European football weekend preview

Borussia Dortmund v Freiburg, Saturday 1430

The two big boys of the Bundesliga have flown out of the marks this season and currently Borussia Dortmund are impressing more. There was huge disappointment at the club when it was announced that Mario Gotze would be moving to Bayern Munich, but they seem to have improved the side with the money brought in. Henrik Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have slotted in seemlessly and have added more goals and pace to an already formidable attacking line. Even the decision to let Robert Lewandowski see out his contract seems to not have affected his form, with him putting in no less effort for the team. And then there’s Marco Reus. He’s becoming more and more appreciated outside of Germany, but I consider him to be one of the finest attackers in Europe. His constant running and positive movement have fitted right in at Dortmund and he is thriving again this season. The team have scored 16 in six already and whilst there are issues at the back, they’ll be unlikely to be exploited this weekend. It’s going to be a two horse race in Germany, but with two fine horses!

Freiburg were probably the surprise package of the Bundesliga last season, but were taken apart by bigger clubs over the summer. They finished fifth in the league and qualified for the Europa League and are another side ill-equipped for the extra competition. The German DFB Pokal was also on this week and this will add another match to their diaries before the league’s form side turns up. It doesn’t look good for Freiburg.

Elazigspor v Sivasspor, Sunday 1400

My Turkish tips have not come up great so far this season. Whilst I still think there’s value in the draws in such a low scoring league, I may move away from that particular shout as it’s prone to leave you very disappointed if a late winner is scored for either side!

Elazigspor were promoted last season and did well to finish safely in lower mid-table away from the dangers of a relegation scrap. As many sides in Turkey do, they relied upon home form to drag them through and only lost four matches in their own ground all season. They drew seven too as well as winning six with a brilliant goals against record of 17. Their problems lay in the fact they only managed to score 14 in those 17 matches. That they have already scored four in two home matches for a win and a draw, is therefore an encouraging sign of improvement for them. They are unbeaten so far and look a strong team.

Sivasspor so far have a very stereotypical record for the SuperLig with two wins and a loss at home and two defeats from two away. They’ve conceded six in those two away matches and look short odds to get anything out of this match.

Kasimpasa v Eskisehirspor, Sunday 1700

Kasimpasa are shaping up to be the Super Lig’s entertainers so far with them scoring in every game after their season opener. In their other four matches, they have been involved in two matches with three goals and matches with four and five goals. What this backs up is that their defence leaves a lot to be desired, but that their attack is good and they seemingly keep plugging away, possibly without learning! The Turkish matches seem to often be priced up as though all matches are even and that means low on goals.

Eskisehirspor are often to be found nearer the top than the bottom of the table. Their away form last season was actually okay by Turkish standards with seven draws, six losses and four defeats in total. The best part was that they only conceded 20 goals in those matches, a fine record for anyone outside the Istanbul giants. They have already conceded four away from home in this season’s two matches though. They have in fact been involved in a 2-1 and a 3-2 in their last two matches, showing that at present the balance between attack and defence is off.