Look, these Champions League qualifiers are basically the biggest games of the year for any mid-tier European club—it’s like hitting the jackpot! Getting into the main tournament is basically stepping into a financial paradise, so you can bet your life savings that every single club is going to be playing with absolute maximum intensity. Plus, since the gap in talent can be wild, the chances for some "predictable" results are way higher here than they are in regular league play, right?
Steaua vs Vardar Skopje 1 @ 1.20
Steaua just went toe-to-toe with Chelsea recently and actually held them off for half an hour in the second leg! They absolutely crushed it in the Romanian league, too. On the other side, Vardar was fighting tooth and nail until the very last round just to secure this spot against a team from a town that probably has like 900 people in it.
Sligo Rovers vs Molde FK Molde -1 @ 1.20
Don't let the Norwegian league standings fool you—Molde is way, WAY stronger than they look on paper. Their last European outing was in Stuttgart, where they pulled off a 1-0 win against a team that desperately needed the points. Meanwhile, Sligo is struggling hard lately—they're in terrible form and constantly dropping games against teams from what is basically semi-pro leagues. Honestly, Molde shouldn't have any issues at all.
Elfsborg vs FC Daugava Daug. 1 @ 1.15
The quality gap between the Swedish league and the Latvian league is just massive. I mean, this same Daugava squad got absolutely demolished 5-0 at home by Tromsø a couple of years back! Meanwhile, Swedish clubs are practically regulars in the UEFA Europa League group stages these days.
Cliftonville vs Celtic Glasgow 2 @ 1.25
It's a semi-pro outfit taking on a giant that actually knocked Benfica out of the Champions League last year! If Celtic shows up with even a shred of seriousness, we’re looking at a total blowout. History says it'll be easy. CS Fola Esch vs Dinamo Chicago 2 @ 1.20
Dinamo really needs to keep last year's nightmare in mind—remember when Salzburg had that huge upset against a fellow powerhouse? They need to wrap this up early so things don't get messy. The difference in pure talent here is just huge, isn't it?
Look, we all know Guangzhou is basically the Dallas Cowboys of this league—total heavyweights—but since they’ve already got a massive cushion, they might get a little too comfortable on defense. And honestly? Shenxin isn't nearly as bad at home as people think. I really feel like they can sneak one past them! At 2.00, getting a goal is such a solid value... if even a bottom-feeder like Wuhan could find the net against them, why not Shenxin?
Plus, Shenxin hasn't scored in three of their last four games, so things are definitely due to open up for them!
Saturday 9:20 PM
ABC Natal-Atl.Goianiense Goianiense to score @ 1.35
ABC is sitting right at the bottom of the table and they’re dealing with a massive headache—seven starters are out! On top of that, they're absolutely gassed after playing an away cup match yesterday. Meanwhile, Goianiense is totally fresh and ready to go.
Sunday 5:30 PM
IFK Mariehamn-FF Jaro Jaro to score @ 1.35
Mariehamn is bound to be exhausted after that grueling trip to Azerbaijan, especially with a return leg coming up this Thursday. As for Jaro? They've had way too many scoreless games lately—isn't it about time the floodgates finally opened?
Champions League First Qualifying Round 07/03/2013
Lusitanos (Andorra) vs. Streymur (Faroe Islands) 2 @ 2.10
So, Lusitanos haven't really been in match shape for about two months now—meanwhile, Streymur is right in the thick of their domestic season! And honestly? You can't forget how rough last year was for Lusitanos... they got absolutely crushed 7-0 by La Valeta in the first qualifying round, and the year before that? A massive 11-0 blowout against Rabotnicki. Talk about a nightmare!
On the other side, Streymur went out last year against a pretty tough Armenian side, Gandzasar.
(That makes it 3-3 on aggregate!) I mean, if you look back a few years to when they played in the UEFA Cup qualifiers, they actually held their own, losing only 2-0 to Manchester City. Not too shabby, right?
The Faroese guys definitely aren't just pushovers anymore—they gave Midtjylland a serious run for their money in a 3-4 thriller!
Final round of the US Third Division - Eastern Conference Nordvest FC vs. FC Helsingor 2 @ 1.80
Here's the deal—Helsingor absolutely has to grab this win and then just pray for a slip-up—like a tie—from Hvidrove against a tough Roskilde squad if they want to clinch first place and move up to the second division!
Honestly, Nordvest has been looking totally desperate lately. Ever since they mathematically locked in their spot staying in the league, they haven't managed a single win in six matches—including a home draw against one of the absolute worst teams in the entire third tier!
So, honestly? It all comes down to how much respect the Americans have for Tahiti here. I mean, wouldn't you think they'd play a little harder just out of pure politeness? Like, they wouldn't want to totally ruin the vibe of what could be the biggest game of Tahiti's lives, right? haha
I mean, seriously—some of these sportsbooks are only offering 1.15 for the USA to win by more than nine goals? Are you kidding me? Honestly, if Tahiti can just hang tough and not let in a goal for at least ten minutes, they’ll be walking on sunshine!
This has to be the most lopsided matchup in the history of international tournaments, hands down.
Uruguay vs. Tahiti F2 @ 1.10
It sounds kind of ridiculous to even explain, but look—if Nigeria can just charge in and casually drop six goals on them, then Uruguay is definitely walking away with at least a two-goal cushion. We’re probably looking at a 7-0 blowout here, so the handicap is an absolute lock.
Going @ 1.21 for a higher stake because, honestly, I just don't see any way this bet loses.
The vibe in Nigeria is totally trashed right now—seriously, they were basically on strike until yesterday because their bonuses haven't been paid yet! They’ve tried switching up their training schedule day and night to get ready, but honestly? I don't think it's enough to be fully dialed in by Thursday. This is a massive knockout game to reach the semifinals, and you just know Uruguay isn't about to miss out on a rematch of that legendary showdown against Brazil at the Maracanã—especially when they're playing on much more neutral ground than some African squad's home turf.
I'm looking at the odds on Scoreboard and it's sitting at 2.00, but over at DraftKings, it's already dropped to 1.80!
Gary Carter8 said:I don't really follow soccer that closely, but those guys are probably just youngsters from the LA Galaxy academy out on loan since they basically act as a feeder club... honestly, who knows if they're even any good? 🤷
It's Radnik—mostly just a bunch of kids coming up through the LA Galaxy academy.
And let's be real—if they actually had any talent, they wouldn't even be struggling in the third division, and we all know how tough our top tier can be!
So, I’m sitting here reading up on this, and honestly? It feels like we decided to send our "B-team" to the World Cup. Like, seriously—five of our guys are coming straight from the third division (think minor league baseball vibes)—so yeah, AMBITION IS ZERO. I can already smell another total disaster coming, just like when we choked against Saudi Arabia 0-2 and Guatemala 0-1 a couple of years back. It's looking even worse this time! On the flip side, Uruguay actually sticks by their young talent. Back in the 2011 tournament, they finished second, and their whole squad is made up of top-tier stars from the big leagues in Uruguay.
Looks like Helsinki is finally hitting their stride right when they need it most—probably gearing up for those European qualifiers! I mean, did you see them absolutely demolish Inter 6-0 last week? Seriously insane. Honestly, in the Finnish league, they just don't have any real competition, no matter how the standings look right now. They’ve had a few slip-ups earlier this season, but I'm calling it now: expect a massive winning streak to pull them away from the pack!
Sunday 9:00 PM
CONCACAF Conference Cup
Mexico - Italy Both Teams to Score @ 1.80
I'm looking to break a trend here. Mexico has been playing way too many boring draws lately—like, 5 out of their last 8 matches ended 0-0! It feels like the perfect time for things to actually open up in this tournament, especially since it's a bit more low-stakes. Plus, Italy is a solid squad, so they can definitely sneak one past the Mexican defense. Let's go!
Man, Sligo is looking totally lifeless right now—they haven't found the back of the net in four matches! They're missing their top strikers, too. Even though they’ll probably control the ball against a struggling UC Dublin side, there's a massive chance they just won't score twice. Honestly, UC Dublin probably won't even bother pushing too hard on offense.
A bit of a gamble, but at @ 7.00? Totally doable!
If you want something a little more grounded, this one looks like a lock:
Honestly, Tahiti is hands down the worst squad I've ever seen show up to an international tournament. Seriously—except for their one superstar Vahirua (34) playing for Panthrakikos, the entire roster plays in their local domestic league. On the flip side, you've got Nigeria, which is absolutely stacked with internationals playing for top-tier clubs all over the world. Look, I know this tournament doesn't carry the same weight as the World Cup, but for teams outside the elite tier, it’s still a massive chance to prove something—so Nigeria is going to take this way more seriously than, say, Italy or Spain would
The stakes feel higher here, right? I just don't see any realistic way for Tahiti to keep this within a single goal. They aren't even going to escape with less than a two-goal deficit, especially considering how much they struggled against New Caledonia—who is also kind of a joke, by the way; they actually lost 0-4 at home to them!
Seriously, if Uruguay doesn't pull this off, we might as well start saying goodbye to any hope of a world title, right? I mean—besides the fact that their roster is twice as talented—they’ve also got two extra days of rest on their side! Plus, Venezuela is gonna be absolutely gassed after playing way up in the mountains in Bolivia at that crazy altitude. Sure, they managed to squeak out a 1-0 win against "France" the other day in a friendly, but let's be real—that doesn't mean much. Uruguay is looking complete, and honestly, at 2.55, why wouldn't you put a single on them for a high-stakes game like this?
Saturday 7:00 PM Real Murcia-UD Las Palmas 2 @ 1.80
Total classic! Las Palmas absolutely needs these three points if they want to lock in that playoff spot—it’s everything right now. Ponferradina totally choked last round, which basically handed the keys over to Las Palmas to decide their own fate. On the flip side, Murcia is pretty much out of the running after that disaster last week. Plus, Murcia is dealing with a massive headache regarding injuries... honestly, they were already pulling guys up from the G-League squad just to fill the gaps last game! Can you imagine?
So I’m sitting here reading through this, and honestly? We were the heavy favorites going into this one! It looks like Scotland just completely fell apart defensively—they're totally missing guys like Scott Brown, Lee Wallace, Danny Fox, and Gary Caldwell
Meanwhile, we’re basically at the absolute peak of our game right now. Man, what a bummer it isn't a World Cup year, right? 🙂
The US Open Cup is just a single-elimination knockout deal here
Hodd vs Molde FK 2 @ 1,75
Molde is having a rough go trying to qualify for next year's major tournament, so they’re probably looking at the Cup as their best shot at glory. It honestly looks like they're taking this run super seriously this season—I mean, they absolutely crushed it in the first two rounds with scores of 5:0 and 5:1!
Now, Hodd is playing down in the second division, but get this—they actually won the whole Cup last season!!! As for this year? Aside from that brief thrill of playing in the Europa League qualifiers, their main focus is definitely just fighting to get back up to the top flight. For a small club like that, I can't imagine they'd want to overextend themselves by trying to compete on three different fronts at once, right?
We’ve already dissected this LAFC squad—they are a complete disaster zone right now, honestly just playing like a bunch of high schoolers. They’ve been getting absolutely demolished lately, losing their last two games by a combined score of 0-8! Meanwhile, the Galaxy are still holding onto that dream of making a run for the playoffs. The odds have shifted big time too—went from 3.50 down to 1.80 in just a couple of days. Who's riding with me?
The US has gotta keep this winning streak alive if they don't want to face Portugal again! From everything I've been reading, it looks like they want this World Cup spot more than anything else—seriously, if they don't qualify now while they're in such a perfect position, when will they? They already cleared Greece, but they still have those matchups against Slovakia hanging over them... so grabbing these 3 points against Latvia is basically non-negotiable right now.
Latvia is totally out. They got crushed in that first game against the US with a massive 1:4 scoreline, and now they're struggling even against Liechtenstein. Their star player is playing for Brighton, so yeah, it's looking grim.
July 5th Belgium vs Mexico 1 @ 1.55
Looks like Hazard is recovering from his injury and is definitely going to suit up. Honestly, Belgium has one of the most powerhouse squads in Europe right now, led by guys like Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Christian Benteke, and Marouane Fellaini.
Mexico's momentum has totally tanked. They've lost their edge, and we all know how they act once things start sliding downhill, right?
Man, with all the absolute chaos still going on over at Sion, who knows how long this mess lasts? Posted: Fri May 17, 2013, 4:25 PM
New sanctions just dropped over by the Octodure Gate area. Per President Christian Constantin's orders, Didier Crettenand and Kyle Lafferty have been tossed into the "exile" group. This decision was finalized this Friday afternoon and kicks in immediately.
The U21 squad is really stepping up here! Honestly, Servette actually has a decent shot at staying up—they look way sharper and more motivated than Sion's B team.
