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Columbus have been in a lot of trouble ever since the start of the season. They have a huge problem tonight because they won't have their goalie Bobrovki to count on and have no proper substitute for him. Wisiniewski is still out, and their offense can't count on half of the players. I think this team is not at a level that can see them put up a good fight - they simply miss too many players and like that can stand up to only worse teams. I don't believe Toronto will have problems here. Details

Current performances by both teams lead to this tip. Ottawa are currently on a four-game winning run, while Devils recorded 4 defeats in the last four games. They played last night, while Ottawa had a week off. A break that long could turn out to be a bad thing, but I think the Senator will start fiercely to take a great lead against the poor performing opponent. Details

Yesterday we had a pick against he Canes that went through nicely, as Calgary busted them up 5-0, and to cut a long story short, all the same arguments apply here as well. The Canes are weak and plagued by injuries, still without a victory and a long way away from one judging from their performance. The Oilers were less than impressive at the start, but won two matches since, against the Bolts and Caps. It's rather easy to beat this Carolina team and I believe the Oilers should easily do it, even more so as they're fresh, unlike the Canes. Details

This is a match between teams that base their game on offensive exclusively. New York Islanders got all four wins so far, with 5-3, 4-3, 6-3, and 4-3 (SO) results. On the other hand, the Pens had over in two out of three times, 6-4 against the Ducks, 5-2 against Toronto, and they got "stuck" against Dallas, 3-2. What I see as a crucial part of this bet is these two teams' special units. They're the best two powerplay teams, and two worst penalty killing teams. The Pens are the best powerplay team of the league, they scored 6- out of 13, which is the incredible 46.2%. Islanders aren't much far behind, they scored 6 out of 14. In penalty killing, the Pens are better, too - they have the weak 60%, and conceded 6 goals out of 15 situations, but the Islanders' statistic isn't much better, they conceded 5 goals out of 13 situations. So, it's completely realistic to expect a few powerplay goals here, which will definitely help this bet be successful. Just take a look at these two teams' matches against each other - they ended with these results 4-6, 2-3 (OT,, 4-3, 3-4, 3-4 (OT). It all shows a very efficient game can be expected today. Details

The defeats both teams recorded in their respective opening games make this one very important. Estoril are the favorite, but I beg to differ. They are doing quite badly at the moment, having won only 5 points in 6 championship games. It will be almost impossible for them to end the season as successfully as the did last year.
Panathianikos are doing as expected and I think they're currently much better than the opponent. Plus, they can do their absolute best today because the next championship round in Greece is postponed. I woudl go with +0 normally, but I'm going to go with +0.25 today because Panathianos have to do without Berg today, which will affect their efficiency. Another reason to go with this bet is Estoril's coach who said that championship is their number one priority. Estoril didn't win a single group stage games last year (0-3-3). Details

Veria started this season very well, with three victories, but we have to point out that they had quite a lot of luck in all of those and each of them could have gone the other way as well. I would not dub them the favorites in this match, as this is a typical even chanced match for me, with both teams able to win. Giannina lost 2-0 against Kerkyra in an away match last round, although they were better they scored an unfortunate goal on themselves and the second came after 94 minutes when the match was already over. I see no reason to make a team who are objectively speaking quite a lot weaker than Giannina into such favorites, so I'm going with the bet that Giannina will not lose. Details

Kuban are the only undefeated team of the league, except for Zenit, but Rubin can be proud with six matches with no defeat, too. This will be the a match between two tough defenses, and the reason for me supporting Rubin is that Kuban won't be themselves today. Before the match against Terek, they lost their best player Ivelin Popov who's playing as the defensive midfielder, and they didn't create one real chance. Kn that match, the back midfielder Charles Kabore got sent off, the key man of Kuban's defensive, so today, Kuban basically won't have the midfield. I expect a hard match and a great battle in the midfield, but the battle that should be won by Rubin with all that's been said. That's why I believe that the Kazan team can remain undefeated today. Details

It's true that after seven rounds Mordovia have that many points more than Arsenal, but I cannot agree that they are a favorite here. Arsenal have had a terribly difficult schedule, were playing top level teams (except Lokomotiv, who were not in crisis back then), and are not as bad as the odds suggest. Mordovia won two matches so far, against Torpedo at home and Ural at Ekaterinburg, which is not particularly impressive in my opinion. Arsenal have scored just a single point, and are under huge pressure to finally get some points against a team who are "their size". The teams already met last year in the second league, with the score 0-0 in Tula, while Arsenal won a minimal victory in Saransk. Mordovia have reinforced their team since, but not so much to be a favorite in this away game. The odds should be even to say the least, although I would personally put Arsenal as a slight favorite, so I will back the home team with this handicap. Details

Both teams need the win today, provided that Greece beat Poland. Since that probably won't happen, we need to look at the big picture. The situation is complicated, but here's an explanation: if Poland remain undefeated, there is still a chance for them to be one of the top four runner-ups. Let's assume Italy will beat Cyprus home, and Austria won't beat Spain. If that happens, Austria are out, and Italy reaching the top spot in the group. In that case, Belgium or Serbia will be the runner up in the group. Goal difference is what will turn out to be crucial then. Both opponents in Greece have to try and score as many goals, and Sweden and Turkey can't rely on Greece winning. A convincing win could see them both get through, and depending only on Serbian goal difference. I know there are a lot of ifs, but these teams have nothing to lose, and won't be holding back today. The score of their first meeting was 2-2, and I don't see why many goals wouldn't be scored today either, especially because they need that. Details

I believe Greece are regarded as slightly too big favorites here and the reasons for that are purely psychological. Greece need to win by 2 goals, but that still might not mean anything as they need a draw in the game between Sweden and Turkey. The chances of that draw happening are minimal as both teams need a win and the Greeks could have a mental block right from the start, aware that even a convincing win might not give them anything. On the other hand, Poland have a better H2H score with the Swedes and the Turks and a draw will secure the top spot for them. I believe they will defend calmly and wait for their chance and at least get a point to secure the deserved top spot. Details

In the last round, we had a tip that Amkar wouldn't score against Zenit away and it ended at 2-0. Today's bet will be in the same vein as things haven't changed for the better at Amkar, they are still without a real forward and Muslin's team is pretty pale up front. Midfielder Kolomeytsev has been announced to play up front but even if Solomatin or Picusceac, both of whom are doubtful, play today, it wouldn't change much. Unlike Amkar, Spartak seem very impressive and their first-choice forward Dzyuba has already scored 6 goals. Just to remind you, all those games were played away and they beat Rubin, Dynamo and CSKa, and now they have an easy task of concluding this run. Amkar don't have enough quality to stop Spartak and I believe the visitors should get a relatively easy win. Braver punters can go for Amkar not scoring for a smaller stake. Details

Both teams are getting into the new season with plenty of changes and uncertainties, but I believe Ergotelis have a better position. Panionios have lost almost entire first squad due to financial difficulties and will now have to rely on youth players and players of dubious quality from the second division. The only player worth mentioning in that squad is Ariel Ibagaza, but he can't do it alone. Taking into consideration the experience with AEK and Aris in last two years, I think Panonios are the main relegation candidate as their 'children' cannot carry the club. If AEK and Aris, teams with a much bigger reputation, were unable to pull it off, Panionios shouldn't be able as well. On the other hand, Ergotelis have made some changes but they will field 11 players on a part with Ibagaza. I just don't see a reason why Panionios would be the favorites today. The only deficit for Ergotelis is lack of forwards but that's why I will keep things secure with an Asian handicap. Ergotelis also have the tradition working for them as they haven't lost their nine games against Panionios - they have won 4 and have gotten 5 draws. Details

Granted, Rostov have had a bad start to the season, but I cannot agree with the odds set here because I have the reason to believe the situation at Rostov will change today. First and foremost, they have so far played only teams from the upper part of the championship table (Dinamo, Lokomotiv, Kuban, Krasnodar), and three of those meetings were road games. They played Trabzon away as well, and displayed a really good game in that match. The main reason I have faith in Rostov is the fact their top player Kanga, who does a lot of work both in defense and offense, is back on the team today. He was suspended for the first four games. With him on the pitch, Rostov are a much more confident, and more dangerous opponent. Mordovia are a good team this year, but I think Rostov are the favorite for the win in this game. The odds for their win should be 1.90-2.00. But, given their recent bad results, I'll go for the safer option that the game won't be a draw. Details

Since there are always a lot of things still unknown in the first round games, I don't often choose to bet on them. But, I believe PAOK are way overrated in this match. They made many changes to the team this summer, especially with regards to midfield, which has been completely altered, and more importantly weakened. They did a game in Kisinjev against Zimbru few days back, and lost it 1-0. One game isn't the best indicator of what to expect from a team, but the things we do know are more than enough to create judgement. PAOK have the second leg on Thursday, which is why I don't expect them to do their best against Kalloni, who are better this season. To sum up, PAOK are not well organized, weakened, and in between two European games. On top of that, they will not have any fan support today, and the bet that Kalloni won't be defeated badly today seems like a good choice. They lost to PAOK 2-1 last year away, and I believe they can do the same today. Details

I've been thinking to bet that Amkar won't score in their last game with Kuban. I would have been right because they didn't, and that game just confirmed how harmless they are. Since Goergiev, who was scoring from set-pieces, left for Rubin ahead of the last game, Amkar couldn't score. They scored only once in four games this season, and now have to face the toughest of opponents. Under different circumstances, this would have been a bet you should avoid, since Zenit could create quite a goal difference early on and concede later in the game. But, I think that won't happen today. This meeting comes between two games with Standard for them, and they will try to get it over with as soon as possible. 1-0 is all they need. Amkar will play with five defenders today, which is good for the bet as well. Torpedo played an offense-oriented game and that ended badly. But Amkar obviously come to get a point, and we will see their completely defense-oriented game. But we will, I'm almost positive, not see them score... Details

Rapid entered this season rather weaker than in the previous one, and the results are the best proof of that - they won just five points in five matches. They've got some issues with absences as well, while Helsinki are entering this match with a much better situation. They have a clear situation in the championship where they are doing games at literally 50% power with plenty of rotations, and are much more prepared for this game. I think the worse they can do today is a draw, but I believe the home team will win, and will back them up with this handicap. Details

Dinamo have high hopes in the championship this season, and don't have the least interest to make things complicated against Omonia. They could use a rest for their key players in the rematch, so I believe they will go go in a bit harder to resolve matters right away, in the first match. Omonia looked solid in their recent games, especially on defense, but the teams they played against are nowhere near Dinamo, so one should take that with caution. Quality is undoubtedly on the side of Dinamo, now that they also have Valbuena, who will feed passes to Kuranyi and Kokorin. I expect a heap of chances for Dinamo to score, and a victory with at least a 2 goal lead. Details

If this was played in "normal" circumstances, the odds on this match would be fine, but seeing how both teams are rather crippled on offense, everything points to few goals. The home team are missing Doumbia (and Dzagoev, but that is old news), and with him missing it's like half the team is gone. He is a player that commands huge attention from the opposing team, and with focus on him space opens up for other attackers, while he still remains a danger. As things stand now, Spartak's defense can handle Musa with relative ease, so the danger elsewhere, primarily from the wingers (Tošić, and usually Musa but now Vitinho), will be much lower. Spartak, on the other hand, have been missing Yura Movsisyan for some time now, and his spot was ideally filled by Dzyuba, who returned from Rostov, but now he will almost certainly be missing as well. The media are speaking of Waris at the forward point, and he is nowhere near as dangerous as the aforementioned two. Spartak are usually a team worth playing over with, but against the tough CSKA and with both teams weak on offense, an over result would be a great surprise to me. Details

Ural and points in home games are rarely mentioned in the same sentence. They are a team that just like to play away, and almost seem lost at home. Last year they won only 13 of the possible 34 points at home, and the trend seems to be continuing this year as well, as they won only one point in the first three rounds (all home games). They're also struggling with absences, especially on offense. Today their point offense man should once again be midfielder Erokhin. Torpedo could easily get all three points in this match with some patience, and I cannot agree with Ural being such overwhelming favorites here. They are favorites due to home ground, by all means, but anything under 2.00 is just too much, and I'll definitely support the away team here, but with insurance. Details

A city derby between Dynamo and Spartak offered some strange results in the last two years. Three of four times, the guest team crushed the home team, and it wouldn't be thankful to predict who will win today. Still, by taking a look at the last matches they played, and seeing that there were 20 goals in the last four matches, a bet on many goals just begs you to take it. This was confirmed additionally in the first round when both team stuffed the opponent's net, and they're both teams with very tough defenses. Dynamo scored 7 goals against Rostov, and Rubin conceded four goals by Spartak. In this derby, nobody cares about getting one point, and who will win will be decided with the offense, not defense, so over 2.5 seems like a good pick. Details