Champions League Benfica - Zenit
I have spoken many times about the huge disadvantage that the Eastern European teams are at this stage of the competition, given that they have not played a competitive fixture for months, however, if they can find a way through the first knockout round, that turns around and they then have a edge in freshness and, to a degree fitness, through the latter stages and we have seen clear examples of that with Zenit's UEFA Cup win and the success of the Ukrainian teams in subsequent competitions.This stage is the problem and Zenit have struggled with it in recent campaigns, however, they look better suited to European football once more under Andre Villas- Boas and he and the Portugese players in his team will know plenty about Benfica and will be boosted by their wins over the home side at the group stage of the competition last season , winning 2-0 in Lisbon. In the last 16 in 2013-14 they were very slow out of the blocks and lost their two legged tie with Dortmund inside 30 minutes and there is a danger that they will one again pay for that lack of a competitive edge.
Hosts will want revenge for those h2h defeats and a lead to take to the return, but they have conceded in their last 6 of 8 domestic games, seven of which have gone "over" and Benfica have conceded in their last five CL starts and again, all of those produced at least three goals. We have already spoken about the value of away goals and AVB will want one as a minimum. Given that need, Benfica's vulnerability at the back and the possibility that Zenit could run out of steam and/or be caught cold, I have to favour goals.
over 2.5 goals 2.35 asian line/Sportmarket
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Spain La Liga: Eibar - Levante
Briefly, we have probably discussed Eibar as much as any team in 2016 and you can read a lot of notes on them in my preview of last month's home game with Granada.
They won that 5-1. leading 2-0 at the break, so one of those all too rare games which played out perfectly ! They have subsequently lost three in row, 5-2, 2-1, 3-1 and their last nine starts have averaged 4.56 goals and a feature of all and Eibar in general, is the really open style of play and the hosts willingness to really go for it right from the kick off. They are in eighth place and have nothing to lose, a win is very likely to take them up to a giddy sixth and we can expect them to play with only three points in mind. Levante have a different reputation, but are bottom of the table and five points from safety, they are going to have to start gambling soon and maybe there are signs that has already happened, witness the recent 4-3 loss at Celta Vigo. They will probably need to score twice to take anything from this, but having scored three in Vigo and once at Sevilla in their last away start, they will probably be confident of doing so and know that Eibar will give them chances. The reverse fixture ended 2-2 and the meeting here last season 3-3 and I cannot agree with "over" odds today, given how this is likely to play out, with the home side gung-ho from the get-go !
over 2.5 goals 2.13 asian line/Sportmarket
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Coupe de France PSG - Lyon
Four weeks ago today, these two clubs met here in Paris in the Coupe de la Ligue and I liked the chances of both teams scoring in a PSG win , I also spoke about the additional motivation that the hosts had in games against the team who preceded them as the number one club in France .
PSG won that 2-1 and opponents have scored in four of their last five home wins and they are also coming off a 2-1 road win at Marseille at the weekend. That we can bet the same outcome at even bigger odds than for last month's meeting just seems very wrong and looks far and away the best value on offer this evening. Lyon are now just three points off Champions League pace, but do have have five teams above them and cannot catch one of them ( probably two) and it looks increasing like a case of the "pack" battling for one remaining place. Lyon are the "name" team amongst those and the one with all the experience, so will fancy their chances over 13 rounds, but they host a direct rival on Sunday and will have to play with that in mind this evening. This is the first of four home games inside 11 days for PSG , with Chelsea visiting in the Champions League next midweek, but they will be up for this and if they are to ease off a little it will surely be in the weekend fixture, Laurent Blanc has named his strongest available squad, only change from the group which travelled to Marseille is the omission of Javier Pastore, but he has hardly played at all this season.
OL will arrive with a little bit of swagger and self belief, they held out until quite late in the most recent h2h meeting and are coming off back to back 3-0 wins, the last of which came on the road to highflying Angers, who had only conceded four in their previous 12 home starts. Lyon have scored on their last four visits here and have every chance of doing so again, will that be enough to get a result ? I very much doubt it !
PSG : Sirigu, Douchez, Aurier, Maxwell, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Kurzawa, David Luiz, Thiago Motta, Stambouli, Rabiot, Matuidi, Ongenda, Nkunku, Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Augustin, Lucas, Di Maria.
Lyon : Lopes, Gorgelin, Bedimo, Yanga-Mbiwa, Morel, Koné, Jallet, Umtiti, Darder, Ferri, Gonalons, Grenier, Tolisso, Labidi, Ghezzal, Valbuena, Lacazette, Cornet.
PSG to win and both teams to score 2.75-2.90 general quote
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FA Cup: West Ham United - Liverpool
These two are meeting for the fourth time this season and Liverpool are still looking for their first win and goal, after losing both league games and drawing the first FA Cup game at Anfield. The Reds were absolutely battered in the EPL game at Upton Park over New Year and were lucky to score nil and concede only two ! The Reds were the better team in the cup game , despite making ten changes and should really have won that by a couple of goals. They have very littlle (as in no) chance of finishing any higher than 5th in the league and surely it will be all about the cups from now on in and Liverpool are still involved in three of those and could still salvage plenty from this campaign. The one worrying thing about that is that they "rested" a handful of youngsters from the U21 team at the weekend and they are clearly going to continue to continue to rotate to some degree, but Daniel Sturridge (who was an unused sub at the weekend), Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi are all set to return . Sturridge and Christian Benteke have been playing together in training in build up and the club are clearly going to try the pair in tandem at some stage, probably this evening, but the signals in terms of line up, are very mixed.
They are coming off a 2-2 home draw with Sunderland at the weekend which suited us, but the Reds should have coasted home after leading 2-0 late in the game, they can claim to have been distracted by the fan protest which saw many of the home supporters leave in the 77th minute, immediately followed by the first goal conceded, but there have been a lot of excuses this season and patience is wearing a litth thin. At times they have looked quite good and at others pretty dire, either the goals do not come, or when they do they gift them back at the other end, two against Sunderland, three to Arsenal, four to Norwich City, the only thing you cannot fault them for is their work ethic and under Jurgen Klopp, they are 100% committed and prepared to run until they drop.
The Hammers have said they will rotate a little, but also that they would give this priority over the upcoming league game. I would be surprised if the Hammers kept Liverpool out for a fourth straight game and there was enough encouragement from the last meeting at Anfield and the weekend game to feel that there will be at least a goal in this for the visitors, regardless of line up. Early goals have been a feature of recent United games, with 8 inside 17 minutes in eight of their last nine starts and if one comes tonight, it could be a catalyst for turning this into a mini goal fest. Travelling support of 6,000 will ensure that there is no let up from the visitors , whatever the scoreline , last ten h2h meetings in East London have averaged 3.3 goals and I expect this to follow suit.
over 2.5 goals 2.14 asian line/Sportmarket
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France Ligue 2 Nimes VS Niort
Niort failed to score for the fourth straight game and whilst they have managed a goal on each of their last five trips to Nimes and scored twice in two of those, they conceded 16 and lost all five ! Nimes have been playing at a high level for many weeks and they have only lost once at home all season. They did taste defeat at Ajaccio in midweek, but I think we can forgive them that, i spoke about the huge support they have been getting at home ahead of that game and the club president issued a rallying cry to fans this week and called every game a final from here on in.
Although we are forging that loss, it has seen them drop back into the relegation places and will concentrate the mind, but I can tell you that Nimes are not looking for a point and have named a very offensive looking squad for tonight with only four defenders in the group and I suspect that there will be a goal in this for Niort despite their poor goalscoring record, they "always" find one here and Nimes have conceded in each of their last three wins, this has 3-1 or 3-2 written all over it in my book
Nîmes : Michel, Gallon - Cordoval, Harek, Marin, Paquiez - Savanier, Cissokho, Briançon, Azouni, Lacourt, Chamed - Ripart, Mounié, Koura, Maoulida.
Niort : Delecroix, Allagbe - Kiki, Lahaye, Choplin, Bong, Da Veiga - Sambia, Koukou, Roye, Selemani, Bouardja - Rocheteau, Djigla, Dona Ndoh, Koné.
Nimes -0.5 ball 2.20 asian line/Sportmarket
over 2.75 goals 2.35 asian line/Sportmarket
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Premier League: Everton VS Newcastle United
Premier League: Everton VS Newcastle United
This game has a bit of a similar feel to the Deportivo-Rayo game on Monday and like that fixture, it is very hard to fully justify rather big odds on quotes about the Toffees. Everton have kept just two clean sheets at home in 18 starts, one came against fourth tier strugglers Dagenham and the other versus Aston Villa, in the other 16 they have conceded two or more in 56% of starts and that immediately flags up Newcastle United as big to do likewise at circa 31% (3.25). The Magpies do not score a lot of goals on the road, which is a bit of an understatement, as they only have six in the league, but they scored two at Tottenham and have notched at least one on six of their last seven visits to Goodison Park, scoring twice in three of those. I spoke a few weeks ago about the potential goal threat the Magpies possess.......... "Ayoze Perez, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Moussa Sissoko Papiss Cisse and Georginio Wijnaldum give the hosts offensive and goalscoring options the Villans (Aston Villa) simply do not have and on the albeit rare occasions that it all clicks for United, you do wonder why on earth they struggle."
They have scored six in their last three starts, including three at home to Manchester United and two against West Ham United with new signing Jonjo Shelvey having a hand in both goals. Newcastle head coach Steve McClaren has been busy in the transfer window and in addition to Shelvey , who, as a former Liverpool player will get a special "welcome"tonight, he has signed Andros Townsend , Seydou Doumbia and Henri Saivet and this is now a deep squad with competition for starting places and I expect, quite a few more goals in them. Only Sunderland and Aston Villa have collected fewer home points than Everton, who have won just three of their last 14 EPL starts at Goodison .
Newcastle United +0.5 ball 2.38 asian line/Sportmarket
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Spain La Liga: Deportivo la Coruna - Rayo Vallecano
Deportivo have an 6-11-4 record this season, which indicates two things, they are tough to beat and that even at this relatively early stage, they looked booked for a mid table finish, which given their relegation struggles last season, they will be pretty happy with. They are currently in 9th place and even with all three points this evening they will stay there , a draw would give them a three point advantage over the team currently in 10th. I suspect, that for them, there will be similarly little at stake in a lot of games from now on in. Last season they won just seven times, so despite being tough to beat, they have won only 13 times in 59 top flight starts, which is 22% and that immediately makes me feel that quoted odds of 1.90 (52.63%) for tonight are too short, even if we only look at home starts, Deportivo's 28% strike rate is hardly more (and perhaps even less) impressive.
Rayo Vallecano play a very offensive style under their head coach Paco Jemez, who will not compromise his attacking principles regardless of opponent, or match situation. Last season that took them into mid table comfort and got a lot of headlines for Paco, this time round they are in a bit of trouble, but a point would be valuable and all three would take Rayo out of the drop zone. The visitors have found a little form finally and have taken four points from their last two starts, a 2-2 draw at Valencia and 3-0 defeat of a weakened Celta Vigo team, but both will have put a sping in their step and they have scored in 7 of their last 8 starts, two or more in four of the last six. Deportivo have conceded in their last six starts ( all comps) and with both teams on the scoresheet in the last three h2h meetings, I think that both teams to score tonight looks likely, but is quoted at odds a little too skinny for my liking, or rather below my minimum.
Veteran winger Piti has rejoined the club this week, he scored 18 goals here three seasons ago despite playing wide and eight came after the end of February and even half that number might help preserve Rayo's top flight status, he will not start tonight, but is said to have impressed in training and is likely to see some game time . Hosts are without suspended goalkeeper German Lux, he has played every minute of every league game this season, replacement Manu has not kept a cleansheet in four Copa starts, all versus lower league opponents, including three at home to Mirandes in his last outing. I expect Rayo to score at least once and would not trust Deportivo to find the two goals + required to win the game at current odds.
Rayo Vallecano +0.25 ball 2.36 asian line/Sportmarket
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France Ligue 2 Nancy vs Clermont
Nancy must be reeling a little right now, as we discussed last week, the goals had started to dry up and then, when they finally score three, they concede four at home, after giving up just five in their previous ten starts here ! Today they host a Clermont team who are in third and looking to close the (now only) six point gap to league leading Nancy, but they themselves have some Nimes demons to deal with, after conceding six to them on their last away day ! However, the visitors are one game removed from their disaster and at least got back on track with a 2-1 win over Le Havre last weekend, so their mental scars have already started the healing process. Having said that, it will be interetsing to see how the team who concedes first today reacts. One thing we know about Clermont is that they have goals in them and they have scored two or more in their last five starts and nine on their last four visits to Nancy, games which have averaged 4.25 goals per game. Hosts are without top scoring forward Youssouf Hadji , defensive midfielder Diallo Guidileye, who was sorely missed last week and ever present goalkeeper Guy-Roland N'Dy Assembe and that team news will have the visitors rubbing their hands with glee !
Clermont arrive without defensive midfielder Michel Espinosa and they do concede more in his absence, but are otherwise in good shape and in a match better place in terms of team news than Nancy.
I think that the Nancy odds are again wrong and have to opt for ..........
Clermont +0.75 ball 2.07 asian line/Sportmarket
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France Coupe de la Ligue: PSG vs Toulouse
Toulouse are much improved and were unbeaten in six and out of the bottom two, before losing to PSG narrowly at home to PSG eleven days ago. They then had to play the best team (by far) in France again a few days later in Paris in the national cup competition and lost 2-1, so this will be the third time they have played the strongest opposition possible and have to do so on 24 hours less recovery time, as they played away to Monaco (second in the table ) on Sunday and lost 4-0. That is a gruelling , gruelling schedule and the last two losses saw them drop back into the relegation zone and surely, this week has to be all about the weekend visit from Guingamp, a team they can drag into the scrap at the bottom and I suspect focus will quickly turn to that once they concede tonight and, if PSG get that a first half breakthrough this handicap might very quickly not look big enough.
Toulouse are without suspended central midfielder Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro ( only start he has missed was a 2-1 home loss to Angers) and young centre back Issa Diop (he has started the last eight league games, through which they have collected 11 points, just 9 from 14 starts prior to that). They are already short of options in the middle of the backline with the injury to Jean-Armel Kana-Biyak and that looks bad news facing the most potent strike force in France. PSG scored five here in the league meeting and a repeat is not totally out of the question.
PSG: AUGUSTIN Jean-Kévin, AURIER Serge, CAVANI Edinson, DAVID LUIZ, DI MARIA Angel, DOUCHEZ Nicolas, IBRAHIMOVIC Zlatan, KIMPEMBE Presnel, KURZAWA Layvin, LAVEZZI Ezequiel, LUCAS, MARQUINHOS, MATUIDI Blaise, MAXWELL, NKUNKU Christopher, RABIOT Adrien, STAMBOULI Benjamin, THIAGO MOTTA,TRAPP Kevin.
Toulouse: Mauro Goicoechea, Marc Vidal - William Matheus, François Moubandje, Somalia, Uros Spajic, Marcel Tisserand, Steeve Yago - Alexis Blin, Yann Bodiger, Etienne Didot, Tongo Doumbia, Zinédine Machach, Adrien Regattin, Pantxi Sirieix, Oscar Trejo - Wissam Ben Yedder, Martin Braithwaite, Aleksandar Pesic.
PSG -2 goals 2.36 asian line/Sportmarket
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Coupe De France Rennes vs Bourg
This is not Coupe de la Ligue, which we seem to have spent a lot of column inches talking about again this season, but the national cup competition and whilst traditionally this doesn't quite provide the high scoring encounters we see in the league cup, the four matches featuring Ligue 1 teams versus lower level opposition averaged 3.25 goals at this stage last season and we have two teams here absolutely full of goals at present. BEBP games have produced a L2 high 70 goals ( only three other teams are above 49) at 3.33 per game, which is 1.07 above the league average. My notes on their recent home game with Creteil , which they won 5-1 can be read below the "good luck" sign off. They have subsequently lost 3-0 away to Dijon and their last five starts have averaged 4.0 goals and there is no let up in those big goals numbers when BEBP are involved.
Rennes are coming off a 4-2 road win at Troyes on Saturday when my preview included .......... "Rennes are in upper mid table thanks to their fine road form which has seen them lose just once away from home and score in all 12 (league and cup) games this season, two or more in five. They have score twice in 42%, once in 100% and with Troyes given up just shy of two per game, it is easy to see value in circa 2.25 for the visitors to score two or more, especially as they get wide players Kamil Grosicki and Paul-Georges Ntep , who have 7 goals and 4 assists between them from just a combined 23 appearances, back today, but I think that we get better odds with the "over" goal line, as Rennes arrive without centre back Mexer ( missed 13 starts in two seasons, just two wins and two clean sheets in his absence) and left back Ludovic Baal (just one clean sheet in seven without him this season)."
Now they are back on home soil where their form is not quite as impressive, but they are going to face an opponent playing a far more attacking style than they usually see and that should suit and might even feel more like an away game in that aspect. Team spirit is good, heads didn't drop when going 2-0 down there and they celebrated wildly when equalising and I mean all ten outfield players, plus the bench and coaching staff, which I always like as a sign of unity, but they need not have worried, they scored four, it should have been 8-9.
They claim to be very interested in the competition and they made the final the season before last, head coach Philippe Montanier has rotated the backline and midfield a little , but if anything they look stronger in those areas if anything and Mexer (see above) returns, offensively they are unchanged and the forwards will surely be up for this and fancy their chances of scoring a few goals. Rennes are very keen to get a home win before they entertain Ajaccio at the weekend and I expect them to get an ultimately comfortable one, but with both teams on the scoresheet
Rennes : Costil, Sorin, Danzé, Mexer, Gnagnon, Armand, M'Bengue, Moreira, Fernandes, André, Poha, Salles Lamonge, Grosicki, Dembelé, Doucouré, Ntep, Boga, Sio
BEBP: Callamand, Fabri, Dimitriou, Alphonse, Nsimba, Perradin, Traore, Faivre, Lacour, Damour, Dembele, Berthomier, Boujedra, Begue, Boussaha, Sane, Ba, Ogier
Rennes -1.5 ball 2.33 asian line/Sportmarket.
over 3 goals 2.37 asian line/Sportmarket Pro, alternative would have to be the more widely quoted 2.75 goals line, or even the 3.5 goal option
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France Ligue2 Nimes vs Clermont
Nimes problems have been well documented and they sit bottom of Ligue 2 on 12 points, six from safety, however, if we gave them their eight point deduction back they would have five teams below them in the table and are clearly not the worst team in the division and recent form, especially in the goal scoring department has been good, with two goals in 5 of their last 6 starts and they have given themselves a chance of survival. They have some history of running into form at this time of year, in 2013-14 they looked in trouble at Christmas with only 15 points from 18 starts, but then collected the same number from the next eight (4-3-1) and last year, they went on a bit of a tear up with nine wins from 16 starts from November onwards which took them into the promotion race , before the match fixing claims stalled their run. The 29 points they collected in that sequence equates to 69 over a full season and that would have earned them second place and was the level they were playing at for three months and although this is not the same team, it does highlight their potential and they are not your typical bottom of the table team by any means.
Clermont are up to third, just four points off promotion pace and back on track after a mini blip with 13 goals and 13 points from five starts.
If we look at their last 30 L2 starts, they have collected an average 1.8 points and that is promotion form across almost a full season and they are clearly top 3 on merit. Two in form teams and both scoring for fun right now and each will surely be looking for three points and will be prepared to gamble to get them. Nimes will be without suspended central defender Anthony Marin.
We can expect this to really open up after the break with Nimes second halves averaging 1.7 goal per game and Clermont's 1.65 which are the 3rd and 4th highest in Ligue 2 .
Nîmes : Michel, Gallon - Cordoval, Briançon, Harek, Paquiez, Ripart, Azouni, Savanier, Cissokho, Mounié, Koura, Marin, Lacourt, Maoulida, Tchenkoua.
Clermont : Jeannin, Caillard - Agounon, Avinel, Bockhorni, Djellabi, Laporte, Martin - Boulaya, Ekobo, Espinosa, Genest, Hunou, Jobello - Diedhiou, Dugimont, Laborde
over 2.5 goals 2.21 asian line/Sportmarket
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Premier League: Bournemouth vs West Ham United
These two played out a real thriller in the reverse fixture at Upton Park which Bounemouth won by the odd goal in seven and I expect if not something similar, then certainly goals and both teams on the scoresheet. The hosts and boss Eddie Howe have been growing into their EPL selves in recent weeks and have hauled themselves out of the drop zone. However, they seem far better suited to playing on the road and that was certainly the case last season in the Championship, when they were a pleasure to watch for 45 games with their free flowing attacking football, the one game they diverted from that, you will win no prizes for guessing, was at Griffin Park where for 90 minutes they turned into game stifling, time wasting, diving , thugs and got what they deserved in a 3-1 defeat . Not sure what happened that day, maybe they took a (Dr Jekyll) My Hyde potion on the team bus, but they tried to be something they were not and thankfully, that was a one off.
They spent big this week dishing out £10m for Benik Afobe from Wolves, he trained with the team yesterday and might be on the bench tonight, former Brentford striker Lewis Grabban has also rejoined the Cherries from Norwich City and he will not need much time to get back up to speed with the team mates he left the summer before last, their arrival will certainly increase competition for starting places offensively. Bournemouth have conceded an average of 1.7 goals per game, the most of any team outside the drop zone and United, who have scored 11 goals in five starts away to top 8 teams under Slaven Bilic will be confident of adding to that number in what seems sure to be a fairly open encounter. Their goal tally has dropped in recent away starts, but now that Dimitri Payet is approaching full fitness again, that should rise once more, he has created just shy of 50 goalscoring chances in the Premier League this season, almost double any other Hammers player. Their last league game , a 2-0 win over Liverpool in East London featured the second most attempts on goal of any top flight game this season and there should be plenty of goalmouth action again this evening.
over 2.75 goals 2.47 asian line/Sportmarket. I was originally tempted to go with the 3 goal line, but the more standard line is easier to play and odds are big enough already
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France Ligue2 Bourg vs Creteil
In terms of goals, these are the two big players in Ligue 2. BEBP's games have averaged 3.21 goals and Creteil's 2.79 to give that some context, 14 of the other 18 teams fall in the 1.63-2.26 goal range.
Creteil are the team we have discussed most in recent season in regard to goals and we have seen a return this season to their (wonderful) gung-ho style, especially on the road where they have scored 1.3 and conceded 1.7 goals on average.
They won the reverse fixture 2-1, but BEBP felt robbed and a wide open encounter might easily have ended 3-3 and I expect plenty of entertainment this evening.
Creteil arrive very short handed, with three defenders in Diedhiou, Montraroup and Esor suspended and another injured in Christophe Herelle (who has only missed one start this season, a 3-2 road loss to low scoring Laval) along with several others (mainly midfielders). The five defenders who have made the trip are ok, but only one would be first choice and there are effectively half a team of starters short today. They do have a "new" player in Rafik Gérard, who signed 18 months ago (all apart from 26 minutes of which he has spent injured !) after failing to make the grade at PSG, he has six months left on his contract to make an impression and it will be interesting to see him in the next couple of weeks.
Injuries, and having played a game recently give the hosts the edge and I have to split a couple of bets between them to win and goals, 3-1 feels about right, Creteil have conceded exactly three in 3 of 5 road starts
Bourg-en-Bresse : Callamand, Fabri, Alphonse, Traore, Perradin, Ogier, N'Simba, Faivre, Nirlo, Dembele, Damour, Boujedra, Berthomier, Begue, Sane, Boussaha.
Créteil : Kerboriou, Merville - Di Bartolomeo, Fofana, Ilunga, Konongo, Mahon de Monaghan - Augusto, Dias, Gérard, Lafon, Lesage, Mollet - Andriatsima, Dabo, Sylla.
Bourg -0.75 ball 2.28 asian line/Sportmarket
over 3 goals 2.54 asian line/Sportmarket
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Serie A : Genoa vs Sampdoria
Big derby game, neither comes into this match in great shape with just three wins between them in their last 20 (ten each) starts. The Christmas break was probably a god send for Genoa who had lost four league games in a row in build up, failed to score in the last three and had a home cup defeat to a third tier team sandwiched inbetween. The Coppa Italia is treated seriously and the win for Alessandria, was the first time that a Serie C (Lega Pro) team had reached the last eight of the competition in more than 30 years, which highlights the magnitude of the defeat and how poorly Genoa are playing. That loss was an huge embarassment and one not eased by a follow up loss at Roma where the hosts finished with ten men and the 2-0 defeat still flattered Genoa, who sit just two points above the drop zone.
Sampdoria are four points better off and went into the break in far better spirits, comforted by a 2-0 win over Palermo, they had suffered three home defeats in a row (league and cup) before that, which was a real dip after going unbeaten through their first seven starts (five wins) this season at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. The two clubs share the stadium, so whilst this is technically a home game for Genoa and they will have the advantage of support and the home dressing room, the surroundings and build up are certainly not as unfamiliar for Samp as they would be for a normal away fixture.
The "hosts" get a boost today with the return of Goran Pandev and addition of new signings Suso and Luca Rigoni, but the veteran forward has only played some 631 minutes (90 mins only 4 times) in the last two seasons and has not scored a goal in 20 months, the newbies might need time to make an impact and Suso, who is on loan from Milan, has had even less football than Pandev and is taking a long time to fulfill his early promise. I am not sure that these two are the immediate answers to a squad that did not score a league goal in December and now that Sampdoria have claimed that first win for coach Vincenzo Montella, they look the value today to continue their good derby record in recent seasons, losing just one of the last six meetings and seeking a third straight "away" win today. They are helped considerably by the suspension to Diego Perotti, Genoa have lost 9 of 10 starts when the fiesty wide man plays an hour or less, when he plays 60 mins plus they have lost just one in eight this season and that was away to league leaders Inter
Sampdoria +0.25 ball 2.00 asian line/Sportmarket
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Scotland: Aberdeen vs Partick Thistle
Two of the SPL's inform teams, Partick are unbeaten in five ( four wins) and are up to a season high sixth place, but this is a club overachieving and having had to deal with a lot of on and off the pitch issues, all credit to them for doing so, but I am not convinced they can continue at this level and those last five opponents have had an average league placing of 8.6 (12 team league). Thistle have lost all four starts against top three teams by two or more goals, by an aggregate 11-0 , including a 2-0 loss to second placed Dons in the reverse fixture. The hosts are unbeaten in seven ( five wins) since losing a top of the table clash with Celtic, but remain the leaders closest challenger and could even go top themselves today should Celtic drop points at Dundee. They have a minimum target of not letting the gap to the top increase over their next four starts, before they entertain the leaders in early February.
Hosts expect to get midfielder Willo Flood back today after he sat out the 2-2 draw with ICT at the weekend, when he plays the Dons are 11-1-1 (6-0-0 at home) and his influence is fairly obvious. Partick will be without suspended defensive midfielder Sean Welsh who has played some part in all 18 starts this season, but he sat out almost all of two games, a home loss to Dundee and a wide open encounter with struggling Kilmarnock. Home win, I am tempted by giving up the bigger handicap, but will "officially" opt for ........
Aberdeen -1 ball 2.08 asian line/Sportmarket
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