Coutinho: "Echaba de menos jugar en este campo"

 

El centrocampista brasileño quiso hacer unas declaraciones tras el encuentro ante el Elche, en el que fue nombrado mejor jugador del partido

Philippe Coutinho quiere vivir su gran año en el FC Barcelona. El centrocampista ofensivo del conjunto azulgrana tuvo que salir cedido al Bayern la pasada temporada, donde consiguió alzarse campeón de la UEFA Champions League y, ahora, con Ronald Koeman al frente del equipo, sabe que es una de las piezas fundamentales.

Energías renovadas

"Tengo muy buenas sensaciones. Echaba de menos jugar en este campo", declaraba el jugador brasileño tras volver a pisar el que fue su estadio hace una temporada. Sobre el escaso tiempo de pretemporada que ha tenido el equipo para preparar el arranque liguero (dos semanas), Coutinho tiene claro que el equipo responderá a pesar de la pretemporada atípica: "No hemos tenido mucho tiempo de pretemporada, pero vamos de menos a más, cada día trabajando un poco más. Nos queda una semana aún para empezar bien". Todo hace indicar que Coutinho será uno de los hombres que ocupe una posición como titular en el arranque de la temporada, tras sus buenas apariciones en los tres amistosos que ha disputado con el conjunto azulgrana. El centrocampista, sabedor de que parte con ventaja para hacerse con el puesto, tiene claro que debe trabajar duro para conseguir resultados: "Estoy con muchas ganas de hacer que las cosas vayan bien. Estoy muy motivado. Llegué antes a Barcelona para trabajar, y quiero trabajar duro este año para que las cosas salgan bien en el campo".

Sin duda, la cesión del brasileño al Bayern de Múnich ha servido para que el crack azulgrana vuelva con energías renovadas y con ganas de demostrar lo que vale a los que decidieron prescindir de él la anterior campaña. Para terminar, Philippe reconoce que todo el equipo está trabajando muy duro para que esta temporada se den los resultados esperados: "Todos están trabajando muy duro. Estamos acostumbrándonos a la forma de entrenar. Estamos entrenando muy fuerte y esperamos que eso sea bueno para nosotros".

Ajax vs RKC Waalwijk Prediction & Match Preview

 Ajax Amsterdam vs RKC Waalwijk

Dutch Eredivisie
Date: Sunday, 20 September 2020
Kick-Off at 15.45 UK
Venue: Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam.

Eredivisie’s reigning champions Ajax Amsterdam are going to wrap up round number two this Sunday at home against one of the weakest squads in the league RKC Waalwijk.

As you probably know, Ajax won the last title at green table, while RKC were thrilled with league’s decision that no team will be relegated. They were the last placed team on the table without any chance to avoid relegation.

The odds on home victory are at ridiculously low 1.05 rate at the moment, so we will look for some alternatives. RKC conceded 40 goals in their 13 away days in season 2019/2020, while Ajax scored the same amount at home in same number of games.

Ajax vs RKC Waalwijk Head-to-head

It’s been more than seven years since RKC Waalwijk caused any trouble to Ajax Amsterdam. That game in 2013 ended without a winner 0-0.

Ajax are looking super-dominant when it comes to charts, having won 35 out of 42 encounters against RKC, losing only one and scoring 117 goals.

The last two h2h’s at this stadium ended 6-1 and 3-0 in favour of the home team.

Ajax vs RKC Waalwijk Prediction

Two very important players have left Ajax during the summer, which is surely going to have a big impact on their upcoming performances.

Hakim Ziyech is now a member of Chelsea FC and that transfer netted 40 million EUR to Ajax, while Donny van de Beek became Red Devil a couple of weeks ago.

When it comes to replacements, team from Amsterdam brought Anthony from Sao Paulo, Maarten Stekelenburg from Everton and Lisandor Magallan from Alaves.

Erik Ten Hag’s team started the new campaign with a narrow 1-0 win on the road against Sparta Rotterdam. There is no doubt the squad will collect another three points this weekend, as RKC are literally falling apart.

This squad has failed to achieve one solid result during the pre-season. We are predicting them a disaster in Amsterdam this Sunday.

Ajax vs RKC Waalwijk Bet Tips

• Ajax Over 3.5 team goals @ 1.72

• Ajax to win both halves @ 1.58.

Willem II vs Heracles Prediction & Match Preview

 Willem II vs Heracles

Dutch Eredivisie
Date: Sunday, 20 September 2020
Kick-Off at 13.30 UK
Venue: Koning Willem II Stadion, Tilburg.

The most pleasant surprise package from the previous Eredivisie season is Willem II. Team from Tilburg was 5th and earned the right to compete in Europa League qualifiers after a very long time. This weekend they are welcoming Heracles at home turf, searching for first points in the new season.

Visitors have won only two out of 13 away games last season, so it’s not a surprise to see such high 3.50 odds on them.

The only potential issue for the home team we see is fitness. Willem II have just returned from a short trip to Luxembourg where they faced Progres Niederkorn. The trip was more than successful.

Willem II vs Heracles Head-to-head

These two teams have faced 26 times in the past, and stats are heavily going in favour of Heracles. This squad has 15 victories over the opposition, while losing eight.

Good news for Willem II fans is that situation at this venue is a bit different – six wins, two draws, and five losses. The total number of goals scored in those encounters is 41, which averages around 3.15 per duel.

Hosts were victorious in five out of last six h2h meetings.

Willem II vs Heracles Prediction

Willem II have kept every single core player from their last season’s roster. When it comes to acquisitions, it’s worth mentioning the arrival of John Yeboah from Wolfsburg and Mike Tresor from NEC Nijmegen.

The premiere appearance in Eredivisie didn’t go so well – Tilburg got defeated on the road in Heerenveen 0-2 FT. Things looked so much smoother on Wednesday in Europa League though with 5-0 win against Progres. Evangelos Pavlidis was man of the match with two goals.

Heracles had a great time during the pre-season, beating Telstar and Utrecht with identical 4-0 result. Start of the new season saw them beat ADO Den Haag at home too, so they are obviously going to be a tough nut to crack. We fancy the 1.72 odds offered on away win or draw double chance.

Willem II vs Heracles Bet Tips

• Draw or away win double chance @ 1.72

• Both teams to score @ 1.66.

Feyenoord vs Twente Prediction & Match Preview

 Feyenoord vs Twente

Dutch Eredivisie
Date: Sunday, 20 September 2020
Kick-Off at 13.30 UK
Venue: Stadion Feijenoord, Rotterdam.

Derby of the week when it comes to Dutch top tier is happening on Sunday afternoon in Rotterdam. The most popular team in town Feyenoord are looking to grab another domestic victory, and opponent on the other side of pitch this time is going to be Twente FC.

Hosts are not only favorites to win the match, but also to seriously challenge Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar in the title race. Their campaign started a comfortable victory against PEC Zwolle last week.

As for the opposition, Twente are completely different team after spending a year in Eerste Divisie and coming back among the elite. Team’s budget and expectations are significantly lower nowadays.

Feyenoord vs Twente Head-to-head

If we exclude recent goalless draw in a friendly match, duels between Feyenoord and Twente were always lit and full of goals.

Last season’s game at this stadium for example ended 5-1 in favour of the home team. Sam Larsson was man of the match with two goals and one assist.

Three out of the last four Eredivisie h2h’s ended with BTTS & Over 2.5 goals FT.

Feyenoord celebrated 26 victories in 53 duels, while losing 12 games. Only four losses happened in Rotterdam. Twente’s fans are waiting for a win against this opponent for seven years now.

Feyenoord vs Twente Prediction

League was suspended in March after 25 rounds. At that time Feyenoord were 3rd with 50 points, five behind the leading duo Ajax/AZ.

Steven Berghuis was playing out of his mind, carrying the squad in rough moments and scoring 15 goals. Even though there were some speculations he might leave to Leipzig, this striker stays in Rotterdam. Not only he stayed, but scored both goals in 2-0 win against Zwolle last week.

Twente are unbeaten for six games in a row now (five friendlies), and solid stats when it comes to offense. Quality is on Feyenoord’s side, but we believe visitors will manage to at least score one goal. Home win & BTTS is the primary pick, Berghuis to score at anytime second.

Feyenoord vs Twente Bet Tips

• Home win & Both teams to score @ 2.60

• Steven Berghuis to score at anytime @ 1.80.

ADO Den Haag vs Groningen Prediction & Match Preview

 ADO Den Haag vs Groningen

Dutch Eredivisie
Date: Sunday, 20 September 2020
Kick-Off at 11.15 UK
Venue: Cars Jeans Stadion, Den Haag.

Sunday’s action in Dutch Eredivisie is starting in the capital where ADO Den Haag welcomes Groningen. Both teams are looking for the first points this season after getting defeated in the opening round last week.

When it comes to ambitions of these two squads overall, they are far from being similar – a spot in Europa League qualifiers would satisfy Groningen’s fans, while ADO would be happy with anything besides relegation really.

If the league wasn’t suspended in March, they would be members of Eerste Divisie today. In terms of the odds, bookies are favouring the visiting side at 2.05.

ADO Den Haag vs Groningen Head-to-head

There were 40 duels between Den Haag and Groningen in the past. White and Greens are having huge 23-12 lead in terms of victories, but with negative record when playing in Den Haag as visitors. These squads met only once last season and the result was 1-1 FT.

The average number of goals scored in all duels at Cars Jeans Stadion is 58. That averages around 3.00 per duel.

Four out of the last five h2h’s ended Under 2.5 FT, which rarely happens when it comes to Eredivisie matchups.

ADO Den Haag vs Groningen Prediction

Loss to PSV (1-3 FT) was pretty much expected for Groningen. This squad has underperformed heavily during the pre-season period, which raised a lot of alarms.

Groningen were unable to secure one single victory in the last four test matches against Almere City, Werder Bremen, NEC Nijmegen or Arminia Bielefeld. The previous campaign was concluded in 9th place with barely positive +1 goal difference. The team struggled with efficiency and it seems like that problem just got bigger during the summer.

ADO Den Haag are sharing the same problem – they were the least efficient team in the previous campaign, scoring only 25 goals in 26 matches. This said, it’s hard to picture a scenario with three goals or more on Sunday morning.

ADO Den Haag vs Groningen Bet Tips

• Under 2.5 goals FT @ 1.85

• Draw @ 3.30

Aberdeen vs Motherwell Prediction & Match Preview

 Aberdeen vs Motherwell

Scottish Premiership
Date: Sunday, 20 September 2020
Kick-off at 15:00 UK
Venue: Pittodrie Stadium (Aberdeen).

Unbeaten in 6 matches across all competitions, Aberdeen are strong favourites to win against Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership fixture on Sunday, 20 September 2020.

Since starting off a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Rangers, Aberdeen grew in confidence and bagged league wins on the bounce. They made it to 6 in all competitions on the midweek with the 2-0 away win against the Vikings in Europa League qualifier.

A strong defense that let in just 2 goals from those 7 games is once again in the focus for Derek McInnes’ men.

On Sunday, they welcome Motherwell, a team that finished third last season, but currently sitting at the foot of the table with 5 points from 7 games.

Despite their troubles in domestic league, the Steelmen managed to book their place in the next round of Europa League qualifiers at the expense of Northern Irish club Coleraine. It was not a convincing display at the midweek as they squandered a comfortable 2-0 lead before the match went into the penalties.

The current form is decisive for the bookies in posting Aberdeen as favourites at 1.80 odd to win against Motherwell, while a draw can be backed at 3.50 and away win at 4.50 odd.

Head-to-head & Previous Meetings

There are no draws in the last 15 h2h meetings between these two sides in cup or league games, though Aberdeen won 9 of those duels.

Six of their last 8 meetings saw over 1.5 goals, 4 of them over 2.5.

Both teams scored in just 1 of the last 10.

Aberdeen vs Motherwell Prediction

Every stat including form and h2h indicates once thing and that is a home win.

Motherwell are yet to score an away goal in the league this season and they will have their work cut down by an airtight Aberdeen defense that let in just 2 goals from 7 competitive games this season.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the home team wins here without conceding, taking into account that both teams scored in just 1 of the last 10 meetings between these sides.

Recommended Tips

• FT Result- Aberdeen to win @ 1.80 odd

• Over 1.5 goals in the match @ 1.40 odd.

• Correct Score Prediction: Aberdeen 2-0 @ 8.00 odd.

Hibernian vs Rangers Prediction & Match Preview

 Hibernian vs Rangers

Scotland – Premiership
Date: Sunday, 20 September 2020
Kick-off at 12:00 UK/ 13:00 CET
Venue: Easter Road.

The Teddy Bears seem absolutely determined to go all the way this season, and finally snatch the throne from the Celtics. The former have raced to the top of the table with a 100% unbeaten record so far, and if not for a single goalless draw, they would have had a perfect winning record.

And to further leave us in awe, they still have not conceded a single goal this league campaign.

They already have been the best team in the country along with arch-rivals Celtic for the past several years, but this time around they seem to have taken it up a notch.

They also do have a great h2h record against the Hibees over the years. By all means, expect another Ranger win this Sunday. They are on the course to become a juggernaut.

Hibernian vs Rangers: Head-to-head (h2h)

• Steven Gerrard’s men are on a four-match winning run.
• They have recorded a combined scorecard of 11-2 from the last three games.
• At this stadium, the guests had recorded 22 of the former 28 overall wins.
• The last time these two clashed at this ground, the visitors recorded a 0-3 victory.

Hibernian vs Rangers: Prediction

The Teddy Bears have won every single league game so far this season bar once, and impressively have conceded a single goal from their past thirteen fixtures. And this goal had come on the road in the Europa League, against Leverkusen.

Meanwhile, their counterparts were winless in five of their former ten overall fixtures, and they remained so in three of their preceding four home appearances.

On top of that, Gerrard’s men also do have a great h2h record against this rival over the past decades. In fact, they registered an 11-2 combined scoreline from the last three match-ups, and recorded 22 of the past 28 wins at this venue.

As such, expect a comfortable Rangers win this game week.

Hibernian vs Rangers: Betting Tips

• Rangers to Win @ 1.50 (1/2)

• Half Time/ Full Time: Rangers/ Rangers @ 2.25 (5/4).