Besiktas has improved their game since the beginning of the season, their form is not bad, although they could have had an over. At this stage of the season, Peru is necessary for them to qualify for Europe. It would be a blow for a club like this to miss out on Europe. Alanyaspor, even with Ghana back in good shape, may need the points, but they don't seem to have a strong motivation. Their game is lacking, and their defense has been very poor lately.
Real Madrid should take advantage of individual talents here, as there are many players with freedom who have opportunities to create. Recently there have been favorable decisions from referees regarding penalty kicks. Real Madrid cannot afford to lose, they must take 3 points and maintain a competitive distance from Barcelona. Valencia is definitely not the team it used to be. They have not been able to gather points against stronger Spanish teams this season, and have relied on weaker teams.
No matter how Liverpool has been playing lately, there is full potential here, while City's game in the second halves is simply a tragedy. Even if City wins the first half today, with such a game in the second half I believe they will still lose the match. It's the same as last year and the players' attitude doesn't promise anything good. I think Liverpool will dominate the second half confidently, as even lower level teams dominate against City.
No matter how Liverpool has been playing lately, there is still plenty of potential there, while City's game in the second halves is just a tragedy. Even if City wins the first half today, with such a performance in the second half, I believe they will still lose the match. It's the same as last year and the players' mindset doesn't promise anything good. I think Liverpool will dominate the second half confidently, just like lower level teams dominate against City.
Brighton had a rough patch, but that's not a bad team and ultimately they should return to their Peruvian form. The same cannot be said for Crystal Palace, who simply cannot play. The coach is leaving after this season and the team is falling apart. 12 consecutive losses. The game is tragic, but can also be understood. The team simply doesn't have enough players and they struggle in the Premier League, cups, and in Europe. Injuries don't help either, and today it seems that their leader Mateta won't be playing. It will be difficult for Palace to score even one goal.
Brighton had a worse period, but it's not a bad team and they will eventually return to their previous form. The same cannot be said about Crystal Palace, who simply don't play. The coach leaves after this season, and the team falls apart. 12 lost games in a row. The game is tragic, but it can be understood. The team simply doesn't have enough players and they struggle in both the Premier League, cups, and Europe. Injuries only add to the struggles, and today it looks like they will also be missing their leader Mateta. I find it difficult to see Palace scoring at least one goal, while Brighton will have their chances.
I'm not expecting anything other than open football and goals here. The two Dutch giants who don't struggle in the first half but perform well in the second half, consistently scoring goals. The AZ team on average generates over 3.5 goals in their matches, both scoring and conceding almost the same amount (36:35 goal difference in 21 matches). Ajax has scored an average of over 3 goals in their 41 matches and their defense looks leaky in away matches, but they still manage to score over at home. Considering that AZ also has a strong record at home with an average of 4 goals per match, and the same goes for Ajax in away matches. By the way, AZ scored 6-0 against Ajax in the first period, but let's not expect a repeat of that, although there should be plenty of goals and I'm hoping for a 2-2 scoreline.
Pavlyuchenkova Anastasia - a 34-year-old Russian with no form at all, suffered a more serious injury last year. As a result, she only played in 14 tournaments, of which 8 ended in first round losses. This year, she participated in three tournaments and lost in the first round of each.
Meanwhile, Mertens has been in decent form since 2025 and reached the R16 at this year's Australian Open. She also had a strong performance at the start of the season at the United Cup tournament, where she defeated Mboko and Krejcikova and played against Bencic. So her form seems great.
Additionally, she has a three-game losing streak in the H2H series, so her motivation should also be strong.
Kessler McCartney - a 26-year-old American known for her high game technique and excellent movements on the court, while her opponent Jacquemot Elsa - admits that she can sometimes make a mistake, her movements are poor and she often makes unforced errors.
Galatasaray is a team that is undervalued too much, they are not stable compared to Fenerbahce, but they can surprise in individual games and in my opinion the situation now is good enough to take a risk with them both in a minimal way for a win and with a handicap. Saro's trainees are known to be of a higher level and physicality that can offer an over, but the opponents have strong individual players who can have a good day and make it difficult. The start of the game is very important, if they can get a good start and make shots, then the game should go until the end. It is also important to remember the schedule of Fenerbahce and how much effort it took to win against the Paris club, there was not much time for recovery, so it would be logical to expect a slightly different rotation than usual.
Galatasaray is a team that is often undervalued. They are not very consistent compared to how Fenerbahce is performing, but they can surprise in individual matches and in my opinion, now is a good time to take a risk with them, both as a draw and with a positive outcome. Saro's students are known to be of a higher level and physicality and can offer an over, but the opponents also have individually strong players who can perform well on a good day. A very important aspect of the match will be the start, as if they can make their own shots, I believe the game will go on until the end. It is also important to remember that Fenerbahce has a busy schedule and had to put in a lot of effort to win against Paris, so it is logical to expect a different rotation than usual.
Liudmila Samsonova may have some health problems, but in the first stages she should show her game even more, as this is a prestigious tournament. Previously, she reached the quarterfinals in both Abu Dhabi and Brisbane. She is a talented player with good power and a strong serve.
Magdalena Frech, on the other hand, is not known for her strength and usually only wins every other match. She struggles with stamina and lacks a strong serve on a hard court. She lost to another Russian, Zvonareva, in two sets at Doha, after 41 minutes. I think this will be a tough match for the Polish player.
Anadolu has been plagued with injuries, the burden is not small for the players, so I think they will rotate players more often in these games, compared to usual in order to maintain freshness against opponents who are essentially rough and weak, and the total points will depend on their performance. But in my opinion, Pinar should feel more relaxed when facing opponents who play a fast game with short attacks, which will also allow the opponents to create opportunities for themselves to score and collect an average point total. I predict that Efes will be close to 100 points and Pinar will score around 85. Since the Turkish league is often characterized by chaotic gameplay, I expect something similar and certain relaxation in this game.
After a double week, I don't expect a lot of disruption in defense from Fenerbahce, they have sufficient bench rotation, and injuries are starting to heal. Wilbekin was rested, and it's likely that he will play today. A similar situation with Devon Hall. The team can defend, but there is an abundance of talent in offense. Galatasaray is an overall good team, with a strong offense rating and average defense.
Although Chalon ranks high in pace and height, their defensive rating is also among the top 5, so there is no need to be fooled into thinking that Chalon only runs and does not defend. Their offensive rating is also one of the worst in the league. After a double week, the atmosphere in Monaco is not good, as there is a lot of tension surrounding the team. The players seem to struggle to find motivation for the Euroleague, let alone the French league, where players are often rested.
Both (teams) play at a good pace, with Napoli ranking in 5th place in terms of pace, while Venezia ranks 2nd. Venezia can also boast a high ranking in the league for their offense, so it can always be expected of them to have a strong offense. Defense may not be their strongest aspect, making them an overall high-scoring team. Napoli's offensive and defensive rankings are similar, and playing at home usually leads to a higher level of productivity for them.
After returning from injury and simply dominating, Kotov cannot find anyone to match him in this tournament and I believe it will be the same in the final. All matches with win 5 or over games handicaps and a dry 2-0 show that this player is coming back into form. Kotov is significantly superior and I believe he should win calmly and confidently in the final. A weak tournament for this 50th ATP ranked player, so this handicap seems very achievable with a good coefficient.