A coefficient as big as 1.4 for me here is even the highest rise at the moment, looking at the whole season, and it has seriously started to believe in its chances to win the league title with its current 5-game winning streak against PL clubs, all of whom were actually better than this Forest team which is basically a circus this season, it has talent but no results, and they change coaches like socks especially since this team is only 2 points above the relegation zone. At home, Man City only has 7 points scattered, with 3 of them being earned after the new year when form had dropped. This brings me no doubt about their chances.
Although Bilbao did not manage to play successfully at home, nothing is clear yet in this semi-final and I believe Bilbao can still show that this team is stronger in this pair. The teams have the same number of points in the La Liga championship, so after tough matches between each other, it is possible that we will see a better performance from Bilbao, and Sociedad has not been showing stability this season, so I think we should trust Bilbao in this pair.
The Turkish Cup, where one of the top teams of the league, Fenerbache, fights for a spot in the playoffs. The Turkish giant has not secured a spot in the next round, so the match is very important for them, even though the opponent is from a higher league, they are often beatable. Currently, Fenerbache, with a streak of 10 consecutive wins, is much stronger and their record of 6 consecutive wins on the road proves it.
Even though at 23 years old, Sawangkaew Mananchaya from Thailand is still progressing, everything with her is at the ITF level, with two ITF wins this year and one reaching the semifinals, but all of that has been achieved either in Thailand or India, so there's no need to be too impressed with her progress. She rarely ventures into deeper waters, similar to how I am a bit like a man 😁 She stands out with her technical game, but she is also short in stature, so I don't think that will play a role here.
Marina Stakusic, 21 years old from Canada, plays here almost as if she's at home. In the first round, she defeated someone with a similar profile, maybe even more technical, Golubic. The downside is that she had health issues this year and had to withdraw in the first round of AO against Hon. Either way, for the second round, I think she should have enough energy.
Bartunkova Nikola from Ghana is a strongly progressing 20m Czech player, already defeating experienced opponents. Her current performance is also excellent, with a decent serve and a strong backhand.
On the other hand, there is a 24m Japanese player Sakamutsu, known for her powerful plays but with a weak second serve, and also of short stature.
During the Indian Wells tournament, I noticed that the ball bounces high in Ghana, either due to the ball itself or the surface. That's why there are either shorter players or players who use slices, or ones who like to shorten the point, as the ball bounces high in Ghana.
I have no doubt about Bartunkova's potential, only her young age might affect her in a set against someone like Nepal...
Bartunkova Nikola Ghana is a strongly progressing 20m Czech, already overcoming experienced opponents. Her current form is also great, with a decent serve and good representation from the back.
On the other hand, 24m Japanese player Sakamuto is known for her consistency in games, but has a weak second serve and is short in height.
I noticed during the Indian Wells tournament, the balls bounce high in Ghana, so either a player needs to hit high balls or have a good backhand. That's why there are no short players or those who like to shorten balls among the players with short height.
I have no doubt about Bartunkova's ability, only concerning her youth and if she can handle a long set...
Even at home, the University team is often crushed, as was the case in the beginning of January against Taltech, where the home team lost by a 20-point difference, so now the away score should at least be the same, but realistically, it will be even higher. Lately, the University team has experienced many major losses, as they have to play against top teams, so before another game like this, one can only hope for a stable, large difference.
Aston Martin enters the season as tourists for now. The team doesn't even have a car that can complete the entire race distance without breaking down. It's possible that they won't even start, in which case bets will be refunded. If they do start, the question is who will be able to drive over the finish line. It's basically a coin toss. I'm taking the 3 coefficient, which in this case is the value.
In Scotland, currently the team workload is very high and there is no need to even play in Europe, as for three consecutive weeks, Aberdeen is playing two games each week. The Celtic team is clearly much stronger and used to such a workload, as they play in Europe every year and often make it to the finals, but the European season is over now and they can focus on Scotland. Both teams are not at full strength, but the situation for the opponents can be considered similar, so the Celtic handicap should be strongly felt, especially as they have to compete with Rangers and Hearts for the title. Winning 3 out of 5 away games in a row shows which team is stronger, and when Celtic cannot afford to lose points, it is necessary to expect them to be champions.