0-0 for the Pohang steelers in the Asian Champions League. GKS Belchatow won 1-0 at odds of 1.42. The goal came in the 83rd minute so there was a 0-0 lay available for any takers.
The Bulgarian cup saw Ludogorets 0-2 up, so they could tolerate a 1-0 loss, which indeed they did! Remember, teams that don’t need to win, rarely do.
Gorika in the Slovenian league won 1-0.
I thought the research in the Shakhtar match was spot on. I warned you about Tavriya being tight away from home. It all looked rosey at 2-0 up at halftime, but Tavriya battened down the hatches. The match ended 2-1 and the stat that Tavriya had not conceded more than 2 goals away from home, came to fruition.
Did you keep faith with PSG? 0-0 at halftime and a red card for Evian in the 61st minute ensured they could not do the double. PSG won 1-0 with an 89th minute goal. DELAY anyone??
Toulouse and Lyon ended 0-0. Well done to Real Madrid, a perfect evening. Score a goal and keep a clean sheet. Most un-Real Madrid like. Defensive lessons midweek?
3pm – Hoverla v Dnipro – 1.41 away
Standout stats
- Ukrainian Premier League match
- Dnipro have won the last 6 head to heads but 3 of the last 4 wins were 1-0
- this is 13th v 2nd. Dnipro has 2 games in hand over Shakhtar and only 6 points to make up. So these 2 games in hand must be won
- only 6 wins all season, 4 of which were 1-0
- Draw and loss in their last 2 home matches
- only 6 clean sheets all season
- have kept 3 clean sheets in their last 5 matches
- have not won home or away v top 8 sides. have lost at home , conceding 2, to 1st , 3rd and 4th
- have failed to score in 4 of 5 matches at home to top 7 sides
- only 3 defeats all season and one came in their last match. Having only lost 3 all season, will Dnipro really lose 2 consecutive matches?
- a 6 match winning run was ended with that defeat latest
- have failed to score in only 2 matches
- 5 clean sheets in their last 7 matches
- have beaten all teams 11th and under in the league home and awa
- scored 4-3-3-2 in those away wins
- a match where a sequence should end, it is a short sequence. Dnipro have only failed to score 2 this season, but failed to score in their last match. Dnipro have only 3 defeats this season but lost in their last 2 matches. We should not see another consecutive defeat to nil today , particularly as they have 2 games in hand over Shakhtar which, if won, will take them joint top
- Hoverla tend to lose to top 4 at home, conceding at least 2 goals. 4 of their 6 season wins were 1-0 so if they score first you might want an insurance on the 1-0 . Dnipro only just win in head to heads but have scored 2+ away v bottom 4 sides in wins
5pm – Orkla v Rosenborg – 1.02 away
Standout stats
Norwegian cup match and 1.02 suggests a halftime win, and the likelihood of as many as 7+ goals from Rosenborg ( if they can be bothered – I have seen teams before who tend to take the foot off the gas at 4-0)
Speculative if you want on 0-7, 0-9 something like that and bet with a bookie as the betfair markets are terribly illiquid
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530pm – Volyn v Metalist – 1.58 away
Standout stats
- in a quiet day I might as well research this soccerstats-featured league
- 5 Metalist wins in their last 6 head to head meetings
- 12th v 4th – 14 points away from 1st place, metalist will not be winning the title.
- 3 consecutive defeats ended a run of 5 unbeaten matches
- have failed to score in their last 2 home matches
- have beaten Shakhtar at home 2-0 but lost to 2nd and 3rd amd 6th at home
- only 3 defeats all season and the reason they are not in the title race – 8 draws, 7 of which were score draws
- only 2away defeats v 3rd and 7th. Have not beaten any top 9 away because of 5 draws. Wins away came v bottom 3, all clean sheets and 2/3 goals scored.
- have scored in their last 8 matches overall
- 2 of the lesser lights. I can see Metalist NOT losing. Their draws away seem to come v top 9 teams. Volyn are 4th bottom and Metalist have beaten bottom 3 wither 0-2 or 0-3. The score draw does loom though, albeit v better sides.
- Volyn beat Shakhtar at home. An anomoly?
805pm – Benfica v Juventus – 2.66 home
Standout stats
- knee jerk? Seria A is far more competitive than a Pork and Cheese league comprising of 3 above average teams and the rest , dross!
- Juventus have been so solid this season that their odds could represent value, were it not for the 2 legged aspect of this match
- Juventus, it could be argued, have had the easier run in the Europa league ( EL) with matches v Trabzonspor, Fiorentina, and Lyon.
- Benfica have played AZ, Spurs and PAOK.
- Both teams are in magnificent domestic form.
- As you know by now, as with Real and Bayern last night, the home side wants a clean sheet and ideally a goal, but will tolerate a 0-0 as they will hold the advantage in the 2nd leg.
- Juventus will want to finish the tie off today with a goal or 2 away.
- 1-1 in a friendly in 2012
- Good luck with this one! No stats angles in. I personally think Juventus come from a stronger league and have better players and would favour them.
805pm – Sevilla v Valencia – 1.79 home
Standout stats
- this is an all Spanish affair in the europa league and Sevilla have been in outstanding goalscoring form as you’ll know if you have been reading my research on them in recent weeks.
- As this is a unique 2 legged affair I feel that head to heads are redundant as tactics must play a part, with the away goal rule ever present.
- Form wise, Sevilla re superb with 4 consecutive wins 4-1, 4-1, 0-2, 4-0
- Valencia are having a season to forget. They used to be the perennial 3rd best in Spain, but no longer.
- Valencia unexpectedly lost 3-0 away at Basel in their last leg, only to batter them 5-0 at home
- As I say , it is hard to get a stats angle in as the home team are seeking a clean sheet and a goal or 2, and the away side are seeking a goal or 2 and ideally a clean sheet
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