GoTipsters - Soccer Betting Tips

The UEFA Cup is back and we are now at the business end of the competition.

UEFA Cup 20 March 2009:

The Round of 16 getting into fulls wing on tonight. Two more predictions and picks will be posted in this blog.

The first pick is for the match between AaB Aalborg and Manchester City. AaB will need to chase the game to keep their UEFA Cup faith alive after being outclassed by the Premier League team by 2-0 last week. You can read the analysis and prediction here.

I will also post my pick for the match between Shakhtar Donetsk vs CSKA Moscow. The Muscovites hold a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, but Shakhtar will feel that they have a chance to turn it around at home… Enjoy the analysis and pick here.

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Ajax
Goals from Benoit Cheyrou and Mamadou Niang meant Marseille sneaked past Ajax 2-1 in the first leg. Ajax got a crucial away goal thanks to a penalty goal from Luis Suarez though. I feel Ajax did good in that game seeing as they had Gregory van der Wiel sent off in the 42nd minute. Ajax have been superb at home, losing just 1 of their last 27 games in front of the home crowd. They have won 21 games during this time, and they should be really confident of overturning the one-goal deficit in this one.

Marseille
Their opponents Marseille have done superbly of late though, losing just 1 of their last 9 matches in all competitions. Away from home they have notched 4 straight wins in a row, edging past Monaco, FC Twente, Caen and PSG, and visit Holland in confident mood. Marseille are also hot in pursuit of Lyon in the French Ligue One, trailing by just 1 point and having a better goal difference to boot.

Team News
Ajax manager Marco van Basten is troubled by some injuries and suspensions to his players. Rasmus Lindgren, Gabri and Jan Vertonghen are all out injured, while Dario Cvitanich is fighting to be fit. Suspensions will rule out both Gregory van der Wiel and Thomas Vermaelen. The only good news is that Eyong Enoh is back in midfield. Luis Suarez will be relied upon greatly for the scoring of that equalising goal to level the tie and effectively put the Dutch team ahead on away goals. For Marseille boss Erik Gerets, he is without Laurent Bonnart. Karim Ziani, Ronald Zubar and Mamadou Niang are all struggling to be fit. Steve Mandanda will have a massive role to play in between the sticks. Benoit Cheyrou and Bakary Kone must both win the midfield tussle for the French side, while Mamadou Samassa and Boudewijn Zenden must pull their weight upfront if Marseille were to grab a vital away goal.

Prediction
I really like Marseille as a team, but in the context of this game, I have to reluctantly side with Ajax. The fact that Ajax have the home advantage is crucial. They also come into this match chasing a result, seeing as they lost the first-leg 1-2. That away goal they scored would give them a lot of confidence and self belief I am sure, because they know 1 goal today would not only level the tie, but put them ahead on the away-goals rule. If the Dutch side could keep it real right at the back like they know they can in front of the home crowd, Marseille’s hopes of progressing into the next round look dim. The French team would hope for Mamadou Niang to recover in time for the match, but even with his inclusion, I think the drive within the Ajax team should prove too strong. Marco van Basten will set his side out for the win, and I expect them to get it.

My prediction: AJAX Level

Source: Fate85

Saint Etienne
Struggling in the French Ligue One relegation zone, Saint Etienne come into this one desperate to give their suffering fans something to smile about. They should feel a little bit better playing this match at home though, seeing as they have now gone 8 home games unbeaten in all competitions. They ran Werder Bremen close the last time they met in Germany, losing narrowly 0-1, and they have every right to feel they are still in with a fighting chance for progress.

Werder Bremen
Their opponents Werder Bremen are not doing too well in the German Bundesliga. For a relatively big team like Bremen, their current position of 10th in a league of 18 teams is not very encouraging. With the German side having won just 1 of their last 5 games away from home in all competitions, they cannot afford to be complacent playing a struggling Saint Etienne side.
Team News
With Saint Etienne boss Alain Perrin more keen to ensure League survival than European glory, he may choose to rest some first-teamers. Definitely out are Cedric Varrault, Geoffrey Dernis, Dimitri Payet, Mouhamadou Dabo and Emmanuel Riviere. Returning to the side are Sylvain Monsoreau and Efstathios Tavlaridis, while Sebastien Grax is pushing for inclusion. Impressive striker Bafetimbi Gomis should lead the line, supported by Araujo Ilan and Sebastien Grax. For Werder Bremen manager Thomas Schaaf, he has to do without Petri Pasanen, Daniel Jensen, Frank Baumann and Clemens Fritz. Even though Claudio Pizarro has a court case coming up, he is expected to play, partnering Hugo Almeida upfront, backed in midfield by the impressive Diego and Torsten Frings. If Diego could edge the midfield battle, Bremen look set to win both legs.

Prediction
This is not an easy match to call, seeing as Saint Etienne have the home advantage but Werder Bremen quite clearly have the better players. The reluctance of Alain Perrin to field his strongest side may also significant affect the game’s outcome. However, I feel Bremen’s poor record in France might haunt them yet again. In 5 away games in France, Bremen are winless, having lost 4 and drawn 1. Home and away against French teams, Bremen have picked up just 4 wins. Saint Etienne went on a run of 12 European games without defeat before losing eventually at the hands of Bremen in the first leg, but should still come into this one knowing progress is very much doable. I feel if a quality side represent Saint Etienne, then they can match Bremen stride for stride – if a young side represent Saint Etienne, then they would be motivated to do well to impress the coach. I am going to back the home side.

My prediction: Saint Etienne +1/4

Source: Fate85

I’m glad that I manage to win with my UEFA Cup analysis and picks .. hurraayyy!

An early goal from defender Naldo gave Werder Bremen a slender 1-0 advantage to take with them into the second leg of their UEFA Cup last-16 tie with St Etienne. It’s unfortunate since the German side could and should have scored more, but it wasn’t to be. Hugo Almeida was guilty of missing the most chances as Bremen probed from start to finish, but only had one goal to show for their efforts.

It’s a draw according to the odds I picked last night (Bremen gave -1).

However, I should be happy with CSKA Moscow’s result with Vagner Love’s penalty early in the second half which was enough to give CSKA Moscow a 1-0 first-leg advantage over Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup. With CSKA gave -1/2, it’s absolutely a deserved WIN for me!

For a complete UEFA Cup result, visit Results page.

The two sides were regular opponents in the days of the Soviet Union and have met three times since in a pre-season friendly tournament held in Israel, with Shakhtar prevailing 3-1 in their most recent encounter in January.

The match will be the first meeting in European competition between CSKA and Shakhtar, the latter of whom dropped into the UEFA Cup from the Champions League group stages. Both CSKA and Shakhtar eliminated English teams, as they profited from the fact that Aston Villa and Tottenham were concentrated on their domestic competitions.

Team News
CSKA’s Tomas Necid is ineligible for this encounter, although coach Zico will be boosted by news that there are no suspension worries. Yury Zhirkov, though, is one booking away from missing a match. The side generally line up in a 4-2-3-1, with Vagner Love leading the line.

For Shakhtar, other than the doubtful Mykola Ischenko, there are no real injury worries, with Dmytro Chygrynskyy recovering in time to take part. Lucescu has recently been experimenting with a lone forward formation in both the UEFA Cup and the league, and could try the same again here. There are no suspensions, but Dmytro Chygrynskyy, Tomas Hubschman, Oleksandr Kucher and Darijo Srna are all one yellow card away from missing the second leg.

Prediction
These two sides have plenty of energy, given the make-up of their domestic seasons, and this historical game will be taken lightly by neither. But in the end CSKA Moscow have enough strength to manage a convincing home win – not convincing enough, though, to render the second leg anything less than a contest…

My prediction: CSKA Moscow -1/2

Werder Bremen
Bremen are without a win in six Bundesliga games and lie in the bottom half of the table after finishing as runners-up to FC Bayern München last season. However, of late Bremen have been showing signs of their best football, and none more so than when they knocked Milan out of the UEFA Cup in the last round.

Bremen’s record against French clubs is not that good though, P11 W3 D3 L5. Their first meeting with a Ligue 1 side was a memorable one as it came in the 1991/92 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final, when they beat AS Monaco FC 2-0 in Lisbon.

St-Etienne
The UEFA Cup remains the bright spot in an otherwise rather dismal season for St-Etienne. ‘Les Verts’ find themselves down in 17th in Ligue 1 just three points and one place off the relegation places.

In contrary, St-Etienne are unbeaten in their last 12 European games since losing 4-0 at FC Bohemians Praha in the second leg of a 1982/83 UEFA Cup second-round tie on 3 November 1982. That run has comprised seven wins and five draws. Their six away games since that defeat in Prague have ended in four wins and two draws.

Team News
Thomas Schaaf has a few players returning from injury to boost his squad for Thursday’s UEFA Cup tie.  Clemens Fritz and Christian Vander are poised to return following spells on the sidelines while Torsten Frings and Claudio Pizarro are also expected to be fit.

The main absentee for trainer Alain Perrin is Greek defender Stathis Tavlaridis, who is suspended. His place in the squad has gone to attacker Boubacar Mansaly. Bafetimbi Gomis (sprained ankle) and Ilan (pain in a leg) have made the trip to North Germany, but it remains unclear whether they will play. Loic Perrin (thigh), Christophe Landrin (adductor) and Sylvain Monsoreau (Achilles tendon) are still unavailable though.

My prediction: Werder Bremen -1