Lazio Should be Backed for Europa League
Posted on | February 1, 2018 | No Comments
There are lots of reasons to like Lazio right now: They are the top scorers in Italy’s Serie A and have, in fact, outscored most of the top teams in Europe. Their current position of third in the table puts them above their city-rivals Roma and both Milan sides, all of whom have outspent the Biancocelesti in recent times. In Simone Inzaghi, they have a young, exciting manager who puts entertainment and goals at the forefront of his philosophy. In sum, they are a team on the up.
There is an 11-point gap between Lazio and Serie A table -toppers Napoli currently however, so it may not be this season that ends their 18-year Scudetto drought. It seems though, that Inzaghi should be looking another competition to bring cheer to some long-suffering Lazio fans – the UEFA Europa League.
Strong sides remaining in Europa League
There is a narrative among supporters of top clubs that states the Europa League is easy to win should your side give it priority. While there is some modicum of truth in this idea, it is not always the case. Indeed, this season’s Europa League knockout stages arguably the greatest concentration of top sides in recent memory: Atlético Madrid, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli all see themselves as worthy of being in the latter stages of the Champions League, rather than in UEFA’s secondary competition.
Joining those four heavyweights are several other sides who will undoubtedly fancy their chances of making the final in Lyon on 16th May, including AC Milan, Lyon, Villareal, Atalanta, RB Leipzig and, of course, Lazio. The tournament really is stacked with great teams. In terms of betting odds, Atlético are currently 4/1 favourites with Betway Sport, with Arsenal not far behind at 11/2. Dortmund and Napoli are both available at 10/1, but it is Lazio, available at a generous 16/1 with Betway, who really look like the value bet.
Lazio have been given a decent draw in the round of 32, taking on Steaua Bucharest with the first leg in Romania on 15th February. The quirks of the draw have been kind to Lazio too, with Borussia Dortmund v Atalanta, Lyon v Villareal and Napoli v Leipzig ensuring that three of the teams they consider to be rivals will be out of the Last 16.
Some circumstances will, of course, have to continue to fall in the right manner for Lazio. Ciro Immobile, who has looked a player reborn since returning to Italy, must continue his impressive form in front of goal. Inzaghi must also find ways to shore up a porous defence, which could prove a painful deficiency in the latter stages of the competition. The recent signing of Uruguayan international Martin Cáceres will undoubtedly help with that though.
Immobile’s goals have helped Lazio soar
The most crucial aspects for Lazio may just be that they are on of the form sides in Europe at the moment and, unlike Serie A rivals Napoli, they will not be concentrating on a title race. Simone seems to be building a brilliant side out of loan players, misfits and journeymen, but they are fabulous to watch in action and could cap it off with a European trophy in May.
Who will Chelsea sign this winter?
Posted on | January 26, 2018 | No Comments
Chelsea are looking for new solutions in the attacking department in this transfer period. Antonio Conte is unhappy with the performances in the attack and wants to bring reinforcements.
With Alvaro Morata who alternates good matches with less good matches and Mitchy Batshuayi who did not rise to the level desired by the Italian coach, Antonio Conte has made a list with the attackers that would want at the London club.
The first player on the list was Fernando Llorente from Tottenham Hotspur but the other London club refused to loan the Spanish striker to their rivals. Despite the fact that Llorente is Kane’s substitute for most of the times, the Spanish striker is considered an important player for the Premier League runners up.
Another solution is Andy Caroll from West Ham United. The 29 years old striker is seen by Conte as a saving solution even if is a short term solution. Two other Enghish strikers that the Italian coach is interested in, somewhat surprising, are Peter Crouch and Ashley Barnes.
Peter Crouch from Stoke City, 37 years old, is definitely a short term solution. Even if he is a former international player with a lot of experience in Premier League, he could not be a solution for Chelsea’s future but more of a moment solution until Morata recovers to the form from 2 seasons ago when he was playing at Juventus.
Maybe the most surprising name on Conte’s list is Ashley Barnes. Burnley’s 28-year-old striker is basically a surprise, especially because he has scored just 4 Premier League goals this season and has played only for small teams so far.
The last name on the list is Edin Dzeko from AS Roma. The Bosnian player is having a good season in Serie A, compared to his best season when Manchester City payed Wolfsburg €32 million to bring him at Etihad stadium.
After a less successful time at Manchester City, Dzeko managed to score 39 goals last season when he also won the top scorer title. This season The 31 years old forward has scored 13 times already.
The latest rumors suggest that Chelsea are ready to pay around €60 million to bring Dzeko and Ederson Palmieri at London.
A closer look at the Championship promotion race
Posted on | December 28, 2017 | No Comments
Whilst the Premier League title race is beginning to look over, as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City go from strength-to-strength, the race to join England’s elite is gathering pace in the Championship, with a host of clubs battling to get back amongst the big time for the 2018/19 campaign, which will be on us before we know it.
For now, it is looking like Wolverhampton Wanderers will be certainly gaining promotion back to the Premier League this season, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side storming into a healthy lead ahead of the festive period, playing an attractive brand of attacking football, whilst mixing that with some real defensive quality.
The likes of Diogo Jota, Leo Bonatini and Ivan Cavaleiro have lit up the Championship with their attacking quality, and with Ruben Neves pulling the strings from central midfield, it is hard to see any of the other 23 clubs in the division stopping Wolves going forward. In defence, Willy Boly has been a man mountain, whilst John Ruddy, who arrived at Molineux as a free agent following his release from Norwich City, has proved to be one shrewd addition.
Cardiff City are one club sat behind Wolves in the Championship table, but it is hard to imagine that Neil Warnock’s side can topple the leaders, despite surprising many by staging an unlikely promotion push. Last season, Warnock was tasked with helping the Bluebirds avoid relegation, and has now delivered on his promise of a promotion push, despite many laughing off his claims 12 months ago.
Whilst Cardiff’s push for promotion is a surprise, perhaps the biggest shock has been Bristol City’s fine form, which has the Robins challenging for promotion, as well as booking a place in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup. The Robins were many people’s favourites to be in a relegation battle, but Lee Johnson’s side have shown that they are up there with the best in the division, turning in some impressive displays during the first-half of the season.
A battling 3-3 draw with Wolves was an indication of what Bristol were all about, whilst a 2-1 victory over Cardiff in the Severnside derby was further evidence of Johnson’s side flexing their muscles in the race for promotion. Since then, the Robins have also picked up a vital three points over Sheffield United, with once again Johnson’s side taking part in a fixture with over 2.5 goals and both teams to score, just as many were predicting ahead of the fixture. Punters looking to place a bet on Championship football may want to check out Oddschecker and their tips page ahead of any potential wager.
Football… 😍pic.twitter.com/ReirdSerZ0
— EFL (@EFL) December 21, 2017
Sheffield United have used the momentum they gained from last season’s promotion from League One to put themselves in this year’s Championship race, but a broken leg suffered by Paul Coutts in November has dealt the Blades a huge blow, with Chris Wilder’s side struggling since the midfielder’s injury.
Some of the Championship’s ‘sleeping giants’ are also in the race for promotion, with Derby County, now under the guidance of Gary Rowett, going from strength-to-strength heading into 2018. Steve Bruce is also looking to work his magic at Villa Park, with Aston Villa having aspirations of ending a brief stay in the second-tier, which has frankly become a nightmare for the club.
Villa have a talented squad but have struggled to gel, and the feeling around Villa Park is that not everyone is impressed with Bruce’s methods, despite his previous success at the likes of Birmingham City and Hull City in the past. Villa are looking to avoid a long stint outside the Premier League, and don’t have to look too far in the table to see a team that has become stuck outside the top-flight despite their magnitude, with Leeds United looking to end a 14-year wait for a return to the elite.
Leeds are well placed for a push, whilst many others will be looking to stage an assault on the top-six between now and May.
The title looks like it will be heading to Molineux in the Championship, but unlike many other divisions in the word, anything can happen below that, with plenty of clubs battling for promotion. Heading into 2018, there are eight, nine and maybe even 10 clubs that have the potential to gain promotion into the Premier League.
Football themed online slots
Posted on | December 15, 2017 | No Comments
There are lots of football themed online slots available for people to try. Association football is the most popular sport in the world. American football is certainly popular within America, and there are plenty of people outside of the country who like American football well enough. It’s a sport that is expanding its own audience in the Information Age. It makes sense that there are online casino slot games that feature both types of football prominently.
Online casino gaming software developers need to be able to come up with interesting and engaging themes for their online casino slot games. It seems like there are countless themes that they can choose. However, that doesn’t mean that all of those different themes are going to be popular with audiences. All online casino gaming software developers are taking something of a risk with the games that they produce.
These games will still have production costs attached to them. Online casino slot games in general are usually very popular with audiences. However, audiences will vary in their preferences. There are plenty of people who still prefer the online casino slot games that are somewhat more traditional in nature and that have more basic graphics. There are other people who like to have online casino slot games that feature very complex narratives and graphics.
Finding a way to please both of these groups is often difficult, and a lot of online casino gaming software developers are not going to care about that. They know that they can get a portion of the audience to care about a particular game, and that is good enough for them.
One of the great things about sports themed online casino slot games in general is that they actually strike something of a balance between the more classic online casino slot games and the modern online casino slot games that have more in common with modern video games. A football game is only going to have so much of a narrative to it. Football is a fairly straightforward sport, and the narratives that involve football will always follow something of a predictable pattern.
The graphics for most sports themed online casino slot games are also going to be relatively simple compared with a good portion of the other sets of graphics that people will encounter. This can make them seem much more classic than a good portion of the other online casino slot games that are around today, regardless of the number of reels that they have and their other characteristics. For a lot of fans of these games, that will just make them that much more appealing in most cases.
Even for the people who prefer online casino slot games that are more like video games, the online casino slot games that have sports themes have a way of striking an appealing balance. It’s clear that a lot of them are going to have a huge audience all over the world, and people can find the best slot games to play here.
Assessing Manchester City’s Champions League Assault
Posted on | December 1, 2017 | No Comments
Manchester City are already looking like a formidable outfit in the Premier League, and a third title in six years could well be on the way to the Etihad Stadium, with Pep Guardiola’s side looking in irresistible form during the first half of the season, blowing opponents away with some outstanding attacking play, which has been matched by much improved defensive performances.
After the disappointment of last season’s third-placed finish, where City finished a mammoth 15 points behind eventual champions Chelsea, a serious assault on the Premier League title was the least expected from Guardiola’s side, particularly after another summer of high-profile arrivals, as City’s squad underwent some fine-tuning.
It is hard to see past City picking up the Premier League title in May, with Guardiola’s squad seemingly miles ahead of the chasing pack, including city rivals, Manchester United, who are struggling to find the same style as their once noisy neighbours.
However, the question most City supporters will be asking is whether they can make a genuine assault on the Champions League for the first time in their history. City were beaten semi-finalists in the 2015/16 competition, with Real Madrid, eventual champions, knocking the Sky Blues out of the competition at the final hurdle before the final.
In this year’s competition, City have made short work of their group, with Guardiola’s side breezing through to the knockout stage of the competition with relative ease, which has left them amongst the favourites to lift the famous European trophy, with odds of 9/2 offered in the football betting markets, with only Neymar’s PSG priced at shorter odds than the Premier League leaders.
City are priced at shorter odds than current holders, Real Madrid, as well as Barcelona and Bayern Munich, two of Guardiola’s former clubs. The former Barca and Bayern boss has brought a distinct style to City, which has been particularly evident this season, with Guardiola deserving of huge credit for finding a way to fit both David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne centrally into a system without his midfield finding themselves overrun. However, there are still questions as to whether City’s style will be strong enough to withstand Europe’s later stages.
Fernandinho is key to City’s style, sitting disciplined in front of a back four, allowing full-backs – recently Kyle Walker and Fabian Delph – freedom to get forward without leaving the side short of defensive cover. So far this season it has worked for Guardiola’s side, with the likes of De Bruyne, Silva, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus allowed to stream forward with wave after wave of attack.
However, with it highly likely that some of Europe’s elite will be standing in City’s way later in the Champions League, Guardiola may have to reassess his system and find a way of giving a so far comfortable defence a little bit more protection.
It is looking more and more likely that Guardiola will be toasting Premier League success in May next year, but there is no doubt that City and their ambitious owners will have other ambitions in Europe. If Guardiola is to deliver in club football’s biggest competition, he might have to tighten City’s defence by sacrificing part of their free-flowing attack.
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