Obscure Betting Column: Value from around the globe

The Joker's Bet Of The Day / Ben Lyttleton / 28 November 2008 / Leave a Comment

If you think managers come under excessive pressure in the Premier League then have a look at how they do things in Bulgaria. Meanwhile, unpaid players pick up results in Portugal and free scoring Frenchman flourish in Switzerland.

Belasista v FC Sliven (Bulgaria)

Nearly half of the first division teams in Bulgaria - seven out of 16 - have changed their coaches after only 14 rounds of matches, and two of those sides face off in Petrich on Saturday.

Newly-promoted FC Sliven went unbeaten in their first ten games of the season but they are winless in their last five and have lost their last two away games, at Cherno More and Litex Lovech. That run of form was enough for the former Bulgarian international and city mayor Yordan Letchkov to ditch coach Dragoljub Simonovic and replace him with Georgi Dermendziev, who will make his debut on the sidelines.

The situation is even worse at Belasista, whose new coach Dobromir Mitov has only secured one win since taking over in September. Belasista are bottom of the table and provide the perfect chance for Letchkov, Dermendziev and Sliven to get back to winning ways.

Recommendation: Sliven to beat Belasista at [3.0]

Pacos de Ferreira v Estrela Amadora (Portugal)

You have to feel sorry for Jose Vidigal, the former Portugal midfielder who spent four years at Napoli and the last two at Livorno. He moved back to Portugal this summer, signing for Estrela da Amadora as his brother Lito was the coach.

"When I told him his salary, he spent three minutes laughing and I had to apologise," said club president Antonio Oliveira. As it turns out, Vidigal would be grateful for the money now: Oliveira has not paid any of the players in the first four months of the season and Estrela threatened to go on strike before this weekend's trip to Pacos de Ferreira.

Despite the lack of money, and Lito Vidigal walking out on the club a fortnight ago, deeming the situation "unbearable", the team have been picking up results, but only at home: on the road, they have lost three of their four matches, and last scored away on September 28.

Pacos have not been doing much better: they're second-from-bottom with only one win all season. But they beat Estrela in their League Cup clash earlier in the season and are a
decent price to repeat the trick against their impoverished rivals.

Recommendation: Pacos Ferreira to beat Amadora at [2.3]

FC Zurich v Sion (Switzerland)

It says something about the state of Swiss football that the reigning domestic champions and current league leaders FC Basel conceded five goals to Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek. The team with their eye on Basel's crown and breathing down their necks are FC Zurich, the side captained by Hannu Tihinen who are only two points behind Basel.

Zurich are the league's top scorers, averaging almost 2.5 goals per game (although that statistic is boosted by a 7-1 win at Vaduz) and welcome Sion, whose defence is the second-leakiest in the league. Zurich's French strike-force of Alexandre Alphonse and Eric Hassli have scored a combined seven goals in their last four games, and they are being watched by Ligue 1 scouts.

Sion have conceded ten goals in their last three away games, and lost them all, a run that looks set to continue in Switzerland's financial capital this weekend.

Recommendation: Over 2.5 goals at [1.6]