@ 14.00) in the World Cup and Spain (@ 7.50) for Euro. Klose was a disappointment, and the Germans eventually ran out of steam. I knew that bet was gone when, in his first game, David Villa scored a hat-trick. Oh well, Spain won in the end. Cheers. EPL next year! - Roland

GOMBAK vs SUPER REDS (S-LEAGUE)

<3.06> <3.30> <2.00>

super reds to win this one, because they are the better team. simple as that. oh ddog yi is brilliant, and has a brilliant name. he will score because of the power of his name, and his ddogged determination. hurhurhur.

- Eddy's predictions: $5 on super reds to win @ 2.00
$5 on super reds -1.5 @ 3.85 = $19.25

GERMANY vs SPAIN (EURO 2008 FINAL)

<2.93> <2.85> <2.30>

finally, we're here. the final of euro 2008. as the both of us have tipped spain to win the tournament before it began, we stand to get $30 from $5 at 6.00 odds. so in order to "cover our backside", all we have to do is lay $5 wager on germany to win euro 2008, which currently offers odds of 2.10, meaning we earn no matter what, it's just whether we earn $0.50, or $20. hopefully spain wins, so we net the bigger payout. however, let's look at the match alone without talking about pre-tournament predictions. ballack is doubtful, frings should make it, while david villa is almost certainly out. those are the only injury concerns for both coaches. fabregas should step in for villa, meaning torres is a lone striker, a role in which he excelled in for liverpool. ballack and frings, despite injury reports, will definitely play. in such a tight game, all 3 outcomes are very likely, so i'm gonna go with spain to win in 90 minutes. the germans like to play a pressing game with a lot of offensive pressure, but will struggle to impose themselves as spain will keep the ball all the time, with their excellent ball-retainers like xavi, fabregas, iniesta and silva. also, i think torres' mobility should be hellish for the likes of metzelder and mertesacker, who have less mobility than an 80-year old in a wheelchair missing 3 of its wheels.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on spain @ 2.30 = $11.50
$5 on under 2.5 goals @ 1.70 = $8.50

If you've followed my tips so far, you'd be wishing for Klose to score a hat trick while Spain wins 4-3, so take final score 3-4, 3-5 and 4-5 at odds of 100, 300 and 300 respectively. Then you'd win Klose top scorer, Spain outright tournament winner, as well as final score! Nah just kidding it won't happen.

Anyway, most of you probably didn't follow my tips, not knowing that I am THE Euro2008 guru. So this match as it is: Villa out, Fabregas in. Torsten Frings back for Germany. It's going to be a midfield battle. The thing going for Spain is that Metzelder and Mertesacker aren't mobile defenders. They can handle big strong guys like Luca Toni, Ruud van Nistelrooy, but against Torres who makes diagonal runs it's going to be tough for them. However, the thing is that Torres has been shitty lately, and that the energy of Torsten Frings will make it difficult for the Spanish to pass it around like they did against Russia. Sergio Ramos will be able to handle Podolski, MVP with 3 goals 2 assists, with no problem as he did Yuri Zhirkov. However, Bastian Schweinsteiger will be able to exploit the spaces left behind by Capdevila. I think it is a very evenly matched up match, and it seems like most Singaporeans are dumping their money on Germany. Well, it's going to be a 1-1 draw, and Spain will win in extra time.

- Roland's prediction:
$10 on Spain Champ Winners @ 1.63 = $16.30 (if you have the one at the start of the tournament, then don't need to bet on this one, take Spain @ 90minutes)
$5 on 1-1 draw @ 6.00 = $30.00
$5 on draw @ 2.85 = $14.25
$5 on Under 2.5 @ 1.70 = $8.50

GAMBA OSAKA vs CONSADOLE SAPPORO (J-LEAGUE)

<1.30> <4.10> <8.60>

gamba osaka are a team on fire. they haven't lost in the league since the end of april, and they regularly bang goals past their opponents, due in no small part to their leading goalscorer from brazil, bare. his physical approach to the game, coupled with some deft touches and an eye for goal make him the perfect targetman for a team like gamba osaka, who try to put their opponents under pressure straight from kick-off. i fancy him to score again here, against consadole sapporo, who are a bunch of shitkickers.

- Eddy' prediction: $5 on gamba @ 1.30 = $6.50
$5 on gamba -1.5 @ 1.90 = $9.50

YOKOHAMA FM vs JUBILO IWATA (J-LEAGUE)

<1.70> <3.30> <4.20>

both sides head into this game having enjoyed a three week break due to international football. i fancy yokohoma to come out on top, as man fo man, they are far superior. roni will be looking to get back on the goalscoring charts here, to give the marinos a much-needed boost to push them up the table.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on yokohama @ 1.70 = $8.50

RUSSIA vs SPAIN (EURO 2008)

<3.30> <3.07> <2.00>

russia have burnt a hole in the pockets of many with their shock win over the dutch. i advised caution in that match, but truth be told, i still expected the dutch to progress. now for spain. can they overcome the russians? they have looked like world-beaters since the return of arshavin, and early movement in the singapore pools odds indicates a few people predicting a russian win/draw in this one. in team news, kolodin and torbinsky are suspended, but i doubt this will affect russia much. kolodin will be replaced by berezutskiy, while torbinsky's absence merely limits hiddink's options off the bench. spain, though, are expected to start with cesc fabregas, and i think this is the key. xavi looks like a loser, and sometimes plays like one. i fancy spain to win this one.

- Eddy's predictions: $5 on spain to qualify for finals @ 1.55 = $7.75
$5 on spain @ 2.00 = $10.00
$5 on spain to score 1st goal @ 1.80 = $9.00


This will be a great football match. Spain, with their precise build up play versus Russia with deadly fast counter attacks. Forget the 4-1 trashing in the group stages, that will not happen again. Russia have been growing in confidence, winning the next 3 games 1-0, 2-0 and then 3-1. Spain have, conversely, shown a dip in form as defences tighten up in the later stages of the group and looked out of inspiration in their 0-0 draw against Italy. Form wise Russia wins hands down as they're definitely the team with more confidence, but I feel that the Russians were only able to defeat the Dutch due to the latter team's utterly shite defending. Spain have shown that they are capable of defending with Puyol marshalling the defensive line superbly (even though I think he's over the hill) and Iker Casillas is a great presence in goal. The Dutch also could have scored 32094324 goals if not for some poor finishing and lack of killer instinct - so many set plays were poorly defended by the Russians and were not cleared. While Spain aren't notably good at set plays, I think the mobility of front duo Torres and David Villa will exploit the spaces left behind by the Russian's Anyukov and Zhirkov and Spain will nick this game. After all, the Dutch didn't have the most mobile of strikers in Ruud van Nistelrooy and the Russians could defend easily by massing numbers. A tight draw is also likely but I think Spain will go through in the end.

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Spain Qualify @ 1.55 = $15.50
$5 on Spain @ 2.00 = $10.00
$5 on Draw @ 3.07 = $15.35

HOME UNITED vs ALBIREX (S-LEAGUE)

<1.22> <5.30> <8.30>

well. can albirex do it again? that is the question. this time, i'm gonna say no. impressive as their win against the super reds was, the super reds were a tired team, having played 467 matches in a mere few weeks. home united, though, will be bursting with energy, having not played for three whole weeks, due to their early exit from the league cup. however, i always feel that a team like albirex have a goal in them, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem to back them at +2.5. also, you could consider taking albirex to score the first goal, which has juicy odds.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on albirex +2.5 @ 1.50 = $15.00
$5 on albirex to score first @ 4.40 = $22.00

GEYLANG vs SUPER REDS (S-LEAGUE)

<2.72> <3.15> <2.25>

tough match to call. super reds should get back on track after two losses, the last of which netted me some cash, when albirex beat them. however, geylang is well rested and should also not be ruled out, considering they are a good team, and are dangerous, with fazrul nawaz leading the attack. as such, i think a bet on 1st team to score is less risky, and i'm going with the reds.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on super reds to score 1st @ 1.90 = $9.50

SENGKANG vs WOODLANDS (S-LEAGUE)

<6.50> <3.50> <1.45>

sengkang were kinda unlucky to lose to dalian last time out, as they showed plenty of determination, and even managed to score a splendid goal, which is very surprising. however, i just think woodlands have too much in them to allow sengkang to even grab a point here. the likes of park tae won, akihiro nakamura, and abdelhadi laakkad look like they have too much firepower for sengkang to handle, even with winston yap in imperious form.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on woodlands @ 1.45 = $14.50
$5 on woodlands to score 1st goal @ 1.37 = $6.85

GERMANY vs TURKEY (EURO 2008)

<1.38> <3.90> <6.75>

well it has to end for turkey someday right? surely this time it's curtains for a team that has impressed many with their never-say-die attitude, overcoming injuries, suspensions, being a goal down, being two goals down, blarblarblarblar. the germans head into this after an impressive win over portugal, where they finally had the sense to drop mario gomez and marcell jansen, who've had awful tournaments. heading into this one, turkey have nihat and emre, their two most experienced and influential players ruled out through injury. add to that the suspensions of arda turan and sanli tuncay and really, i do not see turkey being able to trouble the german defence, which is game over for them, as the germans' only weakness is at the back. mehmet aurelio's return to the team should provide a little relief for turkish fans, as he seems the most capable of stemming wave after wave of german attacks. however, i do not see how germany won't win this. more predictions will come when the markets open.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on germany @ 1.38 = $13.80
$5 on germany -1.5 @ 2.15 = $10.75

The question for this match is not which team to side, but which bet on Germany nets you the most profits. Injuries and suspensions have been covered by Eddy, so I shan't repeat them. The Turks have a trend of trying to defend well in the first half before going on an attacking spree in the second, so I'm going with Germany outright and a D-H. Although a H-H is also rather likely as the Germans have shown that they like to win the games early as seen against Portugal.

Edit: Emre is definitely out. Servet Cetin, who has impressed in the centre of defence, is also definitely out. Time to back the Germans on this one.

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Germany @ 1.38 = $13.80
$5 on Germany -1.5 @ 2.15 = $10.75
$5 on D-H @ 4.20 = $21.00
$5 on H-H @ 1.95 = $9.75

BALESTIER KHALSA vs DALIAN SHIDE (S-LEAGUE)

<2.15> <3.20> <2.85>

the battle of the shitkickers. balestier khalsa and dalian are both teams that are used to losing more than winning, but they must get going in games like these if they are going to kick on and rise in the league table. on the 1x2, all 3 results are very possible, so perhaps trying to pick a winner is not the best option to go. looking at alternative markets, i think a punt on first and last goalscorer could bring some joy. i'm looking at selection no. 9, PLAYER NOT LISTED for both. here's why. in the list of players provided by singapore pools, none of them are natural goalscorers. paul bekombo is an s-league heskey, kaze giscard is a defensive player, haruki seto is a frickin sweeper, while onyekachi hasn't scored since forever. on the dalian side, i don't fancy them to score at all. the goals for balestier are probably gonna come from players like poh yi feng, anantha rajan, or maybe even young upstart rhysh roshan rai. also, if you bet on both 1st and last goalscorer, and there's only one scorer who's not in the list, you win BOTH bets. worth a pop, this one.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on first goalscorer is a player not listed @ 2.95 = $14.75
$5 on last goalscorer is a player not listed @ 2.95 = $14.75

SPAIN vs ITALY (EURO 2008)

<2.25> <2.95> <2.90>

spain risk being the fourth group leader to be knocked out of euro 2008, after portugal, croatia, and of course, holland. a logical analysis would seem to favour the spanish, as they have played the better football so far, as compared to the stuttering italy. the italians also miss gattuso and pirlo for this match through suspension, so i suspect the spanish will have a slightly better time in midfield, not that aquilani and de rossi are useless slouches, though. having witnessed 3 upsets, so far, i really don't think there will be a fourth. so, it's gonna be a spain win for me.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on spain @ 2.25 = $11.25
$5 on spain to advance to semis @ 1.75 = $8.75
$5 on over 2.5 goals @ 2.35 = $11.75

As Eddy said. Pirlo and Gattuso are out. Barzagli is also out. While Spain has a fully fit first team. Spain have also played the better football as compared to Italy. I don't think there will be a 4th upset in a row as Spain look to be firing on all cylinders at the moment. Italy's defence has been very shaky and the absence of Gattuso will hurt them as they will miss his bite in midfield, which will be where the Spanish dominate with their fluid passing. Luca Toni has been out of sorts with all his missed chances and will be well marshalled by Puyol who has been pretty decent in this tournament. At odds of 4.50, the handicap for Spain is very tempting as I see them winning by a 2 goal margin if they get an early goal.

- Roland's prediction: $5 on Spain @ 2.25 = $11.25
$5 on Spain to advance to Semis @ 1.75 = $8.75
$5 on Spain -1.5 @ 4.50 = $22.50

KOREA REPUBLIC vs DPR KOREA (AFC WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS)

<1.60> <3.30> <5.00>

the battle of the koreas. south korea obviously have the better pedigree, and in terms of individual quality, they are a class above their north korean counterparts. however, as both teams have already qualified, i expect they will go easy on each other. furthermore, south korea will miss energetic manu scum, park ji sung. in any case, if these two nations are ever gonna reunite, this has to be a draw. a south korean win will lead to nuclear missiles from pyongyang headed straight for seoul world cup stadium at the final whistle, a north korean win will lead to violent protests asking for the south korean coach to step down. a draw it is, then.

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

HOLLAND vs RUSSIA (EURO 2008)

<1.40> <4.20> <5.65>

a very tough one to call. both sides have mediocre defences, good holding midfielders, brilliant attacks. russia have the speed and tactical genius of guus hiddink to count on, to try and somehow find a way past the netherlands into the semis. the dutch, however, are technically very gifted, and i am very tempted to go big on them, as i feel that euro 2008 is where they finally live up to their potential. i also see this match producing at least three goals, so go over.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on holland @ 1.40 = $14.00
$5 on over 2.5 goals @ 1.80 = $9.00

As what Eddy said. Both teams are really similar and both love to counterattack with speed, so the Over bet could be very worthwhile. They have, however, 2 key differences between them that will determine the winner of this match - 1) The Dutch are technically more superior than the Russians, and 2) Eddy and I have money on Holland to win Euro 2008 at odds of 13. So, Holland will win this one, as I doubt that there will be 3 upsets in a row. Expect brilliant defensive striker Dirk Kuyt to turn up for this match and stop Yuri Zhirkov down the flanks and score 3 fluke headers.

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Holland @ 1.40 = $14.00
$5 on Over 2.5 goals @ 1.80 = $9.00

ALBIREX NIIGATA vs SUPER REDS (S-LEAGUE)

<7.05> <4.05> <1.35>

albirex niigata head into this game searching for their first home win all season (can u believe it?). besides missing influential midfielder keisuke ogawa, they are at full strength. the same cannot be said of the super reds, who are missing their captain and playmaker yun bo young, amongst a host of players. the super reds will also be physically drained, imo, after a gruelling cup run which saw them pushed to the limit by teams like gombak and balestier. their last match also saw them outplayed by gombak united, showing that they are not unbeatable. with a tired set of players, the super reds might find it hard to deal with the pace and incisiveness of the albirex attack, and that's why i feel a small pop at albirex might be worth it. so plonk a little money, sit back and cross your fingers.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on albirex +1.5 @ 1.60 = $8.00
$5 on albirex @ 7.05 = $35.25

CROATIA vs TURKEY (EURO 2008)

<1.58> <3.65> <4.60>

despite what the odds suggest, this is a very close match-up. if both sides were fully fit, i would tip a draw. however, turkey's injury woes should finally catch up with them and allow croatia to win this one.

- Eddy's prediction: $5 on croatia @ 1.58 = $7.90
$5 on croatia to advance to semis @ 1.33 = $6.65

Croatia have a fully fit squad. Turkey have their first team goalkeeper suspended, their first team central midfielder suspended and their captain injured. Yay for Croatia, unless the Turks have the luck of champions like Greece had last year.

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Croatia @ 1.58 = $15.80

PORTUGAL vs GERMANY (EURO 2008)

<1.97> <3.15> <3.30>

Apologies for whoever (if there is anyone) who were waiting for my tips on last night's matches - I was on duty and could not access blogger. For the record, I would have placed 5 on Russia and 5 on Spain. I'm serious, trust me. Ah what the heck. Anyway, on to tonight's match. Rested Portugal vs Tired Germany - Podolski has a "calf injury" and Torsten Frings has a "broken rib". Joachim Loew will serve his touchline ban for the match. It all seems to favour the portugese. And I can't say I disagree. Germany's defence has been shit, with Metzelder especially being a very weak link. I'd say the pace and movement of the Portugese attack will carve open Germany. Germany will look to defend well and then counter, but with the eccentric Lehmann standing in goal and flapping at crosses, the Portugese will be able to beat the Germans soundly. The Portugese haven't been known for their defending, but Pepe has been a rock for them in the centre of defence, and the German's attack hasn't looked great with Klose (who I have tipped to be top scorer) being a useless piece of shit. So Portugal for tonight. And odds of 3.75 for Portugal to win by 2 is pretty tempting.

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Portugal @ 1.97 = $19.70
$5 on Portugal -1.5 @ 3.75 = $18.75

great match-up tonight, and to me, all 3 results are very possible. i'm gonna disagree with roland here, even after he's kindly reminded me that whenever i oppose him, i come off worse. i think germany's experience will lead them through a match where they will surely lift themselves. their bad performance against croatia can be put down to underestimation of the croats, while their 1-0 victory over austria was possibly nerves getting the better of them. in a match where they are the underdogs, i see them raising their game to defeat portugal. also, the pitch is in a bad condition, and this will definitely suit germany much more, as they're rough and tough, not a bunch of nancies like portugal. however, tipping germany to win at fulltime might be a little risky, as this could easily drag on into extratime and penalties, so we should go with germany to advance to the semis. it's safer.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on germany to reach the semi-finals @ 2.10 = $21.00
$10 on germany +1.5 @ 1.22 = $12.20

RUSSIA vs SWEDEN (EURO 2008)

<2.48> <3.32> <2.35>

this tournament has seen one trend amongst the teams - the attacking side always prevails. the turks beat the czechs, the portuguese beat the czechs. the greeks were humbled by a slightly more offensive sweden, and russia's constant attacking killed off greece. sweden themselves, were losers to spain, who never stopped creating chances. and then there's holland, whose successful offense has killed off both france and italy, who seemed content to get a draw. as such, i'm backing the russians here, as they have shown more creativity and willingness to get forward, as compared to the swedes, who pride themselves on their organisation (nice way to say that they are shitkickers). andrei arshavin is back, and he should give a boost to the russians, who need a win to advance.

- Eddy's prediction: $10 on russia @ 2.48 = $24.80

HOLLAND vs ROMANIA (EURO 2008)

<2.72> <3.50> <2.10>

Holland's players that will CONFIRM be rested: De Jong and Ooijer. Coming in for these rested players: De Zeeuw and Heitinga. Holland's players that need match fitness and will CONFIRM play: Van Persie, Robben. Holland's second string: Huntelaar, Afellay, etc. My point is, even if Holland rest their key players, they still have so much quality in their side. So I don't think it's as simple as a Romania win. I'm going for the upset, which is (GASP) Holland. Or a draw. But I think it will be Holland. The draw bet is just a safety backing.

- Roland's prediction: $10 on Holland @ 2.72 = $27.20
$5 on Draw @ 3.50 = $17.50