Switzerland – Estonia

Switzerland hosts Estonia in the 5th round of the Euro 2016 qualifiers Group E.


Switzerland is third in the group with 6 points … tied with Slovenia (second) and Lithuania (fourth) … way behind England. Hosts started the qualifiers poorly with two losses (England, Slovenia), but recovered with 2 big wins over San Marino and Lithuania, 8-0 aggregate. Switzerland will fight for direct qualification with Slovenia who plays San Marino this weekend, so a win today is mandatory for the Swiss. All the top players are valid today for Switzerland, so of course that is very good news for the manager.


Estonia is on the 5th place with 4 points … their results are not bad at all in this group. Estonia’s defense was very good as they did not allow more than 1 goal in any game … they beat Slovenia 1-0, lost only 0-1 with England, also beat Norway 1-0 in a friendly. On the other hand they lost 1-0 with Lithuania and drew 0-0 with San Marino … at home! The last match for Estonia was a nightmarish friendly in Qatar, which resulted in a humiliating 0-3 loss.

Switzerland destroyed inferior opposition in this group, both times 4-0 and they are on a good run after losing the first two games. Hosts are known as a trustworthy team who does not make unpleasant surprises too often and I can see them getting a very comfortable win over Estonia. Visitors do not look like a threat to score and for sure a motivated Switzerland team can put at least two past them. I think they could go on to win with a similar score like they did vs. Lithuania and San Marino.

It is true that Estonia was very good in this group defensively, but they do not have quality and that will not last forever. Chances are the first really bad result will come today and the odds are excellent. My tip will be Estonia to win and cover the -2 asian handicap. Correct score prediction: Slovenia – Estonia 3-0.

Pick: Switzerland (-2 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 2.25

Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen

Atletico Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen / Champions League – This second leg of the Champions League round of 16 is expected to be quite exciting, because Atletico was deemed as a favourite before the first match in Leverkusen that Bayer eventually won by 1-0 after totally outplaying Atletico. Since that match Atletico is in crisis and in the championship drew three times in a row, while on the other hand, Bayer won three consecutive matches in the league and one more in the Cup. At the moment, both teams occupy the fourth place in the standings in their respective championships, and this will be their fourth H2H match. They will play for the second time in Madrid, where the first one was played in 2010 in the Europa League and was a draw 1-1. Begins: 17.03.2015 – 20:45 CET
Atletico Madrid

Atletico is in decline and is already clear that will not defend the last year’s title of Spanish champion, while the second place is ever further. Most realistically they will end up as third which is also good enough for direct qualification for the Champions League, although that position will not simply fall into their lap and instead they will have to fight for it because they are now positioned below that place for the first time since the beginning of the season. The reason there are three draws in a row and when we add to that the defeat in Leverkusen it is a series of four matches without a victory and that didn’t happen to Atletico for a long time. It is true that the schedule was more difficult than usual but the team with championship ambitions must play very well even against stronger teams.

Instead of good play, coach Simeone’s players have scored just one goal in those four matches, which had taken place at home against Valencia 1- 1. They drew with Sevilla and Espanyol on Saturday by 0-0. In the letter match they played without suspended Siqueira and Mandzukic, while Arda Turan came off the bench. They might have won if stopper Miranda wasn’t sent off, which made their job difficult. They are going to be weakened in this match too because there will be no stopper Year and midfielder Tiago because of yellow cards and Saul Niguez who is injured.

Probable lineups Atletico Madrid: Moya – Juanfran, Miranda, Gimenez, Siqueira – Gabi, Koke, Arda Turan, Raul Garcia – Griezmann, Mandzukic
Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer has no problems like Atletico and it is in a positive series, although they are still far from having secured a place in the Champions League. After the last weekend they are somewhat closer to that objective as they won again, while their rivals who breathe down their neck have blundered. Bayer has three wins in a row and when we add to that the Champions League and the DFB-Pokal then the series grows on five wins, plus one drew in the Bundesliga. They haven’t lost for more than a month and that strange match against Wolfsburg. It is very important to add that have not received a single goal in those five aforementioned victories.

Not all victories were easy and with high goal difference although the last one, won on Friday against Stuttgart, was the most solid one. They have sent the guests back home with 4 goals in their net, which is an excellent introduction for this match. There are almost no problems with the team and L. Bender should return in the midfield, Spahic on the stopper, while Drmic will likely get an advantage in the attack instead of Kiesling, as he played excellently on Friday when he scored two goals.

Probable lineups Bayer Leverkusen: Leno – Hilbert, Toprak, Spahic, Wendell – L. Bender, Castro – Bellarabi, Calhanoglu, Son – Drmic
Atletico Madrid – Bayer Leverkusen PICK

The stakes are high and the result of the first leg is such that we expect to see a lot of tactics here. Atletico is not in the best shape but they how to play on a result so they will certainly not rush, while Bayer has solid defence and can to a large extent cope with attacks of the hosts. Therefore, we anticipate few goals in Madrid.

Pick: under 2 goals

Stake: 6/10

Odds: 1.75

Swansea vs Liverpool

Swansea vs. Liverpool / Premier League – The last match in the 29th round of the English Premier League is also a very interesting one because it is played between two teams from the upper part of the table, but the ninth Swansea currently has 11 points less than the fifth Liverpool. In addition, the Reds have in their previous duels made a series of four wins and two draws, and we must particularly stress the fact that these have always been very attractive and efficient games. Begins: 16.03.2015 – 21:00 CET
Swansea

Thus, at the end of last year the Welsh have experienced two defeats at Anfield, first in the League Cup with 2-1, and then in the championship with 4-1, but on the other hand they were never defeated in the last three home matches against Liverpool and they recorded a win and two draws. Consequently, in this next duel they have every right to hope for one good result, regardless of the fact that the Reds are currently in the best shape of all the teams in the league.

Namely, coach Monk’s players have three rounds at home against another big favourite, Manchester United, played a great match and finally celebrated with 3-1, and immediately after that made a minimal triumph away against Burnley. However, in the last round in spite of their good games, they were defeated with 3-2 away by Tottenham, which should not be discouraging in any case before this duel with the Reds, especially since they were always especially motivated when playing against these teams from the top. We should also add that young defender Bartley will not be able to perform in this match die to his injury.

Probable lineups Swansea: Fabianski – Naughton, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor – Cork, Sung-Yong Ki, Shelvey – Sigurdsson, Gomis, Montero
Liverpool

As for Liverpool, we have already said that they are currently in the best shape since the beginning of the season, so in the championship they made nine wins and three draws, which ultimately led to their breakthrough on the fifth place in the standings, with only two points behind the fourth Manchester United and three in relation to the third-ranked Arsenal. But on the other side, they are not nearly as good in the Cup competitions since they were 20 days ago eliminated from Europa League by Turkish Besiktas, while they last weekend in the 6th round of the FA Cup played only 0-0 against Blackburn.

This means that they will against the same opponent have to play another game for placement in the semi-finals, but fortunately for them it will happen only three weeks from now and therefore in the meantime they can fully dedicate to their championship obligations. When it comes to the composition for this match against Swansea, we believe that it would be almost the same as in their last championship performance, when they celebrated with 2-0 over Burnley at home. Let us add that goalkeeper Jones, defender Flanagan and midfielders Lucas, Gerrrard and Ibe will all be absent due to injuries.

Probable lineups Liverpool: Mignolet – Can, Skrtel, Sakho – Markovic, Henderson, Allen, Moreno – Sterling, Sturridge, Coutinho
Swansea vs. Liverpool PICK

If we bear in mind that the previous matches of these rivals were very effective, then we have absolutely no reason to doubt that the same will also be on Monday night, especially since the host Swansea can play completely relieved, while on the other hand, the Reds are in a big rush and they want to retrieve one of the positions that lead in the Champions League.

Pick: both teams will score

Stake: 5/10

Odds: 1.85