VIENNA,AUSTRIA,10.AUG.19 - SOCCER - tipico Bundesliga, SK Rapid Wien vs SCR Altach. Image shows the rejoicing of Taxiarchis Fountas and Srdjan Grahovac (Rapid). Keywords: Wien Energie. Photo: GEPA pictures/ Walter LugerThe first round of Premier League action finished on Monday night. Chelsea started off their season with a 3-1 victory at Brighton.
With two matches postponed, there were results in all the remaining eight games. Interestingly, only Liverpool and Crystal Palace managed home victories with six visiting teams opening their accounts. We will have to wait until the September 19 for the next round of English top-flight football.
But football does not stop there. There is sporting action to be had and we will review it with you. And what makes people stand up in their seats more than the Premier League, it is the Champions League.
There are three Champions League qualifiers on offer and a lot of excitement around them. Dynamo Kyiv welcome AZ Alkmaar, Benfica travel to Greece for a face-off against PAOK and Gent welcome Rapid Vienna.
The selections available are exciting and we will take out something from each match. After a perfect result, every pick we let go came through while none that we went for actualized. Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope our gut takes us through. So, without further ado, let’s get straight to the action of the day, shall we?
15/09/20: Featured Match: Gent vs Rapid Vienna
Preview
Gent could not have arrived into this fixture in a worse form or in poorer circumstances. They have only one thrice in their last 10 outings, even struggling to come up with the goods in club friendlies.
Moreover, they fired their manager of 25 days, Laszlo Boloni coming into this fixture. The strikers are failing miserably and the defense in not faring well as well. These circumstances often have one of two effects, a poor result or an even worse showing. Neither is favorable.
On the other hand, Rapid Vienna are comfortable with the squad and their manager. Their preseason fixtures could not have gone any smoother, winning all five of their club friendlies. They have been impressive in the Austrian Cup and Bundesliga as well. To top it off, they defeat Lokomotiv Zagreb in the one-off Champions League qualification fixture.
The face-off will be an interesting fixture for two teams in polar situations. One is struggling to get any semblance of continuity while the other is rolling past their rivals.
Rapid Vienna to win
On the surface, the odds favor the hosts but that is different from what we ascertained. Without a manager in place, and question marks about their capabilities, Gent have a lot to make up for.
There is value offered by bookies for a Gent win but it looks unlikely they will get a result. They have been pathetic in the Juliper League with four defeats and a solitary win from their five outings.
Vienna have form and misfortune of their rivals going for them. They should be able to take something from this fixture and this is where the value is. Bet365 is offering odds of 3.2 for a Vienna win and we are taking it.
Anytime goal-scorer – Taxiarchis Fountas
Darwin Nunez had an impressive season with Almeria and promptly made the jump up to join Benfica. He will be alongside Carlos Vinicius to make PAOK pay. The duo are priced at 2.43 and 2.35 respectively to get on the score-sheet.
In Ukraine, Artem Kravets would want to give the fans something to cheer about in front of their screens. The new Kyiv signing is a threat at all times but will be the man under constant check by Alkmaar defenders. There is some value in his anytime goalscorer odds of 3.25 offered by Bet365.
However, our pick is 25-year-old Vienna striker Taxiarchis Fountas. The Greece international has had a prolific start to 2020/21 season and should make Gent pay. Bet9ja are offering odds of 2.55 to add to his tally of five goals from three games, and we are behind the bookies on this one.
15/09/20: Featured Match: PAOK vs Benfica
Goals – Under 2.5
We will travel to Greece for our over under selection. PAOK welcome Portuguese giants Benfica to the Toumba Stadium. It will be a sluggish match given both side’s lack of competitive football action.
Both sides have struggled to score freely in their club friendlies and that trend will not change in their crunch fixture. Champions League monies are at stake and both teams need the financial influx.
We expect a cagey encounter with both teams waiting for the other to make a mistake. Bet365 has valued this selection accordingly, but with odds of 1.80 this is the right selection to go forward with.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
