Inter begin their Champions League with a tough trip to Fenerbahce tonight and Coach Roberto Mancini sees the clash as a potential banana skin.
After coming unstuck in the last 16 last year, the Nerazzurri have set their sights on European domination this term, but an injury crisis has left Mancini short of defensive options.
With Marco Materazzi sidelined until December and the trio of Nicolas Burdisso, Ivan Cordoba and Douglas Maicon suspended, news that Cristian Chivu would miss out with a shoulder problem was a serious blow.
The Beneamata are hoping that Argentine stopper Walter Samuel will shake off a knock to start alongside Colombian new recruit Nelson Rivas, who is set for a debut.
While Inter are clearly determined to come home with maximum points, Mancio knows just how testing a visit to the hostile Sukuru Saracoglu Stadium can be and is taking nothing for granted.
“We are only favourites on paper,” the 42-year-old tactician stressed. “History shows that in order to win you actually have to play the games.
“We are missing all our defenders, although Samuel is looking better,” he continued. “It will be tough and we have to hope that there aren’t any more injuries during the match.
“Rivas has had to make a big step up, but he is a quality player with great power as well as technique. It’s inevitable that he has some flaws, but he has such a will to improve and Cordoba is helping him.”
Luis Figo is likely to start on the bench with Argentine winger Santiago Solari ready for a rare chance to impress on the big stage.
“”I have spoken to Figo about it, just as I did so many times last season,” Mancio explained. “He understands the reasons for my selections as we discussed this before he committed to the club.
“Solari is fresh as he has played less, but that’s not to say that Figo won’t feature. Nothing is set in stone yet as I’m waiting to see what shape they are in.”
UEFA Champions League
Soccer - Arsenal/FC Sevilla - total Over 2½ (+101)
for the regulation time held on Sep 19 at 1:45pm [pending]
Arsenal have 3 goals in eah of their last three games, Sevilla have four-plus goals in four of the last five (one in CL, one a domestic Cup match against Real). Obviously, both teams have a lot in the attacking department. Now, it's CL, so we don't get too excited about that, since teams sometimes play not to lose, and both teams can defend as well...but I'll take my shot here at evens since they'll take their shots too...whether the shots go in is another story.
Hi all
This is my first post, tho I been hereabouts for a while.
I would like to give a bit 'illustrative' (its a bit boring reading stats and theoretical talks all the time..) breakdown of what i think might happen later on 8 CL games.
Pls note, these are just my elementary 'guesses' at best, do take some of them with salt and i personally wont go with each and every one of them. Of course, these are based on the idealistic world, where theres no such things as sudden red cards, leading to penalties or gashing injuries or madman striking or goalkeeping form blossoming overnight. (Then again, this IS Football isnt it, who knows i might lucky one day..*Wink*)
Cheers and enjoy the games!
The number of Stars* denotes the confidence, the lesser the more likely the elements of uncertainty is likely to influence the game, ie mentality of players over 90min, the climate, the fans, the referees, the mood of the Coach (ha! good one)
*****
Barca-Lyon
1. Barc to win
2. Barc to start the first half strongly with a lead to demonstrate their clout and determination in international competitions, hence HF/FT could look like Bar/Bar (possible: 1-0, 2-0, 2-1)
3. Both are good at attacking football, Bar to get least 2, Lyon should have 1 good shot, so TG >2.5
4. Final Scoreline could something like: 2-0, 3-1, 3-2, 4-1, 4-2
*****
Roma-DyKiv
1. Roma to win, again their class is stamped over their involvement in international competitions
2. To make sure they mean business and could strut their stuff, they would start as strongly as they could, so HF/FT its Roma/Roma, likely 1-0
3. However DyKiv are no pushovers, they would try to hold the fort as long as they could against onslaught, however neither could they find a strong scoring oppt themselves against such class so, TG <2.5
4. Final scoreline likely: 1-0, 2-0, 2-1
*****
Fenber-Inter
1. Inter to win, they understand the risk (and face involved) if they slip up here, so they would assure a win on an away leg, much like Barca and Roma (and ManU - later on this)
2. Again, Inter should lead at half time, so HF/TF be Inter/Inter, again likely 1-0, or even a possible 2-0 if Fen is completely caught pants down by the agression
3. Inter just want to ensure they WIN this, not to tired themselves out of what they consider to be a moderately easy run-thru (work need to be done still of cos)
4. So Final Scoreline: 0-2, 1-2 (well perhaps Fen to pick up a compassionate shot once all dust has settled on their muddle faces)
*****
SportLisb-ManU
1. ManU to win, ManU prioty is NOT ANOTHER SLIP UP, period. They would go all out to show they meant business after a less then flattering EPL start, especially with a raring to go Rooney and Ronaldo and protege Nani back on the start team. Everyone is invigorated and would be inspired as soon as Rooney launch away at the first sight of goal..regardless the distance)
2. ManU/ManU, as above, ManU wants to MAKE SURE they have a outright win with a more less fill out team.
3. TG >2.5, very possible
4. FT: 0-2, 0-3, 1-3, 1-4
****
Ars-Sev
1. Ars is playing very cautiously without Henry for the first time on the international scene, they dont want to slip up looking they made a mistake selling him away. They would hold fort and go for the jugular as soon as the oppt presents itself and with Wenger determination, can they hold fort.(He dont want another Chelsea or Liverpool fiasco tonight, i get the feel Sev might have came for nothing except for a very grit teeth handshake)
2. Draw/Ars, as above
3. TG <2.5, as above, its wait and one clean strike
4. FT: 1-0, 2-0 (if the entire Team is so psyched up towards the end of a done deal day)
***
SlavPr-Steau
1. SlavPr to win, simply becos its Home and Steau dont really look like they are ready for international ambitions, not quite there yet..
2. SlavPr/SlavPr (1-0), likely from a careless blooper on the part of Steau, or a very very insistent SlavPr
3. ?2.5, not sure becos..
4. 2-0 or 2-1 (if Steau gets their act together..somehow haha)
***
Rang-Stug
1. Stug(0), Stug dont want to look silly (they ARE German Champ last season), Rangers again not exactly in the best of forms, neither of class against a hard stone wall
2. ?HT/FT, Hard to tell, maybe either side could get lucky strike, then again maybe neither
3. FT: its either 0-1, 0-2 (if the Germans are THAT determined) or a lucky 1-1..2-2 if BOTH are really lucky and decided to have a go(al)
***
PSV-CSKA
1. Lay PSV, theres is no way PSV would win this one, CSKA are a tat hardcore for them..they want something for making this trip
2. ?HT/FT, again fortune on the fortunate or the Hardcore, its either Draw/Draw, Draw/CSKA, or more way more outright CSKA/CSKA
3. TG <2.5, possible if one is defensive, the other unlucky
4. 0-1, or 0-2, 1-2 (if the defensive is neither defensive, and the lucky gets really lucky!)
No idea...was half asleep, I do apologise...I must have clicked on the wrong year or something...
No problem mate. At least you called the result right which is a lot more than I can say. Another woeful away performance from Celtic with the game dead and buried inside 8 minutes. They were extremely lucky to get out at 2-0.
Just the one bet for me tonight which is laying Man utd. Look at their recent form away in Europe. The last couple of years must make for pitful viewing.
Losses away to Celtic, Copenhagen, Lille are a few that spring to mind.
United have had a very edgy start to their title reign. Really struggling to score goals and i cant see much changing tonight when i expect them infact to operate a bit more defensively than normal.
2.20 is a laughable price imo. Lisbon might not be the strong side they have been down the years but they are certainly no mugs .
I agree on the Sporting Price kiko , United still haven't started yet and are definately worth taking on at that price.
I expect Ronaldo to perform back in Lisbon but I dont see them scoring more than 1.
I fancy Arsenal at anything over evens at home, I'll take the evens mind, they can beat anyone on their day
Arsenal V Seville(DNB) @6/4: Think there may be a bit of value in taking on Arsenal tonight. although they've had a decent start in the league they haven't really come up against much yet and Seville will surely be the best team they face so far this season.
Seville have had a great start to the new season and only AC Milan have beaten them so far.(In the Super Cup). Arsenal haven't a great home record in Europe and failed to beat both CSKA and PSV at home last season. Should be a cracking game, looking forward to it.
Rangers V Stuttgart(DNB) @10/11: Reckon the Germans are a step above Rangers and may sneak a win here tonight. The last time they played a British team was in last years UEFA cup when they beat Middlesboro away from home. Also it looks like Barry Ferguson is out injured for tonights match and that'll be a big loss for them.
Roma HT-FT V Dynamo Kiev @Evens: Gonna chance Roma HT-FT simply because of Kievs shocking away record in this competition. They've haven't won away from home in their last 6 games including a 5-1 loss at Madrid and a loss to lowly Thun. If Roma are anyway in form they chould have this wrapped up by half time.
Verdict:
Seville(DNB) @6/4
Stuttgart(DNB) @10/11
Roma HT-FT @Evens
Wednesday’s Champions League action should make for interesting viewing. The stand-out tie for me is at The Emirates, where table-topping Arsenal welcome UEFA Cup holders Seville. Both teams have a lot about them going forward and like to get the ball down and play football so I might just tune in to watch this one. Despite a growing reputation over the past few years, this is Seville’s first appearance in the Champions League, but they’ve already proved themselves a good cup team who are more than capable of getting a result on the road. The returning Freddie Kanoute might cause a problem or two for the Arsenal rearguard and I think there will be a couple of goals in this one. I don’t think Arsenal will have it all their own way and wouldn’t be surprised if Seville came away with something from the game. They can be backed on the Asian Handicap (0, +0.5) at 107/100 at Canbet and that might interest a few. However, for me the bet would be over 2.5 goals at evens (BetDirect, BetFred, BlueSq & Stan James).
Ronaldo and Nani return to Lisbon to take their old Sporting team-mates, this time in Manchester Untied colours. Rumour has it that Rooney will also be fit. Given United’s recent away European record I just cannot side with some bookmakers who have them the wrong side of evens to pick up the 3 points. Instead, the 3/1 (Boylesports, Coral & William Hill) on a Sporting win looks on the generous side. Playing a wee bit safer you can have Sporting with a half goal start on the Asian Handicap (+0.5) at 4/5 with Ladbrokes. Personally, I’m going to wait till I see Sir Awex’s line-up before making a call on this one but right now it wouldn’t be United I’d be backing.
Rangers will be hoping to make a better start than rivals Celtic managed last night. Doubts over skipper Barry Ferguson’s injury will have a bearing on this one, so again it may be best to wait to see if he starts - I suspect that he will though. Rangers struggled at the weekend without him in the starting line-up and suffered their first defeat of the season away to Hearts. German champions Stuttgart haven’t made the best of starts this season and currently sit 9th in the Bundesliga, losing both away games to date. Stronger opposition will cause Rangers trouble in the Champions League this season but they will consider tonight as their best opportunity for 3 points in the campaign. A combination of the Ibrox atmosphere and relative patchy form of Stuttgart lead me towards a home win in what could be a scrappy affair. Looking at the betting patterns it appears Rangers are on the drift and now at a very backable 172/100 with William Hill. Approach this one caution.
The remaining games of the night look equally uninteresting from a betting point of view. There are lots of form teams up against each other and last night illustrated how hard it is to get a result away from home at this level. 7/1 (Ladbrokes & SportingBet) on Lyon at the Nou Camp looks big but it would take a brave man to back it. You might be better backing them at on the Asian with a full goal of a start at 99/100 at Canbet. Otherwise, go with Inter to win at Fenerbahce at 6/5 at Ladbrokes, but get on quick as the price is falling like a stone.
Whatever you’re betting on good luck and don’t forget you can download my free Accumulator Comparison Calculator here to make sure you get the best odds for your coupon.
this is for very experienced punters as single bet.reasoning? the current form of teams, barcelona is struggling at the moment, henry totally out of the spirit of the team, ronaldinho in bad shape long long time now, while lyon is playing amazing soccer lately, the french team is full of great players,able to beat anybody anywhere at anytime
Pretty much agree with you there, Martens. The only thing I'd maybe argue with slightly is Lyon's form, which is patchy by their recent standards, and this is probably the weakest they've looked for a good few years.
Having said that, the same can be said for Barcelona, who've been poor so far this season. Henry has yet to reproduce the form he showed for Arsenal, Ronaldinho is capable of running the match or being completely anonymous, Eto'o's out injured, Messi's just back from injury, Rijkaard coming in for increasing criticism...
Two 0-0 draws and a controversial 3-1 win with a dubious goal (may not have crossed the line) and a hotly disputed penalty aren't the signs of a team on form. That 7/1 or thereabouts on Lyon looks very tempting.
Also like the price for Sevilla. I wouldn't let the Puerta incident distract you, Slick. Yes, they're emotional, but they're focused too. The Milan game in the Super Cup was the one where the emotion maybe got to them a bit. A 4-1 hammering of Huelva (and a missed penalty too) at the weekend suggests they're now back on track. If they're on form, I honestly don't think there are many better teams in this competition, including Arsenal.
Hi all
This is my first post, tho I been hereabouts for a while.
I would like to give a bit 'illustrative' (its a bit boring reading stats and theoretical talks all the time..) breakdown of what i think might happen later on 8 CL games.
Pls note, these are just my elementary 'guesses' at best, do take some of them with salt and i personally wont go with each and every one of them. Of course, these are based on the idealistic world, where theres no such things as sudden red cards, leading to penalties or gashing injuries or madman striking or goalkeeping form blossoming overnight. (Then again, this IS Football isnt it, who knows i might lucky one day..*Wink*)
Cheers and enjoy the games!
The number of Stars* denotes the confidence, the lesser the more likely the elements of uncertainty is likely to influence the game, ie mentality of players over 90min, the climate, the fans, the referees, the mood of the Coach (ha! good one)
*****
Barca-Lyon
1. Barc to winSPOT ON
2. Barc to start the first half strongly with a lead to demonstrate their clout and determination in international competitions, hence HF/FT could look like Bar/Bar (possible: 1-0, 2-0, 2-1) SPOT ON
3. Both are good at attacking football, Bar to get least 2, Lyon should have 1 good shot, so TG >2.5, SPOT ON
4. Final Scoreline could something like: 2-0, 3-1, 3-2, 4-1, 4-2 Close, 3-0
*****
Roma-DyKiv
1. Roma to winSPOT ON, again their class is stamped over their involvement in international competitions
2. To make sure they mean business and could strut their stuff, they would start as strongly as they could, so HF/FT its Roma/Roma, likely 1-0 SPOT ON
3. However DyKiv are no pushovers, they would try to hold the fort as long as they could against onslaught, however neither could they find a strong scoring oppt themselves against such class so, TG <2.5SPOT ON
4. Final scoreline likely: 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 SPOT ON
***** Fenber-Inter 'OTHER FORCES' at work ahem!
1. Inter to win, they understand the risk (and face involved) if they slip up here, so they would assure a win on an away leg, much like Barca and Roma (and ManU - later on this)
2. Again, Inter should lead at half time, so HF/TF be Inter/Inter, again likely 1-0, or even a possible 2-0 if Fen is completely caught pants down by the agression
3. Inter just want to ensure they WIN this, not to tired themselves out of what they consider to be a moderately easy run-thru (work need to be done still of cos)
4. So Final Scoreline: 0-2, 1-2 (well perhaps Fen to pick up a compassionate shot once all dust has settled on their muddle faces)
*****
SportLisb-ManU
1. ManU to win GOOD ENUF, ManU prioty is NOT ANOTHER SLIP UP, period. They would go all out to show they meant business after a less then flattering EPL start, especially with a raring to go Rooney and Ronaldo and protege Nani back on the start team. Everyone is invigorated and would be inspired as soon as Rooney launch away at the first sight of goal..regardless the distance)
2. ManU/ManU, as above, ManU wants to MAKE SURE they have a outright win with a more less fill out team.
3. TG >2.5, very possible
4. FT: 0-2, 0-3, 1-3, 1-4
****
Ars-Sev
1. Ars is playing very cautiously without Henry for the first time on the international scene, they dont want to slip up looking they made a mistake selling him away. They would hold fort and go for the jugular as soon as the oppt presents itself and with Wenger determination, can they hold fort.(He dont want another Chelsea or Liverpool fiasco tonight, i get the feel Sev might have came for nothing except for a very grit teeth handshake)
2. Draw/Ars, as above
3. TG <2.5, as above, its wait and one clean strike
4. FT: 1-0, 2-0 (if the entire Team is so psyched up towards the end of a done deal day) 3-0 at the 90th min, Ars to win SPOT ON (if not INCREDIBLE)
***
SlavPr-Steau
1. SlavPr to winSPOT ON, simply becos its Home and Steau dont really look like they are ready for international ambitions, not quite there yet..
2. SlavPr/SlavPr (1-0), likely from a careless blooper on the part of Steau, or a very very insistent SlavPr
3. ?2.5, not sure becos..
4. 2-0 or 2-1 (if Steau gets their act together..somehow haha) SPOT ON
*** Rang-Stug Again Incredible Return of Form, or Stug completely underestimated their opponents on their intl debut
1. Stug(0), Stug dont want to look silly (they ARE German Champ last season), Rangers again not exactly in the best of forms, neither of class against a hard stone wall
2. ?HT/FT, Hard to tell, maybe either side could get lucky strike, then again maybe neither
3. FT: its either 0-1, 0-2 (if the Germans are THAT determined) or a lucky 1-1..2-2 if BOTH are really lucky and decided to have a go(al)
*** PSV-CSKA Looks like Home side is quite determined, well tho the Visitors did try..
1. Lay PSV, theres is no way PSV would win this one, CSKA are a tat hardcore for them..they want something for making this trip
2. ?HT/FT, again fortune on the fortunate or the Hardcore, its either Draw/Draw, Draw/CSKA, or more way more outright CSKA/CSKA
3. TG <2.5, possible if one is defensive, the other unlucky
4. 0-1, or 0-2, 1-2 (if the defensive is neither defensive, and the lucky gets really lucky!)
Verdict:
Seville(DNB) @6/4
Stuttgart(DNB) @10/11
Roma HT-FT @Evens
Boy did I get that Arsenal game wrong! Fair play to the Gunners, they're looking like a damn good side at the minute. Stuttgart took the lead but 2 Rangers goals in the last half hour scuppered that bet.
Champions League: 18/19th September
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Good luck with those, and welcome to 
