Liverpool v Rabotnicki
As far as Liverpool are concerned, this tie is already over. A 2-0 victory in Macedonia without a number of their regular starters confirmed the gulf in quality between these two sides. The likes of Gerrard, Cole and Carragher will return tonight, but may be a little rusty on only their second games of the season. They will be treating this as a match simply to gain fitness and avoid injuries ahead of the big match next weekend against Arsenal.
The Macedonians will be coming with a defensive style, not wanting to be embarrassed here. Whilst they are a decent team domestically, Liverpool are several levels above them, and defeat at home means that progressing in the tournament is not really a possibility.
Liverpool should win this game comfortably, but it would be a surprise to see them over-exerting themselves in what amounts to a glorified pre-season friendly for the Merseysiders.
Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 3.15 (2/10)
Bet: Under 3.5 goals @ 1.89 (4/10)
Final Result: Liverpool 2 - 0 Rabotnicki
Qarabag v Wisla Krakow
The Azeris were slightly surprising winners in the first leg in Poland by 1-0. The more encouraging aspect for Qarabag was their almost complete dominance of the game. Last season, they eliminated Scandinavian duo of Rosenborg and Honka, and held eventual Dutch champions Twente to a 0-0 draw in Azerbaijan. With only 1 defeat in 11 Europa League games, they are not an easy team to beat.
Wisla need to win this game, but are still missing key defender, Cleber. This is in addition to the 3 defenders that have left the club over the summer. The temperature is expected to be in the mid- to high-30s, which will not suit the Poles.
Wisla Krakow should not be favourites for this game. The odds appear to be more based around the perceived quality of the two leagues, rather than the two teams involved in this match. Qarabag have only lost 3 home games since October 2008, and it would be a surprise to see them slip here.
Bet: Qarabag DNB @ 2.1 (4/10)
Final Result: Qarabag 3 - 2 Wisla
Bangor City v Maritimo
The Welsh semi-professional team were humiliated in the first leg, losing by 8-2, including conceding 5 goals in the final 15 minutes. They did well to pass Honka in the previous round, but the Portuguese side are on a completely different level. Bangor had a strong home record last season, but that was against domestic Welsh sides.
Maritimo travel with predominantly the same squad as the first leg. They beat Irish side, Sporting Fingal, home and away in the previous round, and even though they are already comfortably through to the next round, it would be surprising not to see them put a couple past the amateurs here.
It is unlikely that we will see a repeat of the first leg, but Maritimo should be way too good for the Welsh side here, even if they do treat it as a fitness exercise.
Bet: Maritimo -1.75AH @ 2.2 (3/10)
Final Result: Bangor 1 - 2 Maritimo
Apollon Limassol v Sibir Novosibirsk
A key factor here will the weather conditions. It is expected to be around 43C and high humidity. The Cypriots will be more used to these temperatures than the Russians. Apollon were beaten 1-0 in Russia, but the long trip and plastic pitch would have had an impact.
Sibir have the fitness advantage due to being in the middle of their season. This showed in the first leg, grabbing the winner in the 74th minute as the Cypriots were tiring. However, they are currently bottom of the Russian Premier Division without a league win since May. They also play an open game, scoring plenty, but conceding even more. They will feel they need to score to give themselves a chance of progressing.
It would be a surprise if there weren’t goals here. Apollon need to score, whilst Sibir will feel they need at least one goal to progress. The temperature will play a role, as will the long trip for the Russians.
Bet: Apollon Limassol to win @ 1.91 (4/10)
Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ 2.08 (2/10)
Final Result: Apollon 2 - 1 Sibir Novosibirsk
Sporting v FC Nordsjaelland
Sporting won by 1-0 in Denmark, and have a number of quality players in their squad. They lost Miguel Veloso over the summer, but Yannick Djalo is still there despite being linked with Spurs. Midfielder Alberto Zapater may make his debut tonight, but Pedro Mendes and Marat Izmailov are missing.
Nordsjaelland fought hard in the first leg, but are unlikely to have the quality to win in Portugal against a side that only went out to the eventual winners last season. They have made a decent start to the Danish season, but Sporting will be too good here tonight.
Bet: Sporting -1.75AH @ 1.86 (3/10)
Final Result: Sporting 2 - 1 Nordsjaelland
Total Profit: 6.06 points
No comments:
Post a Comment