Wings have been heavily burdened with injuries and Bueckers has had to play almost without substitutions. She has scored 20 or over points 5 times in the last 7 games. In the last game, she scored 27 points, but in that game Ogunbowale also played and scored 16.8 points, but she will not play tonight. There is still doubt if the other guard Carrington will also play, so essentially the entire offense will fall on Bueckers' shoulders.
Caitlin Clark is still not here, so I am trying to take advantage. Nothing has changed except for the fact that Indiana and Minnesota played very unproductive games with only 133 points, respectively. Mitchell only scored 12 points, and was 0/5 on 3-pointers. Tonight, I am already looking forward to a more productive game and a bigger contribution from Mitchell.
Here, Bencic could have some big problems, especially since this season has been very tough for her with injuries and the French and not only does she perform well on the return, as shown in the match against Linette, but she also has a solid amount of strength in her strikes. Against the French in the previous rounds, she showed a good performance against the Poles, although she is slightly weaker on higher hits. Bencic had to miss out on the Rolland Garros due to injuries, and she only played one match during the grass preparation, which was hopelessly lost to Alexandrova.
There are players of a similar level here, but Mboko has a higher stability in the game, despite being younger. She plays without excitement and doesn't lose her head even in difficult situations. Hailey Baptiste can make a few spectacular moves, but she is not as consistent. The American player from Ghana performed well in the Roland Garros tournament, but her results on grass are significantly weaker, so in this case, Mboko's intensity and stability in the game give her a big advantage.
In my opinion, this is a very similar level of players and the odds are not equal. They both play beautifully, especially after Vollynets Peru and T.Maria, who are very skilled at playing on grass and have very good technique. In fact, in Italy she also beat Pegula as an underdog. Overall, according to the WTA rankings, the American player is higher, but in any case, the playing style of both is very similar and the chances here are quite equal.
Although from the coefficients perspective it can be said that the matchup between the teams is even, the Hilal team personally seems significantly stronger. They have had solid matches against Real, defeated City and earned not just decent, but rather impressive results. They also have an advantage in having some of the best football players on their team. Fluminense, having received a weak group, managed to defeat the tragic Inter which seems unable to recover from a disastrous season. In my opinion, Hilal is the superior team and should advance in this pair.
Finland champions after crushing Peru at home with 6 scored goals face the league's underdogs Oulu club. Having lost 9 out of 13 matches, Oulu with their poor defense and 28 conceded goals should surrender to KuPS, who have been in great form lately and are preparing for the Champions League qualifiers. They must be in good form and have a positive attitude to face the Champions League.
The Spaniards should dominate and prove their superiority from the first minutes here. Recently, the teams played and the Spanish team won 7-1. I do not expect such a result in the championship, but Peru should be a strong opponent. Portugal does not seem to be of a good level, and their recent results are very poor.
The Young Boys overine team is also receiving a club from the third league, so they are clearly the favorites. Young Boys can boast a good offense, but due to weak defense, they often struggle. However, in friendly matches, they will definitely feel relaxed. Kriens may be a third league team, but they were close to making it to the second league, and in the third league, they demonstrated great attacking skills alongside the champions.
The coefficients for the Hungarians are falling and it seems they are no longer needed. In the last 4 friendly matches, Lithuania showed excellent attacking skills, even though the opponents were not of high caliber. Meanwhile, in Sabah, they played only one friendly match against the Romanians with a draw. This factor of friendly matches should allow the Hungarians to look much better on the court.
I was surprised to see that the underdog is considered to be the Hungarian, but I will continue to root for the French, who impress me with their playing style. Of course, it won't be easy, as the Hungarian has a very good slice that can cause problems for many tennis players, so I won't completely write him off. But in my eyes, the Frenchman should still dominate in this tournament and if I had to predict the outcome, it would probably end up with a 3-1 victory for the French, so I am considering two possible scenarios for placing my bets. The Frenchman is extremely determined, age is not a limit for him, and he seems to have a second wind that allows him to do amazing things. Let's also not forget that the Hungarian came here as a lucky loser, so if he struggles even a little against his opponent's slice shots, I don't see many chances for him against the Frenchman.
I was surprised that the underdog is considered to be the Hungarian, but I will continue to support the Frenchman, who impresses me with his playing style. Of course, it won't be easy, as the Hungarian has a very good slice that can cause problems for many tennis players, so I can't completely dismiss him. However, in my opinion, the Frenchman should still prevail in this tournament and if I had to make a prediction, the result would be 3:1 in favor of the Frenchman. So, when considering my options, I am thinking of two scenarios and taking advantage of the over bet. The Frenchman is exceptionally determined and age is not a limit for him, it seems like he can do extraordinary things with his second wind. Let's not forget that the Hungarian entered here as a LL, so if he struggles even a little with his slice, I don't see many chances against the Frenchman.
I will repeat. Žalgiris, with the returning Liviu, shows signs of life, the trajectory of form is rising. They earned a victory in Panevėžys against Peru, and on Friday a small rotation is coming to face Banga. Mastery, their own stadium, everything on VZ side.
Although women's WNBA, like men's, is not always predictable, the Mercury team seems to be much stronger than the Wings. I believe that after a loss, the Mercury women's team will be more focused, and they are also skilled at playing against teams that have had a series of 6 games, as they defeated the Liberty by 8 points on the road and by 15 points at home. The series began less than a month ago when they played the Wings at home and won by 13 points. Of course, playing on the road is more difficult, but as of today, the Mercury are second in the league and seem significantly stronger. Therefore, I hope for a team win with a double-digit difference.