Latest picks

The Kulbokos team won all 3 inter-team games this season, including the cup and friendly matches. Although Peru's team has improved recently, their strength is still lower than that of the Aris team. Even though home handicap in Greece is a serious factor, Aris has recently lost two away games, so they should expect a challenge from Peru. With a strong lineup and proven handicap this season, Aris can be counted on to win against Peru.

Although in their group the Besiktas team beat Bourg twice by celebrating at home with a 30-point difference, the Bourg team is now at a completely different level, form, and coordination. Although the Turkish team's form is impressive with a long series of wins, Besiktas does not always win by large margins. The Bourg team looks very strong and because Besiktas, who are clear favourites, will feel more pressure, I believe the French will be able to play successfully and not lose by a large margin.

The Monaco team looked very weak against Pao, with such a game they had little chance against Barcelona, they may not even be able to protect their own walls, of course their own team may have been surprised to go to Greece and win against Pao, but I think that the coach factor in such moments plays a big role. An inexperienced coach may struggle to prepare the team for such an important match. In this case, I believe that Barcelona is a clear favorite with such a coach and their players are more motivated than the Monaco players.

In short and clearly, the referee is good, Mateo Busquets is one of the best in Spain this season, with a large number of yellow cards and recently also red cards in all directions, 6 out of his last 10 matches ended with a red card. Sociedad will be motivated after the Cup final against Atletico, but they must also fight for a place in Europe, at least in the Conference like Getafe. Both teams have only a 1-point difference, but they are still behind by only 2/3 points for a spot in the Conference. Getafe is one of the most carded teams in the league, and they can collect 7 yellow cards by themselves.

My attitude towards the match/series with the bookmakers has not changed for a long time. Burgas, this month, lost to Paris, Turk Telekom, Monaco and Cedevita, so why should Beşiktaş suddenly defeat them now? Beşiktaş has won both matches this season, but they were both during stages when Burgas was a completely dead team, so to me, it is even more of a plus for this short series. Beşiktaş could be given the favorite status, but it seems to me that the handicap is simply too big.

Fenerbahçe has a home advantage in the series. Sharas should also never be underestimated and there is no doubt that he will do everything possible to prepare Fenerbahçe better for the playoffs. On the other hand, towards the end of the season, Žalgiris appears to be a stronger and more mature team. This season, Žalgiris and Masiulis have a 2-0 advantage.

Valencia is simply playing well this season and secured second place in the regular season. In the playoffs, home advantage will be important and Valencia will have it. Spaniards are difficult to beat when playing in their home fortress. This season, they have only lost 3 times.

Two teams that pleasantly surprise with their current opponents are Bournemouth, who have not lost 12 consecutive games and are strongly fighting for a spot in the Europa League next season. Leeds has pulled away from the relegation zone thanks to 6 unbeaten games and on top of that, secured a spot in the FA Cup semifinals where they have decent chances against an out-of-form Chelsea side. Both teams have been looking quite impressive on the attacking end, causing discomfort for the English elite with their recent performances, and they both love to score goals. In the 22-23 season, when they played each other in the EPL, Leeds won 4-3 against Bournemouth and lost 4-1 in the reverse fixture. This season, they are both back in the EPL and their first game ended in a 2-2 draw, perfectly reflecting how evenly matched these teams are. I am once again expecting an exciting game between them, and my prediction is a 4-2 win for Bournemouth.

Both one and the other fell out of Europe and can now focus on the culmination of the Spanish league, as both have something to fight for. Barça can win the league title, while Celta is fighting with the 6th team for the 5/6 places that would secure them a spot in the Europa League or the Conference League next season. Celta's problem is that their defense has been crumbling recently, as in their last 5 games they have conceded 2+ goals 5 times, and 3+ goals in 4 of those games... and now they will face Barcelona's offense, which could easily score 5 goals in a day. Celta's advantage is their offense, which has the power to punish, while Barça's defense always gives their opponents opportunities. My prediction is a 4-2 win for Barça.

Blast Rivals

The teams have a similar level of strength, which is also reflected in the teams' rankings, with the 4th and 5th teams in the standings. Although the teams played all three games very quickly during the regular season, and the Raptors won all three head-to-head matches, I believe they have a good chance of performing well and potentially winning. My prediction is very safe, but strongly convincing when considering the teams' abilities.

From the 23/24 year of the season, the Hawks did not play in the playoffs, but just like a couple of seasons ago when they lost 4-2 in the first round, here the Atlanta team must lose by 2 or over with handicaps. In this regular season, the Knicks have the advantage of 2-1, and their form and ability are strongly on the side of the New York team. Just at the beginning of April, the Knicks won against the Hawks on their away game, so in this series, the win must be for them.

I have already written about Sweden in my other prediction. I think it is very realistic to make it into the top 10. The song should be in the top 10 for both the jury and televote, and that should be enough for the final table. Historically, Sweden receives a lot of points from the jury. Maybe not all juries will give points for this genre, but there will be juries that will appreciate the Swedish quality. I would also say that the song is suitable for televoting because it is an EDM song, a party song that makes people dance. So it will also receive a good amount of votes from the televote.