The first match between Italy ended in a draw 0-0, but the clear favorite team, Atalanta, must prove their superiority even away from home. Atalanta has a very strong offense and in the second match must score multiple goals. The Israel club is playing against Hungary, so they cannot rely on a home advantage. Atalanta has played well in their friendly matches and after a weaker first match, it is expected that the Italian giants and Peru will show a good performance.
The Besiktas team is clearly the favorite of this fixture, as they have convincingly defeated the Lithuanian club at home and are expected to do the same in Kaunas. Besiktas dominated against Zalgiris and the same should be expected in Kaunas. This was also the case against Dinamo Zagreb, who only managed to score two goals with the help of red cards. Therefore, an even stronger team should have an even better performance, and there should be no expectation of red cards. It is worth mentioning that players like Trossard and Vlahovic can only be seen on TV or during international matches, so their skill will undoubtedly stand out even against Lithuania.
One of the most efficient European teams, Brann (in the Norwegian league: they have scored 36 and conceded 27 goals in 17 league matches) and in the Conference League, they also do not hold back with goals. In the five played Conference League matches, three goals were scored in three games, and although the first match against a Greek club ended in a 1-1 draw, the xG of the teams was close to four - 3.6. The first match did not solve anything, and both teams have similar playing styles, so we can expect goals in their upcoming match. I believe that an attacking game and a small goal margin will be the key for the outcome against Peru.
Parks arrives after a tough but won battle against Marčinko 2:1, while Chwalińska has not been very stable lately. The American has a strong first serve and an aggressive playing style, so even in case of a loss, she has a good chance of taking a set.
In recent seasons, Everton, who have once again regained their good reputation, looked good in friendly matches and had a great start to the Premier League championship. Despite playing at home, their solid win against Crystal Palace club shows the good form and mindset of the Everton team, which I believe will lead to success against a lower league club. Preston, on the other hand, have had a tragic start to the season. They have only won two matches, one against an amateur club and the other in the cup final, which they won on penalty kicks against a lower league club. Not to mention their seven-game losing streak, excluding the cup. Therefore, even with an experimental lineup, Everton's victory against Preston seems very likely.
GNK Dinamo Zagreb (winner neįsk. lygiųjų) @100 8/10
Norway's Viking champions managed to recover from a poor start against Croatia, who were already trailing 2-0 after just 10 minutes. The Žalgiris team, who had been treated unfairly by Dinamo, quickly equalized the score and dominated at home. Even though they were not able to win, I believe they will have an advantage when playing away. The fact that Viking were only able to score 0.93 xG and two goals shows how lucky they were. Dinamo is a much stronger team, and I believe they will play better and win away, and continue to dominate.
Israel is a rather weak national team, which is also unable to play in their own country, which is a huge disadvantage for this team. The Poles, as always, wearing their national team jerseys, become Jordanians, and the addition of Loyd to the team strongly tilts the scales in favor of the Polish team in these matches. The results of friendly matches do not bring much joy to the Poles, but we all know how they change in official matches, and the opponent is very favorable - Peru.
After a long drought of championships, the Croatian basketball team is very determined to play at the World Championship. The stable roster of players that Croatia has been able to gather together for this occasion is what has made this possible. Even though their chance of winning is almost 100%, the game against Latvia is still important for Croatia, especially when playing at home. Not to mention the huge difference in strength between the two teams, as the Latvians have a lack of key players on their team while the Croatians have everything they need. The friendly game between the two also showed how weak the Latvian team is and how strong the Croatian team is. Playing at home, the Croatians have been dominating the qualifiers and winning against all opponents, including the European champions. This makes it difficult for the Latvian team to see a chance of avoiding a double-digit loss.
I dare to guess that a loss to Turkey is looming and Lithuania's national team will also need to lower their heads and face Bosnia's national team. Nurkic and his friends defeated the Poles in a friendly match, who also seem to be playing better than our current Lithuanian team, especially with such a coaching staff. At home, Lithuania suffered a defeat against Estonia in a friendly match, with biased referees who favored Lithuania and although the officiating was not entirely one-sided, the fact remains. Bosnia's national team is highly underrated, despite having a lot of talent and potential. Comparing it to our national team, I believe the chances will be similar or maybe even greater, as our Lithuanian team not only lacks the ability but also luck.
We have all seen the lineup and game of the Lithuanian national team, which did not bring any positive emotions and does not give us any chance of defeating the Turks. Despite the fact that the Turks who have won all qualifying matches will not have Sengun, realistically all other players are European vice-champions, and at home they must deal calmly with such a Lithuanian lineup and coaching staff. Just a year ago, the Turks even lost to Lithuania, when the Lithuanian lineup was much stronger. In the European championship, as well as in the World Cup qualifying round, it is very common for the Turks to have a double-digit handicap, so it is difficult to expect a different result, even when the ball is round.