On October 8th I previewed the Europa League groups.
Let’s review after the opening games and see how well the players really did and whether we can spot anything useful that will help us in later rounds.
I’ve kept the original preview here for ease and…
Post game updates are all in these light green boxes.
Europa League - Groups
Group A - Roma, Young Boys, CFR Cluj, CSKA Sofia
Roma
This very soft group makes Roma assets a lot more attractive.
Key Players: None
Punts: Pedro, Veretout, Pellegrini
Youth: Carles Perez
A barely recognisable Roma side with 9 changes from the last match. Wouldn’t read too much into these numbers with a rotated side on a rain soaked artificial pitch. Key men Veretout/Pellegrini did not start.
Young CB Kumbulla came closest to a win with a goal but this is more good fortune than consistent level.
Borja Mayoral a new face after moving from Levante and could become a decent budget IPD option but we need more minutes to judge him on.
Roma may have better days in this soft group. I think former Barcelona youngster Carles Perez is the most interesting – just £1.16 to £1.46 and well within range of a win if he plays a full game on a good day for Roma.
Match Day 2
Should have been a soft game and Roma dominated but could not make it count.
Carles Perez comes out of it quite well. Sees enough of the ball for a forward and he gets decent chances, including a couple of ranged efforts here.
The 22 year old former Barcelona player shows some decent numbers consistently when playing. I’ve liked him as a longer term prospect for a while and he’s shaping up nicely. Especially on a bid as low as £1.16.
Some of their better players only make it off the bench – Pedro, Pellegrini. Veretout did not get on at all.
Pedro looks dangerous overall but not last night – he may be 33 but is not to be counted out. Could easily win if he starts one of these soft games. Just 43p.
Young CB Kumbulla continues to upset the historic data. He had another good chance to score which would have made it 3 goals in 3. Which for a CB is very obviously very impressive. And he’s just 57p. One slightly off putting thing is that his overall numbers aren’t brilliant and a goal might not be enough for him to win. It’s a 4p dividend though just for a goal.
It’s still hard to call it an exciting pick but he is proving more than a flash in the pan.
New signing Borja Mayoral had his best game thus far. 3 shots and probably Roma’s most dangerous player. Atrocious performance player. But on a 35p bid he could make a great IPD punt. Can probably expect some rotation with Dzeko but at that price that’s acceptable. Even 1 goal returns a good chunk of that fee and he’s 23 – very hard to see him dipping any lower than 35p for very long.
Overall Roma have had a weak start and should be making more of a soft group. But they do have some decent players and their fixture calendar both domestically and in the Europa is very kind up to December. So if there is a good time to go for Roma assets it’s now.
Group B: Arsenal, Rapid Wien, Molde, Dundalk
Arsenal
Like Roma, Arsenal can be a suprisingly underwhelming performance side however this soft group, and likelihood of a good run in the competition, really gives them a boost.
Key Players: Willian (could argue he is a punt/veteran but I think he is so strong I’d be comfortable holding for a while),
Punts: Pepe, Ceballos, Aubameyang (I’d tend to go for him in later stages when he will have less competition on smaller match days)
Youth: Gabriel, Willock, Nelson (big pitch time risk but capable)
Arsenal fans will rightly be impressed with Partey‘s excellent debut. Looked similar to his good days at Atletico which means he’s high baseline but will struggle to add goals to really push the score into competitive territory.
However, he’ll be able to nick it on limited fixture days without a goal, and when he does score he could clear 300+. That may be a couple of times per season. As per the Deadline Day transfer article – there is some gossip that he thinks he is capable of more goals so that is worth keeping an eye on. No evidence of that so far but it is early days.
This £1.23 bid would be value – even without an improvement in threat he should justify that. And if he does improve a holder will be very happy.
Gabriel was impressive. CB’s are a little awkward on FI but some of them have such high baselines they can get themselves in contention – nicking limited fixture days or sometimes even winning when the more attacking defenders do not score on a match day.
I really liked him in Scouting and that first game versus Fulham was very impressive. I said back then though that there was no need to charge into him after the hype when he was £1.20. He’s dropped to 87p now – lots of traders come out when the hype for transfers has faded. Solid value pick up now and we should see regular challenges from him.
Very disappointing when trying to find good targets further forward though. I think we’ll need to see Willian back who really looks the only consistent midfield/forward challenger at Arsenal at the moment.
They do have a very soft group though. Dundalk and Molde to come at home in the next two weeks. Punts on Pepe, Lacazette, Nketiah or Aubameyang may pay off.
Even Saka could win on a day like that but overall he’s poor in that midfield category and that penny is starting to drop with traders – price is dropping just agonisingly slowly and again it’s those true believers who pay the biggest price.
Cruised to victory as they should have. If there is a game to showcase Arsenal’s players at their best this was it.
Willock impressive. A very competitive FI performance and dropping the match winner would have seen him up there, although outclassed on the day by the magnificent Pizzi.
It shows his potential though and having that magic (if over stated) “young and English” vibe it’s a big deal if he starts performing.
I was very sceptical of this back when he was a pumped wonderkid at nearly £2. But I’ve got more optimistic after his price drop closer to £1. His pitch time struggles see him available potentially on a bid for just 66p now which is pretty incredible.
Given regular minutes he’d be in contention, maybe 
or 
level. And for the money that’s decent. A patient trader might be very happy with the pickup at this price. Really all about whether he can get more regular minutes.
Nketiah a big threat. 7 shots in total. Got the matchwinner but it could have been more. Generally a fairly poor performance player but is a decent finisher and that’s worth something.
The difficulty is if shopping for IPD there are more consistent options who are more secure in pitch time. It’s not a bad pick for the money at £1.25 or close to it – but you’d have to see a bright future for him as a first team striker at a big club.
Pepé was excellent. Lovely goal. Good all around contribution. I use to love Pepé at Lille when he looked on the way to Bayern. Had that happened he could be an FI powerhouse. But I was sceptical about his ability to deliver at Arsenal.
To be fair though… that was when he was well over £3 in the old dividend structure. If you really can get this £1.38 bid or close to that it’s good value. Arsenal have spicy fixtures in the Europa with Molde up next twice. So a good punt for that period at minimum, possibly longer if he does well in the games to come.
Nelson very good too. I’ve been optimistic on him earlier in 2020 – hasn’t worked out though. The numbers are good, but he’s really suffered from being blocked in the side with limited opportunities. But when he gets them, he usually looks a capable winner.
No bid price at all right now. Still just 20 so I think he is worth keeping an eye on. Maybe a move at this stage is the best thing for him.
Group C: Leverkusen, Slavia Praha, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, Nice
Leverkusen
Nice will be a challenging fixture but the other 2? Soft. Huge shock if they do not progress.
Key Players: Demirbay, Palacios, Tapsoba
Punts: Schick, Tah,
Youth: Diaby, Paulinho (when fit), Leon Bailey (game time risk but capable), Amiri.
Woah. Not sure anyone would have called 6-2 over Nice. Bodes well for Leverkusen assets because they only have softer teams to come.
The best players line up with the preview apart from the rested Demirbay.
Diaby bagged a goal and assist. Important as it breaks a goal drought. Not actually his best game in terms of overall involvement – he is capable of much better.
Still, not far away from a win here. As per Scouting since he switched to forward I’m optimistic on him especially for that £1.38 bid now which is criminally low.
Leon Bailey has started twice in a row now – good news for holders. If he keeps getting minutes I’d be very surprised if we didn’t see him make dividend challenges. Still just 23 and frequently gets big transfer rumours. £1.19 on a bid now – great value.
Amiri was close. Well regarded youngster just making the Germany squad fringes and expected to get a bigger move one day. Will be an occasional challenger. Good pick up for a patient trader.
Palacios consistent – he’s been surprisingly lightly used this season so far but he should get his chances and his capable of big scores.
Tapsoba was solid again. Again CB’s are awkward but he is one of those that can challenge because they just see so much of the ball and his passing is tidy. A really solid pickup for a patient trader. May drop on big transfer rumours he has the right style for big clubs.
17 year old Florian Wirtz is making a regular impression from the bench. Finishing nicely for the 6th goal. Not on FI yet but looking good and has some very FI friendly numbers. One to watch at IPO.
Match Day 2
Disappointing result for Leverkusen losing 1-0 away to Prague. Early red card to Bellarabi cost them.
Was therefore never a game where their players could make much impact and we can’t read too much into it.
But the usual suspects from the preview remain strong picks and the fixtures are soft to December with Freiburg, Beer-Sheva twice in the Europa, Gladbach (tougher) and minnows Arminia too.
Diaby currently my top pick he looks strong and good value.
I also like Demirbay, Bailey, Palacios and Amiri. And most will be aware of Tapsoba by now. These are all good players but we are seeing plenty of rotation for them.
Youngster Wirtz keeps impressing and will be worth looking at for IPO.
And I’d also say remember Paulinho who should be back from injury in February. Strong FI player and this is the point in an injury trade where it can make a lot of sense to go for them. He may get a natural rise as he gets closer to returning and he’s a valid hold in his own right for the longer term too.
Nice
I started with the assumption that Nice would progress however interestingly if we look at the fivethirtyeight.com algorithm here (I like to use this as a sense check on betting odds/my own assumptions) it is backing Prague to qualify. Betting odds say Nice.
I would still expect Nice to go through but I have learned to give the algorithm a little respect when it comes to predicting upsets. That might make me a little more cautious than usual – particularly if Nice get off to a bad start.
Key Players: Gouiri, Youcef Atal,
Punts: Dolberg, Rony Lopes, Reine-Adelaide (New signing, we don’t know how he fits in yet but he’s potentially good if he starts).
Youth: K. Thuram
Nice were smashed here but they do have easier games to come now.
No surprise that Gouiri was the best of it. Another goal making 4 goals in 4 games (including France U21) plus an assist. The move to Nice is going about as well as hoped.
He’s in regular contention for wins already and in the kind of form that makes the hoped for big club rumours likely. Capable of popping off in these soft Europa fixtures to come.
Plenty of rotation elsewhere with Atal, Thuram and Lopes benched.
With these soft Europa games Dolberg would not be a bad punt. And neither would Lees-Melou actually. Also interested to see new signing Reine-Adelaide make his first start – on historic numbers he shows some FI friendly stuff.
Match Day 2
Key man Gouiri close to a win, just pipped by another promising youngster Malen. Unlucky to be subbed off on 69 actually or he probably wins it. He’s more than just a goalscorer – his all round game gives him a key advantage which is why I rate him at .
If he keeps developing then he might get towards 
which is a rating I don’t give out too often.
I’ve liked Gouiri for a while and he’s doing very well at Nice. Showing enough consistency to hold his price at least and this is a market that is valuing stability right now. If he keeps this up I’d expect these good displays to set him up for a decent rise in a more confident market.
Youngster Thuram also comes out of this well. Big involvement and although there are no shots he is getting forward here. I picked him out in pre-season and he’s unlucky not to have won already with a 252 score in early October. Hasn’t moved in price and even on a bid of 67p now.
I’d peg him around which means we can expect some occasional challenges and for a cheap 19 year old at Nice that feels good to me.
Youcef Atal has been introduced back slowly but he’s one to watch. A very aggressive full back who often shows goal threat and assist potential. Not recently – he’s been a little out of form but he could easily make a comeback.
At just 86p on a bid now or close to that it’s fantastic value. Not just because he might win but he also frequently drops on some big transfer rumours.
Group D: Benfica, Standard Liège, Rangers, Lech Poznań
Benfica
Should comfortably qualify and are expected to have a decent run in the competition. Can also be a good source of future transfers targets as well as just wins.
In Everton, Waldschmidt, Pedrinho you’ve got 3 decent players who are almost certainly bought with the intention of selling on. However, all joined recently, so it’s judging whether they will spend just 1 season or 2 at Benfica which is hard to know right now.
Key Players: Grimaldo, Everton Soares,
Punts: Pizzi,
Youth: Waldschmidt, Pedrinho
Pizzi scored a penalty – only really unlucky to be subbed off at half time or he should have been up there challenging. He’s one of the best low key Europa punts around and he could do some damage in the upcoming home ties vs Liege and Rangers.
It was 21 year old Darwin Nunez who came closest though with an unexpected hatrick. He did not appear in my preview since he isn’t on FI. Whilst his overall numbers are fairly poor nobody can argue with his goals and assists record. Worth keeping an eye on – Benfica players with big goals tallys are never far away from a good transfer rumour.
Everton Soares was close to a goal and in the softer games like those coming up he could do really well. Plenty of minutes for Brazil recently too. Is expected to make a bigger move. Patient holders should be happy with this. And shorter term he’s in with a shot in these soft Europa games.
Waldschmidt could/should have scored too, he had a good chance. Bagged a brace in the last game vs Benfica. Doing well in Portugal so far. Also scored for Germany vs Turkey. The market hated his Benfica move but at 53p now that’s far too pessimistic and a patient trader can exploit that.
Pedrinho also capable but he is only getting limited bench appearances at the moment.
I wasn’t kidding in the preview/Match Day 1 review when I said Pizzi was one of the best cheap Europa punts around. He cruised the win here. It’s no fluke – he’s a wonderful performance player.
At an eligible club he’d be at least dare I say it possibly higher. Not likely he ever leaves Benfica though.
More soft Europa fixtures to come and still extremely cheap. Not sure why so few people go for this. Lack of awareness of his ability? Lack of courage in this market?
I’m more than happy to go for these – and when you are sweeping up Gold Day Star Player wins for a player on a 30-40p bid you are having a good time.
It’s not even particularly risky when buying on a low bid when there are more good fixtures to come.
There are other contenders at Benfica.
Waldschmidt is doing really well in Portugal. He scored again and that makes 6 goals and an assist 6 games. Exactly the form he needs to get transfer rumours and this was always a buy to sell move. He’s not going to be staying in Portugal forever it’s really a question of whether he stays for one season or two.
Everton Soares capable too and he’s another strong young player who is expected to transfer to a major league at some stage.
Group E: Granada, Omonia Nicosia, PAOK, PSV
PSV
Soft group and PSV’s array of talented youngsters have chance to make statements.
Key Players: Gakpo, Malen, Ihattaren,
Punts: Gotze,
Youth: (You could equally put Gakpo, Malen and Ihattaren here!).
Disappointing result for PSV. Should still have no issue qualifying in a soft group but this is a missed opportunity.
Ihattaren looked particularly good here with huge involvement. As covered in the Euro 2020 scouting he’s really struggling for goals at the moment but he is really not far away from big scores. Soft fixtures to come and he could make a statement. Wouldn’t take much to see the hype for him return.
Malen should have scored too. He’s in good form and could well fill his boots in the coming games. More on him in the Euro section updated yesterday.
Gakpo missing with illness – again though he’ll be in with a shot for the next two he’s in good form.
Gotze scored – he’s only appeared for PSV twice and he’s scored both times. Looking like a good punt if you can stomach the injury record. Probably a bit risky since if anything bad happens you are never selling this.
Malen won the forward category, nicking it from Gouiri with a second goal in injury time. Exciting stuff. But perhaps only if you own both of them.
He was in the preview as a key player and I noted his good form in the Match Day 1 review. So no surprise to see PSV making hay in this soft group.
Malen was a big threat with 6 chances. No real reason why we can’t expect more big scores in the Europa. And he’s in the kind of form that should see those transfer rumours surfacing again.
His spread has closed now but £1.52 is still good value. In general as I said this week in State of the Market – it’s about time we started looking out for some of these cheap transfer picks again. And if they have shorter term Europa involvement it’s even better.
Ihattaren is another and this was a decent game – involvement actually a bit soft by his high standards but crucially he looks closer to a goal which he badly needs as he is in a drought. The threat has improved in the last two and it’s a good time to go back to him in my view.
Gakpo another good pick – unfortunately sidelined with covid here but I’d expect him to be a challenger too. In good form this season and transfer rumours are also likely.
Group F: Napoli, Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, Rijeka
Napoli
A little group of death? Not quite, it’s one of the tougher groups but Napoli are comfortable favourites in both betting and algorithm.
Key Players: Insigne, Ruiz, Zielinski, Di Lorenzo,
Punts: Politano (if starting he’s capable), Petagna (Dark horse for strong IPD if he gets game time), Lozano (we’d need to see evidence of more consistency in Scouting – he got one big score recently but mostly looks poor).
Youth: Osimhen, Elmas,
Shock defeat for Napoli at home to AZ. Especially because AZ had 13 players ruled out with a corona outbreak.
A shame because Napoli dominated possession and could have racked up big scores here.
The group looks a lot tougher now. It was one of the harder groups anyway and they can’t afford another slip up especially at home. A loss to Sociedad away next would setup a nervy away trip to Rijeka… that may leave holders sweating. A bit early to stress too much about that, though.
Ruiz in particularly had monstrous involvement, elite level. Threat has been limited recently though but it’s a reminder that on his day he can be clearing 300+.
Politano was really strong and I expect that of him when playing, starting is his real issue. Had plenty of chances and is in good form scoring in both of his last two. A capable winner if he gets pitch time and for 62p to 83p he’s value even with rotation – it’s a packed season so we are going to see more of this than usual.
Insigne on from the bench as he returns from injury. Solid per minute numbers. He’s had his wins but he’s got to be one of the more unlucky players on FI that is not delivering as many wins as he should be in theory. Over time luck tends to correct itself though.
Lozano was pretty toothless after his recent heroics. If you take his last 7 games including friendlies he’s scored 7 and assisted 3 times and nobody can complain about that. He has a lot of ground to make up after a very poor last season. And the performance numbers are not great. However even as an IPD pick if he keeps starting he’s probably worth his money.
Standard sort of high threat low involvement game from Osimhen – he’s obviously an IPD player rather than a regular performance winner and that’s been known for well over a year. But he’s probably a good IPD player at Napoli. Only scored once in the last 5 and that is really surprising. He has the threat for 3-4. There are better IPD strikers for far less money which is the only thing.
Mertens, with a new contract, could be worth a look as a strong veteran pick. He’s got bags of IPD in him and can be a performance challenger too.
Match Day 2
Good result for Napoli after throwing the first game vs AZ.
Sociedad dominated though so big scores were never coming from Napoli assets here. They do have softer games to come though – minnows Rijeka up next twice – away then home.
Injury to Insigne a low point. Gattuso hinted it may not be serious but he has tests today.
We are seeing regular injuries now to lots of key players – perhaps a symptom of fewer rest days.
I expect this to play out similar to how it has throughout 2020 – there will be plenty of occasions where our player misses out due to being rested, subbed off or even injured. But with a portfolio of 40-60 strong players it’s likely someone comes through for the win.
It’s changing who wins on a given match day – but the quality is coming through overall. Think of it like having squad depth in our portfolio – it’s one reason why I wouldn’t be running an aggressive 20-30 player portfolio this season.
And yet I don’t like to be close to 60 either. I see little point in spending so much time on research if we aren’t winning big when they come through. 40-50 a sweet spot in my view for most traders this season.
Politano continues to impress. Matchwinner here. On a more dominant day for Napoli, such as those to come, he can win it. Value player.
Real Sociedad
Should get through but AZ will provide tough competition.
Key Players: Oyarzabal,
Punts: Isak, David Silva
Youth: Barrenetxea
Key man Oyarzabal saw plenty of the ball and had chances to score. Though sloppy passing let him down which is something he is often guilty of. Likely, that improves at a bigger club. Remains a contender for the next two and Sociedad have kind fixtures in general. Looks a good hold certainly for the next month or so.
David Silva is very close to getting on the scoresheet here and could have easily challenged for the win. At a 43p bid and with good fixtures to come… I think if we get through the next month without seeing at least one big score from Silva holders can call themselves unlucky. Two year contract as well so I’d call this a strong veteran punt.
Isak very much off the boil right now but he is getting a few chances. Looks very cheap at the moment really given the likelihood of big club transfer rumours later on.
Barrenetxea injured for this one.
For all their possession Sociedad didn’t get many genuinely good attempts on goal.
More generally goals have not been a problem for them as per Scouting. And they have soft fixtures coming up – Celta Vigo, AZ Alkmaar, Granada, Cadiz and then AZ Alkmaar again.
Could be a good period for them and I think the picks remain as per the preview.
AZ Alkmaar
Underdogs in this group for sure. The games vs Rijeka should be a good chance for their key players to rack up decent scores though… that’s at the end of this month (Napoli before that).
Key Players: Stengs, Boadu,
Punts: De Wit (cheap IPD punt?)
Youth:
Tough game for Alkmaar – they won but gave up lots of possession to Napoli. They have their best shot at big scores up next though – Rijeka at home next week.
Boadu one of the many out with covid.
Stengs played but no real impact on a tough game – next game should be a better opportunity.
Punt pick 22 year old midfielder De Wit got the winner. He’s in fine form with 6 goals and 2 assists in the last 5 matches. Not incredibly performance suitable but in this form bigger club links may not be far away. And he’s just 56p. Good for a patient trader. With a chance of a decent score or at least IPD in the next game too.
Koopmeiners bagged the match winner and 2 assists – if he were on FI he’d be another low key pick like Pizzi who could smash it. He’s more interesting though because he’s just 22 and could transfer. Really strong player I’ll look out for at IPO for sure.
That’s something of a story of the night as 22 year old Swede Jesper Karlsson got another goal. He’s had 8 goals and 3 assists in the last 7 games for AZ and Sweden U21 combined. Again, not on FI but one to look out for.
Albert Gudmundsson is on FI and scored twice. Unfortunately… he is a very poor performance player who hasn’t really been in great form so it was hard to recommend him. Just 23 though and.. 31p on a bid. Hm. I think there are probably better IPD picks available.
The men we are really looking to see are Boadu and Stengs. Boadu was out will illness.
Stengs had something of an off game which is unfortunate as this was a good chance for him on a flat track vs Rijeka. He’s won in a Europa round before and he is well capable. He’s not quite in the form of last season but the numbers are still decent. The next games are tougher vs Sociedad (twice) then Napoli.
Longer term it really is about the transfer for him. He’s a young player of exceptional FI potential and I like him especially at a £1.38 bid.
Group G: Braga, Leicester, AEK Athens, Zorya Luhansk
Leicester
A very soft group. Braga the only real challenge. Leicester are expected to challenge for this competition.
Key Players: Maddison (Although I’ve been no fan since he went over £4+ this last year… £2.52 to £2.99 now – that’s back into a reasonable price range).
Tielemans (Again… was never justifying his £2.50+ in the old dividend structure… but with dividends doubled and now £1.02 to £1.33 on a bid – it’s fair. He could put up a very big score on occasion).
Castagne – new signing. Have not covered in Scouting actually but this is an oversight I should correct – he’s looking good in the opening games and 80p to 99p is a fair price.
Punts: Vardy,
Youth: Cengiz Under,
Note: Harvey Barnes may seem an obvious omission but… despite good performances recently he does look way off the pace for FI purposes.
Key man Maddison unlucky to miss out, subbed off early but he still challenged. As per the preview above I warmed to him after a massive price drop. He was available for as low as £2.52 just a couple of weeks back in that review. Lucky to get £3.09 now.
Two lessons here – crushing disappointment often follows big hype. People can switch from overly optimistic to overly pessimistic very quickly – and this can be abused.
This is where a big previous price can be useful – as people will think Maddison is cheap compared to his old £5 price. What we don’t want to do though is assume any previously pumped player has an automatic right to return to their previous high – they don’t. They have to earn it.
Very quickly Maddison has moved back into solid pick range rather than great value but he’s still a decent choice at £3.09 or thereabouts. Especially for the soft Europa games to come.
Iheanacho stole the dividend with a goal and assist and all round good display. He was not in my preview mainly due to a lack of consistent minutes. Maybe that was an oversight – it is not the first time he’s proven to be a good punt. no reason that can’t be repeated because in this market the price shot up for IPD but now people are desperate to sell the morning after – 58p even after a win.
Interesting to note that dividend wins drive prices but to hold that price people have to think it’s going to happen again next week. People want safety at the moment which is why I’m generally suggesting a focus on the “core” sort of selection from Key Strategy at the moment.
Barnes looked dangerous but I still don’t back him for big scores. I think people are realising he’s been pumped too heavily after starting the season well. But the numbers never suggested that was going to come through on FI. Still don’t.
We’re seeing a bit of Under. Quite tidy and potentially a good player. But… he looks quite far off the pace in the big hitting midfield category so far.
Match Day 2
Decent away performance but Athens made it tough to control possession and the goals fell to the wrong players to generate big scores.
Maddison looked bright again. Sloppy passing but that is quite unusual. Did get an assist. Some weak efforts on goal. Overall, as per the preview, I liked him much better at £2.52 but the he spiked to well over £3 again quite quickly.
After a quiet game or so that bid is back to £2.82 which is attractive. Leicester have decent fixtures in the Europa with Braga twice then Zorya Luhansk, then Athens again at home. Maddison is the favourite to make the best of that.
And whilst he’s sitting in that “good but not great” category where I expect occasional but not regular challenges, I have him at for potential in my ratings because it really wouldn’t take a lot for him to improve. A bigger club could do it. And those transfer rumours are likely to come around again.
It’s sensible to go for him now. It’s good to hold popular players but you have to pick your moments – go for them when you are down rather than the bankroll suicide of going for something like this at £5+ with the transfer window wide open.
Under was nearly on the score sheet. Wonderful effort that just grazed the bar. An excellent full debut for a talented player. There is a however. For a midfielder he’s way off the pace of where you’d need to be to compete with the big hitters. A goal isn’t going to cut it for him on anything like a competitive day.
Still, it’s early days and he is cheap. At just 82p… if we saw him scoring a few and playing well for match of the day would people get interested? Probably.
Group H: Celtic, Sparta Praha, AC Milan, LOSC Lille
AC Milan
They made us sweat – needing a late shootout to get into the Groups. But get in they have. I confess that after they beat Shamrock the other week I thought they were in and did not spot that yet another qualifier was needed.
This is important as Milan struggled to make a big impact last season on FI – but with European involvement, plus a big improvement under Pioli, optimism is justified.
A tougher group but AC Milan should comfortably make it through.
Key Players: Hakan Calhanoglu, Theo Hernandez,
Punts: Ibrahimovic, Kessie,
Youth: Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao, Daniel Maldini (Not on FI – but watch out for him at IPO as per Scouting he looks a good youngster)
Nice away win for Milan. Celtic made it tougher than the scoreline suggests in the second half so it wasn’t Milan’s best game for performance scores.
Especially given they were missing key man Calhanoglu but he’s not expected to be out long.
Theo Hernandez was solid though as per usual. Chipped in with an assist and had a chance himself. Strong pick and I don’t back many defenders to consistently get themselves noticed.
Brahim Diaz scored a lovely goal. Starting life at Milan very well. He’s capable of improving too and these are not the best overall numbers we’ve seen from him. Really solid pick up at £1.35 and I’m optimistic.
Leao limited to a bench appearance again. Per minute he looks good and he scored twice vs Spezia in early October. But he seems to have to work really hard to get regular minutes.
Not on FI yet but 21 year old Jens-Peter Hauge came off the bench to score a nice goal. Most of the minutes we have on him are at minnows Bodo but… you’ll rarely see more promising performance numbers than this in a youngster. Obviously they’ll tighten up at senior level but you could cut them in half and still be happy with them.
Already made his first appearance for Norway too which shows he’s held in high regard. Interesting – well worth having him on the radar for IPO.
Nice 3-0 win which gives Milan assets an opportunity to shine.
Brahim Diaz, a youngster I’ve been very keen on in the preview and over in Scouting was leading for much of the night. Really good display, only really marred by 3 fouls and an offside which knocked 20 off his score. Holders can be very happy with the performance
Consistently good though and this isn’t even his best game. Looks a regular contender. His spread has closed up to £1.42 as the best possible bid but that’s still great value.
Dalot, who we will know best for his limited time at Manchester United, took the win by adding Milan’s 3rd goal. Not a player I covered in the preview, mainly because at the time of the preview he was yet to play for Milan!
We did see him vs Celtic where he had a decent game. Ironically, a much better game overall than he had last night. If you take out the goal and assist it was… pretty unremarkable. Was a nice goal though, great run.
Hard to judge on just two games. At United he was poor for FI. This looks a little better. I’m not sure it warrants now paying 75p to 90p for him when just a week ago you could have got 50-67p. Given that hefty price rise I’d stay a bit wary – at least until we see another game or two and can check consistency.
Another good game for Leao who is growing in price after some good displays. He tucked away the lovely ball from Dalot. But he had lots of chances and could have scored twice only playing 1 half. I’ve liked him overall in scouting – his only real problem has been getting on the pitch.
Still, the price makes any rotation risk worthwhile – I think £1.35 is great value for the patient trader.
Something of a shame that both Calhanoglu and Theo Hernandez were rested – this is the sort of game where either of them could have cleaned up.
Lille
Should qualify but Celtic will put up a fight.
Key Players: Jonathan Bamba, Renato Sanches,
Punts: Ikone (Decent player but out of form… if he starts more games soon and he probably should I might be more optimistic than just a punt).
Youth: Timothy Weah, Jonathan David (But see scouting – he’s really struggling right now)
Yazici blows it away. He wasn’t in my preview on the 8th because really he didn’t do anything of note until this weekend just gone where he appeared in Scouting 4 days ago.
He’s been very lightly used in 2020, scoring his first goal vs Lens on the 18th. I called him a decent pick up for a patient trader at £1. He’s good… but I did not quite expect a hatrick straight away. He really isn’t a hatrick sort of player generally.
In truth he’s probably a bit lucky and the third goal in particular was gifted to him.
However, playing full games he’s got the baseline to contend with just 1 goal. And for £1.07 to £1.24 we don’t need to have sky high expectations. He’s still value for what he is and that short termism we are seeing amongst IPD punters means he’s still well inside value range.
That’s probably even better because if this were to happen again anytime soon… that’s when you’d expect a sustained price rise because people will see that it’s consistent. RIght now people probably just think he’s a flash in the pan… but he’s better than that.
Elsewhere Bamba continues to look much improved and close to big scores.
Ikoné has now scored 2 in his last 4 for club and country and importantly completing his a full match for Lille – he’s been surprisingly limited in minutes thus far. At under £1 I think he’s undervalued. IPD, outside chance of a win, and big transfer rumours possible later.
Sanches rested.
David continues to get chances but fails to finish. Must be kicking himself. Looks poor for FI overall. Price is really crashing. Almost getting tempting as an IPD pick in case he starts converting these chances. Almost. If it gets any closer to £1 maybe.
Match Day 2
Held to a draw by Celtic but Lille dominated and could have put up some big scores had they won. That’s despite going 2-0 down early on.
Jonathan David is having a wretched time and he must wonder what he has to do to score. They let him take a penalty and he hit it straight at the keeper. Grim. They are showing patience with him – he was expected to be a big signing. And the goal threat is definitely there.
But it’s a nightmare start. It is however reaching the point at £1.20 when it could be worth betting on him to turn it around, he’s getting chances.
Yazici, Star Man of the last round, wasn’t too far away. 4 key passes so he is unlucky his team mates didn’t finish any of those. And he had his own chances – the only real difference between this time and last time is that the shots just didn’t go in.
Another decent game and like I said after his win – I think he is more than a one hit wonder. We could see some decent IPD out of him at least, and wins are possible. I’d put him at which for £1 is decent.
Another good display from Bamba. Lacked threat but over the season that has not been a problem. As per Scouting I’m keen on him he is vastly improved this season.
Ikoné playing more and more lately. Great form, 3 goals in 4 games. Unfairly categorised as a midfielder when really he seems to fit more as a forward. If he was switched to forward he’d be competitive. May nick it from midfield.
The most important thing for him is good form that brings the transfer rumours around again. For 90p I think long term holders will be happy. The IPD alone is worthwhile in this form.
Actually, the best overall FI player for Lille was… very unexpectedly Boubakary Soumaré. 21 year old France U21 international. He almost never scores but last night he had big threat. 4 efforts and they were good chances.
He gets huge baselines anyway so if he could do this consistently he’d be superb. However. This is extremely rare. He was actually pumped for a transfer that never happened back in August. £1.70 then. 96p now on the blue button with no bid price at all.
A very patient trader could try to get a crazy low bid on that and hold into the next transfer window.
Group I: Villarreal, Qarabağ, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Sivasspor
Villarreal
What’s the opposite of a group of death? Should qualify comfortably or they should all retire in shame. Seriously though – Villarreal may not be the best FI side in the world but they can rack up some huge totals vs these minnows.
Key Players: Gerard Moreno,
Punts: Alcacer, Parejo (He may be better saving for later knockout rounds where he can win on baseline alone).
Youth: Chukwueze, Kubo (Neither are particularly FI suitable so in the groups where there are still a lot of games each match day they may struggle to get top midfielder. Actually, I note a significant improvement in Chukwueze’s numbers in pre-season and the opening couple of games – worth keeping an eye on.)
Villarreal have a really soft group and they made the most of it here hitting 5 although conceding 3 is really unhelpful for FI scoring knocking -15 off everyones scores.
Key man Moreno rested with a knee injury – not serious.
Parejo out until mid-November also injured – stalling his momentum.
Kubo’s best game in a long time. Goal and 2 assists. He’s one of those players that social media loves to pump because of the Real Madrid connection which can be helpful if holding. (Is he getting near the Real first 11 anytime soon though? Probably not).
His first full game in a while… per minute he’s ok but often let down by sloppy passing.
With very kind fixtures coming up he might be a good punt to exploit that hype from a possible big score in a soft fixture. But I’d be wary of pushing it too far because the price is really quite high already for what you are getting.
Punt pick Alcacer nearly nicked it in just 20 imnutes with 2 goals and dropping on the matchwinner.
Gets rotation but that doesn’t really matter for an IPD player. His threat is incredibly strong even if coming off the bench. 6 goals in the last 6 now and still just £1 on a bid. Good punt for this kind run of fixtures – and he’s so explosive he can actually win as well as just return IPD.
Good game for Chukwueze. I’ve noted an improvement for him in the preview there and he hasn’t let me down with good numbers here. Not a brilliant performance player but he’s not far away and he’s good value. It’s more about the possibility of big transfer links for later.
Comfortable win – unfortunate that key man Moreno is injured. And other big hitter Parejo too.
Really good game for youngster Chukwueze. 5 efforts on goal and could easily have scored. Did manage an assist. Villarreal have a soft group so he has an outside chance of a decent score. But it’s mainly for the transfer you’d pick him up – he has been linked to Liverpool in the past.
Kubo… poor really. Miles away from where you need to be to nick a win. He was better in the last Europa game but was poor here and vs Cadiz at the weekend. As per the Match Day 1 review… I’m not keen. I think people read too much into the Real Madrid link and a few youtube highlight videos.
With soft fixtures there is always a chance he produces and takes advantage of those hype factors. But… overall.. he’s just not that good for FI purposes and there is no delicate way to put that.
You could say that Chukwueze for example isn’t all that much better but he is half the price and doesn’t have the pressure of hype – which is why you can be more forgiving.
Alcacer gets the matchwinner and another goal besides. Although from the bench it didn’t get him the win. This doesn’t matter though. As I said last review – he’s explosive and at £1 the IPD alone is worth that money. He may get limited minutes but he doesn’t need many.
If you picked him up on the last day in September for the Deportivo game, you’d get 7 goals, 14p in dividends and still be able to sell him for pretty much the same price today.
Group J: Tottenham, Ludogorets, LASK, Royal Antwerp
Tottenham
Another weak group and there could be plenty of walk overs. Spurs aren’t always a rich source of FI points (although Son challenges that notion) but with this group to go at… we should see some very competitive scores.
Key Players: Son, Kane, Reguilon (More by reputation than merit on his numbers at Spurs so far – will cover more in Scouting)
Punts: Lo Celso (Potentially very strong FI player – but struggling to establish as a regular at the moment).
Youth: Bergwijn,
Comfortable win but heavy rotation and subs made big scores hard to come by.
New signing Doherty is starting to impress me at the back. Could have scored here… assist potential has been good. We haven’t seen either goals or assists yet but he isn’t far away. And the baselines are solid. Looking a good pick up for just 70p. Particularly in this soft group.
Reguilon decent too at times but Doherty looks as good if not better and he’s a fraction of the price. I’m concerned for Reguilon at this price. It’s so easy for his new and shiny status to wear off and we see this all the time with new signings.
New signing Carlos Vinicius impressed on debut with 2 assists and he could have scored. Awful baseline numbers overall though and this is a very familar picture from his Benfica days.
However, his goals record is undeniably good. There will be rotation but for 97p I think that’s value as an IPD rotation pick… and he is an explosive sort so an occasional big score would not be totally unexpected.
All eyes on Bale… good display to watch. Caused the own goal. Generally unremarkable in his numbers in fact I would say they are poor. And this is a weak opponent where we want to see good players dominating.
Could be good but he’ll need to get more central. Really too early to judge but I am not impressed on the evidence thus far.
The price tag does bring pressure. If holding I would by no means give up but just watch the next games closely.
Uh oh.
Awful result, after a great spell for Tottenham in general. The only defence being it was a heavily rotated side.
That probably eases the bad feeling because chances are normal service will resume once their first teamers are back. Especially given the soft fixtures ahead. And I’d be surprised if he rotates this heavily again.
This is just as well for holders because they have some really soft games coming up, playing Ludogorets twice in the next two rounds.
Not a great deal to report in this dour game with what is basically a B team.
Bale poor. Overall his numbers aren’t bad per minute. If holding you could make a case for him improving but… I think with the market the way it is right now – we know how impatient traders are with players at new clubs. It’s a big risk to push this further for that reason.
Son looks by far and away the best pick at Tottenham as mentioned previously.
Group K: CSKA Moskva, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Wolfsberg
Something of a dead group for FI interest. Note that is the Austrian Wolfsberg, not the Bundesliga one we may naturally think of first.
CSKA Moscow
Should qualify comfortably… the two players below may be of interest but only if you think they will also get a transfer later. It’s possible.
Key Players: Chalov, Vlasic
Punts:
Youth:
No comments.
Group L: Gent, Crvena zvezda, Hoffenheim, Slovan Liberec
Hoffenheim
Should have no problem topping this group, and there could be some walkovers on the cards here.
Key Players: Kramaric,
Punts: Skov, Dabbur (IPD)
Youth: Bruun-Larsen (Good potential player but he is struggling for regular minutes).
A covid blighted Hoffenheim easily overcame Crvena Zvezda.
But it’s a shame key man Kramaric was out because it’s the sort of game where he could be explosive.
Still, it’s a very soft group and there are plenty of those nights yet to come.
IPD punt pick Dabbur did deliver. 1 goal but he had the chances for 2. No reason he can’t rack up more in the league and in these easy Europa fixtures – he’s a regular threat and can be picked up for just 51p.
Sessegnon made his full debut for Hoffenheim. Unimpressive.
Skov rested but he’s a good FI suitable young player that could do well in later rounds.
Overall there are some good picks in this team, a pity so many were out with covid but they still have really soft games on the way in both league and Europa in the next month.
Kramaric in particular won’t get many better chances to shine.
Hoffenheim cruised to a 4-1 win – the only disappointment that key man Kramaric was out with covid. Something of a theme of the week. This is sort of game he could have put up a monster score so it’s a pity.
Still, lots of good fixtures to come still.
Skov wasn’t quite as good as he was vs Werder Bremen at the weekend. But he did get shots away. Has a good chance of some decent scores with soft fixtures both domestically and in Europe. Minnows Liberec up next twice.