UEFA Cup 09 Tips

Out of the following Clubs left in this years Competition I feel the strongest will be Udinese (Italy), Manchester city (England), Ajax (Holland), Galatasaray (Turkey) & Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)

I think Ajax will play and beat Galatasaray in the final. My reasons for this are because Ajax are not having a good season in the league and are 14 points behind leaders AZ Alkmaar in third place but in Europe they have been playing better and I think Marco Van Basten will want a trophy to make up for another bad season in the league.

Udinese are flying the flag for Italy after all their clubs went out of the champions league and I think they will reach the semis but the days of Italian clubs winning European competitions for fun are long over.

Manchester City will go out in the semis and my reasoning for their inability to win this years competition is based on a bad away record in the premiership and the fact that they have no luck when it comes to winning trophy’s. They have not won anything since they beat Newcastle United (There is more than one Utd) 2-1 in the 1976 league cup final. Despite their new found riches they are still unlucky Manchester City.

Dynamo Kiev are my other semi final team and I would love them to win the competition if only for romantic reasons due to their history in playing against the Nazis’s during the war and beating them.

I have no logical reason for Galatasaray other than they have good recent European pedigree in the champions league and obviously being the first Turkish club to win a European trophy when they beat Arsenal in the 2000 final. In a very tight Turkish league this season they are fifth but only three points off the top.

Ajax @ 18/1 with bet365 to beat Galatasaray in the Final…

Doug Martin

March 2009