Football Selections - Monday 12.05.08

[thekop]

Just two picks to be considered for tomorrow.

Hammarby v Gefle (Hammarby) (1.65)
In the last four meetings between these two teams, Hammarby have won 3 and lost 1, that was away from home. Hammarby have total motivation going into this game as a win would take them above arch-rivals Djurgarden, something the fans would love, particularly as Hammarby have beaten Djurgarden in the league so far this season. Good news for Hammarby is that danish defender, Christian Traoré, should be fit to face Gefle. Gefle have scored very few goals away from home this season and have no away wins so far. Their two wins have been at home to Norkopping and Sundsvall, who both seem bewildered at life in the Allsvenskan. Hammarby are one of the strongest defensive units in the league, only conceding two goals in the last 5 games and the only question mark will be whether they can score. You may wish to cover this with a DNB but I think Hammarby will certainly have too much for Gefle.
Hacken v Vasby (Hacken) (1.50)
Hacken are determined to climb up from the Superettan into the Allsvenskan this season and most commentators seem to think they have what it takes to win the leage this season. They will be without the suspended Erik Friberg and I'm not too sure on the availability of Daniel Larsson as he played no part in the last game. These two will be a blow to Hacken but it looks like we will see the return of the fans' favourite, Brazilian Paulinho. There should be a real difference in class between these two sides and Vasby who have lost 3 games in their first 4 will struggle to contain the attacking might of Hacken who still have a 100% home record.

If anyone wishes to add it to an accumulator we also have:

HJK Helsinki v KUPS (HJK) (1.25)
Well, it is starting to look like HJK Helsinki are finally performing as the fans would have expected from them. After years of underperformance, it is five years since they won the Veikkausliiga, HJK are now being managed by former coach, Antti Muurinen, who won the title with them in 1997 and the following year led them into the Champions League group stages which for a Finnish club is an amazing achievement. In the first 3 games of the season, HJK have won 2 and drawn 1 against defensively stubborn Vaasa PS, KuPS have not picked up a single point this season so far. HJK have had one home game this season, where they beat Kooteepee 6-1, part of that annihilation can be put down to Kooteepee's defensive ineptitude, it still takes a decent side to put 6 past another team in the league. KuPS are a similar standard to Kooteepee, conceding 9 to Kooteepee's 11 in 3 games, so I can't see anything other than a HJK home win.

[alfran]

TheKop....some really excellent and promising shouts there from the Nordic leagues...

I particularly like the HJK Helsinki v KUPS game and was pleased to find that the odds are an acceptable 3/1 with Betfair. I should imagine this price will soon disappear once the money starts getting layed...
Well done and good luck with all 3 shouts..

[spider2097]

NAC Breda v SC Heerenveen

Heerenveen lead 2:0 from the previous leg of this tie which throws up some very interesting interpretations of the stats regarding this match.

First, head-to-heads at NAC : NAC have not won at home to Heerenveen since 2001. Matches since that time have seen 3 draws & 3 Heerenveen wins.

Recent form - home v away : very odd set of stats here, NAC have not won a game at home since 26th March whilst Heerenveen have not won away since April 1st. Previous to this, NAC had won 7 out of 15 home matches in the Eredivisie whilst managing 3 home draws during the season. Heerenveen had previously won 8 out of 15 away matches with 3 draws. Since April 1st, Heerenveen have been away twice - losing to Ajax(in the CL Playoff) & SP Rotterdam - whilst NAC have had two home games - losing to FC Twente (in the CL Playoff) & Nijmegen.

NAC have already been beaten at home this season by Heerenveen, 1:5.

Heerenveen @ 2.40
Heerenveen +0.25 AH @ 1.59
Over 3 Goals (from Goal Line) @ 1.95
_________________
"There's no such thing as a grown-up. We get bigger, we get taller, we get older. But, for the most part, we're still a bunch of kids, running around the playground, trying desperately to fit in."

[welshie1]

Esbjerg to beat Midtjylland @ 2.75

Esbjerg have nothing on this game but I have realised in Denmark, teams with nothing to play for take these games very seriously. Esbjerg are in good form at the home at the moment and are unbeaten in their last 5 in all competitions, winning 4 of those 5. They have lost just 2 of their last 10 at home and the big clubs like Aalborg, Copenhagen and Odense have not relished a trip to the Blue Water Arena this season. Midtjylland are hot and cold away from home in their last 10 away matches, they have won 4, lost 4 and drawn 2 which is a very mixed bag. They put in better performances when they are the underdog but they are expected to win this one and it will be very difficult. Esbjerg have won 9 of their last 10 home meetings with Midtjylland and have lost just 1 of their last 11 at home against todays opponents.

Under 2.5 Goals in Elfsborg-IFK match @ 1.68

Elfsborg are unbeaten in their 5 home matches this season, winning 4 and keeping a clean sheet in all of them. That already shows that they look like a very tough outfit and I think they might be the Chelsea of Sweden this year. IFK are yet to win away from home in the league this season and they may be lacking a bit of confidence heading in to this one as they know they are facing a team in form. 4 of their 5 away matches this term have been under 2.5 just like Elfsborgs home matches and I just cant see this being a goalfest.

Niort to beat AC Ajaccio @ 1.8

Its very tight at the bottom Ligue 2 as any of 6 teams can go down with the bottom 2. Niort are in that dreaded position at the moment but a win tonight will enhance their chances of staying up. They have gone 4 matches unbeaten at home winning 3 of those 4 matches and have kept 3 succesive clean sheets at home. Niort are a team who produce some good players and I think the basis of a decent team is their. Ajaccio have nothing to play for, although they do come in to this one in decent form on the road. They are unbeaten in their last 3 on the road, since they lost 4 straight. But Niort need this one and they are in good form at home and have a good record against tonights opponents. They have won 3 of their last 4 home matches with Ajaccio and this is must win for them.

Grenoble to beat Chateauroux @ 1.56

If Grenoble win tonight then their place in Ligue 1 next season will be secure and win they will do against struggling Chateauroux. Grenoble have been strong at home all season, losing just 3 of their 18 home matches in the league and conceding just 12 goals, the second lowest in the league. They are unbeaten in 8 at home winning 5 of those matches and I think they look a very good side under a very good Manager. Chateuroux are struggling at the bottom and it will be hard for them tonight as they have lost 8 of their last 10 on the road and they have lost on 3 of their last 4 visits to Grenoble.

Leeds to beat Carlisle @ 1.73

I think Leeds will win this one as they have hit form at the right time and Gary McAllister has done a great job since coming in. Leeds have won 3 of their last 4 at home including a 3-2 win over Carlisle and have lost just 1 of their last 6 at home. Carlisle have struggled on the road this season in my opinion, they won just 6 of their 23 away matches in the league and have lost their last two on the road at Leeds and Millwall. Leeds finished as the 2nd best defence in the league and with McAllister and Staunton at the helm they have been playing like they did at the start of the season and that will help them win tonight.
_________________
Read my Boxing blogs, previews of fights happening all over the World. Previews and tips on the wonderful sport of Boxing!

Just go to Welshie1's blog, look at the categories and select Boxing, simple!