After that stumble, Germany will definitely be looking to take down both remaining opponents, so securing those 3 points today without overthinking it is essential. Even though it's just a friendly, Sweden seems more organized to me; grabbing a win here makes sense.
Belgium vs. Panama: Underdog win 2,00
It’s not a lock, but Belgium has a strong roster—a squad that plays fluidly and creates plenty of chances. I believe they can put three past a weak Panama side. I expect a one-sided match with total dominance from one side. Panama finished their qualifiers with a negative goal difference. The USA beat them 4-0, and Switzerland recently won 6-0 in a friendly.
Penultimate round. Ufa is safe; they have zero mathematical chance of making it into Europe. Rubin hasn't fully secured their survival yet, and in this final round, they're facing Krasnodar, who are still fighting for Champions League spots. They’ll likely try to settle the relegation issue today against a relaxed opponent—especially since Ufa is one of the worst traveling teams in the league.
Baltic and Tambov are fighting for that last playoff spot. With only three rounds left, it all comes down to goal difference. This one is huge. Yaroslavl is just two spots below them, though they're mathematically out of reach at this point. On top of that, the visitors are in pretty rough shape lately. Add some motivation to the mix, and I guess this should go our way.
One double 🙂 20:00 Châteauroux - Auxerre 1 bet365 @1,61
The home side is fighting desperately for a spot in the promotion playoffs. There are only 3 rounds left, making this match crucial. Five clubs are currently battling for two available spots, separated by just two points—even Le Havre and Sochaux, who trail by 4 or 5 points, still have a mathematical chance. Auxerre is in terrible shape, having lost 4 straight games while conceding 11 goals in the process. Most importantly, this game means nothing to them. They are safe, far from the relegation zone and out of the playoff hunt. This should be a straightforward win for the home side.
Final round, and it's a massive game for the visitors. Persepolis has already secured first place, but second and third place offer spots in the Champions League qualifiers. Zob Ahan is sitting in second with 52 points, but both Esteghlal and Saipa are right on their heels with 51. Only a victory will guarantee them that Champions League qualification spot. Naft Tehran is mathematically eliminated from the league, so they have nothing left to play for. On top of that, they're in awful form after losing 5 matches in a row.
Lech Poznań holds a slim lead in this intense title race, sitting just one point ahead of Jagiellonia Białystok and Legia Warsaw, both of whom play at home this weekend. As far as the championship group goes, Korona basically has no shot at qualifying for Europe; their only real hope lies in the Cup, where they've managed to reach the semifinals. They have the Cup second leg away against Arka this Tuesday (having won the first leg 2-1), which is a much higher priority for them. I expect they'll likely field several reserves today. A decisive victory for Lech Poznań seems probable here.
L.A. is stuck at the bottom; I don't see any realistic way they pull themselves out of this. San Antonio is currently sitting in a playoff spot, but there is still plenty of fighting left to do, so they really need to secure points today. The odds are looking decent at 1.95 for an away win on bet365.
Gladbach - Werder 1 @2,10 Werder is fighting to stay up, while Gladbach is pushing for a spot in Europe. After a rough patch, they finally managed to grind out a 1-0 win away at Hannover last week. What gives me confidence, though, was their performance the week before—a narrow 0-1 loss against Dortmund where they actually looked sharp offensively. They racked up 28 shots, 11 on target, and just had some bad luck. They finally broke their streak last round, and I suppose they could potentially back that up today by picking up another three points against a mediocre Bremen side. It’s definitely not a guaranteed lock, but I think the odds are decent enough to consider.
11:00 PM Emelec vs. Catolica - Match Preview Home Win @ 1.60
Catolica sits in 7th place and plays an aggressive, attack-minded style. Even though Emelec is currently 3rd and viewed as the heavy betting favorite, Catolica has actually been more efficient in front of the net over the first 22 rounds of the season. They are averaging exactly 1.5 goals per game. Additionally, they have managed to find the back of the net in each of their last five head-to-head matchups.
Following that shocking exit against Apoel and last week’s loss to Valencia, Bilbao really needs this win to redeem themselves. Now they can finally focus on La Liga and chasing a spot in Europe. They are one of the stronger sides at home; honestly, the only team to really break them was Barca. A victory is mandatory here. They're facing a side that hasn't managed an away win yet, and their goal difference over the last four road trips is a dismal 1:14.
Odds: 1.54 Betting House: WWin Stake: 6/10
15:00 Chievo - Pescara 3+ (2-0)
It's enough to say that Zdeněk Zeman is back in charge of Pescara after last week. Which means, I guess, we should expect more goals. Pescara has conceded 55 goals so far, which is the most in any of the top five leagues. They gave up 21 goals in just their last three matches. They desperately need points, so they'll likely play aggressively. Coming off that 5:0 blowout against Genoa, they might be feeling confident enough to go for it, so we could see plenty of action on both sides.
8:15 PM Stuttgart - Fortuna Düsseldorf 1 (2-0) The home side currently sits in third place solely due to goal difference, despite having recorded the most wins in the league. This should be a solid opportunity to break into first place against a mid-table team that hasn't secured a win in five matches. Fortuna started 2017 poorly, losing 0-3 at home to Sandhausen. Prior to their loss against Hannover, Stuttgart was arguably the best home team in the league (6-0-2), coming off a five-game home winning streak before the winter break. Additionally, Fortuna hasn't managed to score in their last four away games. Given how important this match is for Stuttgart, we should also consider the incredible form of their top scorer—the league's second-highest scorer—Simon Terodde (11/16), who has netted 7 goals in his last 4 home matches. Good luck.
20:45 Valencia - Eibar 1 + Both Teams to Score (0-4)
This season, Valencia has seen both sides find the net in 84% of their matches, rising to 88% when playing at Mestalla. They’ve managed to score in their last 16 games straight. Looking at Eibar, 89% of their away fixtures have gone Both Teams to Score, so they are certainly capable of scoring tonight. Their main issue is the defense, which is conceding an average of 1.78 goals per game. In seven away trips against teams not fighting relegation, they've only picked up 3 points. Valencia has improved significantly under Vor and will definitely be hunting for a win here. It's far from a lock, but given the stats and the attacking potential of both squads, it might be worth a shot because of the solid odds. Good luck!
8 PM Burkina Faso - Egypt b> Africa Cup semi-finals, a high-stakes matchup. The team looks defensively superior and better organized than anyone else in this tournament. They haven't conceded a single goal in the competition so far. In their last 14 matches, they've allowed only 4 goals, and they’ve kept six consecutive clean sheets. I expect a tight, tactical chess match here where both sides will wait for an opponent's mistake rather than rushing. Obviously, this isn't a lock; it relies heavily on pure statistics, and you can never predict how a game might suddenly open up. However, considering the brilliance of their tactical setup and the importance of the match, I think this pick is worth a shot. It seems unlikely we'll see two goals in either half.
Betting House: WWin Odds: 1.69 Stake: 5/10
8:45 PM Millwall - Walsall: Millwall Over 2.5 total goals (0-0) In their last outing, Millwall knocked Watford out of the cup, and their momentum is clearly building. This is especially true during their home games at the Den, where they look quite convincing. They have won their last five home matches across all competitions. They also score a decent amount of goals, netting 8 in their last three home games. Walsall isn't in terrible shape generally, but they struggle defensively, conceding plenty of goals—which could be a major issue against offensively strong teams. They recently let in 3 goals against a weak Bury side. I'm expecting a high-scoring affair with at least two goals hitting the back of the net for the visitors. Good luck.
neonviper8 said:Then how is it 1.74 for Nottingham? That's something you should probably be asking.
Based on what you wrote, it should be at most 1.40 - 1.50.
How would I know? I just listed the odds exactly as the Betting House offers them. And look, Nottingham is basically useless once they're just fighting to stay in the league; they'll play like that because of it.
20:45 Nottingham - Rotherham 1 (2-0) The home side is sitting just 5 points above Wigan and the relegation zone. They haven't exactly been playing great lately, so this match feels pretty critical for them. Fortunately, there isn't a better way to scrape some points than taking a win against a half-dead team struggling at the bottom of the table. Rotherham is arguably the worst team in the league right now, and they've been terrible on the road with a 0-1-13 record. On top of that, I checked a few sites and it looks like they're missing a couple of key players tonight. Good luck to anyone following 👍
Sent from my phone, so please excuse the lack of formatting and overall presentation.🙂
Braga - Donetsk 1 (2-4)
Regarding the visitors, based on the info I found online, they are playing without Serena Williams, Dudley, Pyatov, Rakitski, Stepanenko, Ismaili, Seleznov, and Wellington. It seems like a tourist trip to Portugal; they've basically secured first place with 15 points already. A win for Braga would put them through, especially since Gent is facing a weak Konyaspor side away.