Zenit St. Petersburg Vs Atletico Madrid Atletico Madrid would appear to have the overwhelming “on paper” edge over Zenit so at first glance their +300 soccer odds make little to no sense. Upon closer inspection though – rather careful research – it becomes clear that team decisions already made/ suspected have played a large part in this market. It’s no secret that Atletico Madrid is assured of first place, which means there isn’t the kind of premium on a win here as in an otherwise desperate situation. Diego Simeone mindful of this favourable reality is expected to rest some of his key players who are after a scintillating 7-0 showing against Getafe in Primera Division and who have to remain fresh for upcoming domestic commitments in order to maintain pressure on Barcelona at the top of the table. Players that could be rested include Diego Godín, Tiago, Filipe Luis, Diego Costa, David Villa and Arda Turan could all be rested (as indicated by uefa) If any or all of these players are indeed given the night off in freezing St. Petersburg, certainly it will be a watered down side that Zenit takes on, in which case the +100 soccer odds on a home win suddenly make sense and look rather appealing. Of course, Luciano Spalletti is still adamant he’ll be preparing his side for a tough match regardless of what starting XI Simeone fields that day. He knows they can’t take anything for granted, especially when he has his own roster concerns to contend with as well (Danny is out amongst several others) so his XI will be a tad weaker than normal too. Still this is a must-win game for Zenit if they hope to advance into the knockout stages and one has to assume that such an intangible motivator could prove decisive over a lesser Atletico Madrid side Prediction: Its a 1X2 game but i think Zenit wins 2-1
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 10:04:12 +0000