Europa League
2013-02-14 - Atletico Madrid vs Rubin Kazan
A Sports Betting Pick by Addicted
Football : Europe : Europa League
Thursday, 14th February 2013 - Kickoff 8:05pm GMT
BETTING PREVIEW
Atletico Madrid are, of course, the reigning champions of the Europa League, and with the group stages now done, they begin the serious business of the knockout matches. First up, Rubin Kazan, who gave 2 fantastic performances against Inter Milan that have me thinking there is a bit of value in the draw.
Rubin held Inter Milan 2-2 in Italy, and then proved that was no fluke when they thrashed them 3-0 in the return leg. However, their last 4 matches in all competitions have seen their form, especially in front of goal, drop, and that means the only bet I will be having is on the home win.
Rubin have been blanked in 3 of their last 4 games, failing to win all. Since that impressive 3-0 home win against Inter Milan, they were held 0-0 at home by Volga, beaten away 3-0 by Dinamo Moscow and at home 1-0 by Spartak Moscow. I have a feeling they will struggle to live with the offence Atletico will throw at them.
All eyes will be on Falcao, who returned and struck a goal for Atletico in their 2-1 loss at Rayo Vallecano. Falcao, like last year, has been instrumental in his teams successes, firing in the bulk of his teams goals. He was the the highest scorer in this competition last year, scoring in most matches, including the finals, and I think we see him get on the scoresheet in this one to start the run towards the finals.
Rubin's failure to score in 3 of their last 4 means there is a solid chance at a win to nil for the home team, but based on their scoring prowess I feel maybe we should look at the AH route, just in case.
THE BETTING VERDICT
Go with Atletico Madrid to win this on the AH
The Pick :
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Rubin Kazan
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Take Atletico Madrid -1AH @ 1.65 (Pinnacle)
