Matchday 3 Preview

Sat Apr 09 2016, 12:23 Message reputation : 100% (7 votes)

	Can't Score vs Soccerettes
A miserable start to the season for Can't Score who lost both of their opening fixtures on Wednesday. I would have personally considered them as favourites for the title so was very surprised to see them in this position. The highly anticipated giggs vs Doctor grudge match proved inconclusive with Can't Score only conceding after The Doctor left the field. It was a tense game which could have easily gone either way and with hindsight Can't Score will probably wish they took a few more risks in defence in order to clear the ball as they were pegged back for large periods of the game. Giggs and Beninho was the deadly combination for them last season but with Ben seemingly lacking confidence at the moment giggs is having to learn to play with other players and build up chemistry. Fortunately for Can't Score their opponents in the next match, Soccerettes, are a team they are well suited to play against. They should be able to dominate possession and based on recent fs's they have had the large majority of wins. They will fancy their chances in this one. In all my time in haxball I can't think of many bigger upsets than Soccerettes' match against HK Stalingrad. It was a fantastic win for us and I'm very proud of how well everyone performed. Shootstar scored the winning goal on his PremierHax debut, Ghost putting in a leaders performance in mid with a fantastic defensive display and Q the last minute hero with some brilliant saves. Its a happy memory that will last a long time but now we want more! We'll have to do it all over again against another team much stronger than us in Can't Score. As in the last match our focus has to be on defence and playing on the counter and with Can't Score hitting as much as 9 past us in a recent game we will have our work cut out. With MrP set to come back into the lineup anything is possible and if we can get the all important first goal it will add tons of pressure onto mlf and his men. They say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place so despite a valiant effort I think Socs will find it hard to get another upset. Can't Score to win 3-0 and get their first points of the season. (I hope that jinxed it )
	Deja Entendudes vs arsenal
Another one of the strongest teams from last season, Deja, find themselves in a spot of bother in the early stages of the season. Just one point out 2 games isn't good enough for them to match the form they showed last season. Swift has moved on to FOXHOUNDS and Pizzi has left the team due to exams. This could be a good thing for Deja as I've always been a big believer that small active squads are the best way forward. You would expect the Dutch trio to have good chemistry together and Speaks will have to develop quickly into their style of play. You would feel that Diesel and Stefan are guaranteed starters and after conceding 7 in their last game will be looking to give the gk extra protection next time. Their next opponents arsenal provide a tough text and this will give a big indication of what level Deja are currently at. Another loss here could spell a tough season ahead. It's been a brilliant start for new boys arsenal. I wrote in my last preview that Mani and Tanz may have to answer some critics and so far they have done so emphatically. Apart from Tanzim's open goal miss (couldn't resist mentioning it) they have barely put a foot wrong so far. They seem to have a good team atmosphere and that is the most important aspect for the future of this team. Deja will provide tough opponents for their next match and it will be interesting to see how the team responds if they do get their first loss. The future signing of UK haxball legend, deer94, looks likely and as one of the deadliest finishers in UK, if they manage to sign him then this team will only get stronger. Sorry Deja but I think arsenal will continue their great start to the season and win 3-2.
	FOXHOUND vs Sheepshaggers
1 win and 1 loss so far for FOXHOUND and I think they would have taken that at the start of the season. The 5-0 defeat to Pelicans will be a cause for concern though as that's a match they should be competitive in. The big discussion points for FOXHOUND is their 2 transfers for Jds and now Swift. Whilst both improve the team for this season it means FOX have already lost a 1st and 4th draft pick for next season. As hopes for the next campaign already face a significant barrier it adds extra importance for this season. They really need a good season to justify the trading of the increasingly valuable draft picks. They will be up against the league leaders Sheepshaggers next and a win here would certainty vindicate Twigg's decision. They will have to tighten up defensively if they are going to get anything out of this one otherwise they could be looking at a 2nd heavy defeat on the bounce. Sheeps are the team to beat at the moment. They were mostly in control against fellow contenders Can't Score and in that kind of form they will be tough to beat. Playing both of their opening fixtures on Wednesday they had a full strength lineup to choose from so maybe this will be the first time we see how they cope when missing some star players. You would put them as favourites regardless but they have to avoid complacency in this one. B4D and Doc already showed some good skill last season but with better players behind them they can show that more often now and I'd expect both of them to bag a fair number of goals this season. I think this is probably too much of an ask for FOXHOUND who certainly have the potential but are not quite ready yet to win against these opponents. 4-1 to Sheepshaggers.
	Guard Dogs vs Pelicans
A poor start so far for the returning Guard Dogs see's them with just 1 point after the first 2 rounds. Activity may be one of their problems as I think they're the team we have played against the least in friendlies. They have some talented players in their lineup however so even without as much time practising as other teams they would still expect to be good enough to reach the top half of the table. After what happened in Season 2 I still worry if Guard Dogs have the motivation to try to turn things around if the bad results continue. If you asked last season the perfect opponents to bounce back with a win would have been Pelicans however they face them now at the wrong time with their opponents unbeaten this season and with real positive momentum. With the players they have they always have the potential to win but do they have the determination? As mentioned above Pelicans are unbeaten this season and there must be a real positive feeling in their camp. corn picked really smartly in the draft and addressed the key weaknesses in the team and now they look like a completely different outfit. Hannes already has 4 goals to his name and his partnership with Knucklez could be hugely important. In contrast to their opponents this team seems very active playing friendlies and you feel like they are only going to get better. Defensively they have been great with only 1 goal conceded the best of any team going into round 3 and with the half lengths increasing this season defensive attributes are ever more important. Another win for them here and their aspirations will grow way beyond what was initially predicted. Based on the momentum of each team I have to go for another Pelicans victory winning 3-1 with yet more goals for top scorer Hannes
	HK Stalingrad vs L8 Unseen
After Matchday 1 it appeared as though everything was going to plan for HKS and they would be the team to beat in this league. They finished with a comfortable 4-1 win against Guard Dogs and everything seemed rosy. 2 days later and suddenly everything had changed. Unable to break down the Soccerettes wall they fell to their first defeat of the season and the first doubts over their title credentials arose. Stacked with quality players this must have been a bit of a shock to them and they will need to bounce back quickly. Against L8 they come up against the leading gk from last season in Herna and will need to improve their finishing if they are to score past him (unless he decides to gift them a goal again ). I would expect them to dictate the play again but that is meaningless if they can't put the ball in the back of the net. L8 will have been distraught after the first game where they effectively handed the 3 points to FOX with 2 own goals. They have been impressive in fs but have yet to show that when it really matters. Nerves maybe have contributed to this but if they relax and play confidently I have no doubt the wins will come. They will probably want to play an attacking high pressure style in most games but after the successful bus that Soccerettes utilised against HKS it will be interesting to see if Swieczka tries to emulate that. Most importantly they will need to know which way they are shooting as every goal conceded so far has been an own goal. If they can get that shooting accuracy in the other net then they could have a chance I think there will be goals in this one and it could go either way but I'll go for another 3-2 this time to HK Stalingrad. If you would like to do any future previews please send us a message or post here: https://premierhax.forumotion.co.uk/t625-preview-review-team Thanks for reading.