Evgeni Lovchev is expected to be used in an unfamiliar holding roleSlovakian side FC Artmedia Bratislava expect a sapping challenge at Kazakhstani title-holders FC Kairat Almaty as both teams make their UEFA Champions League debut in the first leg of their first qualifying round tie today.
First title
Vladimír Weiss's team claimed their first Slovakian Superleague title last season, holding off the challenge of perennial winners MK ilina. But the prize could prove to be something of a poisoned chalice after they were drawn with Kazakhstan's maiden Champions League entrants, Kairat.
Hostile environment
The Kazakh champions are based near the border with China, and after completing a 11,000km journey, the Artmedia players may experience temperatures approaching 40C. The searing heat is set to play its part and although the game will kick off in the evening, temperatures are still likely to be extremely high.
Mixed fortunes
The home side have recorded some mixed results of late, winning one, drawing one and losing the other of their last three league games to leave Kairat in seventh position, although FC Taraz and FC Ordabasy Shymkent were both overcome in the Kazakh Cup. Kairat coach Aleksei Petrushin will be keen to help his team better their last European outing, when they suffered a 5-0 aggregate defeat by FK Crvena Zvezda in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup.
Injury problems
However, Kairat will be without the talismanic Andrei Karpovich and his usual replacement in the holding role, Kairat Nurdauletov, as they are both injured. Creative midfield player Evgeni Lovchev is likely to fill in, although Almaty's problems also extend to their frontline as Alikbek Buleshev and Arsen Tlekhugov are unfit.
Selection difficulties
Weiss also has problems, however, with two foreign forwards, Brazilian Luís Fabio Gomes and Serbo-Montenegrin Milorad Bukvič, both unavailable after visa difficulties. Their loss is a blow to the side but Weiss' spirit has been lifted by a 3-1 win against FK Dukla Banská Bystrica in the Slovakian Super Cup on Sunday.
Confidence gained
"We're delighted to claim the Super Cup," he said of their first victory in that competition. "It's given us a lot of confidence. It's a pity our first-choice attack is unavailable though, and we'll now have to face a strong side with only 16 players. But we remain hopeful."
Celtic await
In a good omen for Artmedia, in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup Slovakian side FK Púchov claimed an aggregate win against Kazakh club FC Atyrau after a 0-0 away draw. A similar result would earn the victors a second qualifying round tie against former European champions Celtic FC in the more temperate climate of Scotland.
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Jurijs Andrejevs is hoping his side can finally deliver in EuropeFK Rabotnicki coach Gjore Jovanovski is urging his players to heed caution ahead of their first appearance in the UEFA Champions League against Latvian side Skonto FC tonight.
Maiden campaign
The Skopje-based side claimed their maiden Macedonian First League title last season to book their place in the first qualifying round and although Skonto are veterans at this stage, Rabotnicki will still be confident of impressing. Nevertheless, Jovanovski is urging his players to approach the first leg with a cool head.
Strong defence
"We obviously hope to win the match but it is equally imperative that we don't concede," he said. "We must play patiently because in Skonto we face opponents with big international experience. They look a good team but I hope it will be us who reach the second round."
Domestic struggle
A tie with Russian champions FC Lokomotiv Moskva awaits the victor and with Skonto struggling in domestic competition, coach Jurijs Andrejevs is looking for a rare lift. The side lie third in the Latvian First Division, nine points adrift of leaders FHK Liepajas Metalurgs.
European consolation
It is testament to the club's dominance in Latvia - they have won a record 14 titles in a row - that third is considered disastrous, but with the championship seemingly slipping away, the club are looking for the compensation of a rare European run.
Defensive frailty
Andrejevs is confident his team can do so and believes he has identified a flaw in Skonto's opponents. "We have studied Rabotnicki, and admittedly they do have the advantage in terms of technique," said Andrejevs, who also leads the Latvia national team. "Their attacking is good. But defensively they are prone to mistakes. Skonto will exploit that."
Disappointing defeats
Ever-present in the Champions League for 14 years now, the likes of FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano and Chelsea FC have all visited Riga in recent years. All predictably defeated Skonto, but losses to the likes of Sliema Wanderers FC and FC Shamkir were more painful. League successes softened the blow but Andrejevs looks unlikely to enjoy that luxury this time around.
Lokomotiv await
Rabotnicki's European record is no better and their sole previous appearance, in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup, was abruptly ended after a 4-0 aggregate defeat by Ukraine's FC Vorskla Poltava in the qualifying round. A date with Lokomotiv would surely vanquish those ghosts.
Artmedia Petrzalka is first in slovakia. Away form not too impressive but there is a gap in standard. So take petrazalka to beat the Kazakhstan team kairat almaty.
FCA Petrzalka Home Games Away Games All matches
Games 18 18 36
Won 13 (72%) 6 (33%) 19 (53%)
Drawn 4 (22%) 10 (56%) 14 (39%)
Lost 1 (6%) 2 (11%) 3 (8%)
Anorthosis famagusta won the Cypriot league to with only one strong rival APOEL.
IMO they played OK football during last year but not very very impresive. Some matches were won by (a bit of luck) and their star player Ketsbaia which is also the team manager.
They made good transfers for this year but this week one of they are very good transfer left them, and know they are probably still looking..
They played a few days ago a "friendly match" with omonoia, which was nothing but friendly, but they did not manage to score and the game ended as draw 0-0, but anorthosis made only a few chances.
I dont see them wining this away match, they are probably going to try to have a good result so they can hit the game in Cyprus where they are very much stronger. Although they are fans and manager and players are very confident that they can win this much, I just dont see Anorthosis as a strong away team to stand against Minsk
Anyway is my country's team and I do wish they win, but Dinamo Minsk at 1.76 looks quite tasty.
You guys do not give enough credit for Azerbaijan's football. It has old and good traditions. I remember in Soviet times the away games in Baku were one of the toughest in the schedule for other teams. The Azeri football went through a hard period after the breakup of the Soviet Union but I see things are improving there. First and the most important thing is they have money (oil...) and huge support of the local authorities. Lithuanian basketball player Rimas Kurtinaitis worked there for two or three years and said the support for sports in that country is amazing. Neftchi has money and when you have money, you can have good players.
Now I would like to speak my opinion about the Icelandic chamionship. Yes, Hafnarfjordur leads the local championship and many of you speak about its great form. But hold your horses, Hafnar is playing against poor amateur teams! Let's look at last year's UEFA Cup qualification. In the first round Hafnar barely scraped past the Welsh postmen and firefighters Haverfordwest County 1:0 on aggregate. Yes, they managed to eliminate Dunfermline in the secound round, but it was mainly due to poor state of Dunfermline at that point (Scotish championship still not started, while Icelandic in full swing). Moreover, Dunfermline was poor all season as well. Then they met Aachen and were beaten 5-1 at home. Hafnar held on for 0-0 in Germany but this match and its result were rather strange to say the least.
Now let's take a look at the result of KR Reykjavik in last year's first round of CL qualification - 2:2 at home with Shelbourne and 0:0 away in Ireland - out. In 2003 Reykjavik was eliminated in the first round by Pyunik. In 2002 another Icelandic team Akranes went out in the first round with two losses against Zeljeznicar. In 2001 the Albanian Vllaznia Shkoder eliminated the same KR Reykjavik in the first round as well.
To sum up everything, I thing the Icelandic championship is not good at all. If FH is a monster at home, it does not mean they will be that in Europe. I see no chances for the Icelandic team against Neftchi in Azerbaijan. Everything speaks for home win in my opinion. I read that Neftchi will bring new strong players before the match. Players of Neftchi live together in a hotel before the match, no interviews are allowed and everyone is focused on the win. All in all, I would say 8/10 confidence on 1.
HB Torshavn (Faroe Islands) v FBK Kaunas (Lithuania)
Torshavn are joint top of the Faroese Championship after 16 games, and can boast some pretty impressive home form:
Torshavn
Home form
1. HB Torshavn 9 8 0 1 34 - 6 24
The only defeat came against second placed Skala last month.
Kaunas
Kaunas are currently second place in the Lithuanian Championship. Although they are a whopping 12 points behind first places Ekranes after 20 games.
Away form for Kaunas in the Lithuanian championship isn't too bad:
2. Kaunas 9 5 1 3 16 - 3 16
Their last league match was on the 5th July, a 1-0 away defeat to 7th placed Siauliai.
Kaunas won last year's championship by a 3 point gap over second placed Ekranes. In last year's campaign Kaunas only lost 3 of their 28 games. This year two thirds of the championship has already been played and they've lost 5 times.
The standard of Lithuanian football is undoubtably higher than that of the Faroese. However Kaunas don't seem to be the same team as last year which is also indicated by news of Polish and Georgian trialists at the club.
Previous meetings
These 2 teams met in Champions League qualifiers in 2003/2004. The results were as follows:
FBK Kaunas 4 - 1 Thorshavn HB 23.07.2003
Thorshavn HB 0 - 1 FBK Kaunas 16.07.2003
The odds for a Kaunas win the last time were around 2.10, this time skybet are offering a top price of 1.61. I can't see any value in backing Kaunas here. If I could get a decent handicap on Thorshavn I might be interested for very small stakes.
Neftchi Baku (Azerbaijan) v FH Hafnarfjordur (Iceland)
Neftchi Baku
Neftchi sealed the Azeri title in June when they beat rivals Khazar Lankaran 2-1 in a Championship play off game. Neftchi are considered a rich club in Azerbaijan and are sponsored by a local oil comapny. Home form for the Azeri team in the domestic campaign was excellent...
Home Table
4. Neftchi 17 13 4 0 26 - 6 43
Not a single defeat and only 6 goals conceded in 17 games.
FH
FH are pretty much unstoppable in the Icelandic championship at the moment. 10 rounds have been played in the domestic campaign and FH have won all of their games.
Away Table
1. FH 5 5 0 0 15 - 3 15
Dunfermline fans should also remember the Icelandic team, FH knocked Dunfermline out of last year's Uefa Cup.
There's no doubt this will be a tough game for FH, but they do have the advantage that the Azeri championship finished last month. I can't see me having an interest in this one but I'd say the value definitely lies on X2.
Looks a nice bet Mr Chips...let's hope we don't get the same as last night...I'll be having a small investment with those two and Hafnarfjordur in a treble...see how that goes
The Macedonian champions won their league title at the end of May. The visitors are half way through their own domestic campaign and currently lie in 3rd place, 9 points behind first place Metalurgs.
Rabotnicki
Rabotnicki are owned by a wealthy Macedonian businessman who is expecting progression to the next round. The team currently have 4 Macedonian international players in their squad, although I think 11 of them have been capped at International level.
Rabotnicki have been preparing for this match with a series of friendlies with Bulgarian sides...
Some not bad results, but remember these games are only friendlies.
Skonto
Skonto's under performance in the league this year can be linked to ex-coach Starkov's departure to Spartak Moscow. 7 players remain at the club from Starkov's era, it is my understanding that the more offensive players have left the club.
The Latvian club have good experience at this level in Europe and have caused the odd surprise, knocking out Rapid Vienna in 1999/2000. I think Skonto will sat back and defend in Macedonia. They don't need to win in Macedonia and a narrow defeat or a draw would probably be acceptable.
Summary
Tricky to pick a winner here. How on earth do you compare Macedonian and Latvian sides with very little team news? Not a strong pick under the circumstances but I do fancy under 2.5 goals @ 1.94 Betdaq. The Latvians will sit back and have plenty of experience at this level to be able to frustrate the home side. I'm also wary of the fact that the Latvians could be in better shape with the Macedonian championship having finished in May.
I've finally decided to have a nibble on the under 2.5 goals in the Rabotnicki v Skonto match. The price on Betdaq has fallen to 1.76, but I've grabbed Premierbet's offer of 1.95.
4 units staked
Edit: In the space of 30 minutes Premierbet has slashed the price to 1.70
Indeed! Had some terrible picks me in the past ten days to. See above, then taking X2 with FC Haka, ended up 8-0 then taking Overs with Malmo and ended up 0-0.
We are built to conquer environment, solve problems, achieve goals, and we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.
UEFA Champions Lg Qual: 12th July
