wwheng
1475
2014/10/13 08:50
#314301
wwheng wrote:
UEFA EURO 2016 QUALIFIERS
10/15/2014
Denmark vs Portugal
Home - Denmark
Last away matches - D-D-L-W-W-L
Denmark have an excellent opportunity at home this midweek to stamp their authority on Group I. Portugal pose a difficult task, but the hosts have more than enough quality to put in an upset bid, especially considering they have won their last 3 matches in Copenhagen while going unbeaten in their last 4 in the Danish capital. Furthermore, on home soil overall they’ve lost just once in their last 6 contests, most notably defeating Sweden and holding Italy to a 2:2 draw. The hosts have gotten their European Championship Qualifying off to a nice start as well, claiming 3 points at home against Armenia and then drawing on the road 1:1 with Albania. This start has them sitting in 2nd place of the table, 4 points above the Portuguese (with one extra game played), and oft-controversial striker Nicklas Bendtner has been a big reason for their success, as the imposing lead man now has 2 good assists over their first 2 games. But Christian Erikson is a big part of Denmark’s plans, and while the creative midfielder isn’t in the best of form for his club right now, he will be looked to as the imaginative spark for the hosts at the Parken.
Away - Portugal
Last away matches - L-D-L-W-W
Portugal have followed up their poor World Cup showing over the summer with perhaps even more disappointing displays. In their opening Euro qualifier, they lost at home to Albania 1:0, failing to consistently threaten their opposition in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. A return to less-intense competition in a friendly match with France on Saturday saw the comeback of CR7 to the line-up, but once again the Portuguese failed to capitalize on their opportunities, and by the time Ricardo Quaresma scored in the 77th minute from the penalty spot, France already held a multiple-goal lead and would hold on in the end for all of the bragging rights. New manager Fernando Santos however will be pleased with his team’s performance, and his competitive debut this Tuesday will be interesting to see how well he utilizes tactics, deploys his troops, and motivates his players. A coach signing typically has a ripple effect of newfound confidence for the team and the desire to play for the new boss, and while the going won’t be easy in the Danish capital, the players and traveling support will be more than up for this match.
Asian Handicap
Home - (+0.50)
Away - (-0.50)
Pick - Portugal (-0.50)
Odds - 2.35
Stakes - 10/10
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1475
10/2/2014
Dinamo Minsk vs Fiorentina
Home - Dinamo Minsk
Last away matches - D-L-W-W-D-W
Dinamo beat MYPA of Finland, Romania’s CFR Cluj and Nacional of Portugal to progress to the group stage of the Europa League for the first time and will look to become the first Belarusian club to record a victory against Serie A opposition in ten previous attempts.Their only previous meeting with an Italian side was a 4-1 loss on aggregate to Lazio in the first round of the 1994/95 UEFA Cup, while this will be the Fiorentina’s first encounter with Belarusian opposition in European competition.
Away - Fiorentina
Last away matches - D-W-L-L-W-W
However, Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella is not underestimating his opponents.“Considering what I have seen so far, Dinamo Minsk look like a very attacking team,” the 40-year-old tactician said during his pre-match press conference.“I don’t think we’ll take this match lightly, although we were surprised that Dinamo lost 6-1 to PAOK in the first round.”The Florentines are unbeaten in ten of their last eleven Europa League matches and eased to a 3-0 win against Guingamp in their opening game with Juan Vargas, Juan Cuadrado and Federico Bernardeschi a on target at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.Montella is expected to make a number of changes ahead of the visit of Inter in Serie A on Sunday evening and the Viola are also suffering from an injury crisis with first-choice central defenders Stefan Savic and Gonzalo Rodriguez joining Cuadrado, Marko Marin, Mario Gomez and Giuseppe Rossi among the absentees.
Asian Handicap
Home - (+0.50)
Away - (-0.50)
Pick - Dinamo Minsk (+0.50)
Odds - 2.20
Stakes - 10/10