European Predictions?(for Irish League and LOI Clubs)

[Steve Bruce]

Little exaggeration on my part but AFAIK their budget is around SEK 65 million which is about 7 million euros.

That would be 9 times our budget then

[Cymro]

Elfsborg are a full-time professional side that halfway through their season. Linfield are a predominately part-time club that's played 2(/3 maybe) pre-season games. Elfsborg's budget is 10-15 times the size of Linfield's. They're already in Belfast preparing for the game and no Irish League club side has ever beaten Swedish opposition.

So yes - it will be close.

Their budget is between £5m and £7.5m? If true, fair enough, but I doubt it, more in the region of £1m-£2m surely?

Money means nothing anyway. If you haven't got the pedigree, you could throw all the money in the world at something and it wouldn't work.

[Steve Bruce]

Their budget is between £5m and £7.5m? If true, fair enough, but I doubt it, more in the region of £1m-£2m surely?

I'll be able to tell you tomorrow if they are 9 times the team of Linfield or not.

To be honest I think their is a bit of over-exaggeration on the standard of Elfsborg and also underestimation of Linfields standard.

[ifk101]

I'll be able to tell you tomorrow if they are 9 times the team of Linfield or not.

To be honest I think their is a bit of over-exaggeration on the standard of Elfsborg and also underestimation of Linfields standard.

Honestly - I don't think you'll be impressed by Elfsborg tomorrow night. If their league play is anything to go they'll most likely play a 4-5-1 formation and just keep it tight. Elfsborg will be happy with a draw.

Their budget is between £5m and £7.5m? If true, fair enough, but I doubt it, more in the region of £1m-£2m surely?

Money means nothing anyway. If you haven't got the pedigree, you could throw all the money in the world at something and it wouldn't work.

Gefle, the team knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Llanelli, have one of the smallest budgets in the Swedish top flight and I'd reckon that's around £2 million.

[red rovers]

on agg linfield 3 elfsborg 2 derry[pens] 1 pyunik 1 drogs 5 libertas 2 glentoran 1 aik 6 dungannann 2 suduva 2[away goals] pats 1 OB 0

[Steve Bruce]

on agg linfield 3 elfsborg 2 derry[pens] 1 pyunik 1 drogs 5 libertas 2 glentoran 1 aik 6 dungannann 2 suduva 2[away goals] pats 1 OB 0

I'd give you my left arm if you are correct.

[ifk101]

Honestly - I don't think you'll be impressed by Elfsborg tomorrow night. If their league play is anything to go they'll most likely play a 4-5-1 formation and just keep it tight. Elfsborg will be happy with a draw.

Oops - Elfsborg are going to play 4-4-2 tonight.

[Steve Bruce]

Oops - Elfsborg are going to play 4-4-2 tonight.

That's good. Linfield should play with the 451 to start with. If we are doing alright in the first 20 minutes, then we should start getting a bit more adventurous.

[ifk101]

That's good. Linfield should play with the 451 to start with. If we are doing alright in the first 20 minutes, then we should start getting a bit more adventurous.

FYI Elfsborg are expected to line up as follows;
Johan Wiland,
Martin Andersson - Andreas Augustsson - Fredrik Björck - Johan Karlsson
Daniel Mobaeck - Anders Svensson - Samuel Holmén - Stefan Ishizaki
Fredrik Berglund - Mathias Svensson.

[Steve Bruce]

FYI Elfsborg are expected to line up as follows;
Johan Wiland,
Martin Andersson - Andreas Augustsson - Fredrik Björck - Johan Karlsson
Daniel Mobaeck - Anders Svensson - Samuel Holmén - Stefan Ishizaki
Fredrik Berglund - Mathias Svensson.

Do you know anything about any of them players.

I know of the two Svensson's. Both good players, although past their best.

[ifk101]

Do you know anything about any of them players.

I know of the two Svensson's. Both good players, although past their best.

In fairness Anders Svensson is not doing too badly - he is playing quite well this season but he is carrying a knock for this game. Good passer of the ball when he's in the mood.
Mathias Svensson is approaching the end of his career but he still is a very useful target player and excellent in the air.
Samuel Holmén is an up and coming player in Sweden. He made the national squad for the recent Iceland game but he's still a bit away from making the Swedish team. Good box-to-box player - somebody to keep an eye out for.
Fredrik Berglund is a recent signing from FCK (Copenhagen). Small, quick, and good finisher - should be a good complement to Mathias Svensson.

Probably the weak point of the team is Fredrik Björck. He's also a recent signing that was bought to replace a player that's moved onto Toulouse. He's good in the air and that probably the reason he's starting as Elfsborg are expecting the ball to be played in the air a lot.

[Steve Bruce]

In fairness Anders Svensson is not doing too badly - he is playing quite well this season but he is carrying a knock for this game. Good passer of the ball when he's in the mood.
Mathias Svensson is approaching the end of his career but he still is a very useful target player and excellent in the air.
Samuel Holmén is an up and coming player in Sweden. He made the national squad for the recent Iceland game but he's still a bit away from making the Swedish team. Good box-to-box player - somebody to keep an eye out for.
Fredrik Berglund is a recent signing from FCK (Copenhagen). Small, quick, and good finisher - should be a good complement to Mathias Svensson.

Probably the weak point of the team is Fredrik Björck. He's also a recent signing that was bought to replace a player that's moved onto Toulouse. He's good in the air and that probably the reason he's starting as Elfsborg are expecting the ball to be played in the air a lot.

Lets hope Anders Svenson doesn't make it

I think a lot also depends on which Linfield side turns up. If our best footballing side turns up, we have every chance as our passing and movement isn't bad when playing well.

If we revert to the long ball game, we could be in for a long night. Although if we can defend well enough, we might be able to nick it at the end.

[Cymro]

Half time scores: TNS 1-1 Ventspils
Linfield 0-0 Elfsborg

[Cymro]

Full Time:

TNS 3-2 Ventspils
Linfield 0-0 Elfsborg

Decent results for both.

Other results:

Olimpi Rustavi (Geo) 0-0 Astana (Kaz)
Khazar Lenkoran (Aze) 1-1 Dinamo Zagreb (Cro)
APOEL Nicosia (Cyp) 2-0 BATE Borisov (Bls)
Zeta (Mot) 3-1 FBK Kaunas (Ltu)
S.S. Murata (San) 1-2 Tampere United (Fin)

[paul_oshea]

sounded like effofberg played for the draw though in fairness.

[Cymro]

I listened to the BBC commentary of the Linfield game. In the first half they said Linfield were poor and it was just a question of how many but in the second half they were much better.

[Graemerz]

Fantastic second half performance from the Blues, we had them rocked and we could have stolen it. First half was just us getting adjusted to the game. McAreavey started to call the shots in the middle. Thompson and Dickson worked tirelessly. Murphy and Bailie were immense. Curran looked promising but was mainly annonymous in the first 45.

[ifk101]

I listened to the BBC commentary as well.

It sounded like it was pretty much all Elfsborg in the first half and they had a few good chances to score.
Linfield seemed to take over in the second half and had the Swedes on the ropes for the first twenty minutes of the second half. From this point on it sounded like Elfsborg came back into the match a bit, especially when James Keene came on, and both sides had chances to nick it at the end.

Overall the Swedes seem happy with the result but disappointed not to have scored with the chances they had. I think if they had gotten an away goal, the return match would have been a foregone conclusion. But as it is now the tie is still in the balance.

Very good result for the Welsh side - shame about the two away goals but after scoring 3 at home TNS should be confident of getting away goals of their own in the return leg.

Hopefully Derry can get a good result tonight.

[Steve Bruce]

I listened to the BBC commentary as well.

It sounded like it was pretty much all Elfsborg in the first half and they had a few good chances to score.
Linfield seemed to take over in the second half and had the Swedes on the ropes for the first twenty minutes of the second half. From this point on it sounded like Elfsborg came back into the match a bit, especially when James Keene came on, and both sides had chances to nick it at the end.

Overall the Swedes seem happy with the result but disappointed not to have scored with the chances they had. I think if they had gotten an away goal, the return match would have been a foregone conclusion. But as it is now the tie is still in the balance.

Very good result for the Welsh side - shame about the two away goals but after scoring 3 at home TNS should be confident of getting away goals of their own in the return leg.

Hopefully Derry can get a good result tonight.

Linfields first half performance was poor. Mannus showed us once again why he is the best keeper in the land. Elfsborg looked good in the first half, good passing, turning defence into attack with one ball etc. They should have scored 2.

The 2nd half was a different ball game. We should have had a penalty for a blatent hand ball. We had 3 glorious chances. And our two front men had their defence panicking a bit. Even when they went forward, they kept 4 defenders behind to try and cope with our front two.

If I'm honest, I think it is still a big ask but if we nick one early, they will have to score two.

Drogheda and Cork are both better teams that Elfsborg. If Linfield played summer football or if this game was played in September I would have all the confidence in the world that we would beat them.

[Steve Bruce]

Can I also say. Well done to TNS, a good result and I think if you can score 3 in this leg, you will score in the next. well done.