The Romanian league, Din Bucuresti welcomes Cluj and opts for the BTS option. This year's matches with Cluj have been very goal-oriented, as the team, which we have seen at the top of the table, currently occupies the 13th place due to poor defense, but their attack has scored 19 goals in 14 matches, while conceding 26, which should not be a problem for the hosts who are currently in 4th place. Cluj has only scored once in an away game this year, while Bucuresti has only failed to score in two home games. I believe an open and goal-oriented match is expected from both teams.
Championship, Wrexham welcomes league leaders Coventry and I am going with BTS. Both teams are playing productively this season, Coventry is on fire as they have already scored 34 goals in 12 matches, meanwhile Wrexham is slightly below with 16 goals in 12 matches. Overall, there was only one game this season when they didn't score. Wrexham's biggest question is if they will be able to score, as Coventry's attack is playing at an astronomical pace. Wrexham is playing at home and I believe they will give the league leaders a tough match. I am expecting an open game with goals from both sides.
Everything is in Belinda's hands here, she can load as much as she wants. Moreover, if Belinda had doubts about her health at the beginning of the previous tournament, now after the last three matches with Kenin, Noskova, and Sasnovich, her recovery seems like a revival. Her movements on the court have improved and her game is more stable, especially against opponents with weaker serves, as in this case.
Wang Yafan, despite being a local Chinese player, has zero stability. After injuries this year, everyone who plays somewhat normally takes as much as they want. This Chinese player had only 18 matches this season and the season practically began only in July. Her second opponent in the tournament, she only managed to beat once this season, always getting knocked out in the first or second stages. Her serving is poor, with frequent double faults, and she often makes unforced errors in her game.
Both recently suffered injuries, following which Zhang consulted with her doctor in Peru and decided to withdraw from the matches, while Kalinskaja has been playing the entire season and it's unclear when she will finish her matches as she already has three unfinished matches this season. Zhang Shuai, a 36-year-old Chinese player, showed good tennis last week, playing swiftly and accurately, though not very quickly, but still a decent player to watch. She should also have the support of fans. Kalinskaja is completely unpredictable. She could withdraw from the match at any time, as Russians seem to have a vacation mentality and I can't recall when was the last time they reached a higher level. In the last month, they lost to Osorio and Sramkova, so I believe the Chinese player is stronger than such opponents.
The upcoming match against Virtus may seem like an easy one, but against Asvel, no matter how poorly they may be playing, Žalgiris often faces difficulties. I don't think they will be crushed here either. We must not forget that there was a double week and a lot of energy was spent on defense against Virtus, so I don't believe they will play with the same level of aggression and intensity today, and the handicap is significant. Asvel is almost always written off in Kaunas, but they are capable of surprises and nonsense. I think the game should be much more interesting and competitive than the one against Virtus, where everything was clear from the first quarter.
There are many problems with injuries at the servus plus Nwora and Butler are questionable and the question is how long they will keep up this form with a short bench. Maccabi has already shown that they can play with serious teams. They narrowly lost to Oly team and barely lost to PAO in the last minute, but I still try to bet on Maccabi. The odds are unfair, I don't think they should be underdogs. Maccabi is not such a bad team in my eyes, and a great opportunity to take a win against an exhausted Zvezda in a double week.
Yesterday there was a good match played between the Russian player and the young Fonseca, and here in Paris he can beat anyone under these conditions. De Minaur will play here after a very tough match against Diallo, where I can't even imagine how he won the first set tiebreak. Demon is a defensive player and prefers to play on faster courts where he can use his speed, but he doesn't excel at dictating points. Here, Karen with his strong first serve and powerful shots has the advantage. The head-to-head record is also in Khachanov's favor, 2-1. This is Khachanov's tournament, and in Paris he finds ways to win, and with his improving game, it's worth betting on him here.
Briefly and clearly, two teams that promote a fierce pace, although the Nets and their game do not lack it, and their offense leaves a very good impression. The Hawks once again are tragic on defense, their offense is solid and they are expected to be in the Top 5 in pace this regular season.
Auger Aliassime withdrew from the Basel tournament due to groin pain. He played a 3-set match against Comesana for almost 3 hours, followed by another 3-set match against Muller for over 3 hours. In total, Canada has played 14 matches this month, so I think his form will definitely suffer. He's constantly going from one tournament to the next, with almost no rest. He managed to defeat Muller, although Muller seemed to have the upper hand in their previous encounters. His strong serve helped him. Altmaier looks great and the Paris surface suits him well this year. He defeated Giron and Ruud, both from an obvious outsider status. Canada must have already used up all his energy and started making his usual unforced errors, which the German will take advantage of.
The Slovenian club is a home team, which looks quite good this season, and plays almost perfectly at home. Lithuanian clubs are not doing well in the Eurocup, and the newly formed Neptune team with a poor coach does not seem like a serious opponent. If the team lacks defense, Cedevita must calmly secure a win at home.
The battle between two teams that look very bad. Both teams lost their first matches of the week, and are struggling even outside of the relegation zone. The teams play weakly and although they may have some flashes, I think it will be a defensive game. Both times last season there were unders, so I assume the trend will continue.
Maccabi is almost like an NBA team with their offense-oriented basketball. Zvezda also has very talented offense-oriented players. When playing against anyone, Maccabi is able to impose their playing style, and with the potential of playing at home, I think we can expect a high-scoring game once again.
Poor situation for Real, I've already written periods multiple times. With Scariolo here, it doesn't feel like a team, Campazzo can't find his place, Hezonja is dissatisfied and running around. Can't understand the rotation. Maledon plays well, but only gets under 20 minutes. There's no game flow. Fenerbahçe is disappointing so far, the front line is not active, but it won't be needed here. Tavares also doesn't seem very lively. The back line is much better with Baldwin, Horton Tucker, Wilbekin, Hall. Biberovic is out of shape. I believe the coach's hand will have a lot of significance here and could save Real from being inactive.
The league rookies are still not winning any league matches. They are currently tied with Milan, Fiorentina, and Atalanta, but not with Peru. It is only a matter of time before the team wins, but I don't believe it will be against Lazio. Despite a poor start to the season, Lazio has been playing well lately, and when they don't have to play in Europe, the team can fully focus on Serie A matches. As usual, a decent lineup and weak opponent show that Lazio should achieve a positive result.
Although Paderborn has been performing well lately, it is a club that competes in a lower league and is considered one of the weaker German clubs. However, Bayer has a history of success and is still full of talent and capable of playing successfully. Given the situation in the Bundesliga and the Champions League, this is realistically their only chance at winning a title. With a strong track record, Bayer appears to be the clear favorite in their match against a lower league club.
The Lakers have a lot of injuries right now, and without a heroic game from Reaves, they have no chance. Even if AD were to come back, I don't think they would be able to resist, as not only Luka and Bron are out, but also role players such as Vincent, Hayes, and uncertainty surrounding Smart, who does a lot of dirty work. They managed to overcome the Kings, but even with Reaves scoring 51 points, it wasn't enough for them to beat Portland, who ended up winning by 14 points at home. Minnesota is playing without Edwards, but their team options are much better against a depleted Lakers team at the moment, especially with a solid rotation and the Lakers potentially having to rely on G-League level players. I think the hosts will win by at least 10+.
The Swiss league usually has high-scoring games and in this game two teams will meet, who usually score at least 3 goals. Looking at this year's statistics, the home team has an average of 3.2 goals per game and the away team has an average of 3.7 goals per game. Although Grasshoppers are currently near the bottom of the league, they have been scoring quite consistently at home with an average of 2 goals per game, which could cause some problems for the top team. Young Boys, who are currently in 5th place, have been conceding an average of almost 2 goals per game. Similarly, the away team is a stronger team and should also contribute to the total score, unless they have a very bad performance. I believe both teams will score at least 2 goals each in this game.
In this match, I take Overi from Danu taure. The Midtjylland team is very overpowering this year, looking at the league results they have already scored 25 goals and conceded 12, in just 7 matches at home. This shows that their attack is atomic, scoring almost 4 goals per game in front of their fans, but also conceding. The Silkeborg team is also very productive in their matches, with an average of almost 4 goals per game, they play offensively but do not defend well, making them an easy target for the home team. I think Midtjylland could possibly score a high total, but I also feel that the guests will contribute, as some of the Danu teams do not have a strong defense.
Even though PSG are more inconsistent this season, they play confidently and score many goals. The last 3 matches have resulted in 3 or more goals being scored, which shows that the team's finishing is on point. Against one of the weakest defenses in the league, we can expect a strong attacking performance from PSG. Lorient is still adjusting to the top league, not to mention facing off against a team like PSG. With Dembele already playing and PSG's great form, we can expect a secure victory for the champions.