Football

Norway 2nd league

The Lillestrom club, having been separated from the highest league, feels significantly superior to all the other league teams and easily dominates over everyone with only 4 lost points in 9 league matches. Defeating 7 out of 9 teams in the league and recently the highest league club in the cup demonstrates the strength and determination of the Lillestrom team to return. Although their opponents are not a bad team, Lillestrom just seems to be on a completely different level and should win.

The 1x2 outcome of the match is very hard to predict. Overall, I prefer Al Ahly as a team, they are more balanced and have good chemistry, but the match against Miami, with the experienced duo of Messi and Suarez, cannot be overlooked. Therefore, I am tempted to skip the 1x2 bet, but I think goals are a good option. However, Inter also has a strong attack and can score many goals, but their defense has been struggling this season and they are in good form recently. Al Ahly has good attacking options, they play well in counter-attacks, and if they can challenge Inter's veteran defenders, they should have plenty of space and opportunities on the attack. I think it will be difficult for either team to cancel each other out and there will be goals scored.

The tournament opening should shine with Messi and the club he represents. Inter has Suarez, Busquets, and Alba, although the latter may not play. The Egyptian club is much weaker and although they have one well-known football player, Trezeguet, I believe that even with their veteran players, Inter has a better chance of winning because they are professionals who know how to play at this level and I also suspect that these football players have been preparing for this championship, so Inter should win.

I don't really believe in the Inter Miami team and I would bet against them rather than for Al Ahly. I wouldn't say that Miami is having an impressive season, and there is a clear imbalance between their offense and defense. Their talented forwards are not enough to make up for a club that can't even compete in the MLS. I think this tournament will be a complete failure for the Miami team, while Al Ahly Egypt, the champions, should be able to easily dominate the competition.

I think we should try to take advantage of this coefficient. Although their defense may struggle, their offense is out of this world at this level. They will not dominate against strong European teams, but I believe they should easily score goals against weaker teams. Even though Al Ahly is a champion in their region, I think the difference in levels will be felt. In friendly matches against non-regional teams, Al Ahly did not show anything impressive. The interest and experience are very high and even though their defense is unclear, they have scored 36 goals in 16 matches in the MLS, so I am expecting goals from them today.

I think the coefficient deserves attention, I believe Al Ahly is undervalued and will make a shocker here against Miami. I would say it's Al Ahly vs Messi, because as a team, I truly believe Al Ahly is better, especially based on their experience (winning the 2023 bronze medal at the Club World Cup). Messi is the heart and hope of this team, so it depends on whether he will show up in this game or not, as without Suarez, who barely scores, Messi could still pull off a trick.

CONCACAF Gold Cup. Opening match of the tournament, held in California, is practically a home game for Mexico, with a convenient location and, as always, a large fan army in the stadium expected. And overall, this year they have a really strong team, with a good attack, so the expectations are high, especially in the first game against Dominica, who are participating in this size tournament for the first time. I think it will be a tough baptism for them and they will have a lot of trouble in defense, because while their attack has improved in recent years, their defense struggles against any higher caliber team and tends to concede a lot of goals. And here they will face another regional leader with plenty of experience in such tournaments and a lot of class in their attacking game. I believe Mexico should easily win this match.

Even though Bayern's name is huge and with a new coach, the players will want to prove their abilities, and the Australian club, known for its attacking style, it is difficult to expect them to score as many goals as the line suggests. Bayern rarely scored so many goals this season, and the Auckland team should not open up and let the Germans flank them. There are teams capable of scoring, but I believe the Australians will want to score as few goals as possible, and Bayern is not as strong in attack as depicted.

Here everything, I think, depends only on Bayern's desire and motivation. Somehow I believe that the German team will not lack that. The opponent is the weakest team in the tournament, semi-amateur players from New Zealand. Buddies who have jobs, train periods once a week, play in local NZ championships and in tournaments organized by Oceania, and occasionally wear FIFA club shirts. There was a time when the team was stronger, doing better, putting up a fight, had national team players, half of a legion, but now all the better local players have been grabbed by the newly formed Auckland FC, playing in the Australian league, and also from City, so there are not many options to strengthen with locals, the remaining class is under, the legion is weak, so there are no options in this tournament. The last attempt was very unsuccessful, half a year ago in the first round against Al Ain from the UAE, it ended 2:6. There were many defensive mistakes, positional errors, missed shots. Al Ain is not a bad team in general, but also not Bayern. So I can hardly imagine how Bayern could not take advantage of everything, even if there is a bit of a lack of motivation, if there is an impact from acclimatization, rotation, the class difference is still huge.

Two serious teams, champions league and treble winners PSG against a very determined and high-scoring Atletico team. The Madrid club has even won the only away game against PSG in this season's Champions League with a score of 1-2. The attacking of both teams is very solid, but their defense may not be their strongest suit. Also, it is the first game after the break, so I hope there will be goals on both sides, as in their previous encounter.