The loser's group tournament is to determine the lower places. The only representatives from Africa typically participate in all age battles here, their team occupying the lowest positions, but still their goal is to finally win against Peru. In the group, Ghana had strong opponents, losing to the Germans with a score of 1-30 and to the Brazilians with a score of 6-25. However, now the weakest opponent is waiting and it is possible to try to hang on. Kazakhstan unexpectedly defeated the New Zealand representatives with a one-goal difference, but lost to Iran with a score of 9-16. Of course, they are the favorites here, but the P. Africa team is physically strong and they can fight here, and if they lose, it will only be by a one-point difference.
In friendly matches with TNS, one can always expect action and goals, with an attacking profile and often hair-raising matches. The games are productive, with goals being scored on both sides, etc. One has already played this year and finished 5-2 against a national team. Larne does not have such a style, as they cultivate more pragmatic football and in an official match, one would probably have to think if it is worth relying on here. However, since these matches are friendly, there will be a lot of rotation, less tactics and cautious play, where the result is not the main focus. And with the opponent being such, there will be many opportunities for attacks, so the Greeks may not take advantage of them.
Last round in the group. Georgians were on the edge of defeating the French and securing their spot for the next stage, but not only did they fail to save Peru, they also lost. Now they have nothing else left but to win against the Portuguese, who do not promise anything good. Georgians can score, their attack is playing very effectively in this tournament, but their defense will be a problem. Portugal struggled a bit with finishing in the first match against France, but in the second against Poland they showed their attacking potential, scoring five goals and showing that they can punish not only in positional play, but also on counterattacks - speed, finishes, everything at the highest level. Georgians realistically do not have weapons to stop that, Ghana tried hard to make the French sleep until the last minutes and wasted chances, but it will be harder to expect that here, and they will have to take risks, leave space and move forward. Even if Portuguese have enough points, they have too much class in their attack to rely on the defense.
They played a very poor game in Vilnius, not only in terms of statistics, but also to watch on the court. They scored 8 points, although they should have had 10 because of missed layups, but Tubelis seemed off his game. The desire to redeem himself should not be lacking, as Kaunas showed strength from the very first minutes. He gets open shots in all games or can still make a half-court or three-pointer.
Last round in the groups. Both teams have good offenses, although they may not have been able to demonstrate it at 100%, and not very reliable defensive lines. This has already cost Poland a spot in the next stage, while the French struggled against the Georgians, managing to win 3-2 in extra time. The Poles no longer have anything to play for, so it is unlikely that their style will change. I believe they will try to break through the door, but the Poles can only do that through their offense. On the other hand, the French need points, at least one, but knowing them, they are hardly going to risk playing aggressively from the back. It's not their style, and they are not facing a strong opponent to be cautious and walk on thin ice. It would be better for them to attack the Polish defense and solve all the matters. In short, I am expecting an open football match with plenty of goals.
I rely on the experience on the grass courts in Dart side. That's why I see the value in investing in it, especially when playing significant over-matches and living in a country where lawn tennis is played. After playing 46 out of 50 matches in Dart, meanwhile Jones only played 2 out of 10 with a negative balance, and our coefficients are almost equal. Let's take it, good luck.
Zalgiris must start at home with a completely different energy, otherwise they may have to fight until the last minutes. In the second series of games, their character was shown, but Kaunas just fell short, while Vilnius managed to save themselves. The game in Vilnius was definitely better and more team-oriented, but in the fourth period, the spark was not lit yet and the stagnation of one-on-one play began again. Well, even if Rytas has this attitude and extra attention from the fans in these playoffs, they will still push through against Zalgiris or even beat them in the end. They might even be able to tip the scales against Zibenas and his reputation while playing against Zalgiris.
Zalgiris must start with a completely different energy at home, otherwise they may have to struggle until the last minute. In the second series game, the character shown in Kaunas was not enough to finish it, but Vilnius was saved. The game in Vilnius was definitely better and more team-oriented, until in the 4th period the burning streak did not start again and the 1v1 stagnation began. Well, if in these games, with such attention and extra support from fans, Rytas will still try to break through or even compete against Zalgiris, it will probably be possible to tilt the scales against Zibenas and his team and play against Zalgiris.
Fenerbahce welcomes the final series with a fresher start, but with Peru, I believed that it would not harm Zalgiris, but I was wrong, so it is possible to expect a slightly slower pace from Fener here as well. However, Peru's defense will definitely not hurt, especially after such a tough series against Besiktas. Saras will not get involved in the proposed game against Besiktas and should maintain a high intensity on defense.
This is another one from the series with a large accumulated handicap. Ule, after two matches, has gathered 14 points, while Masiulis' series is currently black and he has only scored 2 points in two matches. So today we have a 12 point handicap, if we only consider totals, Ule always has a total that is about points higher and Masiulis definitely couldn't score a cosmic 20 points from him as he would need a miraculous act. So, if the series does not last and is completed after two more matches, having a 6 point handicap with a 1.5 coefficient is a very good option, even if he has to prove himself twice.
It is difficult to understand how in this comparison, Birutis is such a clear favorite, as he has 8 accumulated rebounds, while Gutaitis has 10. If we only look at the total rebounds offered to them in the matches, Gudaitis is a small, but always favored, player to recover more rebounds. Let's even assume that the chances of recovering a certain number of rebounds in one match are equal, but Gudaitis has +2 rebounds and a coefficient of not 1.85, but even 2.60. Moreover, it is obvious, at least it seems so, that Gudaitis is a better center in this series for both teams. He should at least try.