League : Spanish Primera Division
Early preview from ESPN Soccernet :
VILLARREAL, December 8 (Primera Liga) - Villarreal striker Jon Dahl Tomasson is expecting a tough clash against Real Betis this weekend, irrespective of the contrasting league positions of the two clubs.
Villarreal go into the 15th round of Primera Liga fixtures in third spot, level on 28 points with second-placed Barcelona and four adrift of leaders Real Madrid.
At the other end of the standings, Betis are 19th in the 20-team league with only 11 points from their 14 games and having lost four of their last five matches.
Betis' latest reverse came last Sunday when they were defeated 2-0 at home by Atletico Madrid - a result that ultimately brought about the demise of coach Hector Cuper and saw youth team coach Francisco Chaparro handed the reins until the end of the season.
And it is that managerial change which has Tomasson wary of the struggling Andalusian side this weekend.
``Betis are an opponent who are in a bad moment, but with the change of coach all the players are going to try and win themselves a place in the team and they are going to make it difficult for us,'' said Tomasson.
``The teams who close up a lot at El Madrigal are those who we have more trouble with.''
Tomasson scored his first goals for Villarreal since September with a brace in Wednesday's 2-0 UEFA Cup triumph over Elfsborg - a victory which put the Yellow Submarine into the next round.
Tomasson would have netted a hat-trick if his late penalty had not been saved, but the Danish striker admits he is pleased to be back among the goals.
``I am very happy for the two goals, which will give me confidence to continue working,'' he added.
``The truth is that I was not playing much and I hope that this good performance will give me more minutes on the pitch.''
Villarreal slipped to third last weekend after picking up just one point from their two matches against promoted sides Almeria and Real Valladolid.
That was disappointing for the Yellow Submarine, but Spain full-back Joan Capdevila believes a dip in results is normal for a team like them.
``The fans must understand that we are not a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona, and we can't win all the time. We all want to win all the time, but it's difficult,'' he said.
Betis fans would gladly swap places with their Villarreal counterparts though, with their side still looking for their first away victory in La Liga heading into the tough trip to El Madrigal.
New coach Chaparro helped Betis retain their Primera Liga status last season with a final-day victory at Racing Santander after Luis Fernandez had quit, and he is confident he can save the team again this time around.
``We have to change the chip, but we have a good enough squad to stay up and I am sure we can improve,'' he said.
Toni Doblas, Mariano Pavone, David Odonkor, Fernando Vega and Leandro Somoza are missing for Betis.
For Villarreal, Gonzalo Rodriguez and Josico are out through injury while Josemi has been omitted from a 19-man squad, but the good news is free-scoring striker Giuseppe Rossi is available again after injury.
Villarreal go into the 15th round of Primera Liga fixtures in third spot, level on 28 points with second-placed Barcelona and four adrift of leaders Real Madrid.
At the other end of the standings, Betis are 19th in the 20-team league with only 11 points from their 14 games and having lost four of their last five matches.
Betis' latest reverse came last Sunday when they were defeated 2-0 at home by Atletico Madrid - a result that ultimately brought about the demise of coach Hector Cuper and saw youth team coach Francisco Chaparro handed the reins until the end of the season.
And it is that managerial change which has Tomasson wary of the struggling Andalusian side this weekend.
``Betis are an opponent who are in a bad moment, but with the change of coach all the players are going to try and win themselves a place in the team and they are going to make it difficult for us,'' said Tomasson.
``The teams who close up a lot at El Madrigal are those who we have more trouble with.''
Tomasson scored his first goals for Villarreal since September with a brace in Wednesday's 2-0 UEFA Cup triumph over Elfsborg - a victory which put the Yellow Submarine into the next round.
Tomasson would have netted a hat-trick if his late penalty had not been saved, but the Danish striker admits he is pleased to be back among the goals.
``I am very happy for the two goals, which will give me confidence to continue working,'' he added.
``The truth is that I was not playing much and I hope that this good performance will give me more minutes on the pitch.''
Villarreal slipped to third last weekend after picking up just one point from their two matches against promoted sides Almeria and Real Valladolid.
That was disappointing for the Yellow Submarine, but Spain full-back Joan Capdevila believes a dip in results is normal for a team like them.
``The fans must understand that we are not a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona, and we can't win all the time. We all want to win all the time, but it's difficult,'' he said.
Betis fans would gladly swap places with their Villarreal counterparts though, with their side still looking for their first away victory in La Liga heading into the tough trip to El Madrigal.
New coach Chaparro helped Betis retain their Primera Liga status last season with a final-day victory at Racing Santander after Luis Fernandez had quit, and he is confident he can save the team again this time around.
``We have to change the chip, but we have a good enough squad to stay up and I am sure we can improve,'' he said.
Toni Doblas, Mariano Pavone, David Odonkor, Fernando Vega and Leandro Somoza are missing for Betis.
For Villarreal, Gonzalo Rodriguez and Josico are out through injury while Josemi has been omitted from a 19-man squad, but the good news is free-scoring striker Giuseppe Rossi is available again after injury.
_________________________________________________
FREAKTIPS PREVIEW
Villareal has a strong home record with no losses in the last 5 home games. Apart from their last draw at home against Almeria, Villareal will be all out to take a full 3 points from this game against 2nd from bottom team, Betis.
With Danish striker, Jon Dahl Tomasson scoring a double in Villareal's last UEFA games, he will be all out to add on to his goal tally. Villareal's striking power is boosted with the return of Giuseppe Rossi from injury. With Betis missing a number of players due to injury, a win seems inevitable for Villareal.
Hope I am not wrong this time. Double losses for Preston and PSV prediction wards a word of caution regarding my form.
Current odds from Asianbookie at 5.39pm are:
[3] Villarreal vs Real Betis [19]
Odds Status at : 5.40pm(9/12/07)
Current Asian Handicap Odds
1.80
0 : 3/4
2.10
Current 1x2 Odds
Current 1x2 Odds
1.50
3.72
6.56
VERDICT : (5 STAR BET) VILLAREAL -0.75
1 comments:
2nd loss in a row for my 5 STAR PICKs. Villareal playing at home and failing to score even an equalizer. Trully this team does not deserve to be anywhere in top 3 by the end of this season.
Post a Comment