Australian Open, first qualifying round, women. Fiona Ferro (28 y.o.) from France, a versatile player, hasn't had much success in such caliber tournament qualifications, but feels better in "traditional" tournaments throughout the season. In this match, the initiative will show, motivated, Yeowoo Ku (22 y.o.) from South Korea.
Zhu Lin is a much stronger player on hard courts, with precise and powerful strokes emphasized, but she does not have as many options as she suffers from injuries. Laura Pigossi - a Brazilian player, has not achieved any significant results in Grand Slam tournaments on hard courts, as she is more suitable for playing on clay, like most representatives from South America.
Even after playing four games in a week, Valencia, who had a tragic match against Unicaja at home (in terms of accuracy), should be able to score a lot of points again. The opponent, Zaragoza, is favorable for this, as they had a similar scoreline in both matches last year. Valencia does not shy away from their playing style, which is more like the NBA, and after a particularly poor game, they should return to their usual offensive numbers, which are quite impressive - 94.57. Zaragoza is an interesting average team in the league with a similar playing style and equally impressive performances - 88.3.
Although Napoli's team is capable of playing well at home, when the solid team from Peru arrives, they are not to be seen. A solid week with two Euroleague games against Peru should be closed off with a game against Italy from the Milan side. The second Euroleague game will be played at home, with good form and gameplay, and finally, a long break allows the Milan team to be solid even in the third week's game.
The third highest scoring team in the league, Zvezda, with an average of 90.91 points in the ABA league, shows that home games should be high-scoring. After two big losses in the Euroleague, Zvezda team needs to bounce back at home, and they are facing a solid opponent, Bosna team. With an average of 82 points in the league, Bosna may seem like a weaker team, but they have been playing very well and scoring efficiently lately. Not too long ago, Bosna lost at home to Zvezda with a score of 77-86, but only 31 points were scored in the fourth quarter by both teams, so there is still room for improvement. Recently, Bosna has been scoring at a similar rate, so when Zvezda plays at home, we can expect a high-scoring game.
Buyukcekmece is the fastest team in the Turkish league, with the second worst defensive rating after Karsiyaka. The downside is that their offensive rating is not better, but the upside is that they play at home, where the additional energy always helps when playing against Euroleague teams. Efes also plays at a good pace in the local league, having one of the best offensive ratings and a decent defense. However, with back-to-back games, it will be difficult for them to perform well defensively.
Having reached their peak form, Monaco is now able to demonstrate better basketball in Europe than ever before. With 5 wins in a row, including defeating Real Madrid and breaking Valencia's impressive winning streak, they have proven themselves on the court. Now they are headed to Paris to face a team that is closer to the bottom than to the playoffs, and I believe Monaco's current form will lead them to victory. They have already beaten Paris 3-0 this season, on all fronts, with each win by a margin of 5 or more points. There are no new injuries, although it is unclear if Theis will play, but I believe Monaco can overcome this loss against Valencia in this match.
Although the Liverpool team will play at home and against a third league average opponents, they have many injuries and will play with rotation, which is very weak or young. We have seen weaker teams and cup formats show that anything can happen, and top clubs rarely dominate. Barnsley is not a pushover and it shouldn't be expected that there will be a big advantage, as Liverpool themselves have been unproductive this season, scoring 5 or 4 goals only once and conceding 3 goals from an English Champions League club only 3 times this season. The poor attacking situation and heavy form, plus many losses, do not suggest that Liverpool will easily defeat their opponents at home, despite what Slota says before this match.
Our own [player], Mūsiškis, is well-known for their good play on hard court. Last year, Edas even finished by defeating Gauba on a hard indoor court. Lithuania is a favorite and successful court, and 35-year-old veteran Gombos does not seem like a serious opponent for Lithuania. Edas even won the only previous meeting between them 2-0 on a clay court, so now, he is rightfully favored and I believe he will prove it on the hard court as well.
The pair of local Sweeny, who won the Peru ATP tournament qualifiers, will meet with an Italian player who has not yet played any official matches this year. The Italian came to pick up a decent check, as he has not been doing well on hard courts. Last year, the Italian lost all 5 matches on hard courts, with only one victory in the past two years in Peru. After a fairly successful tournament, the Australian should have confidence and a secure win against his opponent.
A couple of strong contenders in the Peruvian ATP tournament's qualifications, local player Sweeny and an Italian who has not yet played any official matches this year. The Italian came to claim a solid result because he is not doing well on hard courts. Last year, he lost all 5 matches on hard surfaces, and in the past two years, he has only won one match in Peru. The Australian should have confidence and should secure a win against his opponent after a successful tournament.
I think the German is severely underestimated in this meeting and the odds given are very high. Neither of them have won this year, even though they have already played, but they are tied 2-2 and all matches are played on clay, and Altmaier has won the last two times. The better serving by the German allows for the expectation that it won't be easy for the Spaniard.
The fantastic revenge against Zvezda was, now it's time for revenge against Maccabi. I believe conclusions will be made after analyzing that painful loss in Kaunas. We will work on defense and Cisco will be aggressive in offense, even when Goss and enough time to shine are missing. With decreased rotation, only the best defenders will come in handy for Zalgiris. We have seen this before when Goss was injured. Maccabi doesn't seem as confident lately, with 3 losses in the Euroleague, so it's necessary to take advantage of this weaker team if we are still thinking about making it to the playoffs.
Myanmar. Just an ordinary Dagon Port match, where we can expect goals. The team doesn't change their style, attacking aggressively with great force, and now they are also in great form on offense, scoring many points. However, their defense still faces many problems and in this match it seems that even their offense will have a difficult time fighting for points. As usual, Port will create chances for scoring, but their opponent this time is the league leader, with a strong offense, and playing on their home field where United usually plays effectively. All signs point to a fun match with many goals.
There is a psychological handicap for Pauliukevicius here. Salkovskis, although still upset about the trauma caused by that slap, could feel the strength of Ignas during their conversation. This is not the first time Salkovskis has encountered resistance from Dirkst, but this time there was also a strong opponent in the ring - Ignas. Ignas, on the other hand, participated, fought, and each time seemed to handle the pressure better. This should bombard Pauliukevicius with the Salkovskis case, and Edvinas will need to succeed in catching that one decisive blow.
Bucks leaving the East is a serious possibility, especially with such high odds. Giannis is having another incredible season and it doesn't seem like his form will decline. Ryan Rollins is becoming a great player. Kevin Porter Jr is not yet there, but he will be, and if we don't count his non-basketball related issues, he is a great player. AJ Green is a complete sniper who can make shots in every game. Myles Turner is struggling right now, but he will start making shots soon. The recipe for the Bucks is clear - Giannis is the main man and the shooters are placed around him, and with this team, it's possible to win championships.
The main contenders will most likely be Cleveland, 76ers, and Knicks, maybe even Orlando, but it's disappointing and unclear which of them will rise this season.
Outrights (NBA 2025/26 - To Reach the Playoffs - Golden State Warriors : NO) @500 4/10
The West is very competitive. In the past years, it was not clear who would rank in the top 4 - 11.
The Spurs will still be in the mix, and the Rockets look strong. It's too early to count out the Kings.
Curry is 37 years old, Butler is 36, and Draymond is 35, so the core players are getting older and could potentially face the same injuries.
Milwaukee, with its rejuvenated team, currently looks very much alive, with Giannis continuing to improve as a player and proving to be a true leader, consistent, so I can easily imagine them in the top 4 of the regular season.
The Cavs are not convincing with 3.05, maybe they had a good start, but they collapsed in the playoffs.
76ers are above Orlando..
Knicks are definitely one of the options for second place with 4.6, but they still need to prove themselves in the playoffs.
Overall, my weak teams' championship looks promising this year. Despite their lack of experience in the championship, they often rise up to the Premier League. The rest of the teams don't have much chance unless these options occur:
Leicester - I believe they will bounce back, although they have struggled a bit. They still have a strong team and if they don't lose their morale after dropping down to the championship, I think they can definitely fight for promotion this season.
Middlesbrough - A good team in good form, nothing can stop them this season. I think they can definitely promote to the Premier League together with Leicester.
Coventry - Thanks to Lampard's magic, they have a shot at first place. I believe they have good chemistry and can rise to the Premier League, as long as they maintain their form.
In my opinion, these are the only options that can compete for promotion to the Premier league. The rest are either in bad form or good form, but I don't think they will last long. Leicester, on the other hand, is used to the championship and immediately bounces back to the Premier League. They have struggled with injuries in the Premier League but now I see that their players are no longer injured and in good form (sadly, some have left). But their main player, Abdul Fatawu (remember the name), can lead this team if he doesn't get injured. The team still has good players and promising talents, so I think they can continue their tradition.
First long-term bet for the new full season. Chelsea's coefficient is still over 2, which means they will finish in the Top 4, and I have no doubts about that. Last season, they finished fourth and strengthened their team impressively at the end of the season. It was clear that this young team is a force to be reckoned with, winning two trophies and beating PSG gave them a lot of confidence going forward. So yes, Chelsea will play Champions League football, but in terms of the main competition for the fourth place, I see Newcastle as the main rival and I don't think they have strengthened enough to challenge for it. As for the other teams, United and Tottenham? United have made too much progress in just one season and Tottenham have a lower level than Chelsea, plus they are also in the Champions League. Aston Villa seems destined for relegation and I don't see any other contenders. Overall, I believe Chelsea is closer to joining the top three of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool, rather than fighting for the Top 4 spot, which I don't see them achieving in the upcoming Premier League season.