Leon de Huanuco - Juan Aurich

Peru Primera Division, Liguilla B

All the conditions are favorable for a home win here. First of all, Leon is practically one of the toughest teams to break at home, losing only one game so far, and recording 2 draws, winning the rest of their 12 matches, and with quite a serious goal difference (34 scored to 10 conceded). Then, they are unbeaten in the last 10 games, but even so they lost the lead in Group B of Liguilla, so expect some extra-motivation from them. And, of course, we have the altitude advantage for them, as well as the temperature advantage, as in Huanuco is very warm, totally different from the temperatures in Chiclayo. And we should add to all of this Juan Aurich's irregular form when playing away from home (only 3 matches won from 15 played) and we should have a solid bet on home win. Both teams should be having full squads, so I'm expecting no surprises from this point of view, as with a loss, Juan Aurich gets out of the title race for sure (even if they win, there are still very slim chances for that). The odds have risen a bit on the handicap for Leon, and now looks more tempting, but only small stakes for that, as Juan Aurich have proven several times they are no push-overs. GL!

Leon Huanuco (-0.75 AH) @ 1.84, 3/10

Result: 1-1, LOST

Arabe Unido - Cruz Azul

CONCACAF Champions League

This two teams will face each other in a group A fixture, certainly one of the tightest groups in the CCL history, where all 4 teams are equal on 3 points after the first two matches. That is why Cruz Azul can't afford a bad step in Panama, as they still have to travel to Salt Lake to face Real, and for sure that match is going to be tougher than this one. Arabe Unido had a good run last year in the group stages, being undefeated at home, and even trashing Isidro Metapan 6-0 and Toluca 4-1. However, the same opponent as today, Cruz Azul, ended their hopes in the quarter-finals, with a double victory. But their main advantage, the artificial turf, is gone now, as they will play this match on a new stadium, with a grass surface, and the Mexican players liked it during practice, and will probably do better on it than on the turf. Moreover, some players are questionable for them, so the line-up could see some surprises.

Cruz Azul went to Panama with everything they have, but I doubt we'll see a 100% team on the field. The line-up will be made public only before the match, but with the team in not a good situation in the group, I think we can count on a several regulars, especially Emanuel Villa, Javier Orozco and Christian Gimenez (scored 13 of the 18 goals in the Primera Division, and Orozco scored 4 in the groups with Gimenez close by with 2) should play some part in the match. Cruz Azul is also doing great in their league, being the overall leaders, 3 points ahead of Santos and Monterrey, so they will try to transfer their good form from the league to the CL. This bet looks good, because the handicap looks do-able, and a victory for the Mexicans shouldn't be a problem. GL!

Cruz Azul (-0.75 AH) @ 1.95, 2/10

Result: 0-6, WON

Toluca - Puerto Rico Islanders

CONCACAF Champions League

I'm going with yesterday's trend in the Concachampions, and I'm going to back a Mexican team to cover the handicap again. After a sloppy start in both competitions, Toluca has shown some improvements in the las couple of weeks, and since the 0-0 draw away with FAS, they went to win 3 matches (2 of them in the league) and make another draw, last week at Necaxa, moving to second place in the group in the Mexican league. In the Champions League, they share the top spot with the Islanders, and today will be an important match, that could decide who wins the group. No official line-up is available yet for the Mexicans, but most likely it will be a mixed team on the pitch, with some reserves among the regulars (as they usually do in this competition), but still, the quality advantage should still be in their favor. Moreover, Toluca is at over 2000 meters of altitude, and it will be hard for a team from Puerto Rico to play like they usually do. One more thing: today, Mexico celebrates 200 years of independence, so Toluca will be likely to start the celebrations early, with a nice game and a win against the Islanders.

Puerto Rico Islanders don't seem to be a force like in last years, finding themselves only around mid table in their league. They are still strong at home, and Toluca might have problems there, that is why this match should be a 'must-win' for the Mexicans. Despite being rather poor travelers, the Islanders also have to cope with a pretty long journey to Toluca, and one there, they will have to face the altitude and a very solid home team. Moreover, in the last month they had to play almost every 3 days (played 8 matches in August), and they will continue doing so in September as well (this will be the 5th match in 13 days), so either they will also mix their squad a bit, either they will be exhausted. Either way, advantage goes with the Mexicans, and they should win this one easy, especially from statistical point of view, the Islanders always losing with handicap in the CL in Mexico. GL!

Toluca (-1.5 AH) @ 1.95, 4/10

Result: 3-0, WON

Deportivo Saprissa - Seattle Sounders

CONCACAF Champions League

Seattle Sounders might have had 5 days of rest, which is a rarity for the MLS teams so late in the season, but I won't be expecting a full strength line-up today. Couldn't find any reports about who will play, but looking at their schedule (they will have 4 consecutive away games: at Saprissa, at Columbus Crew, at Monterrey and at Chicago), and knowing their priority is the MLS play-offs, I sure they will count on some of their fringe players. That won't necessarily change much of the team's face, but with their poor displays so far (losing both matches, at home with Monterrey and at Marathon) we shouldn't expect too much from them. Saprissa, on the other hand, is looking to have found their pace, having 4 games without losing, and it looks like they are going to repeat the line-up that trashed Perez Zeledon at the weekend with 4-1. Meaning that Centeno, Sequeira and their other 'big names' should start tonight. Confidence is high at Saprissa, and a win today will get them closer to the qualification. And with their good form showed recently on their home stadium (defeated Marathon with 4-1 in their last Concachampions match), I'm pretty sure they will be too good for the Sounders. GL!

Deportivo Saprissa @ 1.85, 4/10

Result: 2-0, WON

Columbus Crew - Joe Public

CONCACAF Champions League

It's never a good idea to trust American teams in this competition, but I'd give it a go for some small stakes here. They are coming after a tough match played on the coast, which they lost 1-3 against the Galaxy, so for sure they are going to rest some regulars here. But the reserves aren't that bad (not a huge quality gap between the starters and the back-up players), and they always relish the opportunity of playing some matches. And all the MLS teams seem like having improved a bit since last years, and this was very visible in their matches against the Mexicans, when Sal Lake gave Cruz Azuk a good run for their money,  losing 4-5 in the last seconds; the Crew also lost in the last minute at Santos Laguna, while Toronto FC actually managed to win against Monterrey. Anyway, the main bet here is against Joe Public. Having watched them against Santos Laguna, I can say they are one of the poorest teams in the competition, and their defense can be easily broken down, and put a few goals behind them. What's more, they will only bring 16 players with them for this match, as a the rest (including some regulars) are either having suspension problems, or visa problems. So, the Crew should have more quality in their squad, and with Mendoza finally set to start (very good player for that level, playing for FC Brugge and Steaua Bucharest in the past), I'd bet he's going to score at least once. Small stakes though, as I've already said the MLS teams are far from trustworthy. GL!

Columbus Crew (-1.5 AH) @ 1.95, 3/10

Result: 3-0, WON