The Joker's Bet Of The Day: Wednesday April 29

The Joker's bet of the day / The Joker / 29 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

Forget the Champions League, the Swedish Allsvenskan is where it's at.

In Champions League semi-finals week Andy Townsend is playing a bigger part in the Joker's life than either of them would probably like, even as the Joker concentrates on some of the lesser-known heroes of European competition.

Yesterday, it was Zalaegerszeg. Today is Helsingborgs's day in the sun. They should relish it, because they don't get many of those in Sweden.

There was the Champions League qualifying triumph over Inter, but it was (this is what Wikipedia calls them) the Milk Cows' away goals win over Aston Villa in the UEFA Cup that will bring smiles to the faces of most English football fans.

Townsend was in that Villa side, earning the kind of big-match experience that you just can't buy. With a European record like his, how could he not have ended up in the Tactics Truck?

Since September 2007, Helsingborgs have drawn only one of their 27 away matches in all competitions. AIK are second in the league at the moment, and have avoided drawing any of their last five at home. Lay the draw at [3.40].