Thursday UEFA Cup Betting Preview
For some time last night, I was even doubting that we would pull off the Draw/Chelsea HT/FT result. John Terry was the man who got us out of jail. Meanwhile in Madrid, Liverpool touched 1.2 in running, but backers of the 11/1 English club accumulator were denied by Simao. “Atletico are perhaps a Betfair lay at 2.9.”
Punters without Sky Sports have some consolation in tonight’s UEFA Cup action, screened on Channel 5. Sorry Spurs kick-off at high-flying Udinese at 6.10pm, whilst Martin O’Niell’s Villa host Ajax, 8.15pm kick-off.
In the first match, Udinese are generally evens to prevail, the draw is 13/5 and Tottenham are 3/1 outsiders. Juande Ramos hads a good cup record, although Ladbrokes make him 9/4 not to be manager by the conclusion of the group stage. Udinese are 2nd in Serie A, and Spurs have a grand total of 2 points - shouldn’t the home side be odds-on?
Spurs played some decent football against Stoke on Sunday after Gareth Bale was sent off, although they will miss both Corluka and Pavlyunchenko tonight as they are cup-tied. However Udinese are likely to have one eye on their clash against Roma at the weekend, and may rest some key players. Quagliarella has been prolific this season, and is 5/1 to open the scoring.
Udinese have only played one side from the top 9 of their domestic league (Napoli), so perhaps their lofty position flatters them. I can’t bear to side with Tottenham tonight, but I still think that they might hold some value given that Ramos will be fighting for his job. If the match was last season, I would be smashing into the 3/1 offered for Spurs, but tonight I’ll only have a small interest in the Asian Handicap market. I am ready to be punished! Spurs +0.5 at 23/25, which is equivalent to laying Udinese at 2.04 on the exchanges.
4/1 Ajax have injury problems and still haven’t replaced the likes of Ryan Babel and Wesley Sneijder. Villa’s pace will cause problems and it is no surprise to see them best-priced at 4/5. In the first goalscorer market, many will take either 5/1 Carew or 8/1 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Just like I let Robinho score first for Man City at the weekend, I’ll be looking for more value. Luis Suarez is a terrific player from Uruguay, who has been scoring freely. Ladbrokes make him 10/1 in both the first and last goalscorer markets, which an insult.
Recommendation:
2pts Spurs +0.5 v Udinese
1pt each way 10/1 Luis Suarez First Goalscorer Villa v Ajax
bookies.com compares all the odds for tonight’s UEFA Cup matches to find you the best value, including Braga v Portsmouth & Schalke 04 v PSG.
Do you think that David Beckham will help AC Milan to win the UEFA Cup? Find the best odds for the outright winner.
Udinese v Tottenham Match Betting
Udinese v Tottenham First Goalscorer Betting
Udinese v Tottenham Asian Handicap Betting
Villa v Ajax First Goalscorer Betting
Leave a Comment
