Jun 15, 2013

Universitario - Cienciano

Peru Primera Division, Descentralizado

Universitario is aiming to reclaim the top spot in the league, although if that happens tonight it won't have a big effect, as Real Garcilaso (the current leaders) will have 3 games in hand. But it should be good for the morale, especially since Universitario have really upped their game this season. They have a solid home record of 6-1-2, and are undefeated in their last 6 matches. No important absences for this game, and with Ruidiaz finally getting back into form, they could pose a serious title challenge for Garcilaso, Cristal and Alianza Lima. Cienciano are also in great form, being undefeated in their last 7 games, but 5 of them have been played at home, and we know how strong they can get in the heights of Cuzco. But we do have to mention their incredible 1-0 victory away at Alianza Lima, at the end of April. I'll pin that down to a once-in-a-hundred game, because if we look at the big picture, they're away form is quite bad, losing points even against other teams that are playing at altitude. Universitario look very serious this year, and I simply can't see them failing at home against Cienciano. GL!

Universitario (-1 AH) @ 1.88, 3/10
Result: 0-0, LOST

FBC Melgar - Leon de Huanuco

Peru Primera Division, Descentralizado

Home-monsters FBC Melgar will be facing an irregular Leon de Huanuco tonight. There's not a big difference between the two teams in the standings, with Melgar sitting on 9th place, just 2 points ahead of their opponents, but the thing that makes Melgar favorite for this game is their fantastic home form. They have won 6 out of 9 home games so far... their last 6, actually, and that is really an incredible feat at first sight. But if we look closer at the teams they've played against, we can see that not a single one of them is used to playing at high altitude. Previous to those 6 straight wins, they've played against Alianza Lima, Cienciano and Inti Gas (the last two coming from cities at altitude), and they've lost all of them. And Leon is a team that relishes these kinds of matches. They have a good record in their away games, have a solid team that's hard to break and can really put up a fight. Even though they're recent form hasn't been the best, I have faith that they won't go down so easily, and I'll back them with a small bet here. GL!

Leon (+0.5 AH) @ 1.83, 3/10
Result: 1-1, WON

Jun 9, 2013

Brazil - France

International Friendly Match
There's no need to go into too much details for this game, as we all know about Brazil and France. Both have great players, and are solid squads, even though they have left us with a sour taste recently. France are far away from their glory days, as they went through a lot of trouble and a lot of changes (also, some not so good coaches), and their best performance in recent years is just a quarter-final in last year's European Championship. Brazil is also in a similar position, even more so, since they haven't had any official matches since 2011, when they lost in the Copa America quarter-finals with Paraguay. And their recent results are nothing to brag about, as they have won just one game from their last 8 games, 4-0 against Bolivia. Other than that, worth mentioning are a couple of draws with Russia and Chile. They will use their Confederations Cup squad, and they have a lot of skilled players, but they don't seem as a blend-in team. Therefore, game relations are suffering, and unless the players show a glimpse of genius, they struggle to create dangerous chances. France is also using a team with mixed players, combining experience and youth. They still have a solid team, with players like Benzema, Gomis and others, so they should at least be able to keep it tight with Brazil. It is a friendly game, after all, and Brazil's form isn't great either, so a handicap line of 1 is just too much. Worth for some small stakes. GL!
France (+1 AH) @ 1.80, 3/10
Result: 3-0, LOST