Honestly, I’ve got my doubts about how this is playing out—actually, I’m doubting they can even pull off a win at this point. They’re just that bad, it’s painful to watch. Personally, I wouldn't dream of betting on a straight victory @ 1.50
But look, if you’re dead set on playing this, you might as well go for the United handicap @ 2.30 (odds will probably climb tomorrow if they put it in the featured parlay). You win with scores like 3:1 or 2:0, which takes the pressure off needing a blowout, and the payout isn't much lower. Plus, DraftKings is offering @ 2.90 on United to cover the spread You have to consider that Oly has only lost four times this season—and two of those were against a powerhouse like PSG, while the other two were total non-events in a settled league. In the whole season, there were only four games where they failed to score (against Pau in a meaningless loss, plus three 0:0 draws).
So, I'm leaning towards Olympiakos to score a goal @ 1.60 (3:0)(SS)
LA Galaxy vs. LAFC over 2.5 goals @ 1.70 (Both teams to score @ 1.90 (1:1)(DraftKings, probably better odds at FanDuel))
The top squad in the league—with Berisha absolutely tearing it up as the leading scorer this season—is heading out to face a decent LAFC side led by the veteran Del Piero, who’s still clinical at 39, and they've got Despotovic in the mix too.
Both these teams tend to play high-octane soccer; they score plenty, but they also leak goals—especially LAFC, who plays such an open, unpredictable style where they either dominate or get caught out, rarely settling for a draw. They’re both hovering right around that 3-goal average per match. Plus, if you look at their recent head-to-head matchups, they're almost always goal fests:
I’ve seen plenty of momentum shifts in these matchups before, so I'm leaning toward half-time/full-time 1/2 @ 30 (X/X)(BetMGM). The home side is bound to come out swinging, while the visitors have a habit of slow starts—it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see a comeback in the second half.
Morgan Hill84 said:I was wondering if there are any foreign sportsbooks—online, obviously—where I can deposit and withdraw funds directly via bank transfer, or am I stuck using PayPal? Any recommendations? Since they introduced taxes on winnings, it doesn't really make sense to bet with the USA anymore. Basically, I’m looking for an international bookie with decent odds that is actually reliable when it comes to payouts. I don't care about being limited since there aren't as many bettors involved anyway. Thanks in advance!
Jeremy King4 said:You're right—I haven't been following that closely lately, just going off what I remember from last season... but honestly, it doesn't even matter for this bet. Thanks for clearing that up.
Balestier is definitely one of the top picks to take the title this year—Tampines just doesn't look quite as sharp as they did last season. As for the rest of it, I'm on board.
San Antonio - Seattle, over 2.5 goals @ 1.90 (Parlay, H&L definitely offers better odds) 5:1
Looking at this matchup between two MLS sides—both teams are rolling right now, especially the visitors who have pulled off 7 wins in their last 10 outings. They both tend to score plenty, but they can't seem to keep a clean sheet to save their lives (San Antonio saw over 2.5 goals in 5 of their last 8, while Seattle hit that mark in 4 of their last 5, always with at least 3 total goals on the board), so we're looking at an average of roughly 3 goals per game for both. If you look at their head-to-head history, the last 5 meetings all cleared the over 2.5 line... honestly, I don't see why today would be any different.
Gerald Carter53 said:I had no trouble depositing about $30 into DraftKings, FanDuel, or BetMGM. But once I hit the $70 mark, everything just locked up on me. 🙂
Yeah, I fell for that Dumbaz bet too—honestly, I’m still debating whether to take the Lew and Hulk goal + penalty combo, though my gut says don't touch it. After that, I tried to find something similar for this second game, but I only managed to land the penalty and red card leg; the rest of the parlay didn't pan out. 🤷
Gerald Carter53 said:I was checking http://www.espn.com/soccer/...#ratio;overall but it doesn't show 🙂
ESPN is honestly trash—sites like futbol24.com and soccerway.com absolutely run circles around them.
Nicholas Patel52 said:They’ve been playing friendlies over the last couple of weeks against teams like Shakhtar, Metalist—which was basically the runner-up over in Ukraine back then—and CSKA Moscow. Their prep work has been solid. So, honestly, I wouldn't call this a sure thing. I wouldn't even bet on them if you paired Hulk with Zenit, because I think Dortmund is significantly stronger than Zenit. But hey, I'll give them a fighting chance if they can somehow draw a red card—that's really the only way I see this swinging their way.
Picture this: in the opening attack, the keeper gives up a penalty, gets tossed with a red card, Hulk steps up and buries the penalty, and then—boom—Dortmund catches them on the break and wins the rest of the match.😁
Gerald Carter53 said:How on earth are you supposed to combine all those rules?
I don't think anyone actually allows that—I mean, sure, under FIFA regulations you can have a penalty and a red card in the same sequence, but you can't stack them all at once. Especially not if there's a penalty and the player ends up scoring anyway.
The two biggest stories for today—if you can even call them that.
The Dortmund spread (+2) at 2.10—on the parlay—is sitting at a weird spot right now given that they're trailing 0-3. Honestly, it feels like a bit of a gamble, but sometimes you just have to ride the momentum when things look this lopsided.
Handicaps are always such a headache to play—mostly because half the time, teams just don't care if they win by one or by three, right? But honestly, looking at the situation with the Hamburg squad this season... man, they are absolutely desperate. Especially lately. They’ve dropped five convincing losses in a row, and if you count the preseason stuff, that’s eight straight defeats. It’s grim. They haven't even tasted a league win in over three months, which makes them my top pick for getting relegated. On the flip side, you've got Dortmund, who are absolutely surging toward second place. They’ve gone undefeated in their last ten matches—nine wins and a draw—and haven't actually lost a game in two months. Now, look, I know Hamburg managed to pull off wins against them both times last season, but what we're seeing this year is easily the worst football I've watched in a long time. Remember that absolute blowout back in the fall where they got crushed 6-2 away at Dortmund? Yeah, that was rough. The odds are sitting around 1.8 to 1.9, but it feels like a total mismatch.
The betting lines for the matchup between Willem II and Helmond are sitting at +2.00—though if you’re looking at the HL spread, they’re offering @ 2.15. It’s currently tied up 1-1.
We’re looking at a total blowout league here—seriously, just pure chaos. You've got the home team sitting pretty at the top, averaging nearly three goals a game, though they aren't exactly a fortress since they tend to concede at least one every time they step out there. Then you look at the visitors, some mid-table squad that is playing absolute madness—they’re averaging close to four goals per match, which is just wild when you consider their goal differential is basically a wash at 51:54 over 27 games. It's all offense, zero defense, I guess. Looking back at their head-to-head history—they've met three times now—it’s been nothing but fireworks: a 4:1, a 3:3 shootout, and then a straight-up 7:0 slaughter. Expect more of the same.
If anyone’s looking to place a single bet, the odds on the underdog are massive in the Lottery—I mean, we're talking huge value there—but they're only offering about 1.85 on the handi for Dortmund, which just doesn't feel right.
Tampines-Home United +3 at 1.80 (PSK, HL definitely offers more) (1-0)
Tampines—led by the legendary Đurić (that 43-year-old guy who’s actually a Canadian-born Mexican who even played for the Singapore national team)—is heading into their title defense against the runners-up (who had a rough first half of the season, which is why Home United snatched the trophy from them) and the cup winners, Home United. Usually, Singaporean football is known for being high-scoring, though when these two specific clubs meet, things tend to get a bit tighter than that. But hey, it’s the start of the season—there's nothing to lose yet, and I'm pretty sure both sides will come out swinging offensively. For a perfect season opener, I'm thinking about doubling up on both transfers 2/1 @ 31 and 1/2 @ 29 (SS) (X/), just going off a gut feeling, obviously.
Seattle Sounders-Wellington Phoenix odg3+ @ 2,20 (1:4)(PSK, HL sigurno daje više)
The defending champs haven't exactly hit the ground running this season—they're actually stuck in a pretty nasty slump right now after dropping three straight. This matchup feels more like a warm-up for their Asian Champions League clash coming up this Tuesday in Seoul, and they’ll be heading into it without three key players due to suspensions. On the flip side, the visitors from New Zealand have been looking sharp—well, if you ignore that total meltdown in the last round where they let in five goals—and they’ve pulled off three wins in their last five outings. Even though the head-to-head history hasn't exactly been leaning my way, I’ve decided to go with both teams to score and at least three goals in the match. The visitors will be itching to make up for that embarrassing loss last week, while the home side is desperate to secure a better seed before the playoffs, so I'm expecting an open game. The Sounders have seen three of their last four games go over, while Wellington—who averages about three goals per game this season—has seen the over in five of their last six matches (actually 6 of their last 7). I might also take a shot at the halftime/fulltime 2/1 @ 27 (SS) (1/2) because the visitors definitely have the firepower to cause trouble, whereas the hosts have enough quality to pull a comeback—though I suspect they might start slow since part of their minds will already be on that Champions League match.
A quick little run—nothing too heavy since my bankroll isn't exactly overflowing—just some classic casual picks:
Everything comes from the PSK
Portland Timbers-Orlando City SC 2 @ 1.70 (1:3)
The home side coasted through the group stage, though they probably had their sights set on fighting for that 3rd spot. They aren't really in competitive shape right now—honestly, they’re struggling at the bottom of the MLS, so this tournament feels more like a chore than an opportunity. Fiorentina isn't exactly playing like world-beaters lately either, but they are significantly better than the hosts, and I suspect they'll be knocking on the door of qualification even while playing away. Just a gut feeling here, but I'll throw a little something on a 1:2 scoreline.
Dynamo Kyiv-Valencia CF 2 @ 2.30 (0:2)
After a rough start back in 2014, Valencia has finally found their footing—they haven't tasted defeat in five matches. They even pulled off a massive upset against FC Barcelona at Camp Nou, so I think they can pull off a win over in Cyprus (since security concerns mean they aren't playing in Kyiv). Kyiv isn't a bad side, but in my eyes, they're just middle-of-the-road, especially given they're currently out of rhythm.
Ajax-Red Bull Salzburg—Salzburg to score @ 1.30 (0:3)
I’d almost go straight for the away win, but the odds have been squeezed quite a bit. Salzburg has been playing phenomenally and absolutely dominates their league—they're 17 points clear of second place, boasting a goal difference of 73:14, which basically means they're averaging over three goals a game. Ajax isn't bad, but they have a habit of conceding goals, even against the weaker teams.
Juventus-Trabzonspor 1 @ 1.20 (2:0)
The biggest "sure thing" of the day. You've got Juventus marching through the Italian league facing a side from the middle of the Turkish league that hasn't known a win in nearly two months.
Plzen-Shaktar over 2.5 @ 1.80 (1:1)
Two attacking sides that both seem to have somewhat shaky defenses. Both teams are averaging well over three goals per match.
Maribor-Sevilla FC—no red card in the match @ 3.60
Sevilla matches tend to be pretty high-strung, usually seeing plenty of cards on both sides—they've actually seen six red cards in their last nine games. Meanwhile, the Maribor natives will likely try to compensate for their lack of technical quality with sheer aggression, so I wouldn't be shocked at all if a red card pops up.
Thor Akureyri - Akureyri over 2.5 goals @ 1.70 (2:1)
Icelandic League Cup. Generally speaking, there's a lot of scoring in their matchups. In their last six games, four of them went over the 2.5 mark (one was a 4:0 blowout), and only one game stayed under four goals (that one ended 1:0).
James Taylor3 said:Just a heads-up for everyone watching the numbers: the lottery is sitting at 20.00 for the Hragovoljac line—well, if you consider a local spot like a corner bodega—and the x2 multiplier is actually up to 4.35.
The two is at 20, while the 2/2 is hanging at 19.5🤦🙏
Honestly, I think those losers have already checked out of the Cup entirely—they're just dumping everything they've got into the regular season now. This upcoming game could end up being a total nothingburger.
