KHL. Round of 16.
Series 3:0 was lead by "Avangard", but last year's champions Nepal fought back and won two consecutive games. The tension on the court grows with each match.
All previous meetings have been goalless: 4:1, 2:2, 1:1, 1:3, 1:3. Not surprising: the goalkeepers are strong, the defense is solid, and a missed goal can be fatal. So I am expecting another low-scoring game.
Poland, 1 Division... hosts at home haven't lost in five rounds (two wins, three draws), that's typical for a home team. But today they're facing guests from Gdynia with a strong legionnaire reinforcement), who should challenge the hosts' defense that is having a great season.
Join the team and experience the excitement of the match. The game against Zvezda at home will be a tough one, as they have regained their form. We'll see how it goes, but personally I am trying to face them with a positive attitude. I believe it will be a tough battle.
Two matches left, Manchester still has a chance to secure a spot in the playoffs, with a two point difference from the 8th place. In 26 home matches, Manchester has scored 86 goals and conceded 100. Guildford's record after 26 matches is 81-97. The last matches between the two teams resulted in scores of 5-4, 4-6, and 7-4.
Milan still has theoretical chances, but the season is over. Describing current form, I am betting on Milan, even though the season did not start out well, but later the team took off and Virtus, as it was at the bottom, remained. So my favorite today is Milan.
There are two matches left, Manchester can still hang on to a spot in the playoffs, two points behind eighth place. In their 26 home matches, Manchester has scored 86 goals, but has allowed 100 goals. Guildford has a ratio of 81-97 after 26 matches. The last matches between them were results of 5-4, 4-6, 7-4.
There is not much to say here. The handicap is high, but when the Pelicans are without their entire core and even Jordan Hawkins won't play, I don't see any chance for them. There is nothing in the Lakers' injury list, they should all play even back to back. And because of yesterday's loss, I don't think there will be any negative effect on the team, they need to rest. I think this will be an easy win, and if the reserves don't give up, it should be a crushing final.
They had a bad start in basketball and went on an away trip, but there they played very poorly in the game, with no shots made. At home, the basketball game is like day and night, with quite a bit of talent, and some players seem to have improved. The battle is for a better position in the tournament standings. ASVEL doesn't show anything that would make them look dangerous. The Spanish basketball team plays at a good pace, while the French have a solid defensive line, so we can expect a decent pace in the game.
They had basketball wins and were on the road, but there they played very bad games where shots were not falling. At home, their basketball game is like day and night, they have quite a bit of talent, and some players look better than before. The battle for better positions in the tournament table. ASVEL doesn't demonstrate anything special that would make them appear dangerous here.
The game is very important for both teams, as both have a chance to secure a direct ticket to the playoffs, but Zvezda also has the possibility to end their season with a loss. The atmosphere at Zvezda's home games always creates a high tension and the Serbians excel in defense here. Efes is in great form, with a strong offense, but they have also demonstrated solid defense in all of their games.
The playoffs have already begun and there is no excuse, the team GSW does not seek and does not have a back-to-back situation. Starting 5 with Podziemski and Moody is 13-0 while Curry and Butler together are 19-2. While the fight is on to avoid the play-in and possibly move up to 4th or even 3rd place, I am not expecting anything other than Warriors points tonight. Overall, GS is a higher level team for me than Denver, which I consider weak and poorly defending this year, and I do not see them as one of the top 3 teams in the conference, even though they are currently ranked 3rd in the standings.
Milan's weakness in defense this season in the Euroleague is against opponents' defenders and those poor numbers remain consistently bad. There was a thought to take Cordinier as an over, but he has been looking poor lately and also did not perform well against Milan. On the contrary, Morgan had good games against Milan both in the Euroleague and in Italy in a very short amount of time. This defender's advantage is his good shooting and 3PT, against which opponents also defend poorly.
Colton looks great, both serve and all-around are strongly prepared and I think this could be a breakthrough tournament for him. Tommy didn't seem confident against Garin, everything was decided in the tie break in the third set. Smith has not lost a set here in 4 matches (2 in qualifying), and hasn't allowed a single break.
The weakest and worst team in the LNB league is the league newcomers La Rochelle, who are struggling to compete against the top teams this season. They have another home game, but the opponent is very serious and, most importantly, in good form (4 wins in their last 6 matches). Nancy's team is fighting for a chance to directly qualify for the playoffs, so they need points even against the league's underdogs. Recently, Nancy has been playing very well in away games, while the league's underdogs are just closing out the season. As always in sports, anything is possible, but it seems quite certain.
The top team of this season's Bundesliga championship, Bayern, with 78 goals in 27 league matches, looks great. Bayern also performs very well away with 32 goals in 13 away matches. Augsburg is an average team in the league, with a goal difference of -6, so we can expect goals from Bayern's side. Recently, Bayern hasn't been performing well in the Bundesliga, but they don't usually play poorly for long and it is likely that they will dominate again, especially considering that Leverkusen is struggling. This can be considered the only possible title for this season as their chances in the Champions League are slim, so the team is focused and motivated for every match, even against Augsburg. Augsburg has achieved a great result by not losing even 11 consecutive Bundesliga matches, but all streaks come to an end and it is likely to happen against Bayern.